With no trophies and Tottenham set to finish above Arsenal for the first time in 21 years, pressure is building on Arsene Wenger like never before. Steve Largent Youth Jersey . Is his time up? Adam Bate looks at the reasons for his success and why there’s little reason to expect a repeat… One of the key moments for Biff Tannen in the Back to the Future series was when he got hold of the Grays Sports Almanac that revealed the winners of every forthcoming sporting event for years to come. Tannen was transformed into a visionary, armed with the information that his contemporaries craved. Success became a formality.Perhaps thats how it felt for Arsene Wenger when he arrived in England in the autumn of 1996. Hed been a top-class coach in his native France, of course, but in the Premier League his encyclopedic knowledge of superior markets and ideas dwarfed that of his new peers. As an intellectual Gulliver in Lilliput, it didnt take too long for his impact to be felt. By his own admission, Wenger was left bemused by the fact that he could assemble an entire squad for the price quoted to sign Graeme Le Saux from Blackburn. And so, he did just that. Nicolas Anelka had already been acquired for less than £1m. Patrick Vieira joined from AC Milan for just £3.5m. And that was just the transfer market. Wenger says his past successes mean Arsenal fans expect trophies each year On the training ground, the focus on muscle toning was new to old pros. Sharper sessions timed to the second. The introduction of periodisation. Conditioning work. Nutrition ideas from Japan. Dieticians such as Yann Rougier. Regular attention from osteopath Philippe Boixel. None of it seems outlandish now but these changes were significant at the time.When we had the first pre-season under Wenger, it was completely different from anything I experienced in my whole career, Nigel Winterburn told The Independent. There were footballs all over the pitch! What? Footballs! It was unheard of, a football session on the first day back off pre-season training. I had never heard of it.Its difficult to appreciate the context. The previous example of a foreign manager at such as high-profile club had been when Dr Josef Venglos was appointed by Aston Villa in 1990. He arrived just weeks after taking Czechoslovakia to a World Cup quarter-final but was still Dr Who to the press pack. Villas players didnt enjoy the post-match warm downs. The house that Arsene built: But is he the same manager today? Venglos was a pioneer but having taken over from the successful Graham Taylor, only wins wouldve earned him patience and he couldnt get them. Wengers combination of better ideas and better players brought improved results and so the story was very different. Experienced players such as Winterburn, Tony Adams and Martin Keown bought into it.He harnessed this existing defence and fused it with a much-improved attacking unit. The likes of Marc Overmars and Emmanuel Petit helped Arsenal to a league and cup double in 1998. A remarkable achievement in itself, but what puts Wenger on a level few have reached is that he built another team too. Only Vieira and Dennis Bergkamp were still first-choice picks in the Invincibles of 2004.That Arsenal side, the team of Thierry Henry and Robert Pires, remains the only one to go through an entire Premier League season without suffering a defeat. That they did so by playing some of the most exciting football this country has ever seen only adds to the achievement. But 12 years on and the wait for the next Premier League title goes on. Arsenal won the Premier League title without losing a game in 2003/04 What went wrong? Undeniably, there have been external factors. It got harder as opponents rose up like never before. With Chelsea emerging as a genuine force, Arsenal were no longer competing with only Manchester United. Liverpool had their moments too and more recently there has been Manchester City and Tottenham to contend with as well.It got harder as the club managed the transition to the new stadium. Supporters were tolerant in that respect, noting the managers complaints about the financial doping of others. But that sympathy has long since dissipated, giving way to a more troubling thought: that the real issue for Wenger is that so many of his advantages have now been neutralised.He had enjoyed what is known in marketing as first-mover advantage - the benefits that stem from being the initial occupant in a market, gaining control of resources others cannot. But now others have caught up. Its Wengers strength no more. He is a victim of his own success given that his ideas and principles are now so ubiquitous they do not set him apart. Ive been tremendously loyal to the manager. Id like to stay that way if I could, but Im just finding that the solutions are getting harder for him to solve. Charlie Nicholas Former Arsenal forward Charlie Nicholas feels it is a problem. Ive been tremendously loyal to the manager, Nicholas told Sky Sports. Id like to stay that way if I could, but Im just finding that the solutions are getting harder for him to solve. Its not easy to find the right players but this is where we have always loved Arsene.Hes always found magical players or turned them into magical players. Hes always had that talent. Now that talent seems to be becoming harder. You cant get Nicolas Anelka now for half a million or Thierry Henry for £8m. But other clubs seem to find them. And if other clubs can find them...Perhaps its prudence that persuaded him against moving for Anthony Martial. Certainly, globalisation has opened things up to allow Newcastle, Leicester and West Ham to swoop upon the French market in recent years. Wenger knew about them all. He just didnt know whether to sign them. His recent risk-free acquisitions have arrived for north of £30m. A section of Arsenals supporters have lost faith in their long-serving manager Where once ignorance of others might have protected Wenger against criticism, allowing it to appear as if World Cup winners such as Henry had been plucked from obscurity, the game has now changed sufficiently to allow Arsenal fans to implore him to sign Gonzalo Higuain - and then feel justified when seeing the Argentine score over 30 goals in a Serie A season.Arsenal have these funds and with the stadium having long since ceased to be a viable excuse, Wenger can no longer point to the financial advantages of club rivals. Particularly when Leicester are champions and, perhaps more damagingly, Tottenham are above them in the table, too. It seems St Totteringhams Day wont be coming this year, but perhaps another day has arrived.In Back to the Future, the results in Tannens Almanac only went up to 2000. Hed secured his legacy by then but the magic touch was gone. Wenger managed to extend his success into the new millennium but the fear is that he too no longer has the answers. The fear is that Arsene Wenger is a man out of time. Also See: Welbeck out for nine months Who is Granit Xhaka? D.K. Metcalf Jersey .ca presents its latest weekly power rankings for the 2013-14 Barclays Premier League season. L.J. Collier Seahawks Jersey . The Jets have now won three straight at home and four of the last five at the MTS Centre. After a scoreless first period, Brad Marchand scored his first goal in eight games eight seconds into the second. http://www.seahawksfansofficial.com/cortez-kennedy-jersey/ . - Hitting was supposed to be the Pittsburgh Pirates weakness coming into the season yet they lead the major leagues in home runs through the first 16 games of the season.TORONTO -- Head coach Scott Milanovich will have to look for another big-play threat coming out of the Toronto Argonauts backfield this season. Veteran halfback Chad Kackert retired Sunday, the opening day of the CFL teams training camp. The five-foot-eight, 206-pound Kackert led Toronto to victory in the historic 100th Grey Cup in 12 but has been slow recovering from a broken left leg suffered prior to last years East final. Kackert, 27, will remain with the Argos as their strength-and-conditioning coach. Hell also continue working to rehab his leg and hasnt completely closed the door on resuming his pro career. "Never say never," he said. "I just dont feel like Im anywhere close to being ready to play football, its an issue of range of motion, to be specific. "I want my leg to get better just because who wants to walk around on a gimpy leg the rest of his life? If its sooner rather than later then I will re-evaluate but as of right Im going to get my leg better and coach this team as far as strength and conditioning goes." Despite playing just three seasons in Toronto, Kackert quickly emerged as an offensive threat. He rushed for 1,467 yards on 228 carries -- an impressive 6.4-yard average -- with 12 touchdowns while adding 50 receptions for 454 yards, two TDs. "Chad was a home-run hitter," Milanovich said. "Hed get a crease and could go to the house and thats nice. "He also brought an intangible. The players loved seeing him succeed. When he got the ball and did well, it just kind of ignited our football team. Well see whos around to replace that but well certainly miss those things." Kackert rushed for 638 yards on 100 carries during the 2012 season -- both career highs -- but was at his best in the playoffs. He ran for 139 yards and a TD in Torontos 27-20 road win over Montreal in the East Division final. The next week before over 50,000 fans at Rogers Centre, Kackert was named the MVP of the 100th Grey Cup game, rushing for 133 yards on 20 carries and recording eight catches for 62 yards in the Argos 35-22 win over the Calgary Stampeders. Kackert appeared in just nine games last year, rushing for 480 yards rushing on 71 carries (6.8-yard average) as Toronto (11-7) finished atop the East Division to secure home-field for the conference final. But Kackert didnt play in the Argos 36-24 loss to Hamilton, breaking his left leg during practice. "It was a no-contact practice, freak injury," Kackert said. "I was just running a route, didnt see the defensive end running his twist. "We knocked shoulders and my foot caught the turf and that was it." Injuries plagued the hard-running Kackert throughout his brief Argos tenure but he knew immediately this one was serious. "It hurt," the former University of Hampshire star said. Still, Kackert spent the off-season working to strengthen his leg, accepting he might even have to spend the early part of the season on the injured list before returning. But Kackert realized Friday he simply wasnt ready to go. "I dont want a handout," he said. "I dont want to come on to a team and take a paycheque while Im sitting around not helping anybody. "Im in a position now where I can help people. Its a different contract but its a priceless opportunity." Milanovich wasnt surprised about Kackerts retirement. "I wasnt expecting him to be here as a player," Milanovich said. "It was a very serious injury, particularly with hhis style of playing using his quickness and speed, and we were planning all along, unfortunately, to have to replace him. L.J. Collier Youth Jersey. " But not let him go altogether. Milanovich said he and GM Jim Barker began discussing about two weeks ago the possibility of offering the immensely popular Kackert the strength-and-conditioning position. "Kack is such an integral part of our team," Milanovich said. "Kack is too good a person to not find a way to let him and make him be a part of this. "Thats where it started and we were lucky it was something he was interested in." Very interested, as it turns out. "Its very important to me because Ive fallen in love with this city and Ive kind of established a home base out here," he said. "Jim is never going to make a decision thats going to hinder the team or not get it to the Grey Cup. "Im really honoured to be able to stay here and help get the guys back to where we need to go." However, Kackert admitted it felt a little odd Sunday in his new job. "Its a little tiring standing for three, four hours straight," he said with a chuckle. "But it felt good, the guys are buying in and I appreciate that from them. "Theyre calling me, Coach, already and asking me for workout tips. It will be fun. Im going to learn a lot, theyre going to learn a lot." Teammate Chad Owens was shocked to learn of Kackerts decision "He told me about it (Saturday) and I was kind of lost for words," Owens said. "Its sad because injuries happen in this game, we all understand that . . . but there are certain guys you pray and hope nothing but great things for just because theyre good people. "Kack is probably the most genuine person Ive ever encountered. He is the epitome of a team player. Im going to miss going into battle with him out there on the field because he brought everything he had. He was a playmaker." Kackerts departure creates an open race for the starters job among the seven running backs in camp. Sophomore Curtis Steele does have the benefit of experience in Torontos offence but Milanovich said rookie Anthony Coombs, Torontos 2014 first-round pick, remains very much in the picture. "Its wide open," Milanovich said. "Curtis has an advantage because hes been here and been in the offence but it could be any of those guys at this point." The five-foot-nine, 190-pound Coombs, a Winnipeg native who played at the University of Manitoba, said Kackerts retirement hasnt changed his approach. "Its pretty much the same because we had a lot of good backs that just came in this year," he said. "Its not like its free pickings now. "It (starting) is a huge possibility . . . but you cant think too far ahead. Ive just got to get used to the speed of the game and its coming along slowly but surely. Whether Kackert is in or out I still have the same mentality: Show up to practice, learn the playbook and get better." NOTES -- Lost in Kackerts retirement was Toronto released offensive lineman Scott Mitchell on Sunday. Mitchell was selected second overall by Edmonton in 2011 and signed with the Argos in the off-season as a free agent. He failed his physical Saturday but theres word the expansion Ottawa Redblacks have an interest in the former Rice star . . . The Hamilton Tiger-Cats signed defensive lineman Ed Laurent on Sunday, The six-foot-one, 303-pound Montreal native spent three seasons with the Eskimos. ' ' '