As soon as I realised that Arsene Wenger’s autobiography was due out on 13 October, I pre-ordered it online. It wasn’t cheap, but as an Arsenal fan I had to have it in my hands as soon as possible. When the package arrived I could hardly believe that I was holding a copy of My Life in Red and White hot off the press.
I could hear Arsene Wenger’s voice inside my head as I read the early chapters. I especially enjoyed the opening sections where ‘Monsieur’ Wenger talks about his roots and early career, both as a player and as a manager. But when he moved to Arsenal of course he carried my full attention!
The rivalry with Chelsea’s manager Jose Mourinho is under-played, considering the intensity of their feuding. Wenger has clearly opted to avoid causing further rancour, but a forthright account would have been more truthful.
Arsene Wenger has always been a master of the understatement. For example, he describes Ian Wright as a striker who ‘those around sometimes found hard to control, his opponents especially’. Such an elegant appraisal of this sometimes difficult character.
As an Arsenal fan I am delighted to have read Arsene’s autobiography. If you want an objective review you’ll have to look somewhere else!
