Too sad to joke. Another bullying from Drogba and co and we’re nine points off the top.
It’d be tempting to join virtually all the other Arsenal bloggers in plunging headfirst into a shitscreen of negativity.
Some of them really enjoy this. Le Grumble, for example, who spent the whole summer whingeing their favourite gospel of mid-table doom, only to speedily revise their assessment as soon as we thumped Everton at Goodison on day one. From then on anything short of the treble was going to be a bloody let-down. They really get off at moments like this as it gives them the chance to crow their tabloid-addled populist told-you-so crap to anyone who’ll listen. There are a lot of ways to express thoughtless, witless bitterness – it’s just a shame these kind of people choose to blog about Arsenal rather than design tea-towels for the BNP or something.
Then there’s sites who take the chance to rip off red-top scare stories about Fabregas leaving, stories surpassed for their predictability only by Gael Clichy’s singular failure once again to challenge the attacker with the ball. Sigh.
Well there’ll be none of that here, thanks.
Out with the newspapers for a week and the rashes of negative Arsenal stories that will be filling them. Not interested. If this sounds blinkered, it’s cos I am. But then being blinkered is a bad thing only if what’s around you is worth looking at. Which the gleeful media hysteria which descends on any top 4 club that goes through a rough patch is not - witness the general amazement at Liverpool’s current league position just a week or so after most match reports on them read more like obituaries.
What you won’t find in any newspaper is perspective. Here’s some. This may well be a world exclusive:
Every pundit and his dog said Arsenal wouldn’t finish top 4 this season. ‘Spurs have spent a bit of money’, they said. ‘City look good after buying a list of players voted for by Match! magazine readers’, they may have added, scratching their chubby gut. Our last two defeats have been bitterly disappointing, but our whole season so far might be best dramatised by a short play in which Fabregas and Vermaelen, supervised by Wenger, patiently ram the pre-season nonsense back down the throats of the experts (and the brainless bloggers who believed them) piece by stupid piece.
Third place is pretty good. I’m not against marquee signings. I really enjoy shirt-holding-up ceremonies, especially if the player holding up the shirt then puts the shirt on and scores a sackful of goals. It’s frustrating to feel so close to success and that the reluctance to spend the money that is (?) available is costing us championships. But that just emphasises how good the team must already be. Without spending the money.
With a remaining set of fixtures that look easier than a pun about John Terry’s heading ability, we will make up ground on the top two, hopefully starting with Liverpool on Wednesday, who at least carry none of the attacking menace of United or Chelsea.
Hope that soothed somewhat. Chin up. Oh, and think about Alex Song. He’s so good, isn’t he?
Tags: Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, Le Grumble
February 9th, 2010 at 1:54 am
Excellent blog mate. Its about time someone said something with a bit of intelligence. Im from and I am getting alot of crap at the moment but there is nothing we can do about. We just have to keep supporting the boys and it will turn around
February 9th, 2010 at 1:54 am
Couldn’t agree more.
Up the Gunners
February 9th, 2010 at 1:57 am
NEED A LEFT BACK THAT CAN DEFEND PLUS A NEW GOALKEEPER.
SHOULD FINISH THIRD BUT THEY HAVE TO BOUNCE BACK quick!
this season they should try Diaby as target man with Arshavin or Eduardo feeding off him in a 442
February 9th, 2010 at 2:03 am
Excellent, sensible blog. You put it all into prespective.
I sometimes wonder whether the other three top clubs’ supporters whine as much as some of our so called ones.
February 9th, 2010 at 2:36 am
This is something I like to read..positivity, full support for the team and backing up the team 100%.
February 9th, 2010 at 4:05 am
A good summary, but what Arsenal lack is the bite to beat the top two. When we were red carded in the Viera era, we won trophies. Now we are too scared to tackle ( Clichy ). Arsenal has lost enough games for the season, prepare for next season and buy some hard men like Viera to cover for the Arsenal kids.
February 9th, 2010 at 4:05 am
At last!! I have spent the last few days reading around the blogs and on the whole I have been amazed by the sheer negativity. So much so that at one point i started listening to the Smiths to cheer myself up!!
Great to read a piece full of common sense and putting things in perspective. We havent made a signing so move on – constantly going on about what should have happened wont make the slightest difference.
This whole thing with John Terry has made Chelski unite and become stronger, they have adopted the siege mentality of us v them. We must do the same, starting with the Bin Dippers on wednesday.
Lets review the season in May – not Feb!!
February 9th, 2010 at 4:16 am
Good Bog Le Grumble is becoming Boring, And despite getting on Email daily. Sometimes it just look like he has nothing better to do than moan. But AKBS Brigade are far worse in blind obedience. My questions is how can a player come from being bid of 24 Million by Real Madrid, Not sure if it true? But Clichy has gone bad completely. Sad.
Arsenal attack up front is very predictable and Any team with good players would simply close down space and pressure them. Arshavin is guilty of playing for himself only, Hopefully he would wake up to realise he only get chances when team are winning. Let team win and you would get chances to show your skills to world. But he is just a number 10 full stop and in fact he can reach Bergkamp status if he role down his shirt.
Wenger is wrong not buying Goalie and A striker in these window, Also defensive midfielder. Song is good against some teams, But it tall order to expect to play well in each game. The only plus points is Diaby. Let hope we have Diaby and Nick playing against pool. To sell Jens Lehman, Gilberto, Viera, Henry, Cole, Flamini, Hleb,Campbell,Lauren, Adebayor, Toure and others without replacing them shows Wenger stubbornness is going to take Gunners to the dog.
No one deny he has done a good Job but it time we started to look at future, No one can tell him at Arsenal that he is wrong why? I know two games is not big deal but his tactics on Sunday was single worse mistake done bu any Coach, And it been like these last three years. Fiddling with team sheet like something would happen but nothing happen except defeat. Clichy last three seasons cost points in Key game, Goalie Aluminia has been weakest link ever since Jens left. Yet Wenger sticked to them. When a manager does that he is a liabilty to everyone. It time Laurent Blanc stepped up. Arsenal academy should become separate from first team and let Wenger run it with Budget every year. He enjoys these job not competitive league. A team that wins all times give confidence to whole club from young to tea lady. Losing all time render it useless.
February 9th, 2010 at 4:35 am
The negativity spouted by Palmer, TOG et al. is hardly constructive, but it is sadly steeped in a reality that would be irresponsible of us to pretend does not exist.
Any discerning supporter would admit to problems being within the club. Foremost, that our young’uns are being vastly overpaid. If the likes of Walcott, Denilson and Nasri are getting 50k a week, and I am being conservative in these projections here, then we have to get our financial house in order, and fast. These salaries should be awarded to solid, hungry professionals who are approaching the peak of their careers, certainly not mercurial, injury-prone fledglings who become overawed on the big occasion.
At least Wenger made his priorities clear when he declared that 3rd Placing would be a more significant achievement than one of the ‘lesser’ trophies, although the fallout from that statement has been utterly shambolic.
Ask yourself this: Would you really take a day in the sun with a shiny little trophy over Champions League football for seasons to come? The fact of the matter is that clubs like Arsenal are as dependant on the income stream provided by the CL as the tabloids are on JT’s antics. Not only that, players which are coveted-at least by the fans anyway-such as Dzeko, Villa, Chamakh etc etc. would scoff at coming to a club without CL football. I seriously doubt they would be enticed by the prospect of having ‘Carling Cup Winner’ on their CVs.
The only reaction which beggars belief to an even greater extent is calling for Wenger’s head. As Myles Palmer pointed out in one of his very vitriolic pieces, the entire squad owe their careers to Wenger, save the odd few. There is no doubt that Cesc will leave if Wenger goes, and probably Van Persie as well.
So it appears we are in a catch-22. We cannot expect to win anything if the manager stays, but if he leaves our chances diminish even further. Stick around. Things might get interesting.
February 9th, 2010 at 6:12 am
Le Grumble… good one.
February 9th, 2010 at 7:01 am
Love this. I’ll be visiting here again!
The wenger bashing recently is disgraceful!
Up the gunners!!
February 9th, 2010 at 7:13 am
Played 9, won 0 for 5 against 23- sounds like an under9s team where the kids stop and play sand castles half way through rather than a football team competing for the title. That of course, is Arsenal’s record against Chelsea and Man U since Nov 2008.
Do you think this indicates the Wenger approach is working?
Well is it?
February 9th, 2010 at 7:55 am
never fails to make me laugh, this.
thanks!
February 9th, 2010 at 8:13 am
A good read thank you. Miles does piss me off as much as many of the writers of the Online Gooner (goner perhaps?). The thing that really grates me is the constant qualification of their comments by saying “I pay a thousand (or two or three) pounds to watch Arsenal. Trust me, if I could afford it I would too, even if we were in the 4th division and hosting torquay in the southern section of the milk cup, but I will not moan about it or use it as ammunition.
February 9th, 2010 at 8:17 am
Goonergerry, it’s so easy to take a stat from November when it includes three cup games and holds no bearing on the league. Last season Arsenal had the best record against the top 3, only losing 1 game at home to Chelsea! And yet we struggled and have Villa to thank for their total collapse which enabled us to finish 4th. This season we have the worst record against the top 3, only winning 1 thus far and yet a couple of weeks ago we were top. I would much rather lose to Chelsea and Man U every season if it means we beat Hull and Stoke thank you very much.
Great post by the way. Like everyone else I was feeling horrible about the whole thing. I’m hoping that Wenger can start Bendtner tomorrow and that Eddy is fit. Maybe Wenger should look at reverting to 4-4-1-1 with Diaby playing behind Eduardo or Bedtner?
February 9th, 2010 at 8:28 am
People say negative things about Wenger and his policies not about Arsenal. The tactics and philosophy are that of Wenger not of anyone else. The simple fact of the matter is the same fundamental problems have been experienced every season for the last five years and they have not been addressed. The old established problem of being “too young” no longer applies because half of the players are over 25 years old now – its not a lack of experience it is a simple question of not being good enough and what the least five years has shown is how fundamentally one dimensional Wenger is with his tactics – fancy passing and no clue on how to defend. The fact of the matter is that Wenger is not as good for Arsenal as you would like to think – good money management is not good management when it is detriment to the team and the fact that he failed to sign a striker in the January transfer market leaving us weakened against both Man Utd and Chelsea is professional incompetence. All I can say is that if he acted in such away at any other big club he would have been fired – herein lies the problem at Arsenal.
February 9th, 2010 at 8:36 am
Djalmina – the problem lies with people like yourself who think that for a club like Arsenal to fail to compete year after year is acceptable. Wenger deserves the criticism for his poor reading of the situation at Arsenal. I am an Arsenal fan and the problem is that people like yourself think whats best for the manager and not the club. The whole point of the move to The Emirates was to compete with the best clubs for the best players and that has not happened – in fact our spending has decreased since we moved and that was before the recession. Like I said in my earlier post good financial management amounts to nothing when the club suffers for it. I can only hope that Wenger leaves because otherwise this continued faith in players like Almunia, Denilson and Walcott will continue for years to come – they will never be good players they just don’t have it in them but Wenger looks at them and weighs the choice of spending some money to replace them and bottles it every time.
February 9th, 2010 at 8:37 am
thanks for some sense. in a way the matches against Manu and Chelsea and losable games. We cant complain about losing at the bridge cause that was the most probable result. Manu lost there too and I bet Manu will lose at home against Chelsea. the game that we should be unhappy with is Manu at the Emirates but there was a good chance of us losing it anyway. Do thes doomsayers think Manu and Chelsea are not going to lose any games from now to the end. Once again thanks for the good read. P/s; by the way we beat most of the so called physical teams this year playing the same kind of football.
February 9th, 2010 at 9:05 am
Leon, I agree 100% with you. Wenger has no one but himself to blame for the critisism he’s getting. Yes he should have signed a striker and it doesn’t help when you hear reports that he tried to sign Sorrenson from Stoke on deadline day, because why did he wait to the last second?
The fact is things aren’t as bad as made out. It just feels that way because it all happened in the space of 7 days. Take a look at the fixtures. United and Chelsea have some very, very tough games coming up and Chelsea have shown that away from home against Hull, they are likely to drop points. Our next eight games, starting with Liverpool are all very winnable. While those other two have to travel away to Villa, Everton, Spurs and City.
February 9th, 2010 at 9:44 am
Leon theres no point mate, the blinkers on here are in a different planet, Im mean when someone says, “The fact is things aren’t as bad as made out. It just feels that way because it all happened in the space of 7 days” you might as well just turn around and walk away
February 9th, 2010 at 10:29 am
All you moaners have been spoiled by the Invincibles. We cannot go through every season unbeaten. All the moaners who have the privilege of going to the emirates should scalp your tickets if you don’t feel your getting your moneys worth. I would rather be 3rd or 4th than spend ridiculous money on a striker/midfielder/GK just to please you lot. Wenger will spend the money wisely to get us the trophies we deserve when it is prudent. Maybe you should look at how much the scums have spent on players and see where that has gotten them.
February 9th, 2010 at 10:34 am
hey cally, where were you a couple of weeks ago when we were top of the league? No doubt ragging your office/school mates. Now that we’re down you’re kicking and kicking. Think about that! If you’ve been married I can guarentee you’ve already been divorced once, if not it’s only a matter of time.
February 9th, 2010 at 12:26 pm
I strongly disagree about the remaining set of fixtures and the pun about Terry’s heading ability. If you honestly believe that away trips to White Hart Lane, Birmingham and Stoke are a walk in the park, you are deeply mistaken. I hate to be a pessimist, but I seriously doubt that we will get nine points out of those three games.
February 9th, 2010 at 12:52 pm
Great post – exactly what I wanted to say but couldn’t be bothered to.
Is there a website where we can order a Le Grove BNP tea-towell?
February 9th, 2010 at 2:07 pm
Le Grove for life
February 10th, 2010 at 1:30 pm
Not only bin the papers but mute the television when the so called experts speak about Arsenal.
Yes we have to believe everything they say when they said we’d struggle to finish 4th before the season began.
Thank you for this smashing post – Sorry I can’t match the eloquence in my response. One does try..
February 11th, 2010 at 5:32 pm
wubble
February 11th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1e1eHE0at0
John Terry at his finest…