MORIBUND MUSINGS

“A relationship Football Club, I think, is like a shark, you know? It has to constantly move forward or it dies. And I think what we got on our hands is a dead shark.”-Alvy Singer

As Dennis Bergkamp exited stage left held aloft by former comrades, the last remnants of any inherited players said goodbye, leaving Arsene Wenger with his first Arsenal squad that was 100% of his own making. Since that day came to pass Arsenal have bought home zero trophies.

Arsene Wenger, given the chance to show the world that his creation, complete and pure, constructed entirely by him, could deliver tangible rewards, has reaped not one victory in that place where fact lives; the trophy cabinet.

On 24 occasions Wenger's 100% assembled squadrons have been found wanting when they have had the opportunity to enter stage right with silverware held aloft.
These are the facts and they are incontrovertible, no amount of discussion about the merits of the intangible 'fifth' trophy of 4th place can dispute this damning evidence.

Interesting to note that the previous season although we won nothing we reached the Champions League final and acquitted ourselves admirably yet Pires, Campbell, Lauren, Cole and Reyes; players, all with winners medals, were, for a variety of reasons deemed surplus to requirements or not sufficiently valued, during that summer.

I also can’t help but worry about this quote from our Manger following this awful week’s results. It is alarming as it gives an insight into Arsene’s perception of ‘big’ players and perhaps therein lays the flaw in the last six years.

"We have many missing: big, big players, too. We're in February and [Jack] Wilshere has played zero games, [Abou] Diaby has played zero games, [Per] Mertesacker is out for the season and [André] Santos for three months. That would be difficult for any club in the world to deal with. But let's win our next game and we'll be fine."

'Big big players? Diaby? Mertesacker? Santos?

“Philip Parsons in the Times called the show Club moribund. Well I looked up moribund in my dictionary...”-Alan Partridge