Ahead of Arsenal’s London derby encounter against West Ham United, Ray Parlour has piled more pressure on the Gunners boss, labelling the clash a must win.
Emery is without a win in the two league matches having lost the opener 2-0 to Manchester City which was followed by a 3-2 loss to Chelsea. However, the Arsenal legend has said losing to the two teams is understandable but against West Ham United, Emery is expected to get his first win in charge of the north London side. The Hammers are also without a win, losing away to Liverpool and home to Bournemouth as Manuel Pellegrini’s reign in east London has got off to a stuttering start.
Parlour, like most, accepts that Arsenal had a rough start with their fixtures but believes there is an expectation they should be beating the Hammers at the Emirates this weekend.
“The start was always going to be difficult. Supporters will let you off because of how good Man City are. Chelsea is always difficult,” he said.
“But West Ham has got everybody expecting you to win, the pressure kicks in a little bit but I think they’ve got enough to win the game. It will always come down to results but the bigger picture for the club is really positive. At the moment, I feel he’s the right man, the only man to come in and he’s managed big clubs, you can see he’s intense on the sidelines,” he added.
Parlour on Emery: “One thing I like about Emery, if you are not doing your job, he will take you off. You did not see much of that last year, not with Ozil, who more or less played every single 90 minutes even if he was playing poorly”
Arsenal was the first club from the South of England to join The Football League, in 1893, and they reached the First Division in 1904. Relegated only once, in 1913, they continue the longest streak in the top division,and have won the second-most top-flight matches in English football history. In the 1930s, Arsenal won five League Championships and two FA Cups, and another FA Cup and two Championships after the war. In 1970–71, they won their first League and FA Cup Double. Between 1989 and 2005, they won five League titles and five FA Cups, including two more Doubles. They completed the 20th century with the highest average league position.
Herbert Chapman won Arsenal’s first national trophies, but died prematurely. He helped introduce the WM formation, floodlights, and shirt numbers, and added the white sleeves and brighter red to Arsenal’s kit. Arsène Wenger was the longest-serving manager and won the most trophies. He won a record 7 FA Cups, and his title-winning team set an English record for the longest top-flight unbeaten league run at 49 games between 2003 and 2004, receiving the nickname The Invincibles, and a special gold Premier League trophy.
In 1886, Woolwich munitions workers founded the club as Dial Square. In 1913, the club crossed the city to Arsenal Stadium in Highbury, becoming close neighbours of Tottenham Hotspur, and creating the North London derby. In 2006, they moved to the nearby Emirates Stadium. In terms of revenue, Arsenal was the sixth highest-earning football club in the world, earned €487.6m in 2016–17 season. Based on social media activity from 2014–15, Arsenal’s fanbase is the fifth largest in the world. In 2018, Forbes estimated the club was the third most valuable in England, with the club being worth $2.24 billion.