You can count on one hand the amount of times Arsène Wenger has blamed his team after a defeat.
His usual patter is to put it down to any of the following:
Bad pitch.
Bad officiating.
Bad luck.
Opposition goalie being Man of the Match.
Opposition being too dirty.
Opposition being too oppositiony.
Tired players.
Injured players.
Tired players getting injured.
Sir Alex Faustuson’s pact with the Devil.
Mice.
Ok, he may never have actually blamed a defeat on the activities of mice, but if he remotely could he would.
The point being that, whatever he says to the players in private, for public consumption he never lays the blame on them.
Which makes his words after yesterday’s disappointing home draw against Blackburn quite significant:
“It was a flat performance with a lack of energy level, a lack of sharpness. It was quite a big concern to see what we have seen today. It is difficult to identify one special thing. I felt we started OK and after, our game became flat. Very few players looked to have the resources to put the pace up in the game. Part of it is down to the fact that Blackburn defended well but I don’t put the majority of reasons down to that. I feel it is more down to our poor offensive performance today.
“I am concerned about our performance today. Before we speak about the title we have to focus on our performance level, because it was not good enough today. That is our first concern.”
Watching him talk in the televised post match interviews I had the sense of a man grasping to understand what’s gone wrong – and not finding many answers.
Normally after a result and performance like this we can fall back on injuries and the usual scapedonkeys – players like Diaby and Denilson – as an excuse. But on Saturday we had our full complement of attacking options available.
We may have been injury-hit at the back, but we can’t shift the blame to that end of the park given that we kept a clean sheet.
The stark fact is that our first choice attacking line-up could not score against a team that has failed to keep a clean sheet away from home all season.
Man Utd put seven past Blackburn at Old Toilet.
Spurs put four past them at Wet Fart Lane.
Wigan and Villa also scored four against them at home.
Even Fulham and Sunderland hit three each against them.
We drew a blank.
If scoring against Blackburn on their travels is like shooting fish in a barrel, we ended up with a hole in our foot and the fish laughing at us.
I would hate to think the Arsène sceptics may be proved right, but his quotes imply that he has no idea why his team couldn’t perform and, by inference, he has little idea how to get them to rediscover their mojo.
That’s quite frightening, because it hints at the absence of a key quality that every successful team needs: call it heart, drive, mental strength, morale.
Whatever it is we don’t seem to possess it at the moment and, whatever you say about Manchester United, they have it in spades.
Worryingly, Arsène was hinting that he doesn’t know where to find it; he was admitting that he could not motivate the team (even though you would think players with a serious chance of becoming champions shouldn’t need any motivation).
I believe he has always felt that if he can get all his best attacking players on the pitch at the same time their technical ability will simply overrun the opposition. On Saturday the Ferrari was primed and ready, but it was packing a Reliant Robin engine.
Which brings me back to the question at the top of this post: when the priest loses his faith, to whom do you turn to bolster your own? When the writer hits a block, who provides the words? When the professor has no answers, who do you ask?
Is it possible that Arsène has realised that he does not have it in him to motivate this particular group of players?
When his previous teams won trophies, was he motivating them to perform so well, or were those teams full of players capable of motivating themselves?
We’ll never know the answer – perhaps it was a bit of both – but one thing is sure: Arsène seems to have realised that he is now staring at the biggest challenge he’s ever faced in football management.
RockyLives
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
Good article Rocky, In business parlance your question who motivates the motivator has been around in management circles as long as business itself. (a bit like who takes care of the caretakers daughter while the caretakers busy taking care) The answer in its literal sense of course is self motivation and results, AW has the confidence and self motivation to ride out this non crises as he prepares for the new season and that is where the changes will come.
IMHO money is available and the constituent parts already in place will be reinforced by some new personnel to complete the jigsaw puzzle
I’m sure we’ll return to tactics later 🙂
My opinion on this problem is proabaly not going to sit well with all you testosterone fuelled chaps but I think that mostly our players are a bunch of wimps. They don’t seem to have enough character to get each other going. They are all too nice not only to each other but to the opposition too.
Jack may be the exception as he clearly has a feisty nature – people talk about his grit and determination and that does seem to be lacking in others.
Arsene has collected a group of players who are mallable for his cause, he doesn’t want any feisty buggers in his squad.
Where has all the testosterone gone??????? Maybe they’re on performance reducing drugs?????
Now I’m really worried 😦
Maybe the public admonishment was a wake up call to his players. Remember last season away at Anfield was it when the players talked of Arsene digging them out in the dressing room at half time. Perhaps he did again at half time on Saturday but nothing happened.
On Football Focus earlier this year Cesc and Theo were asked who was the chest thumper when the team left the changing room, they laughed and said they were more continental….if they believe the likes of Alves, Gattuso are not chest thumpers then they are kidding themselves.
As kids the players should be treated with kid gloves during player development, on with the big boys they need to have some oomph
Peaches,
Celery it is then.
Morning dandan – I don’t think Arsene has a problem motivating himself and that would never be a worry for me, and I wouldn’t want a Lee Bowyer type that causes punch-ups. I didn’t ever like to see Thierry giving others a hard time when their pass didn’t reach his boot but there’s a way that a bit of needle is needed.
Morning all – a searching post as ever Rocky, thanks for that.
Peachy I don’t know why you think us chaps will feel offended by saying our team are wimps as most of them are – they are, in the main, too nice but more importantly in my mind, too complacent.
By the way it’s good to see the AA glamour quotient double up with the arrival of Evonne. A welcome change from beerguts and ugly mushes. 🙂
Stepford wives if you ask me
I Heard from a source at the Emirates, that there was a massive bust up in the Arsenal dressing room at half time, where some players turned on Almunia and Wenger. This is not idol gossip but things are definitely a bit wobbly behind closed doors.
Did you see the cameras turn onto Bob Wilson when Almunia nearly let in a goal.
I know that it applies to all top teams,but we just play too much football with meaningless internationals usually thrown in at the most inappropriate time and our game is based on quick counter attacking football and you can’t do that at this stage of the season when a few players are not entirely fit,yet play,something i have never quite understood.
Rocky,
Superb post.
Many times here there have been calls for self motivated leaders. We must remember that it was Arsene who assembled the Vieira/Petit axis. He has done it, and certainly needs to add this dimension to the team in the summer.
Kelsey,
Very interesting, and I for one, would be absolutely delighted if there was a bust up.
Morning chary – I’ve found that, in the main, men find it quite difficult to fathom the lack of character in any male but I do feel that Arsene has done this deliberately. He may have avoided signing players that he felt would disrupt his master plan.
Gallas being the exception but he was french.
Great post Rocky,
I think we should send Harry into the dressing room, he’d get them pumped up 😉
Seriously, it is a concern and in some ways quite upsetting to see a man as brilliant as Arsene struggling to find a solution. I said yesterday and still believe that the players we had should have been more than capable of beating B’burn. I agree we need more steel, more backbone and I hope that any player we do buy brings that into the side.
I watched city destroy Sunderland last night, the power they possess in all parts of the pitch is awesome. Power alone doesn’t win you games, but it can only make you stronger as a team. A young player like Johnson must be bouyed by looking around and seeing giants like Yaya, Balotelli, Kompany, DeJong etc
Talking of bust ups MDi89, I heard there was fighting in the stands, according to Arseblogger, between Arsenal fans.
Did anyone see that ?
I wonder what the Blackburn fans made of that ?
morning peaches 🙂
I nearly had a punch up with some moron who was shouting abuse at Arsh chary. We had a group of fantastic young guys a few seats away though who were inspirational in their singing and support.
They were fighting to get out to leave early,you know how fickle some of these suporters can be.
I have no problem calling a bloke out for lack of heart Peachy, maybe I’m unusual like that, but I wouldn’t have thought such a thing as a male solidarity would apply in this case.
Chary,
Not at all sure about this glamour babe thing. I could not help but noticing all the little Peronis and “no after you’s”. You see, had Peaches wheeled out Fatima Whitbread instead, and then been absent herself, we could have gone straight back to the farting, belching and nine pints of lager, which lets face it makes for more of a rumble once in the stadium.
Kelsey- Arsene will be delighted if his players did indeed turn on him, it will give him a clear insight as to how to lance the boil, if indeed there is one, as in all such attacks and rants more info is released than the attackers intend. He will have got a clear indication as to the effectiveness of the way forward he has been planning and will be able to make any adjustments he feels the conversation threw up.
We should be pleased that such a flare up took place as it puts paid to the lie that the players don’t care, all professionals care.
Peaches if the said bust up did take place and Kelsey is normally well informed before he speaks then your prayers for needle were also answered
Oh right Raspers, I’ve had to give another guy who was telling Arsh to “F**k off to Chelsea” at the Fulham game a hard stare in the style of Paddington bear.
But apparently there were actual punch ups.
Mdi89 – true, us blokes would have reverted to type in that situation.
😆 micky
By the way the informant is Danny Fiszmann
It wouldn’t surprise me chary. The tension and conflict between the ‘get behind the team’ and the ‘they’re not good enough’ lobbies is not only on the blogsites but clearly within the stadium.
We are in danger of imploding, we need a couple of ‘big men’ to stand up and take responsibility. I don’t mind if we go down fighting, I don’t want to end another season with a whimper.
Kelsey= Diamond geezer 🙂
Raspers, it would be like last season all over again, we could end up sliding to 3rd position if we continue on this way and Shitty put in a late push.
You would have to question the mental stability of a player who saw the root of our problems on saturday as Almunia.
Unless, I suppose, Manuel was sitting there flicking bogeys at said wimp!
I see a snowball turning into an avalanche,which might not be a bad thing.
Thi latest draw shows the gunners don’t have the quality to win the title. Don’t bank on the red nosed
having to contend with cl and FA cup tiring his players . He is a master at getting the result when playing badly.
The same cannot be said of Arsenal taking advanatge. I have finally decided Arsenal will have to wait till next season to mount an assault assuming the FM goes to get the players who can make a difference. If he carries on the same way with the same set of players,Arsenal will be like AV.
Exactly micky – Almunia was not the problem on Saturday and I thought it was us girls that were good at diverting blame …….
Anthony Timothy – nice copy and paste job, did you bother to read the article?
one thing that came out of the performance yesterday was the players don’t love the shirt they play in. I fyou look at the invincibles side, apart from raw talent, they all loved Arsenal, and loved having that Gun on their chest which made a massive difference. everyone who played in that team from Jens right through to Thierry loved Arsenal, the fans and winning in Red and White. and if Madrid, Barca or any other big european side had’ve come snifing round these plyers, even during the 4 years without a trophy before 2002, they’d have told them where to stick it. how many players in the current team have the same love? Cesc had it before Barca came sniffing in the summer and now his hearts elsewhere. Robin Van Persie has it, so to does Jack Wilshere, but the rst seem to care little for te club and more for their own personal careers and their bank balance which is wrong. sure we have raw talent but since those ivincibles have left, the love of playing for Arsenal has gone. Lokk back at the historyof players that have been through this club and in every group right baxck to the 30’s 90% lived and breathed Arsenal, even the ones that left (Brady, Nicholas, Thomas, Kanu, Henry, Ljunberg) still speak of their love for the Gunners and this is why they are all winners, United and Arsenal today are equal on talent in fact i’d say we had morer raw talent what United have they wqe don’t is playes who love United from Giggs right through to the Da Silva twins, the united players look forward to a game at the weekend whereas i thik the Arsenal players feel apathetic towards it. even Spurs have more players that love playig for them which is why they cam back from 2-0 down against us and have gone on this Champions League run. and yes Wengers says he’s seen a lot in training because the pressures off and only talent comes across in training. A match is all about passion and loving the shirt you play in which is why United can come back fro 2 down against West Ham and why West Brom can come back from 1-0 down against Liverpool and why Crawley Town can get to the fifth Round of the F.A cup.
Good Morning to you all. 🙂
Some of you seem to have been up blogging into the early hours and here you are again.
If we could bottle AA staying power the team would already be champions! 🙂
As usual, Rocky, [and good afternoon when you get here, 🙂 ] you have set us off on a great debate.
GIE, excellent analytical comment last night, which also reflects my views. Spot on.
Peaches, your comment about our guys being too nice is very apposite.
Most men, in my view, find it easy to issues threats and blow out their chests to look threatening, but if they come up against a bigger man doing the same thing, they tend to gently subside, usually with the ‘it’s only my old war wound that’s saved you, mate’ excuse! 🙂
That leads me four square back to the old ‘sizeist’ discussion about our lads being too titchy (I think that’s a word), and simply cannot scare anyone over 5’6″. 🙂
Dandan, responded very well to Rocky’s conundrum, ‘who motivates the motivator’. The solution rather depends on the philosophy of the organisation and the individual manager.
A manager worth his salt, should surround himself with support staff who are better than him in their own ‘specific disciplines’.
At regular management meetings, the aggregate of these complementary skills, married to his own, will provide sufficient support and a motivational boost when it is needed to carry him through any particular trough.
I suppose that leads to two key questions.
— Does Arsene have properly qualified support staff with the requisite skills to enable him to battle through adversity, and does he use their expertise?
— Secondly, If not, why not?
simple, pat rice! 🙂
…… and we all love to blame Pat Rice 🙂
Morning johnQ
Morning RA
I’ve already said that I don’t think Arsene has a problem motivating himself, if he did he would surely resign, his problem is motivating the team. This was a game that would keep us well in for the title challenge and if the players aren’t motivated for that then what motivates them!!!!!!!!!!
Hi RedA –I believe the problem here is Wenger’s lack of delegation skills. He either does not trust those people with specific skills to do things properly or he is innately autocratic, as ever only my opinion here and I welcome to another suggestion .
And I’m not sure that the ‘titchy syndrome’ is enough of a reason to be characterless – it might be relevant in an office situation but not on the football pitch.
On a football pitch it’s reputations that carry the character and a team might only need one.
Re the civil war in ground I asked those around to support Almunia and asked how they were helping him when hurling abuse at him after the one that nearly sneaked in.
Asked is polite in reality I told them to STFU and wind their necks in.
Around me two lads were ejected for an unknown reason and one for being sick where he sat and falling asleep.
Back to Rockys post and I have considered Wengers comments more and added to Kelseys informants quote I have another view.
“I am concerned about our performance today. Before we speak about the title we have to focus on our performance level, because it was not good enough today. That is our first concern.”
Maybe that is intended to relieve pressure from the players, play with freedom lads forget the title…enjoy your football and maybe the title just happens, you are good enough but you don’t believe it so let’s forget it, let’s just enjoy the last 8 games and see what happens.
Peaches @11:05 – very well said!
Rocky – great read, thanks
well written article. Like they say, pride goes before the fall. The Prof has repeatedly stuck to his guns even when everybody with the littlest of football brain can see the apparent flaws in his philosophy. I therefore have no sympathy for his plights right now. He dug his grave quite deep enough so its his job to get himself out of it. As much as ‘I told you so’ not helping anybody right now, I guess the best that can come from any fan is ‘I told you so’. I believe the fans are doing their best to motivate the players (minus the boo boys), but their is so far you can push if the pushed do not want to budge.
Morning all,
I still think that it is not the matter of formation or technical skills, or timing, all of which are important, but what we really luck is the hunger. The players often look like snails in a pile of sh*t, barely moving. I seldom see them, with exceptions, really putting on a fight, trying hard, giving it all.
There are teams, Arry Redknapp’s Scum or Fergie’s ManU, that are piss poor in the first half, but come back a different team in the second part of the game. Arsenal leave and come back the same, no matter how bad the game they are playing.
In my opinion that is the only shortcoming of Le Boss – he does not use the hair dryer often enough to throw about.
I do not approve of hostility towards the players, unless they are Cashley or Ade, but the booing on Saturday wasn’t a noise to be ignored. The club should recognise the warning signs – all is not well at the Emirates.
Oi Peaches,
I rather thought I was agreeing with you! 🙂
There are certainly many exceptions to the tiny tot comment I made above. Looking back, as well as at the current era, there have been many fiery ‘little’ guys (e.g. Billy Bremner, Leeds – Mascherano, Barca) who were or are really hard men and dirty cheats! 🙂
I just think there are too many small players in our current team who are physically intimidated by bigger more ruthless oppo players, and also unable to challenge for balls in the air.
OK, the relative size of our players is an old chestnut and I won’t pursue it further, other than to say it took someone like Paddy Viera to face down the raging Roy Keane, in their era, and I cannot see any of our current bunch who would be capable of doing the same thing now. Can you?
Arsene is obviously perplexed as to how a team capable of scaling the footballing heights can so suddenly be devoid of creativity or, so it seems, passion.
The good thing is that human nature being what it is they can suddenly switch back on and produce the electrifying football we are all so desperate to see again.
GIE is right, again, just play your game guys, forget about the Championship, after all the media and many of the fans have already written you off, just relax and do your thing and your style and inherent class will return and then we will shock them all by winning the bloody thing! 🙂
GiE,
Have you gone completely mad? I normally agree with all that you say, but the: “play with freedom lads forget the title…enjoy your football”. Eh! How about: “don’t worry about the training kit tomorrow lads, why not just rock up in your flipfops, thongs and ipods whenever is convenient”.
Sorry RA, I know in principle you did agree with me its just that I’m not sure the size of the players is always relevant. The need for a Vieira on the other hand definitely is.
I’m with you micky – GiE, thats a touchy feely gone tooooooooo far
Evonne,
Maybe the problem is that too many spend too much time with the hairdryer!
Morning RA.
RA I don’t see RVP Nasri. Arsh or Little jack running away from Keane. You just don’t make it as a player if you lack bottle, they might not win but they would have a go, how many red cards have we had for retaliation.
Interesting post, Rocky.
0-0 at home against such a shite team with our best attacking options available feels so much like a defeat.
Interesting too, about a dressing room bust up. But Wenger and Almunia as the targets? Wenger could be blamed for not varying tactics I suppose, but Almunia, wtf?
Any more info on who the dissenting players were? I wonder what manyoo’s dressing room was like at half-time on Saturday.
I think GIE is just using a little psychology, as if he were addressing the team.
In all sports both individuals and teams can ‘freeze’ because they are close to achieving a longed for goal.
In those circumstances it is best to use distraction messages to allow them to get back on track, and is not supposed to be a ‘stop worrying and just give up’ signal.
Not ‘touchy-feely’ at all! 🙂
dandan,
Maybe we just lack a bit of good old fashioned drinking culture, bad manners and bad breath!
Mickey what we lack is a finisher a 20+ goals a year man, A dominant keeper that they players believe in would make the world of difference, most of the rest is froth, disappointment and injuries.
Arsene is what Arsene does, not what he says. I think he must see that there is dead wood in the squad and he must see that certain players are not performing.
However, what he won’t see is that HE needed to change things after the first half and he didn’t. He needed to take off Nasri as soon as he was injured and he didnt.
I just felt it was a poor showing with Arshavin, Koscielny, Squillaci, Wilshire, Sagna and Nasri (for his spirit if nothing else) coming out with any credit at all.
I’m remarkably bitter, even now. Which is unlike me. Expect a cheerier me tomorrow.
WG
RA you have agreed with me twice I am now even more worried than I was reading Rockys post 😉
Elk it is very easy to pander to the live the shirt brigade. I’d counter with another view point of the Spuds ManUre and our Invincibles. Do/Did they love the club or do/did they love the manager?
For the most part Wenger brought the Invincibles their success their legendary status, Cole clearly didn’t love the club despite being brought up there, he chased the money. Henry, Viera we worried every year they might ask to go. Pires left for financial security as did Gilberto. Toure left, Campbell left because psychologically he couldn’t take it and kicked us in the teeth by turning out for Portsmouth when Wenger had expected him to go overseas as he had said he would do. Doesn’t make me love them less but I wouldn’t say they played for the shirt, they played for themselves.
In Scholes and Giggs they play for the manager, Rooney too, he proved how much he loved the club by asking to leave this year.
Spurs again take Redknapp out of there how many would stay to play under another manager some have followed him wherever he has been, I’m sure West Ham fans thought Defoe loved the club, then Pompey ……. same for Crouch and others.
I honestly think though that there are a group of players coming along who do love the club and not only that are good enough to play Wengerball and compete at the highest level. Lads like Jack who have been at the club since 6/7. This will be the greatest Arsenal squad for ten years…..but as someone said on twitter last night “Arsenal are a side for the future, never the present”…..and maybe that’s the heart of the problem.
Without experienced winners it’s very hard to give these young boys a rudder.
Without experienced winners it’s very hard to give these young boys a rudder.
Now that GiE, I do agree with.
Dandan,
I’m not suggesting that RVP is ‘little’ at 6’2″.
What I am suggesting has nothing to do with retaliation, but the ‘aura’ given off by the physical presence of a certain type of player, such as Keane and Viera. Not many opposition players would try it on against either of them, and as a result you rarely saw them being ‘crunched’ in a tackle.
On the other hand, both Jack and Samir have tempers that often lead them into retaliation, but that does not stop either of them being crumpled in a heap by cloggers of opposing teams.
All this rather misses the point which I have signally failed to get across. Skilful players should not have to hare about bashing the opposition or becoming involved in retaliation.
A sprinkling of skilful players in our team, who are both physically imposing and have that Viera ‘aura’ with that invisible ‘don’t mess with me’ message, in turn give their team mates the confidence to go out and express themselves knowing any poor tackles against them will result in retribution.
OK, I know the Reyes assaults argue against that, but that was because Manure had their own tough guys who cancelled out our threat.
I hear that Spurs are erecting a statue of Chas and Dave to cement in concrete the anniversary of 50 years since they last won the league.
Micky as RA says I was interpreting a hidden message in Wengers statement rather than my particular words of wisdom from me or what I would say.
I am a glass is full man who can’t understand what has happened.
44 days ago (17th Feb) most of us thought this team could win at least one of four trophies now we believe we need massive changes. What happened to that team apart from psychological block and a few injuries? Were we all wearing blinkers, were results papering over the crack?.
Which one of the AA’ers is this?
Actually GiE, you are so much more than that, you are a two glass full man! I know, I have seen.
GIE,
it’s a guessing game for us fans,but something is clearly wrong.invariably we stumble out of the traps, the CC Final is a good example,yet on Saturday until n.asri got injured we really looked up for it .
cesc is not a leader on the pitch, yet Jack will be eventually.One has to blame Wenger partially that he takes the natural instincts away from players and often plays them in the wrong position
GIE,
I actually concur with your expressed comments more often than you might think! 🙂
In fact, rather than disagreeing with other bloggers, I occasionally like to advance alternative arguments to test their ideas. I am sure the converse is also true.
For me the fun is in the debate, and I am often swayed away from my original contention by concise, articulate points made by others with greater practical knowledge or experience.
For me arguing is fine; quarrelling is a no-no! 🙂
[Tho’, I do enjoy a little cut and thrust with our resident lawyer, 26, when he is around!] 🙂
Hi Micky, 🙂
Excuse my manners, I was distracted by the Peach leading me up the garden path. 🙂
Hi Kelsey, 🙂 I agree with you.
I am often puzzled by Arsene playing centre forwards as wingers, as an example. It worked for Thierry, but he used to be a winger and expecting Chamakh or Bendy to follow suit is mystifying.
I am very ambivalent about Bendy, but playing him on the wing does not help his cause, does it?
Interesting question RA one we are all perplexed by I am sure.
How many times in the past have you heard ex pros say the manager can only do so much, when you cross the line it’s on you and your teammates.
The best players don’t have to be told what’s wrong they see it for themselves and adapt accordingly.
So if Nik B starts out wide and sees it’s not working why doesn’t he take it upon himself to go central? Why do Cesc and RvP not organise/adapt players around them to a shape that will work. Arsene stresses that for him footballing intelligence is one of the key things he looks for. I wonder do we see it enough.
Mickey I was indeed showing evidence of that 🙂 but I was purely trying to play catch up with Carlito
GIE,
I have seen Bendy make an excellent cross into the box only for there to be just Arshavin ‘available’ or no one at all. (same thing really). Weird.
Having read snippets about the convocation of AA’ers on Saturday I am now coming to believe the intials stand for Alchies Anonymous! 🙂
Afternoon all! Not stopping but thanks for the well written post Rocky. Loads of cracking lines as we’re lucky to have come to expect 🙂
Kelsey: “I hear that Spurs are erecting a statue of Chas and Dave to cement in concrete the anniversary of 50 years since they last won the league.” Brilliant! 😀 The Jacko statue at the Cottage is one of the worst things I’ve ever seen…
Am a bit concerned about my burgeoning reputation as an all-day-drinker GiE! I was only on the ales 😉
I’m quite depressed really.
see yo all later
GM,
Oh what with, staying in a hotel with your wife and a supermodel? Some people!
RA,
Fair comment, but I am sticking with my “Arsenal Arseylum”.
RA for your info,It seems RVP came into mainstream football in Holland through street soccer, which I am assured is a big thing out there and extremely physical so I don’t think he would lack on the aura front.
Fabregas maybe more vocal than most of us would’ve expected..
http://www.sport.co.uk/news/Football/52293/Fabregas_Im_sure_they_get_sick_of_me.aspx?
Good post Rocky in a sad kind of way.
More of a general comment: I don’t buy into this idea that the team lack commitment, I can’t see it at all, if running around chasing everything down won leagues then Wolves would be five times winners, but they are not and as if to emphasize the point even further they are sure to be relegated.
I don’t see why people talk about there being too much dead wood in the squad, I don’t think anyone would say that any of the players on the pitch on Saturday were dead wood, well maybe Almunia but he is third choice keeper, the fact that he is playing is just bad luck.
No Arsene you have the players you are just not deploying them as well as you have in the past, it is as simple as that.
Difficult to argue that call London
Lets not beat about the Rhodos, tactically Arsene is one part lunatic.
Good day all.
London – your 1.30pm hits at the heart of the post: I think Wenger is baffled that, having put out his finest attacking line-up, they looked completely impotent. I get the sense he genuinely does not know what to do next.
OK, Dandan,
You are pushing on an open door, as regards RVP, and I already knew about his history.
No argument here, as you introduced his name into the conversation, not me.
At 6′ 2″, as I have already said, (at 12:02), he does not fit the ‘little guy’ profile Peaches and I were discussing, anymore than do Diaby, Djourou, Bendy or Song.
As there appears to be no argument, I think we should leave it there, shall we?
So, we have have enough tall players and enough intelligent players and enough players that can really hurt the opposition with their guile – Arshavin, Jack, Cesc and Nasri as good examples – the referee rairly protects them from nibbles so where is our flat-track bully that’s going to eyeball the opposition and make them think twice about rotationally kicking someone out of the game.
During these dark times, as AA’ers we clearly need to focus a whole lot more on the pre-match than on the match itself 🙂
Absolutely true MDi89 – that was the most fun I had on Saturday – comparable only to seeing the result of the cricket WC – the memory of the long straight six hit by Dhoni to win the cup almost felt like when TA06 hit that 3rd goal against the Toffees in 1998.
Elation, relief, vindication – what we felt as gooners right hen.
Hi Rocky, 🙂
All your ‘Arsene Excuses’ sound just about right, including the ‘mice’ clearly referring to the novel “Of Mice and Men” based on Robert Burns’s “The best laid schemes of mice and men and Arsene / Go oft awry”. 🙂
But your the “Opposition being too oppositiony” is a work of art in itself! Classic. 🙂
Hello there support players like almunia/ diaby/ bentner/fabianski/ denilson /song/arshavin/Lehmann /rosicky and the rest of the losers you must be jokeing .to surpport this experiment any longer is anti arsenal you are doing are club no favours .why can’t people see it.the board are happy with top four and don’t care .they would happily accept this every season they couldn’t care less what the surpporters think as long as thier getting the money for thier debts.the most excpensive club in the WORLD.takeing the most money on match days and they still we try to get out of buying players in the summer.surpport people like almunia you must be f..king jokeing .were getting worse not better .can’t people see it what’s with the excuses were crap the hole set up needs to change there is something badly wrong at are great club coaching medical manager board everything .Were like a rudderless boat if the board don’t do something they won’t have there money from us mug punters for longer .well some of us .they still get thier money from people Encourageing us to surpport the likes of almunia .wenger get out .
Chary,
When I saw the result, I thought of you (in a manly kind of way), as I knew at least your day would have something worth celebrating.
It was a glimmer of joy in a bad day – at least my boys could go to school and not have to defend a failing team as they normally do.
All their classmates were predicting a Lanka win. The joy of being able to feel proud of your team…
Believe me i wasn’t celebrating
Top quality Rocky, top top quality !!
Mickeyk
We all agree that some things are wrong, but given that we’re second in the league you should also accept that some things are right. Do you?
You claim knowledge of the Board’s motives, but of course you don’t possess that knowledge. I would imagine that the Board desperately want on-field success because it’s vital to the long term financial health of the club.
I may be a mug punter because I will carry on paying for my season ticket and supporting Arsenal, even if we end up in League Three.
Your support is obviously conditional, which is fine. We can’t all be true supporters.
As to the Almunia point, you should re-read my post from last week. It was simply stating that we’re more likely to get better performances from players who feel supported. While Almunia is the only realistic choice for GK we should indeed support him, even though most of us would rather see someone else between the sticks. Well, lifelong fans should. The conditional fans can, I guess, do whatever they like.
These quotes from RVP in today’s meeja:-
“We were just unlucky with injuries in certain games,” he said of a run of two wins in the last eight games. “We start working hard on Monday again and everyone will be positive.”
“We cannot be different. We do believe.”
Thinking along the lines of “thou dost protest too much”- does anyone think that maybe the players don’t believe anymore. I mean believe that if they stick to plan A they will win. This is the internal monologue: “Keep playing our game. Keep passing. Create the opportunity”- WHAM! Sucker Punch!
It keeps happening so it must start being hard to have faith. And then the manager takes off his wide men and has 3 tall strikers on the pitch- well that’s not plan A either is it? So maybe the “belief” is founded on the sand of style rather than the rocks of character…
Carlito
That’s it exactly: I think the boss has told them that if our best players are all together and if we play our football, we will win. When the conditions are right and we don’t click (like Saturday) the players are left wondering what to do, as is the boss.
Mental strength, although much talked about by Arsene, is clearly in short supply at the moment (but if we can rediscover some form, there’s every chance for it to grow back).
Redders
“The best laid schemes of mice and men and Arsene / Go oft awry” 🙂
See? You make my post seem more literary than it really is. Thankyou! I know of the Burns poem and if I had thought of it while writing that line I would undoubtedly have included it.
Red A I wasn’t trying to put you in a corner,so don’t get concerned, but some appear to think we lack fight, which I don’t agree with and I was just using our conversation to add some detail and background. Sorry if it came across wrong
“if they believe the likes of Alves, Gattuso are not chest thumpers then they are kidding themselves.
”
Well said GiE !!!
Rocky- what concerns me most is the “We cannot be different”. RVP is too young to voice such inflexibility. Worrying
On a separate matter- I saw the Nasri incident but had no idea how bad it was! Look at the size of the lump on his head! http://ow.ly/4svTc
Not at all Dandan, 🙂
You are one of the people I was referring to when I said that I was often persuaded to change my opinion on certain issues, after listening to those with more practical knowledge and experience.
I sometimes become frustrated at my inability to cogently explain myself to others. Happens too often! 🙂
Peaches and Redders
Instinctively I feel, like you, that we miss a big bruiser in the team in the mould of Vieira and yet…
Let’s not forget that Paddy was above all a brilliant footballer. If he’s just been a big aggressive lump his influence would have been minimal. Such players are hard to find.
And echoing GiE’s reference to the likes of Gattuso and Alves, I believe ‘spirit’ can come in half litre bottles as well as litre ones. David Batty was part midget, but no-one messed with him; Barton is not particularly large, nor Mascherano, Bremner, Kevin Richardson, Steve McMahon, Johnny Giles etc etc etc.
Redders
Your 3.08pm. I have no idea what you’re on about…. 🙂
Damn! I am going to question the compact between two of my favourite peeps, Rocky and Carlito.
Carlito, you say;
Qoting RVP, –“We cannot be different. We do believe.”
Your comment; —Thinking along the lines of “thou dost protest too much”- does anyone think that maybe the players don’t believe anymore.
The quote is taken from Shakespeare’s Hamlet and in full is “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”
On the grounds that Dandan and I agree that RVP is a strapping lad and not to be crossed, you are on your own in calling him a lady!! 🙂
Secondly, it is one of those subjective interpretive assessments of another person’s statement.
Why, if RVP is saying he believes in something, would you think that he meant the exact opposite?
If he said he did ‘not’ believe in something, would you apply the same logic and think that he ‘did’ believe?
It reminds me of the conumdrum facing a traveller coming to a fork in the road and meeting two men, one a liar and the other a truthful man. Who does he ask for directions, and what should his question be?
Sorry guys, but I do not understand the logic of your interpretation of RVP’s statement, which I suspect was meant as a clarion call to the rest of the team.
Rocky, I love your modesty about your literary talent, you often throw in what must be subliminal references to major texts! 🙂
I MAY BE trite and simplistic but I think we need a British spine players who grew up on the EPL and who know what it means. how I wish we had got Scott Parker or even… I know.. laugh.. a Kevin Nolan. maybe not so gifted but they are battlers.In 2002 we had TA, in 2004 we had Keown and Vieira. We haven’t replaced them. I think if we had Vermaelen in the side it would be a big help, he seems the type of on field leader we need.
Rocky, your 3:14 🙂 thanks for proving my point!! 🙂
Rocky,
Spot on with ‘good spirits come in 1/2 litre sizes as well as 1 litre’.
I actually did nominate, earlier today, two ‘good little ‘uns’ in Mascherano and Bremner. (I really meant two hard nut dirty bastards) 🙂
The old adage still holds true tho’ — a good big ‘un will always beat a good little ‘un!
Our problem (generalizing) is that we possess neither type. 😦
A propos of nothing; did you know Ants in your pants make you dance? 🙂
Where does an ant get its rocks off?
How does the ant get it on?
Do ants have it away,
say three times a day,
Is it once a week sex, or p’raps none?
I think I could help Arsene with his distraction techniques. Getting the players to answer the above and similar before big matches would take their minds off pre match tension! 🙂
RA- It’s the “do” that did it! “We believe” is the same in meaning but not in emphasis to “We do believe”. It’s the additional emphasis, that led my thoughts down that path. It made me ask myself if his belief was genuine or somewhat forced. Perhaps hoping against hope, believing despite the evidence? Emphasising the belief to himself/ the press/ his teammates/ the fans?
Even if you don’t take the intuitive leap that I have, I hope you follow that their may be grounds for interpreting RVP’s statement rather than merely taking it at face value 🙂
Hello Neamman 🙂 I’m not totally aghast at the notion of Nolan and Parker! Some spikey characters would not go amiss although you’re right that skill-wise they’d be a step down from some of those we have now. In the same vein as your suggestions: what about Charlie Adam? He can pick a pass…
Later the same day all,
Interesting one that RvP comment. I believe that he believes as I believe that we simply cannot play another way, which I think is a. True and b. The big problem. Picture this. You play for the Arsenal. You watch other games on the box and see and understand the 4-4-2 system just as well as the 4-3-3 that we play. We are in the 70th minute, and the shit has hit the fan, so Le Boss brings on centre forwards and plays them wide! I am not in the slightest bit supprised if a player thinks we cannot play any other way.
I think we have good enough players to adapt to alternative systems if the need be, but Arsene does appear to play them in the wrong order.
Redders
A counter to your quote “a good big ‘un will always beat a good little ‘un!” would, of course, be the line: “It’s not about the size of the dog in the fight, it’s about the size of the fight in the dog.” Or indeed, the size of the mouse (in the case of the Arsenal midfield).
By the way, I agree with you about the interpretation of Robin’s words. I think it’s meant to be a call to arms. There’s altogether too much poring over the minutiae of people’s sentences when they give an off-the-cuff comment to the media. How many of us could guarantee not mis-speaking even a little if someone thrust a microphone in our face and asked us to comment on something?
A similar example recently was when Arsene said he never expected Vermaelen to play again this season. Many took that to mean that he had known all along, from way back in August, that he would not play. They talked about lies and betrayal. Quite clearly Arsene had just used some slightly clumsy phrasing.
Mickeyk:
2010
Carling Cup – 5th round
FA Cup – 4th round
Champions League – Quarter Finals
Premier League – 3rd
2011
Carling Cup – Runners Up
FA Cup – Quarter Finals
Champions League – first knockout phase
Premier League – 2nd (as we speak)
In 2010 we were 3rd from the 9th game to the end. Now presently everything points to improvement on 2010 if anything standing still but definitely not going backwards. In fact I’ll offer something more the reason so many on here are depressed is because this year we actually believed we would rather than hoped we could achieve a trophy.
Neamann
You talk about British Spine and then reference Viera from 2004 and Keown (who hardly played). If you’d said Sol I would have understood.
Maybe we are missing a spine or maybe we are just young. Invincibles average age 28, team against Blackburn 25. And two of the over thirties you’d struggle to call first choice or influential.
In fact if you looked at it from midfield to attack (the business end) the average age now of Saturdays attacking five was 24 (including Arshavin) replace Arsh with Cesc and those 6 average age is 23, and the Invincibles were
Another interesting stat I have just read is that between 2003-2010/11 5 teams have spent more than us in new players ManChavs £403m, Spuds £283m, Scousers £260m, ManUre £253m, Chavs £430m. Our spend is £143m, similar to Villa and Newcastle.
What is more interesting is when you look at net spends, only one team has a lower nett spend than us ….. Blackburn. Pretty amazing we’re even close to be fair. ManChavs net £316m, Chavs £304m, Spuds £119m, Scousers £100m, Villa £97m, ManUre £39m, even Blackpool have a bigger net spend than us!!!
I missed a number out…average age of Invincibles midfield and forwards …… 29!
Rocky, I’m not so sure, you know? I think the Freudian slip is a common occurrence and it’s a well-known psychological phenomenon that it is easier to tell the truth than to lie. “Poring over the minutiae of what people say” can actually tell us a lot about a person and is the basis of pyschoanalysis and many a criminal prosecution!
GIE what was our net spend please
Rocky, Carlito,
I agree your counter to the ‘big un’ adage makes sense. They are all generalizations, of course, but based on clever observations. Either way tho’, we do not have any, of either. 🙂
Carlito’s intuitive leap when listening to or reading RVP’s comment, because of the context in which it was said, following a disappointing result on Saturday, is understandable.
All communication is subject to misinterpretation or misunderstanding whether written, spoken or visually transmitted, and we have all fallen foul of it.
What needs to be factored in with both Arsene and RVP is that, tho’ they speak English fluently, it is not their native language, and nuances of inflection or delivery can distort the message, especially if the observer is looking to find a hidden message. [Remember the ‘Human confirmation bias’ — we see or hear what we want or expect to see or hear]. 🙂
Communication can be very tricky. Does anyone remember the story of Lord Raglan, at the Battle of Balaclava, and the charge of the Light Brigade?
He, allegedly, sent a message back to HQ saying “send reinforcements I’m going to advance”, by the time it went thru’ several officers up the the chain of command it ended up as — ‘send three and fourpence I’m going to a dance’.
Not nice! 🙂
It was me putting net spends up Dandan ours was actually net income of £5.1m in the period 03-11.
Wolves, West Brom, Bolton and Stoke have net spends around £27-30million to put it in perspective.
GIE,
Excellent stats! 🙂
It is absolutely amazing that Arsene has, over those years, kept us at the top, while playing incredible football too.
All this while the club produced a wonderful (tho’ quiet) stadium, which is well on the way to being debt free.
Arsene is a genius, and as a fan I am embarrassed at the ingratitude shown to him by so many.
RA your memory is good that Raglan quote was a famous Xerox add that was widely used at the time of the film the Charge of the light brigade. This film was the making of David Hemmings back in the late sixties.
RA,
You are correct that AW has worked miracles on a tiny budget – so much so that many still list us among the big spenders when comparing clubs…… but actually that gets right up my nose because it means they are not giving AW the credit he deserves.
The flip side to the genius argument is that a lot of the factors that rile some fans have nothing to do with spending but are related to tactics, player selection, player positioning and style of play.
Carlito
Very good point about Freudian slips. But very well countered by Redders’ mention of the fact that RvP and AW were not using their first language. I now don’t know what to think. Perhaps I should give an impromptu interview to someone so that my real thoughts will accidentally slip out among the rest of the verbiage…
GiE
Absolutely stunning stats. No other manager could have achieved that. Yet people want to give up on him as soon as we hit a bump in the road.
Rasp
Fair enough – but you still have to remember that we’re lying second in the EPL, so even with the frustrations about his selection and deployment of players we’re hardly a bunch of failures.
Rocky,
I am going to study your comment at 5:57 for innuendo, inconsistencies and Fred’s slips.
Let’s see —
(1) ‘good point’ — sounds sexual to me;
(2) ‘my real thoughts’ — aha, so you have an alternative unreal set of thoughts available;
(3) ‘accidentally slip out’ — well, need I say more that relates back to point (1).
Carlito could be on to something here! 🙂
True Rocky, but would you agree that taking into account the games we’ve lost and the manner in which we dropped points, we have underachieved in the premiership this season?
Redders
Am now too scared to comment. All future communication will be by emoticon:
😦 🙂 😀
Rasp,
Rocky is right, our current league position and possible Championship trophy success puts the tactics etc into context.
A genius is a genius, like a pregnant woman cannot be a little bit pregnant, you cannot surely be a little bit of a genius. By definition the description is absolute. What do you think? 🙂
Rasp
Most definitely. I’m not really disagreeing with you – just playing devil’s avocado. It’s the strange paradox of Arsenal at the moment: we’re second in the league but we all feel things are not right.
A couple of good performances could turn the mood round very quickly. If Man Utd draw a game and we win, the title is back in our hands. The margins are small.
GIE and that in a nutshell is the root of my anger at the trend I see plastered all over the blogosphere that he should go.
Those guys wont be happy till Viv Nicholson is installed in AW’s office.
We came second in our CL group because Aw rested players and left it too late to make changes on the pitch (IMO). That action cost us money because we didn’t progress past Barca and it was down to AW – had nothing to do with money……and, it was the second season in a row he made that same misake.
Rocky,
I promise to leave my amateur linguistic diagnostics aside from now on. 🙂
Carlito, you have gone quiet, I hope you didn’t mind a little bit of teasing, it was not my intention to offend you!! 😦
A very apt quote to enliven the discussion
When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him. ~Jonathan Swift
Sorry Dandan, I missed your comment at 5:53. 🙂
I did not see either the film or the advert. It was a party game where I heard it or something like it.
The idea was that sitting around a table, after dessert, a message was secretly written down and then whispered from one person to next. The fun was in comparing the final whispered message to the original one, and laughing at the total transformation, caused by the transfer from one person to another.
I think it was my mother who recounted the ‘nonsense’ version attributed to the Crimea War cock up. 🙂
Its called Chinese Whispers RA the game that is. 🙂
Rasp, I am quite surprised at your atypical comments.
In fact, who are you? And what have you done to our Rasper? 🙂
dandan
Love the Swift quote.
Chinese whispers, that’ll be a portion of prawn cheung fun then Dandan? 🙂
Goodness, I think you have made up my mind about what to have for dinner!
RA, are you disagreeing with what I have said or the manner in which it is written….. or simply proffering the idea that whatever the truth, we should always exude a positive attitude because that is what is best for the club?
Confederacy, eh, Dandan? As a stalwart Unionist, I think Swifty had an irreproachable definition! 🙂
I had a misspent literary childhood Rocky, Lilliput rather than lilleshall
Rasp,
Don’t be cross, 🙂 I was not being altogether serious, but as you ask, and if it will get me off the hook, there is an amusing inconsistency in your 6:11 comment, perhaps.
— That action cost us money because we didn’t progress past Barca and it was down to AW – had nothing to do with money…. — 🙂
Gulp, that’s you and Carlito then ….. I’d better go! 🙂
OK RA, that action did cost us money in terms of lost revenue because we played less games in the CL. AW’s decisions that led to that situation were not negatively influenced by the fact that he did not have money to spend on players – we had the personnel, he chose to take the risk (again) and put out weakened sides – he should give up gambling, its not his game.
P.S. RA, I’m not doing battle with you my friend, its just that I hope AW and the influential staff that run the club are not looking for positives because they don’t want to face up to the problems we have. It doesn’t sound like AW is under any delusion; it is up to him to do something about it.
Agree with that Rasper.
I have actually said much the same myself. From coasting thru’ the first three games we then proceded to shoot ourselves in the foot. (someone said that earlier).
If we had finished top of our group, we might still be in the CL, so in answer to your earlier question, I do not think we should suppress ‘the truth’ about things that do not sit well with the fans.
My question, in turn, is what is ‘the truth’? Misjudgement by the manager; injuries, trying to make plans to conserve players for future games?
I for one do not know, and what I do not know I feel uncomfortable in commenting on.
Definitely going now. Cheer up Rasp, it’s not like you to be down, which is what I meant in my earlier jokey comment!! 🙂
RA- not even slightly annoyed- most entertained by you and Rocky in tandem 🙂 I think your point about foreign languages is a fair one but I, as one who as much experience in this area, can state that the emphatic “do” is a feature of an advanced language learner- and thus unlikely to be a mistake. But I loved your riposte and I think the point is both moot and inconsequential! Loved Dandans quote too- excellent stuff
dandan
I had you pegged as more of a Brobdingnagian…-
Rasper, Carlito,
I’m relieved my somewhat acerbic ‘wit’ has been taken in good part.
You are far too important to me to want to be gratuitously offensive to you both.
Your language skills are no doubt far better than mine Carlito so I am happy to accept your advice.
Anyway, good night all, passing over to the night shift!! 🙂
Tomorrow. Se imorgon. 🙂
micky @4.50 – I think we have good enough players to adapt to alternative systems if the need be, but Arsene does appear to play them in the wrong order.
If no-one else has congratulated you for that then please accept congrats from me.
Of course the players are good enough, we’ve seen their skills and their passion plenty of times – I reckon they’re just as pissed off as us in truth of having to do the same old same old pass pass pass 🙄 Of course I have no evidence of this at all 😳
Peaches
Well said – that line of micky’s is deserving of being singled out – it certainly made me smile. Maybe Arsene has ‘player dyslexia’ – putting out all the right players in all the wrong order…
I was very down on Saturday but am perking up now. If we turn it on in our next game – which is a very real possibility – I’ll start believing again…
In fact, to please Carlito, I might even say “I DO believe” (although, come to think of it, didn’t Carlito say that adding the emphatic ‘do’ pushes it into the realms of protestething too much?). Oh no, I’m all confused again… 😦
Looks like a two match ban for Rooney which may just tip things back our way by allowing them to drop those two points.
Get our players back in the right order, and away we go!
Like me.
Away gone.
Nite all.
micky
“Get our players back in the right order, and away we go!” 🙂
That should restore some thrust!
Rocky Belief and do go hand in hand. Its my day for quotes, but I used these things all the time in my training mode. Most people know the “if you think you will lose you will” type Quotes but in the context of today’s debate and in support of RVP I leave you with this one.
“What we think or what we know or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do.”
John Ruskin
dandan
Well done!
Rocky 😀
Very in and out (ooer missus) today but it’s been a real pleasure to be cheered up by you lot. Sorry I haven’t commented much on GiE’s contribution to that- some real weight to those arguments.
Great to see you bringing up “thrust” again RockyLives- I think we can look back on some of the concepts bandied around during the course of the season with some frustration. It was precisely that thrust that was missing on Saturday but the memory of how that term came into being still brings a grin to this face 🙂
Rocky great thought stretcher that article mate, I managed to read it early doors, but didnt have time to write any response..
I have been driving all the way upto the dark side of northern england, whilst driving i have flickered across all the issues that have blighted our club and asked myself why do we seem to fall short at that last stretch, do we have a good enough squad, is it wengers fault, could I do better than almunia or denilson…….?
I think rasp is spot on, send me in early doors to the changing room and by christ they will come out fired up, cheers rasp….:)
Your right Rocky, the margins are small, a reversal of results next weekend and its back in our hands…….
The worst thing out of all this for me is the split amongst Arsenal fans is becoming more real week by week. We have had the AKB v AoutB v Realists for some time now, with a relatively good humoured banter, but seemingly its turning nasty…
Why do we have such a good away record at 50% wins to uniteds 31%, but at home we only have 63% to their 93%…?
Our goals away is 2.07 per game but only 1.88 at home…
Our home form with its lacklustre negative atmosphere is killing us, the pressure is immense, now I am not blaming the fans as a whole, there are other mistakes with wenger making several lately…..
Someone questioned a comment of mine at the weekend regards the support and the lack of backing and said the players have to give him something to shout about, cannot remembered who that was, but he missing the point entirely of what it means to be a supporter of a club, this season the team has given us moments to be proud, Barca and Chelsea stand out obviously….
WHen the chips are down and the play is stale like saturday, then thats when we need all to stand and support…..Groaning at every mistake does little but diminish the players belief and confidence to try that something different.
It is worrying that Wenger states he doesnt know why the team is like it is though, so who do you ask? not sure…..
All I do know is that we are not miles away, there is only a little piece of the jigsaw missing, we dont need major surgery to achieve greatness…….
But I stand by a comment I made a few weeks ago, if we do fail this season is there a justifiable reason to jettison 4 or 5 due to mental weakness issues?
One thing that has really been sticking with me all day is, how much is wenger protecting the club and the board?
What restrictions has he operated under for 6 or 7 seasons? I am sure other managers would have walked ie O’Neill at Villa for example….
Arsene is soaking up all this pressure, whilst keeping us at the top table, drinking the wine and eating the caviar….
For all those who want him out, just be realistic as to what the man has acheived, maybe when his memoirs are printed we will all know the truth, GIE has highlighted the difference in expenditure, which makes our continued Champions League forays even more impressive, does it not?
It hurts and I am sure a signing here or there at different times might have made the difference, but was the pot empty?
Who knows?
Harry
Great comment @8.46
But the final sentence underlines the concern so many of us have at the moment.
One thought about the boo boys.
They want to drive out the players on their hate list (Almunia, Denilson, Diaby, Squillaci, Bendtner etc).
But has it occurred to them that the atmosphere they’re creating at The Grove may well have the effect of driving out the players we’d all want to keep? Clichy already seems to be on his way, and I wonder how much the atmosphere and the stick he has taken in the past has affected that decision.
And if you’re Nasri, Fabregas, van Persie, Vermaelen, do you really want to be turning out in front of a crowd who routinely boo the team? I read today that Milan are going to make a big offer for Nasri. After Saturday – when he played most of the game with a serious head injury and still saw his team booed off – would you blame him for considering it?
I wouldn’t Rocky.
And Harry is spot on re pressure IMO. I’ll write my post tomorrow and send in to Peaches it’s in a similar vein.
One last gambit for tonight.
Everyone thought it was a good idea for Arsenal to go for the Carling Cup this year and we did.
We threw it away in the final and the fallout has been bad, so in hindsight should Arsene have continued to view it as a youth try out tournament? It certainly hasn’t done us any favours.
Rocky 10:05
“But has it occurred to them (the Boo Boys) that the atmosphere they’re creating at The Grove may well have the effect of driving out the players we’d all want to keep?”
.
I had not thought of that very true and devastating point.
Morning Micky,
Booing had a good effect on Eboue, he improved a lot, well as much as he can I suppose. I think the good players know they are good and that the booing is not targeted at them.
Although I would not boo, I think that they deserved to be booed of the pitch last Saturday. Like I said yesterday, the Club needs to recognise the warning signs.
Red Arse – had you met Carlito you would know that he is not the guy to get offended – all smiles, young man and big blue, blue eyes. As for GIE – I’d be careful if I were you – he is also very young, but about 6’4” with a chest like a bear…don’t disagree with him mate
Thank you Peaches, I told you I’m not a full ticket
Jose Marinho, Jose Marinho, Jose Marinho, Jose Marinho..come on Real!!
A spud told me last nite that they’re 6/1 on to win in Madrid – oh the pressure …….. 🙄
“As for GIE – I’d be careful if I were you – he is also very young, but about 6’4” with a chest like a bear…don’t disagree with him mate”
Haha, I’m more a cuddly panda than a grizzly. And I grew two inches …… yay!
And very young I’ll take even tho as I said Saturday I discovered I’m one day younger than Viera when checking Invincibles ages and I’ve written him off as past it.
It might be a long, long time before we see Spuds in CL again
Isn’t it time for ‘New Post’?
GIE – you have some presence, I guess not many people try upsetting you, maybe just Mrs GIE 🙂
And Rocky I thought about your point some more last night.
It strikes me that all those that question the players love for the club should also question their own love of the players. As I’ve said before if you were a player who has played his heart out and turned round with ten minutes to go to see empty seats how would you feel? Some fans treat the game like an inconvenience by leaving early why as a player would I show them any love.
Morning Evonne, GiE.
GiE, surely the fact that we got ot the CC final exonerates the decision to go for it. Had we won, at least we’d have concrete proof that we’d progressed this season and we wouldn’t have to go through the summer listening to “You haven’t won anything for 6 years”.
Unfortunately the CC final performance was another of those where the ‘system’ didn’t work. We must be the easiest team for any opposition manager to prepare his team to face.
GIE – TH14 told the fans how it felt when they were trying to score and fans were leaving in a hoof. Well, on the other hand they had 90+ minutes, not just the 4 or extra time
Rasp – yep, no surprises thrown at the opposition (some call it Plan B)
Morning Rasp it’s more a question of just how much the confidence has been knocked by not winning it.
I’m not saying it was wrong or that we shouldn’t have gone for it, just asking in hindsight was it a good thing. And rather than us kicking on from winning it we have been kicked back from losing it.
It also meant extra games for key players increasing fatigue.
BTW guys, why was Cesc not starting on Sat?
I completely agree GiE. Harry said the same thing to me before the CC final – what happens to our season if we don’t win? Well we’ve seen what happens.
I don’t think its rocket science, we lack aggression as a team and try to score the perfect goal instead of taking risks when we attack.
Its not the end of the world if a team loses possession when attempting a swift attacking move. We must commit 3 or 4 players forward when attacking at pace instead of going for the steady build up which allows the opposition’s defence to close ranks and leaves us vulnerable to being hit on the break.
I said on monday that our obsession with possession football is part of the problem. I’m hoping one of the statos will produce some figures, but I wouldn’t mind betting that we have won a higher percentage of games when we’ve had less possession than average.
The fact that we keep the ball for long periods but don’t score means that we can’t be doing much with it apart from clever passing. The best goal of the season was scored against barca when we had been defending deep and made the most of it when we finally got hold of the ball.
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