Tag Archives: She Wore A Yellow Ribbon

Defending Wenger, Re-arranged Fixtures and Jurgen Klopp

Defending Wenger

Arsene Wenger’s time at Arsenal is coming to an end. I have felt he should have left a couple of years ago. Back to back FA Cups – a remarkable achievement – gave him a stay of execution; but now is the time for him to hang up the blazer, to call it a day.

The recent march’s have been supported well and highlight fans dissatisfaction with the situation. For the most part, they have been respectful whilst forceful. But then is always a minority that spoil it.

Over the last few days, there have been some despicable comments towards Arsene Wenger and the board.

Wenger has once more been compared to Robert Mugabe – a dictator who calls himself the “Hitler of the time…let me be Hitler tenfold”.

Mugabe has overseen a period of history where hundreds of thousands of his citizens have been slaughtered, and many more displaced. His actions have been sickening.

For fans to compare the likes of Mugabe (Kim Jong Il, Pol Pot and Adolf Hitler) to Arsene Wenger is nothing short of a disgrace.

These men have overseen the slaughter, torture and persecution of millions of innocent men, women and children. Arsene Wenger has led Arsenal to 4th 6 times…

One of the march organisers attempted to condone the Mugabe comments. To justify them. And they wonder why the majority of fans will not stand alongside them when calling for Wenger to go.

At a protest last season at Norwich, arsenal fans were caught on camera holding a banner singing how they wanted “Wenger to die in May”.

Add in the wishes of death board members, and the usual cancer comments by some kid trying to pretend he is the leader and organiser of the Wenger Out march’s, it all leaves a nasty little taste in your mouth.

There are fans out their who dedicate Facebook pages to abusing Arsene Wenger. Spend 24/7 tweeting bile.

These Arsenal fans have shown no class. They have forgotten who they are, who they represent. And it is the vile comments of this minority that lead to the majority of those who want Wenger to leave, like myself, to be unwilling to go on a march, to stand next to someone calling for an Arsenal legend to die of cancer.

Any Wenger Out movement loses its point, it’s relevance, when idiots involved compare Wenger to murderous dictators and wish cancer on people.

Want him out? Fair enough. But stay classy and your voice will be heard.

Re-arranged Fixtures

Arsenal now have 3 fixtures that need to be re-arranged.

Leicester and Sunderland at home, and an away game against Southampton, with once again UEFA interference delaying the process and making it that little bit more awkward.

A national association can not schedule a domestic top tier game on the same day as a European match without firstly gaining the permission of UEFA. A load of bollocks. That means Arsenal and the Premier League can not begin the re-arranging of the above games until the draw for the QF of the Champions League has taken place.

UEFA would not stand for it being Arsenal v Leicester at the same time as Manchester City (if they qualify) are playing in the Champions League. The Arsenal game would get a lot more viewers, leaving UEFA and it’s sponsors very unhappy.

The draw for the Champions League Quarter Finals is this Friday, with the first legs being played on 11 and 12 April, and the second legs will be played on 18 and 19 April 2017.

With the TV company scheduling deciding to give Arsenal back to back Monday night games, 2 weeks in mid-April are already written off as no-go’s.

The first available date for a reschedule will be the 25/26 of April. A game sandwiched between the FA Cup Semi Final and Spurs away. The hope is Arsenal play on the Saturday in the FA Cup, then have a re-arranged fixture on Wednesday 26th, before Spurs away on the Sunday.

The week after the Spurs game is a European week, so if Arsenal and the Premier League wish to schedule a game during that week, they will need the permission of UEFA. The week after is the same.

For Arsenal to fulfil their fixtures in time, UEFA’s hand will have to be forced, as if they deny the scheduling of a fixture the same day as a Champions League tie, it leaves just one more mid-week before Everton on the final day to schedule a game. And if you have been keeping up, Arsenal still need to reschedule 2 more games

This would all be solved if:

a) UEFA were not so greedy and let national associations schedule games when they wish
b) TV companies did not do stupid stuff like have Arsenal playing away to Middlesbrough on a Monday.

As always, the last people on anyone’s mind are the match day going fans.

Jurgen Klopp

Jurgen Klopp. The second coming. The greatest manager since King Kenny. Revitalising Liverpool. Resorting them to their former greatness. Or that is what the media would have you think.

In fact, as we sit here in the middle of March, Liverpool are the only side in the top 6 who have no realistic chance of a trophy.

With 4 of the top 5 in the semi final of the FA Cup (I thought the big sides did not take it seriously anymore?) and Man U still in European – and having already won the League Cup – Liverpool fans have no choice but to look on with jealous glances.

4th in the league, 11 points off top having played a game more, not in Europe and out of the cup, it will be the 5th year on the spin the Scousers have gone potless.

Not only is their season done and dusted in terms of trophies, Liverpool are also the only side in the top 6 who would not have had a trip to Wembley this season. Poor little things.

Of course, the press might decide that “4th place is a trophy” and will continue to point to their “progression” but when it comes down to it, Liverpool’s seasons is over once more before the clocks spring forward, and it is now 5 years without a trophy.

Klopp is doing a great job.

Keenos
Follow @KeenosAFC

Back the team; not the regime

And we go again.

The thing about football is the next big important game is always round the corner. You can feel lower than low on a Tuesday night, higher than high on a Saturday night. It is a rollercoaster of emotions.

For the last 6 weeks, the Arsenal rollercoaster has felt like a never ending drop. A downward spiral, you might say. But this weekend we have the chance to get a little bit of sunlight in our season. A bit of a lift. We are just one game from Wembley.

Since beating Southampton in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup, Arsenal have lost 5 of the 7 games played. The only victories against Hull and Sutton. 3-1 defeats away at Chelsea and Liverpool, and two 5-1 defeats against Bayern Munich has left a bitter taste in many fans mouths. The worst result of the run though was the 2-1 home loss to Watford. An inexplicable result.

Fan morale is at its lowest that I can remember in my 22 years of going down The Arsenal. There is hatred on the terraces, hatred towards the manager, the board, the players, hatred towards fellow fans, and it is all justified. But today, it needs to be put to one side, for 24 hours at least.

No matter what you think of Arsene Wenger, the board, or certain players, Arsenal are 1 victory away from Wembley. 2 victories from a Wembley final, 3 victories from another FA Cup. And ultimately that is what matters. Trophies over progression.

Today, no matter how angry you might be, how disappointed about how our season is potentially turning out you might be, it is important to back the team.

Put your agendas to one side. Saying stuff like “I want us to lose today so Wenger leaves” is stupid. Success over agendas. Wenger staying or leaving should not come into your thoughts when you think do I want Arsenal to win the FA Cup. The answer should always be yes, no matter if an FA Cup victory means Wenger will stay for another 2 years.

1 win from Wembley
2 wins from an FA Cup Final
3 wins from a 13^th FA Cup

Back the team; not the regime

Keenos

Follow @KeenosAFC

Progression the new top 4?

Is progression the new top 4

With this weekend being an FA Cup weekend, I thought I would try and put together a debate that I have been having recently with some mates.

I asked a few weeks ago to people “finish 4^th and win the FA Cup, would you be happy with that? Would that make this season a success?”. The answer emphatically came back. NO.

When I asked them to expand their reasoning, one word continually popper up. PROGRESSION.

Over the last 10 years, and during our 8 year trophy drought, these guys were thirsty for a trophy. They became angry any time someone (Wenger) said something like “top 4 is a trophy”. Every time we were knocked out of a cup competition fielding a weakened side so as to rest players for the league (despite us having no chance of winning the league) they would call for Arsene Wenger’s head.

Trophies are king. Honours lists do not have top 4 on them. And I agreed.

Manchester United have won 2 trophies in 2 years. They did not finish to p4 last year, are struggling to do so this year, but history will not show the latter, they will show 2 trophies in 2 years.

So why has this attitude changed? Why is winning the FA Cup no longer seen as a successful season? And ultimately, what is progression?

When I asked them what is progression, they all listed various factors:

Challenging for the title
Beating top sides away
Getting past the Last 16 of the Champions League
Not making the same mistakes year after year

I understood the points they were making. That Arsenal have not challenged for a title in years. Have an awful recent record in big away games. The Last 16 record is a joke. And the predictable continual mistakes are frustrating.

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It feels like Arsenal as a club have not gone forward over the last 5 years. We are already double figures behind Chelsea and out of the Champions League. There has been no progression at the club in that time.

But then there has been 2 FA Cups. 2 trophies. 2 pieces of silverware. Surely that is more important than progression?

Let’s create a scenario:

Arsenal finish 2^nd, 1 point behind the Champions
Arsenal beat big sides away – Chelsea, Man U & Man C – but lose away to all 3 relegated sides
Arsenal get knocked out of the Champions League semi finals

That is what my mates called for, that is the progression they demanded, but ultimately Arsenal ended up trophyless. Nothing to show for their efforts. No finals, not even a semi final trip to Wembley. A trophyless season where we progressed. Would you be happy with that?

Some will say yes, but I am in the no camp. Football is all about trophies. Not top 4 finishes, not showing progression.

I am sure the likes of Birmingham and Portsmouth would rather have won the trophies they did, and be in their current positions, than be a stable Premier League side like WBA or Stoke, but winning no trophies. The trophies are what is remembered, they are what go’s down in the record books.

Like top 4 finishes, progression that does not end in a trophy is pointless. No one will care about it in 20 years time.

Do you really think Man U will care about finishing 6^th when they have League Cup already in the cabinet – making them the most successful side in the English game; overtaking Liverpool.

That expands my thinking further.

Finish above Spurs but without a trophy, or finish below them with a trophy?

Now I love this run we have going against that lot above the road. But what do we get for it? No cups, no silverware, just an ability to say it has been 22 years without them finishing above us. But if they finish above us, and we win the FA Cup, who has really had the better season? The side having a parade around North London for finishing above their rivals, or the side having a parade around North London because they won a trophy.

I see progression as the new Top 4. Only this time rather than those who back Wenger saying it is important, those who do not back him are the ones holding it in high esteem.

Essentially, winning a trophy trumps progression. Give me the FA Cup over finishing 2^nd in the league any day of the week.

Tomorrow is the most important game of the season. Win the FA Cup and I do not care if we fail to win another Premier League game this season.

Stick your progress up your arse, it is all about the trophies.

Keenos
Follow @KeenosAFC