Written by LandrySubira Thursday, 22 September 2011 16:37

GunnerTalk Blog

By Landry Subira

It takes a big person not say I told you so. Hence the Press goes crazy with the “I told you so”.  There is no end to how much damage we took against ManYoo and now again at Ewood Park, but this performance caused a seismic shift in something much more important, the fans.  There are no longer Wenger in or Wenger out discussions anymore, only Wenger when. All the blogs I follow like Gunnertalk (YEAH), YankeeGunner, Gunnerblog and his majesty Arseblog have kind of turned a corner. I like these people because they are level minded. But even the most positive of them could see what has finally happened. As I said last week, Arsenal is sick, but for the first time Arsene Wenger does not seem to be the Chief Surgeon.

The first half of Blackburn was Arsenal through and through. Lethal at the front and poor at the back . The second half Arsenal is the sick one we’re always scared will rear its head. It defies logic when one watches it and Newcastle away last season was the pinnacle of this Arsenal. How does conceding one goal lead to conceding four? What makes one goal four? Why can’t the same team who score four( against Newcastle) just continue scoring after conceding one?  Sitting at home in front of the telly, I couldn’t get why the best team at keeping possession in the Premier League simply didn’t continue playing the possession game until things calmed down. The defending at Blackburn was atrocious. I don’t understand this; when your team is facing pressure why not park the bus for ten or fifteen minutes and frustrate your opponents and break on the counter with Gervinho and Walcott on both wings? Why if I, a simple laymen, get that we may need to defend with bodies and committment, don’t any of the players understand?

If the answer is not personnel, then it must be laid at the manager’s feet. After listening to some phone in shows and commentators, some fans stated that our problem was in the board room and owner. Granted that these problems exist, however the problems against Blackburn on the pitch, Stan Kroenke and Hill-Wood can do little about. The defenders did not defend because no one who knows anything about defending would ever have made those mistakes or all in the same game. Johan Djourou who was halfway decent last season is abysmal this season. What made him worse? There are too many questions and too few answers. And the biggest thing I noticed is that Arsene Wenger did not even stand up once to shout at the team. He does not inspire confidence anymore. This is a run of one win Premier League in every 5 games.  How long will we allow this to continue before seeing that this is very dangerous for the club? At our current form I see us below the obvious 3, plus Stoke, Liverpool, and Tottenham (AHHHH). There is no confidence at all in this team. I suggest a new manager because the changes that need to take place are beyond our current manager. We need two defensive midfielder’s in the team, a completely different defensive coach, and a manager that is feared by every single player. These are not characteristics or style of our current manager.

The final reason I want Arsene to go is his heritage. He has been brilliant for us for 14 years but how long will he tarnish his name?  He has finished the Premier League unbeaten, something I doubt even this rampant ManYoo team can do. The argument that there aren’t any managers available to replace him confuses me. Chelsea have hired 8 in 7 years and managed a few titles along the way. I am really at a loss as to where we go next. The only thing I know is I am behind my team every step of the way.

Part 2- After Shrewsbury

Nothing really changed yeah. We were awful at defending and better at attacking. One thing that really bothers me is Arsenals aptitude for killing footballers’ confidence. Think about it for a second; Chamakh, Djourou, Koscielny, Almunia (who was crap but still), Denilson. All these players just lost confidence for reasons unbeknown. Djourou was absolutely dismal against Shrewsbury town, awful. The goal scored against us was a cross into the 6 yard box and free header. If you ever needed a manual on how to get one over us, copy and paste that. When I watch Arsenal defend, I just stare in amazement. No one picks anyone up, players are on the wrong side, half-hearted challenges and overall carelessness. What also bugs me is that the team’s lack of urgency. WE ARE GOOD WITH THE BALL. So when we lose possession, the immediate concern should be getting it back.

This is one of the biggest reasons I’m against captains being in the front three. They are involved in only one aspect of the game, whereas if the captain was a midfielder, he has ties to every part of it. I really cannot wait till Szczesny is the captain. I do not mean to be negative; it’s just that Arsenal is in a relegation battle at the moment and in the CL.

The stand-out players during the game were Coquelin and The Ox, even though I prefer Gibbs’ goal to The Ox’s. Gibbs really needs to be taught how to be a left back though; he drifted into mid-field far too often. I think that Coquelin should start with Song in every game until we lose this losing streak.

I look forward to Saturday’s game and a comprehensive 4-0 victory to get this team off its ass. I really hope we get the three points, because we could actually be fighting a relegation battle if this situation is allowed to carry on. Cheers guys.

Follow me on Twitter @LandrySubira because I want to be famous