Skip to main content

REALIGN ING PERCEPTIONS


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 title contenders over the last half a dozen years is at best naïve and at worst deluded.

I love the Arsenal and want everything; however we are currently not in a false position. As much as I would like to think otherwise we are pretty much where we deserve to be if you look at our levels of investment in our bread and butter; the playing staff.

Yes, I don’t deny our injury problems, bad luck, bad refereeing etc etc, but these things have to be factored in. Winning anything has to be achieved despite those problems and by the same rationale under achieving cannot be blamed on those same things.

No one really knows categorically what is going on at boardroom, owner and managerial level at Arsenal but the factual conclusion is that year on year we have declined in the achievement department since our last title, last trophy and reaching the Champions league. All the other stuff; finance, expansion, commerce is of course relevant but a football club is about that old cliché; being ‘there or there abouts’ and Arsenal Football club have not been’ there or there abouts’ for a good length of time.

Coming full circle, my conclusion is that (while I’m gutted at every loss)  we have to realise that our current status is all about winning a few, drawing a few and unfortunately, losing a few.

Until such time as Arsenal the financial institution- doing well in the wallet has the ambition of being Arsenal the Football Club- doing well in the trophy cabinet, we have to deal with mediocrity.

Our beloved Arsenal does so many things right but has the club become so obsessed with financial matters that the powers that be have forgotten our raison d’être ; being a successful football club?

Comments

  1. wellyousaythat16 January 2012 at 19:03

    Comment: See link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDAmPIq29ro



    CJTK






    CJTK

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

so I said...

Popular posts from this blog

HATE

Then Now Earlier today Captain Kirk sent me the following video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sG1f-v88-kU&sns=em To say it is both disturbing and upsetting is an understatement. We see the beautiful game as something of a mirror to society and try to look on the community of supporters as a positive force. A set of human beings with some values borne out of an understanding of what this great sport of ours can give us. However, it takes a certain amount of myopia from the Football Authorities to proclaim that all is well. The issues that were amplified over the weekend at Old Trafford cannot be trivialised when we see the full extent of hatred; in any form. The violence is shocking as we see people attacked on a basis that is a result of flawed thinking, and the powers that be proclaim all is well; all is not well. So when I look at those images, I have to ask myself this… http://youtu.be/6RVDQgVxprE
4 comments
Read more

"IF WE BEHAVE LIKE THEM, THEN WHAT IS THE POINT IN WINNING? "- John Connor

"The future has not been written. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves. I wish I could believe that."-John Connor To overcome Skynet was not easy, it involved time, belief and an indomitable human spirit. To beat a machine equipped with superior weaponry and a ruthless access to resources to increase its arsenal took ingenuity and a "never say die" attitude. Abu Dhabi is the ground zero of Skynet and Manchester CXV are the Terminators. The thing about Skynet is that there are no qualms about what their aim is, there are no notions of fairness.  "Listen, and understand! Manchester CX are out there! They can't be bargained with. They can't be reasoned with. They doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And they absolutely will not stop... ever, until someone stops them flagrantly breaking rules"-Kyle Reese In a landscape where one team dominates it is up to a resistance to topple them, this is made hard when using resources that were ga...
Post a Comment
Read more

LEAGUE OF ORDINARY GENTLEMEN

Sunderland V Sp*rs ended goalless meaning that Sp*rs currently sit third. It was a game that had 0-0 written all over it after about 30 minutes. The baton now passes to us in today’s fixture against Man City. A win gives us a two point advantage and a draw puts us back in third. One side that we need to be mindful of in the shake up for 3 rd & 4 th is Newcastle who have hung on all season and present a threat to ECL qualification. What the SAFC v THFC game showed is the poverty of this current Premier League; it was awful. A cursory comparison between teams in the Premier era makes grim reading for the current state of the game. The Man Utd of 99 would definitely beat the current side, The Newcastle of Keegan, The Chelsea of Mourinho, the Villa of Atkinson, the Blackburn of Dalgleish, The Liverpool of Fowler, McManaman, Owen etc would batter the Liverpool of 2012. Certainly the Invincibles would put the current Arsenal team to the sword. Even teams like Midd...
Post a Comment
Read more