ARSENALISM©

Reflecting on 2015 for the Arsenal it is always worth looking at context. The second half of the 14/15 season saw a procession to the title from Abramovitch's minions and smug condescension from the self anointed 'Special one'. Chelsea had deservedly won the title and the rest of us so called big clubs had our own issues to deal with: having said that the Arsenal put in a top drawer performance to retain the FA Cup, a highlight being that Alexis Sanchez goal: a true Wembley Cup Final classic. This proved that we have a group of players who can win things and that the FA Cup 2014 wasn't just a one off.  That winning habit continued with the return to Wembley and a 1-0 victory over the champions in the Community Shield. This was a sweet victory not only because we had their ex goalkeeper between the sticks but it was the first sign that things were awry at Stamford Bridge. Mourinho's attention seeking display at the end of the game was a sign of things...

On a weekend in the Premier League dominated by the petulant toddler in West London the Arsenal went quietly about their business dispatching a decent Swansea team with a minimum of fuss. The dull first half saw an Arsenal squad, struggling with injuries, keep Swansea at bay and then in a more urgent second half display convert three chances to take maximum points and retain our second place position. It was the sort of display that tells you a lot about our current mind set: that of getting on with it effectively, humbly and pretty confidently. This was the sort of game that at this time of the season has typically given us problems but the nature of our display prompted that giant of Football punditry Jermaine Jenas to tip us for the League Title. But let us not get carried away, let us stay humble and see what the next run of League games brings, and to be fair the fixture computer has been kind to us.  Who knows, maybe this season we need not beware the ides of Novemb...

The thing about the Premier League is that it is kind of relentless. Those clubs who understand that their main goal is staying in the league have stubborn game plans that are as much about spoiling as they are about playing. Then there are those clubs that comfortably sit mid table looking to draw more than they lose,with the aspiration of a decent cup run to give the fans a couple of good days out. There are some clubs that feel that Europe is a realistic aim and look to gather points from those around them and then there are clubs that believe that they can win every time they send out a team onto the pitch. In this climate the Arsenal are going to face more opponents that will try to get away with an honourable draw than those that aim to win.  Taking three points from Watford perhaps should be an expectation but that's an arrogant stance where humility with confidence is probably a better approach. Second in the table at what is admittedly an early stage isn't ba...

The Champions League, the Holy Grail of club football, a tournament that the Arsenal probably should have won in 2004 given the qualities of the team and the clubs that made the last four. A Trophy that the Arsenal were close to winning in 2006 had the game been XI v XI: but them’s the breaks. Since those halcyon days of the early 2000s our club has failed to get anywhere near to winning the trophy and to be fair it has been pretty much monopolised by a small group of clubs, but both Liverpool and Chelsea have defied the odds and taken the trophy home in this fallow period for us. In fact it has been a long time since an English club won the Champions League/European Cup by comprehensively outplaying their opponent (Probably Liverpool back in the day) in a final, all the victories have had a slice of drama about them: late winners, late equalisers, missed penalties and glorious comebacks, and maybe that’s what it takes for an English team to triumph again. The Arsenal have ha...

Let's be honest, this season feels like a false start and the redeeming feature is that (Man City aside) the other teams that we would be expecting to be competing with have also had stuttering starts.  It's the home form that is the immediate issue and beating Stoke may have been a pretty good opportunity to get back n track. The disappointments, realistic criticism and hysterical over reactions to the transfer window situation all have to be put on hold as this is the squad we have and thats that. The key thing, until January at least and probably after, will be injuries and specifically injuries to Giroud, Walcott and Coquelin. Until an effective crystal ball is invented we just have to keep our fingers crossed. Of course some would say that an educated guess would have helped a couple of weeks ago but as I've said, whats done (or not done) is done. The first real test will be at Stamford Bridge: that hive of scum and villainy, next week and to an extent there w...

Little Boy Blue This blog is about The Arsenal but I thought A final word on Mourinho this season was in order given that he has a number of opinions about our team.  Yes the season hasn't started yet but The Chelsea Manager is trying to make the 15/16 all about him. No surprise there as he appears to have transformed into Esspossito from Woody Allen's Bananas; each pronouncement seems more ludicrous than the next.  Esspossito Mourinho He took against the Arsenal manager from day one, most probably because he represented the erudite big city sophisticate that the self proclaimed 'peasant' despises.  Now the press with whom he shares a love in have delivered some hysterical ramblings from their darling Jose The disconnect with reality is hilarious. Teams trying to buy the title? Pot & Kettle. A defensive display by the Community Shield winners? Look in the mirror. And his latest on Talksport this morning: "I never refuse to shake a...

So is this it then? is this the culmination of a decade of building, a decade of frustration and a decade of civil war of words? Is this the season when we return to the promised land? It's a novelty: a close season without our better players leaving to earn more money and possibly win something. It's a close season without of players who, having failed to deliver, sought employment elsewhere to gain honours. The bitterness aimed at Flamini by some must be in part because he is a reminder of those that went before, players that ignored their part in failing to succeed and just chose the hypnotic allure of cash and supposed easy success-Song, Clichy, Nasri, Hleb, RVP, Fabregas etc; the list is a long one and each summer there was an inevitability about departures.  Not so this year and perhaps that is due to winning back to back FA Cups and actually beating the so called 'big teams' or perhaps it's more subtle than that. This squad seem to have a unity that...

And so another season bites the dust, a season with positives and negatives, questions and answers. It would be easy to focus on the manner of our Champion's league exit, our poor start to the season, our defeats in games that we were 'supposed' to win, our injury problems or the civil war of words that seems a part of each season but I have decided to post a positive blog to say adios to the 2014/15 season.  Alexis Sanchez has been an obvious plus point: a sparkling talent with a tremendous work rate and likability. The sort of player that you would like to see follow up his debut season as a talismanic big game player in our pursuit of the Title next season. Bruce Shad Forsythe seems to have sorted out our appalling injury record to a great extent and it has been something of a novelty seeing a full compliment of players vying for a place in our starting lineup. Youth.  Bellerin and Coquelin stepped up to the plate in the second half of the season and Chamber...

I’m not one for match reports: others do that much better than me, but what I will say about yesterday’s Arsenal v Chelsea game is that we looked physically combative and were not bullied by Mourinho’s mob and it’s been a while since I’ve seen that, our finishing and final ball let us down but let’s face it Chelsea are the best team in the league when it comes to not losing and a draw is decent in context.  Given that it wasn’t the most exhilarating of games it was predictable that the press would prod a snide answer out of Mourinho (again). The chants of “boring boring Chelsea” seem to have ruffled the feathers of a club who frankly shouldn’t care less: they are going to be champions, and rightly so, therefore why even comment on a bit of chanting? It is, as I say, predictable that the cloying sycophants of the media feel the need to elicit a cheap and petty sound bite from the self-anointed Special one. These uncouth and snotty quips from Mourinho a...

Good v Evil, Pride v Prejudice, Pragmatism v Idealism, History v New Money, there are so many headlines to tag onto Sunday’s fixture against Chelsea: the club with a corrupt owner (not alone in that), a despicable albeit successful manager, an offensive but effective captain and a fan base of racists (well some of them anyway). So in reality Chelsea is a bit of a Pantomime Villain and a team under Mourinho who have an annoying habit of not losing against us. To feel an emotion as strong as hatred towards Chelsea is a bit like hating Katie Hopkins: it’s easy but ultimately a waste of time. On Sunday Chelsea are the enemy and yes there is much to dislike and certain demon's to be driven away, but there is only one thing to think about and that’s winning to tighten out grip on second place. Chelsea will inevitably win the league and that is by virtue of this season’s Premier League not being of a very good vintage and the fact that Chelsea strengthened that all important spi...