Tag Archives: Arsenal

Another Letter to Arsene Wenger

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Arsene Wenger. It is time to shut up.

Over the years, you have had the backing of the majority, including myself. You now have the backing of the minority. And the more you continue to have a go at the fans, the fans that have, in the many, backed you through star players leaving & trophyless years, the less there will be willing to stand with you.

Recent comments made in the media as recently as Monday highlight a delusion. A view point held that is a long way from the truth. A delusion which shows that you do not understand the frustrations within the fan base.

“I think after the Tottenham game where we played a very good game with 10 men against 11 and came back to 2-2, I couldn’t understand why – at the moment when you need everyone behind the team – we had to hit that storm. From the media, OK. From our fans? It is a bit more difficult to take.”

Yes, we drew 2-2 with Tottenham, after being down 10 men. It was an OK result. Not the brilliant result you might make it out to be. As we should have won had we kept 11 men on the field. But it was an OK result.

The lack of understanding as to why the fans are turning on mass is what worries. It has nothing to do with the Tottenham result.

Look at the 4 results previous to the Tottenham result…

  • Losing at home to a Swansea team which was missing half it’s first 11.
  • Failing to beat the worst Manchester United side in 3 decades
  • Barcelona at home
  • Drawing with a Hull City B team in the Cup

And the apathy began growing long before that run of 1 draw and 3 defeats.

Look at our form in all competitions between topping the table after victory against Newcastle and that draw against Spurs nearly 2 months to the day later.

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If you believe that after that set of results, which saw us go from favourites to out of the running in the league, gives fans no right to get on your back, to question you, then you are deluded. 4 wins in 13.

And after the Spurs game, despite the fans backing the boys, things did not exactly improve.

Out of the FA Cup against Watford
Out the Champions League against Barcelona

And here is the frustrating thing Mr Wenger. Despite this form, the fans still turned up, still behind the team for 90 minutes.

Despite Hull being a midweek game, arranged at short notice, thousands travelled.

5,000 went to Barcelona. Despite being 2-0 down from the first leg. And stood in the cold, wind and rain for 90 minutes. Backing the team. Doing us proud.

At Everton, for 90 minutes, the sell out away crowd – and we always sell out, not matter what – backed the side for the 90 minutes. It was only in injury time, with the game won, did the tide turn. And we did not get on the players, or even your, back. It was aimed at Silent Stan. And at the final whistle, as we always do, the players got cheered off the pitch.

Arsene, you moan that we are not behind the team. Well I do not know what you are hearing are watching, but it is clear, we are behind the team. The sell out away crowds show that. We do back the team. It is you, and the board we no longer back.

If you honestly think we are not behind the team. If you do not think results this year gives fans the right to throw the odd dissenting voice your way, then you are clearly losing it.

Shut up and get on with your job. Which is winning football games.

You once said that you would listen to the fans. That if the fans wanted you gone, you would go. But now the fans are finding their voice, calling for you to go, you ignore it. You deride it. You say we should not have a voice.

It is time to walk Arsene. Leave a legacy of greatness. Not bitterness.

The loyal Arsenal fanbase deserves better.

Keenos

Goals and Fitness – The Key to Leicester’s Success

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“Score more goals than your opponent” – That is what Leicester City’s Head of Sports Science and Performance Analysis Paul Balsom said recently when asked what the secret to Leicester City’s success was this season.

Whilst the game is not that simple, and the side that scores the most goals in the league does not always win it, the premise is true. Score more than your opponents and you win. That is an undisputable fact.

Looking at the league table, the Premier League top scorers are Tottenham. They are second. 2nd highest are Leicester. They are second. The individual top scorers list mirrors this. Harry Kane is the league’s top scorer. Leicester’s Jamie Vary second and Riyad Mahrez 3rd.

As a side note, Everton are 4th on the list. As we saw at the weekend, they can not defend (Is john Stones the most overrated player in the Premier League?). The key is not just scoring goals, but scoring more goals than your opponents. Something they have struggled in.

In 2011/12, Manchester United lost out on the league title on goal. Alex Ferguson went out and forced a move for Robin van Persie. The league’s top scorer. This signing went alongside Wayne Rooney who finished that season just 3 goals behind van Persie in second.

The next year, Manchester United went on to win the league title. Robin van Persie was once again the league’s top scorer, and Manchester United scored 20 goals more than second place Manchester City.

The moral of the story is simple. You need to outscore your opponents to win games. And the more often you outscore them, the more games you win. And the more games you win the greater chance you have to win the league.

This season, Arsenal have simply not scored enough.

With just 48 goals from 30 games, we are on course for our worst goals scored tally since 1995/96 under Bruce Rioch.

Boring Boring Arsenal. So much for this attacking free flowing exciting brand of football Arsene Wenger allegedly plays.

59 is the lowest goals scored during the Wenger era. That was 1998/99. We only conceded 17 goals that year, so had a goal difference of +42. So despite not scoring too many, we still outscored our opponents in the majority of games. On the flip side, Manchester United scored 21 more goals than us that season, had a goal difference of one better, and finished the season with 1 point more.

Our goal difference this season currently sits at +18. You have to once more go back to 1995/96 for the goal difference to have been that low.

With just 12 Premier League goals, Olivier Giroud is on course to be our worst top goal scorer since 2006. That year, whilst the top scorer (Robin van Persie with 12) did not set the world alight, we had 5 players score 10+ goals in the league. This season we only have 5 players who have scored more than 3 goals. Our second highest goal scorer is Alexis Sanchez with 7, 3 of which were scored in 1 game.

It makes very grim reading, and it is clear where our problems lie this season. Scoring goals.

The second side of this article is an old favourite of Arsenal fans. Injuries.

I read (or heard, I don’t know, I was fairly smashed at the weekend) that Leicester have used the least amount of players this season.

A key to their success has been keeping key players fit.

Spurs are not too fair behind them in lack of injuries this season.

Both teams have done very well keeping their players fit, whether it is luck, planning or a mixture of each. They have a lot more players who have played over 25 games in the league this season than Manchester City & Arsenal.

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And it is not just the lack of injuries, it is the lack of injuries to key players.

Leicester’s spine of Schmeichel, Morgan, Kante & Vardy have missed 1 game between them. Spurs’ of Lloris, Alderweireld, Dier & Kane just the 2 games missed between them. It is remarkable and a key reason why they are first and second.

Meanwhile, over at Arsenal, Koscielny has missed 5 games, Sanchez even more. And for City, Vincent Kompany and Sergio Aguero have missed 24 games between them.

How different would the table look if Arsenal and Manchester City had kept their key players fit?

Of course, it is all if’s and but’s.

One of the problem both Arsenal and Manchester City have is they both carry too many players with bad injury records. Kompany has played over 30 league games just 4 times in his 13 year career. Since joining, Aguero has missed 25% of games for Manchester City. David Silva has played just 15 of 30 games this season.

We do not need to go through Arsenal’s injury record. The likes of Koscileny, Wilshere, Ramsey always seem to be just as likely to get injured as they are put in a match winning performance.

 

And there we have it. The very simple secret to success.

Score goals, keep players fit.

It really is that simple.

Keenos

Nothing has changed in 5 years, why the noise now?

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So I was looking for an old blog on our old site for GC and was unable to find it (something he wrote way back in 2008 about Stan Kroenke being the wrong man for Arsenal).

Whilst I could not find that blog, I came across another, written in 2010 by him:

OK, its been a while since I have written anything other than my normal “10 reasons why..” this is due to the time I have had to do any decent writing and the fact personally I’d rather read quick bullet points and try and see the lighter more pisstaking side of The Arsenal than read paragraphs of rubbish like other blogs/websites. But this morning ! am just going to let my fingers do some damage to my already battered from last nights keyboard.

Those that have the misfortune to have read some of the articles/status/messages I have put up over the last few years know I am not a big fan of the direction the club has been going in. I don’t like the new ground, I don’t like anyone on the board of directors,Ivan in particular I find a complete waste of space, what does this fella do ??..and sadly now I feel its time Wenger has to sit in a dark room and have a good think.

The new ground – lifeless soulless and full of tourists, no wonder a lot of our traditional support now choose to stay away

The board of directors – Only interested in building flats, reducing what was called “an affordable debt” mainly I fear to increase there own share price

Ivan – Sorry mate, Arsenalisation to me reads Americanisation, you are no David Dein (he’s got a lot to answer for over the current mess as well, but at least he knew how to buy a player)

Wenger – Your experiment is over now, you are losing the backing of a hell of a lot of fans.

Now I am not moaning at Wenger because we have lost a few games,anyone with half a brain knew we would struggle after 5years of neglect in the transfer market. But its the manner of how we are losing that really bites, 2 nil up at home at half-time to the scum and the team come out in the 2nd half like someone had slipped them some kind if daterape drug in the half-time cuppa. Needing a draw last night and yeah we was having a bad night of it and couldn’t break down Braga, so why start bringing on attacking players and leave ourselves open to the counter attack, block the game up, come away with a point and the final game in the group stages wouldn’t be so edgy. Yes that tactic of all out attack would of worked when we had players like Henry,Freddie,Pires,Bergkamp,Kanu even to come on and do something special but NONE of the current squad would make it into anyone’s best 11 over the Wenger years.

SO this is a simple request to the board and to Mr Wenger, BUY BUY BUY this January, prove that when we was told moving grounds would enable us to compete with the biggest clubs in Europe in the transfer market that it wasn’t lies. Prove to us that you have the ambition more than just finishing in the top 4 each season. Prove to us that we are a football club first and a building company second.

This was written in November. Not November 2015, but November 2010. Ten years ago. And yet, over 5 years on, nothing has changed. It could have been written this morning and would be equally as relevant now.Bj6UNgFIQAA8vBh

Nothing has changed in 5 years, so why the noise now?

Keenos (with help from SheWore)