Yearly Archives: 2015

The Long Drive to Sheffield Wednesday

Usually I moan about the lack of trains to away games. TV companies changing kick off times without taking into account last train times or engineering works. It is the bane of my life. Up there with ticket prices as a major frustration of being an away fan.

Coming up we already have a nightmare journey to Southampton to come on Boxing Day. There were already no trains due to engineering works, so fans were already having to make alternative arrangements. Matters were then made worse with BT Sports deciding to move the game to a 7.45pm kick off. By the time the game is over and everyone has driven home, it will be gone midnight.

I feel for everyone’s designated driver. Boxing day should be a joyous occasion filled with football and beer. A 3pm kick off would at least mean the designated driver would be home at 8pm and able to get a few in the boozer – paid for by his pals who he has just taken to the game – and have a decent night. Now, he has no chance, unless he decides to drive straight to O’Neill’s in Leytonstone.

Personally, changing the fixture has ruined my chance of doing every league game this season. I was on course for the 38. Had planned holidays away from games. Opting for short midweek breaks (Ibiza & Egypt) to ensure I was back for the weekend (yes, some might call me sad). However, the change in times means I have no chance of making it.

The plan was to spend Christmas in Suffolk, escaping on Boxing Day to Southampton for the game. A 3pm kick off would mean I would be back in Suffolk at about 11pm, enabling myself to continue the full Christmas festivities before handing back to London for Bournemouth at home, and then back to work on Tuesday 29^th December. The change of times means it is not far on family for me to arrive in Suffolk on Christmas Day, bugger off early hours of Boxing Day morning, never to be seen again.

So that is my chance of doing the magical 38 ruined.

Also coming up, we have a Tuesday or Wednesday night trip to Liverpool coming up in the 2^nd week of January. Great. Just as we all get our holiday reset, we have to take a couple of days off (with no trains) to head up North. This fixture shows that the Premier League are as bad as the TV companies when scheduling games.

Yes, it is a random computer generation, but they do put stipulations in it, such as distance of travel for sides on Boxing Day & New Years Day. Why they can not repeat this for scheduled mid week games I do not know.

Anyway, rant over.

Today I do not mind the lack of trains. A mid week cup tie in a backward northern town. It is what you live for as a football fan.

Anyone going tonight is probably sitting there at work now, reading this, looking at their clock.

A half day booked off. Football gear hidden under the desk. It hits 1, a quick change in the toilet before commuting to wherever you are meeting your mates. In my case, it is the hour and twenty journey from Twickenham to Walthamstow. Meet my pals at Walthamstow Central, before the drive up to Sheffield.

A 3 and a half hour commute. As long as we do not encounter traffic (Everton away last season, adding an extra 2 hours to the journey), or a break down (THAT mini bus trip to Burnley which meant we missed the game and watched it in a pub in Coventry), we should be in a pub near the Leppings Lane end by around 6pm.

The journey will hopefully be swift. We will have some tunes blasting out (Courteeners, Rifles, The Who, Fetty Wap, The Jam, etc). Some Haribo will be eaten. And a couple of cans will be sunk – not by the driver obviously. I am buzzing writing this.

Watch the game, then the reverse journey. Bombing it back down the M1, knowing that we have tomorrow booked off. We will be back in London by about 1pm. Will any pubs be open? Probably might. If the result is good, a cheeky trip into Rainbow’s in Liverpool Street might have to be the plan of action to finish off the night.

I am buzzing for tonight. It is a rode trip. It will be cold, it will be dark, it is up north so will probably be raining.

It is a trek, but for once it is not due to greedy TV companies. It is for the Cup. And if you can’t get up for the Cup, what are you in football for?

Have a safe journey to all my fellow travellers. As I write this we have 5 hours until we can finish work.

Safe driving

Keenos

Follow @KeenosAFC

How seriously should Arsenal take the League Cup?

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At the end of September, had you asked me how seriously we should take the League Cup, the answer would have been simple. Very.

Having lost the first 2 Champions League games of the season, and with home and away ties against Bayern Munich coming up, you could, and many did, write off our chances of qualifying for the knockout stages for the Champions League.

We were also sitting 3 points behind Manchester City in the league, a gap which had been reduced from 5 in the last game week of the month.

City looked to be running away with the title and our Champions League hopes were slim to none.

The League Cup, usually bottom of our priorities, was looking to be very important. A winnable trophy in what was looking at a disappointing season on the other two fronts. We had recently beaten Spurs, and a draw against favourable draw against Sheffield Wednesday meant that a Quarter Final place was very much on the cards.

At the time, I would have been happy playing our strongest 11 against Sheffield Wednesday.

Roll on a month and our priorities have changed quickly.

A perfect October has seen us with a 100% record for the month. Add in the victory against Leicester at the end of September and Arsenal are on a run of 4 Premier League wins in a row, sitting top of the league alongside City, and back in the race for qualification for the Champions League after a victory against Bayern Munich.

Suddenly, the tie against Sheffield Wednesday is no longer as important as it was.

Sheffield Wednesday will be our 4^th game in 9 days, and is half way through an intensive run of 7 games in 22 days. Add in the International break, it has been a tough schedule for our players.

8 players have started all 3 games so far. And against Everton – the 3^rd game in 7 days – we saw some tiredness creeping in towards the last 20 minutes.

We have already lost Aaron Ramsey to a hamstring injury caused, by Wenger’s own admission, to over playing. It is hard for a manager to decide when to rest a player. Wenger admitted that he considered resting Ramsey for Munich. But resting your player who covers the most ground in a match where you plan to not have much possession would have been suicidal. Ramsey had to play, and we paid the price.

With what we have coming up. It is important to shuffle the pack. Give those players who have played all the games so far a mid week break. Recharge their batteries for what are now more important battles ahead. Swansea away, Munich away, and then Spurs at home. We need to make sure our key players do not pick up injuries, that over playing does not cost us a title challenge like it has done in previous years.

Cech, Koscielny, Monreal, Bellerin, Coquelin, Ozil, Cazorla & Sanchez. Those are the 8 who have started every game. They should be no where near the match day squad for Tuesday. (note: I see Wenger has said Cech will play. He is a goal keeper, so doesn’t need as much as a rest).

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Olivier Giroud have also played in all 3 of the last 3 games, but for two of those 3, came off the bench.

Oxlade-Chamberlain looked rusty at the weekend. He needs to get some game time under his belt. A full 90 minutes against Wednesday, will do him the world of good, and rebuild his confidence. He must start.

As must Giroud. With Walcott and himself seemingly rotating depending on the opposition, it is more likely that Walcott will start away to Swansea this weekend and in Munich, that leaves him as being very important over the next few games. So a 10 day rest for Walcott will be him the world of good.

Personally, I would put out the following 11 tomorrow:

Cech

Debuchy Mertesacker Gabriel Gibbs

Flamini Chambers

Iwobi Chamberlain Campbell

Giroud

At the beginning of the month, I would of said play the strongest 11 against Sheffield Wednesday, and shuffle the pack for the Munich game. Now, circumstances of our own creating, means that should be reversed. The League Cup is back to being 4^th priority. We must rest the key players for it, giving us the best chance to complete our perfect October and continue our roll into November up until the next international break.

Keenos

Follow @KeenosAFC