Come in, sit down and listen in. I have a Theory.
If I was allowed to make only one criticism of Arsenal sides of recent seasons, it would be the lack of a stand out Leader. It strikes me that Arsene has a “we are all in it together” kind of approach, and that he believes in a collective sense of responsibility. Well, I don’t.
For me this “collective sense” might work if you have a red faced Ferguson type of Manager with bouts of extremely high blood pressure, but I have a feeling that Arsene is simply too nice, and that the worst that might happen on the back of a poor performance would be an extra long “chat” after the game.
Now, talking of “chats”, we all know that on the back of a recent poor performance, our Big F-F-F-Friendly German instigated a “chat” of his own. I imagine this included some defenders, and perhaps even the goalkeeper as well. In other words, those around him on the field of play.
It is easy to hide from a collective responsibility when at stake is the overall performance, whereas in reality, the game is made up of smaller elements. Usually groups of three.
Before anyone gets shirty, I’m not talking about the little footballing tippy-tappy triangles of three, I am talking about Triangles of Accountability. This is where an individual player can be held directly responsible for a defensive or offensive breakdown by two others, not some Winger lurking in some distant corner of the ground.
For example, if Arteta is playing on the left side of a two man midfield with Ramsey, then much of his work on his left, will be with Gerv and Nacho (subject to team selection) and then to his right, with Ramsey and Santi going forwards, or Ramsey and Kos when defending centrally.
Overall what I’m getting at is not some kind of localized blame culture, but a system of responsibility broken down into much smaller groups. Of course there is fluidity in any Arsene side, but there is also structure, and within that I see these little patterns. Each player is a part of a number of threes depending on the period of play.
As I said, this is not about the football itself, rather managing leadership.
I will now read this back to myself and see whether or not there is any mileage in what I’m saying.
Mmmm, not sure really, but you could have a “chat” of your own about Leadership and Accountability if you want.
Written by MickyDidIt89
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
Micky it’s an interesting theory and I have two off the bat for you.
Santi, Giroud, Theo
OR
Santi, Giroud, Gervinho
On Saturday we saw the latter press the ball high up the pitch, in other games we have seen the two constants try it, but failed by the third who lets face it probably doesn’t get where he should be to make the press work.
Then there is the other three at the back
Arteta, BFG, TV5
OR
Arteta, BFG, Koz
It seems to be working much better with the latter
Did someone say Big Time Charlie’s? Or in my most loved words of Vialli, Charlie Big Potatoes.
Actually thinking on, you could argue that actually we have too many leaders on occasion….BFG and TV both want to lead, Arteta, Jack and Santi can all lead in their own way…Theo and Pod think they can lead by their talent…..but stripped of a few of those and replaced by followers we look a far more cohesive unit.
I have a lot of questions today unrelated to todays post:
Di Canio – Did Sunderland expect the furore over his past statements about facism? He has been allowed to manage at Swindon, and there was often much love toward him in the media, however step up to the PL and much more scrutiny.
‘Arry – Allowed to sign Samba on £100k a week (4 and a half year deal)!!! I’d love to know the negotiations with the agent involved. And now Samba is telling fans to get over it…..something is very wrong in football
I think you have a point Micky Mouse Didit!! 🙂
Let’s face it, in your business, as in any other, including footie clubs and teams, leadership is essential, otherwise the thought of rudderless ships; headless chickens and men without women supporting them spring to mind! 🙂
So I suppose the next thing to try and figure out what makes a leader, because until that is clear, it would be impossible to select one, n’est-ce pas?
That is trickier than it seems, because there is the cerebral selections relating to character, and a strong backbone, up against the visceral attributes such as warlike persona, mental strength and other Tarzan like adjectives which are very subjective.
For me, the leadership attributes I have looked for in a business context, which are a good starting place for this ‘team leader’ or captaincy deal would be;
— Communication: To lead, a captain must be able to verbally and physically encourage his team, as well as clearly letting them know if they are not performing well enough.
— Honesty: The team will respond to a captain who does not duck issues, gives an honest assessment of performances and does not blame others for his own shortcomings.
— Consistency: The team will buy in to a captain who is consistent in setting an example of fairness and effort and will make others want to act similarly.
— Vision: It is essential for a captain to be clear in what he wants, and expects, his team to achieve, and makes it clear how they should do it in order to achieve their goals. (no pun intended) 🙂
— Conviction: A leader or captain who believes in what he is doing, and shows that determination, and strives to make it happen is an inspiration to his team mates.
— Responsive: By being flexible, open minded and responsive to changing circumstances by changing his initial plans or tactics, and by listening to the suggestions of his team mates, a captain can hugely increase the chances of a successful outcome.
That will be £600, please! 🙂
And now it is just a matter of matching the above attributes to a player, who will henceforth be nominated as our new captain!! 😀
Good morning to you all,
I’ll get to today’s post in a minute.
GiE, The furore over DiCanio’s political allegiance has been stirred up by what has been called the “Milliband wagon”. The failed Labour Party leadership candidate has finally gone off, in a huff, to the Land of the Free and ditched his relationship with Sunderland. Di Canio is a convenient peg to hang his resignation on. Just as he has turned his back on British Politics he has abandoned his somewhat shaky “love” for SFC.
Would any true fan even consider such a course of action?
It seems to me that “Triangles of Accountability” merely equates to “Two Options for Blame”.
Thanks RA. A very reasonable fee for your management consultancy skills. Please donate to that arse IDS to help him survive on the £53 pw stipend for the next 12 months
BTW I did not in any way mean to imply IDS is a gooner I meant he is an idiot
RA,
Six hundred smackers?
I’ll boil it down to two bobs worth, Would the team follow the leader “Over the Top”?
Please donate Five hundred and ninety nine pounds eighteen shillings to the charity of your choice. 🙂
NG,
18 shillings? What’s that then? 🙂
RA,
Almost a quarter of my first weeks wages.
FIRST!
Norfolk it appears to run a little deeper, Durham Miners Association has asked to return a banner displayed in the Stadium of Light (The Wearsiders Miners Union), and I’ve never been to Stadium of Light but apparently the road to it is called Keir Hardie Way, again showing the ties the club has with Workers Unions etc, all very much the opposite of facist ideals.
Apparently a Trade Union in Swindon also pulled sponsorship from the club on his appointment there. So any Chairman should have known the problems it would have caused and I can only imagine Milliband had voiced concerns before appointment being a friend of the Unions that he reportedly is.
RA I think you just described Arsene Wenger, and Norfolk has described the Captain.
I guess this is what happens when you chase money and display zero loyality.
………………………………………………………………………………………
Nasri also aimed a swipe at Mancini by revealing Arsene Wenger was the best manager he has worked with and that if his fellow Frenchman was in charge at City he may not have experienced the problems he has this season.
“Arsene Wenger is the greatest coach I’ve worked with,” added Nasri. “If I’d worked with Wenger at Manchester City, maybe I would have avoided some problems.
“Arsene Wenger is the one who understood me most, with whom I had the greatest affinity. I’m very grateful to him as he signed me after perhaps my worst season at Marseille when I had a bout of meningitis. He played a huge role in my career.”
A real teaser of a post Micky, I’ll read through the responses before I make any comments.
Interesting comments from Nasri GN5 considering two seasons ago he was saying how he could just be like the others who turn up and take money etc etc.
RA:
After reading your post I was about to accept that you’d earned your 600 quid when I realized that you had omitted one of the most important words in leadership/management.
TRUST – if trust is not both ingrained in his psyche and displayed on an ongoing basis a leader can lose his staff/dressing room at the drop of a soiled football boot. Without trust in his decisions/urgings players will make their own choices and teamwork will become shambolic.
Just an opinion but TRUST me it’s based on over 50 years of managerial experience……
GIE;
What goes around …………….
GIE @ 9:49 am.
That’s exactly why a team needs a strong captain that they can trust and believe in, without that the idiots will run the asylum and anarchy will become the norm.
Well, this is an interesting article. There is a thin line between being held responsibe for the team’s cause and pointing fingers. The former is quality that is required for a good leader. That is something that we lacked since the departure of TH14 to be honest.
Leaders should be experienced as well as smart. We have intermediates of both qualities circulating in our team now. Perhaps, Wenger has not focussed too much off late on grooming a leader or perhaps THE leader for our team.
Breaking up responsibility into small groups may either bring in solodity or fail miserably. Any such ideas can only be accepted after it is tested really.
A very good post Mickey, thank you.
I’m sure that this idea is already part of post match analysis, and if it isn’t then i would wonder why.
It seems obvious to me that in a sport that is analysis and stat crazy that people would be judged in many different types of groups other than defense or attack.
Personally I still want the individual error stat, but analysis on different “threes” would hold my interest and fill a gap.
Good post,
I am all for a leader on the pitch and by this I mean a Tony Adams type individual, he instinctively knew how to lead, he did shout but I think he did it in an encouraging manner and not a ‘get on at’ type of manner.
GN5,
You have a point, of course, in that trust is an integral part of any successful relationship.
However, I was describing the ‘personal’ attributes a leader, or captain, must have. A tick list, if you will.
The team (and the coach) will only place their trust in the captain when he earns it, and that will only happen if he has the necessary qualities in the first place. Without those qualities he will fail.
So what is trust?
Trust as a concept has many connotations, and for a relationship to work properly, it is most certainly a two way street, which is what you were implying.
In the context of team management, ‘trust’ is the belief a successful captain’s team mates must have in his reliability, honesty, ability, or strength, all of which marry up with the personal qualities I outlined in my earlier comment.
That will be another £600. 😀
GIE @12:30
You are correct in saying that my description of the attributes required in a leader would apply as much to AW, (as he is the ‘external captain’ of the team), as it does to the actual captain of the team.
Let’s face it, those personal leadership attributes should apply at all levels of line management, from the CEO downwards, sadly it often does not, leading to a breakdown or ‘betrayal’ of trust between the management and workforce at the weak link.
As a personal courtesy, that will only be £100. 😀
Micky is making me a fortune today!! 🙂
Taking all that has been said into account, in recent memory which of our captains has been a real leader on the pitch?
My personal take is that Fabregas, Van Persie and Henry were definitely not leaders, Adams and Viera were, while Vermaelen and Arteta may be in the future. My pick of the bunch would be Frank MacLintock but perhaps that’s going back a bit far.
NG,
It is not always obvious to me, from a fan’s point of view, who was or was not a good captain, but I agree with you that Viera and Adams were ‘good’ for their respective teams.
Adams was probably the stand out, ‘gung ho’ leader/captain, and in some ways, as an alcoholic, he threw all the text book definitions of what makes a good leader out of the window.
That proves something, I suppose?
RA:
While it’s very enlightening to benefit from your learned reasoning I think that you may strip the AA coffers bare.
It will require a time out and some counsel from our leaders before we receive any more input from our resident sage.
GN5,
Knowing when to call a time out is all important, I’ll mention your name next time I have dinner with Arsene. As the next time will be the first, don’t hold your breath. 🙂
GN5,
Fair enough! 😀
Well done Micky
I wrote a long reply but my computer decided to swallow. Suffice to say it contained the answers to everything.
Now I’m too busy and, in any case, it has all dissolved from my mind like mist in the sunshine on an early autumn morning…
Adding to GunnerN5’s Nasri story, apparently Nasri claimed that Wenger was forced to listen to offers for him against his own will as Stan was interested in the huge profit. He even said that Wenger personally told him in the event that Cesc left, he would stay but it seemed that in the end Stan was calling the shots.
If this is somewhat true, it seems that perhaps transfer dealings are not entirely up to Wenger as he always claims.
Never was a big fan of Stan, but this story definitely won’t increase his list of fans.
Interesting Micky.
Triangle of Responsibility? All sounds a bit hippy-dippy to me. Footballers in particular live in a modern world, and in the modern world it is every man for himself and sod the rest.
Does anyone really believe the guff that comes out of a striker’s mouth when he says “I don’t care who scores as long as the team wins”?
Germans may be used to collective responsibility but the French ??
That said, anything that improves performance is worth a try but I would prefer corporal punishment for mistakes. That will soon change their attitude. (this is a joke …. just in case there are any of you out there that think Big Raddy gets a kick out of others pain and suffering! – apart from Spurs/Stoke fans!)
Adrian, I fully believe that Nasri was sold against Arsenes wishes, but being forced to listen to offers means the offers were already on the table, and my guess is there would be a fear that Nasri would wait and get away scot free in the following summer if he did not sign a new contract, given there was already money on the table the club had little choice unless Nasri was willing to sign a contract extension on a modest payrise. I’d say the latter was unlikely so the sale was the only realistic course of action.
GIE. Exactly. The deal was in Nasri’s hands. He could have signed a contract extension but chose not to.
Not selling him for the huge sum we received would have been foolhardy.
Would you take him back for say €10m?
Those Nasri quotes a bit odd and contradictory:
“Wenger told me that, if Cesc left, I would stay but Kroenke wanted the money,” Nasri told beIN Sport.
“The coach told me we’ll only take Gervinho, Cesc was already gone, I had only one year left so I decided to leave.”
So was he forced out because Stan wanted the money, or did he “decide to leave”?
I think he’s a bit thick.
NO, Stan chose not to when he saw the obscene amount being offered. It was against Wengers wishes. Remember he said ‘how can we be considered a big club if we sell our best players’. I really hope Stan would just Fuck Off. In due time im sure we will hear something similar with RvP. I HATE OUR AMERICAN OWNER CHICKEN SHIT WHO HIDES BEHIND WENGERS JACKET. That guy is making my blood boil.
“The deal was in Nasris’ hands”. Really? any proof of that, or is that paper talk and speculation
How can you back Stan, when the proof is in the pudding. Since he came along we sell all our best players, with a fraction being invested back into the team.
Another quote by Wenger in reference to that TW ” i could write a book about it”. 2 months later and Wenger is as white as a ghost and very unhealthy looking.
I bet its the same shit this transfer window and again the dickheads will come out and blame Wenger for not spending or shaming the board.
Sorry bout the tourettes, but that topic has been in my system for too long. I’ll be off now, apologies if i ruined the blog
PPP:
You need to take a deep breath and relax, you’re working yourself up into a frenzy.
Evening all,
Sorry to have penned such a flabby post and then immediately disappear for the day. Entirely planned, I assure you.
Raddy,
“sounds a bit hippy-dippy”…..now, that hurt 🙂
Yes i was GN5, and i apologised. I still feel the same about Stan, and i believe there is more truth to Nasris story than meets the eye.
PPP. You never ruin the blog and it is good to air your opinion.
I am ambivalent about our owner but I do not believe Kroenke would get involved in individual player purchases or sales.
IMO, and it is just an opinion, Nasri chose to take the big bucks. Who can blame him? He earns twice what he did at Arsenal and won the PL last season. I would say he did OK out of the deal and so did we.
PPP good views but watch your swearing eh bud.
Micky. Truth hurts (not that I would know the truth if it slapped me in the kisser)
Raddy, Wenger was so hell bent on not selling both. He eventually had to cave in with Cesc, but i believe deep down and in reading between the lines that alot of the action taking place behind closed doors is against Wengers’ wishes for the team.
I believe its the same with pre-season. Kroenke sends us to Timbuktoo for shirt sales and injuries pre season, when really we should be going to Arsenes favourite Austrian camp to prepare, not model.
For what it is worth, and that is very little as I’m operating entirely on gut feeling, that transfer window that AW said he could write a book about was clearly filled with cock up’s, hence AW’s quote.
My feelings are that agents and negotiators played the principal characters in that particular fiasco.
Sorry Jake, i did apologise and i do try, but its hard. When i take a deep breath to avoid the swearing, i just dont feel like writing after that. Call it impulse, fire in the belly, whatever but i will try.
PPP We disagree 😀
PPP
Like you probably, I cannot wait to read The Wenger Book. Just hope he turns down the massive “go and keep quiet money” when the day comes.
Hope you had a nice week away, Raddy.
Micky. Sent you an email
There is no way AW will spill the beans. No manager has up to now and he would never tarnish the image of The Arsenal but I would love to know the truth.
Having read the Secret Footballer, there are obviously some juicy stories behind the scenes
ppp
You make so many interesting points, I did think Na$ri went for the money like the little mercenary he is, however I do believe silent stan looks to capitalise on his investment, and may be selling players on may be a way he is doing it, I don’t know. I hope you are wrong and big raddy is right because I want owners who want whats best for the team and not his/their pockets.
That’s Ok Raddy. Isnt it healthy to disagree? wait, thats only at boardroom level.
Raddy, do you believe that Wenger was the one who asked for Park? Wasn’t there meant to be some tax write off on the 5mil. If i knew the answer to that one question, i bet i could answer 90% of all the other questions we have.
Micky, me too with that infamous book. Would he need hush money at this stage in his life?
Mmmmmmm
BM v Juve or PSG v Barca. Tough decision
BR:
Watch a little of both.
Keep it going Princey baby. I love your emotion.
For the record i dont trust creepy Stan either. But is he any better than our previous owners who laced there pockets after the grove more, alowing stan and fatsmunov through the door?
Micky, great post. I am all in favour of the Wenger model. In my house we have a democratic vote on everything. What to have for dinner, watch on telly etc. If its a tie, then its decided by who the cat sits on first. We all scream “come on Pythagoras, hear Pythagoras, come hear you stupid twat”
Its always the same. The evil math genius sits in front of me giving a death stare, licks his nether region, and then sits on the mrs
Thats why ime an expert on Bevery Hills House Wives, have not eaten meat for a year, and am now celibate. hahaha
Raddy,
“the Secret Footballer”. Who, what, when, why? Im curious, when was it published?
Jake. How would selling players be good for Stan’s pocket in the long run? Let us assume he is a venture capitalist; if the team do well on the pitch and win silverware SS’s investment growth will be far higher than the money received from Nasri and Cesc (which as I recall was spent on Gerv/BFG/Arteta etc etc)
PPP. There is no reasonable answer as to why Park was bought. A tax loss, if true, is certainly possible. He has now banged in 3 from 19 starts at Celta Vigo and is still on AFC’s books.
PPP. It is a collection of articles from The Guardian newspaper. An unknown PL footballer writes every week about his life – very interesting
Sorry for the advertising.
Terry 😀
Thanking you.
Thanks for email Raddy, just responded.
As to the football question, if there is a team there you have a soft spot for, then watch and back them. If not, I’d say they could both be good. Channel hop?
BR,
Like I said I hope you are right. I allow myself to hope, that is hope that players left without wanting to by being forced out by the owners.
I said I hope your right, actually you have helped me get off the fence… I will take those splinters out my bum and accept your very well made point.
Maybe Stan believes that his investment is worth more with a higher cash reserve than in assets on the pitch. You make sense Raddy, but i dont believe Stan understands football and Arsenal. Maybe he believes that Arsene will keep performing miracles while he drip feeds the cash reserves. I will leave this topic for now as im hoping the next TW will give us more transparency on the issues we have had to deal with until present
Can Beckham bury Barca? That is the question Raddy 😉 But im thinking more goals in Germany
Raddy @7.14, what you say is completely logical but i have reservations.
Yes creepy stan would not wish to strip the team bare. the Club needs to acheive on the pitch for its value to grow.
But, lets look at this from a long term perspective. Firstly Stan has a record for been in it the long haul. Secondly the industry of football, especialy for the big clubs, has a long way to go before it reaches its market potential. and thirdly Arsenal is a global brand operated on a self sustaing model with the wenger legacy cementing its brand.
In other words creepy Stan knows that winning the league is not the key to Arsenals future capital growth. In his eyes i would guess he thinks that as long as the brand is maintained and champions league football acheived then the growth in the wider football industry will see him acheive a very healthy return on his investment.
I am of the camp that believes that if the club acheives success, it will be despite of Stan, not because of him.
Lickle triangles. Love it DidIt.
The square of The Swerves’ hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of Oggie’s and Santi’s other two sides.
Can’t wait for the Fibonacci follow up to this post.
Nasri left because he is a complete and utter money-grabbing onanist.
The summer of Park coming in, Cesc and Nasri heading out was Stan’s first summer in majority control (and that control was not achieved until just months earlier).
I think a lot of bad decisions were am because Stan had not had time to put in place the system he wanted, or to fully get his head round how the “soccer” TW works.
Last summer was better handled, despite the departure of BSR.
I expect it to be even better this summer.
I’m with Raddy – Stan’s best way of making his investment grow is for the club to be successful. That doesn’t mean you decide to try and keep up with the obscene spending of Man City, but it means there comes a point where you decide to “roll the dice” and properly invest in the playing side. That’s going to happen this summer.
Evening all
Much debate on the post I’m not sure about we’re we go next season .
I think now we will get 4th,and chelski will be 5th.
The two best captains I can remember were TA and frank mac from the 70s.
TA for all your help last night with that shifty e mail .
I’m watching barca love the orange and yellow kit.
He scored
Lionel I’m in a messi .
Great player
Went with the BM game and glad I did. BM are a class team and would be well ahead but for Robben.
Tough to say which Captain has been best. Heart says TA, head says PV, stomach says Frank Mc, liver says Pat Rice, kidneys go for David O’Leary and lungs for Kenny Samson.
None of my body parts rate William Gallas.
Mertesacker is a leader and serious consideration should be given to handing him the captaincy. However if I was the manager I would appoint 2 leaders a club captain and a team captain on the day these are commonly known as vice captains but instead of one I would name a few. There are many contenders for the roles but captaincy experience performances and respect from your peers should be the leading virtues for the club captain. However the club captain does not always need to play every match. Look at ledley king he led by example on the pitch yet never trained and only played certain matches. Sometimes he never even took the armband from the team captain. There are so many leaders in a squad that it really doesn’t matter who the team captain as long as they fully understand the managers instructions for the match.
Atid
Merts feels like the captain on the pitch these days – even when Verm is playing.
He is such an intelligent player, which means he knows what others should be doing as well as what he himself should be doing.
Also, when he talked about calling a meeting to discuss defending, it’s clear he’s a leader off the pitch as well.
We have a non-playing Captain and who knows how effective he is in the dressing room …. we don’t.
BM were excellent tonight. Their front 4 run and run and run. and in Schweinsteiger they have one of the world’s best player. He was outstanding.
Evening all, interesting debate on Nasri, whilst I agree it can be read two ways, looking at Stans ownership would anyone like to hazard a guess at why Theo was handed a contract , if his aim to sell best players he would’ve gone with Robin.
I do think however that Wenger is being asked to balance books when signing new players. The last two summers have seen us spend as much as has come in. Though I do think it has had to be spread wide and a few gambles taken.
But these are the signings of the last two summers:
Arteta
BFG
Santos
Park
Oxlade-Chamberlain
Gervinho
Jenkinson
Giroud
Podolski
Cazorla
Out:
Clichy
Song
Cesc
Nasri
BSR
How would our squad look without BFG or Arteta but Nasri still in it?
Or with Clichy still but without Jenkinson and Oxlade-Chamberlain?
We needed major surgery after the 10/11 capitulation, Nasri, Cesc and Clichy departing paid for the first half of it, BSR and Song leaving paid for the second.
I prefer our squad now regardless of whether it’s stronger or not.
Morning All,
Quiet news day on the AFC front. Walcott wants trophies. That’s it.
Quiet news day for Arsenal?……that’s a blessed relief actually 🙂
Just reading more of Nasri’s interview, and also there are odds of 5/1 that he will return to the Emirates, maybe we should take him on loan paying 25% of his wages 😀
Good Morning, Guys. 🙂
Morning all
Wish I had time for blogging, last night’s chat was very interesting 😦
Raddy – hope you had a good holiday.
Micky – if your post made people think about leadership and accountability then that’s a great thing. For me, the BFG has emerged as clear favourite to be Captain. I thought that last season Kos and BFG were the most reliable pairing until BFG’s injury and always felt that appointing Vermaelen captain was a mistake.
I’m looking forward to the last few games and us fighting for the ‘Top Four’ trophy – it could turn out to be a very exciting end to the season 🙂
GiE – I notice you’re in the loading bay. I’m hoping we can use one of your posts today can you give Rasp a clue which one and let him know when you’re done. Thanks 🙂
Off to work, bye all 😦
Sorry Peaches was just finishing it off (and making it look nice with a few tables).
I’m out now. (Apply Some Pressure for today)
Thanks GiE – do you mind if I tweak the title?
Not at all Rasp
That is not at all, as in I don’t mind at all. As in my titles are crap anyway 🙂
Just reading around BBC website and saw this:
“With Turkish Football Association rules permitting clubs to have just 10 foreign players on their books”
Maybe we should leave the EU for the benefit of the English national team?
Thanks GiE….
…. New post everyone …….