MX23RW : Friday, November 8 22:15:27| >> :60:84:84:

Arsene Wenger: 'I will never match Alex Ferguson reign'

Arsene Wenger is grateful to have received support from Alex Ferguson, but admits that he will not match his old rival in sticking with one club for 26 years.

Arsene Wenger has admitted that he will not stick around at Arsenal for long enough to match Sir Alex Ferguson's achievement of spending 26 years at one club.

Ferguson bowed out as Manchester United manager in 2013 after more than a quarter-of-a-century at the helm, during which he had many a spat with Wenger.

The Scotsman came to his old rival's defence earlier this week, however, claiming that the criticism he has faced from Arsenal fans has been "ridiculous".

Wenger welcomes the kind words from Ferguson but does not expect to equal his opposite number's record, which would require him to remain in North London for another five seasons.

"No I don't think I will match him on that front," he told reporters. "He did extremely well and what he did with 26 years is absolutely exceptional because you look at what happens in the game, usually average life expectancy of a manager is 18 months, so our total is quite unusual.

"It is welcome because he knows the difficulty of the job. He is maybe the greatest manager who has worked in England. We had a few big rivalries but time has ended all that and I think we have big respect. I have big respect for him and he as well respects what I have done in the game."

Wenger is due to see his contract expire after Saturday's FA Cup final meeting with Chelsea and is still yet to officially announce whether he intends to stay on.

ID:298892: cacheID:298892:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2560:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
United boss Alex Ferguson on the sidelines during a game with Man City on April 30, 2012
Read Next:
Ferguson: 'Wenger pressure is ridiculous'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
FT
Bengals
34-35
Ravens
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!