ARSENALISM©

  Don’t let the media spin fool you; the Premier League is currently a poor league. A Manchester United team that features players such as Smalling, Evans, Jones, Carrick, Kagawa, Cleverley and Welbeck is going to walk the title (and fair play to them), possibly with a record number of points. The Carling Cup was played out between two clubs that are not part of the so called elite, The Premier League has no representatives in the Champions League, and West Brom, Norwich, Swansea, Fulham and Stoke are in the running for European places. Mancini’s Manchester side are most likely going to take second spot, given that Chelsea are mired in fixture congestion. Tottenham still have the points in the bank but look precarious in their fourth spot. In this climate is it inconceivable that the Arsenal can’t compete for a place near the top of this tree of mediocrity? Certainly a home fixture against a team that are plummeting into the abyss is a fixture that cannot be lost and ...

*image courtesy http://irvandwi7.blogspot.co.uk   “They (the press) are loving it because not much comes out of Highbury. But keep your self respect and remember who you play for and what that represents.”- George Graham In these stressful times when all around us are rubbing their hands gleefully and internal turmoil rocks the ship with squall let us remember that players and managers come and go but, many that have served us and competed against us hold true to one immutable truth, and that truth is that The Arsenal prevails. Never, ever forget what a truly great club we all support and love. “They were at their most dangerous when they didn't have the ball!”- Kenny Dalglish 1998 “We were blessed with a backbone of men with character who demanded excellence from others”- Don Howe “Sometimes there is nothing better in life than being a Gooner” -Kevin Campbell   “I like to let my football do the talking, I'm respectful of other good teams such a...

  “As you all know, first prize is a Cadillac Eldorado. Anybody want to see second prize? Second prize is a set of steak knives.”     Yes we all want and dream of victory this evening but today is feeling like a tipping point for many Arsenal supporters. There are all sorts of opinions and statements coming out on the old Internet/Twitterverse, many views on team selection, ethos, goals of the club, competitiveness, resting players, mental issues, fatigue and basically the kitchen sink of critique. Yes there is the now usual in-fighting and "I've been supporting Arsenal longer than you therefore etc etc" going on but the general feeling is one of sorrow. What comes across from the majority of comments I have read is not so much anger, nor in fact frustration, more a sense of deep sadness. Sadness at the poverty of the current Arsenal squad. A good squad gives supporters a sense of relief when key players are missing; as an example The invincibles ...

This is the first time that I can remember not having a game because our opponents are still in the FA Cup. Teams like Bolton, Wigan and West Brom are usually in limbo due to a fixture against one of the big boys who are otherwise engaged in pursuit of the grand old trophy designed by Frattorini's of Bradford. In the past it's generally been those interminable International breaks; the sort of a break in proceedings that I used to get annoyed about, but now I feel something of a sense of relief that we don't have a game until Wednesday. At the moment a break means a weekend free of the current default of supporting our beloved Arsenal, ie: agitated exasperation at the very real possibility of unforced errors and tepid performances, baffling substitutions and gutter press reactions. Of course the world and it's wife have written of Arsenal's return leg at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday as a complete waste of time. After all when has any team ever in t...

 The game tonight between Manchester United and Real Madrid is a fixture which symbolises what the Champion’s League is all about. Looking at it dispassionately it is a clash of the very best. Both teams, and indeed clubs, have an expectation that they can win the Champions League each year. Both sets of supporters believe that they have a good chance of a trip to Wembley come 25 th May. Our club had a taste of that feeling for a while; we went into games in Europe’s premier competition with optimism and faith. That belief was rewarded with the scintillating 0-0 at Highbury against Real Madrid, the demolition of Inter Milan, the humbling of Juventus and the famous victory in the Bernabeu. Unfortunately those moments all seem like distant memories and occasions that may be a long way from being repeated.   Comparisons are always erroneous and Arsenal are a different club to Real and United; history and statistics tell their own story but it felt, for a ...