Alternative Football Part X – Ian Wright leaves Arsenal!

One moment in the early months of 1996 rocked Arsenal Football Club and could have ended up disastrously for their fans.

Bruce Rioch had joined the club as manager during the summer of 1995 after gaining promotion with Bolton Wanderers. Dull and defensive football had been the order of the day under former manager George Graham, but Dennis Bergkamp and David Platt were brought in and it was an exciting time at Highbury once more.

It was a completely different story behind the scenes as Rioch had ruffled the player’s feathers and told Ian Wright that his attitude was poor. The Scot referred to Wright as ‘Charlie Big Potatoes’ and went as far as to say that John McGinlay, his former striker at Bolton would do a better job.

This incensed Wright, who was an England international and had scored over 100 goals for the club since joining in the autumn of 1991. The striker loved the club but after many arguments with the manager and sometimes being played out of position, he reluctantly handed in a transfer request.

Glenn Hoddle, then manager of Chelsea, was alerted and became interested in taking Wright across London to join him at Stamford Bridge. The Arsenal board were having none of it and rejected Wright’s request.

But what if they granted the request? What if the Arsenal fan’s fears became true and the striker who had become a crowd favourite was allowed to leave and join their London rivals? Let’s see how it pans out in today’s Alternative History…

On Friday 3rd March 1996, Ian Wright handed in a transfer request to the Arsenal board. Despite Vice Chairman David Dein trying his hardest to persuade the striker to change his mind, Wright wouldn’t budge and the club announced that they would be willing to listen to offers.

On Sunday 5th March 1996, Arsenal beat Manchester City 3-1 in an incredible hostile atmosphere at Highbury. Two goals from John Hartson and a rare goal from full-back Lee Dixon, but the result was of little importance for the Arsenal fans.
Throughout the game, the fans sang Ian Wright’s name. The striker waved back on several occasions and cupped his ear to encourage the singing to become louder. However, there was one moment that changed Ian Wright’s career and marked the end of his time at Highbury in an instant.

In the 66th minute, the crowd broke into another bellowing chant of “Ian Wright, Wright, Wright” and as the ball went out of play, Wright made his way to the centre spot. He stretched his arms out and began to act like he was the conductor of a band.
Manager Bruce Rioch jumped out of his seat and began screaming at Wright to stop. He did so and ran off smiling. Within seconds, Rioch rushed over to Paul Dickov, who was a substitute sat in the dugout, and told him to strip off his tracksuit and get ready to come on.

Dickov had no choice. He had to follow orders. When the sign showing Wright’s number 8 to be substituted, Highbury erupted into boos. Rioch sat with his arms folded in the dugout, acting completely oblivious to the abuse that rained down on him from all four sides of the ground.
Wright slowly trudged off, clapping all four sides of the ground before breaking down crying. He knew that this was it. His time at the club that he loved was over.

After the game, the press wanted interviews with Rioch and Wright, but neither were available. It later transpired that Wright had left the stadium by crossing the pitch in the dark with the groundsman and being let out of the West Stand where a friend had arranged to collect him!
Rioch sat in his office high in the East Stand as instructed by the board of directors and also a couple of Metropolitan Police officers after a protest by fans outside the East Stand that went on for two hours after the final whistle!

That very evening, Vice Chairman David Dein received a call from Chelsea manager Glenn Hoddle. Dein told him that there were now irreconcilable differences between Ian Wright and Bruce Rioch and the club were open to any serious offers.
Hoddle told Dein that he was very interested in signing Wright and that he would arrange for his Chairman Ken Bates to call and make an offer.

With eleven days until both club’s were due to play next, a deal was able to be put together. Bates put forward an offer for £4 million and Arsenal accepted it. By the Wednesday, Wright was at Stamford Bridge wearing a Chelsea shirt and playing keepie-uppies on the turf in front of the press cameras.

Meanwhile, over at Arsenal, Bruce Rioch was able to go out and use some of the money gained from the sale to buy John McGinlay, the very player that he said was better than Wright.
His former club Bolton Wanderers asked for £3 million, but the sale was eventually made at £2.8 million.

Both Wright and McGinlay took to the field for their new clubs on Saturday 16th March, with completely different receptions from their new fans. Wright was cheered loudly by the travelling Chelsea contingent at Anfield and even though their side lost 2-0, the Chelsea fans were delighted to have signed such a proven goalscorer.
It was a different story for McGinlay, who was booed every time he touched the ball during Arsenal’s 3-0 win at Wimbledon. He even missed an open goal from six yards out and the pressure was really starting to show.

In Arsenal’s last eight games of the season, they only won twice. They finished seventh and missed out on the European places. Chelsea ended up winning six of their final eight games, with Ian Wright scoring five goals. They secured a place in Europe on the final day of the season.

Ian Wright made it into the England squad for the European Championships that summer, playing in the Quarter-Final tie against Spain. He scored a golden goal winner in extra time to put England into the Semi Final where they lost on penalties to Germany.

With a week until the start of the 1996/97 season, Bruce Rioch was fired two days after signing Gianluca Vialli from Juventus. Arsenal began the season well, before Arsene Wenger came in from Japan to take control of the club.

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