Wednesday, 23 May 2012
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Arsenal: Time for bouncebackability!

By 2011/08/29 18 Comments

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It is a memory that has lasted for what seems to be an eternity. The last time Man Utd showed Arsenal no mercy was 10 years ago thrashing the Gunners 6-1 at Old Trafford and believe it or not, the Gunners went on to finish 2nd that season with United taking the honours. A hammering that has constantly haunted the faithful, it was a result that we well and truly hoped we would never see again.

So moving onto present day, on an afternoon that New York City was evacuated for an incoming hurricane of catastrophic proportions, yesterdays 8-2 demolition of what is being deemed a wounded animal of a team will have severely shaken the foundations of the Premiership in an equally frightening manner. Man Utd’s faultless display sent a clear message out that they are ready to destroy all who lie in their path showing no mercy whatsoever; the only thing is we could have done with the evacuation warning!

I think it’s important to add that despite this abysmal result, we should take heart from the beaten Gunners of 2001 that went on to win their record-equalling third league and cup double the following year and after narrowly missing out on the title to Chelsea in 2003 made a name for ourselves in the 2003-2004 season which forever speaks for itself..The Invicibles!

“We know all this but that was then and this is now!” I hear some cry. Well, despite the faithful feeling like hurricane Irene took a slight detour on Sunday afternoon, it’s now simply all about our bouncebackability, finding the strength and fighting spirit to dig us out of this mess! We have faced tough times before, notably in the early 80’s, but often it’s the reality check needed to really harden teams up. The last smashing in the league was Wigan and they showed fighting character after recording a club record loss of 9-1 to Spurs in Nov 2009 and having refunded the fans for that game, the Latics won their following fixture with Sunderland 1-0, subsequently turning their season around avoiding relegation. We shouldn’t need to worry about that word just yet!

United have had their fair share of poor results too let’s not forget. Following a 5-0 thumping from Newcastle the previous week, United went on to lose 6-3 to Southampton at the Dell in October 1996. This was accompanied by the infamous kit change at half time and completed with a standard Roy Keane dismissal and yet still this didn’t seem to bother them for long as they went on to win the league in a more convincing style after that. Its little consolation but at least we didn’t get our kit off before the final whistle, well apart from Carl Jenkinson of course.

So what now for our fallen team? Crushed, embarrassed and left with 1 point out of a possible 9, it is hard to see how we will pick ourselves up from this dismal start to the season but somehow we quite simply have to. I have said it before but it’s imperative that we get behind Arsene Wenger and instil our faith that he is the man to drive this team forward; there is no-one else. We have to believe, we need our lads to work together to improve and primarily we need to make sure we actually turn up for the next game!

Phil Wareham-Mewse

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  • Steve

    So what you’re basically saying is don’t worry, back Arsene and he’ll sort it out. Well he’s had all summer to sort it out and made a pigs ear of it. Last summer he couldn’t even sign a keeper for £4m and had to play Almunia.

    He has lost the plot. You should be imploring him to change his ways, not just saying get behind him and have faith. It’s blind optimism like that that led to our humiliation yesterday. Say something constructive, not just “get behind Wenger” or don’t bother writing at all.

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    • Berg10

      Probably what he should have said is get behind the team, they need encouragement, the fault lies with some but not all of the players, we need to aim the frustrations at a higher level.

      Credit to the away fans yesterday who could be heard all through the game, alas there are too many fundamental errors. The system we use isn’t as it’s often portrayed as “pretty triangles” “fluent” it’s a shambles and has been for some time, to be honest Manure, citeh, chavs and even spuds look more fluent than us (well apart from yesterday spuddies).

      Icannot defend the manager/club any longer, for whatever reason we have failed to strengthen adequately, if it’s lack of funds which I’d be surprised then they should have been more open about it, I hope it’s more of Wenger’s stuborness, at least that can be fixed, but not with the suggestion of that twat Piers Morgan, MoN, do me a favour, I’d rather Steve Bould be given a chance.

      If no new additions arrive (and it looks unlikely) then the chances of us finishing in the top four let alone 2nd is totally out of the question. What irked me yesterday was that fergies kids , although some would say are simply better than our kids and I refute that, fitted into a system as if they had been together for a few seasons, our team looked disjointed, nothing to suggest there are any tactics and certainly no “pretty triangles”… I wish!

      Big changes needed immediately, whatever it takes.

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  • http://twitter.com/BonaDrag1 Bona Drag

    Very well written article, and very funny too, was that the intention? But is supporting the team the same as supporting Wenger/board. I think not. As someone else has said before me, come sat against Swansea, we should all gather outside the Emirates and sing so loud that the players can hear it, while the stands are empty, that way we support the team, but not the board/wenger. I think its a great idea

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  • looneygooner

    I think the damage is too far gone, this team has only known failure after failure, the rot in my belief is too far set in and it will need a huge upheaval to restore the faith. this score line has been a long time coming because Wenger refuse to beef up the defence, bring in a good solid defensive midfielder and a natural striker. Our discipline has gone four players banned in three games is a joke The board has to accept partial responsibility but the blame has to rest with Wenger who’s ego refused to let him accept his policy has failed.I find it hard to even look at the man on screen, his promises have fallen flat, his decisions have made us a laughing stock, I still hurt from the 6-1 defeat against the Mancs, this one will never heal. I feel the Arsenal way has been lost with the way the board and it’s mismanagement has made us fans into customers, the %6 increase was hard to swallow as I no longer could afford to keep my ST, but the weakening of the team since 2004 has been the hardest pill to swallow. We need fresh blood in, but Wenger has run his course, this has to be his last season and Arsenal should be looking for his successor. Even the great Cloughie got Forest relegated, it is a sad day at Arsenal and it’s a sad day for the end of Wenger who has done so much for the club. 

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  • timbo

    As I United supporter, I didn’t really enjoy the contest once it turned into a rout – I have too much respect for the team and Wenger for that. I sat there watching with my wife and saying “this is awful” once it got past the point of being a definite win and the broadcaster kept cutting to an abject looking Wenger as the goals started mounting up. Had it been Liverpool, Chelsea, or City the feelings would have been entirely different though, I can assure you! The only annoying thing for me was that the Russian gnat stayed on the pitch after two filthy challenges that could have caused serious injury and should have elicited red cards.

    I just hope that the club’s fans don’t get involved in knee-jerk reactions and turn on Wenger, because I think he’s done enough for the club over the years to warrant some loyalty through tough times.

    Forgive me if I’m wrong, but I’ve always had the distinct impression that the main reason behind Wenger’s parsimonious spending habits were that the board were more intent on prioritising paying down the loan for the Emirates stadium than in supplying their manager with the kind of financial war chest that would allow him to go out and spend on the kind of experienced talent that the club needed. Let’s face it, the Gunners have the best stadium in the country, a loyal fan base who fill the Emirates regularly – there should theoretically  be a ton of money in the coffers to spend, and what manager wouldn’t if the resources were available to build up the squad? That gets back to the issue of where the money is going, and the fact that Wenger seems to have too much class to bitch about his own board, even if they’re tying his hands financially.

    Best of luck to the Gunners. I’ve always admired the way the team plays the game under Wenger, and I hope the club and fan base stick with him and find a way to rebuild post Fabregas & Nasri. The EPL needs the likes of Arsenal and the kind of football that it brings to the competition, as against the dreary and classless wanna-be’s like Chelsea and City, who try to spend their way to success in lieu of any pedigree or a sustainable financial model.

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    • Berg10

      Nicely said timbo. Some of us have defended AW through many seemingly avoidable catastrophies but enough is enough. That sounds like I’m saying he has to go, maybe he has, at the very least he needs to change his philosophy unless of course his hands are bound that tightly by the board, I still doubt this and he therefore has to de-class himself and shop the lot of the greedy basards if that’s the case. We need change and fast, it’s not too late for a high finish but anything else would be very optimistic now.

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    • http://twitter.com/BonaDrag1 Bona Drag

      Please mate shut it! Take your garbage to a glory glory Leeds united site. The fact that you show your face around here says it all about Utd fans, if you have as much respect as you claim, then F… O..

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      • Bpod

        And why dont you shut the f***k up,with your hooligan atitude

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        • ole

          Are you a united fan? Or do you just enjoy that lame sympathy from AF and other in the Manchester area, they are laughing at us, and call it respect.

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  • Mac Karanjah

    It’s a hard pill to swallow for all funs because it apears that our pleas for signings have been falling to deaf ears. Changes are needed and its not only personnel even tactics. I will be honest even with cahill playing yesterday we would have still conceded because of the tactics aopted. Knowing your going with a depleted team to one of your major rivals you need to change the tactics to play with the strength of the team you have. Wenger seemed resigned to losing this game and I do hope I am wrong. All we can hope know is theat changes are made both in terms of personnel and tactics and please lets get behind the players. UP THE GOONERS!

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  • 037

    Love this article!

    We have to understand that our season starts against Swansea. We know that Wenger will not pay inflated prices (and we should not get into that habit), and to do this, you have to push negotiations to the wire, to deadline day.

    A pundit, a blogger, let alone “Manager of the Decade”-Wenger knows our weaknesses, and will surely do some key transfers in this transfer window.

    But we should put this loss into proper context:
    -We were missing our main defensive unit (Verm, Sagna, Gibbs, Song, Frimpong)
    - Ball possession of both sides were nearly equal
    - We managed to get roughly 80% of MU’s shots (both total and on-target) without a proper “creative-outlet” type of player. And those were quality chances.
    - Rooney and Young were RIDICULOUSLY on-form. Young would probably only score 5 of those wicked curlers in his entire career (and unfortunately for us, 2 happened in one game). Rooney wouldn’t score from free kicks more than 4 times in a season (and unfortunately for us again, 2 happened in the one game against us)
    - We did not take the “damage limitations option” and change Arsh-Walcott for Miquel-Lansbury. Had we done this, we could’ve kept the score at 3-1, easy. But that’s not the Arsenal way. We DECIDED TO KEEP ON ATTACKING, by throwing in Chamberlain for Coquelin. And I love this decision to keep on fighting and attacking. We continued to get quality chances until the end.

    - Remember than United usually had terrible starts to their season, but they showed “mental strength” (whatever the pundits call it) toward the end of the season. Why can’t we do it? Especially with our increase of “British mentality” in the first team.

    Keep the faith Gooners! Our EPL season starts against Swansea.

    Cheers, all the way from Indonesia

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    • Berg10

      This WAS avoidable, or at least not as severe by strengthening when the opportunity arose.
      We read regularly that we failed on an aquisition due to failing to meet the price tag, fair enough if the oppos are being greedy but often it’s a moderate ask and ironically we ask for inflated prices for the likes of Bendtner.

      Keeping faith is difficult at this point in time unless drastic action is taken immediately. I’ve followed Arsenal as a club for 40 years so intend to stick with that tradition but I want change…fast.

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  • Elongarjf

     Dont be deceived this beating was not by accident most people saw it coming wait for heart aches

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  • ole

    Have you all read the following:

    “Arsenal Football Club has announced it will be writing to fans who travelled to Old Trafford on Sunday with an offer to cover the cost of a match ticket at a future Barclays Premier League away game.A Club statement issued today said: “Sunday’s result was obviously disappointing for everyone connected with the Club. Our travelling fans were magnificent throughout and we want to recognise their fantastic support. We will be writing to them shortly with the details.”

    This is a nice gesture, but I think most of the fans would be happy to pay a future trip themselves if Arsenal spent some money on actual players instead. But they could probably do both;) 

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  • DD in LA

    What do you mean there is no one else? Why do you buy this propaganda? Astonishing. Wake up!

    Qaddafi would love you, blind belief, an inability to question or challenge orthodoxy. It’s your kind of propaganda that has got us here. If fans had stood up two seasons ago we could have moved on by now. Even Liverpool eventually cut Rafa free, but this inexplicable addiction to one man has to stop.

    You and your ilk sound like sad, abused women constantly excusing their man for hitting them because he “really is a good man” and you just don’t deserve better one (“remember what it was like before Wenger!) and can’t imagine life without him (“there are no managers…”).

    The world is full of managers.

    Please spare us the twoddle about the “season starts at Swansea” what a sad statement. The season is over as is the top four this season because of the blind stubborn
    stupidity if Wenger year after year and mindless apologists like you who keep making excuses for six trophyless years.

    Wake the hell up and take some action.

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    • a real gooner fan

      yeah but its better the devil you know not the one you dont,me and my family back wenger in the fullest as he is an amazing manager could you go through what he’s been through in the recent weeks constantly ridiculed in the meadia then have twats like you asking for his notice aswell as losing 3 good players  the answer would be NO this is a man that needs support not bullying  if you dont like it then shut up coz ur not helping to find a solution ur helping the problem.as for transfers yep they are a solution but u cant just blame a manager when there is a whole team dedicated to transfers and the fact that the board has final say perhaps you should wake up,smell the coffee and look at the big picture befor spouting you mouth off a real arsenal fan would have faith

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    • a real gooner fan

      yeah but its better the devil you know not the one you dont,me and my family back wenger in the fullest as he is an amazing manager could you go through what he’s been through in the recent weeks constantly ridiculed in the meadia then have twats like you asking for his notice aswell as losing 3 good players  the answer would be NO this is a man that needs support not bullying  if you dont like it then shut up coz ur not helping to find a solution ur helping the problem.as for transfers yep they are a solution but u cant just blame a manager when there is a whole team dedicated to transfers and the fact that the board has final say perhaps you should wake up,smell the coffee and look at the big picture befor spouting you mouth off a real arsenal fan would have faith

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  • Bob

    Some very good points here. Credit to timbo for getting involved…your opinion is valued. Transfer deadline today will suggest how Arsenal move on from this so let’s just wait and see.

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