Where Were You When the Going Got Tough?

May 21, 2012

The curtain has fallen on another season of top flight football – and what a season it has been.

As Arsenal fans we’ve been put through the mill more than the wheat stock at Hovis.

The most commonly used metaphor is that it was a “roller coaster” of a season. In which case it must have been this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udIgjMzENQ8

The lowest point came on September 17th.

From the moment Cesc Fabregas answered the call of his yodelling DNA, we started eating the biggest poo sandwich in living Arsenal memory.

Our homesick Catalan was followed out the door by Samir “I want to win things – like an 85 grand a week pay rise” Na$ri, leaving us hardly any time to find replacements.

Before the transfer window closed the appropriately named ManUre added a squirt of diarrhea dressing to our poo sandwich with a humiliating 8-2 thrashing at the Theatre of Screams.

Arsène made a midnight dash in his pyjamas to the Transfer Window counter just as they were pulling down the shutters. After throwing out a bundle of fifty pound notes he scurried home with what appeared to be a random selection of Premier League journeymen and unknown foreigners.

But the low point – the real low, bottoming-out, it doesn’t get much lower than this, deeper than Jan Leeming’s voice, nadir point – was losing away at Blackburn.

Against a p*ss-poor assembly of relegation fodder players we scored three to their two – and still contrived to lose.

Our poo sarnie was suddenly a triple-decker.

At the end of the weekend’s football the Premier League Table made somber reading: Arsenal were sitting at 17th place, one above the relegation positions. The press gleefully informed us it was the worst start to an Arsenal season for 50 years.

But were the Arsenal faithful daunted?

You bet they were. The “Wenger Out” cacophony reached new heights and those who had been pedalling a negative agenda for the previous couple of years were falling over each other to predict failure and disaster. Some – in all seriousness – even warned that we faced relegation.

Certainly all the Wenger critics knew that we had zero chance of making the Top Four.

Well, we all know how it panned out in the end. We fought back, the assortment of new faces turned out to be not all bad and, in the end, we secured third place ahead of our ancient enemies.

They say the Premier League is a marathon not a sprint and, in fairness, we crossed the line like a bloke in a diving suit, but over the full course we had done enough to finish as the best team in England outside of the two Mancs.

But returning to September 17th 2011, the day of the Blackburn Rovers defeat, there was one oasis of perspective and optimism in the desert of desolation.

It was here, in the comments made by regulars on Arsenal Arsenal. So this Post is dedicated to you, my fellow bloggers, who looked into the abyss and saw not the pit of eternal despair, but a long dark tunnel out of which we could dig our way if we worked hard enough.

Here are some of the comments you made in the aftermath of that 3-4 loss:

 

Gooner in Exile says:

September 17, 2011 at 3:19 pm  (Edit)

If I was Wenger and Rice right now is about the time I would be tearing a few players new ones for that second half opening.

But also I’d be trying to lift their spirits and praise the way they turned it around at the end because that was a huge change from last year and if I’m not mistaken a bit of a plan B?

Red Arse says:

September 17, 2011 at 4:26 pm  (Edit)

You won’t want to hear this, but ecstasy and despair are both imposters and are the lot of all football fans.

Remember you cannot have one without the other, and neither emotion lasts. Tomorrow you will start to think of the game next Tuesday, and life will go on.

When we crunch the Spuds, all this will be put into perspective, if not forgotten.

I believe that on another day we would have won this 2:6.

Fatgingergooner says:

September 17, 2011 at 6:04 pm  (Edit)

Is this gonna happen after every bad game from now until the end of the season? Loads of people just coming out of the woodwork to take a pop?

It was tough to watch, very tough in fact. And there are big problems at the back, no doubt about it. But if TV was fit that would never have happened today. To come on and say sack the manager and offer zero in the way of an alternative is absurd. So is saying ‘we should have signed Baines’ after watching Santos play one game! I don’t think he played that badly.

We were excellent for 45 minutes, and for 15 minutes at the end. We had an unbelievable 30 minutes where everything that could possibly go wrong went wrong. Who’s to blame? Every single player on the pitch and the management as a whole. So either sack ‘em all or shut up!

Fatgingergooner says:

September 17, 2011 at 6:14 pm  (Edit)

The manager and the squad were the right men to take us forward about five hours ago, that cannot change in one 30 minute horror show.

I just hope the side don’t dwell too much on this.

dandan says:


September 17, 2011 at 6:32 pm  (Edit) 


Good people; So a day to test the mettle of Arsenal fans everywhere, no doubt gloom and despondency will come leaping to the fore “ye Gods we have lost another football match, the end of the world is no doubt nigh”. No decent positives to be found anywhere. The manager must be hung drawn and quartered, as the only way the team will ever get more guts is to share his out.
 What a load of collective unmitigated crap we spout. Lady luck continues to treat us harshly; two own goals, and an offside goal did for us. How many teams would come back from that I wonder? Yet comeback we almost did.
 
Sure our defence got caught out but they are a new unit, our Brazilian fullback kept pushing up to far and we missed a couple of tackles. But where was the capitulation, so many have gone on about since the CC final last year. Who exactly gave up today, besides some disenchanted bloggers? Did you hear our away fans, they wont be blogging premature death notices. They will be at the Ems for our next three matches expecting our luck to turn and looking for a win. 
How good were some of those crosses we put in. Sod the Rose tinted glasses jibes, they don’t exist we are not that far away. TV and Jack plus the knowledge of playing together will put us back on track. They say that bad decisions even themselves out, well we have had more than our share thus far, so some poor bugger is going to suffer soon.
 Our next away game is the Spuds – don’t be surprised if the wrath of the football gods sends a traumatised Harry twitching and gibbering C.V. in hand to the England manager recruitment panel.



 

dandan says:

September 17, 2011 at 7:11 pm  (Edit)

FGG Well said my friend. Also hurting doesn’t mean you have to let it show. Positives can be found in any circumstance if you have the moral fibre to stand up and face the world with a smile.

Fatgingergooner says:

September 17, 2011 at 7:31 pm  (Edit)

We can try and make sense of that game but it was a freak as far as I’m concerned. We had 69% possession, 16 shots on goal. Any other time we would probably have won. It’s just unfortunate that the result has come at a time when we needed it least, but that’s usually how these things work. If we had won our first 4 games and then this happened we would be laughing at it!!!! It was THAT ridiculous.

From Total Arsenal’s match report on Arsenal Arsenal

I still have full confidence in the quality of our squad and Wenger’s desire and ability to change this round. However, this will take time and there is nothing we can do but hope that we will get back to winning ways soon. Losing to Blackburn hurts badly, and it is highly likely that we will get hurt and embarrassed again in the next few months, but now is the time to stand by our club, players and manager to see this period of transition through: we will need to win this battle by battle, game by game. Next game is Shrewsbury, COYRRG!

 

Big Raddy says:

September 18, 2011 at 10:32 am  (Edit)

Talk of relegation is way off the mark. What happens this season, happens.

The team is in transition and I believe that AW is the man to see us through it. He has built 2 great teams already and this will be another.

Andrew Dicomites says:


September 18, 2011 at 11:24 am  (Edit)

Let’s back off the manager and the team and provide support to the Arsenal. If we fire the manager now, what are the options? Lets give our manager and the team one last chance to put things right. We owe Arsene Wenger this chance to use the lessons learnt with a newly formed team to address the obvious weaknesses. Good relationships, communication, understanding and structure do NOT happen overnight.



 

Rob Lucci says:

September 18, 2011 at 12:18 pm  (Edit)

I expected this season will be a bumpy ride, and oh how it hurt my bump yesterday. But still, most of us enjoyed the first half performance, and it’s the defensive mid who orchestrated both of the goals ffs. What can be more exiting than that?

I believe this season will be just like the 2005/2006 seasons, when we lost Viera and scraped out to fourth place in the last day of the season. Hopefully our run in Champions League this season will be as good as that season’s. There always a way to be optimistic if you want to.

barumgooner says:

September 18, 2011 at 12:49 pm  (Edit)

Nice post Total, It’s good to read a sensible take on what happened. It’s easy to forget that it was absolutely lashing it down throughout the game and two of the goals were simply mistakes where a greasy ball just bounced off our guys and into the net. If Gerv had passed to RVP to make it 3-1 it would’ve been game over and we would all be praising the boys instead of running them down. Yesterday was a fluke result pure and simple. In the bigger picture we are in transition, its fair to say that we as a club AND MANAGER have had to make-do with average players for far too long, we now have some new players as well as some promising youngsters plus a world class ‘keeper at last. It will take time but we are I feel on the way back to where we should be.

dandan says:

September 18, 2011 at 1:57 pm  (Edit)

Super post Total,

Self flagellation has long been the favourite form of punishment for large numbers of Arsenal Fans, So why should we expect it to change in today’s world where instant gratification is also the expectation of so many.
Hence the constant barrage of negativity unleashed on the club’

My view; an exciting year lies ahead, as TV and Jack return and our players come to terms with each other.

Enjoy your disenchantment with AW and the board guys, it may well be that as the economy continues to go pear shaped you will have much to thank them for.

Time will tell

WiganGooner says:


September 18, 2011 at 3:34 pm  (Edit)

I know I am perpetually positive, but we have some great players who can really take us places. It’s still not too late to start getting some good results and restoring the confidence. For me, it’s heart-breaking to see so much negativity about the club I love. 
In my opinion Arsenal have the ability to be up there with the best teams in the world, Lady Luck wasn’t kind to us yesterday, but we have the personnel to be a great side again.
 Come on you Gooners!!
 



 

26may1989 says:

September 18, 2011 at 6:49 pm  (Edit)

This season will be hard, but this new side can’t be judged on the basis of one game. Yes, the defence was appalling in that second half, but it was also excellent against Dortmund a few days earlier. The creative side of our game has lifted with the new signings. Although I’m still worried about our striking options, my real concern is the squad’s psychology. But with a lot of hard work, and just a smidgeon of patience from the fans (ha ha, like that’s going to happen!), this is a side that can compete with a Spurs side that loses 5-1 at home and a Liverpool side that loses 4-0, and maybe even a City side that can’t beat Fulham and a Chelsea side that hasn’t looked too convincing this season.

harry says:

September 18, 2011 at 8:23 pm  (Edit)

I cant be doing with some of this wenger bashing, I am retiring from Blogging……..the hindsight brigade drain me……….Yes we have issues, it ain’t perfect, let’s get behind the team and the BOSS and give it till Xmas before we staring writing eulogies…

Fellow AA-ers – including those whose comments I did not have room for here, I salute you.

RockyLives

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Arsène needs “A Man”

May 20, 2012

I think we need a new “Man”. Someone who knows about tactics, defence, motivation and substitutions. Trouble is this:  I like Arsène and want him to stay. So what’s to be done?

Some say that behind every great man there is a great woman. To that I say “whatever”. However, I do think that behind many great men there is “His Man”. Look no further than Bertie Wooster. Our leader needs a Jeeves.

Football is about opinions and can inevitably be divisive amongst even the bestest of mates. Opinions over trophies is one such issue, while debate over the manger will always rage. Arsène is no exception. This is normal.

My thoughts on the Boss are that he needs some help. That’s all. No big deal. Some will say that all of those aspects of the game are in the job description of Manager. I say, what utter piffle.

Did DB10 need managing? Of course not. Tony Adams? Yeah right. Henry? Would you tell him how to kick a ball about?  Thought not, me neither. In other words what does a manager do? Chew gum? Wear a cap while leaping up and down? Talk Northern? Fiddle the books?

Being totally honest, I could do the managers’ job. Easy. So could some of you J. The tricky bit is representing the club in the manner in which it likes to be portrayed. Harry and Spuds? Perfect fit. Ferguson and Utd? Cocky, rude, arrogant and again perfect fit. Northern team with northern manager, again, ideal. Chelsea and any of their managers….pretentious upstarts the lot of them. Works well.

This brings me on to Arsène and Arsenal. Of course I could do the footbally bit of manager, but represent the club as Arsène does? Not a chance. He’s the perfect figurehead. An ideal match.

So here’s my solution. Bin the Managers job. Waste of time. Crown Arsène King, and appoint “A Man” (cheap, loyal, discreet and wise).

A large part of the reason Managers are not very good is that they sit at ground level. Have you ever sat  Row 1, lower tier? Can’t see a bloody thing can you? Ever wondered why managers like Arsène rush home and watch replays on the telly? I’ll tell you. Never had a clue what was going on during the game itself. That’s why. Fear not though, I have a solution.

 Look, our owner does not attend, so why not install a throne middle front of the Directors Box and pop Arsène on it.

“Ah but..” I hear you say,”how could the King and His Man orchestrate things from up there?”. Simple. HRH is hooked up to the PA System. Can you imagine the booming voice echoing around the stadium…”Waaaalcott” (our little wide speed merchant gazing towards the heavens)…”Yes you. Would you mind awfully tracking back once in a while. Thank you so much”. Reverberating like thunder and sounding like the combined roars of Mars, Apollo and Zeus all rolled into one, there is no way our Little Hero will be ignoring that.

Before you all think I’ve taken leave of my senses, may I remind you that when our great club was founded, we were The Royal Arsenal.

Long Live The King (and his Man).

Written by MickyDidIt

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Champions League dilemma

May 19, 2012

Despite finishing third and having the luxury of going straight in to the Group Stages of the Champions League, on Saturday night there is the very real prospect of Chelsea becoming the first London team to win the Champions League.

Chelsea beating Bayern would ordinarily be reason enough for us to throw ourselves off the nearest bridge but this year it will bring some pleasure as the cretins down the road will be crying off to play their European football on Channel 5.

Last Sunday brought the surreal thought that I’d actually like United to win the league. However that thought evaporated when I watched Fergie’s face go from exited puppy to dejected alchy just finding out the corner shop was out of Special Brew in fact i rewound and played back several times after they showed it on MotD. I didn’t watch the City celebrations, who would want to?

I recommend you all do the same on Saturday night, a Chelsea win will see me heading over to a Spuds blog to watch the toys fly out of the pram and watch Arry be kicked from pillar to post. A Chelsea loss and I will be glued to my screen watching Drogba cry in Terry’s arms, and thinking I wonder if Mata made the right choice (and how much can we have him for). I have never laughed louder than when Terry missed that potential match winning spot kick against United in 2008, especially because of the way he straightened his armband as he walked up.

Schadenfreude at times like this it’s all you’ve got.

Written by Gooner In Exile

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Robin – He’s still our Captain Fantastic.

May 18, 2012

There are rumours abound that he hasn’t signed/isn’t going to sign, there are rumours that he’s holding out for more money, that he wants assurances about signings, that he wants this, that and the other.

It’s all dross and hyperbole, no one outside Arsène’s house knows what happened on Wednesday morning.

What I say is this, regardless of the results of the contract negotiations this summer with Robin, I thank him with all of my Gooner heart because he has given me some amazing memories, hit some amazing goals and been able to drag a struggling side from 17th to 3rd in a season where goals from elsewhere in the team are harder to come by than a fat-free option in your favourite Kebab House.

He has brought something new to the Arsenal table. He brought fight and real passion. When Robin banged in one of his amazing goals the joy on his face and the determination to score more for Arsenal was tangible. We all revelled in the glory of Robin and rather than castigate him for taking time to consider his options, we should celebrate him and what he has done for us.

Make no bones about it – Robin has done something in that dressing room. Lord knows what it is but the guys have more fight than last year. We didn’t quite have enough in the tank to overhaul ManCiteh and ManYoo but we have done extremely well to end up where we are. It has been a divisive season. Some fans are saying that 3rd isn’t good enough. Some fans are suggesting that last summer’s transfer dealings were poor.

I say, move on. It happened. What is the point in trying to play the blame game? There are no winners in that. What Arsenal had to do was recover and produce a season that made us believe that there is a future without Fabregas and Na$ri.

I believe.

I look at our team now and I see actual hope wearing an Arsenal shirt. I look at Podolski in his press release and I see a fighter. Just look at him. He’s muscle on legs and before I gush about him I believe he is a massive part of the future of Arsenal FC. He’s got pace, power and a vicious left foot.

He will be a massive player for us. In him I think Robin has real hope that the puritan, Arsenal way can and will conquer the Premier League once again.

Wigan Gooner

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What’s Your Highlight of the Season?

May 17, 2012

Having watched a video of some spuds struggling to find a highlight to their ‘best ever team’ season, I started to ponder which were the highlights of my Arsenal season. As I went back through the games, I realised that, even though this was a big dipper of a ride, with lurching troughs and exultant peaks, there were so many truly memorable moments this season I could have chosen.

5-3 at the Bridge
A game with so many highlights, but the king of the chavs munching turf for our 4th goal sticks out for me. This clip doesn’t show the goal perfectly but I love Cashley in the foreground and the Gooner faithful in the background.

Best away fans
When Dortmund came to town their fans really put on a show. The North Bank upper tier always used to bounce on big nights. This was the first time I’d felt the upper tier at the Grove bouncing. What a phenomenal atmosphere and a great footballing occasion.

Biggest away victory plus Sir Chez sings
It was my third away trip to the pie-eaters in three seasons. We’d seen two successive comebacks by the opposition in the previous two trips. Four goals, two in each half, a clean sheet, “He scores when he wants” for the first time and Szcz leading “We’re by far the greatest team” at the end of the game. What more could you want?

Arsenal’s goal of the season?
The sublime technique of Mr van Persie unlocked the door of the Everton bus and provided the perfect present on our 125th birthday
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjZh2p311oY
Benny’s winner at Villa
After coming on as sub with less than 10 minutes to go, Yossi snatched a crucial 2 points for the Gunners with his stooping header.

The Return of the King
Thierry returned home in January and produced two moments of such magical timing, they left our hearts aglow. First was the exquisite Henryesque ‘open up the body’ finish on his comeback against Leeds in the FA Cup.

The second was his athletic winner from an Arshavin cross at the Stadium of Light which provided another crucial 2 points and started a run of 4 league matches where we came from behind.

Mashing the spuds
Quite simply this was one of the top 5 games I have ever been lucky enough to witness. Two nil down to the N17 pondlife, the knuckle-draggers tempted fate singing, “Arsene Wenger, we want you to stay” and “Your season’s over”. Five glorious red and white goals later they weren’t singing anything with most of them half way up the Seven Sisters Road before the final whistle. The turning point of the season without a doubt.  Enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUC2-Nmd1q0
A Krul joke
Thomas Vermaelen’s winner deep into injury time caused by Tim Krul’s persistent time-wasting was the perfect answer from the footballing gods to petty gamesmanship. Another exquisite capture of 2 vital points right at the death.  “Cam on Theo, do summink Theo”

The cleanest strike of a football you could ever see
When Mikel’s boot connected with the back of the football against Villa, the red and white angels carried it with speeding wings past Shay Given. This was my favourite goal of the season.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2rlaCPptQU
Arsenal do the Poznan
Arteta again gave us a season highlight with his late strike to dispose of the Oilers at the Grove.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jQLqxkYbt0
The new Home of Football has seemed more like home this season than at any time since the move from Highbury. Even the Upper Tier were doing the Poznan. Great moments like this help to cement the stadium in the hearts of the supporters. Joyous stuff.

I’m sure we’ve all had moments of great joy and excitement during this season that will live long in our memories. These are some of mine without even mentioning another glorious last day St. Totteringham’s. What’re yours?

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The collapse of Arsenal’s defensive wall.

May 16, 2012

Our 2011/12 goals against of 49 was the worst defensive display we have experienced since we conceded the same amount 1994/5, however 1994/5 was a 42 game season so in terms of goals against per game 2011/12 was our worst ever in the EPL at 1.29 per game versus 1.17 in 1994/4.

To find a worse season one has to go back nearly 50 years to 1965/66 when we conceded 75 or 1.79 per game.

Our defensive vulnerability is not a recent occurrence and we are at our worst when we play away from home where the decline has been steady for the past nine seasons.

Here are the stats on our away goals against since 2003/4.

2003/4 = 12 GA, .63 Goals against per game.

2004/5 = 17 GA, .89 GPG

2005/6 = 18 GA, .95 GPG

2006/7 = 19 GA, 1.0 GPG

2007/8 = 20 GA, 1.05 GPG

2008/9 = 21 GA, 1.11 GPG

2009/10 = 26 GA, 1.37 GPG

2010/11 = 28 GA, 1.47 GPG

2011/12 = 32 GA, 1.68 GPG

It’s plain for all to see (even the statistical brass monkeys) that the erosion in our defensive capability is simply shocking – in my mind it cannot be defended.

In a nine year span we are conceding an average of 1.05 more goals against per game, 20 more goals in a season. It’s so easy to say – well if you take away the 8-2 at Man U and the 4-3 at Blackburn then it looks better – or that we were missing both our 1st and 2nd string fullbacks for X amount of games. But in my mind all of the excuses in the world do not account for the continuous year over year increase in our away goals against.

Our home record does not show the same steady increase in goals against but nevertheless it has gone from:

2003/04 = 14 GA, .74 GPG

2011/12 = 17 GA, .89 GPG

Many folks will hold Arsène Wenger accountable and that may hold more than a modicum of truth, after all it is his final responsibility as to who we buy, who we play, and what tactics we employ.

With Steve Bould being assigned as Arsène’s assistant be can but hope that he can stop the rot and bring back our stubborn defence’s of the 90’s. I certainly don’t advocate a return to the laborious 1-0 to the Arsenal but I certainly do advocate a return to a solid impenetrable back four along with a consistent/reliable goalkeeper.      —–

GunnerN5

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Is this midfielder Arsenal’s second best player of the season?

May 15, 2012


There would be little value in doing an opinion poll on who has been our best player of the season. No doubt, a vast majority would opt for our captain, top goal scorer, and the PL’s Player of the Season, Robin van Persie. But it all becomes a lot more difficult when we have to choose our second best player of the season.

There have been many fine performances throughout the season, but not many players have actually been able to play through the whole campaign, with only the odd week out as a result of a slight injury. Only a small number of players were fit, and judged good enough, to play more than 70% of the games: Szczesny, Vermaelen, Koz, Song, Arteta, Rosicky, Walcott, and Ramsey (and of course RvP). Rosicky and Ramsey both had good spells this season but have not done enough for me to be included in a shortlist for ‘second best player of the year’, so I suggest we choose our favourite out of the remaining six players (but feel free to suggest any other player in today’s post comment section).

Szczesny – Played 48, 29 clean sheets

He has had a good but not a great season imo. Wojciech makes us feel generally comfortable when he plays in goal and although he has made a few mistakes this season, I think most of us will agree that he has done well. He has enjoyed only very few periods of consistency with regards to the four defenders in front of him, which of course does not help when trying to get some defensive reliability and solidity. He has done enough though to be our Nr1 in goal again next season, but it will be interesting to see whether Arsenal will buy an experienced back-up keeper who would provide a bit of healthy competition for Szczesny. Not my second best player of the season.

Vermaelen – Played 39, 6 goals, 2 assists

He has had a good season, but again, not a great season. Thomas was a key player in our unbelievable recovery in February and March, but in the last few games of the season we have been able to see a few weaknesses. We all love his tenacity and energy, his surging forward runs, and his ability to battle with any attacker, on the ground and in the air. But in those last few games, he should have been one of the players with the intelligence and experience to maintain our shape and defensive discipline, and to lead our team at the back, and for me he did not do that enough. Not my second best player of the season either.

Koscielny – Played 39, 2 goals, 2 assists

He has been our rock in defence throughout the season, and he formed a fine partnership with both Mertesacker and Vermaelen. Especially his partnership with the BFG seemed to get the best out of him. He plays with his heart on his sleeve and has improved physically, as he seldom or never was outmuscled this season. He reads the game well and can play with focus and discipline. In every game, he seems to play a number of wild forward passes which usually end up with the opposition’s defence, but other than that he had a pretty faultless season. If we take into account the whole season, it is fair to say that Koscielny has been our best defender. Koscielny is a strong candidate.

Arteta – Played 37, 6 goals, 3 assists

He has been our rock in midfield, and surprised many of us with both the position he occupied, and the skills he has displayed at Arsenal this season. We all loved his unselfishness, his work-rate, professionalism and the joy with which he played football for us in the last eight months. He has been the vacuum-cleaner in our midfield and linked up defence with midfield, and midfield with attack seamlessly. Since his injury, Arsenal have struggled to stick to its formation and play with composure. He has also scored 6 goals in 37 games, but his assists (three) were a bit on the low side, even when we take into account his deep position in midfield. Another strong candidate.

Walcott – Played 46, 11 goals, 13 assists

This season, he has been our best winger, and he produced the third highest number of assists of all our players (RvP was second 14). At the start of the campaign, there was a fair bit of criticism for Theo, but since then he has shown the thickness of his skin and the brightness of his football brain. 11 goals and 13 assists in 46 games is a pretty fine return, and during this season he has grown into a man. He scores goals and produces assists against any opposition – for example, this season he scored against the Mancs, Chavs, Udinese, and the Spuds (two). I would love him to sign a new contract and become a long-term Gunner, but I am not sure whether that will happen. He has really impressed me this season, but has not done enough to be my second best player of the year.

Song – Played 46, 1 goal, 16 assists

This season, the big question surrounding Alex was whether he has been neglecting his DM duties with the blessing of Wenger. A lot of fans have given him stick for not being disciplined enough in protecting the back four, which they regard as his main duties. Alex has suffered a lot from Arteta’s season-ending injury as the Spaniard proved to be his perfect partner in the centre of midfield. For me, Alex Song has been a phenomenal player throughout the season. I am convinced Arsene has asked him to play a free role in which he both helps out defence and supports the attack whenever he could.

A lack of creativity in midfield forced us to play Song in such a demanding role, and he has revelled in it. Other than Yaya Toure, I cannot think of another midfielder with such a diverse skill-set. Yes, he is a slow starter in games and loses the ball unnecessarily too many times, but these are minor compared to what he has brought to the team. At crucial times this season he has been world-class, both defensively and in terms of producing a high number, and match-winning, assists. His performance against Milan at home was one of the best I have seen in an Arsenal shirt this season. 16 assists in 46 games is simply exceptional – with two more than RvP and three more than Theo he produced  the most assists of all our players! At the end of the season his performance dipped a little bit, but overall Song has made a tremendous contribution to our team. Another strong candidate.

My choice

For me, the strongest candidates for second best player of the year are Koscielny, Arteta and Song, and taking the whole season into account, I think Song just shades it. I really hope he signs a new contract and Arsene is able to make him an even better player in the next few seasons.

But who would you choose and why?

TotalArsenal.


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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Greatest St Totts Day Ever

May 14, 2012

Welcome, my fellow Gunners, to another year in which we faithful worshippers have been privileged to celebrate our favourite Saint’s Day.

And why is St Totteringham’s Day our favourite holy occasion?

Well, I believe it’s because it combines all the qualities of the other, lesser, Saints’ Days that we mark throughout the year.

It has the wonderful drunkenness associated with St Patrick’s Day; the love (for our team, our club and each other) that St Valentine is famous for and the unapologetic pride of St George’s Day.  Best of all, there’s a big dose of St Schadenfreude’s Day, the occasion on which it is acceptable (indeed, obligatory) to laugh at the afflicted.

St Totteringham’s Day bundles all those marvelous feelings into one – and you have to say, this has surely been the best St T’s Day ever.

Lasagna-gate in 2006 was fun, but that season the Spuds were behind us most of the way and only really closed the gap right at the end.

This year, of course, was different. This year they opened up a 12 point lead over us and that tribe of pox-eaten donkey pizzles who call themselves their supporters kept telling us to “Mind the Gap.”

Oh we minded it alright, you fool-born codpiece-sniffers. We minded it right up the Seven Sisters Road and shoved it up your collective jaxey.  How d’you like that gap?

In years to come, happy Gooners will sit around reminiscing about the 2011-2012 season.

Someone will say: “Do you remember when the Tiny Totts thought they were going to win the league?” and everyone else will just fall about laughing…. “ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, aaaaah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha…”

Play the clip below whilst you read on…….


“Do you remember when they told us to ‘mind the gap’ and that the balance of power had shifted in North London?”  “Aaah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, aaaaah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha…”

“Do you recall a certain Mr Henry Winter saying that Robin van Persie was the only Arsenal player with a chance of getting in the Spuds’ first team?”  “Aaah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, aaaaah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha…”

This season has put us fans through the wringer, but it has not lacked for drama. And at the end of it all, the table does not lie. The team that finishes third deserves to be third.

Just pause for a second and consider that.

We finished third. After our worst start to a season for half a century.

We lost our talismanic captain late in the transfer window, followed quickly out the door by a fat greedy Frenchman. Our most creative player suffered a season-long injury. We started terribly and lost 8-2 at Old Toilet. Our new signings were all scooped up in a special edition of Supermarket Sweep (Yossi Benayoun came free with a packet of Daz).

We were as far up Smelly Creek (it flows into Tottenham Beck) as we had ever been in living memory and we didn’t have a paddle or even a boat. We were swimming up Smelly Creek. Without armbands.

And at that time do you know what smelled worse that the River of Runny Stuff? It was the attitude of the haters, those so-called Arsenal supporters who relished every mishap and calamity; who rejoiced in disaster because it meant they could say “told you so” about their campaign to oust the most successful manager in our club’s history.

How many times did they tell us that we would be lucky to finish in the top half of the table? Or that we would face a relegation fight?

Their attitude, just like the quality of their “support”, stank the place out and contributed to a mood of infighting and fractiousness that only made the problems worse.

But through it all Arsène Wenger kept working.

Recovering from that disastrous start and securing third place is undoubtedly one of his most impressive achievements. It proves as a lie the haters’ contention that he could never get his team playing well again, but I suppose the haters will move their goalposts to continue slaughtering him.

By the way, I have no problem with people criticising the manager or his decisions – I just have a problem with the ones who have become so obsessed with their opposition to him that they want Arsenal to fail. That’s like noticing that your brickwork needs repointing – and deciding it would be for the best if the house burnt down.

Anyway, enough, enough.

I am so proud of our team and our Club. I’m proud of every player and I’m proud of Arsene and I’m proud of Pat Rice and I’m proud of the fans (most of them, anyway).

Of course there’s work to be done to make us better next season. Quite a lot, in fact, but we have put ourselves in the best possible position to do it. What exactly should be done is something we can discuss in the days and weeks ahead.

Officially this should be a match report – and there is plenty to talk about from yesterday’s game. But right now I have no inclination to pick holes, talk about defensive frailties, questions Arsene’s team selections and substitutions.

We had a simple job to do – go to West Brom and win. We did it. We didn’t do it as comfortably as most of us would have liked but we did it all the same.

I will however, give some player ratings:

Szczesny: 10

Jenkinson: 10

Koscielny: 10

Vermaelen: 10

Santos: 10

Coquelin: 10

Song: 10

Rosicky: 10

Gervinho: 10

Van Persie: 10

Benayoun: 11 (joint MoTM)

Fulop: 11 (joint MoTM)

Subs

Walcott: 10

Ramsey: 10

Gibbs: 11 (joint MoTM)

Finally, a question: What do T*ttenham H*tspurs have in common with Hank Marvin?

Answer: Always in the Shadows.

And what grows in the shadows? You got it: fungus – stinky, weirdo fungus… the stuff God came up with as an experiment before he perfected plants and animals.

That’s you, Tiny Totts: the fetid, spongy mass that grows on decaying matter (in this case the decaying matter is your hopes and dreams. Enjoy).

Happy St Totteringham’s Day everyone.

RockyLives

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

The Best St Totteringham’s Day Ever

May 14, 2012

Welcome, my fellow Gunners, to another year in which we faithful worshippers have been privileged to celebrate our favourite Saint’s Day.

And why is St Totteringham’s Day our favourite holy occasion?

Well, I believe it’s because it combines all the qualities of the other, lesser, Saints’ Days that we mark throughout the year.

It has the wonderful drunkenness associated with St Patrick’s Day; the love (for our team, our club and each other) that St Valentine is famous for and the unapologetic pride of St George’s Day.  Best of all, there’s a big dose of St Schadenfreude’s Day, the occasion on which it is acceptable (indeed, obligatory) to laugh at the afflicted.

St Totteringham’s Day bundles all those marvelous feelings into one – and you have to say, this has surely been the best St T’s Day ever.

Lasagna-gate in 2006 was fun, but that season the Spuds were behind us most of the way and only really closed the gap right at the end.

This year, of course, was different. This year they opened up a 12 point lead over us and that tribe of pox-eaten donkey pizzles who call themselves their supporters kept telling us to “Mind the Gap.”

Oh we minded it alright, you fool-born codpiece-sniffers. We minded it right up the Seven Sisters Road and shoved it up your collective jaxey.  How d’you like that gap?

In years to come, happy Gooners will sit around reminiscing about the 2011-2012 season.

Someone will say: “Do you remember when the Tiny Totts thought they were going to win the league?” and everyone else will just fall about laughing…. “ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, aaaaah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha…”

Play the clip below whilst you read on…….


“Do you remember when they told us to ‘mind the gap’ and that the balance of power had shifted in North London?”  “Aaah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, aaaaah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha…”

“Do you recall a certain Mr Henry Winter saying that Robin van Persie was the only Arsenal player with a chance of getting in the Spuds’ first team?”  “Aaah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, aaaaah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha…”

This season has put us fans through the wringer, but it has not lacked for drama. And at the end of it all, the table does not lie. The team that finishes third deserves to be third.

Just pause for a second and consider that.

We finished third. After our worst start to a season for half a century.

We lost our talismanic captain late in the transfer window, followed quickly out the door by a fat greedy Frenchman. Our most creative player suffered a season-long injury. We started terribly and lost 8-2 at Old Toilet. Our new signings were all scooped up in a special edition of Supermarket Sweep (Yossi Benayoun came free with a packet of Daz).

We were as far up Smelly Creek (it flows into Tottenham Beck) as we had ever been in living memory and we didn’t have a paddle or even a boat. We were swimming up Smelly Creek. Without armbands.

And at that time do you know what smelled worse that the River of Runny Stuff? It was the attitude of the haters, those so-called Arsenal supporters who relished every mishap and calamity; who rejoiced in disaster because it meant they could say “told you so” about their campaign to oust the most successful manager in our club’s history.

How many times did they tell us that we would be lucky to finish in the top half of the table? Or that we would face a relegation fight?

Their attitude, just like the quality of their “support”, stank the place out and contributed to a mood of infighting and fractiousness that only made the problems worse.

But through it all Arsène Wenger kept working.

Recovering from that disastrous start and securing third place is undoubtedly one of his most impressive achievements. It proves as a lie the haters’ contention that he could never get his team playing well again, but I suppose the haters will move their goalposts to continue slaughtering him.

By the way, I have no problem with people criticising the manager or his decisions – I just have a problem with the ones who have become so obsessed with their opposition to him that they want Arsenal to fail. That’s like noticing that your brickwork needs repointing – and deciding it would be for the best if the house burnt down.

Anyway, enough, enough.

I am so proud of our team and our Club. I’m proud of every player and I’m proud of Arsene and I’m proud of Pat Rice and I’m proud of the fans (most of them, anyway).

Of course there’s work to be done to make us better next season. Quite a lot, in fact, but we have put ourselves in the best possible position to do it. What exactly should be done is something we can discuss in the days and weeks ahead.

Officially this should be a match report – and there is plenty to talk about from yesterday’s game. But right now I have no inclination to pick holes, talk about defensive frailties, questions Arsene’s team selections and substitutions.

We had a simple job to do – go to West Brom and win. We did it. We didn’t do it as comfortably as most of us would have liked but we did it all the same.

I will however, give some player ratings:

Szczesny: 10

Jenkinson: 10

Koscielny: 10

Vermaelen: 10

Santos: 10

Coquelin: 10

Song: 10

Rosicky: 10

Gervinho: 10

Van Persie: 10

Benayoun: 11 (joint MoTM)

Fulop: 11 (joint MoTM)

Subs

Walcott: 10

Ramsey: 10

Gibbs: 11 (joint MoTM)

Finally, a question: What do T*ttenham H*tspurs have in common with Hank Marvin?

Answer: Always in the Shadows.

And what grows in the shadows? You got it: fungus – stinky, weirdo fungus… the stuff God came up with as an experiment before he perfected plants and animals.

That’s you, Tiny Totts: the fetid, spongy mass that grows on decaying matter (in this case the decaying matter is your hopes and dreams. Enjoy).

Happy St Totteringham’s Day everyone.

RockyLives

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Posted by RockyLives

Sunday Bloody Sunday.

May 13, 2012

It is some time since  the final day’s matches have carried such import. So may permutations, so much angst – one thing is certain today, there will be tears.

This being Big Raddy’s final pre-match of the season it should be stated that I have an agenda today; not to muster the troops nor review the possibilities and permutations  – there are other sites who can do all that for the reader – No, this post will be a paean to the 44 (some say 48 – he joined as an apprentice in 1964) years of Pat Rice.

Can you imagine working at the same place for 48 years? Going the same route to work, the same route home? It is almost impossible to conceive of such loyalty.

Pat started at Arsenal when I first became a Gooner, his time almost exactly corresponds to my  initiation at The Home of Football. Alongside the Hill-Woods he has been a constant, and the Arsenal Club we see today is set in his image – honesty, hard work, tradition, belief in an ideal, and above all loyalty.

I cannot honestly say I saw Pat’s first game (though it is highly likely, I foolishly sold all my programmes!) but I did witness his progression as he became part of one of Arsenal’s best ever defences – Wilson, McNab, Simpson, McLintock and Rice may not get the plaudits of the Famous 5 but believe me they were a solid unit, a good enough unit to win the Double at a time when no one club (nor money) dominated football.

As a player Pat was good enough to force the existing right back, and England International, Peter Storey to move into midfield. What is more Pat played with a smile, always had time to sign autographs, and yet was a tough man, as any player with over 500 games for the Arsenal must be. 49 caps for Northern Ireland in the same team as George Best, he never got the chance to go to a World Cup, but what a career he has had;  Club Captain,  5 FA Cup Finals, League Winner, Arsenal Youth Team Coach for 12 years, 16 years as Assistant Manager to AW, and even a short spell as The Arsenal Manager (surely the pinnacle of any football career).

It is a testament to the man that he retains his enthusiasm for the Club after a lifetime of work. Like his fellow ’71 Double Winners, McLintock, George, Wilson etc his commitment to the Club is total – you know that if he didn’t work at Arsenal he would have a season ticket. Cut him and he bleeds Red and White.

People are often called Club “Legends”, few deserve such an epithet – Pat Rice is one of those few.

So…. onto today.

Calm down. We will win.

Nothing else to say.

My Team:

Difficult selection today. I would be tempted to play Coquelin at RB and Ramsey in midfield thus allowing a flexible 3-4-3. but with WBA’s attacking pace I would pick an authentic RB. If Theo doesn’t make it then Bennie should go left. Not a game for O-C to start but one for him after 60 mins. We cannot take risks.

Why the title today?.  SBS.  Squeeky Bum Sunday. Sunday Bloody Sunday. The portents are aligned with us. Forget Hodgson’s last game – his one season hardly compares to Pat’s commitment!

BR has to admit he is not good with this type of tension, in fact he is so bad he is sitting in Italy as you read this, out of  internet contact and even TV coverage. Lilly-Livered? You bet. However, be assured that lucky socks, shirt, pants and hat will be worn. Lucky beer drunk (Peroni), lucky lunch eaten (scrambled egg on toast), sacrificial herbs will be burned, prayers said, acorns buried, St Cristopher stroked, Buddha patted, horseshoes hung, pennies picked up, 4 leaf clovers picked, coins tossed into fountains and every digit and limb will be crossed. If a team is to win by good fortune we are nailed on.

All for One, One for All.

Pat’s Final Game on the bench for Arsenal. 3rd place. St. Totteringham’s Day. Get out there boys and show why we are “By Far the Greatest Team the World has ever Seen”

COYRRG

Written by  a very tense Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

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