ARSENALISM©

On to Cardiff, a place that was our home for a while when cup final followed cup final there but this time we face the master of bluster and industrial football Mr Warnock. These are the games that season's past could be frustrating or walks in the park. This time around who knows? Its almost as if this is our first away game of the season as the Stamford Bridge match seems a long time ago and a different experience for the club. Let's make no bones about it, this season we will find out more about where we are going by games like these. We are looking for a cohesive style while getting results against teams like Cardiff. When we play teams who finished above us last season it may be more of a case of trial and error but we have to count on taking three points from teams below and around us: not the ideal learning environment but the only one that we have. The Caraboa and the Europa (we'll know more about the latter shortly) are opportunities to see more of the new ...

It won't be the game against Manchester City at the Emirates or the away game at Chelsea that will show us what the new look Arsenal is all about, it will be playing away at Crystal Palace in a fixture where we have previously been outgunned in the cojones department. it will be at home against West Ham United: a game we are expected to win but lost on the opening day of seasons past.  These are the games that will show us where our year one strategy will take us. Getting on equal footing with the five teams that finished above us will take longer. So far what we have seen is players having to be accountable for poor performance as evidenced by  substitutions, we've seen a team adjusting and trying not to slip back into bad default habits. We've seen the importance of being clinical in the final third and we've seen a young man with belief in midfield and an experienced Swiss show some jiggery pokery that is always a delight to see. At this moment it is still far...

Oh my Dennis, there is so much negativity around at the moment. We have a new manager (that happens at clubs) the Kroenke takeover seems to be the Apocalypse for some (single ownership happens at clubs) and everyone seems to have complaints about our transfer policy. Given the last few years you’d think there would be more of a positive vibe knocking about.  I think it’s mostly those who can’t accept that we are like other clubs: going into a season unsure what might happen. Not guaranteed success. Not guaranteed Sublime football. It’s a ‘wait and see’ season.  Let’s have a bit of perspective. 99% of Arsenal supporters know next to nothing about Emery other than he’s won stuff in Europe. He’s joining as a coach and as part of a team that deal with fitness, contracts and recruitment. there are also very few experts on  the players that have come in yet there seem to be untold perspectives out there. The goings on upstairs have been going on for ages; they’re just di...