ARSENALISM©

 http://youtu.be/GiAD38djorY This is how it feels! Let's face it, if you can't be up for the cup; FA cup that is, then there's something wrong. Don't we all want a day at Wembley? a day to forget our troubles? This years FA Cup is certainly 'up for grabs' with the exit of MUFC,MCFC & NUFC lets see what the old numbered balls sling our way before kick off. Lets gird our loins, beat Villa and bring on the next round. Given our history in this tournament it's about time we got hold of it again. We've beaten Man Utd, Liverpool and Chelsea in the final so why not think we can win it once more. UP THE ARSE! http://youtu.be/agIz5943ZZ4 It's only Ray Parlour

  ‘No one knows what goes on behind closed doors’ sang Charlie Rich in his wonderfully evocative country hit, and never has that term been more pertinent than it is now for supporters of the Arsenal. The feeling of frustration within the ranks of the Arsenal faithful was shown by the much mentioned reaction during the Arsenal v Man Utd game. This reaction was a ‘tip of the iceberg’ moment, in the sense that this may have been the first obvious show of disapproval that some have seen. Arsene was somewhat defensive in his comments and to be fair the paying supporters are entitled to voice an opinion and in the scheme of things the criticism was very much small potatoes compared to how other managers are treated when dissatisfaction rears its head. I don’t believe that this show of disgruntlement was entirely about the substitution but the accumulation of feeling out of the loop and not understanding what is going on at the club. If patience is a virtue Arsen...

http://youtu.be/2GgVEnMgJ5s Looking through the window The transfer window is seen as some sort of a First aid box for ailing teams. Presumably all ills can be fixed by pulling out a saviour or two during this period. Players that are of high quality are few and far between during this period, either through rarity or due to being cup tied and the like. It occurs to me that instances of a new signing made in January, having a meaningful impact on the season are a scarcity and therefore the obsession with buying during this period needs to be tempered with a dose of reality. Our club will probably not bring in anyone before the window closes and to be fair most other clubs won’t either. Confidence in the quality of their squads should be a factor and if failure to strengthen is based on squad confidence we should be a little perturbed if the view is that this squad is fine to be getting along with. Of course Clubs may want to buy this player or that, onl...

 Criticism of Arsene Wenger is generally viewed in polarised terms. There are those who regard him as not being immune and those who think of any criticism as heresy. The truth is that he manages our football club and therefore is fair game for critical appraisal. I should point out that, in my view this never incorporates personalisation or obscenity. The thing is that this weekend I have sensed a swing in opinion.   The substitution of AOC for the ineffective AA against United was frustrating and was greeted as such but should not be over examined. The fact that prior to the game the normally staunch Merson and Nicholas turned on Wenger on Sky Soccer Saturday says a lot. Perhaps, finally, time, good will and memory are not enough. Perhaps we are formally seeing a seed change in the perception of Arsene. If one accepts that the club have been in decline where it matters; on the pitch, there has to be some scrutiny in why this has happened. Why the decline ha...

Ahead of today's game I am reminded of some of the great head to heads between the clubs during the Premier era and a name that keeps popping up is Freddie Ljungberg's. Freddie had a great habit of scoring against the big teams in big games notably against Manchester United home or away. His debut game featured a chip over Schmiecel at the clock end and he scored many significant goals against the Red Devils, he even made a killer contribution to Wiltord’s title clincher at Old Trafford. In the words of Martin Tyler http://youtu.be/F-j4bAzDaSk “Freddie Ljungberg. Against Manchester United. Again” With discussion about the merits of our squad it's clear that we need more players with the habit of our old number 8.

There are always more questions than answers, particularly when you don’t have the inside track. Very, very few Arsenal supporters have the insider knowledge regarding what the state of play is during those clandestine boardroom meetings at the Arsenal; therefore we are only left with conjecture. Our current situation is that we are 5 th in the Premier League, in the knockout stages of the Champions League and in the 4 th round of the FA Cup. Most clubs’ supporters would be happy with this situation, yet we aren’t. Is this because we have higher aspirations or unrealistic expectations? A lot is based on past achievements and certainly perceptions of our status both in actuality and based on promises made when leaving Highbury. The questions that keep coming back to me are ones of how we have declined in the last 5 years and I can’t make a categorical case for any one reason. The meat and drink of any club is its squad and the person charged with assembling the sq...

It may not have been noticed amongst the doom and indeed gloom that Arsenal's league record against Man Utd at the Emirates is actually very good. WDWLW What this counts for is hard to quantify. Certainly it may have a psychological impact for us knowing that we have done well at the Emirates against our adversary (ECL game aside; which had the circumstances of a second leg and a great Man Utd performance) So in league terms Sunday should be a game to savour and another opportunity to reverse our league trend of 2012 It's also a game that players should rise to. If there are question marks over mentality within the squad, playing the Champions (something that seems to have been forgotten amidst talk of Man City & Sp*rs) is a game for players to show what they're made of. And as a supporter if you can't get marginally enthused, regardless of current issues, about a home game against Man Utd you may be in the wrong business.

If financial achievement is all that matters perhaps we should commission a piggy bank statue at the Emirates to reflect our recent success Tough times ahead for the Arsenal. The facts are that we are in The FA Cup and the Champions League; given that they are cup competitions we have a chance of winning one of them. A lot of factors need to be taken into consideration but if not, why bother? As regards the Premier League; we are not going to win it and therefore you would think that the target is to finish as high as possible, be it in a ECL spot or a Europa League place. Now I would like to think that a place in The Champions League next season and a trophy are achievable but in the cold hard light of day I feel it’s more likely that we will be playing in the Europa League next season and that the trophy cabinet will not be added to; this is not pessimism, its realism. You see, our squad of players is not equipped to compete on multiple fronts. This is not...

This is no time for hysteria. Facts speak for themselves; a better than average Swansea side beat an average Arsenal side. We have no divine right, despite expectation, to win these games. Our position as an elite club probably remains, but as an elite team the reality is humbling. Arsenal Football Club does not have an elite squad and struggles to field an eleven that are any better (or worse) than a number of Premier League teams, therefore, as I’ve been saying for a while, we have to align our perceptions accordingly. Talk of how we’ve turned around a disastrous start overlooks two things; 1. Why we were in a position whereby we had such a terrible start. 2. ‘turning around’ is relative; given our position after those initial games, being amongst the Europa League places come the turn of the year would be viewed as a triumph.   That’s where we are as a club. Those that think we have done the right things at all levels within the club to sustain ourselves as perennial ...

The beauty of the away game is it's inherent adventure, going to strange places, visiting recollections of past journeys. The thrill of it all. Win away and you feel like a conquering army. Sometimes you can stick around with friendly natives, sometimes you need to get out of Dodge. A trip to a far flung outpost of the premier League can be wrought with danger but equally filled with fun. It's special; the feeling of following Arsenal over land and sea. It's akin to national service; you do it for a period then it's home games and the occasional away day, or you commit to the life. The Arsenal away support is tremendous and those that go are in some ways in the trenches. They always deliver though and put some of the supposedly more vociferous Northern supporters to shame. Thick and thin is never more apt than when you are an away supporter. My own period of doing lots of away games coincided with the Graham era and the start of Wenger's tenure, therefore I ...

Hold the back page! Now is the winter of horseshit as the press and pundits get all hot and sweaty over Tottenham. The SuperSoaraway, read by Sp*rs fans the length and breadth of Enfield, leads the way with it’s pro Lilly-white spin, it’s all Amazing stuff mind you; I’m proud we haven’t spent like you City: ‘Arry says that Sp*rs haven’t spent their way to the position they are in, POW! Tottenham’s glory days : Sp*rs have finished in the top three fifteen times since 1921, BLAM! Harry’s hot sp*rs : Shots on target-2 nd THWACK! Total shots-4 th KA-POW! Shooting accuracy-4 th BOOF! Goals scored-4 th BOOM! Fewest goals conceded-4 th WHAM! Clean sheets-4 th KA-BLOOEY! 7-1 Sp*rs is Gunner hurt (you didn’t think they wouldn’t mention Arsenal did you?): 7-1 to win a third league title in 130 years, THOOM! Sensational stuff, no? Fact is that they are doing alright at the moment and there is no such thing as a false position, but it’s a little early for the gentlemen ...

Following on from yesterday's post, of course there is the alternative match day experience; jump on my bike at 2:40 cycle down to the ground, lock up and in my seat for the whistle. Now i'm only an occassional bike person but it's certainly swift when it comes to getting to the Emirates. Final whistle down the stairs unlock, ride indoors, just gone 5:00. Done. Gives you a full day and an evening ahead. I sometimes do this in order to see a game in its purest form, with clarity and without intoxicants or build up. In a way it feels like an act of will to just go and come straight home and from time to time it is a good thing to do; it’s cleansing. We all spend our match days differently yet unite in the ground for a shared experience. Give it a go; go straight to a game, go straight home and see how it feels. Maybe for those who always do this, try yesterday’s version.

A recollection of some of the times when going over the Arsenal is characterised by the act itself. The pre match meeting in either a crowded pub full of loud and boisterous supporters or better still outside a loud pub on a warm afternoon or evening. As each person arrives the drinks order changes and the equilibrium alter based on half filled pints, empty pints and various other beverages being out of synch. Watches are checked as kick off gets nearer and the anticipation (or sense of impending doom) grows. There was a time when, going over the Arsenal, I never, ever thought we would lose a game. That mindset has changed over the years but I still feel deep down that I am not going to witness a defeat from my seat upstairs at the Emirates. Pondering whether to partake of half time refreshments is part of the final ‘drinking up’ before heading to the ground; that and the possibility of meeting after the game; who is, who isn’t. Who’s “shooting off” or just stopping for a quick one. T...

In moving from Highbury to a new and bigger Stadium what was lost; the soul of the club or something more tangible? Thierry’s goal was a memorable moment at the Emirates, but, as I suggested in my previous post, those great moments have been few at the Emirates. Highbury saw some incredible games. Triumphs and spectacle. Of course given the length of time at Highbury that comparison is going to be difficult but I would suggest that in the years at the Emirates we have not seen such greatness as we did in the preceding years at Highbury. Beating United 3-1, The Juve game, Dennis’ goal against Spurs, Thierry’s length of the pitch strike against the same opponents, the comebacks against Liverpool, Middlesbrough and Villa, even a 0-0 draw against Real Madrid, was a truly great night. Many more games and moments at Highbury were witnessed during these years; Ian Wright beating the record, the night Dennis pulled the strings, Platt's winner against Man Utd, Reyes’ debut, The Wigan...

You get the feeling that last night's programme for  this fixture will become quite a collectors item Last night could have been just another meeting of Arsenal and Leeds; and there have been plenty over the years between London's finest and the Yorkshiremen, but last night was just like the movies; a perfect script and a performer delivering his lines perfectly. The night was made special by the fans who contributed to an atmosphere of anticipation that rose to a crescendo late in the second half. The Leeds fans with their unintelligible chanting played their part in creating a vibrant atmosphere. Ramsey and Miquel put in good performances and Arshavin, although poor, put in more effort than usual. We saw glimpses from Oxlade-Chamberlaine and Coquelin (before he left the field with an injury), but as much as we tried we were unable to unlock Leeds dogged defence. A locksmith was needed and he duly arrived, to rapturous applause, and of course he obliged. His goal was as...

With RVP's form, the return of Henry,Chamakh's poor form and the lack of clarity as to Young's ability, attack is very much a discussion point, but let's consider defencive issues for a moment. Cygan, Stepanovs, Squilacci, Silvestre a string of barely adequate defenders that we have seen at The Arsenal in recent years. Senderos, Luzhny and Upson hardly set the defensive world alight either. Keeper wise we’ve seen Almunia, Fabianski, Mannone , Shaban and Wright; all of whom where/are nowhere good enough. Defence being a vital part of the game you would not be overly impressed by this roster of players. Even though some of these guys lifted a trophy or two, I don't think it's unkind to rate them as not being exactly top class. Any team that goes 49 games unbeaten needs a good defence and in the case of Cole, Campbelll, Toure and Lauren Arsenal certainly had that along with Lehman as a reliable fulcrum. It seems to me that we have struggled to cement a defence...