Vermaelen’s Place in Jeopardy

November 1, 2010

Thomas Vermaelen’s outstanding first season at Arsenal has left most of us assuming that he will be an automatic starter when he recovers from his achilles injury.

But maybe it’s time to reconsider that assumption.

In his absence, Squillacci and Koscielny are starting to form a partnership with a real air of quality to it.

The Squid (or Squidgy, Squelchy or Squilly if you prefer – notice how he has already been given a bunch of affectionate nicknames by the Gooner faithful) has started to display a calm authority as the ‘big man’ in our central defence. His positioning, strength and ability in the air are all commendable.

Kozzer meanwhile (note, too, his instant nickname) has been my man of the match in our last two games, barely putting a foot wrong. He tackles beautifully when he needs to, but is also expert at shepherding opponents away from the danger area without diving in. Contrast his handling of a tricky runner with Alex “Tom Daley” Song.

After three clean sheets on the bounce (admittedly involving Djourou as well as Koscielny and Squillaci) you have to wonder whether a fit Vermaelen would get his place back in our starting line-up. Right now I don’t think he would.

Yes, Kozzer made some costly mistakes in his first few games (being barged off the ball by El Hadji Diouf and missing a sitter of a header from two yards out against Chelsea spring to mind).

But it always takes time to adjust to a new league and the EPL is less forgiving than most, with its non-stop physical battles week-in, week-out.

We could hardly have expected him to hit top form the moment he started playing in a new country with new team mates.

And likewise I know many felt the jury was out on Squillaci in the first part of the season. But both are settling in to Arsenal and England and are helping to put to bed the daft myth that Arsene Wenger can’t buy defenders (Grimandi, Campbell, Toure, Gallas, Lauren, Sagna, Clichy, Vermaelen, Squidgy and Kozzer all give the lie to that one).

No doubt the idea of TV5 having to wait in line behind the two newbies sounds like heresy to many.

We have all come to love Thomas’s total commitment to the cause, his bravery and determination, his willingness to attack dangerous situations before they get us into trouble.

But his tendency to get dragged up the pitch also cost us dearly on several occasions last season, leading directly to at least three goals I can think of.

This, coupled with the simple argument that you should not drop players when they’re in form, means he may have to warm the bench for a while when he finally gets back.

It will be a wonderful problem for Arsène to have: three outstanding centre backs all raring to go with a fourth, in Djourou, who will also come good the more playing time he gets.

Anyway, with the number of games we play and the fact that our injury record is of the long-playing variety, I’m sure TV will be back in the first eleven not long after he recovers fitness. It’s just that it won’t be the automatic step it might have been a few weeks ago.

RockyLives

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Posted by RockyLives

One Nil to The Arsenal

October 31, 2010

League positions usually go out of the window when there is a local derby, and West Ham who had fared quite well against us in recent years came with the obvious intention of not losing. Expectations were high amongst the home supporters after seemingly scoring for fun whoever we played in the last few weeks,yet it soon became apparent this was going to be in the main an all out attack against a resilient defence. I don’t think I am being too harsh in saying that this wasn’t one of our most fluent performances as unusually Cesc and co weren’t on top of their game yet others who had been criticised lately, mainly Clichy and Sagna both had outstanding games. Koscienly is performing better with every game and his partnership with Squillaci looked solid. Fabianski had little to do, but he is reborn,oozing confidence and commanded his area well. Long may that continue.

Arshavin is just totally out of form and should have been substituted earlier and Denilson didn’t have the best of games. Chamakh is only human, and he too found it difficult to impose himself.

Nevertheless as the game progressed Nasri started to control the game and the surge continued, and he blasted a free kick from a full 35 yards which hit the crossbar. Song,who obviously enjoys his role as an attacking/defending centre back or is it midfielder kept moving forward more and more. Eventually Walcott was introduced and within minutes was unfortunate not to score, hitting the angle of the post which rebounded to the excellent Green. Green made several other outstanding saves, primarily from Fabregas and Walcott and many watching felt resigned to us drawing against our East London neighbours.

Everyone was on edge and the clock was ticking down, when Clichy cut inside from the left flank and sent in a curling ball and there was our unsung hero  Song to head the ball into the net.That is three goals in three games for the much maligned Alex.

The final minutes were a master class of possession by the lads and as the final whistle blew there were smiles all round and a huge sigh of relief.

1-0 to The Arsenal 🙂

Player ratings courtesy of RockyLives:

Fabianski: Not a lot to do, but when he had to do it he was composed and sure. His confidence is growing visibly and there was a wonderful moment when he was literally dragging Cesc onto position in the box as we defended a free kick or corner. (I gave him an extra half mark for that). 7.5

Sagna: some misplaced passes in the final third but excellent defensively. 7

Koscielny: didn’t put a foot wrong. His tackling and positional play were first rate and he’s brilliant at staying on his feet and steering opponents away from danger without diving in. MoTM: 8

Squillaci: another good game for The Squid, who is forming a solid partnership with Kozzer. He made some strong tackles when needed, always looks calm and is a threat in the opposition’s box from set pieces. 7

Clichy: comes in for a lot of stick for his positional play but he was good today (partly helped by West Ham’s lack of ambition). And a rare assist for the vital goal. 7

Song: worked his socks off playing box to box and scored the late winner. West Ham’s lack of threat in attack meant you never felt too worried about any potential holes he was leaving. Got his customary first-half yellow for diving in in a non-crucial area. 7.5

Denilson: Tidy, if unspectacular. Nevertheless with Song charging forward his conservative positioning was important. 6.5

Fabregas: Not one of his better games. His touch was off and he misplaced a third of his passes, which is very uncharacteristic. On the plus side he kept trying to make things happen and had a couple of attempts on goal. 6

Arshavin: what’s happened to the player who single-handedly destroyed Liverpool? Nothing worked for him and it was painful to watch at times. Sadly the time has come to take him out of the spotlight for a few games. 4

Nasri: not as influential as he has been in other recent games (partly because Cesc and Arsh were misfiring, so our rhythm was never properly established). But he still did well and was driving us forward at the end. 7

Chamakh: some have criticised him for yesterday’s performance but in truth he was a victim of our general lack of fluidity and West Ham’s packed defence. It’s not as if he missed a hatful of sitters, it’s just that he couldn’t get in the game. 6.5

Subs

Walcott: continued his good recent form and was unlucky not to score. 7

Bendtner: didn’t have time to make much of an impact but definitely added to our threat as we chased the winner. 7

Eboue: a typical Eboue cameo: 6

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Posted by kelsey

In Cesc We Trust

October 24, 2010

We could banter all day about the merits of Man City and the financial imbalance between MC and the rest of the PL (ex. Chelsea), but three points are still to be settled today and they are to be fought over by two fine squads of players. However one player stands head and shoulders above the others and that is Cesc Fabregas.

Admittedly Tevez is a fine player and City’s recent results have relied heavily upon his non-stop energy and fine finishing, but Cesc is THE man, not only on this field but on any PL pitch.

We have had some sterling performances in his absence, we have seen Nasri realise the promise AW saw in him, Jack Wilshire excite the whole of the British media, Chamakh start his Arsenal career with a flurry of goals, but since Cesc’s injury we have struggled to maintain our fine start to the season. We have lost unecessary points  thanks to sloppy play, points that I believe we would have won with a fit Cesc.

Last season we slumped to an ugly defeat 4-2 at City, quite frankly we were humiliated by a side who were in the process of rebuilding and then there was that Adebayor goal. Today I hope for better from us, I do not expect us to win easily but based upon the Chelsea performance and adding in the Cesc factor, we can get a result. Losing Wilshere is a blow though Rosicky has been improving and deserves a start.

Will Wenger try to fight fire with fire and pack the midfield as Mancini does, thereby leaving Chamakh as a sole striker, or will he start with Theo on the right and try to out attack them? My preference would be to throw caution to the wind and go at City, starting Walcott because MC have problems at Left Back (they have only Bridge,  Lescott and Bridge to choose from., over €45m of LB !!!). No Kolo is to our advantage, and I hope Mancini chooses to play Ade over Silva who looks a fine player.

My team would be:

Fabianski

Eboue Squillacci  Djourou  Clichy

Cesc Nasri  Song  Rosicky

Walcott Chamakh

Attacking I know, but why not, we are never going to outmuscle a City team that is based upon power, so let’s play to our strengths.

Manchester has been a centre of industry for hundreds of years and was the focus of the German air attacks outside London. Over Xmas in 1940 475 tonnes of explosives and 37,000 incendiary devices were dropped on Manchester by German bombers causing enormous damage and loss of life. In contrast, the first Gay Supermarket in England was opened in Manchester’s Canal St.

Can we win? Yes. Will we win? Why not.

COYRRG

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Posted by Erik the Red

What’s Wrong With Rosicky?

October 18, 2010

What has Arsène Wenger got against Tomas Rosicky?

For long periods of Saturday’s game, as we played tippy-tappy around the edge of the Birmingham box, it was obvious that we needed some good old-fashioned directness.

Apart from Wilshere, none of our players were willing to take the responsibility to make the quick killer pass or take the first time shot at goal.

Diaby, with his bursting power-runs, seemed to be affected by an invisible force field on the edge of the opposition penalty area. Unfortunately he also had ‘goldfish memory’ syndrome, so time and again he would charge forward only to go DOING!!! into the invisible wall.

Arshavin, I think, is suffering from sore toes. It’s the only possible explanation for his unwillingness to use the front of his boot when making a pass. Either that or he is involved in some kind of bet to see how many back-heels he can make in a single match.

Nasri, who has been a consistently good player this season, could only get so far with his dribbling runs when the opponents were packing the defence as resolutely as the Brummies were.

And poor old Alex Song, lumbering into dangerous areas and misplacing his passes, was like your 10-year-old son trying to help you assemble an Ikea wardrobe: eager to help, but generally getting in the way and making you hit your thumb with the hammer.

Don’t they know that if you want to get to Birmingham, it’s best to take the M1?

When Tomas Rosicky came on the difference was immense and immediate. Instead of zig-zagging through Warwickshire, Leicestershire and Staffordshire, suddenly we were taking the fast route. Here was a player whose first priority was not to create beautiful 20-pass moves, but to hurt the opposition.

It was another excellent cameo from the little Czech – and raises the question of why he is getting only cameo roles. Why doesn’t Arsene trust him to start ahead of Diaby or the clearly misfiring Arshavin? In eight league fixtures TR7 has started two and come on as a substitute six times.

The two games that Tomas started? Blackpool (6-0) and Bolton (4-1). We certainly had ‘thrust’ in those matches. He was also in the starting line-up for the League Cup hammering of the Spuds. That’s pretty strong evidence for his impact on the team – and the fact that for the West Brom calamity he was on the bench makes me want to cry.

As Peaches pointed out in the comments yesterday, Rosicky is a ‘proper footballer’ who has played elsewhere – clocking up five seasons with Borussia Dortmund and 74 caps for his country. He is experienced and, age-wise, is at the peak of his career. He definitely adds something to the way we play.

But Wenger doesn’t seem to see it. Could it be that the Boss is more keen to persevere with the players who constitute his so-called youth experiment: the likes of Diaby, Denilson and Song?

Is he worried that Rosicky’s injury record means he can’t be exposed to more substantial amounts of playing time?

Or does he simply think that the other players are better?

If it’s the latter I would respectfully suggest that he needs to reconsider. Rosicky is a player who, at his best, can come close to matching Fabregas for ability. And above all he adds a forward momentum to our play that is often lacking.

A starting line up that includes Fabregas, Wilshere, Rosicky and Walcott has the directness to hurt any team, especially those who ‘park the bus’. We have been unlucky (again) with injuries this year, so that foursome has never been on the pitch together at the same time.

Wouldn’t it be nice to see them soon in the starting eleven?

RockyLives

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Posted by RockyLives

A better day at the office ….. three points in the bag

October 17, 2010

This was another of those games where the title of the match report could be ‘What is Diaby for?’ How many times did he go on a great run only to come to a grinding halt at the edge of the penalty box? Those long, strong legs with feet that obviously have the ball magnets in their boots have to be attached to the most infuriating footballer in our squad.

He doesn’t have to keep the ball at his feet while he’s running but he does have to keep running. His awareness of where his team-mates are is virtually non-existant. His shooting ability has never been in question so why doesn’t he look up and check what’s happening around him. BigRaddy said last night that once Theo returns Diaby will have company on his runs but that won’t be of any help if Diaby hasn’t got his brain switched on. I can run with the ball at my feet into space – admittedly not with the grace and speed of Diaby – but if I didn’t know what my next move was going to be what would be the point?

Maybe Diaby just doesn’t know what his job is  – I’m afraid to me he is just a  ‘headless chicken’, but he’s been like this for far too long and needs to answer some stern questions. Footballing skills are great but pretty pointless if you don’t fit into a team.

But there were positives to take from this game. Our favourite flapper was considerably more solid than I can ever remember. If Birmingham were ever to score it was going to be from a free kick or a corner and Fabianski wasn’t at fault for their goal. With a fledgling partnership in front of him in the form of Djourou and Squillaci it could have all gone horribly wrong but he was vociferous and didn’t at any time look vulnerable. Shame on those supporters who hammed up their applause of his first touches of the ball, when he’s wearing the shirt at least give him a chance.

Jack Wilshere was once again at the heart of all that was good. Some great interplay between him and Chamakh that should have yielded a goal but once again there were too many passes. Arshavin was unlucky today that none of his back flicks found a man but he kept on trying. I’ve just seen Jack’s tackle again that led to his red card and he was late and could have hurt the player – who thinks that Arsène Wenger sent him out to let the player know he was there? Obviously not and having watched Jack in pre-season I felt that he had a fiesty tendency that he’s so far kept under control – good for him,  he’ll learn I’m sure.

Watching Theo, Rosicky and Nikki warming up after half-time did bring a flutter to my heart. When Rosicky came on he added great directness to the play managing to sting the keepers hands with 2 rasping shots. Nikki also got a chance to join in and could have scored with his first touch. He’s way behind Chamakh and van Persie in the pecking order which hopefully he won’t mind. I thought this game was crying out for Theo but we’ll have to wait for Tuesday night against Shaktar to see him. I don’t want to put a hex on it but its worth noting that the penalty was scored by a cool penalty taker who smashed the ball into the back of the net.

So, overall this was a game we were expected to win, it wasn’t pretty by any definition but on reflection we actually ground out a result. I’m not going to say it was comfortable because it certainly wasn’t and the last 10-15 minutes were suitably nervous as we looked, as usual, like we could concede at any moment but we hung on and added three points to our total…….. more than the chavs and the manks ha ha. Sometimes its nice to win ugly.

Here are some player ratings from BigRaddy

Fabianski. A solid performance, not at fault for the goal – it was a superb header.His distribution was a bit suspect. 7

Eboue. Added little to the attack and was guilty of a very poor tackle. Good application 5

Squillaci. Improved performance. Unlucky not to be on the scoresheet. Could be the answer once TV comes back. 7

Djourou. Still looks rusty to me. Probably the most mobile of our CB’s. Got caught under the ball for a couple of headers and was outjumped for the goal. 6

Clichy. What has happened to his positioning? A shadow of the player we saw 3 seasons ago. 5

Song. A dynamic performance. Drove the team forward and put in some fine tackles. One of his better games though his passing was wayward on occasion 8

Nasri. Got a bit lost in the midfield hurly-burly but once again was aggressive in his attacking play. Not at his best. 7

Wilshere. Our best player prior to his rash tackle, let’s hope it is a lesson learned. Strong and disciplined in defence when required, excellent link up play and moved the ball very quickly when required. 8

Arshavin. Started really well and faded. Mr Inconsistent ran about for 20 mins the first half and went missing prior to his substitution. Is he fully fit? Does he need a break? Does he know that Arsenal play in Red? 4

Chamakh. As usual worked hard. Scored , got the penalty (I believe it was the correct decision), the focal point of our attacks. He is improving. 7

Subs:

Rosicky. Came on for Arshavin and immediately shot from distance (clearly under instructions). A good cameo. 7

Bendtner. Only had a few minutes but almost got on the end of a cross. 6

 

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Thug Shawcross Happy to Keep On Breaking Legs

October 11, 2010

I was staggered to read Ryan Shawcross’s contribution to the discussion about dangerous tackling. In the week in which Bobby Zamora and Hatem ben Arfa both suffered very serious injuries caused by so-called ‘full blooded’ tackles, Shawcross had this to say:

“The likes of Henry and de Jong, I’m sure, didn’t go out to injure another player on purpose. It’s part and parcel of football. They are tough-tackling central midfielders whose games are based on making tackles, winning the ball and then giving it to the ball-players. Sometimes injuries are caused.

“You have just got to accept in these times, with the ball moving so fast and the player moving so fast, you are going to mis-time tackles. That is when injuries can happen.”

Essentially this arrogant buffoon, this poltroonish ignoramus is saying that he has no intention of changing the way he plays.

Despite having watched Aaron Ramsey carried off with his leg snapped in four (tibia – two parts, fibula – two parts), despite putting Francis Jeffers out for three months with ligament damage, despite putting Emmanuel Adebayor out for weeks with a malicious foul that wasn’t even on the field of play, Shawcross sees no reason to do things differently. Which will mean more ligaments damaged and more legs broken in the future.

Don’t you love his use of the impersonal voice?:  “Sometimes injuries are caused.” Caused by whom Ryan? Some mysterious third force? An act of God? The Hoof Fairies?

No, you festering noodledick, they are caused by YOU and the rest of your brave fellows from the British Donkey Society (motto: Not Good, Not Fast, But We Kick Like Mules).

Then there’s the admission that he’s going to carry on hurting people because he’s too slow: “…with the player moving so fast, you are going to mis-time tackles. That is when injuries can happen.” Again he uses the impersonal voice to distance himself from the unfortunate outcome of being too slow: “injuries can happen” – when what he should be saying is: “that is when I, and cloggers like me, are likely to injure someone.”

We all know that the likes of Shawcross think that intimidating the opposition by ‘going in hard’ is a legitimate part of the game.  And spare me the comparisons with Arsene Wenger’s ‘red period’ when we were top of the sendings off league: I don’t recall an Arsenal player snapping someone’s leg in two during that time.

In fact, while the hard men of 10-15 years ago (the likes of Vieira, Keane, Batty) would undoubtedly try to impose themselves on the opposition, it was in a controlled way without risking career-threatening injuries (I know, I know, Keane on Haaland was appalling  but it was a crazy personal vendetta). What seems to have changed is the sheer recklessness with which agricultural midfielders and defenders hurl themselves into challenges.

Being ‘taught a lesson’ by Roy Keane meant you’d be bruised for a week, not sidelined for a year.

The reason for the rise in crazy, career-threatening challenges – a trend I call ‘malicious recklessness’ – appears to be a combination of several factors: the financial stakes involved in Premier League survival for unfashionable clubs, which causes some managers to advocate an ‘anything goes’ policy in games against more skilful opposition; a rise in the technical level of the EPL (thanks largely to the foreign influx) resulting in players who are faster and have better control than previously, making it more difficult for cloggers like Shawcross to compete fairly; the physical condition of today’s players – they are stronger and faster than in previous years, so if they tackle in an uncontrolled manner they are more likely to cause serious harm; a laissez-faire attitude among footballing authorities to the consequences of dangerous play.

Today’s Reckless Ryans and Careless Karls can always say afterwards “I didn’t mean to hurt him” but their recklessness makes the hurting inevitable and they should not be allowed to shirk responsibility for it. If you drive your car at 80mph down a suburban street, you may not intend to kill the little kid who runs out in the road, but try telling that to the judge.

In today’s EPL there are plenty of physical teams who stay within the bounds of legality and common human decency: within the last few weeks Chelsea, West Brom and Sunderland have all played a physical game against Arsenal without resorting to malicious recklessness. Arsene Wenger made no complaints about physicality in any of those games. He is just incredibly consistent about highlighting dangerous play when it occurs.

So what to do?

Well, there is one group of people who, I believe, can really make a difference in the battle to take dangerous rash play out of the game. It’s not the players, it’s not the managers and it’s certainly not the ineffectual stuffed shirts at the FA and FIFA. Tomorrow I’ll explain who they are and what they need to do.

RockyLives

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Posted by RockyLives

Sick Note Cesc

October 8, 2010

Cesc Fàbregas is one of the best players in the world. But, looking at his appearance and injury stats, I’m beginning to doubt whether we can rely on him to be the heartbeat of our team.

With typical bad timing his latest injury has cleared up just in time for him to go away on international duty with Spain, but luckily this time, they have decided not to risk him.

So far this season Cesc has appeared in five of our 10 competitive fixtures – a ratio of exactly 50%.

Last season he played in 27 EPL games (71%), plus nine games in other competitions. The year before he turned out in the EPL 22 times (58%) and in all competitions 33 times.

Contrast that with his previous few seasons:

2007/8: Total appearances 45, including 32 (84%) in the EPL.

2006/7: Total appearances 54, including 38 (100%) in the EPL (yes, that’s right – every single EPL game, although four were as substitute).

2005/6: Total appearances 50, including 35 (92%) in the EPL.

2004/5: Total appearances 46, including 33 (87%) in the EPL.

It’s a worrying trend, showing our captain apparently becoming more injury prone as the years go by (and as opposition cloggers increasingly identify him as the main threat and kick lumps out of him).

We’re used to Robin van Perise having the label ‘Sick Note’ – but is that tag ready to be passed on to Fàbregas as well?

It’s automatic to think of RvP as a persistent absentee, but in the last two seasons his appearance record is not far behind Cesc’s (in the seasons 2008/9 and 2009/10 Cesc played in 64% of our EPL fixtures, Robin played in 58%. In the same period Cesc’s total appearances in all competitions were 69, Robin’s were 64).

What conclusions can we draw from this?

For me, a very blunt one: if Cesc is not fit to play the vast majority of our competitive fixtures this season (by which I mean at least 80%) then maybe it really is time to cash in and sell him to Barcelona next summer.

We won’t win anything when our two best players are each missing at least a third of the season every single year.

RockyLives

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Posted by RockyLives

Wenger’s Tactics Were Spot On.

October 7, 2010

I make no apologies for continuing the navel gazing that has set in following our defeat at the weekend. It’s the International break and things are slow; so, I will carry on regardless and address the one topic that still doesn’t quite sit well with me and that is the criticism of Wenger for the tactics he employed against Chelsea.

There seems to be two schools of thought; unsurprisingly, as we lost, there are those who think that Wenger needs to completely rethink his approach to how we play Chelsea and when we consider our win to loss ratio over recent years even the most loyal, fully paid up, card carrying Wengerites, such as myself, have to admit that this view may be worthy of a bit more than a cursory glance.

In one corner we have those who think that we should have tried to have kept a clean sheet at all costs for the first hour, I am not sure how they expected to do that but I can only assume that they would have advocated a “Park the Bus” approach. Hmmmm, did we really want to go there and simply try not to lose, should we really have been that craven?

Wenger went there to win and, I was about to prefix what I was going to say next with the words, in my humble opinion, but as I have never had a humble opinion in my life I see no reason to start now, lol, Wenger got the tactics spot on, we used our superior passing ability to move forward and had we taken our chances we would have been two up inside ten minutes.

I don’t see why Wenger is expected to take the blame for Koscielny or Chamakh’s misses, the fact that these opportunities were created surely only goes to prove that Wenger’s tactics were working.

Chelsea make the hollow claim that they were happy to let us have possession secure in the knowledge that we would lose it and they would hit us on the break and score, absolute tosh, yes they scored but it was a lucky goal and it went against the run of play. Our most potent weapon is our ability to move towards a team like Chelsea en masse and play our way around them. It just didn’t quite come off but that still doesn’t say to me that the tactics are wrong, it says that we need be even more precise with our passing.

Fàbregas would have helped as would have Van Persie; someone suggested that if you had put Chamakh next to Drogba before the game you would have been able to tell which was going to win by their body language; well, if Van Persie was there it would not  have been so clear. This is all new to the Moroccan and he looks as though he needs a rest to take stock. Help is on its way: we get Nikki B back after the break and I am guessing that he realises that the bar has been raised and will want to prove that he is capable of being a top dog and talking of top dogs, even the Boy Wonder will return at some point and then there will be fire works.

No, I am not convinced by this call to change tactics, turning the team into a bunch of thugs in the hope that we will be able to beat Chelsea is not the answer, we need to continue doing what we are good at but do it just that little bit better. Keep the faith and enjoy the football.

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Posted by LB

Can we dominate and win at Stamford Bridge?

October 2, 2010

Written by Smith14

In recent years our encounters against Chelsea have tended to be harsh lessons. Aside from the RVP inspired 2-1 comeback against Scolari’s outfit, it’s fair to say we’ve struggled. The time of our yearly examination is nearly upon us. I pride myself on being one of Arsenal’s more optimistic supporters and sincerely believe that we have a visionary in charge of the club and that his plans, which have so tested our collective patience, will come good eventually. Despite all this, I’m still absolutely petrified of 4 o’clock on Sunday.

Arsenal fans, and those neutrals that don’t seem intent on upsetting us, are generally treated to the most attractive Football in the League. When everyone’s fit, which admittedly is as rare as a loose pass from Wilshere, we have a squad which compares pretty well to the elite of the division, the elite of Europe in fact. There is, in my mind, no question that the likes of Cesc, Wilshere, Arshavin, Nasri, RVP and Chamakh could orchestrate the downfall of any side, on their day. The question is why don’t we ever seem to have our day on the biggest occasions?

Our problem is not ability. All summer there were arguments among fans about who we needed to buy but, looking at the squad rationally, Goalkeeper aside, I don’t think there’s great room for improvement. The thing that we lack is not players, its mentality. In recent seasons we’ve taken the lead at Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge, The Millennium Stadium, Wembley and the Nou Camp and been beaten or drawn on every occasion.

We have had periods of great dominance against the likes of United and Chelsea but occasions on which we’ve turned that dominance into wins are few and far between. Apart from the colossal injury list, which isn’t an excuse but certainly an explanation for a lot of what’s gone wrong in the last few seasons, our poor return comes down to mental toughness. The ability to see a result out or dig in to drag yourself back from a mistake. Add to that games where we’ve squandered periods of superiority, games where we’ve given away the first goal and gone on to be embarrassed.

So, do we have the ability to get a result? We could argue that the age of the squad was to blame and it was a factor for a few years but, by now, they’ve all been together for long enough to have experienced success and failure as a unit. The likes of Clichy, Sagna, Fabregas, Nasri, Rosicky and Arshavin have all felt disappointment in an Arsenal shirt. Wenger was right this summer when he said that age was no longer an excuse. There can rarely have been a team with so much experience at such a young age. The last remaining hurdle for this team seems to be belief in themselves that matches Wengers. The idea that they can truly live up to the talent in the squad and get results we deserve. I’m fed up of arguing that we should have got better results, the time has come to start getting those results.

On Sunday we will be faced with Terry, Essien and Drogba. We will need determination, aggression, skill and concentration in abundance. I personally think we have the Footballing ability to play them off the pitch. We must now prove that we have the self belief to make this count. The fact that Koscielny, Squillaci and Chamakh – all likely starters on Sunday – have yet to face Chelsea in an Arsenal shirt may provide grounds for optimism. They will not so readily recall being put to the sword by Drogba and, if they approach the game with the appropriate professionalism, the centre backs in particular could give us a strong foundation from which to play.

The central defensive partnership must not allow themselves to be lulled into a false sense of security by Drogba. Consistently he will throw himself all over the pitch, whinge and moan and appear to have given up the ghost. All of a sudden, defence suitably relaxed, he surges back and simply blows teams away. If Koscielny and Squillaci needed an induction to the Premier League, this is it. Squillaci comes with the battled hardened features to match a long career. His experience could be vital in this duel. Firstly we must frustrate Drogba, then we must stamp on him whilst he’s down, figuratively speaking of course.

Ultimately the onus falls on Wenger and the players to toughen up and prove my bold claims to be correct. We as fans can do little but support the side. We may not think that each individual is good enough to achieve what we want them to but as long as they are in an Arsenal shirt they should be backed 100%. A team with whole hearted and unified support will perform better than one who transmits its anxieties onto the players.

Let’s hope that on Monday morning we are celebrating a side who are becoming men, rather than licking our wounds. Honestly, I don’t think Win, Lose or Draw, Sunday will be as decisive as Sky will portray it. At the very least though, it will confirm our worst fears or make a bold statement that we are at least up for the fight.

Keep The Faith.

You can read other articles by Smith14 at  http://tbwttihs14.wordpress.com/

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Arsenal’s latest accounts, are you pleased or confused?

October 1, 2010

Written by kelsey

Some out there may not like this, but I’ve had a look at Arsenal’s accounts and they’re not as rosy as everyone is making out. The fortunate thing for Arsenal is that the property portfolio is finally being sold off and is providing additional profit and we continue to be able to sell players.

If you strip out the property portfolio, which is fair as it won’t always be there and it isn’t football related, then you strip out the profit from the sale of players, the club actually made about £6m before tax.

Footballing turnover decreased by £3m on 2009 (5 fewer Home games) and costs increased by approx £7m, meaning their operating profit before interest and Tax dropped from £30m (2009) to £20m (2010).

The interesting thing is the chairman noted that player wages and wage expectations have increased dramatically and Arsène Wenger is aware of Arsenal’s financial model!

Hats off to the club, the overall figures are good, but the underlying footballing business continues to rely on selling players for the majority of its profit.

However, according to the Arsenal financial report: Operating profit before player trading and depreciation, which is a key measure of our financial performance, also rose to £72.0 million (2009 – £70.5 million). The profit reported of £56m is AFTER player trading has been taken into account along with net finance charges etc…. so it’s trading performance does not rely on player sales for the majority of its profits

Players’ wages have probably increased due to signing new contracts, etc. On the whole, the profits are very good, and so is the fact that we have made a massive profit whilst being able to knock £162m of the debt.

But they reduced the debt in what is effectively a retail business – they bought stock (the property) with debt, and then repaid it when they sold that stock.

Arsenal’s original plan was for the Highbury development to help pay for the  building of the Emirates,or at least ,make a sizeable contribution, that won’t happen, but anything else they now sell, will provide a surplus which, looking at previous sales and costs, should be circa £15m next year.

All a bit confusing, but open to discussion.

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Posted by kelsey

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