The Devils Advocate was a role in the church given to the person responsible for querying and repudiating all miraculous clams attributed to a candidate for canonization. They carried out this duty ruthlessly, and were above all bribery and coercion. These men weren't just impartial, they sat implacably waiting to be convinced and would do their utmost to cut any evidence to pieces.
This summer we have seen Wenger's "trial by Twitter" with even the most ardent optimist being forced to rethink their opinion on his "infallibility".
While I understand the frustration of some fans, the notion that Wenger has somehow forgotten how to manage is frankly, laughable.
People can point to our weakness in defence, our lack of investment in an experienced goalkeeper, our inability to hold onto a lead, our lack of leaders on the pitch, the truth is it's a combination of all the above, coupled with a serious problem with injuries, that has contributed to our downfall.
Just throwing money at these problems is not going to solve them, witness how much Man City had to spend just win an FA cup.
It's no coincidence that we haven't won a trophy since moving from Highbury. The club is still in transition and could be for another couple of seasons. We don't have the financial clout to compete with the other clubs in the top four and the truth of the matter is we've been punching above our weight for the last few years, trying to pick up bargain buys or finding players who buy into Wenger's philosophy.
Some Arsenal fans are outraged by the signing of Chamberlain and, predictably, more were outraged at the outrage, the truth is until the FFP rules come into force these are the signings we have to make, players who have massive sell on potential, it's why we wont pay over the odds for a player like Jagielka, he's just too old and too expensive. Arsene is doomed to rummage around the bargain bins while players wages continue to rise in a business where, you're a pauper if you're only on a measly seventy grand a week. We can't compete with the crazy money being thrown at players and, in my opinion, we shouldn't.
Too many opposition teams now know the ideal way to play against Arsenal, two defensive lines of four with a big target man up front and a hustling midfielder, we struggle to break down these teams especially when they come to the Emirates. We have traditionally been strong on the counter attack, but now all the opposition do is foul the player in possession in order to organize their defence and send us back to square one. Our players don't get enough protection from referees because of the prevailing, media perpetuated, opinion that Arsenal are soft and don't like it up 'em, yet when we go in for a hard tackle we are inevitably and disproportionately punished.
So what does the upcoming season hold for us long suffering Gooners? Well, one thing I will predict is that it will be totally unpredictable, the usual roller-coaster ride of ecstatic highs and crushing lows, fantastic victories, bewildering defeats and inexplicable draws, maybe we'll make it to another final and then...who knows!!
No matter how well we do, we will hit a bad patch and then the inevitable feeding frenzy will begin. No matter how many times you see the "Wenger Out!" headline just remember that the media want Wenger to fail, a sentiment sadly shared by some of our fans. His canonization would be anathema to them.
Me, all I care about right now is beating Newcastle on opening day. I wont allow myself to look any further than that.
An optimist and a pessimist fall over board...They both drown!
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