Author: Admin

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.

I really should be calling for Wenger to go. His detractors have been queuing up to have their say. Claiming he’s lucky to be in a job. A barren spell of 13 years without a title. Building teams with no leaders. Always losing the big games, especially away from home. Being far too loyal to under performing players. Not being willing to sign the really big players who win you the major trophies. Unwilling to spend the huge resources at his disposal. A lack of tactical flexibility (he rarely makes any substitutions until the 70th minute, regardless of match conditions).

But there is no way I’m going to demand his resignation. I’m going to the Hull game and I’ll be backing him. I’m not the most vocal fan at the best of times (I guess there are many of my ilk at the Emirates) but I’ll be making it clear on Saturday whom I’m backing. I guess I must be as stubborn as Wenger. The amount of abuse he has taken is shocking.

And I’m not talking about the fans here. They are entitled to have their say. The regulars on ArsenaFanTV are an embarrassment to themselves (they are not an embarrassment to the club as who really thinks they speak for the wider fan base??!) but these are guys who attend games week in, week out. The time and expense they blow on the club gives them license to liberally spread their views (however arguably misguided). If I had travelled up to Everton recently for a midweek game and watched us meekly give up an early lead, I would be pretty upset.

No, it’s the parasites in the media who look for some precious publicity as they gleefully launch into attacking Wenger in the most personal manner. I know who they are. I have the newspaper cuttings. I have a long memory. I could list them, but the list would be endless. Oh go, on, here are the main disparagers. The ex-players: Savage, Owen, Sutton, Collymore, Murphy, Shearer, Brazil, Redknapp, Cundy, Jenas and Hargreaves never fail to pass up on an opportunity to savage Wenger. They appear obsessed by us. Where would be they without our club? All played at the highest level of the English game. They know how tough the rigors of our season are but they appear blind to how difficult it is to perform week in, week out. Every club struggles. Players have a dip in form. It seems they can’t wait to tear into our players whereas other teams and opposing players are given a free pass when they have an off-day.

And then there is the case of our ex-players. What has happened to the likes of Merson and Wright to demonstrate such a dislike of Wenger is beyond me. In Merson’s case it’s baffling. The club supported him throughout his drug/gambling problems and Wenger helped him secure an excellent deal when he left for ‘boro. Wright manages to scream out his love for the club, while the next minute he happily dismantles all that Wenger has achieved. Mystifying.

Then you have the journalists. Boy, have they got it for Wenger. Have they got nothing else to do with their lives than to trot out the same old dirge, time and time again. Ashton, Holt, Durham, Custis (x2), Ronay (who can be a knowledgable reporter), Dunn, Glendenning, Lipton, White, Kelly and Kay are the worst examples of lazy, tired and warped journalists. The lack of respect show to Wenger and our club is a disgrace. Would they have treated Fergie the same way, during his early barren period at Utd? They routinely demonstrate a total lack of self-awareness and an astonishing disregard for the consequences of their actions. Now in the era of twitter, many of them see themselves as celebrities and they feel the need to pander to the populist agenda of the day.

I agree that it’s not an easy job. Competition is fierce but the number of well sourced, quality articles has unarguably been declining. Would the likes of McIlvanney and Glanville ever thrive in such an era?? There are a few exceptions, players such as Keown, Souness, Hartson, Carragher, Neville and journos such as Barclay, Burt, Samuel, Winter, Lawrence, Taylor. They have all criticized Wenger in the past but they have displayed a perspective and balance in their opinions which are lacking elsewhere.

What I’m getting at is the complete inability to see the bigger picture. It’s not all black and white. We need a little depth to the reporting. A touch more analysis and thought. Things are far from right at Arsenal. But are we really a club in crisis? We have not gone 27 years without a title (Klopp is still a genius by many accounts) and we haven’t gone 25 years without a major trophy (No Spurs, the League Cup is not a major trophy). We are one of the best run clubs in the world, we have an excellent squad, a global fan base and we always, always play in the biggest club competition in the world. Our approach to running a club should be lauded. I do understand this is not enough for many fans who pay thousands of pounds to support the team every year. They are entitled to be a little irrational during their post-match rants. There is no excuse for football journalists however to be so baseless and unreasonable in their reporting.

But time for me to be a little irrational. Wenger is not going to change. He will still put out teams and play beautiful football. But I do fear he may fail at the final hurdle to win the title or CL. But I want him to sign that contract extension. Just to royally piss-off his many detractors.