Written by LandrySubira Wednesday, 14 September 2011 11:57

GunnerTalk Blog

By Landry Subira

#1

It takes a while for some Arsenal fans to appreciate what has happened since last time I wrote.  If Sunday was the burial of fire, the Wednesday was the phoenix rising from the ashes.  Or was it really? This is the reason I have stalled writing (and posting) this peace. To try to understand what has really happened to our beloved Arsenal. To look past the veil and judge my team not by the reporters or different views but by what I see on the pitch.

This is the crux of football for me. With respect to that I feel a lot better. Arsenal signed Chu Young Park (Ju), Per Mertersacker, Andre Santos, Mikel Arteta and Yossi Benayoun. Add this to Alex Oxlaide-Chamberlain and Gervinho; this window would have been good. Would have been because in his spending Arsene did not break the bank even once, meaning that all these signings could have been done 2 months ago and the “funeral of fire” need not have happened. The wage structure does not really bother me though. Arsenal can offer its player a maximum of £120 000 a week if I’m not mistaken. Not one player last season earned more than that and we were second in the league for a very long time.  Had we won, the competitive wages argument would not have mattered at all. Imagine that Per Mertersacker and Arteta had been in our team since January. I don’t believe that our wages stop us getting those good and even great players, its just that we’re stupid enough to only buy them when we have to and not have the foresight to do so earlier. ManYoo on the other hand have strengthened their team and refused to allow any another to reach them, although the Sheiks Abramovich and Mansour have dropped millions trying to do so.

Last week something came to light to me as well and it really upset me. After all of our above signings, nobody thought Arsenal would make it into the top four. I consulted my Arsene Guru, Lindsay and she said its’ been this way for many many years. Now, Liverpool have spent twice the money we have, Sp*ds half and yet people rate them to make the CL spots. Correct me if I’m wrong but wasn’t fourth position a DISAPPOINTMENT last season. We COLLAPSED into fourth place. Liverpool on the other hand, ended up sixth as a fluke; it could have been 7th or 8th. I just don’t know where the bad blood comes from. For all of Arsene Wenger’s flaws, hasn’t he proved that CL qualification and an outside chance of winning the Premiere League is our level. This year, I admit, the Premiership is beyond us, but how many times do Arsenal have to prove our level before people believe our level?  WE ARE THE ARSENAL BITCHES, and even though we may not be title contenders, never write us off.

Now for the tactics and criticisms. Will someone please explain to me the use of the high line?! Why on earth do we employ it? We have quick defenders in Verminator, Sagna and Koscielny. But always scrambling back to cover is not full proof defensive plan (not even half or quarter proof). Surely they can be staggered or something? I am obviously not a coach but even my simple couch commentator mind sees that all it takes is a through ball and a Suarez to ruin us.  Also, can we please make ourselves harder to beat? Creativity aside, the team is not defensively minded. Walcott and Arsharvin, bless them, are the most frustrating stupid idiotic (AHHHHH!) players when we do not have the ball. My driving instructor noticed that I sometimes did not accelerate or break and he quickly shut that down. He said it must be one or the other. This makes sense to me in football as well, if you are not in attack phase, you must be in defence phase, not in limbo. In short, go back and help you fucking idiots. Messi, Iniesta and Xavi, the three most creative players on the planet never stop moving when their team are out of possession. They are always hounding, surrounding and making sneaky fouls against their opposition, forcing them to make mistakes.  This is the same for all good teams. If someone tells me that is not the Arsenal way, I will kick them. Our football style is winning. Lastly, there is no harm in trying to sit back once in a while. Putting on Frimpong and Song together and telling your opposition to “do their worst” sends out another message. It also makes the team more confident of their ability to just hold on and defend, something that they clearly do not have right now. “We will not be pushed around” is the message that sends out.

I see the team as improved although I do worry about the injuries of the players that are out. I am not convinced that the squad depth has been corrected, but I say all in good time. And to end on a good note, I heard but did not see Lansbury and The OX have been on fire for the U-21s. Great news for us. I wonder if Jenkinson will get the call up, he is quite a good player. And the funniest part of this week has been Bolton and Gary Cahill. He was apparently worth £17m last week, now they’ll get ZERO next season.  “Arsene knows”.

#2

That was a very shaky game and we got through. That is all that really matters doesn’t it?  If we won 1-0 for the rest of season we would probably win the title. The performance was not good but was adequate. That performance will kill us tomorrow night, and I’m happy the team is different when we go away. Saturdays game was quite unconvincing, and I didn’t get a few things but it is not the day to criticize the boys. The new signings are finding their feet. It’s obvious in our play that the players really do not know each other well. However, Benayoun, Arteta and Frimpong do bring energy to the team, especially Benayoun, who seems to prefer the game at a higher pace. Whatever the other teams are playing like is not really our problem. Comparisons do not improve teams, only work does.

It seems that now, either you’re either pro –Wenger or against. Grow the fuck up. I hate Wayne Bald-Shrek-Got-Some-New-Hair Rooney but he is great player. See that, I just displayed maturity. So when people ask me whether or not I want Wenger but, I fail to understand. Now patience is not something everyone is born with, so if you think 6 seasons without a trophy is unbearable, go on twitter and have your say. There are people like me though who can see past the smokescreens and tell that Wenger is truly an unhappy man because of it and that has something to do with naivety. Players like Adebayor, Nasri, Hleb kind of played us a bit and he did not think players he gave a chance to leaving. Two of those players however are now playing in Europa so hard luck guys . Still, things do not seem right. Perhaps the new signings will do well and get us into the top four and win us a FA Cup and get us into the Champions League semifinals and he will start smiling again. But I do not think he can have the summer he just had again and not leave for greener pastures. Do a bunk and go to PSG and buy Hazard and Gotze and M’Villa and create another dream team is a likely option. I wish he was just left alone to do his job. Alas, that is not football nowadays.

The biggest problem is that our owner right now is the worst kind to have in this situation. Unlike his brothers in wealth, Kroenke does not seem to care very much about the perception of his club. Since I am not a billionaire club owner, I do not know if that is true but he seems rather blazé. What I do know is that it wouldn’t take much. The QPR guy invested into his club, got a few good players in for not much money, and said good things. That was pretty much it.  Silent Stan has not made a sound. As I said, things are rather confusing. Things are not right.  As always I will support my club till death, but it does not take an astro-physicist to tell you that Astros are better than M & M’s.  Arsenal is sick, but I love Wenger. It just seems to be really really bad time.

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