Perhaps the most telling thing about the state of the current Arsenal team for me is that I no longer bellow and curse when they concede cheap goals. They’ve done it so often for such a long period of time that I am resigned to it now and I feel no surprise. I’m also no longer surprised when a so-called inferior side show more fight and determination than Arsenal do. I can’t get angry and I can’t marvel at it—it has become the new normal.
And that, above all else, is what must change if Arsenal are ever again to win a trophy.
The analysis of how this has come to be is being done to death everywhere. I can see with my eyes the things that happen—the loss of possession, the cheap fouls, the seeming inability to stay with one’s man when marking on a set piece—but I can’t offer any more information as to why they happen. I can only wonder.
I wonder if there is real pride in the squad.
I wonder if there is real toughness—both physical and mental.
I wonder if the tactics are appropriate.
I wonder if there has ever been another club that will endure such agony over a top-three finish, a cup final, and a decent showing in the Champions League.
The agony, the anguish, that surrounds this club is taking away from what should be a fun diversion from the real world. Each of us has to wake each day and experience the reality of our lives. Football ought to give us something beyond ourselves to get us stirred up and passionate about something.
So it comes to the questions that have seemingly polarised Arsenal supporters: Would dismissing Arsene Wenger change the club for the better? Would dismissing Arsene Wenger push the club from third to first? Would dismissing Arsene Wenger be a long-term improvement?
My answer to these questions—for now—remains no. I can’t say that a managerial change for its own sake will improve Arsenal’s standing in the Premier League table, win the European Cup, or simply make the squad more combative. I also can’t endorse changing the manager without already having a proven leader with a track record of success lined up to succeed Arsenal’s most decorated manager of the modern era.
This is really the crux of the argument for or against changing the manager: Who is available, and who wants to come to Arsenal? If we really see Arsenal as one of the biggest clubs in the world, do we want to also see Arsenal have a merry-go-round managerial situation like those other clubs? Outside of Arsenal and Manchester United, no other so-called big club has had anything resembling managerial stability. We see Barca, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Inter, and Bayern as our equals, and none of them holds on to a manager for very long. I’m also not sure how many of them are attempting to operate as a self-sustaining financial entity, either. That’s a factor that always drags me back from the precipice of calling for Wenger’s head on the block.
I posed the question on twitter recently—who is available who would replace Arsene Wenger? It wasn’t done facetiously. I sincerely would like to know who we think would be our “next” manager if we part ways with the current one. I’m not saying that it would be a mistake for the club to dismiss him out of hand. When he was hired, I had no idea who he was, so it’s certainly possible that a potential successor of similar anonymity is out there right now. Thinking about how he became Arsenal manager—the behind the scenes discussions with David Dein and the influence of Houllier—makes one wonder how it might happen again.
Managing a club like Arsenal is no simple task, either. There’s no unlimited transfer or wage budget to work from, and there are also tactics and player development to consider.
We are burning white-hot with many negative emotions right now, and we have been since the Carling Cup final. Emotion always trumps truth. For me, the truth is:
Arsenal were “eliminated” from the title race after 36 matches.
Who is the manager out there who would come to Arsenal who will change that for the better? And clearly, “for the better” means winning the whole bloody thing, not lasting one more week before being eliminated from the race.
So here is my latest: A completely equivocal, uncommitted missive that asks the question “If you really want Arsene Wenger out, who do you want to replace him?”
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
When the pictures are hidden...
This weekend, the Arsenal Football Club will play at Stoke City.
I operate under the assumption that Aaron Ramsey, Arsenal midfielder, will be among the substitutes--only because I also assume that the club's captain, Cesc Fabregas, will be counted among the first XI.
I have terrible mixed emotions about this trip. Part of me wishes to see Aaron on the pitch, scoring a goal and then removing his kit and taking a massive, pent-up sh*t all over Ryan Shawc*nt. (For those of you who don't know, Shawc*nt is the original "He's not that kind of player," or as Arsenal supporters have come to know it, "HNTKOP." His repeated inability to tackle correctly has caused serious injury to 3 players so far in a just a few years of first team football. But remember, he's not that kind of player.)
Part of me, however, remains in a pained limbo over the whole thing. I didn't see last season's match live. I saw a delayed replay the same day, and knew it was coming--"it" being that flying stomp by the great ape Shawc*nt on Aaron's leg--and it still horrified and sickened me so much that I was reduced to tears. Aaron had become a focal point for the progress of Arsene's youth project, a player who symbolised the way a bright young talent could slowly work his way into the first team, and his contributions last season were growing in importance. In contrast to the energetic, possession-keeping, tackling and hustling Jack Wilshere, Aaron was an attacking midfielder who was always driving things forward and moving upfield.
I've never seen the stomp since then. I can't imagine seeing it. I can't even want to watch the end of the match when Arsenal gathered themselves and fought back, when Big Sol stood and roared and the Captain told an interviewer, "For me, it is no good."
So seeing Aaron back on that pitch against Tony Putrid's lab experiments gone wrong, it would almost be too much to stomach. I don't know if I need that kind of closure as a supporter. I think that happened last weekend with Aaron's goal against the Rags.
I don't want people to forget what happened--ever. The shame of what that idiot did to Aaron can't be forgotten, nor should anyone forget what kind of player he was becoming before his career was so crudely interrupted. It's a more simple prospect for me--I just can't stand the thought of seeing something so horrific again. I've seen it 3 times in recent years happen to Arsenal players and I don't care to witness such a thing ever again. I think I don't even want to see it happen to John Terry. That's how horrible I think it is.
Most instructive about the vomit-inducing nature of the "tackle" was that most of the highlights programmes refused to show it or its aftermath. I believe that MOTD said plainly that it was too disgusting to show and while I know many people claimed that this was merely an attempt to diminish the violence in English football, I can't see the conspiracy there. It was in my mind a simple case of "Here, do you really want to see something this bloody disgusting again?"
The best kind of closure that could happen this weekend? A sound thrashing of Stoke City and a straight red for Shawc*nt--before the match. Just for being a big, stupid, smelly twat.
I operate under the assumption that Aaron Ramsey, Arsenal midfielder, will be among the substitutes--only because I also assume that the club's captain, Cesc Fabregas, will be counted among the first XI.
I have terrible mixed emotions about this trip. Part of me wishes to see Aaron on the pitch, scoring a goal and then removing his kit and taking a massive, pent-up sh*t all over Ryan Shawc*nt. (For those of you who don't know, Shawc*nt is the original "He's not that kind of player," or as Arsenal supporters have come to know it, "HNTKOP." His repeated inability to tackle correctly has caused serious injury to 3 players so far in a just a few years of first team football. But remember, he's not that kind of player.)
Part of me, however, remains in a pained limbo over the whole thing. I didn't see last season's match live. I saw a delayed replay the same day, and knew it was coming--"it" being that flying stomp by the great ape Shawc*nt on Aaron's leg--and it still horrified and sickened me so much that I was reduced to tears. Aaron had become a focal point for the progress of Arsene's youth project, a player who symbolised the way a bright young talent could slowly work his way into the first team, and his contributions last season were growing in importance. In contrast to the energetic, possession-keeping, tackling and hustling Jack Wilshere, Aaron was an attacking midfielder who was always driving things forward and moving upfield.
I've never seen the stomp since then. I can't imagine seeing it. I can't even want to watch the end of the match when Arsenal gathered themselves and fought back, when Big Sol stood and roared and the Captain told an interviewer, "For me, it is no good."
So seeing Aaron back on that pitch against Tony Putrid's lab experiments gone wrong, it would almost be too much to stomach. I don't know if I need that kind of closure as a supporter. I think that happened last weekend with Aaron's goal against the Rags.
I don't want people to forget what happened--ever. The shame of what that idiot did to Aaron can't be forgotten, nor should anyone forget what kind of player he was becoming before his career was so crudely interrupted. It's a more simple prospect for me--I just can't stand the thought of seeing something so horrific again. I've seen it 3 times in recent years happen to Arsenal players and I don't care to witness such a thing ever again. I think I don't even want to see it happen to John Terry. That's how horrible I think it is.
Most instructive about the vomit-inducing nature of the "tackle" was that most of the highlights programmes refused to show it or its aftermath. I believe that MOTD said plainly that it was too disgusting to show and while I know many people claimed that this was merely an attempt to diminish the violence in English football, I can't see the conspiracy there. It was in my mind a simple case of "Here, do you really want to see something this bloody disgusting again?"
The best kind of closure that could happen this weekend? A sound thrashing of Stoke City and a straight red for Shawc*nt--before the match. Just for being a big, stupid, smelly twat.
Friday, April 29, 2011
No matter how thin you slice it, it's still baloney
"I think it suggests something about the duality of man."
I have said it before, but since I'm a repetitive bore I think it bears repeating. I did not choose Arsenal Football Club, the Club chose me. I didn't follow the Arsenal because of trophies. I didn't follow the Arsenal because of players. It was never a question of glory.
Thus I was never spoilt by wild, early success that led me to believe that the path would only lead to glory and my heart would never be broken. Have I been upset at times? I have been. Don't talk to me about Ray Kennedy. Don't speak to me of Frank Stapleton. Don't show me Liam Brady in a Juve strip. I won't have it.
Did 1971 make us think we'd be covered in glory for ever and ever Amen? We see how that worked out.
There is a truth about the Arsenal Football Club that most of the newcomers can't admit--for a club that sees itself (and for a group of supporters who seem to share the same delusion) as one of the biggest and best in history, the truth is that the story of Arsenal is EQUAL parts sunlight and shadow. For every 79 FA Cup final, there's losing to West Ham the following season. Look up the records and see how true it is.
If you want to be honest about our Club, then you must admit that Arsene Wenger's trophies were an anomaly, and that coming close is more the norm.
Ahh, but that doesn't sit well with those who seek the reflected glory that comes with supporting a trophy-claiming side. No, for them, what matters most is the puffing of the chest and the bellowing that accompanies seeing the captain hoist that silverware. Never mind that they only know the heartache of losing to Barca in the Big Cup final--the heroic comeback in the Fairs Cup means nothing. But for me, it's the opposite way 'round--the glory of the Fairs Cup is fleeting, whilst the loss in Copenhagen to the Turks still hurts. STILL HURTS.
You can't scream your lungs out for Wenger to "go" (what does that even mean?) without knowing what it means to be an Arsenal supporter. You can't, because you don't understand the pain of all the losses in big matches. Don't you understand WHY the win at Anfield still dominates discussion? Don't you know why we need to fall asleep at night seeing Steve McMahon embarrassing himself with his ridiculous index finger aloft? It's because we don't get to enjoy those moments as often as our rivals. It doesn't matter what you tell yourself about how being an Arsenal supporter covers you in glory--because if you believe that, you don't know this club.
I'm sure that these musings are neither very well constructed nor satisfactory. I apologise profusely for that. But the truth of the matter is, Liam Brady won one major honour at Arsenal. How many medals does John O'Shea have? It's bloody nonsense. Brady played with some of the greatest players Arsenal have ever produced, and he won ONE BLOODY MAJOR TROPHY. You can argue which is the greatest Arsenal player ever--and I'll let you go all the way back to the Chapman era--and mention players of more recent vintage like Dennis or TH14 or Patty, but if you want to start that discussion and leave out players like McLintock or (yes, I hate to say it) David O'Leary, then what's your point, exactly? That you're under 30 and hate yourself?
I get physically ill when Arsenal don't get a result. I refuse to read anything about sport of any kind when Arsenal lose. I get angry and don't talk to people. I believe my watching causes undue harm on the players. I am convinced that wearing Arsenal colours on matchday is a curse and I bear shame for it. You don't need to question my "fan credentials."
I just feel as though, given all the other options--and I've tweeted quite a list of them (and don't give me Frank Rijkaard, please)--Arsenal already have a great manager. Is he perfect? No. Is the Arsenal Football Club? No. Are you? No.
There are players from our past who sincerely annoy me, or have, at least--Kevin Campbell and Luis Boa Morte chief among them--and not one of them will ever annoy me as much as Denilson. I loathe him as a footballer. How did Arsenal manage to cop the only shite Brazilian footballer? I also weep every time I see Diaby. But what can be done? Do you remember Cygan? Stepanovs? I used to call Grimandi "Grab Man-di" for his excellent defending. For years I screamed "And on today's programme, why Matthieu Flamini is pretending to be a football player."
My point, dear reader, from all this nonsense, is that nobody is perfect, and neither are you. Screaming for Arsene to be fired won't change the fact that George Graham managed Spurs. Which he did.
And if you can't sleep at night, just tell yourself this--what if Joe Royle had managed Arsenal?
I have said it before, but since I'm a repetitive bore I think it bears repeating. I did not choose Arsenal Football Club, the Club chose me. I didn't follow the Arsenal because of trophies. I didn't follow the Arsenal because of players. It was never a question of glory.
Thus I was never spoilt by wild, early success that led me to believe that the path would only lead to glory and my heart would never be broken. Have I been upset at times? I have been. Don't talk to me about Ray Kennedy. Don't speak to me of Frank Stapleton. Don't show me Liam Brady in a Juve strip. I won't have it.
Did 1971 make us think we'd be covered in glory for ever and ever Amen? We see how that worked out.
There is a truth about the Arsenal Football Club that most of the newcomers can't admit--for a club that sees itself (and for a group of supporters who seem to share the same delusion) as one of the biggest and best in history, the truth is that the story of Arsenal is EQUAL parts sunlight and shadow. For every 79 FA Cup final, there's losing to West Ham the following season. Look up the records and see how true it is.
If you want to be honest about our Club, then you must admit that Arsene Wenger's trophies were an anomaly, and that coming close is more the norm.
Ahh, but that doesn't sit well with those who seek the reflected glory that comes with supporting a trophy-claiming side. No, for them, what matters most is the puffing of the chest and the bellowing that accompanies seeing the captain hoist that silverware. Never mind that they only know the heartache of losing to Barca in the Big Cup final--the heroic comeback in the Fairs Cup means nothing. But for me, it's the opposite way 'round--the glory of the Fairs Cup is fleeting, whilst the loss in Copenhagen to the Turks still hurts. STILL HURTS.
You can't scream your lungs out for Wenger to "go" (what does that even mean?) without knowing what it means to be an Arsenal supporter. You can't, because you don't understand the pain of all the losses in big matches. Don't you understand WHY the win at Anfield still dominates discussion? Don't you know why we need to fall asleep at night seeing Steve McMahon embarrassing himself with his ridiculous index finger aloft? It's because we don't get to enjoy those moments as often as our rivals. It doesn't matter what you tell yourself about how being an Arsenal supporter covers you in glory--because if you believe that, you don't know this club.
I'm sure that these musings are neither very well constructed nor satisfactory. I apologise profusely for that. But the truth of the matter is, Liam Brady won one major honour at Arsenal. How many medals does John O'Shea have? It's bloody nonsense. Brady played with some of the greatest players Arsenal have ever produced, and he won ONE BLOODY MAJOR TROPHY. You can argue which is the greatest Arsenal player ever--and I'll let you go all the way back to the Chapman era--and mention players of more recent vintage like Dennis or TH14 or Patty, but if you want to start that discussion and leave out players like McLintock or (yes, I hate to say it) David O'Leary, then what's your point, exactly? That you're under 30 and hate yourself?
I get physically ill when Arsenal don't get a result. I refuse to read anything about sport of any kind when Arsenal lose. I get angry and don't talk to people. I believe my watching causes undue harm on the players. I am convinced that wearing Arsenal colours on matchday is a curse and I bear shame for it. You don't need to question my "fan credentials."
I just feel as though, given all the other options--and I've tweeted quite a list of them (and don't give me Frank Rijkaard, please)--Arsenal already have a great manager. Is he perfect? No. Is the Arsenal Football Club? No. Are you? No.
There are players from our past who sincerely annoy me, or have, at least--Kevin Campbell and Luis Boa Morte chief among them--and not one of them will ever annoy me as much as Denilson. I loathe him as a footballer. How did Arsenal manage to cop the only shite Brazilian footballer? I also weep every time I see Diaby. But what can be done? Do you remember Cygan? Stepanovs? I used to call Grimandi "Grab Man-di" for his excellent defending. For years I screamed "And on today's programme, why Matthieu Flamini is pretending to be a football player."
My point, dear reader, from all this nonsense, is that nobody is perfect, and neither are you. Screaming for Arsene to be fired won't change the fact that George Graham managed Spurs. Which he did.
And if you can't sleep at night, just tell yourself this--what if Joe Royle had managed Arsenal?
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