PRETENDERS OR CONTENDERS TO GREATNESS

"Greatness is not measured by what a man accomplishes, but by the opposition he has overcome to reach his goals" -Dorothy Height

Muhammad Ali’s greatness was about many things: charisma, ability, cultural significance, power and technique, his greatness was also measurable in terms of his opponents. Ali existed in an era of supreme competition. Foreman, Frazier, Norton, Patterson, Liston, were all there in front of Ali and he still retained a place at the summit. In that context the Arsenal’s classic teams were competing against other great teams; a Manchester United side that is probably the best in their history and the Liverpool sides that made Anfield a fortress. The Arsenal won things consistently in a Premier League era where teams like Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Villa, Blackburn and many others had sides were far better than the current versions.

The great teams to compete against are currently not in our domestic league; they are in Europe. The rarefied atmosphere that greatness really exists in is the late stages of the Champions League. To be great at this moment in time means to be competing on an equal footing with Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Dortmund.

The soon to be Premier Champions reflect the relative qualities of the Premier League and perhaps we are currently of commensurate quality to the league we play in. What we need to do, as I believe all other Premier League clubs should, is to aspire to greatness. Certainly with the vast amount of money flooding in to the league next term there has to be a move towards this aspiration.

The 2013/14 season looks like being a huge season for a number of clubs. Chelsea will be appointing a new manager, Manchester City will be looking to wrestle back the title, Liverpool will have given Rodgers his first season and be looking at him to deliver, Spurs’ season may rest upon whether they qualify for the ECL or have won the Europa: certainly AVB will be expected to build upon his first season, Everton’s 2013/14 is all about life with or without Moyes, Manchester United will probably look at a last opportunity for Ferguson to get that third Champions League trophy, Swansea will be expected to push for a top four finish and the fight to stay in the league will be even fiercer given the financial stakes.

And what of Arsenal? Wenger’s final contracted season may see a do or die attitude or will it be about leaving a sustainable legacy? Who knows what will happen. I certainly don’t.

We can certainly do no more than keep our momentum going for the final few games and ignore what others are doing; the one game at a time mantra has never been more apropos.

What is clear is that next season is a pivotal season for the Arsenal; that’s something that is often said but this time it’s actually true. Whether it’s in the Champions League, The Europa League, The Premier league, The FA Cup or the League Cup What the Arsenal need to do is reach for greatness and in order to do that it must be at the expense of the mediocre not because of the mediocre.

Picture Via: http://arsenalphotos.tumblr.com/post/16177988298/i-love-this-match

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

"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...

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...

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