Tag Archives: She Wore

Lincoln game was meant to be a building block

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No one expected Arsenal to get beat against Lincoln. Even the Imps manager Danny Cowley was forthcoming with his sides 1/1000 chance of snatching a result at the Emirates but the FA Cup quarter-final came at a pivotal moment in the season.

It’s evident Arsenal have been regressing for a number of years – the frustration is aired out yearly around this time from avid supporters. The results aren’t good enough. The frailties transparent for ever non-Arsenal fan to snigger at again. It’s frustrating. But not all is lost.

Cue non-league Lincoln City. It brought back the romanticism of the FA Cup that’s been lacking recently. But for the Gunners it gave them a chance to get everything back in working order. Back to basics. Get things back to the way they were – playing expansive football. Confidence. Elegance. The quarter-final was the blank canvas Wenger and Arsenal had been crying out for during these tough couple of months. There was to be little resistance after half-time – if anything fitness levels would determine that non-league Lincoln would be chasing shadows at this point.

The 5-0 result saw Arsenal book a semi-final spot against Chelsea, but there were more tangible benefits garnered from demolishing a non-league team. While it did nothing to dampen some Arsenal fans insistence that Wenger should walk away from the club at the end of the season, many hoped it would help them focus on the task at hand – the weekend’s game against Tony Pulis’s West Brom.

Arsenal have struggled against Pulis’ teams over the years. They had a torrid time against his over physical Stoke side. The worst memory of note was the horrendous Aaron Ramsey leg break courtesy of a bad Ryan Shawcross challenge. Yet, this was going to be different against a West Brom side managed by Wenger’s arch nemesis, right? Wrong.

A woeful performance saw the Gunners humbled by a hard working, no-frills, typically resolute Pulis side that were once again the thorn in Arsene Wenger’s welcoming and spongy side. Arsenal’s inability to deal with set pieces had analysts, fans and casual viewers shaking their heads in disbelief. But where do Wenger’s men go from here? Will the Frenchman continue at the Emirates? These are all pressing questions, but for now the players will embark on an international break, one in which Arsenal will welcome with the hope the players return with the bit between their teeth.

Upon arriving back in North London, Wenger will be tasked with preparing his side for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. Like Arsenal, City have stuttered their way along this campaign without any real consistency. However, due to their exit from the Champions League at the hands of Ligue 1 side Monaco, Guardiola’s men will have their eyes on second place in the Premier League.

The Arsenal-Manchester City rivalry has been one of the closest in English football in terms of results. Only one win separates the sides with City edging it 91-90, according to the stats compiled by Arsenal World.

Their indifferent form has also meant that when they meet at the Emirates on April 2nd, it will be a fiercely contested match between two teams struggling to regain their stride amidst some rather disappointing results. If you use bwin’s True Form algorithm to calculate the recent form of the two teams, it shows how closely contested the game should be in the next round of Premier League fixtures. Even though the Gunners are playing at home they still aren’t considered favourites due to some shocking losses, such as against Watford at the Emirates where the Gunners were odds-on favourites to win. Also a comprehensive defeat at the hands of London rivals Chelsea means that True Form has seen that as a major indicator that City will come out victors on April 2nd.

In City’s last 5 games, they’ve been relatively consistent compared to Arsenal, which is an overriding factor as to why True Form sees them as slight favourites. Wins against West Ham, Swansea and Bournemouth as well as draws against top half teams Stoke and Liverpool has meant that they have played against better placed sides than Arsenal in their last five games, therefore being considered favourites by True Form because of their positive results.

However, regardless of the stats that swing in favour of City, Arsenal will be hoping that playing against a likeminded free-flowing footballing team will give Özil, Sanchez, Walcott and Ramsey the room to breathe and express themselves even when the Gunners are at their most vulnerable. The Lincoln game was meant to be a building block to help them regain some sort of title-challenging form. But every season has its set backs, let’s just hope that was the last of them, and we don’t have to see Tony Pulis again until the next campaign.

The Arsenal in Limbo

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I write this, two days after Arsene Wenger informed us that he knows what he intends to do about his future, and that he will share this with us, very soon. Sadly, this leaves the football world in limbo as far as Arsenal are concerned. The press are having a field day. Fans are openly warring all over social media and radio phone ins shows are full of pundits and former players having their two-penneth worth.

I’m not sure what purpose a statement like this serves ? The only rational conclusion seems to be that it deflects from the dreadful performance, away to West Brom ? Or, perhaps it’s a cunning plan by Wenger to flush out the two sides and get a good handle on public opinion before committing himself to the new deal that’s, supposedly, on the table ?

Either way, we seem to fast approaching the end game. We are on a dreadful run and its going to be tough to get back into the top four. The FA Cup has three other strong sides left in it, so that’s another very difficult route. Even a cup win would only feel like small consolation this season.

The fanbase is very divided although the tide has definitely turned in favour of the out side. There has long been a very vocal out group, often undermining their own effectiveness with uncalled for personal abuse towards Wenger. But now we are seeing a more measured and moderate group asking for change. This isn’t the rantings of a few disgruntled fans but a ground swell of opinion.

Of those who want a new contract for Wenger, most accept that something isn’t quite right at the club and lay the blame at the door of Kroenke and the board. There is still a large number who believe Arsene’s hands have been tied and he has performed miracles on a limited budget.

There are also those who oppose the manager and the board and hold them jointly liable to what has happened to the club. They claim Kroenke is only in it for the money and that a top four finish guarantees to swell the coffers. They also insist that Wenger can do nothing to get the sack so long as the money keeps rolling in, and because of this he has taken his eye off the ball and is coasting.

I don’t want to debate the rights and wrongs and the merits of each camps arguments. I’m not sitting on the fence, my personal opinion just isn’t relevant to this article. But if everyone’s opinion has a modicum of truth the final outcome will be resolved before the end of the season.

If Wenger feels he has lost the fans and/or the dressing room he will announce his departure at the end of the season in the next week or so. If Kroenke is all about the money then he wont miss the fact that Champions League qualification is looking very dodgy. He will also be wary of rewarding an unpopular manager with a two year deal knowing that if form doesn’t turn round quickly he could be stuck with around a £20 million compensation package to fund. A hard headed businessman will be fully aware that a new manager will want to assess the current squad and bring in summer additions. He will also know that £20 million wasted on compensation could be well used in wages to tempt new blood.

It’s difficult to see any scenario where Wenger is able to sign a new deal without a backlash from the fans. Not impossible, but it’s looking less likely that Wenger will be in charge next season. One things for sure though, something has to give one way or another. I just hope the priority for everyone who loves Arsenal is the club and the whole thing doesn’t turn into a farce as its seems to be in danger of at the moment.

MD

Revealed: Who paid for the “Respect Wenger” banner?

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Throughout the last week, Arsenal Twitter was awash with talk of a fundraising campaign to raise money to fly a plane demanding “Wenger Out” and “No New Contract”.

Late on Friday, rumours circulated that due to weather conditions, the plane might not be able to circulate The Hawthornes.

During the first half of yesterday’s dismal display, the sound of a small aircraft above the ground seemed to go on forever. Unable to see the plane, I turned to a pal and said “they must have paid for a lot of flight time”. It was only at half time that we were aware that there were two banners. One proclaiming that Wenger should go, the second one declaring that we need to trust and respect Wenger.

With the secrecy and surprise of the second banner, there was only one conclusion to be made, that a single individual, or very small group of individuals, had paid for the second plane.

Hiring planes is not cheap. The Wenger Out one required a very public crowd funding campaign. The Respect Wenger one had zero publicity. No fundraising campaign. Clearly the actions of of a small group who people who worked in the background, silently, to organise and pay for it.

The company who flew the planes confirmed that the second plane was ordered by a company in Hong Kong. Not a surprise that it had been paid for by a couple of rich foreign fans. But further digging has potentially shown something beyond a rich fan wanting to publicaly back Arsenal Wenger.

A little research by some Arsenal fans have a uncovered Hong Kong firm called Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd.


A little Wikipedia search on this company shows that Jardine Matheson Holdings are a conglomerate based in, you guessed it, Hong Kong. Closely associated with this company for over 100 years are the Keswick family. Sir Henry Keswick is the chairman. The MD is Ben Keswick, son of Sir Henry’s brother, Simon.

The CEO (or DMD) is Adam Keswick. He is the son of Sir Henry’s other brother, Sir John Chippendale Lindley Keswick known as “Chips”.

Now the pieces are falling into place. We have a banner paid for in Hong Kong, a Hong Kong company run by the son, brother and nephew of the Chairman of Arsenal. A man who has reportedly previously paid for an anti-Usmanov banner within the Emirates.

The second banner and “banner wars” bought a bit of a smile to my face on a dark, dark day. But the fact the second banner could have been bought and paid for by a company with connections to the  Chairman of Arsenal Football Club leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

Keenos