SOME INCONVENIENT TRUTHS
In
the weekly pursuit of points yesterday's result could be seen as a resilient
response with some bad luck leading to a valuable point.
But in the context of a must win scenario that is crucial to the future of this club, we were, again, found wanting.
But in the context of a must win scenario that is crucial to the future of this club, we were, again, found wanting.
The current Arsenal squad is a paradox; ability v mentality. The Arsenal of 2012 refuses to accept the mantle of greatness, it defers from acknowledging a historical context of being one of the big boys.
This Arsenal appears to be happy with a status of second rate, this Arsenal accepts mediocrity, this Arsenal seems happy to assume underdog status. Our club have seemed to settle for being second rate. Title challenges, cup finals, taking on the big boys. It's all gone by the by as we've gone mediocre as our default.
We look in the rear view mirror and we see Newcastle and Sp*rs. We've seen Chelsea usurp our position and we have seen Man City challenge the status quo. We have allowed our club to decline,and it has been a decline: Stats don't lie.
Yesterday showed that mentality is lacking, ethos is absent. Looking at Chelsea winning the FA cup against a lack lustre Liverpool one could see a set of players that have a winning mentality. Much as I hate to praise Chelsea it is worth noting that even under the circumstances of this season they have won a trophy and have reached the Champions League final. Ashley Cole, much derided, must have seen the writing on the wall when he left under seedy circumstances. The way in which he left was repellent but who can honestly say he was wrong to want to join a club going forward and leave one that was aiming towards stagnation. Part of why he is such a figure of hate is that Arsenal supporters wanted to have the last laugh. The only way we could have done that was by winning things and being better than Chelsea. Cole merely needs to look at his medal haul since leaving and realise who has had the last laugh. Awful thought isn't it?
We now could rely on, variously, Aston Villa, Manchester City, Fulham , Everton,Bayern Munich and Chelsea to get results in a variety of scenarios and probably bank on beating West Brom to guarantee Champions League football. A bad state of affairs giving the hard work put in to get into third. The fact that we are looking at third as adequate sums it all up.
Of course it's not too late to make some changes, but we need to have a serious summer of reassessing where we are going as a club and having assessed the situation, take decisive action. Unfortunately I don't see that happening.
Depressing piece. When assessing a situation like the one we are in we need to look at the situation in a very objective way. After the first goal yesterday the tem went to sleep. IT was AWs job to keep his team focused, The football associations recognise this and allow managers and coached to stand on the side loines and issue instruction and make changes as necessary. It was clear for the start of this game if not since Artetta got injured, that Ramsey needs a spell in the reserves or on loan till he recovers his strength, xconfidence and ability to see around him, and tghen make accurate telling passes. None of which was on show for 5 - 6 months. It is a complete mystery why AW is the only person in the stadium who KNOWS that the OX is now a better player than Ramsey. That might change but fot now is is indisputable. Then there was the argument with Gervinho when he gave the ball away on the right flank, failing to get back and defend. Captain of Wales????? not even captain of himself - YET. When his team AW shouldave been on the touch line motivating and urging his team not to give the ball away so easily.
ReplyDeleteAre Arsenal fans going to be conned yet again into parting with our hard earened money? What other organiosation would con its customers into purrchasing a product, several months before it has even been purchased? We are now expected to lay out £1300 in the expectation that AW will not put us through that same shit for another year? or indeed several more years? There is no incentive from the fans to even encourage him to provide us with a decent side next year.
Perhaps we should organise a 3 month delay in paying for saeson tickets until we see what we are going to get, rather than buy blindly. What other product would same people purchase a product based solely in BELIEF?
John T