The Major League Soccer side are owned by Stan Kroenke, the majority shareholder of the Premier League club, and their coach has high praise for the Frenchman in testing times

Feeling the strain | Arsenal's poor start has put Wenger under more pressure than ever

By Stephanie GardnerArsenal, currently mired in 17th place in the Premier League with four points out of a possible 15, will turn the slump around, claims Colorado Rapids head coach Gary Smith.Despite conceding 12 goals in their last two away matches, Smith believes the quality at Arsenal is such that the club can 'get it right.'"First and foremost, Arsene Wenger has got more than enough experience to deal with the situation he is in," Smith told. "It's always difficult when you look from afar. You are never sure of the integral workings of a group, of individuals."Smith knows a bit about the inner workings of a group of players, having guided Colorado to the 2010 MLS Cup. And besides his professed support for Arsenal, Smith's Rapids and the Gunners are tied commercially. They are owned by the same man, Stan Kroenke, and in 2007 the two clubs formed a commercial alliance to pave the way for player development programmes and international marketing opportunities."Arsenal is a club that I've not only been affiliated with, but have been a supporter of for a long time," the former Fulham youth player said. "So to see a difficult start for them is not easy. However, Wenger has done an incredible job there over the years, with the amount of silverware that they have won, more importantly the amount of incredible young players that have been through that group."One of the biggest obstacles that Arsenal have had to deal with this season is no longer relying on playmakers Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, who left for Barcelona and Manchester City respectively."It would seem in the press that Fabregas wanted to move for a good period of time," Smith said, who nearly lost star forward Omar Cummings to Aston Villa this winter."It must have been incredibly difficult for the manager to have coped with that situation knowing that he wants to keep an exceptionally good player. But that exceptionally good player maybe doesn’t have his heart in the club anymore. So trying to balance that off is not easy."As an Englishman and a coach who has seen ups and downs, Smith knows a little of the pressure that comes from fans. He says two factors have served to exacerbate public outcry during Arsenal's current slump."First of all, what you have to remember is that fans in England, because of the historical nature of it, are somewhat more vociferous than what they possibly would be in a country like this," the 43-year-old said. "It's not easy when the expectation is so high, and you fall below that. The fans voice their opinions. I have no doubt in my mind if they get off to a good start in any home game, the fans will get behind [Wenger]. They want to win as much as anyone else, and their frustrations come out in the way they support."The second thing is it has been a couple of years [since Arsenal won a trophy]. It is well documented that this side hasn't won any silverware. So, there is that frustration from the fans. But when everybody sits down and thinks about it, they all want the same thing."On Tuesday, Arsenal notched an impressive 3-1 victory over Shrewbury Town, and chief executive Ivan Gazidis, formerly the deputy commissioner of MLS, spoke at length of avoiding short-termism, of sticking to the Gunners' long-term vision."It's just a matter of the team being able to get themselves on a confident run, because confidence is a huge thing in any game," Smith added."If they can get themselves a win or two, the perspective of any game changes completely. Everybody is in a more buoyant mood. They are much happier about what is going on. They are more prepared to actually show the qualities that they have got."Given the quality of the squad which finished fourth least year and the proven ability of the coaching staff, Smith says it's only a matter of time before Arsenal starts showing their true colors."The bottom line is they've got good players. They've got good staff," Smith said. "They are a wonderful club, and whether it is next week that they get it right or whether it is next month, they will get it right, I'm sure. I have no doubt about it."