Jenkinson Promoted?

March 18, 2013

I’m not sure who originated the “Corporal” thing with Carl Jenkinson, but it stuck very quickly.

If you want to be picky you could argue that he should probably have started as Private Jenkinson (and there was certainly something about his fresh-faced earnestness when he arrived at Arsenal that called to mind Private Pike from Dad’s Army) but, somehow, “Corporal Jenkinson” sounded right.

Jenks

He had had only a relatively brief spell of first team action at Charlton Athletic before crossing the Thames to join us.

And his arrival at the start of last season could not have come at a worse time, as we got off to our least successful start since dandan and Gn5 were nippers and dinosaurs roamed the earth.

Jenks’s baptism of fire included that awful 8-2 thrashing at the North Surrey Stadium.

Not much was expected of him when he was thrown into some of those early games due to one injury crisis or another but, nevertheless, The Corporal made a good impression.

He showed plenty of inexperience, but also clearly had desire and a good engine. He also displayed a natural crossing ability, wrapping that right foot round the ball in a way that reminded me of David Beckham.

Best of all, Carl was a proper Gooner: a lifelong Arsenal supporter who had suddenly been given the chance to live the dream.

Fast forward to today, and it’s time to take stock of how the young fullback is doing in this, his second season at The Home Of Football. The question is all the more pertinent given that rumours about Bacary Sagna’s future at Arsenal refuse to go away.

In general last season I was impressed with Jenks and I recall, fairly early on, predicting that he would become the regular right back for both Arsenal and England.

In the early part of this season, however, a few of his outings were less convincing, inevitably leading some Arsenal supporters to write him off as another example of Arsene Wenger’s lost touch in the transfer market. Of course these are the sort of supporters who like to accentuate the negative and eliminate the positive. (If you gave them a free twenty quid note they’d complain about it being crumpled).

But young players can – and must – be excused the occasional dip in form (just look at Oxlade-Chamberlain this year, who is at last emerging from his own mini slump).

And the one thing no-one could ever fault with The Corporal was his effort and honesty.

Now, back in the first team ahead of Sagna, he has just had two exceptionally good games.

I don’t want us to get ahead of ourselves, but his performances against Swansea at the weekend and, particularly, against Bayern Munich in midweek, were fantastically encouraging.

One particular moment stood out against the Munchens. Bayern were on a fast break; the odious little Arjen Robben was tearing at full pelt down what used to be called the inside left channel; another sausage-eater was overlapping on Robben’s outside (sorry, I can’t remember which one); and our defence was stretched because our centre halves were still making their way back from our broken attack.

It was exactly the sort of break that has resulted in us conceding a goal so many times this season. Worse, for all Robben’s narcissistic annoyingness, he is (a) very, very fast (b) a very good dribbler and (c) a dangerous finisher.

But this time we had Carl Jenkinson in his way. Carl kept pace with the Dutch flyer, matching him pace for pace, but also used his position and body shape to not only force Robben wide, but also to limit the threat of the overlapping Bayern player. It gave time for the rest of the defence to reorganize and the threat was snuffed out. It was a piece of really classy defending and Gary Neville (who, despite having been a filthy Manc, was one of the top right backs of the last 15 years) rightly singled out Jenkinson for praise  for it.

I have been (and continue to be) a big fan of Bacary Sagna, but I suspect it was the sort of breakaway that would have found him wanting. Sadly for him, two successive fractures in the same leg seem to have taken a yard off his pace and Robben would probably have exploited that weakness.

Aside from that moment, Jenkinson’s all round play was excellent in Munich –against what is generally agreed to be one of the best three or four teams in Europe.

He continued that form against Swansea at the Liberty Stadium. I can recall one silly pass across his own box but, that apart, his play was of the highest order both defensively and offensively.

Two swallows don’t make a summer and two good performances at right back don’t make a Pat Rice. But Jenkinson is showing that Arsene Wenger can still find a diamond in the rough and that, if Sagna does leave this summer, we have a great option ready and waiting.

In fact, late in the season as it is, Wenger may finally have stumbled across his best defensive line-up, comprising Fabianski in goal, The Corporal and Monreal at fullback and Koscielny and Mertesacker in the middle.

All of which begs the question… is it time that The Corporal got that extra stripe? Is it time to say: “take a bow, Sergeant Jenkinson?”

What do you think?

RockyLives

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Arsène Wenger – The grooming of England’s future Super Stars.

January 18, 2013

Much has been written about Arsène Wenger’s penchant for foreign players – French players in particular. Over the years he has been ridiculed for playing teams full of foreigners and for his seeming adversity to English youth. This culminated in a league match against Crystal Palace on 14 February 2005 when Arsenal named a 16-man squad that featured no British players for the first time in the club’s history.

PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor felt that this was the beginning of a worrying time for English football”. In March 2006, Alan Pardew chimed in with – “Arsenal’s Champions League success was not necessarily a triumph for British football” Arsène disagreed and said that he saw the issue of nationality as irrelevant and stated, “When you represent a club, it’s about values and qualities, not about passports”

Other pundits including Trevor Brooking director of football development at The Football Association defended Arsene, he felt that a lack of English players in “one of England’s most successful clubs” was more of a reflection on England’s limited talent pool rather than on Arsene.

Arsène preferred players that were nimble, adept at passing and those that displayed a high level of technical ability. Using his uncanny knowledge of worldwide players he brought in players like Petit, Vieira, Henry, Pires, Van Bronckhorst, Overmars, Toure, Gilberto, Wiltord, Anelka, Ljungberg, Silvinho, Lauren, and Edu, these players formed winning teams the likes of which had not been seen at Highbury since Herbert Chapman’s teams of the 30’s.

His explanation for not buying British players has always been that few “local” players displayed the attributes that he was looking for and those that did were overpriced in comparison to European players. More recently, with the riches of Chelsea and the Manchester teams Arsene was not able to compete on a level playing field for the British players he admired or for the better foreign players so he was forced to turn his attention to youth players, both foreign and British.

Today, in his youth and under 21sides he has a squad of 30 English and 19 foreign players many of whom already have international experience at various levels.

In Theo Walcott, Carl Jenkinson, Alex Oxlaide Chamberlain, Kieran Gibbs and Jack Wilshere he has five full England internationals, these players might well form the core of the English team for years to come. With another 25 English youth players in his care who can say just how many more will make the international team?

Who would have thought that Arsène Wenger might be the man to turn around England’s fortune by developing the nucleus of the English team?

He is a multi faceted man that should not be counted out.

GunnerN5

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Has Sagna’s return demoted The Corporal?

November 1, 2012

There was a bit of confusion amongst Arsenal fans when Wenger plucked Jenkinson from Charlton after only 9 appearances for the first team, but his rise over the last 12 months, including a call up to the full England squad has shown not only that Wenger can still spot talent, but more importantly that Arsenal have a potential future star on their hands.

There is no doubt that our young Finglish full back has been a shining light during the first few months of a somewhat indifferent start to the Arsenal season, but is there a fear that the return of Bacary Sagna could put a halt to the meteoric rise of our £1million right back?

Well, personally, I was glad to see the Frenchman back in the starting 11 against QPR, and I hope it continues to be the case as the season progresses. Now don’t get me wrong, Jenks has filled in admirably during Sagna’s absence, but I still feel he is a raw talent who has a lot to learn. He reminds a lot of a young player named Gael
Clichy when he first came to the squad, bags of energy and a willingness to go forward, but also a distinct lack of tactical knowledge and positional sense that was covered over through sheer pace. Clichy never really improved that side of his game at Arsenal, probably due to a lack of a defensive coach at the club during his time, but with Steve Bould now overseeing the Arsenal back 4, Jenks won’t have the same excuse and I believe he has what it takes to develop this side of his game.

The other reason I believe Sagna’s return is a good thing for our young Corporal is to do with the England set up. Jenkinson is knocking on the door of an England right back position that still hasn’t been properly filled since Gary Neville hung up his boots, but I feel being thrust into the International team at this stage could be detrimental to the player and Arsenal. We have all seen what happened with Theo Walcott when he was thrown in at the deep end, and if you look at Kyle Walker’s performances this season you can see the effect that ego can have on a young player. An England set up filled with these big personalities and egos is not where I want to see our future right back learning his trade. I believe he is better off under Wenger and Bould’s stewardship for the foreseeable future so he can develop into the player we all want him to be.

I’ve been really impressed by The Corporals attitude and ability during the start of the season, and I believe his development will continue wether he plays on a weekend or not. He should be starting on Tuesday in the Cup and I think a handful of league appearances mixed with domestic cup appearances this season will see him continue his growth.

Who knows, if Sagna’s words about not signing a new deal at the beginning of the season ring true, then The Corporal may be getting a promotion rather than a demotion some time soon.

Written by slimgingergooner

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Corporal Jenks ……… Captain in waiting?

October 5, 2012

Following the match on Saturday, and during this week, we have seen a lot of chat about the wisdom of appointing Vermaelen as captain. If you had asked me at the end of the 2010-11 season who should captain the side if Cesc left I would probably have nominated Tommy.

Arsène chose instead Brave Sir Robin and whilst during the season it seemed an inspired choice the end of season events and his statement tore apart all the good work.

Now we have the captain many of us envisioned after that Annus Horibilus but since then we have seen a change in the make up of the squad. At the end of 2011 season we didn’t have Arteta, an experienced top level international centre half was a distant dream and we had unproven youngsters in every department. The squad now represents a different prospect, it’s full of experience and proven quality. There are still the odd sprinkles of youth that need encouragement and guidance but in the main this side does not need educating or organisation from its Captain it needs passion, desire and intensity. (thanks GN5) The rest can come from the coaching staff.

Vermaelen is no doubt intense but does he know truly what it means to lead this club, is he aware of the special responsibilty? I’m not so sure.

So who am I promoting to Captain to galvanise this current crop of players well its a player who makes his love for the club clear for all to see.

20121001-183546.jpg

Step forward Corporal Jenkinson, you are on accelerated promotion plan, and next season after the normal end of season Captains departure you young man are my pick for Captain.

We can all see in his performances what a bit of pride in wearing the shirt does for you, now imagine him instilling that into the rest of the team…and probably the most important reason, there is no way he will be swayed to look elsewhere, he loves our club like a fan, money is probably irrelevant, i’d guess he’d turn up and play for three square meals a day and a roof over his head.

What more can we ask for when we look at the man leading our team out on to the pitch.

I was going to watch Arsenal the same as the fans were and just count myself very lucky to represent them as a fan who has become a player.

It doesn’t come around very often and I just feel privileged and honoured to be that person.

Captain material….damn right!

20121001-184421.jpg

Gooner in Exile

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The Sagna Conundrum

August 1, 2012

The Sagna Conundrum

The first thing to know about the Sagna Conundrum is that it does not involve Bacary Sagna.

The Sagna Conundrum is a problem created not by his presence, but by his absence, and it comes down to this: when our super-consistent French right back is not available, who should take his place?

It’s a pressing question, given that Sagna will not be ready for the start of the new season.

The principal contenders to take his place are Carl Jenkinson, Johan Djourou, Francis Coquelin and Laurent Koscielny.

Last season, due to Bacary’s injuries, they all got a number of games at right back.

The conventional wisdom is that Djourou was a disaster and Jenkinson, despite showing some promise, was out of his depth; but that both Coquelin and Koscielny proved to be adequate stand-ins.

My own view – based primarily on memory of past performances – is that central defenders do not make good full backs because the FB role requires so much more mobility than they are used to. I prefer midfielders to step in if we are out of orthodox (or experienced) full backs.

From my recollection, Coquelin and Jenkinson filled in well, but the two centre backs – Koscielny and Djourou – struggled.

Memory, however, can be an unreliable guide, so I decided to take a more detailed look at how the four contenders fared when they stood in for Sagna last season.

Djourou

Jenkinson

Coquelin

Koscielny
Played

11 (10 plus 2 halves)

7

5

3.5
Won

4

4

4

3
Drawn

2

1

1

0
Lost

6

2

0

1
Goals Against

16

13

5

3

According to this table the average points per game during each of the four’s tenure at right back was as follows*:

Djourou: 1.16 Pts Per Game (with an average 1.45 Goals Conceded Per Game).

Jenkinson: 1.86 PPG (1.86 GCPG).

Coquelin:  2.6 PPG (1.0 GCPG).

Koscielny: 2.57 PPG (0.86 GCPG).

Like all such studies, there are inherent problems with drawing conclusions from these figures.  For example, if you look at Jenkinson’s “Goals Against” you would think him a liability. But eight of those goals were up at Old Trafford, when the lad had hardly ever worn an Arsenal shirt in anger and in a catastrophically weakened and confused team.

Similarly, although Djourou’s stats look the worst, they include two games against the eventual league champions, one against Chelsea and one against Manchester United, as well as a dead rubber ECL game at Olympiakos where a partly second string Arsenal team lost 3-1.

Nevertheless, I feel there is enough evidence to show that our big Swiss fellow is not cut out to be a right back. Indeed, when he was hauled off at half time in the home game against Manchester United (and replaced by the embryonic Yennaris) it may well have been a sign that Arsene Wenger had finally come to that same conclusion himself. I doubt we will ever see Djourou in that position again.

Jenkinson’s stats look a lot better if you remove the Man Utd away game from the mix (and he can hardly be blamed for that collective fiasco). He then has a Points Per Game average of 2.16 and a Goals Against of 0.83.

Surprisingly – and contrary to my recollection – Koscielny’s record as a right back is very good. I recalled him seeming to struggle, but the figures prove otherwise. His three-and-a-half games included two “easier” fixtures (Norwich away, Wigan at home) but also one-and-a-half tough ones (Dortmund at home and Manchester City away).

Conclusions: For me, the table above is generally encouraging because it shows we can expect a solid performance from any of Jenkinson, Coquelin and Koscielny when they are compelled to play right back.

I am happy with Djourou in the mix as one of our centre backs, but he does not function well at full back and, hopefully, we have seen the last of him in that position.

I mentioned Yennaris earlier. Last season he took the right back spot in a Carling Cup game (2-1 home win over Bolton) and in the second half against Man Utd at the Emirates. According to those who have been watching our pre-season friendlies he seems to be showing promise.

With Jenkinson and Yennaris maturing, we may well soon find ourselves in a position where playing other players out of position at full back is a thing of the past.

Anyway, enough of my waffle. Do you think the table has merit? Does it tally with the evidence of your eyes? Are we sufficiently covered within the squad for the right back position or do you feel we should be looking to sign someone?

RockyLives

*Before the eggheads among you start quibbling with my maths, I made certain adjustments to allow for the half games (for example, if we conceded a goal during a half in which Djourou did not play, even though he played in the other half, I have not marked down that goal in his “Goals Against” column.

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Arsenal’s Biggest Surprise This Season?

March 19, 2012

Fellow arsophiles, I want to pose a simple question:

In a season of ups and downs, false dawns and unexpected revivals, which Arsenal player has turned out to be the biggest surprise package (in a positive way)?

I’m not talking about the likes of Vermaelen and van Persie, of whom we all expected great things. I want you to consider the players – whether already in the squad or newly signed – for whom you had NO high hopes, but who have gone on to confound your pessimism.

The grit that turned into pearls, as it were…

You can register your own choice in the Poll below, but let me offer my own shortlist for the contenders…

Tomas Rosicky

The Little Mozart – or Schnitzel, as I am assured is also his nickname – was high on the list of players most supporters wanted to see shipped out last summer. Unlike Fawlty Manuel and Sideways Den, footballing abilities were not the issue with the little Czech – it was just that he seemed as fragile as a Ming vase. And on the odd occasion when he was not too cracked to get a run out, he usually seemed a peripheral figure: the Ming on the wing. Fast forward to today, and we see a player showing just what he can do when he stays fit and gets a run of games in his preferred position. He’s now one of the first names on the team sheet, which makes a change from having his own engraved name plaque in the treatment room.

Kieran Gibbs

Like TR7, our young English left back has often given the impression of being made of glass and was on first name terms with all the medical staff, their wives and husbands, their cousins and neighbours, even their pets. But since he got back in the side our results have improved and he has begun to show why Arsene Wenger has persevered with him for so long. In recent games he has begun to really look the part.

Francis Coquelin

This cocky French cockerel was not on most fans’ radar at the start of the season and it was generally assumed that Frimpong was ahead of him in the midfield pecking order. But while Frimpong’s inexperience was exposed in some early season games, Coquelin took every opportunity that came his way, whether deputising at fullback or playing in his preferred midfield role. Undoubtedly the season of first team football at Lorient is what put him ahead of his young English rival, but he looks to have the quality to be a first team regular in the future. Sadly both he and Frimpong have been unlucky with injuries.

Theo Walcott

OK, I know this is a bit of a controversial one. But so many people were so down on him in the close season and at the start of this campaign that I feel it’s right to include him. Personally I have never understood the level of abuse he gets. Being a winger means you are always trying to do the pointy-ended bits of the game – beating defenders, putting in crosses, making goal assists, hitting the back of the net. Inevitably, things don’t always come off, but with eight goals and 11 assists his contribution should be recognised. If you doubt his importance, just look at how Robin van Persie values him.

Per Mertesacker

Quickly christened ‘The BFG’, our supersized German centre back was written off by some before he had even kicked a ball for us. He was too slow, not good enough in the air despite his height, he wouldn’t be up to the speed of the English game etc etc. Up until his injury, however, big Per showed us that he is, above all, a footballer of the highest quality. I know many supporters believe Koscielny and Vermaelen are our first choice CB pairing, but I really feel Mertesacker adds a level of composure to our transitional play from defence and is brilliant at reading the game and I would start him alongside either of the other two.

Carl Jenkinson

A young fullback, signed from Charlton Athletic with only a handful of first team games under his belt… what was Arsene thinking of? Well, our Carl is a Gooner through and through and when he has had opportunities to play he has shown great promise. His engine is fantastic and, for my money, he’s the best crosser at the club. He’ll be England’s right back in a few years time.

Andre Santos

A Brazilian we had never heard of, signed from the Turkish league. Surely this was another piece of craziness on our manager’s part. And when he turned up with what looked like 20lbs of hashish in his shorts the doubters were even more skeptical. But Santos quickly won people over with his adventurous style of play (it was his goal that got us back on track away at Chelsea) and his infectious enthusiasm.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Isn’t it funny that many of the same people who were furious when we signed Oxo (“we need proven quality, not another punt on some untried youngster for Chrissake”) were exactly the people booing when Alex was subbed off for Arshavin towards the end of the home game against Manchester United. We knew he was very highly regarded at Southampton, but many thought he would be “one for the future” or “Walcott mark two”. Instead he has already made himself a fan favourite and is another player who has everything it takes to be an Arsenal great.

OK, that’s it.

If you would like to suggest a different candidate please click on the “Other” option below and make your suggestion in the comments.

RockyLives

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January – Deal or no deal?

December 8, 2011

Written by FatGingerGooner

With so much grief given out to our esteemed manager during pre season, and with another transfer window just around the corner, I thought it might be a good time to see how Wenger’s apparent ‘panic buys’ have compared to the big money signings of some of our closest league rivals.

There were many comments written on this blog, and loads of others, slating Arsene’s dealings during the last window. Fans were worried that he had lost his touch and  that the likes of Nasri, Fabregas and Clichy were not being sufficiently replaced. But with a good chunk of the season passed, what do we think of these signings now?

First up we have the defenders. Mertersacker, Santos and Jenkinson were drafted in by AW as replacement for the outgoing Clichy and the mistake ridden Squillaci, all for the price of £17m.

In contrast, Chelsea paid £24m for Luiz in January, Man Utd went for Jones for a princely sum of £17m, Liverpool snapped up Coates for £7m and Man City threw £9m the way of Savic.

If we look at the centre backs, none of the above have really set the premier league alight. Mertersacker has been a calming influence for Arsenal but prone to the odd mistake, whilst Jones, Coates and Savic have all been used sparingly by their managers. David Luiz has however become a bit of a joke figure at Chelsea due to his awful defensive displays and his ability to start a fight in an empty room.

On the other hand, Santos and Jenkinson have both proved real bargains for the Gunners. If you think that AW paid just £7m for the pair, compared to the £17m Man City forked out for the inconsistent Kolarov last year, you can see that Arsene’s touch in the market is very much in tact.

For defenders, Wenger has definitely done better than his rival managers.

Moving on to midfield, Arsène had a massive job to fill the huge hole left by Fabregas and the even fatter, I mean bigger, hole left by Nasri. In the end he opted to draft in Arteta for £10m, Gervinho for £10m, Oxlaide-Chamberlain for £12.5m and Benayoun on loan. His rivals on the other hand splashed out on the likes of Nasri (Man City) £22m, Mata (Chelsea) £23.5m, Downing (Liverpool) £20m, Henderson (Liverpool) £16m, Mereiles (Chelsea) £12m and Young (Man U) £16m.

For Arsenal, Arteta and Gervinho started relatively slowly, but after finding their feet they have started to show the quality they possess. Arteta espescially has grown into a real force, oozing class and running games from start to finish. Ox has shown glimpses of the star that he is no doubt going to become, but Benayoun has so far struggled to get playing time.
The stand out players for our rivals have been Mata at Chelsea and Young at United, though neither has yet to live up to their hype. Nasri, Henderson and Mereiles on the other hand have all failed so far at their new homes, espescially the fat Frenchman, whos arse must have more splinters than a joiners finger!

I have no doubt that Mata and Young will prove successful purchases, but I reckon the £20m for Downing and £22m for Nasri just goes to show the value AW has found in his purchases.

For midfielders, I think AW loses points for missing out on Mata, but overall, his signings look like value for money. Espescially Ox, who looks like a future star.

Finally it’s the strikers. With Chamakh misfiring and RvP still prone to injuries, AW needed to strengthen. In the end he paid out £3m for Park and just £1m for Campbell. Other clubs were relatively quiet in the striking department so we have to look back at January for comparison. City paid £38m for Aguero, Liverpool spent £30m on Carroll and £23m on Suarez, whilst Chelsea blew £50m (yes, that’s right, £50m) on Torres.

Wenger opted to send Campbell straight out on loan to earn his stripes and his visa, whilst Park has only really been seen in the Carling Cup. It’s difficult to compare these to the others mentioned as they are not first choice, big money signings.

Looking at our rivals additions, Torres and Carroll have so far been very expensive flops, between them they have been firing £80m worth of blanks. On the other hand, Suarez and Aguero have both lived up to their huge fees. Suarez, though, has been the pick of the bunch. He may be a cheating prick, but the kid can play!

I think the real comparison may be made in January as Arsene needs to dive into the market to find a replacement for Chamakh. Watch this space.

I’m sure you will all have your own view on Arsène’s dealings this season, but for me, he has once again proved his doubters wrong. If you look at the price tags attached to some of the rival players mentioned, you can see that Arsene has lost none of his ability to spot a bargain. Let’s just hope that he doesn’t fall into his old habit of hanging onto sub standard players for too long. If Chamakh and Arshavin can be moved on in January and then adequately replaced, this new look Arsenal squad could be a real force heading into next year.

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Geordie would have shown them how.

November 10, 2011

George “Geordie” Armstrong died of a brain haemorrhage after collapsing on the training field 11 years ago on the first of this month. He was a year younger than me and joined the club as a 17-year-old, two years after I had first claimed my permanent place on the terraces as a 15-year-old. He was my first footballing idol and was to be associated with the club on and off for 39 years.

I mention this because a new young full back has been thrown in at the deep end for us in recent weeks just as Geordie was and by and large has risen to the challenge.  Carl Jenkinson is 19 years old and in his first year with the club having been transferred from Charlton Athletic in June.

AA boasts a number of good judges of a footballer and this young man has caught their attention. The strength of character he has shown after surviving that 8 goal pounding at the hands of the Mancs, his work rate, application and determination as he joined the fight to recover from our disastrous start, all bode well for the years ahead.

On the other side we have another new summer arrival, this one more senior and a Brazilian international to boot. Andre Santos arrived having, we are told, supplanted  Roberto Carlos, he of the 35 Metre free kick, as his Turkish clubs first choice full back, but wanting to play in England. He signed for us primarily, he said, as we played his kind of football.

Both Carl and Andre were elevated to the first team far quicker than anticipated as both Kieran Gibbs and Bacary Sagna our first team fullbacks, were as is the Arsenal way, to suffer long-term injuries.

So the squad now has 4 speedy  fullbacks ready, when fit, to combine with our Flying Wingers, Theo and Gervinho, to form an attacking force capable of getting behind the oppositions defence and crossing the ball into the right areas.

But this is where the similarity ends, Geordie played in his early days in heavy leather boots on muddy, waterlogged, energy sapping bogs of pitches, yet would still run up and down that wing for ninety minutes, virtually non stop. At the same time, evading, receiving and accepting as part of the game, sliding tackles that would see the offender banned Sine Die, if he did such a thing on today’s croquet lawns. On top of which he was using a leather ball that grew heavier as the game went on and the water soaked through the dubbined Tee panel monster with its leather lace that was, pre ‘the valve’ the premier ball of its day.

Yet, and here’s the strange thing, what with all these disadvantages was Geordies main claim to fame? He could hit that ball on the run or from a corner and put it straight into the danger zone and on the head of the likes of Joe Baker, Raddy, Kennedy and even in later years the elegant stroller Graham. Count the amount of headed goals that came from Geordies crosses, watch us win the league at WHL as Ray thumps a header past Big Pat Jennings from a Geordie cross. Pure magic created with skill and constant practice, and regularly displayed by the little man with a heart of a lion.

So what’s your point you may ask, well I have a question for the modern footballer. If Geordie could do all that, under conditions that would probably make you guys refuse play, why can’t you on our manicured pitches, with lightweight footwear and a ball my gran would have kicked straight out of the garden. Why do you lot struggle, not just on the run, but from corners and free kicks as well, to even clear the first man, for Christ sake!!!!!?

Written by dandan

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Posted by dandan

Arsène Wenger’s Got a Headache

November 8, 2011

The criticism of Arsène for trying to force square pegs into round holes has frequently been levelled over recent seasons. Bendtner, Eboue and Arshavin in particular have all been deployed in areas that would not be their first choice let alone the Championship Managers among us. The reason for this has generally been a lack of depth in the squad exacerbated by the perennial injury problems that have depleted us so cruelly at vital times.

Now it would appear that Arsène has a headache of a different kind. The summer purchases coupled with the progression of quality players through the youth system has created a problem, a good problem to have but a problem nonetheless. As far as Sagna and Wilshere are concerned the problem is months away but in light of the coming 2 weeks of nail biting over the potential for injuries playing in meaningless internationals, I thought it would be interesting to ponder the alternatives.

Who are our best players in every position?
Well I think the answer at the top and tail of the team is obvious – RvP and Szczesny give Arsenal about the best polar opposites in the league. But elsewhere it is not so simple.

Centreback Partnership
Some supporters had been crying out for a tall physical presence at the back and then along came Per Mertesacker the 6ft 5in answer to our vulnerability from set pieces. Don’t get me wrong, I think the BFG is an excellent addition to the squad and has helped us keep in touch through this early critical period, but I think most would agree that his height is not the main attribute he possesses. No, it’s his positional play, reading of the game, timing of the tackle cool head and experience – but I wouldn’t mind betting that Kozzer has won more headers in the box when playing alongside Mert. The return of Vermaelen has been a huge shot in the arm and has reminded us all that he is a world class defender and our captain of the defence. For me the best CB pairing is TV and Koz but have your say by placing your vote below.



Wingbacks
Now this is where it really does get difficult. Most Arsenal supporters would say that last season Sagna was the best right back in the league. He didn’t start this season so well and looked a yard or two off the pace, but a 90% Sagna is still better than most RBs and it seemed like an early hammer blow to our season when he was ruled out with a fractured leg.

But then there was the introduction of Carl Jenkinson to the first team. He was one of our early summer signings who at 19 was inexperienced to say the least having been on loan at a non league club previously. For me he has been a revelation. Like Jack, he’s an Arsenal supporter. He has amazing energy going forward and uncharacteristically for an Arsenal player, he can cross the ball. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not in the same class defensively as Sagna at this stage, but he is improving every game and has won the hearts of the supporters already. Sagna has to be my first choice RB for the big games, but Jenks is a real find and offers us more offensively so in a couple of years time who knows?


Gibbs or Santos? – now that is a much closer call. Gibbs has been threatening to become the new Cashley for a couple of seasons. His progress has been hampered by a worrying propensity to pick up injuries that hasn’t ever really let us see him have a decent run of games.

Santos is already dividing opinion. He’s all Brazillian, surging forward with gay abandon, super control spiced with clever tricks and finished with a sweet left foot and cool head in front of goal. He loves to go forward, its the gaping holes that he leaves behind that worry many. West Brom were poor on Saturday and Santos never really looked troubled but against stiffer opposition he may be undone. The hope is that he will adjust his game to put slightly more emphasis on the defensive side of his play, but I for one would not wish him to sacrifice his natural attacking game. Santos would be my first choice for LB.

The Midfield
Since The Boy Wonder’s place is not in question I shall consider the midfield to be the ‘5’ in a 4:5:1 formation – but you can call it 4:3:3 if it makes you happy. I have no hesitation on current form in saying that wide midfielders places are not in question, Theo and Gervinho have been excellent and are clearly Arsène’s first choice, but we still have very good options in Arshavin, the Ox and possibly Ryo in time.

The current best centre midfield 3 would appear to be Song, Ramsey and Arteta – but what happens when Jack is fit again?

It would appear that Song’s place in the side is safe so who would give way to accommodate our rising star? I actually think that Arteta has been more influential in the side recently than Song as he quietly gets on with his business and keeps the Wengerball machine running smoothly whereas Song is often noticed when he somehow magically manages to hold off multiple players and still emerge with the ball but I sometimes think he should not be in that position in the first place. Once again we are blessed with midfield options and squad rotation of the midfield 3 would help us stave off the customary end of season fatigue.

Which players would you prefer to see as our centre midfield three?

The Subs
I have made the presumption that everyone would agree that these are the only candidates for first choice in their positions but many would disagree. Is Arshavin more effective than Gervinho on the left? The Ox worth a try in place of Theo? Rosicky more reliable than Ramsey? Benny more attacking than Song? Diaby waiting in the wings to finally realise his potential? Coquelin worth a try for some games? – they may well all have to play their part in a typically long season. With the possible exception of strikers, we can now boast two quality players for every position on the pitch.

One thing is for sure, our new strength in depth makes us better equipped than for many years and the removal of large egos and homesick heroes from the dressing room should mean that rotation and competition for places makes us a stronger and more resilient squad this season.

You can see how opinion is divided in the polls by clicking on ‘View Results’ on the bottom left of each poll box.

Written by Rasp

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