ARSENALISM©

  The value of goals has never been more clearly emphasised than this season in the Premier league. There has been a virtual frenzy of goal scoring this time around and it is goal power that has placed Liverpool in pole position and goal power that has kept Manchester City in a great position to pounce. While City and Liverpool have legitimately world class strikers obduracy has been Chelsea’s main weapon for the most part but they have also had an ability to share the goals and in E’To they have a player who is in his twilight but still has that killer instinct and Torres can still show touches of his former goal machine self. To compete in this league you need a cutting edge in front of goal and the Arsenal had that with Ramsey’s sparkling early season form, but for the long haul all the eggs seemed to be in the Giroud basket, with Bendtner; who can be unpredictable and an unknown in Sanogo the only other pure strikers, most thought that this lack of real quality would c...

It’s not easy losing to a direct rival, its not easy being annihilated by a team as loathsome as Chelsea and its not easy taking a beating from a team managed by an obsequies popinjay like Mourinho but the truth is that the Portuguese loudmouth has got the measure of Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal. It seems that we are consistently failing to beat the teams with whom we purport to challenge when it comes to the crunch. Time was that a gifted XI with a strong mental attitude went to Old Trafford, The Bernabue, Anfield, Milan and Stamford Bridge expecting to get something out of the game: and they usually did. The team of which I speak was one that needed little instruction and could often beat their opponents in the tunnel before kick off. An extraordinary set of players and a thing of the past that some might argue it is futile to measure Arsenal 2014 against except that the question of the assurances made of replicating that golden era are unanswered. The move to the Emirates came wi...

Often we have perceptions and expectations that need to be realigned, one such perspective can be that of injustice, lack of fairness or bias. An expectation could be that equality, reasonableness and morals are to be held as sacrosanct. I’m talking about how the radio stations listened to, the newspapers read and the social media sites perused fail to align with our perceptions of accuracy and intellect and how they fail to meet our expectations. Any talk of unfavourable and unreasonable criticism is dismissed as paranoia, outrage at generalisation and systematic courting of criticism is seen as petulance. Fact is that when the gentlemen of the sports press (and it is mostly still a male bastion let’s not forget: save for the excellent Amy Lawrence) draw their weapons and take aim at The Arsenal there seems to be a degree of relish at writing epitaphs and glee at reporting any perceived failing. Is it in the blood one wonders: we all should know that in the 30’s when Ar...

Discussion continues and appears to be divisive, regarding Arsene Wenger’s ability to lead the team to success when the chips are down. Players that don’t perform are one thing and injuries seem to plague us but you have to look at who is responsible for acquiring players in the first place and who is responsible for managing and motivating them: in effect is it not the Manager’s job to buy players that he thinks are going to strengthen the squad, within his available budget, and then get the best from them? With this in mind getting the best from the team should really manifest itself in the big occasions. Winners step up to the plate when they need to and when looking to write a page in history a cup final is as good a place as any to make that mark. Wenger may not be the big game manager that we once thought he was. When looking at the big cup games we see some worrying statistics. On a positive note his FA cup final stats are good: FA Cup Final record- P5 W4 L1. ...

It all seemed a bit moribund: the once titans of the Premier League playing out a goalless draw as if the minds of each team was focused elsewhere, or could that be the minds of the managers? Lacking in pace or real bite both sides seemed to be content, as the game progressed, in what became a foregone conclusion. For the arsenal it appeared to be a case of responding to Saturday’s debacle by not losing, for United there were shades of just wanting to steady the ship. Man for man both sides lacked cutting edge and the game bore little resemblance o the vital clashes of old. Perhaps that’s a bygone era, certainly for United it’s a new experience. For us it’s something that, to an extent, supporters have become accustomed to. If, by dint of team selection, our manager doesn’t take the FA cup tie against Liverpool seriously it could be goodnight Vienna: as I said before we are talking about a tournament where we know that one of Chelsea/City are going to be eliminated and...

Wining the 'rematch' Knock Liverpool out of the FA cup in, what is almost a rematch and, given that one of Chelsea & Man City will exit this weekend, the Cup may very well be up for...well you know the rest of that oft quoted adage. Beat Manchester United on Wednesday and we can confirm that this team has the ability to bounce back consistently, and apply some pressure on our competitors while psychologically brushing aside the club that, under Ferguson, were our long term nemesis and putting another nail in what many see as United's current coffin of broken dreams. The Bayern fixture? who knows but I maintain that at present, the Champions League is beyond us, therefore this game is something of a barometer. Which brings us to Saturday afternoon's debacle: many have summed things up far more eloquently, and others with extreme hysteria but what is undeniable is that for Liverpool that first 20 minutes could not have been better. Team selection prior to the g...

 Yes we have to play Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United, but hold up a minute: they've got to play us! Manchester City are gaining all the plaudits and in terms of goal scoring, yes, they are performing splendidly, but we need to look at the fixture against them as a chance to put a massive dent in their seemingly inexorable rise to the top. Chelsea, with whom we drew earlier in the season, are certainly ready for a psychological blow of a home defeat, why can't we be the team that delivers it? We beat Liverpool rather comfortably at the Emirates and should have no fear of a trip to Anfield. Arsenal v Manchester United still retains an intensity and with this game at home we should feel that we can add to their woes. Who knows what tonight's result will be in the City Chelsea fixture, but one things for sure: gaps will be closed. One thing I've always believed in is that you have to play all comers if you want to win anything and the...