Archive for Stone Cold Thoughts
Arsenal Just Love Doing Things The Hard Way
Posted by: | CommentsSo a few weeks ago, we’re waxing lyrical about the prospects of scraping through and snatching the title from them lot up north. Since losing to Barcelona a month ago, we’ve only clocked 1 out of 12 possible points and that’s just not good enough to win anything, and there’s no way around that.
If we’re to be honest with ourselves, the team has really struggled to recover from the mauling the Catalans unleashed on us – or should I just say the mauling that Lionel Messi unleashed on our unsuspecting makeshift defence.
The impact caused by the injuries that have decimated the squad will only be an excuse for so long before it becomes the rod that literally snaps our back. We’ve had to depend on understudies in crucial positions in the squad, but the least you can expect is that those called upon to provide cover will apply themselves professionally and effectively to do the job they’re called on to do.
I get the sense though, that Arsenal have developed a propensity, habit even, of being comfortable with doing things the hard way. I don’t know about you, but many a game this season have left me crouching in a foetal position on the carpet in front of the TV chanting all manner of obscenities and ritualistic hogg wash in a clear attempt to ’suck’ the ball into the opponents net in the final minutes of the game.
On the days that I’ve attended matches at the Emirates, I’ve found my heart racing like a nonsense and wishing I had a stiff brandy to gulp down and calm the nerves. I don’t know if you’ve noticed that at the Emirates, the stadium announcer never says what the added on time is on the public address system. It happens at all other stadiums the minute the 4th official indicates how much extra time is being played, but never at the Emirates.
I’m sure it’s by design to stop our players from panicking and just playing on until they can’t do any more legally, but it really doesn’t help if the time stamp on the score board is screaming with how long you still have to endure the torturous excitement.
This season, we’ve really pushed the envelope when it comes to doing things the hard way. It’s not just the late, last gasp goals that leave you shaking your head in bewilderment. It’s also the way we’ve dropped or given away leads, the way we’ve sometimes laboured when there’s no need to, or even the way we’ve approached games.
Believe it or not, there’s only 4 games this season – Burnley, Hull and Blackburn (all away), and West Ham at home – that we’ve scored a goal in the first 15 minutes in any game. I may be wrong on that stat, so please feel free to correct me; but those are the 3 games that I remember us taking an early lead.
That alone is an indicator of how hard we prefer to work, and if it’s any consolation, if we were ever to be the beneficiaries of the first ’helicopter Sunday’ of the Premier league, then it would have been a long arduous and painful journey. To tell you the truth, I’m not sure which is more nauseating; Chelsea winning the double or United winning a 4th successive title.
I’m clear of the fact that what is most definitely nauseating is the fact that we could finish on the same points as that lot up Seven Sisters way. Even when we had clear daylight between us and the Spuds, we just had to go put ourselves in a situation where we needed a point in the last game.
I personally think my manager of the season – Roy Hodgson, will field a reserve team as he rests his players for the biggest game in the history of Fulham.
They have given an excellent account of themselves this season and I’m fully behind them and cheering them on as they face Atlético Madrid for the right to take the inaugural Europa league home.
Regardless of which Fulham team takes the field, it will be criminally negligent for Arsenal to let 3rd place slip away. I can understand if the fight was tight and we scraped through – but I have a problem that firstly, we could have wrapped this one up a long time ago, and more painfully, the fact that it’s Tottenham bum rushing us like a panty sniffing stalker.
Either way, it looks like I’ll be stuck with Arsenal TV for this one. At least Dan Roebuck and Nigel Winterburn are enthusiastic commentators with an Arsenal bias.
Vote Emmanuel Eboue On May 6th
Posted by: | CommentsMy highlight of the pedestrian 0-0 draw against Manchester City at the Emirates on the 24th of April was the banner in the stands that screamed: ’VOTE EBOUE ON MAY 6th’.
The irony is not lost on Gordon Brown when a section of Arsenal fans clearly think Emmanuel Eboue has a better chance of becoming Prime Minister. I can just picture Arsenal’s resident comedian sitting back left in that Jaguar riding into Buckingham Palace on May 7th to formerly ask Aunt Liz for the keys to Downing Street.
But yet behind the satire and comedy, is the story behind one of the favourite chants of the season – ”We only came to see Eboue”.
Arsenal's 'Goal Machine' - Emmanuel Eboue
This season, the Ivorian has had the most remarkable transformation from ’villain du jour’ to cult hero at the Emirates. His lowest point was last season’s home tie against Wigan Athletic when he came on as a substitute and swiftly suffered the humiliation of being substituted himself for a woeful performance that could only be described as criminal.
When your fans boo you off the park, more often than not, the only way out is a transfer to another club, in another country. Extreme credit has to be given to Eboue for knuckling down, dealing with his demons and getting on with the job the manager requires of him.
It’s not that Eboue is a flashy player who employs jiggery pokery to mesmerize the opponent – far from that. I submit to you that he is one of the most valuable players any manager could want in a squad.
I say this because I believe he is one of the best utility players in the league. Very few players if any, can competently do a job in different parts of the field and be able to keep the team ticking.
Though Eboue ordinarily plays as a right full back, he is often employed as a right winger. He can also play left full back and in recent games, has covered the role of left winger. My sense is that if Wenger asked Eboue to stand in goal, the Ivorian will look at Vic Acres with that ”where are the gloves kept?” look.
There is a lot that the entire team can learn from this young man this season, and it’s not necessarily about the football. Eboue does a great job like many unsung heroes in the squad, most notably Neves Denilson, who keep the team ticking without any razzmatazz. Their job is not to go all ’Hollywood’ during the game, but it’s to do the simple efficient things that many don’t notice but are necessary to keep the team moving.
The Ivoirian’s determination to prove to the Arsenal faithful that he is worthy of an Arsenal shirt is laudable and shows a strength of character that some members in the team can emulate if they’re going to make the next step. Lukasz Fabianski for one can’t do any worse than ’doing an Eboue’
In Friday’s post, Saloner and other readers suggested that Fabianski will benefit from game time as opposed to warming the Arsenal bench, and perhaps a lone spell like his compatriot Tech 9 is doing at Brentford, is the right way to go for him to ’do an Eboue’.
A respectable performance in goal in the next two games against Blackburn Rovers and Fulham won’t do his confidence any harm. Despite the disappointment in the way the season has petered out for Arsenal, we have an expectation that the next two games will provide some joy and entertainment. Hopefully, we’ll get to see fringe players like Craig Eastmond and Carlos Vela get some game time and show us what the future holds.
Meanwhile, don’t forget to vote for Eboue on Thursday May 6th.
The Curious Case Of Sol Campbell
Posted by: | CommentsWho would have thunk it?
Not more than a few short months ago, the veteran England defender and former Arsenal vice-captain was getting accustomed to the reality of plying his trade in the 4th tier of the English football hierarchy.
Playing in front of a measly crowd of 6400 fans (and that’s 1200 if you get anal about just the ones who can sit) at Christie Park when Morecambe hosted his retirement club Notts County, was a far cry from the glory days that Campbell enjoyed at the top echelons of English football.
Many eyebrows were raised when Campbell sought a retirement package with the Magpies following the deceptive lure of his former England manager Sven Goran Erikson. The footballing world was left even more baffled when Campbell walked out of Meadow Lane into the reservation after only a few games, bringing his League 2 adventure to a premature end.
What people least expected was that Campbell would be playing in the Champions League again, not least for Arsenal. The distance between Meadow Lane and the Nou Camp isn’t just a literal one, it’s a journey never been travelled before and never likely to be travelled ever again.
The decision Sol Campbell took of returning to familiar surroundings in a bid to keep fit while on gardening leave was the start of a chain of events of such a remarkable revival. I was pleased about Wenger’s decision to grant Campbell’s request to train with the Arsenal team at London Colney to keep his fitness in check.
I never thought in a million years that the Arsenal manager would turn to the veteran defender to play a crucial role in the second half of Arsenal’s season. Besides, Wenger doesn’t do re-signings; well, at least that was his M.O up to that point.
I don’t doubt though that from a physical and mental point of view, Arsenal would have never called upon the services of Campbell if the staff at London Colney as well as the other Arsenal first teamers didn’t feel he was up to the job.
The fact that he’s still playing, albeit as cover for injured players, is a testament to him as a consummate professional and role model to many young players, not least in the Arsenal squad and academy.
I‘ll go as far as saying that the more games that Campbell has played, the better and sharper he has become. What he lacks in pace, he compensates with intelligence, and you really can’t ask for any more. I think it’s fair to say that Campbell has been Arsenal’s best player in April.
So what is it about this 35 year old veteran who refuses to go away with a whimper.
Recent reports suggest that Campbell is angling for a contract extension at Arsenal. In January, I would have questioned the wisdom of even contemplating giving Campbell more than a 5 month run out, but now, I think extending his contract for one year will be one of the best moves Arsene Wenger can make.
There’s just something about Sol that is infectious and my sense is that this young Arsenal squad needs to develop and nurture this characteristic. It’s a mental strength and fighting spirit that is different from what most of the young team have experienced, and it’s a determination to earn the right to wear the Arsenal shirt.
I don’t expect that Campbell would play many games in the new season, and I fully expect that Arsenal will sign a defender (maybe 2 if Gallas and Silvestre leave), but I would suggest that keeping Campbell in the squad will be one of the best moves Wenger can make to improve the squad.
I would also suggest that there is a level of respect that Campbell has earned by his endeavours these past few months and this stands him in good stead with his colleagues and Arsenal training staff. From this point of view, I would be very supportive of Campbell’s role at Arsenal evolving into a player/coach function and that he continues to influence the squad even if he is not on the pitch.
Wenger clearly trusts the veteran and I hope he can use him to bridge the gap between Arsenal’s reality and aspiration. What Sol has achieved in his few months back at Arsenal has in no way harmed his chances of continuing a long relationship with the club and extending his legendary status.
Coaching to me seems a natural progression for the 35 year old defender and where better to start this than at Arsenal. We couldn’t do any worse than having him impart his leadership skills, quality and fighting spirit to the team. Thomas Vermaelen for example, has already expressed his appreciation and acknowledgement of what Campbell brings to the team, and the fact that he is learning a great deal from the former England defender.
Meanwhile, there’s a small matter of a world cup a few weeks away. I’m shopping for a good price already because the hottest ticket in the book making industry will be the one holding the odds for Sol Campbell to be recalled to the England squad for the world cup.
It’s not just his form and dependability, Fabio Capello hasn’t been blind to the revival of the veteran and who would argue that Campbell’s form is not better than some of the inexperienced names being touted for defence duty for the 3 Lions.
Campbell’s fitness for example, is more of a certainty than that of the England captain Rio Ferdinand.
Wouldn’t it be great to see him complete the revival from Meadow Lane in the throes of the 4th tier of English football, to taking part in England’s bid for the ’Coupe du Monde’? Dare I even say crown it with a freak opportunity to captain the 3 Lions.
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If you have the passion and fire for Arsenal, and you feel you want to share your thoughts, your passion and your emotions with the thousands who read this blog daily, visit our Write For Us page to find out more.
Does Arsenal Do What It Says On The Tin Anymore?
Posted by: | CommentsThis has perhaps been one of the most difficult weeks for Arsenal supporters in recent times. Many are still holed in the bunker waiting for a favourable display against Manchester City before they chance a glance and thrust their heads above the parapet.
Reason dictates that it’s time to lick our wounds and move on, yet there is a burning desire for the players to firstly redeem themselves and provide a respectable and gallant performance for the remaining games of the season.
It’s fair to say that what has hurt most supporters more in the past fortnight is the manner in which we lost the last 3 games; with the opposing teams rolling us over and tickling our bellies, before sending us back on our way to London Colney with a pat on the back.
Many supporters are still nursing bruised egos as relentless pressure from all quarters has made it more difficult to find solace or a place to ‘plant’ one’s head to shelter from the cloud of storm that circles Arsenal.
Everybody has had something to say about the failures, perceived or not, of Arsenal’s season. From the media hacks to the pundits, from supporters to former Arsenal players, from agents scheming for new contracts for their players to clubs shamelessly chasing the signature of allegedly disgruntled Arsenal players, from the groundsman at Stoke City to the tea lady at White Hart Lane; Arsenal’s performance has been dissected from every possible angle, contemptuously masticated over, and spat out to anyone who will listen.
Yet as we demand that our team goes back to the drawing board and arrest the situation and then show tangible improvement, as supporters, we also need to question and reflect on what we do next. Many inside and outside the club will point out that all the exquisite and attacking football counts for nothing if our defensive walls are cracked as often as they are.
It’s like we’re a team of two extremes, one of playing the most attacking and entertaining football, and one of capitulating when undue pressure is applied on us. Our game strategy works well on the proviso that we break teams down early enough or wear teams down with our ball carrying and technical ability.
It’s more like a strategy of ’We’ll score more than you’. Where a team is able to absorb our attack and hit us when we run out of ideas we struggle with the discipline to see the difficult patches through.
Despite the perceived or actual short-comings of the team, the reaction over the last 10 days in the Arsenal blogosphere makes me pose a question as to what supporters really expect and demand. Granted, the blogosphere is only but a representative sample of the millions who support Arsenal around the world, but it’s a valid cross section nonetheless, and a credible measure of the temperature out there.
My sense is that the bitterness from the collective disappointment, the raw emotion and exacerbation of our defeats by the teams laissez-faire approach in the last couple of games has contributed to the general lack of perspective that could help measure the true progress of this team.
The reaction features extremes from those who feel that the only solution is Wenger’s head on a silver platter, to those who are more circumspect or realistic about the rate of the teams progress. A balance has to be achieved to allow the gains made so far to continue as tweaks are made to resolve the issues that seem to revolve around the mental fortitude of the team.
For some, this is not enough as they quickly point out that it’s pretty much groundhog day when it comes to Arsenal falling short at the last hurdle for yet another season. The view from those who subscribe to this school of thought is that major surgery is needed as enough time has been given to this cohort to prove their worth but they’ve failed time and time again. They don’t want to go on with ’The Arsene Wenger Project’ because it doesn’t do what it says on the tin anymore.
I’m reminded of the story a couple of weeks ago when an American woman fedexed her adopted son back to Russia because he didn’t do what it said on the tin anymore. Apparently, the authorities in Russia who’d shopped her this lovely young and promising lad for adoption didn’t point out his deficiencies and the woman had tried all she could but felt she had got a raw deal and promptly shipped the kid back with a letter of disgruntlement to boot.
The feeling you get is that a section of supporters want to throw this team to the wolves; put them on that one way Emirates flight out of Arsenal with a packed lunch and a souvenir to thank them for their time at the club. Some would throw the manager on that flight too.
Supporting your team though, takes more than throwing in the towel when times are hard. It’s easier to seek alternatives with the ’grass is greener on the other side’ mentality, than to work hard to continue the challenging journey you started. Even during tough journeys, it’s inevitable that you will make changes along the way as some things work and others don’t, but this is markedly different from abandoning the journey and starting over.
Sober reflection will still overwhelmingly point out that Arsenal has progressed both on and off the pitch, but there is still work to be done. If your only measure of success is a trophy, then you will clearly be disappointed that this hasn’t happened soon enough.
Off the pitch, Arsenal has retained its position as the 3rd most valuable football club in the world (valid as of yesterday’s Forbes Magazine publication) behind Manchester United and Real Madrid. A listing on a Forbes index is certainly one valid measure of success.
On the footballing side, the development of all levels of the team through the academy to the first team continues steadily on the path it started. It still is an essential part in securing the long term stability of the team by developing our own crop of players and building the team spirit and togetherness that are the hallmarks of a solid foundation for the future.
We still need the reinforcements to supplement the gains in the first team and these will come. It’s a far cry though from the alternative being suggested following yet another season without a trophy.
While Wenger and his staff get on and refresh the squad for a new campaign, as supporters we can only but dust ourselves off and prepare for the next roller coaster ride.
Did I mention that Stone Cold Arsenal is looking for new writers? Just in case I didn’t, we are looking.
If you have the passion and fire for Arsenal, and you feel you want to share your thoughts, your passion and your emotions with the thousands who read this blog daily, visit our Write For Us page to find out more.
Tottenham Historical Society Have Released The DVD Already
Posted by: | CommentsI had an early meeting this morning and didn’t switch on my phone until I was through. When I did, I found 8 messages waiting for me. I don’t have any Spud loving friends who would call me, let alone leave a message, but I guessed it would be Dean, my Liverpool supporting friend.
You see, the past few weeks have been depressing for him and I haven’t made it easier at all. It’s not just the fact that I keep asking Dean if I could help organize flights for him for next season as they visit second rate European outposts for the Europa league.
I keep reminding him how perilous Liverpool’s financial situation is and that soon, he might be thinking about changing allegiance to the red part of London.
His messages were damn funny I have to say, as some of my colleagues who watched me listening to the messages think I’ve lost the plot. Apparently, the reason he’s calling me is because he happened to be passing around the N17 post code area early this morning.
He bumped into a few touts selling some DVDs and he couldn’t resist buying me a birthday present, even though my birthday was a couple of months ago. Yup! He insists it’s the DVD of last night’s game already on sale by the Tottenham historical society.
I’ll believe it when I see him over the weekend.
As for last night’s game, I had a really bad feeling when Vermaelen was stretchered off. In some way, I’ve become more anxious about our propensity to collect injuries as opposed to the risk we have of losing games.
I’m still trying to process whether I’m disappointed that we lost yesterday’s game, or whether I’m disappointed because it was the Tiny Tots we lost to. The reality of the matter is that the loss last night made it very difficult for us to come back from the dead again.
There’s not enough games left in the calendar for another Lazarus type resurrection. I still continue to hold high hopes because there’s still a mathematical possibility that Arsenal can win the title.
Of course, Chelsea will have to lose 2 games, or draw 3 of them and on top of that, we either catch up with their goal difference or hope that they mess up even more.
But the reality is that it would take an enormous miracle for the Chavs to commit suicide in that fashion. I wouldn’t put it past them though so I’ll still continue to keep the faith.
I still fully expect the team to play well and fight for the remainder of the season for the simple reason that I don’t like the feeling of losing any game. Soon, our focus will move to consolidating the position that we’re in and building on what we’ve managed to achieve this season.
I must say though, Robin Van Persie was great last night. It’s a shame we couldn’t bring him on earlier as that would have probably been a Gallas-esque risk.
Despite being out for so long, the Dutch ace made the hairs at the back of my neck stand up. You really can’t legislate for the heroics of Heurelho Gomes and if it wasn’t for the Spurs keeper, Van Persie would have had a mesmerizing comeback.
I’m just pissed off it’s the Dutch national team who will get to enjoy his form and we have to wait until the start of the new season. My sense is that if it’ll make Robin happy to play well in the world cup, then he’ll be a better player for Arsenal next season; it’s just revolting that the Dutch FA threw him to the Italian wolves only to have him back just in time.
Meanwhile, we need to tighten our seat belts, hold on to our hats and jump into the bumpy ride of the doom and gloom variety. The forked tongues are being sharpened and we have to prepare to fight the good fight for the sake of the Arsenal.
I’ll be looking forward to my DVD this weekend. Meanwhile, I’ll continue to try and figure out which hurts me more; the fact that we lost to that lot up the road or the fact that we’re about to dust ourselves off and start again.
Stone Cold Arsenal is looking for new writers. If you have the passion and fire for Arsenal, and you feel you want to share your thoughts, your passion and your emotions with the thousands who read this blog daily, visit our Write For Us page to find out more.
Power Shift Signals Change Of Guard At Top Of Premiership
Posted by: | CommentsIf ever there was a case of ’The Usual Suspects being expected to do what is routine, then you have to say that the top 4 positions of the EPL table would correct itself every year.
The ’Big 4’ in England have hitherto executed their ruthless rendition of ’the rich get richer and the poor on the other side of the tracks watch and wish it was them’.
In fact, apart from Manchester United’s 11 Premiership haul’s, Arsenal’s 3 titles, and Chelsea’s 2 titles, Blackburn are the only club in the EPL to have won the Premiership.
Even then, you could say that Jack Walker did for Blackburn Rovers, what Roman Abramovich did for Chelsea, and ”bought” the title by throwing 50 pound notes at it.
In recent times, so much emphasis has been put on the ’top 4’. It’s become the elusive holy grail of English football and achieving a top 4 finish is even hailed more than winning domestic trophies like the FA cup and league cup.
The glamour and razzmatazz of playing amongst the elite in Europe and the financial rewards offered have heightened the perceived importance of finishing in the 4 Champions league places that English football is allocated.
Except for the 2005 season when Everton eclipsed their bitter rivals Liverpool to the 4th spot, Champions league football has been a preserve of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United in recent years.
Even though, Liverpool in that 2005 season were handed a ’get out of jail free card’ by their argument that they had the right to defend the trophy.
As we approach the last few games of the season, some new patterns are emerging signalling a change of guard at the top of the English football high table. Many may argue otherwise, but such arguments in my view are the desperate kicks of a dying horse.
The two biggest casualties of the shift of the power axis are Liverpool and Manchester United. In two very different ways, they are tangible case studies of ’the beginning of the end’ of an era of domination by the two clubs.
Liverpool is in a more perilous state right now from the point of view that the lack of Champions league football next season will be a catalyst for a lengthy spell in the wilderness of mid-table mediocrity.
The performance of the team this season has been questionable at best and the exacerbation of the fans with the fortunes of their team is palpable.
In Manchester United’s case, the loss of Christiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez is so painfully obvious , only a rookie disembarking off the milk train at Manchester Piccadilly will argue otherwise. Despite the world record sale of their former Portuguese ace, United weren’t able to afford Tevez who was snapped up by the blue side of Manchester.
Various parties within the club have tried to insult our intelligence by suggesting that Carlos Tevez was not worth the £25m price tag, but it was more to do with the fact that United couldn’t afford him. I mean, how do you let a striker of Tevez’s quality go so that you can get a crocked Michael Owen on the free and try and convince folks that it’s good business.
United and Liverpool are surely heading south, and their performances on the field have shown this all season. Unfortunately for both clubs, assumptions about success on the field have been made when projecting the financial fortunes of the respective clubs.
In yesterday’s article about the financial reality hitting football, Saloner highlighted the difficulty Manchester United find themselves in with falling revenues. Even if you factor in relative success on the pitch, the situation still looks bad.
Raphael Benitez is already screaming for money to rebuild his squad, and many observers also note that United need major surgery as it’s time to call curtains for the senior citizens like Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, and Gary Neville.
Here is the thing though. The business of football has changed, and it’s my view that many observers within football haven’t caught up with this reality.
I’d like to say that it’s misguided optimism on their part, but it’s more to do with collective gross incompetence within the football establishment. It’s the sort of incompetence that blinds them from realising that the days of ’big money football’ are all gone.
There are no billionaires from Russia waiting to burn their oil dollars; or no Sheikh’s from the middle east looking for a play toy. The constant hope that clubs will be ’rescued’ by a sugar daddy of sorts is a lottery gamble that is farfetched from reality.
Liverpool have tried to invite investment and have failed miserably. In truth, Liverpool needed more of a marriage counsellor than they needed a high net worth investor; Gillett and Hicks were constantly bitching at each other it’s hard to see who would have been interested in throwing their money in there.
Liverpool have ended up appointing an independent chairman who happens to hold a season ticket in the Matthew Harding stand at Stamford Bridge. But it’s that sort of desperation for credibility that forces them to have someone at the helm who can give Liverpool the respectability to invite investors in.
Manchester City are an anomaly; a freak show if you will. Their owners, the Abu Dhabi Investment Corporation have the luxury of printing their own money from the mint attached to the back of their office complex.
The problem there is for Liverpool and United (less so for Chelsea and for Arsenal) is that once City get into the Champions league, they won’t let go. They’ll be like a bull dog that refuses to let go of your ass once it bites.
They have the money to throw at football mercenaries, and I even fear for Roberto Mancini who in the grand scheme of things, will be left high and dry as they appoint a ’Hollywood’ name as manager.
Jose Mourinho already submitted his CV live on a pre-match interview a week ago, and I think we can conclude that it was noted, if not accepted. The Sheikh’s of Middle Eastlands are going to throw an obscene amount of money to cement their position.
A lot of people think that Abu Dhabi Investment Corporation’s interest in Manchester City has to do with football. I submit to you that it has very little to do with football, and more to do with marketing Abu Dhabi as a country to the rest of the world.
Gulf states are making a concerted effort to put themselves on the world map, and the Emirates and Qatar have not been shy at implementing audacious programmes to brand themselves around the world as they seek the attention of the world.
Call it an exercise in vanity, but taking a club out of obscurity into the highest echelons of football is a pretty straight forward loss leader for them if there was ever one. It’s almost like the cost of the Manchester City project is irrelevant; they can print the money anyway.
More people around the world are talking about this Gulf state called Abu Dhabi than they are about Manchester City.
As for Chelsea, it really depends on the intentions of their one benefactor, and any way you look at this one, it’s hard to see how sustainable it is. Will Abramovich have the stomach to ’buy’ a new squad to replace his senior citizens? They say Chelsea has a good academy, but it’s a long stretch to see any of their academy products breaking into the first team.
Arsenal on the other hand have the best of both worlds. A manageable financial structure leading towards a debt free scenario as the stadium mortgage is paid off; and on the other hand, a stable management structure that works well to move the team in the right direction.
considering the meltdown that’s happening and its impact on United and Liverpool, Arsenal are well placed to ride this storm, even if more adversity comes our way.
There’s a lot of hysteria about Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith’s decision to sell her shares, and many people have jumped on the band wagon.
For one, I don’t think Usmanov has a chance and any bid by him will be blocked by Danny Fiszman and Stan Kroenke.
My sense is that Stan Kroenke loves the way Arsenal is run and believes it’s a good investment; but I think he’s ambivalent towards buying Arsenal outright if there is resistance to a takeover.
Arsene Wenger’s likely decision to leave Arsenal if there’s a pissing contest to take over Arsenal is a huge factor and I don’t see the board risking that.
Lady Nina has appointed an investment bank to seek an outside buyer and I don’t think Blackstone have any intention of selling either to Usmanov or Kroenke, so it’s likely to be an outsider.
The most likely result is that the ownership structure stays the same with the protagonists changing, and we can carry on with the business of cementing our place at the top of European football.
Whatever happens to Arsenal’s ownership though, there is clearly a change of guard at the top of English football.
Stone Cold Arsenal is looking for new writers. If you have the passion and fire for Arsenal, and you feel you want to share your thoughts, your passion and your emotions with the thousands who read this blog daily, visit our Write For Us page to find out more.
‘Ingerland’ Will Never Win World Cup Until They Come Out Of The Stone Age
Posted by: | CommentsSelf preservation is a strange bastard. It makes people do or say strange things, and they actually make themselves believe the faecal matter they spew out.
It’s a common known factor that the biggest resistance to change is fear of the unknown. You see it in any aspect of life where the thought of doing things in a different way scares the living shit out of any group of people.
The easier option is to pull out the sandbags, draw down the hatches, and take defensive positions ready to repel any suggestion of progressive thinking that reflects any form of evolution.
Take English football as a prime example. There’s a sad narrative of the English brand of the game that is engrained in the psyche. For too long, the establishment has promoted and supported a certain style or culture of play that leaves a lot to be desired.
We have so often seen physicality, brute force and insalubrious tactics being employed on the football pitch and being encouraged by the establishment.
We are told that this brand of football should be admired as one that espouses the virtues of valour, commitment and what J, one of SCA readers eloquently puts as ’pluck and spirit’.
There’s nothing wrong with aspiring to those values in any aspect of life, but I draw the line when they are used as substitutes for the inability to play football. For too long, it’s been culturally entrenched that the way to deal with the fact that you’re technically lacking is to apply ’pluck and spirit’ – and to be encouraged to accept that it’s good enough.
This past weekend, we’ve seen yet another example of this cultural deficiency that is so engrained in a huge swathe of the English footballing populous. It defies belief that anyone can defend the dangerous tackle by the Wolves captain Carl Henry on Tomas Rosicky.
To add insult to injury, the usual suspects are closing ranks around the issue and suggesting that firstly, Arsenal players are just plain soft yet again and can’t hack the physicality of a contact sport; and secondly, that it was never a red card and that Arsenal players rounded on the referee to pressurize him to produce the red card.
This is just but one of the symptoms of the Neolithic culture that I’m talking about that ails the English game. There’s a very big difference between a contact sport and a violent sport. The fact that violence is embraced as a virtue in lieu of football is even more sad.
We are told that this is what makes English football ‘English’, and if we don’t like it, we can sod off to the softer continental and South American leagues. We are told this physicality and pluck is what makes the English Premier league what it is.
For one, we’ve argued as to how ‘English’ the English Premier League really is. I submit to you that there’s very little English about it, and if it wasn’t for the foreign influence across all levels of the game and it’s administration, the Premier League wouldn’t be what it was right now.
Furthermore, the longer the establishment continues to press this self preservation button and insist that ’we are who we are so deal with it’, the further into the wilderness the English game will stay.
It’s not a coincidence why England haven’t won anything in the global arena since 1966.
I wasn’t born at the time, but I’m reliably informed that the summer of 1966 was quite a big deal on the British Isles. A World Cup final going into extra time is blood pressure inducing in the first place, but a 4-2 score line sent the Germans packing back home without the Coupe du Monde.
1966 was undoubtedly the greatest single achievement of the English footballing establishment.
What I don’t get though is this. Since 1966, having not won another major trophy, the English establishment also seem to be stuck with that old school vinyl record when football came home, if you will. “
We won it in 66” seems to be a tired old mantra for those clutching onto the straws of success with the members of that squad still living and breathing that success till this day. I guess that until another English team win the World Cup again, the old timers, most of whom are Knights of the Realm can milk that 1966 victory for what it was.
Only, this constant reference back to 1966 is actually mind numbing and well, tiresome and suffocating. Take Germany for example, they lost 4-2 (though they always thought one goal was dodgy – video replays anyone?), they went back home, sorted themselves out and have since won the World cup twice.
England won’t win the 2010 World Cup because they simply aren’t good enough. You see, all the media hyperbole about the so called Golden Age of English players with poster boys like Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerard, Frank Lampard, John “we’re well ‘ard” Terry and Rio Ferdinand has clouded one fundamental issue.
As a collective, the individuals in the team haven’t the technical nous and ability to show creativity and magic with the ball.
If I really think hard, the last England player that really had the technical ability that I’m talking about was Paul Gascoigne. Gazza was magic and it was a joy to watch him. It was a joy to see how he seduced the ball, how it stuck to him like glue as he ghosted around the midfield, how he used the ball and how he linked up with other players.
When Gazza had the ball, there was this feeling in your water that something was going to happen. Glenn Hoddle also had that effect, but in recent times, you’d struggle to find such technically gifted individuals in the England ranks.
The way the media has operated in waxing lyrical about the prospects of the England team, coupled with the bullish declarations of many a faithful England fan simply hides from the fact that the team has issues – issues that are seriously compounded by the prima donna lifestyles of many of its stars.
Celebrity is perhaps a more appropriate discipline for some of the England players, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the first thing they ask for when leaving the training ground is where their bodyguard and chauffeurs are.
There are players around the world who would draw blood for the honour of wearing their national team shirt. Playing for their national team is a duty that they don’t take lightly, and the notion that celebrity and prima donna nonsense would take over is just laughable.
That to me, is the key difference. Other viable teams have talented, technically gifted players who want to play and make football beautiful to watch. England has a bunch of prima donnas who are more interested in celebrity than playing football.
The football certainly isn’t pretty and is reminiscent of the ‘kick, push, shove and sprint to get the ball at all costs’ mentality that is described as good old fashioned English grit and steel that wins the English Premiership.
If that fails, lump it forward to a tall lanky fella and hope that he can hold the ball long enough to bring out the other players.
My fear is that when the time comes at the World cup finals and England meet a ‘proper’ footballing nation, they will be seriously spanked.
The time between now and next summer can be better used to do something about the issues England has in defence and midfield and not to wax lyrical about how the messiah Wayne Rooney is going to lead them to glory.
More importantly, the establishment should start by acknowledging the rot in the game right from the FA board room to the grassroots. Kids aren’t taught how to play football anymore; they’re taught how to ’kick and rush’.
Kids aren’t taught how to tackle any more, they’re taught the virtues of ’pluck and spirit’.
Instead of addressing the core issues that ail the game, and instead of acknowledging where the English game falls short; the establishment is busy in self preservation mode.
The establishment are busy justifying why their brand of English football needs to stay in the stone age, while all over the world, the game has and continues to evolve.
Coming back to the incident over the weekend that inspired me to write this post, I take the view that it’s not just about Arsenal being hypersensitive about their players’ legs being broken by technically inferior players who resort to violence because they can’t get the ball.
My sense is that the incident is a symptom of the morass in English football, and it needs addressing now. Enough is enough.
What do you all think?
Tue 13th September 2011; 19:45, Dortmund