Former Arsenal chairman David Dein has claimed that the current board have made "bad mistakes" but believes that after 15-years, the club is on the right path once again. The 79-year-old Arsenal fan played a key role in some of the club's success in the latter stages of the 20th century heading into the early 2000s.
The 1989 league title was the Gunners' first in 18-years, winning the old division one in dramatic style with a 2-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield. It was actually their opponents who they managed to pip to the trophy, beating them on goals scored by eight come the 38th game of the season.
Dein also played a key role in the hiring of Arsene Wenger, an unknown name at the time, as well as sanctioning the signings that would see his success as well as the creation of the Invincibles. However, in 2007 he was given his marching orders and left the club after years of success.
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His struggles came at a time where football finances were starting to inflate more than ever, with the threat of Arsenal being left behind by their rivals. He has since opened up about his exit from the club, clearly holding his club in high regard despite the nature of his departure.
Speaking to the Guardian about it, he said: "“I’ve never spoken to anybody for 15 years on how I left Arsenal, I’m not a person that likes discussing negatives. But I’ve nothing to be ashamed of. I want the club to do well, irrespective of how I left and how Arsène left, which was equally as painful.
"We’re both bruised over it. Because that was unfinished business. We had something really special. And when it fell away, that really hurt.”
Since then, the Gunners have struggled to hit the heights again, finding themselves absent from the Champions League and most recently hitting rock bottom with missing out on Europe altogether. Many looked to the top with the ownership of the Kroenke family, who admitted to making mistakes when playing a role in the formation - and subsequent collapse - of a European Super League.
Things since have been much more promising though, with a clear strategy about moving the club forwards to compete at the top once again. This was something that pleased Dein, who said: "They [the board] made mistakes, no doubt, bad mistakes over the years in the transfer market, and how they’ve run the club. But the good news is that it’s 15 years since I left, and they now appear to be on an upward trajectory. The ship has been stabilised.”
While the days of Dein at Arsenal continue to move further away, there will be hopes that they can one day return to the glory days he helped build at the club.
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