The Road From Stamford Bridge
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The Road From Stamford Bridge
Written by Vic Crescit Monday, 08 February 2010 18:06
Following yesterday afternoon’s deeply disappointing result at Stamford Bridge the Arsenal blogosphere is full of doom and gloom. Nobody feels more depressed than me. I’m starting to have nightmares about Didier Drogba.
First things first. Chelsea were worthy winners yesterday afternoon. There’s no getting around that I’m afraid. Yet again we proved insufficient to the task against one of our closest competitors. It becomes inevitable that the manager’s position will be under the closest scrutiny. Regular visitors to arsenalinsider.com will know that I’m no knee-jerk critic of Arsène Wenger. If he jacked it in or got fired tomorrow he’d be assured of his position of one of two transcendent Arsenal managers along with Herbert Chapman. We’ve had other excellent managers through the years as well.
George Allison, Tom Whittaker, Bertie Mee and George Graham also deserve mentions. As does Harry Bradshaw who guided us to promotion as runners-up to Preston North End in the old Football League Division Two in 1903/4, our first ever appearance at English football’s top table. Let’s also mention some great coaches we’ve also had, principle amongst them Don Howe (who also occupied the manager’s chair), Ron Greenwood and Dave Sexton, all of whom made great contributions.
We clearly are going to have to address our repeated failure to rebuild a team capable of winning the top flight League. Wenger’s last successful League campaign was in 2004 when that wonderful Invincibles team went 49 League games without defeat. With Jens Lehmann in goal succeeding one of the all-time great Arsenal goalies in David Seaman and a back four of Ashley Cole, Kolo Touré, Sol Campbell and Lauren in front of him and O Muro Invisible (the Invisible Wall) Gilberto in front of them providing cover we could defend as well as attack. We had balance. A balance we singularly lack at the moment.
I never thought Jens Lehmann was the complete answer in goal. He was mad as a March hare and prone to daft errors, but one thing he didn’t lack was confidence, a quality singularly lacking in Manuel Almunia. He’s been particularly jittery recently and this lack of confidence is spreading to the rest of the defence. Neither are the full-backs getting the cover they need out wide. Likewise the central defenders from the central midfield. Quite simply we don’t defend nearly well enough as a team. We’re also much too easily run over physically in the middle of the park.
The frustrating thing is that we can all see the deficiencies, which include giving away far too many “soft” goals. Yet we keep on making the same mistakes. The definition of madness is constantly repeating the same actions and expecting a different outcome.
And yet, and yet. What are we going to achieve by a supporter implosion in the stands? We’ve still got vital League games to play to ensure Champions League football again next season and two vital round of sixteen ties in Oporto next week and at the Grove next month coming up. We play Liverpool at the Grove on Wednesday night. We’re only five points ahead of them in fourth place and six points ahead of Spurs (with a League visit to their place to come). Citeh would be only two points behind us if they were to win their two games in hand. We simply must level out and start to fly straight. If we don’t our season could go into a REAL nose-dive.
I’m afraid we’re going to have to learn to walk and chew gum at the same time. We need to get behind the team. Giving them and Wenger the bird is not going to help us salvage what we can from this season. We also need to keep a sense of proportion. It’s not as if we’re plummeting down the table. Neither is a change of manager likely to do anything for us at this stage of the season. Panic is neither dignified nor helpful. Like most Gooners I’m in mood to tear my hair out in frustration at our repeated tactical and mental deficiencies not being addressed. I honestly think these two factors are far more important than perceived lack of physical size, although the latter is a factor.
They say that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. We’ve got to be strong for the rest of this season to get at least a third place finish in the League and go as far as we can in Europe. At the same time – and behind closed doors – chief executive Ivan Gazidis and the board have to sit down with the manager and ask some very serious questions and get some very serious answers about how we take the team to the next level.
Yes the situation is not yet disastrous. Our continued inability to step up to the next level at home and in Europe is a major concern however. It must be addressed. The planning for next season must start now whilst doing our best to turn around recent disappointments.
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Comments
The deficiences are there for all to see.
You don't have to be a top flight manager to see the obvious.
As you say,lets hope AW and the board take a long hard look at this season and seasons gone by and do what's required.
If AW is imparting his knowledge to the players then it's plainly obvious they ain't getting it.If he's not, then he needs to reconsider his philosophy and respect that football is multi-faceted.
There needs to be a greater emphasis on the art of defending and a tactical awareness which is blatantly lacking.
I feel this team is on the verge of greatness, yes greatness, with the addition of 3, perhaps 4 experienced signings I really do believe we would wipe the floor with manure and the chavs.
1.Goalkeeper
2.Striker
3.Midfielder (Ideally capabable of attacking and defending).
4.Arguably (Left back & right back).
Although I have no doubts that Kieron Gibb will become a world class left back every bit as good as Cashly Cole.
Roll on Wednesday and lets get our season back on track.
You never know, this might just galvanise the team to win the CL.Or is that wishful thinking???
Just trying to put a positive slant on it you MUG.
Did you notice the word "MIGHT".
With comments like that it sounds like you might need something to calm you down!!!
Go take a sleeping tablet and take it with a MUG of cocoa.
Muppet
I totally agree with you.
My premise is based on the current squad staying together.If the likes of Cesc and Arshavin decide the club's ambitions don't match theirs,then yes my optimism
is misguided.But as I said earlier if the board and AW get their act together then we have the makings of a great team.
Apologies for daring to have an opinion different to yours. How very dare me. I humblely apologise to you oh great master of knowledge and he who is right and everybody else wrong. I actualy said I agreed with everything else that was said but you are deluded to the point of insanity if you think we might even think of possibly winning the champions league even if Man Utd and Chelsea get knocked out by the Milans. There's being positive and there's being completely and utterly off your rocker in cloud cuckoo land. If I need a mug of cocoa as you put it then you need a ocean of coffee to wake up to and smell. Awaken from your little fluffy Arsenal dream because it's not going to happen. And as for calling me a muppet - how grown up of you. Just because I don't share your opinion. You've been watching too much seseme street mate or is it fraggle rock? You got muppets on your mind.
If anyone's a mug around here it's you wembley.
What a fraggle. What a muppet. What a penis.
I have no problem with your opinion you're perfectly entitled to it.But when you start off by making derogatory remarks(Are you on drugs??)that doesn't form the basis for proper debate,does it now??
As I said it was a lighthearted comment meant more to lift the gloom.
I certainly wouldn't bet on us winning the CL and by the same token I wouldn't bet my house on us not winning it.
Football doesn't always conform to logic and form, meaning it's within the realms of probability (although highly unlikely)that could win it.
So there you go, hope that has enlightened you,if not go take that sleeping pill we talked about!!
You're right. It was a derogatory comment about being on drugs, I didn't mean it to be. Throwing insults around isn't very grown up on either of our parts and I put it on here for all to see that I take it back and I apologise.
What really worries me is the divide that is beginning to take place amongst the Arsenal fans, rightly or wrongly. At the end of the day we all want our club to be a sucessful one and one that can win trophies without going down the road of financial suicide. I just wish somebody at board level would come out and tell the truth - do we have money or not? If we don't then stop saying that we do and giving the impression that Arsene's a tighwad that won't spend and stop letting him take the stick. If we do have the money then Arsene why can't you see that we should have signed Given - he wanted to come to us, we should have offered a few more million to secure Alonso and gave Bordeux what they wanted for Chamakh if he's even that good...
Money aside there is still plenty we could be doing to address our deficiencies. Sort out our defending for god's sake and drop Almunia, that would be a good start.
The civil war amongst our fans has got to stop and unity has to prevail. you don't see the Utd and Chelsea fans turning on each other - Fergie and Abromavich must be loving it. Next up 3 points against Liverpool - nothing else will do.
Apology accepted and reciprocated Benny.
I agree with your point about the board.They need to be honest with us and stop raising the fans hopes and expectations.
Many a good player has passed us by and I don't mean 20M + players.I'm sure Given would've cost half that and Chamakh wouldn't have cost much more.
I completely understand your frustration Benny and I really do believe that this season will be a defining one.Changes are needed and unless they are made we'll endure another heartbreaking 2010/11.
We all love this club and that's why it really hurts when we fans see the obvious and a manager of AW's calibre, for some strange reason refuses to act.
We'll keep the faith, stick together and hopefully come back next season stronger and better.
Once again thanks for the apology Benny.
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