ARSENALISM©

Is it about qualifying for a competition with the aspiration of winning it or is it just a financial imperative? Certainly intention should be at the heart of a journey in the Champions League and in that respect some clubs go into it with the belief that they can win, some with the desire to have a bloody good crack and some just for the ride. So where do we, the Arsenal, stand in this equation? Back in the heady days of 2004, 05, 06 I felt that the club and our squad believed that winning it was an achievable goal and our results against Europe’s elite made it clear that we were ‘in amongst it” which we proved by reaching the final, unfortunately we have yet to return to that summit. Even the most biased supporter of the Arsenal would admit that Europe’s top prize is a glaring omission from our proud history. Yes we know about Liverpool & Manchester United (and yes, Chelsea) but Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa who have been nowhere near as consistent domestically, hav...

Being a supporter of the Arsenal this season was like being a character from Charles Schulz's seminal Peanuts. There's Schroeder, die hard about his passion: he brooks no criticism of his beloved Wolfgang Amadeus. Snoopy who is sanguine and philosophical while those around him rail against the unfairness of their position in the world. Linus, whose experience does not go back as far as those around him resulting in his naïveté and need for a literal security blanket. But above all there is Charlie Brown, optimistic about the possibility of Lucy not pulling away that pig skin, trusting that a positive outcome must surely arrive in regards to the little red headed girl and believing each year in the arrival of The Great Pumpkin. Inevitably Lucy Van Pelt represents Arsenal Football Club. Her temptation of Charlie Brown is offset by her spurious reassurances from her Psychiatric booth. Lucy is the nearest there is to an adult in Schulz’s universe and her manipulation...

So that’s that. Another point gained in the slow jog to a Champions League spot and another game undefeated. A draw against the newly crowned champions that somehow encapsulated a number of issues that have been scrutinised, analysed and postulated over in a season of, by and large, mediocrity for the Arsenal. The returning ex player who left for glory or was it money or just the little boy inside. Good periods of possession but failure to turn that possession into goals. Defensive errors alongside some excellence at the back. A team that rose to the occasion on occasion but fell short of taking all of the spoils. Lack of cutting edge when it was most needed. Shortcomings in terms of substitutions and missing pieces of a jigsaw. The sideshow over the guard of honour was nothing more than tomorrow’s chip paper and the vilification of our former captain was restrained on the whole. Is the twenty something point gap between the two sides that pronounced on...

Cosa Nostra Italian pronunciation: [Koza Nostra], Italian for "our thing" This season, more than most, has seen discussion about other clubs at an all time high. It’s almost as if Arsenal supporters are distracting themselves from the real issues at home by looking elsewhere. The on going disputes with our noisy neighbours carry on with fractious insult from both parties, there is a sense of glee at the failings of the Russian’s project club and sympathy for once mighty Liverpool. It seems to me that the club with whom we once tussled for Premier League supremacy are almost an after thought. Their inevitable march to a twentieth title was something to be observed from afar: perhaps with wistful nostalgia for the good old days of Keane v Vieira. Not now though.  Aston Villa may not be the pushover that clinches the title before United come calling  so there may be an ugly intruder looking to set up camp on the Emirates pitch come this time next week. An int...

"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 Eur...