My first memories of the Gunners have almost never been good. I started watching Football with any proper interest about a decade back, and considering the Scousers' continuing domestic failures ( the 2001 "feat" is still a Mickey-Mouse treble to me, and as any self-respecting United fan, I vehemently refuse to accept that it can ever stand for anything) and the fact that Chelski and Citeh hadn't acquired their respective sugar daddies, the Premiership then was pretty much a two horse race. And what a race it was! The earliest matches I saw hadUnited and Arsenal at the peak of the rivalry - tense, heated affairs with two titanic teams throwing everything they had at each other - the kitchen sink, maybe, but Pizza - most certainly. With two headstrong gaffers waging their own intense battle, the prospect of a United - Arsenal game was a mouth-watering treat. Considering the build-up to the game being so great, the games were no less.
Which is probably why saying I hated the Arsenal would be an understatement of extreme proportions. Of course, how could you harbour any other feeling for that a**hole Martin Keown jumping all over Ruud, or Ray Parlour, or the evolutionally retarded Patrick Vieira, or anyone associated with the club for that matter (I'm sure my Gooner friends will consider these descriptions very mellow, compared to their terms of choice for talking about United players). Every match was followed with that sole intention of taking the enemy down, no matter what. Every defeat was a very bitter experience - every victory all the more pleasing. No surprise then, that the streak-breaking game, where United and Gary Neville in particular did everything short of killing Reyes n co., evokes the fondest of memories.
That's exactly why it surprised me to no end when I felt as I did. All these years, I had been waiting for the downfall of Arsenal; the moment when I could finally stand over their cowering remnants and rub it in their faces - but when the moment arrived, I was curiously underwhelmed.
Much has been said about the reasons for Arsenal's dramatic downturn of fortunes, and I wouldn't like to bore the world by parroting every single one of them. Yes, I get that Wenger, the chairmen and the players have all played their parts in mucking things up, but one thing that has struck me the most about this latest Arsenal unit is the complete lack of anything Arsenal about it.
To me, the thing which most typified the Arsenal teams of past was the continued presence of the arseholes in them. Don't get me wrong - I don't mean to be derogatory this time. What I mean is that every team over the past 25 years had men (not boys - as has been constantly used for this current crop), men who stood up when it counted, who got down and dirty, who took the tackles hard but gave them back in equal measure. Men like the no nonsense backline of Afams, Lee Dixon, Winterburn and Bould; men like Martin Keown and Ray Parlour; men like Patrick Vieira - who couldn't care less about the bookings as long as he maintained status quo on the pitch. To me, they made Arsenal the club that it was. They allowed the managers to build a team around. They allowed the flair to shine through. Not to take anything away from Messers. Bergkamp, Overmars, Henry or Pires - but their legendary antics would've been a tad less gloried had it not been for the omnipresent back-up in mid-field and defence. And, how do I even forget David Seaman - who cares bout the WC "error"? He was Arsenal's rock and anyone who can carry out saves like the one against Sheffield in the FA Cup is a legend.
The "arseholes" being strong-willed characters also meant that they were not just imposing as players, but that they produced some of the most inspirational leaders to play for the Gunners. The first word when thinking about Tony Adams, to any honest football fan, isn't alcoholic but fighter - against demons on and off the pitch. Vieira was no less of a great leader - and his clashes with Roy Keane made for some great moments. Henry was perhaps more of a "actions speak louder than words guy" but I may be wrong there. That for me has been the biggest contributor to their successes and ultimately, the lack thereof, that has contributed the most to their current problems. Honestly, there is such a lot of difference between the images of a bandaged Vieira playing on - and a hapless William Gallas crying after the B'ingam game, or for that matter Van Persie looking completely clueless versus United the other day.
Why, you might ask, do I bring myself to express this for the "rivals"? Because, honestly, through all the bickering, I realised that I respected Arsenal as a club. I respected the football they played. The "Invincible" season was a neutrals' delight and I can admit that considering last year's United team likely to emulate that was foolhardy at best. I respected Wenger and his policies, even though i don't like the man. But most of all, I'd rather have a team that has worked hard at building a footballing institution win the big titles than some oil-crazy,terrorist-funding,Qatari sheikh/Russian baron who's decked up his latest plaything with more gifts than it ever deserved and turned it's shrill fans into believing that they were always destined for greatness.
So, personally, I feel Arsenal are at the most important crossroads - the 8-2 thumping has,ultimately, proved good for the club. Atleast, it forced Wenger's hand into re-inforcing a sorry squad. (Can't imagine what would've happened had he decided to go about the season without buying). My two cents on the updated squad - there aren't any arseholes, sadly but Arteta and Mertesacker will give them much needed strengthening. More importantly, 3 of the 5 signings have been captains of their clubs/national teams - which to me is the most significant take-home point from the dealings. I read an article saying that this set of "panic-buys" completely undermined Arsene's transfer policy. Personally, I think this was what it should've been closer to all this time. Go for youth, yes, but when you know you have experienced players in the team as guides. United proved Alan Hansen wrong by "winning it with kids" - but that side also had Cantona, Bruce, Pallister, McClair and Schmeichel among others.
I know the chance of a Arsenal relegation is mouth-watering at times, esp. when I'm reminded of Keown n co., but if I'm being completely truthful, I'd rather have another United-Arsenal title tussle than some nouveau riche pretenders to the throne.
So, personally, I feel Arsenal are at the most important crossroads - the 8-2 thumping has,ultimately, proved good for the club. Atleast, it forced Wenger's hand into re-inforcing a sorry squad. (Can't imagine what would've happened had he decided to go about the season without buying). My two cents on the updated squad - there aren't any arseholes, sadly but Arteta and Mertesacker will give them much needed strengthening. More importantly, 3 of the 5 signings have been captains of their clubs/national teams - which to me is the most significant take-home point from the dealings. I read an article saying that this set of "panic-buys" completely undermined Arsene's transfer policy. Personally, I think this was what it should've been closer to all this time. Go for youth, yes, but when you know you have experienced players in the team as guides. United proved Alan Hansen wrong by "winning it with kids" - but that side also had Cantona, Bruce, Pallister, McClair and Schmeichel among others.
I know the chance of a Arsenal relegation is mouth-watering at times, esp. when I'm reminded of Keown n co., but if I'm being completely truthful, I'd rather have another United-Arsenal title tussle than some nouveau riche pretenders to the throne.
hear hear! well written =)
ReplyDeletethe last line is nicely phrased. Citeh suddenly think they can win the champions league because they have dzeko, aguero, nasri n silva. Chelski think that a manager who doesnt deliver the champions league in his first season deserves the sack (read Avram Grant). do they even understand what it means to win a european title or for that matter, a domestic one? we have had this tryst with the european cup ever since Sir Matt defied the FA (even exchanging profanities in the process) to become the first British club to participate in the competition. We also were the first team from Britain (yes Celtic fans, we know what you will say) to win the european cup. It was almost a decade after that semi final defeat to Di Stefano's rampant madrid but we held our own against them. We have literally shed the blood of an entire generation of arguably the finest squad England has ever seen. And these wannabes from Chelski and Citeh think they can match our passion, our desire, our blood sacrifice?
ReplyDeleteDisregarding what you have to say about other clubs, and focusing solely on Arsenal, I'd say your analysis is spot on. The current team lacks any semblance of an asshole, as you've so eloquently put it. No Vieira, Parlour, Keown, Adams or Petit. And they haven't had one for 6 seasons now (guess how long their trophy drought is). They needed a hardman, and Arsene's "philosophy" has once again prevented him from getting one. He tries to imitate Barcelona, but forgets that even they have the likes of Carles Puyol, Mascherano and Seydou Keita, who aren't concerned about whether or not their style of play will be shown on the Monday highlights reel.
ReplyDeleteI don't have the same opinion as you do of his transfer choices either. Mertesacker is the furthest thing from a tough tackling defender possible, he goes entire seasons without picking up a single booking, and that's not because he's God's gift to tackling either. And he's not that great a defender in the first place - Werder were horrendous last season with his partner Naldo injured, they were only too eager to get rid of him. Arteta and Benayoun are poor imitations of Nasri and Fabregas, the only thing is their favor is that they are EPL tried and tested. Andre Santos is a liability in defense. Only Park Chu-Young makes any sense as a signing.
Now, take a look at two players that moved to London clubs not named Arsenal - Scott Parker and Joey Barton. If you ask me, those are the two players Arsenal should have gone for really. You can get by on the offensive side of things with the likes of Arshavin, Walcott, Wilshere and Ramsey (and maybe Benayoun who's on loan), but they're still incredibly weak in midfield with the only likes of Alex Song, Abou Diaby and Frimpong to protect the back line. They're all decent football players, but none of them can get stuck in and give the opposition a good kicking.
@ Yash - Thanks, as always...I still can't quite fathom how Arsene Wenger went about this season's transfer dealings. It's been evident to anybody who's heard of Football, that Cesc and nasri were leaving - and knowing the money he was going to make - he could've signed players a lot earlier.
ReplyDeleteArteta's ok, but you're right isn't the asshole they're looking for. Mertesacker's awfully slow, isn't he? But, I guess anything's better than the backline they put up at OT, isn't it?
Honestly, though Scott Parker, Gary Cahill and even Jagielka would've made better reading.
The funny thing is Arsene seems to be oscillating between painfully realistic and delirious quite a lot these past few months. I get that top 4 will be an achievement, but when he spoke about the strength of his squad on the basis of the Udinese game, I couln't control it. Of course, that was the pre-match at OT and will probably be added to the "famous last words list".
Sorry about the barbs, I guess I'll be more honest when I do decide to write about Liverpool - though I would welcome a guest article....:P
Bolton priced Gary Cahill out of the move. They aren't a selling club, and would have only let him go for silly money. 25m GBP in today's market isn't silly money for arguably England's best defender. No clue why they didn't pursue Jagielka though, especially considering Everton really need the dough.
ReplyDeleteNow to the point I wanted to make about Chelsea and Manchester City, but didn't have the time to yesterday. Sure, their recent success is on the back of sugar daddies willing to throw money left, right and center at players. But by no means are they the only ones doing this, neither are they the first, and it's wrong to say they have no history too. They are both clubs that have been traditionally part of the English top divisions, both have won league titles before their recent takeovers, and both have quite decent fanbases (unlike, say, Wigan Athletic). Also, it's been proved that this doesn't always work out. Blackburn bought their way to a league title, but couldn't sustain it. Fulham were pretenders under Al-Fayed before settling down. Leeds, Portsmouth and Sheffield Wednesday failed horribly, as did Newcastle. In other leagues, Malaga almost got relegated last season and "Dubai Club" Getafe look like they could be in a similar predicament this time around. Also, United themselves have been taken over twice in the past decade. Whatever the fans' opinion about the owners, you cannot argue that their spending power dwarfs that of Spurs or Aston Villa (who themselves have quite rich owners, mind you). Rich owners, in the Premier League, isn't a luxury these days, it's a prerequisite. Just because Chelsea and City are richer than anyone else isn't reason to pick on them, they're just doing what everyone wishes would happen to their club. And both have a good core of English players too (something neither Liverpool nor Arsenal can claim, unfortunately).
Don't think I have too many arguments there...Football's the latest ego-massage for the world's elite - every other guy's going out and buying one...It's crazy stuff what with Malaga and Getafe and PSG - who almost got relegated a few years back too.
ReplyDeleteThe Gary Cahill deal - yeah, Bolton did probably price him out. But, I believe they could've sold him for a lot less than 25m - had Arsenal bid earlier. Although, considering he rates at which English players are going, that wouldn't have been too over-priced.
It's stupid of Arsenal to bid what they did. 6m pounds is easily an insult to both Bolton and Cahill. Considering it was deadline day and with the kitty they had, the deal was probably never gonna go through the way it was.
I still don't completely agree with you on the rich owners deal. The way things are, it is more difficult than ever to break into the "elite list" without spending the way Citeh have.Should that mean that teams like Newcastle should kiss their chances goodbye unless they spend big?