ARSENALISM©

Quite a lot has been going on in the football world this week. So heres your roving reporter (me) with a brief summary. VAR: I strongly believe that it’s main function is to create breaks in play for advertising so as to mirror American Sport. That can be it’s only function AFC: We had become a club, in the second half of Wenger’s reign that accepted underachievement and for the sake of misguided principles and a risk averse Board and Ownership were always a couple of players away from being contenders Arteta: Our squad building has been bad for some time. Our squad is bang average and when you have a bang average squad those players that you come to rely on are a mixed bag. Unpredictable players like Luiz & Xhaka become key players. Because of lack of depth Tierney gets over played. Young players like Saka & ESR are over relied upon. You see a player like Ødegaard  and realise the sort of quality you need but you also have Ceballos who is inconsistent. Lacazette & Auba...

Thursday's fixture is by far the most important game in our season. Win it and we are one step nearer to a possible Europa League final and the chance to get back in the big time of the Champion's League. Lose, and its going to be a long few months. The Arsenal cannot afford to fall further behind the elite and therefore any chance we have to get back in the ECL needs to be firmly grasped. The economics of modern football, particularly in a post Covid world, absolutely require ECL football for revenue and the ability to attract players. It's not about being in a position to win it, as the Arsenal are light years behind the likes of PSG and Bayern Munich, but its an earner that's vital for any chance of our survival as an elite club. Its looking unlikely that a Europa League place is achievable via the league and aside from it being a rather irritating tournament, it would be important financially to be in Europe's second tear competition if ECL qualification doesn...

  Ennui-Sickert If you have non aspirational ownership, a risk averse board who specialise in flawed strategising, an inexperienced manager and an imbalanced squad then you have the perfect storm that gives you a mid table team. A part of all those elements has to change in order to change the trajectory of Arsenal Football Club. This is a daunting, some would say, unrealistic task. That’s my concern for the future of our club. We have been on this journey for a number of years, our destination was mid table mediocrity and this season we have arrived. The way that we do things as a club is littered with unclear thinking and decision making that does not stand up to scrutiny. Take the case of Martinez and Leno; Martinez had been at the club for a decade and when a chance presented itself he stepped up into the number one position and had a superb run in to the season that helped Arsenal win an FA Cup. The decision was made, once Leno was fit, to say to Martinez "so, Emilia...

Tomorrow The Arsenal (9th) face Liverpool (7th) in a fixture that has been rather meaningful over the years; particularly for the Gunners. FA Cup Finals, League Cup encounters, title deciders and top of the table tussles have good memories for both sets of fans. Saturday's encounter sees both managers in curious positions. Arsenal have a (still) new manager and are struggling to find a route back to the big time but have a European Quarter Final to look forward to as a silver lining for a disappointing season . Have an experienced and very successful manager and are struggling to get back to the dizzy heights of the last couple of seasons and have a European Quarter Final to look forward to as a silver lining for a disappointing season. Something I think we can expect from the game is goals as both teams are capable of tremendous highs going forward and lack of focus at the back.What the result will end up meaning in the context of the season is hard to gauge but both clubs fa...