The Story: The Gallant Mane
Author: Anonymous. The story was mysteriously found near the old garbage dump in the borough of Islington.
A quick scan of the story reveals the following:
Hero: A young fast horse named The Red Mane. The horse’s name comes from the combination of two French movies by Albert Lamorisse — The Red Balloon and White Mane.
Villains: 4 horses named Mud, Chester, Ringo & Spurtz. Also, an unknown mystery man named Raul Bendez also falls under the villain role.
As per the story, the young horse Red Mane was a joy to watch as he effortlessly glided past all the other horses to win race after race. The more races he won for his owners, the more annoyed the rivals got. Just when things were looking good for the Red Mane, a minor stumble resulted. In the middle of the regular Premier Stallion Championship, the Red Mane’s team accepted an invitation to participate in a charity trophy. There the Red Mane came across his rival Spurtz. Red Mane held an amazing record over Spurtz in that he had finished ahead of Spurtz in 21 previous attempts. But on this charity trophy event, Spurtz finished 4 seconds ahead of Red Mane. Such a margin was a huge shock but Red Mane’s owners dismissed it as meaningless as it was just a charity trophy. The real prize lay in the Premier and European crowns. However, a few weeks after the charity loss, Red Mane lost yet another trophy, this time a friendly association title to rival Mud by once again a 4 second margin. Questions were being asked about Red Mane’s capacity. Was the young horse getting burnt out? Or was the jockey not able to control Red Mane?
The management team decided to bring in a young fresh jockey (Alves) for a Premier race to shake things up. Unfortunately tragedy struck just 3 meters after the horses left the gate. The worst horse on the track, the old aging Maylor, charged towards Red Mane. Maylor raised his front two legs and knocked the young Alves off Red Mane. As Alves was knocked off & his legs were caught in the saddle, Maylor stomped on Alves. The sight of a 1500 pound horse falling on Alves made everyone present in the stands cringe. As per some rumours, Red Mane witnessed his new owner crying out in pain and even shed a tear.
After the tragedy, the owners of Red Mane struggled to find a new jockey. They cycled through 4 jockeys in the next few races but lost all of the races Nothing worked. They turned to a trusted experienced jockey only to lose a 5th straight race, this time to Chester. Things were getting grim for the owners of Red Mane. They had banked heavily on Red Mane pulling them through the year and had even released their other experienced horses and jockeys in the off season. Debate raged among the owners on what to do regarding the fate of Red Mane. Some said that the horse was done, burnt out, finished and should be laid to rest. Others wanted to give Red Mane some time.
It was agreed that the European crown was the final chance for Red Mane to shine. Unfortunately, some owners did not want to take a chance. They talked about bringing in the cold executioner Raul Bendez.
The Myth of Raul: The Spaniard Bendez, born in Madrid, was considered by some to be a cold executioner who could put down any horse without blinking. He was known to always formulate a perfect poison to kill each horse based on each horse’s weight and age. Bendez was known to have studied his art of killing under the famed Hungarian Keyser Söze. Söze’s greatest trick was to convince the world that he that never existed. Bendez learned from Söze and devised a poison that some say never existed, meaning his so called poison was just a placebo. His critics believed Bendez merely showed up at a stable in a white coat and glasses, had a syringe with no poison, injected the horse and by pure luck, the horse went down maybe due to fear. Others claimed that as nonsense and vouched that Bendez did indeed brew a vicious poison. Bendez made his career by putting down a prized horse named Rosso and from then on was respected in the industry. There are others who have a different version on the death of Rosso. They say after Bendez injected the horse, nothing happened. The horse in fact kicked into life and tried to run out of the stable. But as the horse was running out, a bucket from a height of 6 meters fell onto Rosso’s head, bounced off his head and settled into a corner on some hay. Slowly and quietly Rosso fell on his knees and died. It is believed that the bucket killed Rosso but others say it was all part of Bendez’s plan. The legend of Bendez grew from there.
So the owners of Red Mane wanted to use Bendez to put down their prized horse rather than face a possible defeat in the upcoming European crown race. This European race was to be held at a venue where Red Mane had failed to win the previous 4 Premier races, although Red Mane won Charity trophies within the last year at that ground. The venue was known for its beautiful architecture and contained an entire stand made out of copper and known as the copper end. Since the eyes of the European elite were focused on this race, defeat here would be costly. Plans were drafted to bring in Bendez. However, Red Mane’s coach came up with a compromise. He proposed that if upon seeing Bendez approach with a syringe, if his horse kicked his leg and showed signs of life, he should be allowed to live. Otherwise, he would accept whatever the owners proposed.
Moments before the European Race, Bendez entered the stable in a white coat with his patent goggles. As he quietly approached Red Mane, Bendez had a giant syringe in his hands. When Bendez was just 12 inches away from Red Mane, the horse kicked both his hind legs. Suddenly, Red Mane’s coach exclaimed that the young horse still had some life so he should be given another chance. Reluctantly, the owners allowed Red Mane to compete in the prestigious European Crown race. Red Mane started off slowly in the race but never lost sight of his main challenger Ringo at any point during the course. As the horses came down the final stretch, Red Mane inched ahead of Ringo. With 6 meters to go, victory appeared to be Red Mane’s until shockingly, the horse stumbled and fell on his knees. Ringo raced onto victory, much to the joy of the copper end faithful. Questions were asked on how Red Mane stumbled? There are some that say a mysterious man in the crowd appeared to throw something in the path of Red Mane. No one can confirm this rumour but those people swear that this man did exist and was dressed in a black trench coat and appeared to be a character out of the Swedish film The Seventh Seal. Others say that the problem lay in the middle portion of the race when Red Mane missed some glaring chances to pull ahead and was pegged back. Interestingly, the outcome of the race only increased the myth of Bendez. His supporters believed that Red Mane was already fading away but only kicked into life before the race thanks to Bendez — the mere sight of Raul allowed the horse to live on borrowed time. Critics of Bendez argued that Bendez was brought in to quietly put down Red Mane but he was unable to do so because Red Mane kicked his legs of his own accord and didn’t allow himself to be injected. The truth may not matter as history is mostly written by those win, leaving Red Mane and his owners to quietly accept the bitter outcome.
The owners of Red Mane decided to hold a crisis meeting that very night. They were concerned that their prized horse had lost a race to all his 4 major rivals through the course of a few months. In fact, the horse had only won 2 of the last 12 races it took part in all competitions and they had to decide what to do regarding the future. The meeting lasted throughout the night and after 8.5 hours, a decision was reached.
The Ending: Unfortunately, the story mysteriously ends here. The strange thing is that after the above words, there are exactly 5 blank pages to be found. It is unclear if those pages were meant to be filled in or if the ink faded away? Either way, the story is left without any ending. Maybe in an alternate universe, the missing 5 pages exist and might point towards a happy ending.
69 Responses to “Once Upon a Time”
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April 9th, 2008 at 9:59 am
Nice analogies throughout. Maybe there will be a happy ending, ya never know. We have one FINAL chance this weekend, and even if we take that chance for all its worth, the odds will still be against us. I guess the good news is that we have 5 games left, whereas ManUre, Chel$ki, and ‘Pool will have 7.
April 9th, 2008 at 10:58 am
Nice story. A happy ending would be excellent, but highly doubtful. I really couldn’t care less about this weekends game. I don’t think I can take another loss. Man. U will be gunning for the Gunners. They want this title, you can see it. I would love to see Roma pull a number on them tonight, but once again that is doubtful.
Good Luck Arsenal, this is your last “hoorah” of the season!
April 9th, 2008 at 11:17 am
Hi,
First of all I’m new here and only stumbled upon this site yesterday when i was checking for local screenings.I never knew we had a website for ‘Arsenal America’ supporters :).
A nice article and yes,we may have to endure yet another trophyless season but thats the way football is.It can be very unfair sometimes and Arsenal unfortunately has been at the receving end.I feel our defensive errors coupled with ill luck and injuries let us down.The youth system,no doubt,has worked in the past and will work again for sure.So dont lose heart and keep the faith going.We have infact,far exceeded the expectations this season when ppl expected us to finish below Spurs. Idiots !
April 9th, 2008 at 11:33 am
Well, according to Arsenal.com, Wenger said the dressing room was “completely down” after that loss at Anfield.
While it’s understandable, it’s also deplorable for Wenger to just let this slide. He can’t do anything about bad ref decisions against us, but he should take this opportunity to create a siege mentality for his squad, and use these situations to our advantage.
If Fergie was in his position, he would tell his players that the world is against them, that they will have to fight their way thru and expect no help from any refs. This should fire the players right up and get them ready for the next “battle”
However, that is the problem of not having that “British Grit” in our squad. We have far too many players who don’t fight for their lives when it matters, and our Manager doesn’t give the hairdryer treatment when he should be doing it on players that aren’t performing.
I sense there is a certain level of complacency that arise out of both our young squad’s naivety and arrogance stemming from our “perceived” superior technical ability. Arsenal players may think that they just need to do their trickery on the pitch and the quality of the football should win them a match. However, this won’t work when we do not always get the decisions right and so our players need to compensate this buy working smarter, not just harder. By smarter I mean play a bit more direct football and go for higher percentage scoring routes. Our squad’s reluctance at shotting from distance or just simply putting the ball on target early has cost us several opportunities in every game which allowed one or two bad ref decisions to affect the outcome. Had we converted our chances more effectively we’d be 3-0 up in most games and a soft penalty given against us here and there wouldn’t matter as much.
If this was a military analogy, then at Arsenal we have a group of snipers that could only function in a proper environment that suits our game plan. However, the premiership is battleground for face-to-face combat, and our group of precision “snipers” aren’t suited for this type of battle. And if Arsene Wenger is our general, then you only need to look at WWII to understand where our squad stands in terms of their level of “fighting spirit”.
It will be another limp performance at United. Even though mathematically we still have a chance in the league by beating United (and they will probably drop points at the Bridge) I just can’t see our players having that maturity and will to fight on. They may just decide to use injuries and bad ref decisions as excuses for our inability to win silverware this season.
April 9th, 2008 at 11:37 am
good article indeed, i still hope, if only hope, for that happy ending to appear.
i believe the final 5 games will be the measure of character for this team. after such as cruel way of falling out of the CL, and it was cruel indeed, oh in so many ways, a big showdown with united at OT might be the best thing for our guy. if they are mentally tough and strong at heart, they will want to show everyone what they are capable of, as a team. even if we dont win the title and really, our chances are the stuff of miracles, i want to see our team play with the passion wearing an arsenal shirt deserves. these last five games will also have a big impact on next season, that’s for sure.
besides the obvious bad feelings regarding yesterday’s match, one of my biggest regrets is that theo’s run, which should have taken it’s rightful place next to charlie’s fa cup winner and the thomas clincher in 89, especially had we gone on to win the CL, was almost immediately wiped out by our lack of concentration, sagna’s absence and yes, a bad decision. tough to take. at least for me, i will never forget the foreshadowing feeling i felt when theo got the ball at the edge of our penalty box and started his flight. it may just take another year to completely fulfill the promise of such a beautiful play.
keep believing and kiss the crest!
April 9th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Nice Sachin…but I can’t help but be cynical about the ending..or should I say proposed ending. I just got back from work…or whatever its called coz I just sat and stared at the computer all day doing what I had to do today. Gutted big time..big big time. To lose like that was horrible….but no Penalties do not decide matches..ofcourse not.
The large majority of the second part of the 388 comments was absolute drivel. I couldn’t be bothered commenting there. People still talking about Hleb and Senderos and the “shitty” Toure….For fucks sake…try and have some perspective…At Anfield…we were almost there only for it to be snatched away last minute. NO I’m not suggesting we feel sorry for ourselves..but its really much much easier said than done. Another hard hard lesson for the kids…they cannot but benefit by it. Ofcourse it hurts now and I wouldn’t be surprised if we lose Sunday either…though I wouldn’t be surprised if we won either.
Finally. We lost a game of CL football and on the basis of that and not buying established stars Arsene Wenger has committed a sin and deserves to be punished for it. All the other useless players too. Sack Wenger and cut all the undeperforming players salaries for 3 months. Then terminate their contracts and buy “class” experienced players for 20million each. Then appoint Sam Allardyce and sell to Usmanov. That should make all the realistic WINNERS out here feel happier. If it was that way no one could ever lose a game and still be good at the end of it..The day Arsene goes and we go to long ball football with 6 British players starting…you will be happy and then suddenly realise that you’ve been spoiled silly and what this Arsenal side gave you under AW.
So lose patience and throw a temper tantrum for all you want on this “open” forum and say things like: “I’ll give AW another year” … yes Whoopppy Dooo…Arsene to go in another year because a dude on AA said so…sick sick sick to the teeth and I’ve lost respect for a lot of people out here…
WRT to AW: As Savage Garden once said…” I believe you dont know what you’ve got until you say goodbye”..True..
April 9th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Boys, missed the game as I totally jammed up travel days planning a trip to the states for Tuesday thinking we played the first leg this week. My mom said she’d record the game for me but forgot. Almost cursed at my mom. However, I saw Walcott’s run on ESPN Sportscenter. In fact it was the number one play of the day.
I had a feeling we’d score two goals and Liverpool wouldn’t be able to cope. However they seem to have robbed us. Who has the balls to award a soft penalty that late in a game? While I haven’t seen the penalty decision yet, one would think it’s got to be a clear penalty to give it with the game in the balance.
April 9th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Thanks for the comments guys. Still hoping for a happy ending.
LDE, what ending are you reading? I don’t propose anything. I myself don’t know how to write this ending. Although, the 5 blank pages represent the 5 remaining games, which is where I am hoping to find some joy now.
April 9th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
I know. I know. I’m sorry..I was just talking about the story itself and not relating it. Ofcourse I hope its a happy ending. The metaphors you use are quite sublime BTW…I quite enjoy them.
As for this site…I’m quite sure even this thread if anyone choose to post will become negative, will moan about signings and will be very little objectivity which people claim to have about the match itself. Plus I’ll probably get called names for saying this.
April 9th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
you don’t have to apologize man
I wanted to see if you were not reading something that didn’t exist.
I still feel like crap. I am upset by how they loss but what is bothering me even more is that the hype that Rafa is getting. If the headlines said “Lucky Rafa does it again” or “Liverpool ride out their luck”, I might tolerate that. But all you see is Liverpool’s belief or the Anfield factor. whatever.
Yes, there are problems with Arsenal, but so are there right now with all the big teams. Madrid are in an awful form, but they will win La Liga because Barca and Villarreal are worse. Bayern for all their big name signings still struggle against teams. Inter are a joke to watch at times. Milan are fading fast. No one knows what Roma team will show on a given match-day. Chelsea, joke. Man Utd have had some good results but they were found watching against Roma last week and rode out their luck. They are not the powerhouse they are made out to be. Porto may be dominant in Portugal but they have their problems in Europe. Lyon — ups and downs as well, regarding how they were put out in the French cup. They might win the French title for the next 5 years still, but they really want Champions League glory, which has eluded them so far.
Despite playing poorly, Arsenal still had Liverpool beat yesterday with 6 minutes to go, but then 30 seconds later, Arsenal’s new found love for giving out gifts manifested itself. The ref was sooo touched by Arsenal’s gift giving away policy that he added his donation to the pile.
April 9th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
I seriously wonder….subconsciously are the refs leaning towards the big money teams all the time? Surely they dont want to cheat…but it happens so regularly that I stop and think. Dunno if you guys follow cricket but there was this guy called Hansie Cronje who was a wonderful captain and a great sportsman. The one night he declared he accepted numerous bribes and was sacked sending the world into a shock. Same with India as well. Bribes. Corruption. Politics. There’s too much money in football these days for it to be totally corruption free. Its not “in Your face” so we don’t see it but its happening ..for sure. Very subtly..but it happens. Obviously there’s no proof and people are justified in calling me an idiot…but thats my opinion.
April 9th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
@LDE
Relax !! You are bound to come across ‘glory hunters’ whichever team you choose to support.If winning Cups was evrything,then teams like Derby,Barnsley would have no supporters,would they?
Agreed its been 3 years we won anything but we all love the gunners for their beautiful passing football which teams like Chelsea,Liv can only envy of.It’s the football tradition,history and loyalty which separates the fans from the glory hunters.
April 9th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
LDE, yeah I have read about those cricket incidents. But I still like to believe it is not like that in soccer. Although, there are soccer games in certain parts of the world where bribes are more common.
As far as refs are concerned, I think there are plenty of refs who are making decisions based on subconscious judging as opposed to viewing the incident itself. The last minute penalty to Birmingham: I think the the ref made the decision because he saw Clichy make a mistake and then try to atone for his error but gave the penalty because of what he felt Clichy tried to go. The non-existent offside call for Ade against Boro — the ref said he called it because it was the intent of Hleb to play the through ball and made the decision. The truth is that the ball went off a Boro defender, but the ref had made his mind up.
I am pretty certain that the ref didn’t give a penalty to Arsenal last week because he knew Kuyt and thought that Kuyt would never foul anyone, no the nice guy Kuyt is.
In the 2002 World Cup, the ref sent off Totti against Korea based on his previous reputation for diving. He was too far to have seen the incident itself.
The game is becoming faster and faster. Some refs can keep up. But it is very hard to make split second decisions. Most refs won’t admit it but they are making decisions looking are player’s body languages and past. Which is why I miss Collina and wish there were more refs like him around.
On a separate topic: I wonder how much of Walcott’s run will be remembered now that Arsenal lost. People still talk about Maradona’s goal and Messi’s carbon copy run was talked about so much. Walcott’s amazing run should have led to the winning goal for Arsenal. If that was the final goal, then I am sure it would have been replayed over and over. But what will happen now that Arsenal lost? Will Walcott drift into the shadows again? He did something that no Arsenal player has done since Henry’s super run 4 years ago against Liverpool. The youngest guy on the field lifted the entire team out of trouble, on how own. Wow. Tragic the joy didn’t last long.
April 9th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Bulls Eye Sachin!! … All day long today(its night here now
) ; two images kept hitting me at work…
1) Theo streaking through the field with that magic run - It deserved a victory; not a loss.
2) Cesc Fabregas - Trying his hardest with his slight frame to stop the unrushing diving Babel and being brushed off.
The 2nd was the more painful IMO…but the first one is haunting. I’ll never ever forget that run…just like I’ll never forget Henry’s miss in the CL final or more positively JAR’s goal against Boro….to put us 4-3 up.
Its a horrible day and a horrible week ahead..unless we somehow beat ManU. How I don’t know.
@Praveenyr: Indian roots again? If Yes Welcome…If No welcome all the same
.. the guys on this site are nice…I like their acumen…seriously….but sometimes it just becomes too much which results in posts like the one above. But with all its deficencies..AA is still the best “football” discussing forum online IMHO. Goodnight to you all…after catching less than 3 hours yesterday I’m bleary eyed, sad and despondent …and proud as well.
April 9th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
BTW Sent u a Gmail invite..check ur mail ..incase ur online some time we cn chat a bit … I sent Andez one a long long time ago..but he’s never online on Gmail !!!!
April 9th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
LDE, yeah that Cesc image also stayed with me as well. I love the expressions on Cesc’s face when Arsenal get goals in clutch matches. He was almost in tears yesterday when Arsenal were on the brink of victory, how elated he was when Sagna scored against Chelsea, on his own effort against Milan. This guy truly loves the team.
I got your invite. I am sure we have few hours of overlap time
April 9th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Theos run was outstanding! Totally forgot about it.
April 9th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
OFF TOPIC:
Ronalidinho is available … why not ???
Should Arsenal go for him?
April 9th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Ronnie would be quite ineffective in the games up north when we play “rough’em up” footie. THe premise is the same - Arsenal buys skillfull players that can only function under “ideal” conditions. Unfortunately, what the EPL lacks in skills, teams makes up for it by making the condition as uncomfortable for us as possible to even out the playing field.
We need to add experienced players that are suited for our prem run. Leave CL to the current crop of kids as Europe is more suited to their skills (as long as we don’t play prem teams)
April 9th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
This match has confirmed what I was thinking beforehand, that even though there are teams I dislike more than Liverpool, no one has more annoying fans. Thier fans aggrevate me to no end, and despite my dislike for Spuds, ManUre, and Chelski, I still rate their fans better than the fucking Scousers (albeit only slightly).
April 9th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Today’s CL games:
Wow. Fergie is resting Ronaldo and Rooney for Arsenal. Sniff, sniff. I am touched that he is giving so much importance to the Arsenal game
If Roma had a chance to do something, it would have been early on today.
April 9th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
@ LDE
“Indian roots again”
Of Course
As regards to your comments,i meant no offense to fans here or for that matter,fans anywhere in the world.Its just that some comments/deeds border on the ludicrous and i have come across many such, myself.Fans are necessary and a team accords its stature to the fans.One can get emotional during such dramatic nights which can lead to a complete lack of rationale.They need to understand though, that defeat/glory are all part of the game and get on with it.Of course,easier to preach than follow
On Fab -Many would complain he hasn’t been scoring goals of late.But what the hell?No one has started as many games as he has and yet,managed to stay fit.He is the one who comes out game after game with statements egging the team on.That shows his core committment to the team and his desire to win.If he can show such maturity at this age,he is on path to become an Arsenal legend..He has set up more than half of the goals this season and its a pity,we still end up without a trophy.If i have to pick a player for this season,it has to be Fabulous Fab,may be Ade follows a close second.
April 9th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
@6
I have to say I have been doing the same thing. Sitting in the office, gutted! First time I really felt let down and depressed. Amazing what a sport can do to people.
April 9th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
I agree with the others expressing disappointment that Walcott’s magical run might be forgotten. Even if it’s just a few fans on Arsenal America, let’s not let that happen.
Honestly, given his opportunities I feel like the kid has done a ton this season.
- Great performance against Slavia Prague in the 7-0 game and a near hat trick (sure they are a weak side but we look impotent against weak sides often, Theo took care of business)
- Late goal to level with Spurs in the CC 1st leg
- The cross to Ade that should have won us the 1st Leg against Milan
- Another sick run, ovecoming a foul, and the assist to Ade to ice the 2nd Leg against Milan
- Pair of goals against B’ham that also would have been legendary if not for the subsequent penalty
I want to see more Theo.
April 9th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
NIce analogy in the story. As far as our season will end, as we say in the U.K. Wenger is flogging a dead Horse!
April 9th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
GBGunner, we’re not dead yet. If we win this weekend, we’re 3 pts back w/ 4 matches left for us to play (with ManUre and Chelski each having to play 6 or 7 after that).
April 9th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
@Sachin:
The most amazing thing about your yarn is that I read it!
I mean that as a compliment, because I lose interest in the middle of many things I read here. You had me laughing out loud a couple of times!
Re: Theo’s run - I too think it will go down into the dust bin - it’s only if you win that a great play is remembered in the lore of a club.
You know, it’s like a last second shot in basketball that puts your team into OT, but you lose the game in OT and that shot is long forgotten, but if you won, it would be long remembered. (It is why that 3-pointer by Kansas at the buzzer Monday night will be long, long remembered by KU fans - if Memphis had won in OT, not many would remember years from now)
That is mainly because of the media - 10 years from now (only if Liverpool win in Moscow), Liverpool fans will be reminded of Gerrard’s PK as if that was the only thing that happened in the game.
Today, things started to calm down a bit - I know a good night sleep would solve the acute anger of yesterday. I just hope it doesn’t turn into a chronic sadness about this squad.
Someone on the last thread mentioned how they look at everything in an “analytical” way because they are still scarred from a loss in Spain many years ago - where they paid the price for being too emotionally caught up in the team’s ups and downs.
I understand that, but it certainly doesn’t sound like much fun…
Which is why I can’t wait for Sunday and see what happens. Wouldn’t be marvelous if…
April 9th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Thanks GBgunner3. I was wondering if anyone would use that term.
thompson gunner, I am glad I made you laugh a bit
You know I never thought about the last second 3 pointer in basketball as an example. I used to watch the NBA play-offs a few year ago. I remember, no matter how many mistakes a team did, it didn’t matter if they could win it all by a buzzer beating 3 pointer. That’s it. Those wishful throws were part and parcel of the game and all the previous fouls, missed free throws and bad give-aways didn’t matter. And like you said, if the team went into OT and lost, no one would have remembered that play.
I think if Theo had scored a goal at the end of the run, it would have lasted longer. I remember Messi’s run led to a goal in a Spanish Cup tie against Getafe. Over both legs, that goal accounted for nothing as Barca got thrashed in the second leg but that goal made the news for a while.
April 9th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
as a long time Arsenal supporter, the most heartbreaking defeat i experienced was never those 1-5 trashing to United games like that. They outplayed us, they deserved to win, so can’t really feel sorry about it.
To me, it’s that 99 FA Cup semi when United beat us in the overtime, with 10 men. i hate losing to 10 men, hate even more losing to United. not to mention Dennis bottled a last minute penalty.
a match took me a long time to get over it.
This Liverpool defeat is going to be right up there with that match.
It had Anfield 89 written all over it. When Ade missed an sitter around the 70th min mark, i remember telling myself, never mind, Michael Thomas missed a similiar shot back in 89 and around the 70th min mark as well.
sure enough, a brilliant Theo run that resulted to an Ade goal with around 7 mins left. shouting with the top of my voice.
then we conceded a killer goal soon after the restart. there are few moment in football u really feel like crying. honestly that’s one moment for me. along with that Clichy’s last minute conceded penalty Vs Birmingham.
that’s why i didn’t bother to analysis the game itself. too emotional.
April 9th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
quite frankly, i think this defeat is so difficult to swallow largely down to that Theo run. As fred said, a run worths the winner itself.
had we not equalized with that Theo run, we would have gone out anyway, and we probably would not have felt as gutted.
i felt for Theo to a certain extend. after he scored twice and opened his Premiership account Vs Birmingham, he could have made the headline, yet the penalty cancelled it all out.
had Theo’s assist vs Liverpool turned out to be the winner, imagine what the English press would say the next day? Had ANY English player made a similiar solo run at all since the beginning of the Premiership? I can’t remember seeing one. If Rooney made his mark by scoring a winner Vs us for Everton many years ago, I bet Theo would have gotton the similar attention.
well, maybe it’s not a bad thing afterall for Theo and Arsenal. he probably doesn’t really need those extra attention.
April 10th, 2008 at 5:02 am
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/arsenal/article3717226.ece
One of the best pieces of writing on Arsenal that I have seen……and a fitting riposte to all the guys who could only think of the 2 mistakes that Senderos made rather than the 80 minutes of beautiful football played by Arsenal. While i think that we may need 1-2 signings in the summer…i don’t subscribe to the theory that Wenger got it wrong with his selections or putting his faith in youngsters and needs to overhaul the entire squad..a lot of us though that this was probably a year early and unfortunately it played out like that in the end. But if Wenger comes out and tells us that he has faith in the youngsters for next year….guess what….i will still believe him.
Cheers,
Wayne
April 10th, 2008 at 7:37 am
i read that piece as well Wayne. but if i copy and paste it there, you know what kind of response we’d be getting - so what? football is all about winning. Or… we haven’t really playing “attractive” football lately.
haha, very predictable isn’t it?! but wanna bet with me if we would be getting this soft of response from that piece of timesonline article?!
April 10th, 2008 at 8:36 am
Hey Wayne, if Wenger stands pat this Summer and you make another silly guarantee the Gunners will win the Champions League again next year, guess what? I’ll still think you’re a silly homer.
Not Wayne
April 10th, 2008 at 9:55 am
I didn’t even need to read the article to know it was another of those pieces that was churned out last year and the year before. Usually after another glorious Arsenal failure. It’s amazing how fans can read that rubbish over and again and proclaim it the ‘best piece I’ve ever seen’. Those articles pop up every Spring.
Also, Wayne, four or five players is not completely overhauling the squad, and it makes us feel so much better that we know you believe in Wenger. That’s really placated my concerns about this Arsenal squad.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:37 am
I firmly believe in Wenger’s “youth” policy……but the fact of the matter is he is NOT even following his OWN rules!
he has failed to integrate quite a number of youngsters while being unnecessarily patient with some idiots (eg. sendy, eboue). he has also had too much faith in old farts like gilberto, lehmann, blunderpuss toure.
his youth policy is failing to pick up because he just does not know how to rotate and keep a really talented players happy.
he will play ljunberg until he gets an injury - bentley gets frustrated.
he plays flamini into the ground - till diarra gets pissed off.
SOLUTION:
1) buy more competent kids like diarra and bentley.
2) every other week play just ONE non-first-teamer within the first team. eg. against a random midtable team play traore, but with the FULL first team. DO NOT play hoyte, traore, gilberto, eboue, bendtner, walcott ALL at the same bloody time.
he is ruining his kids by failing to rotate properly.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:39 am
http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2272163,00.html
Encouraging piece about Wenger’s need to rebuild - nothing major, just some key purchases to stiffen up the team and deepen the bench. And definitely players, like Sagna, who can slot right in. No more developing/nurturing/transition bullshit.
We’ve got Theo developing nicely and Bendtner. And that should be it.
All the British papers are universally agreed that Sendy just hasn’t made it, and must move elsewhere. Ditto Hoyte. And no one is disguising the Emirates crowd’s frustration with Eboue.
Still, before we go shopping, hanging on to Flamini would be a good start.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:42 am
but the main key to success in the future:
1) we need TWO competent, “winning” wingers/AM.
2) one MASSIVE centerback. sell off senderos. let toure and djorou be back up CBs.
we HAVE the money. no excuses.
youth policy and having a DEEP team with PROPER ROTATION are not mutually exclusive.
April 10th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
@Mazza…And I think you find it equally amazing that so many fans read your posts again and again and never proclaim that “it’s the best piece of writing that i’ve ever seen”
About Wenger..was just stating my opinion…..I wouldn’t waste my time trying to placate your concerns..because no matter what the team does..you would always have concerns that would need addressing.
@Vibe4arsenal….I said that this year was the best chance that Arsenal had of winning the UCL….and i believe if it wasn’t for 2 key decisions we would have gone through…
So what will you do if Wenger says the same thing again this summer (which he will..we can expect at max …2 experienced signings this summer..i feel it will be just 1)…switch to Man Utd?.
Cheers,
Wayne
PS: I normally wouldn’t enter into personal and sarcasm filled arguments..but just couldn’t resist one (and the last) post in this tone
April 10th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
@Fred …. While what you are saying seems reasonable…The lack of rotations by Wenger this season could probably have been forced upon him by the plethora of injuries. At the start of the season when RVP and Rosicky were starting…I don’t think that anybody could have said with absolute certainty that they would fall prey to injuries again….but the events of this year have now more or less confirmed that they are injury prone and Wenger will probably rectify that in the coming season by promoting a couple of youngsters and making one signing of a AM/Striker
And regarding rotations again that’s a big risk to take..you only need to look no further than Rafa to understand what rotations can do to the team….it’s only when he started keeping a stable team that results have improved. He’s getting the added advantage that most of his players are pretty much rested at this stage…but except for the CL it’s didn’t help them all that much in the league
Regarding playing the one non first teamer…imagine the pressure that that guy will be under….one mistake by him which could well decide the game and it’s probably over in terms of his career with Arsenal (atleast from the fans point of view)…look at how Flamini came through….only when he got a consistent run of games.
April 10th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Wayne, you “guaranteed”. It’s on here somewhere. It’s a minor example of the OTT blind homerism so prevalent on ArseAm, including your own, so don’t bother running from it now.
Yes, because I am disappointed in aspects of the club from time to time, that makes me a bad fan who will change allegiances the moment things don’t go Arsenal’s way. More great insight. Bar the fact that this year is turning out about like last year and the year before (and the year before that), and I still haven’t thrown out any of my gear or failed to wake up for one 7:30 AM start time on any given Saturday.
Go right ahead, indulge your fantasies. To be able to adopt your attitude that everything is now and forever perfect for the club, regardless of the indisputable evidence of things like, oh, results, would be awesome. It’s a lot harder living in the real world, so I envy your rose colored shades.
Not Wayne.
April 10th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
@39 “Regarding playing the one non first teamer…imagine the pressure that that guy will be under….one mistake by him which could well decide the game and it’s probably over in terms of his career with Arsenal (atleast from the fans point of view)…
Senderos seems has survived here six years, despite blunder after blunder, with the support of people such as yourself, Wayne. I will guarantee you (and stand behind use of the word) that this hypothetical non-starter making this hypothetical mistake will be okay with the fans.
Not Wayne
April 10th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
@Vibe …I may have guaranteed that Arsenal would win the UCL this season…and i still believe that I would have been right if not for the refereeing decisions..and why would i even want to run away from it?.
I seriously don’t get why you guys have to get so upset if anyone is even remotely optimistic of Arsenal’s chances?…You guys hav ebeen proved right this year..so i think you can be very happy.
You think that everything from Wenger to the players is wrong …but fortunately or unfortunately Arsenal Football club of the real world is run by Wenger and games played by the players we currently have.
When nobody gave us a chance this year we were challenging for most part of the season…now that we are out…suddenly everything is wrong with the team?.
I may be looking at the real world through rose coloured shades..but atleast that’s better than living in a ChampionshipManager/Football Manager world where all you have to do to win is to bring in a couple of class players and all is right with the world.
April 10th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Anyone know how long Denilson is out for? He is not even mentioned on Arsenal.com’s injury list page.
April 10th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
I guess I was mistaken. Denilson is not injured.
April 10th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Trivia questions:
1) Which First team Arsenal player(s) has(have) not been injured this season?
2) Which First team Arsenal player(s) has(have) not been injured for the last two seasons?
April 10th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Wayne @42…Blaming referees for a loss is the last refugee of the homer. When the players play without a mistake, and the manager manages without a mistake, that’s when I’ll believe a ref’s mistake single handedly cost my team anything. You control what you can control. Making excuses for things either team could fall victim to is like blaming the weather. Weak.
The game giveth, the game taketh away. You accept good breaks, like that 3rd goal against Bolton, and you also have to accept the bad ones. That’s what grownups do. Children point fingers elsewhere and make excuses. (And hopefully there’s an adult present to explain personal responsibility.)
I never said, nor do I think, a few world class players will magically change everything (though I can’t imagine the harm). It’s not all extremes. This team has holes, and it’s been the same ones for the last 3 years. And, what do you know? The real world (not video game) results reflect that.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome Not unlike continuing this, so I’m guilty of that here. You can direct further arguments to the Silverware cabinet since ‘05. There’s a last word in there.
With that in mind, I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.
Ciao,
Not Wayne
April 10th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
@ wayne:
well, i dont think diarra or bentley will be under pressure if they get to play from time to time.
you can not compare what benitez was doing. he was rotating 5 to 6 players….ofcourse that would NOT work.
if there is only traore coming in for this match, the rest can compensate for him.
there will be NO great shock to the system.
ferguson does it ALL THE TIME. that is why carrick, hargreaves and anderson, park and all the others hardly EVER talk crap in the press.
what is wrong with clichy starting 3 games and traore 1 game for every 4 games.
and nothing wrong in flamini and diarra splitting starting times.
and ade starts 2 bendtner starts one.
ofcourse these non-first teamers should only start against the bottom third of the PL. and it could be organized that this “blooding” in is tried mostly at home rather than a scrappy away game.
if a youngster cannot hold his own with the full protection of a first team, at home against bottom third PL teams - then he is NOT a competent player.
REMEMBER: arsenal is NOT the first team to have a youth policy. ajax has had that for decades. in the glory years of the nineties - i remember how they used blooded in the likes of kluivert, finidi, kanu, davids, seedorf, reiziger, etc.
they also had useful experienced players who were WINNERS - rijkaard, de boers, danny blind, van der sar, etc.
Wenger has a good idea about bringing in the young players. But all he ever does is he either makes them play 100% or hardly at all. that is bad team management.
April 10th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
I think there are so many articles floating around about Arsenal’s problems that anyone who has not followed the team would know what is wrong with Arsenal. Yes, Arsenal’s problems are well documented from the injuries to over-used players to lack of proper replacements, defensive errors, poor display from the regulars, etc. But I don’t agree with Gallas saying this Arsenal team has over-achieved. Honestly, when everyone was fit and the goals were flowing in, I didn’t think oh this is pure luck, the team is not where it belongs. Yes, the mistakes were all to see as was Almunia’s indecision against Man U in the league and other defensive mistakes in the first half of the season. But Arsenal kept getting results.
Now, a few months later when a tired team goes out for game after game and does not perform, then the defensive mistakes are more apparent. Yet, I don’t think where Arsenal are right now is by over-achieving.
Why aren’t there articles talking about Liverpool’s bizarre season? Arsenal have had their problems but what are Liverpool’s excuses for playing so poorly in the league and getting knocked out by Barnsley? Ofcourse, none of Liverpool’s problems matter as they knocked out mighty Arsenal in the CL, despite never playing great football and riding their luck. What about Chelsea? Have they overachieved considering they have a manager who is still to warm up to his own fans and even his players? If Ronaldo had not over-achieved would ManU be where they are?
For all their problems Arsenal are still 6 points off the top. A win on sunday would make that difference down to 3. Ofcourse, if they drop more points they would finish further from the top.
Since for the second straight year, the trio of Man Utd, Liverpool and Chelsea have made the semi’s of the CL, it is all ok. They are apparently not there by over-achieving. Chelsea deserve their praise because they had to play such strong and massive powerhouses in the last two rounds of the CL!!
As Borat would say after a 10 second pause NOT…. Even Everton had a harder task in the UEFA Cup, than Chelsea. But Chelsea are in the semi’s..don’t matter.
April 10th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
A lot of theories on what’s wrong at Arsenal, i’m just going to keep this short as i’ve explained my views already at the top…
Arsenal’s style of play is effective when everyone is fit and sharp and the playing conditions (opposition tactics, pitch conditions, physicality, etc) suits our style of game.
If any one of the above factors isn’t there, we’re not effective but Wenger refuses to play the game any other way.
If Wenger want’s to keep this up, he would need to keep two first teams like United and Chelsea. But he doesn’t, so the next time we win anything we’ll just have to pray that we have no injuries to players and none of our oppositions tries to kick us off the pitch.
Start your prayers now.
April 10th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
More cheery news:
Mathieu Flamini has been ruled out for three weeks after picking up an ankle injury against Liverpool on Tuesday.
As a result, Arsène Wenger is likely to bring in Gilberto for the crucial Premier League clash at Old Trafford this Sunday.
April 10th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
The CL semis may look dull apart from Barca but the UEFA Cup semis offer surprizes: Zenit, Fiorentina and Rangers.
Not sure how 10 men Getafe have opened up a 3-1 lead over Bayern in extra time and are 15 min away from winning this tie — are they doing something right or are Bayern giving it away? If Bayern lose this game, their powerful men (Kaiser and all) can’t even fire the coach as Ottmar Hitzfeld is leaving at the end of the season. Defeat might ensure he won’t be back for another round. I have to admit I am quite surprized at this result so far. On paper Bayern have players who should be strong enough to knock out Getafe but as Arsenal have found out, the games are not won on paper…
April 10th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Perusing the stats, I see we turned into a lesser version of Sp*rs this year - always scoring goals, but always letting them in too. We only failed to score in two league games this season - away to P’mouth, which is no crime, and away to Wigan, where we failed to overcome the potato field of a pitch.
Even during our recent 12-game blip, we only failed to score against ManUre in the FA Cup “lambs to the slaughter” and Milan at home.
That puts the finger mostly on the defence, even though I agree with Fred that this summer we need to buy two dynamic, aggressive wide Attacking Midfielders, along with a Mighty CB, ideally a captain.
1-0 was never a comfortable scoreline for us because our defence was never rock solid. Even during a bright start to the season we were letting in a ton of silly goals, usually going 0-1 down and making it hard on ourselves.
Surely, Wenger has to concede that Sendy has run out of chances. Yes, he’s been strong on occasion, but his mistakes are so frigging costly.
The others are all guilty too. Toure has become an unignorable liability. Gallas is not exactly a model of consistency. And Clichy has had quite a fatal lapses - in concentration and positioning.
I think those three can all regroup and re-focus for next year, but they need a big, strong, unflappable CB in there to lift them. Someone who can deal with high balls and not get out muscled by the likes of Drogba.
It’s a tall order - they’ve basically got to be the finished article as when ManUre bought Rio. But we have the money. Any suggestions?
April 10th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Well Getafe’s fairy tale is over as Bayern score two late goals, by Luca Toni. The 10 men lasted for almost 113 min against Bayern’s 11 players.
macmac: For me, the first step of improvement would be when Wenger admits he needs to bring in 2-3 more quality experienced players. Although, I can’t guess on names as most of the players who Wenger has bought have been players I have never heard of, or players I had heard of but was surprized that Arsenal managed to get them. When Henry, Eduardo and Gallas came over I was glad but had no idea that Arsenal were after them. Ofcourse, the Henry signing came after a chance meeting between Wenger and Henry.
I am quite curious on what changes Wenger will make. But I do hope that he does bring in some players, and not just more 16 year olds.
April 10th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
Reasons why Wenger will not address key issues within the squad:
1- Loyalty to the youngsters.
2- Ego. He wants to be seen to have succeeded on his terms. If he buys the four players needed, and they play ahead of Diaby and Denilson, it will be an admittance that he was wrong to persist with his current strategy. Can’t see Wenger doing that.
3- Reputation/Ego(again)- Wenger loves to lecture everyone about financial doping and inflated transfer fees. If he buys players for over the odds he will not have the moral high ground and be able take a sanctamonious stance towards
such transfer dealings. Again, he will shedding his principles in pursuit of success. Again, something he will be loathe to do.
4- Stubborness- Wenger is increasingly stubborn and will continue to persist in players generally derided by the media and footballing world. So, expect to see Phillipe Senderos and Emmanuel Eboue in the team photo for 2008/2009 season.
Wenger will likely hedge his bets. Buy an experienced or expensive player but ignore other deficiencies in the side so he can not be seen to be abandoning his philosophy and principles.
Expect Arsenal to tumble out of all competitions in similar fashion as this year and the year before.
But also expect us to play football which makes you proud of us at the same time and provokes another stream of articles which eulogise over this feature of our game and anoint us the moral victors of every competition.
April 10th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Mazza, I can only hope the last few weeks might change Wenger’s mind. If these events don’t make him to look things differently, then I am not sure what will.
When early on in the season Jens made those 2 errors back to back, I was surprized that Wenger benched him. Because if one uses the analogy to him sticking with certain flawed players, he would have persisted with Lehmann. In the past, he benched Lehmann only for Jens to come back stronger. I kept thinking that Jens would be back sometime in the season but Wenger kept him out. So that is at odds with what he does with other players. But I suppose he had a choice in the goal-keeping department. When Almunia was not injured, he was used.
If Senderos and Eboue are still there but are instead 3rd string players, meaning they only start when the first two options for both positions are out injured, then that is still progress.
April 10th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
I thought the same thing last year Sachin. We looked in a similarly emaciated state after losing to PSV and Blackburn and I really had faith Wenger was going to regenerate and send a few youngsters on loan. But no, astonishingly, he bought just Sagna and Eduardo. Two absolutely brilliant signings that left you crying out for a bit more. Offensive midfield is our life-blood- where the magic happens- and that should be the area that is stocked more than anywhere else. But Wenger prefers these strikers dropping in there and ‘doing a job’.
For me, minimal progress has been made this season. Our collapse has been as spectacular results wise as our rise was spectacular results wise. At the end of the season we will have found our true level. We started this 1500 Metre race at a sprinters pace and are being exposed as nothing more than a pacemaker for the big boys to jog behind until they hear the bell.
If United beat us on Sunday, we will be nine points behind them. My prediction of us finishing ten points behind them at season’s end may prove too optimistic. Amazing when you consider where we were on Feb 16th after Blackburn.
April 10th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
Yeah I was surprized by just the two signings in the summer. I am also puzzled by having strikers do the job out wide. When Walcott was first coming up @ Southampton, he was a striker and I thought that was why he was being bought, to one day eventually partner Henry. And then I think in some games early on this season, Eduardo played wide midfield as opposed to the striker role that he usually had. I thought that was being done to help him get adjusted in the league or something.
Unless solid defenders are in the squad, I don’t think Arsenal’s defending will improve over night. So yes, having more creative players who are fit and not tired is the only way to get goals and results. I think if Arsenal were scoring 3-4 goals every game and letting in 2, overall, it would have worked out fine. It’s funny now that I think back to those 2002 and 2004 seasons, if the big players were injured, they Arsenal wouldn’t have done as well. The cover wasn’t there. Although in the 1997/98 season, the replacements such as Anelka and Wreh pulled out a few games when the regular attackers were not there. Ofcourse, the defense was rock solid then.
Regarding loan deals, are all loans deals such that a team can call the loaned player back at a week’s (or x days..) notice or do they have to wait until the transfer window? And if a loan deal is more flexible then it can be used in a better manner with some of the younger players going over for shorter term loan deals and floating in and out of the squad.
For the last 3 years, quite a few articles and even tv commentators have gushed over Arsenal’s bright future and the future potential. Funny, this season I thought well I guess the future is finally here. But when the harsh present caught up, I can only wonder is next year that future? I think I read something that said 2-3 more years.
I was really hoping that this team would get some positive results in the last few games as I think this team needs some good games to be positive and prepare for the future. When Arsenal gave up the title in 2003, they came back stronger because they had players who were mentally tough to push for the title. I am worried if this team does not finish stronger this season or wins on Sunday, then some players might hang their head down too much.
April 10th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2008/04/tony-cascarinos.html
Very blunt piece on our defence (or lack of) by Tony Cascarino in the Times.
“The trouble with Arsenal’s spine is that they’re spineless.”
Let’s hope Wenger reads it.
My guess is that three years without a trophy will shake him up enough to get more pragmatic and do some aggressive shopping this summer.
His logic for not buying in Jan. was that it would deter his young starlets breaking through. I.e., prevent them from doing a Bentley or Diarra and leave in a huff at not starting every game.
Well, screw them. Denilson is going to wander off. He also needs to get more aggressive and direct if he wants a starting place. Ditto Diaby on a consistent basis.
Wenger has had the guts to drop Lehmann and drop Gilberto. Now he needs the guts to sell Sendy, Eboue and Hoyte, and get the back-up so he drop or rest Toure or Ade if needs be. Even Hleb or Cesc at times.
For Sunday, with Flamini out, I wonder if we’ll see 4-1-4-1 with Gilberto in front of the back four.
April 10th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
We will definitely play 4-5-1 at the weekend.
But one has to be fair to Wenger though. His decision to stick Walcott on the wings for the last 2 years will make him an awesome striker.
Walcott has always had a natural strikers instinct - a bit like Owen in his prime. And now, his buildup is getting there.
I am looking forward to him starting up top more regularly next season.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
I love Theo. His main weakness not in his skills, but his head. In terms of skills, I believe he has what it takes to become the most skillful English player since Gazza. Yet mentally he needs to rise and match the likes of Rooney and Gerrard. Talent alone is not good enough to make it to the top.
If i were AW, I would give him a run of start for the rest of our fixtures. It’s not likely we will win the league. Yet there’s still some pressure in the games as we still have a slight chance to win it. So putting Theo there he will have a taste of first team football while under “pressure”. A great opportunity for him to toughen up his game.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
yeah, walcott should start the next couple of games. it will prep him for next season.
i just HOPE AND PRAY that gilberto doesnt take comfort with his apparent starts in the next few weeks and decide to stay this summer.
since we are not going to win anything anyway, why not try out song, denilson or diaby in the center and see if we need to keep them or not.
there is nothing to be learnt by playing gilberto.
April 11th, 2008 at 12:07 am
I’d have to say we are going to lose on Sunday. There really isn’t anything to play for, we’d need a small miracle to win the league…
Manchester United deserve the accolades. They should win the league AND the Champion’s League.
They are the best team in Europe from what I have seen… and with ROONEY, TEVEZ and RONALDO … they are going to be playing for trophies for a lot of years to come. We don’t have anything that matches that trio.
Cesc, sure… but he’s had a below par last half of the season.
Who else? Who’s on that high level besides Cesc in our squad?
Adebayor? PLEASE. No.
RVP? Sorry, he has skills, but can’t play without getting injured.
None of the defenders we have are GREAT. Keeper? Nope.
Sorry. But the way I see it… we may have over-acheived for most of the season, and we’re settling in to our water level. We don’t have the players to win titles other than Cesc Fabregas… MAYBE Rosicky could get to the “Pires” level… but can he stay healthy?
We definitely need to bring in some players… if we want to legitimately compete for titles and the MANY games it takes to win them. But I doubt Arsene will change the way he conducts business.
What exactly do we have for strikers?
RVP and Eduardo? One is always injured, the other is very injured and we don’t know if he’ll ever be properly back.
Adebayor has settled back into his level as well. He’s good, but not great. With such poor touch, I don’t think he can get to the great level.
Bendtner… he’s good, but he’s prolly not getting to that level either.
So we have a collection of good players… but no heroes or match winners in the team… and the defense is simply not good enough, especially with the injuries that will always play a part.
Throw in the keeper questions… and we have the makings of a Summer of questions… that we know aren’t going to be answered, the same as always in years past. Wenger will watch, and we’ll all wonder.
We’ll always be good.
But I think we’re all looking for greatness.
April 11th, 2008 at 1:24 am
Fred, Andez: One thing I hope more games does for Theo is improve his decision making. At times, the kid runs and runs only to not play the right ball or take a bit too long. That is something that can be attributed to the mental aspect of the game as well. It is amazing that coming off the bench, he has shown great desire and hunger in some of the games. Against Milan @ san siro, he came on with just a few minutes to go. Most players would have tried to keep possession, but he kept his head up and stayed on his feet to give Ade his first CL goal.
And in Tues, he once again gave Ade a goal on a platter. Interesting two of Ade’s CL goals are due to Theo.
April 11th, 2008 at 1:38 am
while i was gutted that we lost to Liverpool, and personally I don’t think we deserved losing to them, I have to concede if Man U are going to win the league, they are the worthy winners.
i guess that’s why i value the league more than any cup competitions. i hate when referees spoilt the match. but no team could get lucky from the ref throughout a course of 38 matches. so hands up, Man U are a better team this season than us.
I disagree all those analysis of our team’s PROBLEMS are. Hell, if the team has so many weaknesses, there was no chance they could lead the league for 2/3 of a season.
Generally speaking, the team only needs to improve on two areas:
1. Depth
2. Cutting Edge
on point 2, i agree we probably need to get ourselves a “match winner”, a “go to guy” like Gerrard for Liverpool, Ronaldo for Man U.
i just feel that we lack of that “extra bit” to push ourselves over the finishing line, or to kill a game off.
take the league as example, we suffered 2 defeats. Those defeats are not what hurt us most, it’s those “draws”.
like Fred pointed out before, United got Ronaldo to grab all those “go ahead goals”, or decisive winners. That’s the key DIFFERENCE between us and them. Without Ronaldo, they probably would still be a good team, but there’s a good chance they might draws more games than actually winning them. as i remember Ronaldo seems to be the one who scored many crucial late goals for them as well.
we need that special someone. either our current players to step up, or we need to dig into transfer market to get one “super player” like AW said back in the summer.
if we get ONE player who has the ability to rise to occassion when the chips are down, all the small little deficit in defence, midfield or attack would not be that matter.
April 11th, 2008 at 1:42 am
@Stag ..for once i agree with you..While i don’t know about the Saturday match..If Man Utd beat Arsenal this weekend…then they deserve to win the League…simply because of the way they have played……Liverpool and Chelsea have just been grinding out results with loads of luck …….just wouldn’t be right for those two to be winning anything this season.
@Vibe…I’m glad you realised you are wasting your time yourself before I could tell you…….but let me have my final say in the matter as well
“When the players play without a mistake, and the manager manages without a mistake, that’s when I’ll believe a ref’s mistake single handedly cost my team anything. You control what you can control. Making excuses for things either team could fall victim to is like blaming the weather. Weak.”
If the players play without a mistake..and the manager manages without a mistake…then we would never ever lose or draw..we would be winning everything straight out..and the ref will never be blamed for costing us anything…..As much as I love Arsenal….i’m sure this scenario of knowing results beforehand would make for a very interesting football season..Unfortunately these are humans not robots and mistakes are definetly made in the ‘real’ world …..if you expect the players to be perfect…..you also have to expect the ref to do his job properly..why the double standards?
Lastly….Here’s a quote from Cesc Fabregas on ‘fan support’.
“Talking to Spanish television station Antena 3, Fábregas drew a contrast between the two supports. ‘It is incredible the passion with which Liverpool fans live their games,’ he said. ‘Even the smallest cup game has a great atmosphere there, it is as if they played with 12 men. ‘Let’s see what happens [in Tuesday's return leg]. The good thing about playing away is that we don’t have the pressure from our fans. Sometimes you don’t get one or two passes right and…’”
I’m sure since the guy (arguably the best player in the team) can’t deal with the pressure …both him and Wenger should be booted out as well… Have a great day too
Cheers,
Wayne
April 11th, 2008 at 1:48 am
Sachin, i agree. yet from what i learned, Theo actually got in touch with football in a later age despite making his grade as early as 16. i mean, other guys probably started playing football since 6,7,8, but Theo didn’t start playing football until a later age, probably over 10 or something. that’s what i read, but can’t remember exactly of the details.
anyway, my point is that probably explain his decision making, or awareness.
another point is - as he didn’t get the chances too often with Arsenal so far, so i tihnk one reason he keeps trying to run with the ball is his eagerness to show what he can do. instead of playing his natural game.
that’s why i think it will only do him good to give him a RUN of starts. with the knowledge that his place is safe, he can be clamer or using his head more than trying to show his stuffs with every chance he gets.
like when he’s playing for England U21, he looked awesome. one class above a lot of his peers and the oppnents. he played with more freedom and more confident with England U21.
of course, there’s also a concern whether he will be as effective as a starter. Bare in mind, in most of the games he made an impact he came on as a subs deep into 2nd half, when the oppositions’ legs are tired. Like that Liverpool run, he had started the game, he might not be able to pull it off.
still, he has to start sooner or later to continue his development. since it’s unlikely AW would risk him when the chips are high, the current circumstance is the best, especially after his assist Vs Liverpool the kids’ confidence must be sky high.
April 11th, 2008 at 2:11 am
It will be very2 interesting if Arsenal somehow win this tie against Man U. I am guessing that our morale would go up a bit. The current mood is very gloomy but u never know.
April 11th, 2008 at 10:03 am
Talking about the pressure from the fans, I read somewhere that only arsenal fans complain even when they win!!! I started following arsenal because of the brand of football they play not how many trophies they have in the kitty. Football is entertainment and people should treat it as such, for the players and managers, yeah its a job but for the fans that follow these teams it is ENTERTAINMENT and that is why teams like WREXHAM still have a loyal fan base, u want to see ur team play wengerball. Please pass, move, one touch football, what we usually got from brazil until the craze of the win at all costs mentality took over everything. I will always support arsenal and Arsene Wenger come rain, shine or even if we dont win a trophy this season or the next, cos he put together a team that is pure joy to watch at times without shelling out some country’s total budget on a single player.
April 11th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
I expect the team 2 lose against the Mancs. God help i really hate Alex Ferguson.
Judging from the comments Gallas has made abt the dressing room being down i doubt the team will lift their spirits & give it all at OT.
I just hope from this point we can build for next season & for me that means Senderos & Eboue should not start!