Month: May 2017

So the season has finished rather well for Arsene Wenger and all of his supporters. I’ve been largely pro-Wenger, notwithstanding a few reservations, and I was confident he would sign an extension. I just could not see the Arsenal board having the appetite or desire for a new manager. I think their sanity would have been questioned, were they to have embarked on a search for a new manager. Arsene has helped to significantly boost the share price. Why on earth would they sack him??

I’m just pleased the uncertainty has ended. It’s not exactly the break of a new dawn (his detractors, though small in number, are pretty vocal and will continue to cause unrest within our fanbase) but it is a feeling that we can move on to a large extent. The key now is to do our transfer business as soon as possible. There is no excuse now. There is no need for some mad, frenzied supermarket sweep for players come the end of August once the transfer window ends. The signing of Schalke left-back Sead Kolasinac looks an excellent bit of business. I can’t see our team being bullied with Sead in our team. Even looking at him in the tunnel pre-match will cause a rising level of apprehension from opponents. But not only do we need new signings but we need to get some key players to sign extensions.

I’ve given up on keeping hold of Sanchez. I think his head has been turned with all the talk of Bayern Munich’s interest. His heart seems set on a new challenge and he leaves with my best blessings. Interestingly, the package offered by Bayern may not match the huge pay increase we’re offering. But he’ll still get a pay increase on what he’s earning now, and I can’t see any way he can stay. Ozil, however, will stay on. He’s settled in London, he loves playing under Wenger and to be honest, I’m not sure if any of the really big clubs in Europe would be interested in him. I think we still need another midfielder (I’d love Panic from Roma) and of course, a world-class striker to replace Sanchez.

The squad in my view is looking pretty healthy in many respects. The likes of Cech, Monreal, Koscielny, Ramsey, Carzola (I pray he can go the season fully fit) and Giroud should be good for another season. The likes of Coquelin, Elneny, Walcott and Gabriel are still decent squad players (I hope they can keep Thursday evenings clear) and there’s always the return of Wilshere and Chambers to boost our numbers. But it’s the younger members of the squad which really excites me. Holding, Gibbs, Ox, Xhaka, Iwobi and Welbeck all look good to kick on next season. What I would love is a really world-class figure who would shake up our squad and give a real boost to our fanbase. Think of a Zlatan but five years younger. I’m not sure it’s in Wenger’s make-up to bring in such a superstar. But that would give our season a wonderful sense of momentum. God knows the club can afford it.

Of course the upcoming season has already been given a boost by the fantastic FA Cup win. I got hold of a ticket late on and it was a spectacular day. I was disappointed my nephew and brother could not attend with me (my nephew still thinks I watched the game in the pub) and it did take the gloss off the day for me. It was a relatively low key build to the match. Just a few beers in a Wembley pub. Looking back, I think I was fearing the worst. A nagging fear that we would be dominated by a much mentally stronger, successful team. But boy did our players turn up. Every player performed. It was a brilliant team performance. There were still plenty of nerves during the 90 minutes (largely in due to our inability to make our dominance count) and the Chelsea equaliser was a crushing blow. And then 22 seconds later, there was bedlam in our end. The scenes will never be forgotten. One bloke sitting behind me ended up 10 rows ahead of his seat. He virtually crowd surfed a good 20 meters when Ramsey scored. I think the frustrations of the season were evident in those crazy seconds. The celebrations following the match were long and vibrant. I was exhausted as I headed back down Wembley Way and I enjoyed mixing with the Chelsea fans. There were a few heated discussion, the odd scuffle or two but generally the day ended pretty harmoniously. They had enjoyed a great season and the vast majority of Chelsea fans didn’t begrudge our success. As one said me, ‘I can just about stomach losing to you lot. It would have been agony had it been Spurs…’

So the season has ended, I’m going to welcome a break from football but I’m already looking forward to the Community Shield in August.

So the season is coming to a close and Arsenal fans have another visit to Wembley. I’ve said it many times before, but as a fanbase, we have been spoilt. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed some wonderful days visiting cities all over Europe, watching monumental league fixtures and of course, some great days out at Wembley.

I have managed to get hold of a ticket for the final and I’m looking forward to a good day out. I’m fearing for the result (due largely to our defensive injury problems), so I’m determined to enjoy the pre-match build up. I’ll be heading up to Wembley early and it sounds like it will be a scorcher. It could be 30c plus and enjoying a few beers in the sunshine is going to be fantastic day.

It’s been a roller coaster of a season. The Wenger In/Wenger Out debate has been an ongoing saga. Fans of other clubs have stated how bored they are of the story. Well, try being an Arsenal fan. I still maintain the majority of fans are pro-Wenger. However, the vocal minority have dominated social media and the tabloids have lapped up the divisions within our fanbase. The anti-Wenger marches at our home games have been pitiful in their numbers but their relevance and influence have been overestimated by the mainstream media in my view.

I have no doubt Wenger will sign as extension. I am relieved he’s staying on. We have seen how poorly Utd have suffered post-Fergie. They have spent an enormous amount of money and still languish below us in 6th place. For them to be below us is extraordinary, given our poor season. But they can afford such mistakes in appointing the likes of Moyes and Van Gaal. Upwards of £500m has been spent in the last four years. With their commercial power, they can stomach such huge losses.

However Arsenal, even with their impressive match day revenue, do not have such reserves at our disposal. I’m very fearful that we don’t have the calibre of ‘football men’ on our board to make key decisions on the makeup of our coaching team. I’d be much happier for Wenger to stay on and then for the board to formulate a succession plan for when he leaves. It’s far from ideal. Wenger is all-powerful and there hasn’t been a figure to challenge and question him since David Dein left the club. Our PR has been a disaster and the communication from the club generally has been shockingly bad. I’ve actually felt sorry for Wenger at times. He is having to appear weekly in press conferences where he has seemingly had no support at all from the board.

So the lead-up to Saturday has been far from serene. The lack of clarity for the club’s plans for next season, the uncertainly over the futures of Sanchez and Ozil and the chronic injury problems have all cast a shadow over what should be a special day for the fans. I’m just grateful we are playing Chelsea and not Spurs. It will be gut-wrenching to lose to Chelsea but losing to Spurs wouldn’t be worth thinking about.

I’m going to enjoy a few beers before the game, bask in the great weather and just hope our game-changing players can really excel on the day. A high scoring win is our best way of winning the cup.

Any win against a Jose Mourinho side needs to be savoured and enjoyed to the full. But yesterday’s game was a strange affair. The occasion was more akin to a testimonial game than a full blooded Arsenal v Manchester United fixture. I can’t recall a bad challenge and there was little bad blood on show. Even the crowd seemed sedated. Andre Marriner will never ref an easier game all season.

Some of my emotive experiences as an Arsenal fan have come from attending this fixture during the late 90s and early 00s. The tunnel spat between Vieira and Keane and the Keown leap into RVN are iconic premiership moments. I’ll never forget (or forgive) the Neville brothers kicking José Antonio Reyes out of a game at OT and sheer hatred which surrounded the semi final at Villa Park (the Bergkamp penalty miss still breaks me out into a cold sweat). Even further back, the battle of Old Trafford in ’91 was a brilliant example of how George Graham instilled an awesome fighting spirt into the club.

So those memories were in my mind yesterday as both teams serenely went about their football. It was turgid stuff. Utd had their minds on the Celta Vigo game this coming Thursday and we were still a little punch drunk from the humiliation of WHL from last Sunday. Even Liverpool’s slip up against Southampton didn’t height the sense of urgency in the game. It was appeared that both teams wanted the league campaign to end as soon as possible.

Sure, we all celebrated wildly when we scored both goals, but the atmosphere was generally subdued. I guess Jose’s tactics were partly to blame. It was pretty shocking seeing Utd line up with a 6-3-1 formation. The Utd back four could not be trusted to keep us at bay the whole team was set up to stop us playing. Rooney huffed and puffed with minimal effect and Martial was a lonely figure up front. The daring runs of Ronaldo, the flair of Cantona and the drive of Keane were nowhere to be seen.

The Utd away following were as usual pretty good but they had little to shout about. They actually spent much of the game singing about their impending trip to Stockholm . They must have been pretty dismayed by the event. The league campaign has been a disaster and the fact that a win at Southampton on Wednesday would take us above them says everything about poor they have been.

So I left the ground happy that Arsene had finally defeated Jose. Our chances of CL football are still just about alive and any win against Utd will improve confidence as we fight to find some momentum ahead of the cup final. But I just missed the pumped up adrenaline which I experienced following past encounters with them. Those season defining games between the clubs seems a long way off.

Well it was a brutal Sunday. Far too raw to describe my emotions yesterday. I’m not as pessimistic as many Arsenal fans from the views expressed on social media. But we are really suffering. It’s been a horrid few months.

On a positive note, let’s have none of this nonsense about a power shift in North London. Them finishing above us is clearly a blow. Our superiority of them in regards to league positioning has been taken for granted and it’s not a nice feeling. But they have gone another season without winning silverware. Without a major trophy since ’91 is hardly a record which suggests they have become the top team in North London. Yet it’s undeniable that they have the momentum and the ‘feel good’ factor behind them. A manager who is full of confidence, a young, hungry team who demonstrate a great, unified spirit and a fanbase who are right behind their club. But thankfully, I sense their momentum will be stalled somewhat. Moving to Wembley will surely mean their impressive home form will take a knock. Levy’s unwillingness to really spend big in the transfer market may mean taking the next step will be problematic for them. I’m hoping reports of Walker’s unhappiness at not being selected recently will spread throughout the squad (yes, sadly it’s come to this). And surely, the move to the new stadium will impact on the funds available to their manager. I think I need to contact Harry Kane and tell him how much he could earn at the likes of Utd or City.

But in comparison, we’re clearly struggling. Our manager is showing little leadership. I think it’s widely recognised that he’s going to sign the extension to his contract. He needs to just go ahead and announce he’s staying and we can get on with preparing for next season. Many fans on social media will rage at the extension but he needs to just face down the detractors and show some defiance. He’s had an awful period where his integrity, tactical nous and team selection are being questioned on a daily basis. But I’m still backing him even though I’m having my doubts. Too loyal to underperforming players, showing signs of hesitancy with team selection and demonstrating a lack of tactical flexibility. But the problem for me lies above Wenger. I still maintain we have not fully recovered from David Dein leaving the club. I don’t think Dein would have been so passive in the face of a tough period for the club. Our board and chief executive have badly let down Wenger. He’s had to face the regular press conferences as the media have poured the pressure on him. It’s been uncomfortable viewing.

Starting on Sunday, the players really need to stand up and show some responsibility. Stop talking about how we need to bounce back and how they have faith in the manager. We need to get some form and momentum leading up the Cup Final. Beating Jose’s United would be a big boost, even though a top four place seems beyond us. Losing a CL place is clearly a blow but we need to ensure it’s a temporary setback. We have huge reserves of money and we can still attract top talent to the club. The foundations of future success are still in place but the recruitment this summer will be crucial. I am sick and tired of the media banging on about the lack of leaders we have on the pitch, just for the reason that they are right. We are too nice, too passive. Players are not openly demanding more from each other. Talking a good game is useless until we can go out there in adversity and change the course of a game by sheer will of character and determination.

I’m going to avoid all talk of Arsenal from now until Sunday. I feel as punch drunk as Wladimir Klitschko must have felt on Sunday morning. It’s a tough gig being an Arsenal fan these days. The days of the invincibles are a distant memory. But I’m still confident the future will be red in North London. I’ll just not forget the mocking and ridicule I’ve had to endure from my Tottenham mates.