Written by Graham Yates Thursday, 20 January 2011 19:30

GunnerTalk Blog

Five pieces of my Mind

By Graham Yates

Austria Holidays Cancelled

So finally after years of an iron grip on the club, Wengers despotism has finally meant that something had to give. He’s built the stadium, he has acquired every player within the club, he has a lovely training ground and dare I say it, he has even ushered in a new sort of Arsenal fan who likes him more than the club. But with all this success comes the sucker punch. Ivan Gazidis (the Real Boss) has finally put his foot down and is pushing hard for an East-Asian tour as part of our preparation for the new 2011-2012 season. Bang goes those balmy Austrian summers that Wenger craves, for squad honing and morale boosting 8-2 wins over non-league Innsbruck United. The need to save money is now being replaced for the need to make money, something I am sure AW would welcome. It seems that having his cake and eating it may be coming to an end. He now only has 98% control now.

TV5 / Mind the stop gaps

So Thomas is ruled out for the season, or as near as damn it! Seb Squelchy seems a touch crocked and we are now down to 3 at the back. Well 2 unless Song is a serious option, but he is irreplaceable in the centre of midfield surely? Nevertheless, here we are mid-way through January and still nothing on the new Centre Back front. The red tops awash with rumours of those who Wenger will plump for, if at all. The ones that sit most uncomfortably at the top of my list (Dunne) send a shudder through my spine and out through my arse as these types are the ones he would go for, (out of favour therefore not match fit, moaning at their current clubs, old, experienced and very very slow). But here’s the thing. Why doesn’t AW, like with the rest of his midfielders & forwards, speculate for the future with another bold signing that we could hang our hat on to partner Vermaelan in the coming years? Buying in January is not a good time if you are still in the Champions League granted, but this January 2011 is different. There are good defenders out there who we could recruit as the market is finally adapting to the January window, or should I say the Agents are. Anyway is a club such as Arsenal still way too good for short term patching, especially if Wenger really believes we can win the European Cup?

Stick to your Gunners

Wenger won’t admit it but we do have a best 1^st XI and we all know what that is post Chelsea. Suffice to say all this constant tinkering is less important games leaves us vulnerable to the odd Leeds, Wigan & Ipswich from time to time. But that’s the problem. These 3 abhor rations serve only to enforce fans fears of capitulation re 2008 @ St Andrews and the collapse thereafter. From a purely “on paper” view of this squad now compared to those in the last 5 years this crop is not markedly better than any of those incarnations. A large slice of lady luck has taken us this far especially in avoiding the big 2 who I would argue are not taking it quite as seriously this season as they used to. If ambitions are to be realised on all fronts our Chelsea heroes should start every game from now till we simply cannot stand up any more. With any trophy in sight, adrenalin will surely be the ultimate catalyst.

The Odd Couple

So there is a rift between our Messiah and the un-Brazilian Brazilian. Ok it’s no Sheringham/Cole epic style no talking kinda rift but a split nonetheless. I doubt it will impact on the team as a whole and both have been twittering pleasantries about each other since Walter Matthau was interviewed on Arsenal Brasil recently. But for me it smacks of a club too cosy too safe for these players to ever feel pressure outside the club. Eyebrows are raised when there is a problem at Arsenal now as it seems unheard of that one of Wengers pupils has a public go at another. Both arguments are no doubt justified but Denison’s backtracking seems symptomatic of himself as a player. A non-combative sort who does not take responsibility on the pitch and neither it would seem anything he says off it. Fabregas will rise above this and lead the team in the only way he knows how. As Captain he is our inspiration to these players in how he plays, not what he says, that should be obvious to all including Walter himself. Sometimes talk is really cheap.

Wilshere IS Arsenal

Ok I am not condoning Jack for what he has done off the pitch recently and his lunge at Zigic earlier on in the season but I do feel like he really is what we as a Club have been missing since Paddy left or going further back what TA5 took when he retired. Of course we have had truly great players who were a paragon of virtue in between games. But I doubt they had the undue pressure of being an England International touted as the one we should build our World Cup squad around add to that the fact that he is already a very important English member of the 1^st team for a huge club. Remember the boy is just 19 and despite his mature displays for us still has a lot to learn. However let’s hope Jack stays Jack and trust that lot of Wenger, but not all of him, rubs off. He plays like LB7, has the heart of TA5 and the cool of MT4, nothing fazes him. Pennant & Bothroyd were discarded at the very hint of trouble, but Jack is truly a one off and Wenger is acutely aware of that.