Why I Still Back Wenger

Before I go on, let me state for the record that I swore just as much you when Wenger took off The OX last weekend, he messed it up, no doubting that – but please don’t tell me he done it by purpose or that he just cannot cut it anymore.  He made a judgement call and got it hopelessly wrong, that’s life.

Equally, I won’t go over old ground boring you all with what the great man has done for this club over the past 15 years, yes that’s FIFTEEN years, not reducing that figure by some silly schoolboy minus 7 due to no trophies blah blah blah.  Get off this blog right now if you cannot buy that.  Go… now.

Ok, you are reading on, which tells me you wish to learn more, and hopefully absorb my reasoning with an open mind.

If you truly understand what Wenger has achieved since the move to the Emirates, and are willing to concede we have challenged for trophies, clearly coming up short, but nevertheless we have challenged, then you will find it simple to comprehend what greatness the man possesses.

You cannot lose such skill just like that.

I agree that over the past 18 months in particular he has made some strange choices on and off the pitch with transfer (in)activity – I also totally agree that he can be very stubborn, I think that is born out of having to battles lesser mortals on a regular basis, it is a bit of an ego thing but the fact remains he is a better man and a better manager than the vast majority of men he comes up against.   When he ends up on the losing end of the bargain against these bitter morons, thanks usually to a poor referee decision, it makes him even more determined to carry on regardless.

That is where he makes a mistake, maybe he needs to adapt more, maybe he needs more backroom help… even boardroom help!

Who truly knows?  Nobody but him – So lets cut the crap you read in the gutter press, they guess just as much us, and those that still pay good money to read a red top hack help to form your opinion need euthanizing and quickly.

So having cleared the decks you are now left with two choices – Give up on the man?  consigning him to the scrap heap?  Or realise that even the greatest in the history of mankind went through awful phases in their respective fields – I am not sugar-coating our current phase under Wenger… it is awful.  However I refuse to give up on the man and continue to support him to the hilt.

Yes you could call it a cult, a religion or whatever you want, I call it common sense.

Greatness never dies… it may become more elusive than in the past on occasion, but with persistence and honesty it can return. 

There is one more great team left in the great man, and with Pat Rice leaving this Summer and a new man stepping in as number 2, along with a proper Summer in the transfer market…. would you back against him?

Only a fool who reads Red Top chip shop paper would.

Does this photo show the future at Arsenal?

We need more potency in the final third, that much was clearly on show on Monday against Fulham.

We dominated and played some of the best football this season, but we could not finish…. second half we took off pace and just got straight out pummeled for 30 minutes.

Say what you want about the ref, red cards, penalties etc…. if you could not see what was coming in that game you are mad, a liar… probably both.  We had no outlet, no pace on the break to cause them problems once Theo and Geo were taken off.  Wenger again demonstrated how poor he can be with his subs.  I can recall going back to the early 2000′s when we were peaking under Wenger and even then he used to make bizarre subs that caused us more problems than existed before them.

Anyway Happy 2012 Gooners – Lets get a nice run in the FA CUP and get past Milan in the Champions League… then anything is totally possible.  4th is nailed in the league, forget any better than that this year… we blew that chance in early Season. 

On a final note I just want to say that football is a passionate game, so don’t flaming well knock others for being passionate in their own unique way.

You enjoy supporting Arsenal your way and let the next person enjoy it his or her way!

Rock n Roll.

Arsenal should sell van Persie

Hold on, calm down, deep breaths…. hear me out, then shout/speak/swear !!

Before I start my reasoning, if you can call it that, I want to say how much I love Robin to bits, he is just the kind of Captain the club needed after being diddled somewhat by the last few.  His goals this year, in particular this season, have potentially saved us from a major crisis.

However, the health and long-term of the club comes before any player.

Robin turns 29 next summer, that would mean he has peaked, we have seen from the great players at Arsenal and other clubs over the years that the prime age, the golden period for a player to perform at miraculous levels should he have the necessary minerals in the first place  is 26-29.

Unfortunately for Arsenal and Robin, when he hit that golden period in season 08/09, he got sustained and lengthy injuries.  This season he has stayed clear of injury and we can all see what this has led to.

So why sell him you ask?  Well, it would seem highly unlikely that a season like this current one is possible again, look back at the stats of great EPL scorers and you will note the likes of Shearer and Henry having that one golden season (Shearer 97, Henry 02) where everything they hit found the onion bag.  Granted they had plenty of other very good seasons, but the magical one is a one-off.

van Persie simply cannot produce what he has already for more than another 12-18 months tops and that is only on the premise he stays fully fit.  Now when you calculate those probabilities, you begin to form other ideas.

So if a mug Spanish club wants to come in and offer in the region of 30-40M for him next summer, we should bite their arms off and re-invest in two strikers in the 22-25 age bracket and let Wenger work his magic on making them the next big thing.

Remy, Pato, Podolski, Benzema et al would certainly fall into the correct bracket.  I am not talking about buying a 18 year old kid that will take 4 seasons to mature (unless we pull another Anelka or OX) but rather a hot prospect who is on the precipice of that golden period and needs the Wenger magic to give him the extra percentage points to make it count.

We don’t have stupid levels of debt anymore, and yes we make a mint, and yes we will make a bigger mint in the years to come when all the debt is paid off and in the very near term when old commercial deals are renewed, but we should still play it smart with our assets.

Maybe that’s the Stockbroker in me coming out.  I advise very wealthy clients and small institutions on where to park their hard-earned, and I tend to follow the Benjamin Graham/Warren Buffett school of value investing.   You buy when undervalued and under-loved, but full of promise and potential earnings, you then reap in the capital gains and yields during the ripe years and maybe just before the stock tops out, you recapitalise  and reinvest at the start of another cycle.  A lot easier said then done let me tell you.

We have the greatest sporting manager in the world in comparative terms to the likes of Buffett, Soros et al – I think it prudent to allow him to take the lead.

I know this will be a sacrilegious view as seen by many a gooner, but what if Wenger agrees?  sign him to a new improved contract now, and then get him out next summer for top dollar without fear of losing him on the cheap as his contract nears expiry?

I’m thinking out aloud here people, don’t shoot me!

Arsenal bid 30M for Pato – Wenger stubborn?

So the January transfer madness is almost upon us and tonight we are told by a Spanish paper that Arsenal have contacted AC Milan and offered 30M Euros for the incredibly decent Alexandre Pato – if this happened, it would easily be the greatest transfer in the Wenger era.

The duck, as Pato is affectionately known as in Brazil, is one hell of a talented striker and just the kind of speedy, clinical type we have needed at the club since Henry left.  Check out Pato’s goal at Camp Nou in the Champions League from earlier this season if you want to see what kind of striker he is.

Pato is added to the dream list alongside Gourcuff and Podolski.

A lot has been made of the stubbornness of our legendary manager, but tell me this… if you were asked to compile a list of players from last season that you did not think had it in them to make it at Arsenal, who would have been on your list?

Almunia?  Eboue? Denilson? Bendtner?

I would be surprised if every single one you reading this did not include at least 3 from the above list in your personal lists….. now tell me, how many times has the utterly stubborn Wenger played them this season?

I grew up and stopped being conned by the media when I was a teenager….. and you?

How Arsenal should Man up to City tonight

City will come with a physically strong side, in the hope of bullying our Young Guns out of the Carling Cup tonight.  This does not have to be the case if Wenger deploys his squad correctly.

Bosnian hitman, Dzeko, will be the only player who can win this game for City… and with Adam Johnson a certain starter, it’s pretty easy to see the tactics Mancini will employ.

We need height and strength at the back tonight, and a back four of Miquel, Squillaci, Koscienly, Djourou – effectively four centre-backs to prevent crosses into the box and if they do get through… head them away ahead of the Bosnian.  Fabianski the obvious worry with this strategy.  I rate him the best shot stopper at the club, he is that good… but overall as a keeper he makes way too many cock-ups when under pressure.

With Frimpong and Le Coq sure to be the shielding midfielders tonight, Arsenal could set up with a very counter-attack based side.

Gervinho only played 15 or so minutes on the weekend, with Arshavin playing over an hour – it would seem logical that the Ivorian will be on one flank with The Ox doing his thing down the other.

Up front the general consensus is for Park to get another start in the Carling Cup – this would play well with the counter attacking method as he scored a peach of a goal on the break against Bolton in the last round.

Benayoun must surely get the spot behind the Korean, his attitude the complete antithesis to the pathetic displays from the midget Russian.

3 years we have backed him… 3 whole years… and for what?  5 maybe 6 top level performances?

Waste of space, and totally dead to me.

Wenger confirms defence to play Dortmund

Whilst discussing the barrage of abuse new German recruit, Per Mertesecker, has received from all quarters Wenger inadvertently confirmed the back four to start the most important game of the season for Arsenal against Dortmund in the Champions League penultimate group game.

“The criticism in the papers has been very harsh, but when you play for a big team, you have to accept that.

“I also think it will take him some time. He came here not completely fit. Now he is getting stronger and stronger.

“I felt on Saturday he had not recovered from the Holland game [in midweek] and looked tired. But he has recovered now and will play against Dortmund”

So it seems clear that Kos will continue at right back with Per and Tommy pairing up again in the middle with Santos at left back.  I’m happy with this as I don’t particularly wish to see Djorou anywhere near the starting line-up.

Whilst Per is a big old wimp at this moment in time, he certainly reminds me a lot of Kos in his first few games for Arsenal.  Superb at reading the game and making exceptionally timed interceptions.  The German really is very good at that.  Remember Kos at Blackburn last season?  He was easily pushed off the ball for a move that led to a goal for the Rovers… it takes time to build up the strength in the EPL.

Massive game, 3 points really are essential as I cannot see things turning out well at all if we are required to travel to Greece in 2 weeks time and get a result to qualify.  In all honesty, we need first place, as otherwise we will have a very high likelihood of facing Real, Barca or Bayern in the next round.  Would prefer the semis at the earliest for those games.  Maybe quarters.

I got a call from a pal late last night and was offered a ticket for the game at the Emirates, which I duly snapped up, so am very much up for this game. Amazed anybody would want to give up a ticket for a game that means so much and will have 2 sides who will both be playing free-flowing attacking football.

It’s going to be a modern-day classic.

Though I honestly have no idea which side will prevail.  This Dortmund side are very, very good.

Apparently both Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp will be in attendance, I rather hope they can bring us some much needed luck.

Lets have it Arsenal!

Wenger confirms lack of full-back cover at Arsenal

Speaking at his weekly presser ahead of the Norwich game Wenger was asked whether or not he believed there was adequate cover in the full-back areas following the fresh injuries to Gibbs and Jenkinson, he responded with a resounding “frankly speaking NO”

A stress fracture to the lower back and a hernia operation for the pair respectively, means there is a very good chance neither player will be in first team action again in 2011.

When asked what cover there was at right back with Sagna also out till 2012, Wenger gave quite a hint towards Koscienly being the man in line to be “innovated” into a new position.

On one hand this freaks me out as he is easily our best CB right now, but we have a fully fit and fired up TV5 and the big German to step in at centre half should the Frenchman be asked to move across the backline.  But on the plus side it may actually be our only remaining option as I cannot abide JD in a full back role.

I have said it before and I will say it again, he is a total disaster waiting to happen in every game he will ever play there.

We got away with it about 4 times at Stamford Bridge, but had the Blues been a little more clinical maybe the now legendary 5-3 result could have been very different, and it would have been on JD if it had.  He was a nightmare in the opening 20-30 minutes.  Granted he got his act together later on, but the signs are there.

I am warning you again….. the signs are there for all to see.

A tasty left winger will twist him up something rotten, it would actually be a massacre as JD is just not physically capable of being agile enough  to deal with tricky wingers.  A big strong lumbering CF yes… but not a wide man.  JD is a central player, his size and frame tells you what you need to know.  6ft 4 15 stone full backs that fall into the great let alone decent category simply don’t exist on planet earth.

I like these Saturday lunchtime away fixtures on SKY…. actually… I love em.

Wenger “After 2 or 3 days the whole dynamic changed”

I find these words from our esteemed manager very interesting in the context of the Youth V Experience argument that has raged like a wildfire throughout goonerland over the past 5 years.

Wenger gave us this quote today, speaking to Arsenal Player, when asked about the difference the 5 new players signed in the dying days of the last transfer window had made to the team.

He speaks about the “ambition” and “experience” all of them bring to the table.

I have Tweeted my feelings about how I feel the new players, in particular Arteta,  have brought about a change in attitude which has clearly resulted in a more determined approach to our game on the field of play.  Ambition is the key word for me.  Players like Arteta and Benayoun have never won anything at the highest level – they now have serious Champions League football to enjoy and participate in.  This must give them much motivation, motivation which must also be rubbing off around the club on players who are more established at The Arsenal.

Going back to the Youth v Experience argument, I cannot agree that the so-called Project Youth failed as key elements of the project are no longer at the club due to fiscal reasons.  Nobody can argue that the teams from circa 2006-2011 have not been competitive, ok we won nothing, but that absolutely cannot be the only barometer on which to judge it.

For me, participating at the highest level in a vastly “stacked deck” environment with the odious money from Russia and Qatar in play elsewhere, has been nothing short of remarkable.  I salute the job done in the first half decade of the newly created Wengerdome.  At times we came astonishingly close to completing the final step and landing the silverware but it was not meant to be.  Life goes on.

It is way too early in the life of the current Wengerball iteration to truly commit to being confident about lifting trophies, but the signs are good.  Give Wenger 20 very average players and I’m sure he would have them playing above average, attractive, mostly winning football.  Give him a squad with the likes of RvP, Chezza, Tommy V, Kos, Jack, Arteta, Rambo, Theo, Ox, Ryo, Gervinho and I think we could have a pleasant 2-3 years ahead of us.

Thank god those who were never born smart enough to understand the underlying genius of the great man remained in the minority.

My team to face Chelski

The best goalie in the league will clearly keep his place – Chezney

Full Backs – Keep the Brazilian Santos going at Left Back, and hopefully bring in a proper Right Back in Jenko, who seems to be back fit.  Djourou done ok against Stoke, but eventually a good winger will destroy a Centre Back playing in a makeshift full back role.

Centre Backs – This appears to be the sticking point with the return to fitness of TV5, keep him wrapped in cotton wool I say.  The partnership of Kos and Per has developed well in recent weeks, it would be foolish to break it up now.

Midfield – Centrally I would play Song in the defensive role, with Arteta continuing to deputise for the injured Wilshere in the link role, and  I would stick with Arshavin ahead of Ramsey for the free role behind the striker.  This is his position, and he puts in so much more effort there as shown against Bolton in the Carling Cup. 

Wide – Theo and Gervinho… Speed Kills overlapping full backs.

Striker – Van the Man.

Conclusion: Chelski are there for the taking, they don’t particularly have a strong side these days, an efficient side,  but not of the strength of years gone by.  Defensively they are whack in my opinion.  Lets go their and rumble. 

Arsenal will play United

Ok, this is a weird one, and I’m still not entirely sure why I am bothering to post this up, but I have, and you are now reading it, so let’s crack on.

I had what can only be described as the most vivid, lucid dream / premonition with regards to Arsenal drawing Manchester United in the Carling Cup quarters.

I cannot tell you how chilling it was to land back on Earth after this slumber and realise it was merely just a dream, but I had this urge to make sure I made a lasting note of events.

So here it is.

A thoroughly  pointless posting…. but what happens if they draw each other after respectively beating Bolton and Aldershot at the end of this month?

In other news – Twitter folk tell me that BOTH Tommy V and Diaby will be back after the Interlull.