Supporters of Arsenal FC of England in Calabar have called for the sack of the manager, Arsene Wenger, following the team’s scandalous defeat by rivals Manchester United on Sunday at Old Trafford.

Some of the angry fans said in Calabar that the 8-2 humiliation was an evidence of the sliding fortunes of the club.

“If Wenger continues to remain as the head coach of Arsenal, the club will be relegated because he has refused to buy experienced players,’’ said Mr Jude Okwe, a journalist.

Okwe said that Wenger had remained adamant in making reasonable signings, insisting that unless he was sacked, nothing would come out of the club in the current season.

“Wenger has forgotten that when he had the likes of Nwankwo Kanu, Marc Overmars and Patrick Vieira, he almost won everything.

“So, he should know that a good team should be a blend of the old and new,’’ he said.

Another supporter, Mr Steve Ndem, a barber, said that Wenger needed to change his approach if he was to succeed.

“For Arsenal to succeed this season, Wenger must drop his tight economic policy and enter the market immediately for some quality players,” he said.

Ndem urged the club directors to go back to the drawing board on the issue of summer signings and make money available as soon as possible.

“The club directors should make funds available for more players and if Wenger refuses to buy, he should be sacked, ” he said.

Mr Ambrose Duru, a student, however, said that it was too early to call for Wenger’s exit, stressing that the premiership was still young to assess the strength of the team.

“The squad is very young and may overcome the initial stage fright before long but that should not stop the coach from buying mature and experienced players,” he said.

Duru further said it would be a miracle if Arsenal finished among the top four in the current season.

He said Arsenal needed overhauling from the coaching crew to the players, adding that the club’s policy of selling players without replacements was dangerous.

“The club sold Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy and is still planning to sell more before the close of the transfer market.

“Incidentally, they are not making any serious offer for top quality players in Europe, so this is ridiculous,” Duru said.

The loss to Manchester United was the second for the club in the three-week old 2011/2012 premiership season.

Arsenal had earlier lost to Liverpool FC 2-0 and drew 0-0 with Newcastle United in their opening game of the season.