Arsene Wenger 'very disappointed' by Emirates crowd vs West Brom

By James Walker-Roberts

Image: Arsene Wenger saw his side beat West Brom on Thursday

Arsene Wenger says the atmosphere at the Emirates on Thursday was the most downbeat he has witnessed in his 20 years with Arsenal.

There were a number of empty seats for the Gunners' clash with West Brom as fans showed their frustration with recent results.

While the hosts were comfortable 2-0 winners against the Baggies thanks to Alexis Sanchez's double, they are competing only for a top-four spot rather than the Premier League title after an inconsistent run of results.

Speaking exclusively to Sky Sports' Geoff Shreeves, Wenger said he can understand why fans are frustrated, but was "very disappointed" by the atmosphere at the ground.

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"You want your fans to be enthusiastic, and we are not playing to avoid relegation," he said.

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"Ideally you want fans to be happy and I think they can be very proud of a lot at this club.

"We want them to be behind the team, to be proud of the club and the values and consistent achievement of the club.

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"It is not enough, and we can understand that, but that doesn't stop us from performing, the top level of sport is to master all situations."

Former Arsenal forward Thierry Henry thinks fans should continue to attend games, even if they are not happy with the way the season has panned out.

Image: Many Arsenal fans stayed away from the Emirates while others made they feelings known

"Some of the fans didn't go to show that they are not happy," said Henry on Sky Sports Now

"Now Arsene is saying they should come to the stadium and support the team and I'm going to have to agree with that because you have to support your team all the way even if you think they are not performing at the level that you want them to.

"You can always express what you feel about your team after the game but come to the game and support your team.

"It's up also to the players to bring them to the stadium and to have something to look forward to. But again, I'm more of a believer of come and then if you're not happy with the team, you can say something at the end of the game."

Look out for the extended interview with Arsene Wenger on www.skysports.com on Sunday, with the Arsenal manager giving his thoughts on Leicester, why he thinks they could struggle next season and how the Gunners need to improve.

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