PLD 38 W 26 D 12 L 0
IMMORTALS, Indeed!!!
Apparently, the Arsenal are going to be getting a “Special” Trophy to commemorate the amazing undefeated season. In looking back, I’d have to say they deserve it. They deserve something, because this season was the most amazing sports season I have seen in any sport by one team.
Just one man’s opinion… but having watched numerous years of American sports as well… I just don’t remember anything to rival this. When you add in all the other matches in all the other competitions… its all the more impressive.
I thought I’d reflect a bit on the season that was… while its all fresh in my mind. Wax poetically, or try to…
Before the season started, I have to admit I was NOT very happy with Wenger or Arsenal. We didn’t appear to improve at all in the off-season. We didn’t pick up any big name players (other than Jens, and I didn’t conisder him a BIG FISH). We lost because of our lack of depth at the back last season… and we didn’t get the star CB or FB that I hoped for. I was pessimistic at our chances. Liverpool got Kewell… Chelsea got everyone they wanted… ManUtd were the Champions. We didn’t appear to do much to overturn things, and I saw more than a few pundits say much the same. A place in the CL was the best we might hope for!!!
Wow, was everyone wrong. So wrong.
4 wins to start the season, and we looked every bit as good as we did at the start of the previous season. Dispatching teams effortlessly, with free-flowing football.
Then a draw at home to Portsmouth. An embarrasing loss at home to Inter in the CL…and The infamous match at Old Trafford… which appears to have actually UNITED the Arsenal even more. It was at this point that HERE on ARSENAL AMERICA, and all over the media, that the Arsenal were doubted, questioned, prodded and poked. I believe Rick had an article asking if this was the end of Arsenal as we knew it!! (or something to that affect!!) Others said we were thugs and the bad guys.
We had Newcastle, Liverpool, and Chelsea coming up and boy were we in trouble. WIN WIN WIN… and off we went. The Pires goal at Anfield sticks out in my mind. A beauty… and the rest as they say is history. Sure, we had some bumps along the way. Draw at Leicester?! Gave a few wins away late on improbable equalizers… but we never lost. We never lost the plot. We never lost our nerve… and I believe we grew as a team and grew in confidence week in and week out… in ALL competitions. I stopped feeling angst before and during matches around DECEMEBER! I can honestly say I expected us to win almost every match.
The League Cup was a fantastic experience for our younger players. A really good run.
The FA CUP was also a great run against ALL Premier League teams from our first match.
The Champions League… a great run!
We were counted as dead after 3 matches and like all other issues, we overcame.
Yes, we lost in the FA Cup by a goal to United.
Yes, we lost in the CL by a late goal to Chelsea.
As I said then, this is hardly anything to hang your head in shame about. These are WORLD CLASS teams filled with stars. We simply didn’t play well enough in those 2 matches to win.
Blemishes. Blemishes on the most fantastic season I have ever seen. I had tears in my eyes seeing the lads lift the cup on Saturday… I sincerely wish I could have been there to witness it first hand. But the few minutes that were shown on FoxSportsWorld were enough for now.
UNTIL the YEAR END VIDEO COMES OUT!
Thank you Arsenal Football Club and Arsenal America for the finest season I can ever remember!
Can’t wait for Euro2004 in a few weeks… but I can use the break… really!!!
ENJOY YOUR SUMMER… the next great season is just around the corner.
5 Responses to “wwwwddwwwdwwwddw dwwdwwwwwwwwwdwdwdddww”
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May 19th, 2004 at 11:54 am
Your article brought to mind something that I was thinking about after we lost our bids for the CL and FA trophies. In the modern era, is it possible to win the treble, or even two trophies, and go on a long unbeaten run? History says its unlikely save one supernatural squad:
Leeds. They won the FA Cup in the 71-72 season, and followed it up with the unbeaten record the following year and the league title. They were also ECC Winner’s Cup finalists. Other then that, they failed to make a bid for any other honors outside of their streak and the league.
Liverpool. Arguably the most successful League Cup team in history along with other honors, went unbeaten in the 87-88 season, also taking the title?but no other honors. Prior to that they won the FA Cup in 85-86.
Finally, ManU’s 98-99 treble season has to go down as one of the most important in the sense that The Arsenal stand to learn a lot from it after this year’s history-making rout. United played seven times in April 1999, including four times in 10 days. They also strung together quite an unbeaten run. When it mattered, they pulled out close one’s with the likes of a few individuals off the bench jike Jaap Stam, Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, not to mention a strategic blunder by Kahn (thise darned German keepers! Sigh.), which allowed Ole the room he needed to net the winner. Talent will get you to the dance, but depth, luck and desire will get you the trophy.
Some questions: Should we fear the so-called “unbeaten streak” with a small, young squad? Does it mean players are headed for burn out at the worst possible time? I know AW said we go out to win games, but how slippery is the concept of “winning vs. not-losing”? What does all of this do to form? Certainly an unbeaten run doesn’t just happen accidentally. At some point, when the whistle kicks everything off, there’s something to play for on your mind. When do you look past a game to see what lies ahead?
Having done “it”, the year finished up quite nicely. I would much rather have the streak than one, or even two more trophies. But it looks as though our next goal, the CL, will certainly force us to accept a little thing called “Losing”.
Or will it?
May 19th, 2004 at 12:24 pm
Well…. valid thoughts.
I don’t feel we would have gone undefeated in the league if we had advanced in the Champions League. We would have rested our key players in the “meaningless” matches after we won the league so early.
I really believe all competitions will be secondary next season to the Champions League. We have won the FA CUP twice & the league twice in the very recent past. AW wants the CL trophy.
I think we will play alot of young players in the League Cup again, in the FA CUP and even in League matches next season… and REST our best for the Champions League. That will be the biggest goal of this team. And regardless, we will still need LUCK to play a part in winning that title. (as evidenced by the Porto v. Monaco final)…
The French League actually changed scheduled matches to aid Monaco’s bid in the CL.
“THE STREAK and UNDEFEATED SEASON” are something that will always be remembered. Its an amazing accomplishment. But I wonder if Wenger and the lads would rather have the CL trophy?
May 19th, 2004 at 1:03 pm
I recall Wenger saying that he is much happier with this immortal accomplishment, citing the fact that no other team has done it in comparable fashion.
I look at it this way?where the FA Cup can often be looked upon as a consolation for failing to win other trophies, going undefeated is not. A team can’t just decide to play for it like they can the FA Cup if other competitions prove too difficult. It is a singular achievement, and as I am supposing, one that requires sacrificing the CL and other league cups, whether by chance or by choice. Who could/would plan their season to do it? The odds of success are far too astronomical for it to happen again soon, especially since so much emphasis is put on success in Europe these days and job security being so fragile.
38 games amid brutal fixture congestion and a legitimate bid for the CL. Without the “luck” of crashing out of Europe, I think it can’t be done again. Sort of the “perfect storm” in football. Amazing.
May 19th, 2004 at 2:00 pm
I agree completely… it will be EXTREMELY difficult for anyone to do this again. All the extra fixtures and the tough competition in the EPL or any other major league. Everything had to fall just right or wrong in some respects… thats why we are the IMMORTALS!
May 20th, 2004 at 11:58 am
There is a great advert on the Arsenal website for nike…
wwwwddwwwdwwwddwdwwdwwwwwwwwwdwdwdddww Arsena
A great play on words- or results should I say!