The Midfield Conundrum.

October 16, 2012

Sherlock Holmes said that whatever is left once you have removed the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

What has this to do with our midfield? Well,  ….. the impossible is that we will have a fully fit midfield  to choose from, we have physical fragility in spades – Diaby, Wilshere, Rosicky, Ramsey, Frimpong, Coquelin and Arteta have all suffered long term injuries over the past few seasons and there is no reason to think this will change.

And what is improbable? That less than half of them will be fit at any one time. Add in the as yet to be damaged Ox, Arshavin and Cazorla and we have lots of choice, some might say, too much choice. At a time when all three of our Goalkeepers are under the age of 23 and two of them are crocked, it could be said that we lack squad balance – but that is another story and another post.

I would need RA mathematical qualities to work out the possible combinations of our midfield, all I know as there are too many to count on my fingers. Even if we take Cazorla and Arteta as starters  there are 8 possible partners for them. But should they be automatic starters? Is a midfield of Diaby, Wilshere and Coquelin worse? Or  Ramsey, Ox and Rosicky? etc etc etc

Should Oxlade- Chamberlain be considered as a future midfield linch-pin or a prettier Peter Beardsley?

My point is that what is left is the truth and the truth is we have too many midfield players. The skill sets of Ramsey, Rosicky, Coquelin, Wilshere, and Ox are similar – not identical but similar. I would be happy for any of them to start against any opposition, Cazorla is exceptional. We have no player who can replicate the skills of Arteta but should he be injured we will change the balance of the midfield to be either more attacking or more defensive.

What do you think will be our best midfield assuming all are fit? And what do you think it will look like in 2014? My take is:

2012   Diaby    Cazorla     Arteta

2014     O-C   Wilshere  Cazorla   Arteta

Because I believe to maximize the potential in this squad we have to play  4-3-1-2 with Ox being the 1.

The difficulty will be juggling the fantastic talent we will have behind the first eleven. Wages can be a recompense – it works for Nasri, Kolo, Cahill, Malouda, Nani etc but a truly ambitious player will want first team action and many of our squad players are highly talented lads who have yet to fulfill their potential, something I feel sure they will agitate for.

Lost in the Midfield

For the first time  I can recall we have an area of the pitch which is flooded with exceptional talent.  How would you sort it out ? I have no idea but then I am not paid £6m a year.

( pic c/o Didit )

Written very quickly by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

Arsenal’s Worst Injury News Ever

October 15, 2012

Following Theo Walcott’s worrying injury against San Marino (who knew you could bruise a lung?) this seems like a good time to ask what has been the most damaging injury we have ever suffered.

I don’t mean damaging to the player (because surely Ramsey and Eduardo would jointly walk away with that one… well, hop away at any rate).

I mean damaging to Arsenal’s fortunes at the time.

Yes I know it’s a downbeat subject, but I’m feeling downbeat during this ridiculous two-week interlull*.

I know we’re supposed to be all “Cry God for Harry, England and Saint George” when Ingurland are on international duty, but I really couldn’t give a Gareth Bale’s uncle.

And so to the injuries which, given our abysmal history in recent years, should be a topic close to the hearts of most of us.

Fabregas Fractured

In the 2009-10 season Cesc Fabregas is proving to be an inspirational player. As the final day of March arrives, we are entertaining his DNA buddies from Barcelona in the Champions League quarter final (first leg); we are also sitting just four points behind Manchester United in the EPL, with six games to go. The Barca game finishes a 2-2 draw, with Captain Fabregas grabbing a memorable equalizer.

Unfortunately it emerges afterwards that even as he hit that goal to send the Emirates into ecstasy, he was suffering a leg fracture. Cesc misses the rest of the season and, without him, our form slumps. We lose the second leg in Barcelona and in the EPL we win only two of our remaining six matches to finish the season in third place, 11 points behind United.

If Fabregas had stayed fit, might we have ousted Barca and pushed on to CL and league glory? The answer to the first question is almost certainly “no” and to the second… “maybe.”

Van Persie (1)

Same season, 2009-10, and Robin van Persie is in fine form. He is named Player of the Month for October after a string of goals and assists. On November 14th he turns out for Holland in a “friendly’ against Italy.

A nasty tackle by the Italian defender Chiellini leaves him with an injured ankle and, supposedly, a six week lay-off. Clearly not wanting to become another of the “Disappeared Ones” in the Arsenal treatment centre, Robin pops over to Europe for some treatment with horse placenta and – Bingo! – six weeks out becomes five months.

Would a fit Robin have potentially sent us into the final run-in several points AHEAD of United rather than behind them? With the form he was in – very possibly.

Eduardo Horror Tackle

We probably all remember that day at Birmingham a bit too well. Arsenal are top of the league, the team are looking strong and, surely, glory awaits. Then, within minutes of the kick off, a lumbering Brummie oaf – Martin Taylor – dives in on our in-form Crozillian striker Eduardo and snaps his ankle in two.

The team are traumatised; captain William Gallas sits in the centre circle crying at the end of the game and, subsequently, our form drops quicker then a Towie girl’s knickers on a night out in Basildon.

Could we have won the league in 2008 but for Eduardo’s break? Most definitely YES.

Snap! Ramsey Horror Tackle

It is unbelievable when our boys have to experience an almost identical assault on another of their team mates, Aaron Ramsey, two years (almost to the day) later. In this case the offender is the Orc’s Orc, Ryan Shawcross, and the venue is the Britannia Ground where those classy Stoke fans boo young Aaron as he’s stretchered off to hospital.

In fairness, the team’s reaction was stronger this time round but we still had a disappointing finish to the 2009-10 season.

Did Aaron’s injury make a crucial difference? Given his youth and inexperience, probably not – but with the subsequent loss of Fabregas a month later it certainly didn’t help our midfield options.

Van Persie (2)

Come to think about it, this whole Post could have been about Brave Sir Robin, but I’ll keep it to two. In 2007-08, following the departure of Thierry Henry, it’s BSR’s turn to step into the limelight. He starts just as we would have hoped, with seven goals in 10 games. Then – yes, you’ve guessed – he goes off on international duty and comes back crocked. His involvement for the rest of the season is sporadic, to say the least.

Notwithstanding the trauma following the Eduardo injury, Robin’s full time presence in 2007-08 might well have given us the edge to find our way to silverware.

Ashley Cole

Football’s most charming man misses most of the 2005-06 season through injury, before following the smell of Maureen’s filthy lucre over to West London. We finish third that year, just ahead of the Spuds.

Flamini does a good job filling in in an unfamiliar position, but we undoubtedly lose something with not having Cole’s defensive solidity and attacking threat.

Could we have won silverware with him? A long shot, but it’s a possibility.

Those are the most telling ones from recent memory. There must have been devastating injuries from previous eras but I can’t seem to recall them.

Players just didn’t seem to get injured so much in the pre-Premier League age. Or maybe they did, but they were just pumped full of cortisone and sent out to get on with it: “Bruised lung? You’re havin’ a larf. Here, hold still while I give you this jab… that’s it – now get out there and kick someone.”

For what it’s worth, I believe the Eduardo injury was the most damaging of the ones I have listed.

The team was cooking on gas and I – and many Gooners – really felt the title was there for the taking.

The collapse in the team’s morale after the injury was disappointing (whatever happened to “let’s win it for Stumpy”?) but I do feel that we might have celebrated a 14th league title if it hadn’t happened.

What do you think?

And what injury blows have I missed off?

RockyLives

* © Arseblog

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Posted by RockyLives

Great Result. Same Questions.

October 4, 2012

ARSENAL 3 OLYMPIAKOS 1

Arsenal: Mannone, Jenkinson, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Coquelin, Cazorla, Arteta, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gervinho, Podolski.

Subs: Shea, Santos, Djourou, Arshavin, Ramsey, Walcott, Giroud

Olympiakos: Megyeri, Maniatis, Contreras, Manolas, Paulo Machado, Fuster, Holebas, Siovas, Diakite, Greco, Mitroglou. Subs: Carroll, Modesto, Lykogiannis, Ibagaza, Abdoun, Pantelic, Diogo.

London, England.

It is 19:40 GMT, and the Gentleman representing North London Association Football Side, The Arsenal, took to the pitch amid thunderous applause from their loyal supporters.

Torrential rain greeted the visiting side, Olympiakos of Greece, and their merry band of two thousand or so vocal braves.

At 19:45 precisely, the Referee, Svein Oddvar Moen from Norway , blew the whistle and the game was under way.

Mr Wenger did not opt for the more traditional 2-3-5 formation, rather a more contemporary 4-3-3, and opting for a front three of Gerv, Podolski and The Ox.

The Arsenal defence was looking shaken from the start, with errors from Jenkinson, Vermaelen and Vito, on top of presenting the Greeks with a free kick as early as the 4th minute.

The Arsenal found it hard to move up through the gears, with The Greeks getting men quickly behind the ball in numbers, and clearly hunting in packs to try and nullify the creative threat of Santi Cazorla.

Arsenal were focussing their efforts down the right, with great work from Jenkinson who is building a good working relationship with Chamberlain.

An uneventful attacking start from Arsenal was at last punctuated in the11th minute when Santi curled in a fiercely dipping free kick from wide on the left, which found the finger tips of Megyeri to see it over the bar.

It was clear that the big Greek centre forward Mitroglou was going to trouble the Arsenal defence, whereas Gervinho was struggling against the powerful Greek central defenders.

On 28 minutes Koscielny was lucky not to be red carded for a lunging tackle after a charging forward run, however, Arsenal were to have their luckiest escape in the 35th minute after a wonderful piece of work and a cross from Maniatis down the right, could only watch as Contreras missed a sitter, with our central defenders failing to pick up the runner.

Suddenly, Arsenal were finding some space down the Greek left flank, and in the 42 minute great work from Cazorla and Podolski saw the German cut the ball cut back to Arteta who in turn found Gervinho moving across the area, and with one sharp swing of the boot fired back across goal to Megyeri’s right and into the net. 1-0.

Alas, the half was to end in horribly familiar fashion when what should have been a bread and butter cross to defend from Greco, found its way to an unmarked Mitroglou who managed easily to ghost in between Koscielny and Vermaelen and head home. 1-1.

There will be no prizes for guessing what Messrs Allardyce and Carroll will have in mind for the weekend, but it will involve some height. I hope Herr Mertesacker has plenty of Lemsip.

First half written by MickyDidIt89

Second Half

Despite the below par first half showing, we came out for the second period unchanged.

As fans, the best we could hope for was that Bouldie had spent the interval giving them whatever is the bald man’s equivalent of “the hairdryer” (a severe polishing, perhaps?).

Suitably buffed and shiny, the lads managed to go up a gear from the restart. We looked more adventurous going forward and more combative in the middle of the park.

We also seemed to have decided to start channeling our attacks down our left side perhaps, as Terry and Raddy pointed out in comments, because Olympiakos were without their regular right back and were using a converted midfielder instead.

Gibbs, one of the few really good performers from the first half, started becoming even more influential and this, in turn, brought Podolski more into the game. Santi Cazorla was also spending more time on our left, whereas in the first period he had tended to drift right.

Santi showed his gifts again and again, often holding off two or three of the Greeks’ players while showing exquisite footwork and always finding a red shirt at the end of the move.

The pressure began to tell – and it was a shame when the self same Santi squandered the first real chance of the half. Podolski did one of his trademark lose-the-ball-then-get-it-back-through-sheer-physical-strength moves on the left edge of the Olympiakos box. Gervinho got to the base line and managed to cut the ball back to Cazorla, unmarked inside the penalty area. The Spaniard tried to pass it into the bottom left corner but was a couple of yards wide. For all his skills, he needs to add a touch more composure to his shooting.

Coquelin, who had a less than stellar game on the ball but did lots of good work off it, showed his immaturity when giving away a free kick then standing to argue about it while the Greeks broke upfield. Fortunately their attack fizzled out, but on another occasion we could have been punished.

Shortly afterwards we managed to get back in front, thanks to the GervoPod. Gervinho, yet again, got to the goal line and yet again achieved an excellent cutback for Podolski (it’s strange to think that only a couple of weeks ago Gerv was being slaughtered for his lack of end product). The German shot with his left and the ball went into the net through a crowd of defenders and the ‘keeper’s legs. Although the GK might have done better, it just shows that when you shoot on target, good things can happen.

From this point (the 56th minute) the game started to open up. Olympiakos needed to go for it and we needed to try and punish them on the break without being reckless in defence.

Around about now our captain and centre back Thomas Vermaelen clearly misread the score board. Instead of seeing that we were 2-1 up, he clearly thought we were 1-2 down and started charging forward to try and get the equalizer.

Off he went on a barnstorming run northwards into the heart of the Greeks’ back line.

And he might well have had a goal from an Arteta free kick, which was arcing right onto his bonce in the six yard box, with no defenders on him. Unfortunately Koscielny, who had followed his captain upfield, got there first (and in a less favorable position) and headed over from three yards.

Back at our end Mannone had another shaky moment when he fluffed the ball out for an unnecessary corner, then fumbled a catch in the ensuing play. The Italian does plenty right, but somehow fails to fully convince between the sticks.

On 70, Oxlade-Chamberlain, who is still finding some steep gradients on his learning curve – last night included – was replaced by Walcott. There has been much talk lately about Theo and his performances (or lack of them) when he has come on as a sub, but last night I thought he looked sharp, fast and dangerous in a game that suited his strengths (ie, against a side that needed to attack us, leaving room at the back). Certainly I saw no lack of effort from him.

Indeed he almost set up a scoring chance for our most attacking player – yes, Thomas Vemaelen – with a low cross into the six yard box which the Olympiakos ‘keeper did well to gather.

As play resumed from the goal kick, Vermaelen carried on northwards, and was soon on his way up the Holloway Road heading towards Archway, valiantly taking the battle forward.

In the 80th minute Gervinho was replaced by Giroud and Podolski by Ramsey. Within minutes Giroud was unlucky not to get on the score sheet (how many times have we said that?) when a great run and cross from Walcott led to him trying an audacious flick with the outside of his boot, well taken by the goalkeeper. Whatever is being written and said about OG, touches like that show he is not short of confidence.

By this stage Vermaelen was past Watford and heading up the A1, but, thankfully, the rest of the defense – in particular the outstanding Arteta, Gibbs and Jenkinson – were managing to limit Olympiakos’s chances.

Giroud’s pattern of ‘right place, right time, wrong luck’ continued when he was set up by Cazorla after a clever Ramsey back heel. Giroud blasted a goal-bound shot but it cannoned off a defender’s shoulder and went out for a corner.

GOAL: On 88, Vermaelen has fired the ball into an empty net at Villa Park. He looks surprised that none of his team mates is around to celebrate.

Meanwhile back in N5 a fine third goal gave us a scoreline that slightly flattered on the night, truth to tell. A long pass from deep (I can’t remember who it was from) found the head of Giroud in a central position several yards outside the opposition box. Olivier showed exactly what a strong centre forward can do in these situations, holding off the defender and guiding a perfect header into the path of Aaron Ramsey, who was making a fine run from midfield. With only the goalie to beat, Ramsey’s chipped finish was classy and confident. Well done to the young Welshman. It won’t silence his critics, but it might give them food for thought.

Overall, we did well to turn a sluggish first half into a dominant second half showing. The big pluses were the two young full backs, Cazorla, Arteta, Gervinho and, for me, all three substitutes who did a great job when they came on.

The worries? I’m afraid to say that it’s the centre back pairing that causes most concern. The defending for the Olympiakos goal would earn you a bollocking in any Sunday league side; and Vermaelen’s tendency to commit to attack when we are defending a one goal lead is simply mystifying. I can only think he knew he was having a difficult game and wanted to score to try and make amends. He would be far better off making amends by keeping our back line water tight.

Player Ratings

Mannone: Made one very good save in the first half and was well positioned for several other Olympiakos efforts. But also a couple of howlers. Not entirely convincing. 6

Gibbs: Fine game both defensively and in attack. 8

Jenkinson: Getting better and better. How on earth did Arsene spot the potential in this boy? 7.5

Vermaelen: Some of the committed defending we have come to expect from him, but also gave away another unnecessary free kick in a dangerous area and was absent without leave as we were protecting a one goal lead. 5

Koscielny: Probably at fault for the opposition’s goal. Defended pretty well otherwise, but missed a good chance to score in the six yard box. 6

Arteta: Couple of uncharacteristic misplaced balls in the first half, but again worked so, so hard tidying up and keeping possession. 7

Coquelin: Looked rusty (no surprise) but worked hard closing down Olympiakos and breaking up their moves. 6

Cazorla: Struggled to find space in the first half but stepped up a gear in the second. A vital cog in this team. 7.5

Oxlade-Chamberlain: Looked a little out of his depth and, perhaps, unsure of his position. Not an out-and-out wide player, but not quite sure where to position himself when infield. 5

Podolski: Showed his goalscoring knack in a generally quiet performance. 6.5

Gervinho: Another fine game from the Ivorian. Ran at the Greeks all game long, took his goal well and looked dangerous every time he went forward. He’s turning into a real player. MOTM 8.5

Subs
Walcott: Great effort, skill and endeavour from the sometimes maligned winger. Unlucky not to have had a couple of assists. 7

Giroud: I am really impressed with him and just wish he could get a run of starts. Gives us something extra and gets in great positions. Fine assist for Ramsey. 7

Ramsey: Had some “Ramsey moments” including a couple of silly Hollywood passes that turned out to be more Hollyoaks, but also showed what a threat he can be surging from midfield. Excellent finish for his goal. 7

2nd half written by RockyLives

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Posted by RockyLives

Kos strikes Oil at the Etihad

September 24, 2012

Early news from the Arsenal camp was that the Lion of Flanders had a thorn in his paw and wouldn’t play. Many of the pre-match debates had discussed playing Koscielny in place of the BFG but as it turned out fate had made the decision for us. Ramsey was preferred to either the Ox or Giroud for the 3rd place in the front three. Last season this tactic sometimes left us a little unbalanced. We would see.

With a Mekon and a Klingon lining up against each other, visitors to the Etihad could be forgiven for thinking they’d dropped in on a Science Fiction convention. Would Arsenal reach warp factor 6?

Arsenal began the first half dominating possession. An early Ramsey centre needed a near post run and Santi fired in a long range shot from too far out to trouble Hart. A series of tika taka passes in the City half drew a foul from Kompany who seemed personally affronted that Arsenal were taking the urine on his home ground.

At the other end Corporal Jenkinson easily dealt with a momentary threat from Sinclair and Aguerro managed to force a good save from Don Vito in the Arsenal goal.

On 13’ Arteta played a delightful chipped pass to Gibbs who hurried a first time volleyed pass harmlessly across the goalmouth. Then came, perhaps, Arsenal’s best chance of the first half. A beautiful pass from Ramsey inside Cliché (Niall Quinn trying to outdo David Pleat) to Gervinho but his first touch was as heavy as Na$ri’s wallet.

The Oilers rarely threatened with the BFG and Gibbs particularly impressive. On 18’ an excellent team move resulted in an overhit cross from Gibbs when the area was packed with red shirts begging for a decent ball. Then Jenkinson picked Lescott’s pocket, pulled the ball back to Podolski but the German blazed over with his right foot. Another super attacking move almost resulted in a golden chance for Santi but the man with a dead rat on his head just got back in time to intercept.

In the 37th minute Gervinho hit the side netting and the Gooners at the other end of the ground thought it had gone in for one second, provoking much hilarity from the home fans relieved at something to laugh at having been outclassed at home for the whole of the first half.

A needless corner 5 minutes before half-time then resulted in Don Vito coming and not claiming. Podolski didn’t do enough to stop Lescott from heading in. Mannone made another save from Dzecko immediately after the goal with Arsenal still rattled, disbelieving that with all their first half superiority they were one down. Arsene Wenger shook his head, the curse of Mike Dean seemed to be rearing his ugly head yet again. (to be fair, Dean had a good game and didn’t celebrate when Lescott scored!)

Santi still had time to create another couple of half chances before the break but to no avail. An excellent display from the little Spaniard, Man of the 1st Half by a country mile.

Mankini used his tactical nous at halftime and brought on Rodwell to replace Sinclair who had had to climb out of Jenkinson’s pocket to go for his half-time cuppa. Nullifying Santi was obviously in the Italian’s mind despite his team going in one goal to the good. Citeh’s plan seemed to work immediately the 2nd half began. Either that or the Arsenal squad had been smoking a little something they’d brought back from Montpellier. Arsenal’s build-up became slow and ponderous. Gibbs again put in a poor cross after a delicious Diaby through ball and Jenkinson put the ball too close to the keeper when in a similar position to Tuesday night.

The movement and fluidity of the first half had disappeared. Players on the ball had no options, meaning the ball often worked its way backwards. Gervinho sliced a couple of decent chances well over the bar and his comedy collision with Ramsey seemed to sum up the way the game was progressing for the Gunners.

At the other end Mertesacker made a series of brilliant interceptions when the blue Oilers attempted to catch us on the break. His reading of the game is just sublime.

The substitutions of Diaby and the Pod for Walcott and Giroud then seemed to open up the game. Jenkinson and Walcott fired in dangerous crosses. Mertesacker and Koscielny were called on to make some excellent tackles and interceptions when Citeh broke upfield.

In the 82nd minute a real rasping drive from Santi forced Hart into the best save of the game and resulted in a corner. The ball bounced out from Lescott and Kos drilled the ball high into the net for a glorious equaliser. Cue pandemonium.

A little period of keystone cop defending immediately after the goal saw Mannone make a crucial save before Aguerro put the ball wide. Ramsey made a great run, then the BFG another magnificent interception prompting the Away Boys into a chorus of We’ve Got a Big F*ckin German. The last minute saw another excellent passing move from The Arsenal result in Gervinho again blasting over the bar. It wasn’t our Mekon’s day in front of goal. Garcia pulled down Jenkinson and was rightly booked but we’d already settled for a point.

All in all it was an excellent point for the Gunners, Citeh being unbeaten for over 30 games at home, not many opposition teams even claiming a point in that sequence.

The Away Boys were magnificent as usual keeping a rendition of Money don’t buy History going throughout the game  and they warmly applauded the whole team off the pitch including my Man of the Match, Per Mertesacker.

Ratings:

Mannone – Didn’t get to the ball when coming for the corner but made some decent saves which kept Citeh at bay……7

Mertesacker – Imperious. How could we ever have doubted he could cope with the Citeh attack?……9

Koscielny – Some superb defending and a real humdinger of a goal to give City’s owners the sheikhs……8

Jenkinson – The Corporal controlled Sinclair in the 1st half and had another excellent all-round game….8

Gibbs – Excellent both in defence and joining in the left side attacks…..8

Diaby – A little patchy from the big man, especially just after half time…..7

Arteta – It’s difficult to ever see Mikel having a bad game…….8

Ramsey – Contributed well in the first half and seemed to come to life after he dropped back to replace Diaby……7

Cazorla – Magnificent in the 1st half and his blistering shot led indirectly to Kos’ goal…..8

Podolski – Lukas didn’t fire today but he deserves some slack after recent performances…..7

Gervinho – Not Gerv’s steadiest day in front of goal but worked hard throughout….7

Subs:

Giroud – 71′ – Olivier tried a few flicks and layoffs and caused a nuisance….7

Walcott – 72′ – Some interesting moments in his cameo but looks a little lost…..7

Coquelin – 90′ – Not long enough on the pitch…..7

Written by chas

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Posted by Rasp

George Graham: A personal Retrospective.

May 25, 2012

There are moments in a football life that live forever. We all have them -Micky T at Anfield, TA6’s goal v Everton, TH14’s v MU, Dennis at Newcastle or Freddie in Cardiff. But it is the childhoood memories which really stand out and for me they are often connected to the ’70-’71 Double team. One of my favourite ever goals was scored by one of my early heroes – George Graham.  Nicknamed “Stroller” thanks to his languid style, Graham was a frustrating player, capable both of brilliance and walking through a game contributing nothing.

This goal was against Man Utd at a packed Highbury, 60+ thousand fans in a steamy, smoke filled stadium. I was in the North Bank, about half way up, just under the roof – I wasn’t big or brave enough to join the lads up the back. The Man Utd team included the brilliant George Best and Best scored one his goals in front of the North Bank. The signature arm raised salute was given a volley of abuse from the North Bank Gooners but we all knew we had seen something special. Then we got  a corner, or it could have come from a Geordie Armstrong cross – either way the ball came in from the wing at The Clock End, and in what seemed to be slow motion Stroller leapt into the air and scissor kicked the ball from the edge of the area leaving the keeper (Stepney?) groping for air. Highbury went wild – at least that is how it is in my current alcohol raddled head.

It doesn’t matter whether my memory is historically correct – we didn’t have the internet or Sky – what is important is the effect it had upon the young BR and his relationship to George Graham. GG went from being an ex-Chelsea Scottish striker into being The Man – and for some time he was. Imagine a taller Paul Merson, GG was the same type of player – infuriating and yet spectacular.

When he left to join MU I was upset but by then we had Charlie George and Big Raddy and had won the Double. It hurt as much as when Kolo went North.

Of course, as George was an ex-Gunner I followed his career and was delighted when he made a success of his first management job at “No-one likes us, we don’t care” Millwall. However, his management style was such a change from his playing – suddenly, the effete, artistic, Stroller had become a Sergeant Major. Gone were the King’s Rd dolly birds and the expensive suits, in their place was the 3 button Blazer and a club tie. Taking Millwall from the bottom of the then 3rd Division to the top of the Second in just 3 seasons, George was a manager to watch.

Then came the surprising news that Don Howe was to be replaced by GG!!  I was delighted to have another Arsenal man at the helm. The League Cup followed in his first season, then Anfield ´89, and the FA Cup,  and the one-loss Champions of ’91, and perhaps his greatest achievement, the classic 1-0 in Copenhagen.

GG brought all this to the Arsenal and yet we were greedy. We wanted to see the expansive football which he first brought to AFC. We were sick of seeing a midfield of shire-horses punting the ball up to the genius of Ian Wright; the time was ripe for change and when it came it was to be shocking. As shocking as anything I can remember in football. As the news leaked of the Bung Scandal, we couldn’t believe it – “Not our George. not The Stroller,. He doesn’t need the money living in his beautiful Hampstead mansion”. But we were wrong, you could take the man out of the Gorbals but not the Gorbals out of the man.  I am still in shock!

But on the terraces of the Clock End we were excited, we knew Arsenal had to move on and we knew that if George went “upstairs” his shadow would affect any new manager. This was the best for the future of the club –  certainly not for George but no-one made him dip his beak.

I was delighted to see George on the pitch for the 125th Anniversary. He is a huge part of Arsenal’s history and despite him tarnishing the reputation of the club, he remains an Arsenal great. Had he not been so bloody stupid there would be a statue of GG outside the Emirates. But he was, and despite 230 games as a player and 460+ games as manager, he remains a peripheral figure at Arsenal.

George Graham remains a massive Arsenal fan with a huge collection of Arsenal memorabilia. Let us not forget that this is a man who had a cannon mosaic in his garden whilst managing Spurs.

To me George Graham will always be the man who scored that goal against United, for that and 26/5/1989, I am eternally grateful.

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Posted by Erik the Red

Why Ramsey should be the first name on the team-sheet this Sunday

May 10, 2012

Let me start by reiterating where I stand re Aaron Ramsey, or for that matter, on any young Gunner who wears the shirt with pride and gives their all for the team: I support them unreservedly.

For me, they are not machines from which we can pull the plug if we don’t like what we are seeing.

Anybody under the age of 23 at Arsenal is still growing into a mature, top-Gunner. Some will make it and some don’t, but just like potted flowers need to be watered regularly, our young talent need to be showered with encouragement and support as much as we can. We, as supporters, need to help our (young) players to reach their potential, because they are part of us, and by investing our energy in supporting them, on and off the field, we will be richly rewarded eventually.

That’s how the likes of RvP, Theo, Song and Koz have become such important players for us now: ‘we’, especially Arsene Wenger and his coaching staff, made them believe in themselves and finally they are starting to deliver for us.

Although the above sounds utterly logical – well, at least it does to me – a large number of fans seem to do the absolute opposite. Aaron Ramsey has recently become the favourite scapegoat for all that is perceived to be wrong at Arsenal, and he is suffering from it.

I could, now, go down the path of the hardship Aaron has had to endure over the last two years. How many times will he have woken up in the middle of the night, covered in sweat, worrying he might never play footie, or anywhere near to his full potential, again? It’s likely that the suicide of Gary Speed, his former national manager and hero, also has had a profound impact on him during the last six months.

Anybody who possesses a healthy dose of empathy and compassion should therefore take it easy on him at the moment – this is only his first full season for Arsenal, after all.

But, I don’t want to pity him too much. This post is about fighting back for Aaron from a pure footballing point-of-view.

As with any up and coming young player, it takes a while before we decide whether we believe he is good enough to make it at Arsenal. But I never doubted Aaron would make it at Arsenal before he broke his leg, and a number of fine performances at the start of the season – notably in Europe – have reconfirmed to me that he still has what it takes to become one of our future legends.

This season, he has been finding his feet, sometimes literally, but only now does he play in the best position for him: the one next to the DM – the link-up, box-to-box midfielder.

Ramsey is no Arteta, but then Arteta had effectively become our ‘first’ DM, and our more obvious choice of DM, Song, became our main link-up midfielder, although these roles were interchanged regularly during matches. Song and Arteta established a fine partnership this year and the latter has been duly missed since his recent injury.

Since Arteta’s season-ending injury, the defensive duties of our midfield have been a shambles. Song has not reverted back to the more traditional holding DM role and Ramsey cannot fill the gaps that are left behind in the way Arteta did. On top of that, and just as worrying, Song and Ramsey are not playing closely together and don’t form a strong partnership at the moment. There is no shape to our midfield as all players – including our most advanced AM, Rosicky – seem to be moving all over the place without much cohesion. Add to that the recent tendency of our CB’s to go bombing forward, running or passing straight through our midfield, and it becomes clear why our midfield has been struggling so much with being the absolute centre of our team.

In the game against Norwich, Ramsey had the highest pass accuracy of all 28 players on the pitch. See match statistics as per link below (posted by Gooner in Exile on Monday):

http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/507262/LiveStatistics/England-Premier-League-2011-2012-Arsenal-Norwich

Yet, he only had 51 touches in 63 minutes of football, and that for an Arsenal – Wenger era – midfield link-up player! I watched the game again (Sky extended highlights) and I got tired from counting the number of times the ball should have been played to Ramsey, who was working his socks off to move into space to receive it. So, he received/touched the ball less than once a minute on Saturday: an absolute crime for such a pivotal position, and the main culprits were Vermaelen and Song. And there have been more games recently in which exactly the same has happened. The only time Ramsey seems to receive the ball is when his colleagues really have no other options, and that is simply not acceptable.

On the extended highlights, Ramsey’s passes were not only accurate but also very effective, moving the game on with precision and momentum. But the game needs to go through a player in his position constantly, and together with Song, Ramsey should be the fulcrum of the team: both the wall in midfield that shields our defence and the instigator for clever and effective attacks. On top of that, they should ensure the shape of our formation is kept in place and guard our style of play. The midfield also needs to bring composure and calm at times, and if this sometimes means that the game is slowed down, so be it. None of this is happening at the moment and Wenger needs to sort it out as soon as possible.

I am no expert, just a passionate life-long footie fan, as all of you are, and for the sake of blogging I am going to share with you what I believe needs to happen for the game against West Brom, if Arsenal wants to get a result there on Sunday:

First, the team need to be told by Wenger that Aaron is pivotal to our team and the ball needs to be played to him, whenever he is in a position to receive it. He should be the first on the team-sheet, so everybody knows how important he/that position is to the team. He needs a strong vote of confidence by the Boss.

Secondly, Aaron needs to be told to stand up for himself and be more demanding. He needs to remain focussed and make the game look simple, moving the ball on constantly and effectively, without feeling he needs to make a killer-pass every two minutes. He can do this.

Thirdly, Song and Aaron need to be working as a close partnership, bringing shape to the midfield, and therefore to the team, once more.

Fourthly, Song needs to sit back as a disciplined DM and shield the defence in our last game. Whether this is the best position for him long-term remains to be seen, but it is absolutely crucial that he is our traditional DM in this last and pivotal game of the season. He can do this.

Fifthly, the CB’s and the rest of the defence need to be more disciplined in holding their shape and keep their composure. Although it is great that both Koz and especially TV like to bomb forward, this needs to be carefully timed and executed. Both CB’s need to be told to play it simple most of the times, which means passing it to either Song or Ramsey, so they –especially Ramsey – can set up the next attack whilst keeping our team-shape intact. With our FB’s already going forward at the first opportunity, I see a lot more risks than benefits in our CBs also leaving their defensive positions constantly. Yet, in recent games our midfield has often been skipped by our CBs with no need to do so, leaving enormous gaps behind them (see also Rocky Lives’ great post on Monday).

Sixthly, Rosicky needs to play closer to both Ramsey and RvP, and not constantly chase the ball all over the pitch. He needs to position himself in the area in front of the opposition’s ‘D’ as much as he can. He needs to help Ramsey in setting up attacks and RvP and the wingers in finishing off chances. Rosicky and the wingers need to make each other constantly available by clever movement, so Ramsey or Song can move the game forward quickly.

But the most important thing is not to give up on Ramsey now. With the above mentioned adjustments we can get the very best out of him again and the team will fully benefit. At pivotal moments like this, we all should hold together and help a player reach another level: this is when we make them rather than break them. Victoria Concordia Crescit are not just three beautiful words: it is what makes Arsenal such a special football club, and why we are fully entitled to associate ourselves with the classification of ‘permanent class’.

TotalArsenal.

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Brittania Revisited

April 29, 2012

A third trip to the Britannia in three seasons brought with it some mixed emotions. The 2009/10 game was played in February, a month after being beaten by the Stokies in the 4th round of the FA Cup. Ramsey’s leg snapped like a twig but the team responded magnificently to record a fine 3-1 victory.

2010/11 at the Britannia saw Arsenal in end of season free-fall and another defeat ensued. What would 2012 bring? Stoke always raise their game against us, refusing to lie down to superior footballing ability. The touchlines are narrowed, local aircraft given warnings of possible collisions with footballs and Corporal Jones from Dad’s Army gives the pre-match, rabble-rousing speech. Could Arsenal resist the bite of the cold steel? Anxious and expectant, the Arsenal away fans gathered in the Potteries.

(photo courtesy of Stuart MacFarlane)

After an easy drive along the A50 we arrived in plenty of time to find a parking spot at a local bowls club which would enable a smooth getaway at the end of the game. A brief chat with a couple of Stokies in the pub before the game elicited the information that they were pleased not to be in Europe again as it had ruined their season. Mid-table mediocrity seemed to be the height of their ambition…..oh, and beating Wenger’s Arsenal, of course. Arsenal are lacking a player who puts his foot in was their considered opinion whereas none of their players minded being kicked!

We had a fairly good view but were much too close to the inbred hoards and soon realised the aggression between the two sets of supporters was going to colour how we would remember the game.

The first half began and it soon became obvious that only one team had any desire to play any real football. The first booking came in the first couple of minutes as Whitehead fouled Song. The Gunners began the game at a canter and Benayoun should have done better, scuffing a left foot shot after clever interplay with Robin. Then it was the Dutchman himself who drew a fine save from Begovic with a glanced header at the near post.

Stoke scored from their first effort on goal with a pinpoint cross from Etherington which found the head of the Human Pylon. Even with Vermaelen and Koscielny leaping front and back of Crouch, they still stood little chance of stopping the goal. “One Nil to the Rugby team” sang the Stoke crowd. If I was a Rugby player, I would have been offended.

Arsenal quickly responded with another straightforward goal in its simplicity, van Persie slotting home after good work from Rosicky. “He scores when he want” and “By far the greatest team” followed.

The first half petered out from that point onwards. Gervinho had a chance to shoot after a lovely through ball from Sagna but put his effort way over the bar. Another chance nearly came to Gervinho who just failed to get his immense forehead onto a whipped-in cross.

My brother went for a half-time pie and heard the following conversation in the queue in front him. Arsenal supporter, ‘What flavour pies have you got?’ Girl behind the counter, ‘Chicken Balti, Steak and Ale…. Arsenal Supporter, ‘Have you got any Meat and Potato? ‘Yes’ came the reply. Arsenal fan, ‘I had one of those last year and it was farkin horrible’. Cue the laughter from the serving assistants behind the counter. The news that Newcastle were getting thumped certainly improved the atmosphere behind the goal during the half-time break.

The second half began with the boys kicking towards us. Surely things would improve and we would earn the crucial three points. As far as the football is concerned, I thought the second forty five was pretty poor. Arsenal probed and prodded. Shots were blocked. Robin slipped on a couple of occasions when he might have sneaked a shot on goal. There were a few decent looking free-kick opportunities for the good guys but none really troubled the Stoke keeper.

At the other end Szczesny made a fine blocking save from a vicious drive and a long throw header was cleared close to the Arsenal goal line. There was a brief rendition of ‘We can’t spell his name, we can’t spell his name, Wojciech Szczęsny, we can’t spell his name’.

The other dominant impression from standing behind the goal in the second half was how hideous the Stoke fans were. They finally found their voice after Shawcross lunged in on Benayoun. They sang ‘He breaks things when he wants, he breaks things when he wants, Ryan Shawcross, he breaks things when he wants’. (It could have been ‘legs’ rather than ‘things’, it was difficult to understand the accent). Looking across at their fans there were gestures of breaking a stick in two hands which I found quite sickening. Hideous miscreants.

Yossi had a good shout for a penalty ignored by Foy who looked across at his linesman to see a totally blank expression and so he waved play on. The last twenty minutes were a pantomime starring Arsene Wenger. He began waving his arms in the air at the injustice of the penalty decision and other decisions which followed. The Stoke crowd began to imitate him by waving their arms in the air at every opportunity while singing, ‘ Let’s all do the Wenger’ and if an Arsenal player committed a foul singing, ‘He didn’t see a thing, he didn’t see a thing , Arsene Wenger, he didn’t see a thing.’

Arsène needed someone to tell him to sit down as he may as well have been the Stoke cheerleader, such was his influence in stirring the Stoke crowd to generate more noise.

At the final whistle, I felt disappointed that we hadn’t been able to rise above the overall poor quality of the game and produce a few moments of real class to win us the three points. A hard-fought point would have to suffice, a point which looks better in the light of Newcastle’s zero points. Whether it’ll look so good after Sunday’s fixtures, only time will tell.

Ratings

I don’t really do ratings but I’d say that Benayoun and Rosicky seemed to have decent first halves. The defence were resolute throughout, Sagna looking dangerous assisting the attack in the first half, too. Szczesny couldn’t do much about the goal. Sometimes I wish he would catch instead of punch, especially in the second half when the aerial bombardment was in full force. I’d probably give them all a 7, with Tomas, Yossi and Bacary 7.5.

P.S. The Man of the Match was announced over the tannoy as Dean Whitehead. Sums it all up really!

Written by chas

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Posted by Rasp

If the Kid’s are United: Stoke Preview

April 28, 2012

Some time ago I made a decision to stop belittling our opponents. This was due to a rash of defeats to lesser team following an abusive prematch (yes, I have that much power). But sometimes needs must, plus I have to be realistic and accept my  posts have no impact whatsoever of the result of the game.

So let’s get down to business.

Stoke: If there is a more miserable, wearisome, beetle-headed bunch of bum-baileys walking the planet then my name is Luther Blisset. Managed by a man who in the words of Oscar Wilde “has no enemies but is intensely disliked by his friends.” Stoke are the reason why the PL has slipped behind La Liga and the Bundesliga in world football. You do not find teams in La Liga who cannot play the ball on the ground or rely on set pieces in order to score.

Orcs in their natural habitat

Then there are their fans. Amplified to make the armchair viewer believe they can create an atmosphere, they reflect their team. Aggressive and hard to like. And, they hate us. Pulis thinks Wenger is impolite (!), their fans think Gooners are soft southern pansies and delight in calling our team wimps and cheats. We are the positive to their negative.

But can we beat them in what is an important game for us? One thing is certain, Stoke will give 100% and we will have to be at the top of our game to win. I think patience will be vital. Add in the Ramsey/Shawcross factor and there will be some genuine needle at the Britannia. We cannot respond to Stoke’s provocation – the early season stupidity of Gervinho and Song will cost us dear if they retaliate in what is sure to be a physical game; the Orcs (Huth, Whelan ,Whitehead, Shawcross + +)  will ensure it.  A strong referee is essential because it isn’t the stupid rash tackle that Stoke employ, it is the constant physical battle.

Crouch has scored his wonder goal for the season (and a brilliant goal it was), he has a good record against us  as have Stoke. They have won 3 out of our previous 4 visits to the Britannia. Pulis believes he knows how to beat Wenger and our games are never less than highly competitive.  Should we win, it will not be an easy ride – it never is up there.

My Team:

You may look at my team and say “Chamakh?  You’re having a Turkish” but I think we have to try something different. I would play RvP behind Chamakh, give Bennie the run of the left wing and swamp the midfield. The defence picks itself, as does the midfield (in light of the fragility of Diaby), though Coquelin is likely to get some pitch-time, if fit.

The obvious solution is to play O-C or Gervinho on the wing but given the loss of our speedster and Arteta, we could start the above team which would allow some flexibility.  That said, we are most likely to start with a forward line of O-C, RvP and Bennie.

Stoke Inventor? There are a few as you would expect in any industrial area. Oliver Lodge invented the wireless telegraph, the electric spark plug and moving coil loudspeakers (according to Wiki). Whether he did or not is lost in the mists of time.

Surely, we have more than the long throw in?

Against opposition whose main ethic is unrelenting industry and teamwork, Arsenal have to respond in kind. We have yet to win in the PL without Arteta and today is the day to remedy this. Arsenal can win but it will be through endeavor, inspiration, unity  and harmony.

COYRRG

Written by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

The Next Three Games All Hinge On These Factors

April 24, 2012

Three games to go in this extraordinary season.

Three games to secure third place and a guarantee of Champions League football next year (not to mention the increased likelihood of retaining the services of a certain Dutchman who finds the net at moments of his own choosing).

Or three games to slip to fourth, maybe even fifth and re-ignite the poisonous debate about the future of our club and its most successful modern manager.

After a poor performance against Wigan and an unconvincing (though far from terrible) one against Chelsea, it would take a brave man to confidently predict a smooth run-in from here.

I’m not that brave.

I think it’s POSSIBLE we could win our next three games at a canter (Stoke away, Norwich home and West Brom away). I also think it’s possible we could lose two or even all three.

So let’s look at the balance sheet of pros and cons as we go into those games.

The Pros

We have a full week to rest between each game. Not that it seems to have been doing us much good lately.

None of our remaining opponents have anything left to play for.

We have some margin for error – particularly over Totteringham, but also (slightly) over Newcastle thanks to our far superior goal difference.

In recent weeks this team has beaten Totteringham, Liverpool, Newcastle, Everton, AC Milan and Manchester City.

Benny the Goon will be available (he was ineligible to play against Chelsea).

Diaby is back and managed to complete half an hour on Saturday without injuring himself again.

Coquelin is fit again to provide more cover in midfield.

Tomas Rosicky has been in his best Arsenal form for years.

We have two of the best central defenders in Europe.

We have the second highest number of scorers of any team in the EPL this season (17).

We have Robin van Persie and he scores when he wants.

We have Arsène Wenger as our manager.

We are The Arsenal.

The Cons

We are losing key players at this vital time.

Walcott is the latest to add to that list after idiotically trying to run off a hamstring pull. He reminded me of John Cleese playing a knight in The Holy Grail and getting his arm chopped off: “Just a flesh wound!”

With Walcott, Arteta, Mertesacker and Wilshere all unavailable for the rest of the season we can’t afford to have any more of our top players out – especially the PFA Player of the Year (Lord Dennis hear our prayers).

Arteta’s absence may well be the most crucial, as we tend not to win games without him and he dictates the tempo of the team. So far his replacements have been more garden gnome than metronome.

We still haven’t entirely shaken off last season’s bad habit of hitting the self destruct button (witness the two goals in two minutes conceded to Wigan).

In recent weeks this team has lost to both QPR and Wigan.

The zip and zing seems to have vanished from our open play. We need someone to just rip out the handbrake.

Tomas Rosicky is starting to look tired.

Robin van Persie has stopped scoring and looks jaded.

We have Arsène Wenger as our manager.

Which Arsenal are we?

When our strong run of results started in February (coinciding with the return of our orthodox fullbacks) one of the most striking things was the obvious camaraderie among the players.

Led by the captain, the team seemed really to be enjoying each other’s company and relishing one another’s successes.

Lately things have been harder going and the joy and togetherness engendered by some great wins and stunning late goals has been harder to spot.

If we are going to finish the 2011/12 season the way we all hope, the crucial factor (in my view) is going to be the players themselves. Arsene Wenger and the coaching staff can do their bit, but in these last three games it’s going to come down to the players refusing to fail.

In the last few seasons our players have not had the strength of character to finish strongly when it counted.

This year I believe we have a team with greater moral fibre, led by a captain with far greater powers to motivate and inspire than his sulky predecessor. Robin van Persie, regardless of his own scoring form, needs to remember that his role as leader and inspiration could still be the deciding factor in us finishing third.

(I’m sure you have your own ideas of ‘pros and cons’ that I have failed to include. Please share them in the comments).

RockyLives

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Posted by RockyLives

Tangled up in Blue: Match Preview

April 16, 2012

Apart from supporters of the doomed bottom 3 is there a football fan who doesn’t want Wigan to escape relegation?  Their PL survival is a mystery given the small ground, low attendances and limited finances – they are the (Leyton) Orient of Manchester. And yet they survive without resorting to hoof ball and dull physical football, maintaining an admirable allegiance to playing attractive football. Their Chairman backs his manager and rightly so, Martinez is a top bloke – calm under pressure, always urbane and intelligent, a man who stayed at Wigan despite the attractive  job offer from Aston Villa. Wigan are a fine traditional club who deserve to stay up at the expense of Blackburn, Wolves and QPR but …….

We need the points, so sorry Wigan, tonight you are the enemy.

You all know the maths (to our American readers, there is an “s”  in Maths), another win and we go 8 points ahead of the chasing pack. True, they will have a game in hand but 8 points with so few games to go is a considerable margin.

More of the same, please

I am afraid I am going to be controversial. This run of wins is surprising because we are not a good team yet. It is my belief that the root causes of our improvement are luck, confidence and a fit squad. We have yet to see a full game of quality . Certainly the team has grown since being 2 down to the hapless crew who got humiliated at Wembley yesterday 🙂 but I still do not feel confident we can compete for the League next season without  surgery.  If we win tonight we will be 15 points behind an ordinary Man Utd  – do you really believe we can be at least 15 points better next season?

Yes, I know the counter-arguments. The dreadful start, the awful summer transfer window, the injuries to FB’s, the loss of JW etc but to counter this, we have found Arteta;  Song has been immense, so has Koscielny. and what can one say about  RvP?  Can anyone guarantee another season like this for our Captain? On past evidence, sadly no. He was not known as Chocolate Legs for nothing.

But enough of this rational thinking BR, which I must point out is purely my opinion and not representative of Arsenal Arsenal website. The bottom line is  – do we have enough to beat Wigan tonight? and the answer is an emphatic Yes.

Beating United last week was a major scalp for Wigan and they will come into tonight’s game full of confidence.  The Latics have tightened in defence and started to score goals. 2 months ago they were doomed but now there is light at the end of the tunnel. However, Wigan have only beaten us once in the last 13 meetings.(we threw the away game in a shameful  2-3 in 2010).

My team:

If fit, I would replace Bennie with Gervinho who is back in the squad. I hope AW sticks to giving O -C cameo appearances. I fear he will be picked for the Euro’s should he make a big impact over the coming month. Better The Ox stays at AFC and gets a full pre-seaso, much like JW. Club over country for me.  Ramsey to come on after 60 mins and score.

Today’s Gooner: Being the Titanic centenary it is only fitting I find a connection and of course there is one. According to Hollywood Kate Winslett was a survivor of the tragedy and she is a Gooner. Although born into the Man Utd stronghold of Reading, Berkshire, she discovered the wonders of Goonerdom through a friendship with TH14 and has remained a fan ever since.

Kate and some fellow sing “Let’s all Laugh at Tottenham”

A big night for both clubs but the footballing Gods are shiny on The Emirates at the moment. We have enough to beat them and beat them we will.

Written by Big Raddy

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Posted by Erik the Red

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