Tag Archives: She Wore

Nothing to fear from Wigan

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It’s only bloody Wigan.

OK, I might be setting myself up for a fall here, but are we really so worried about playing Wigan? They are a Championship side with Championship players. We are 4th in the Premier League.

Put another way, had we just drawn them in the League Cup, we would be expecting us to put out our reserve side, and still get a victory. So despite us having up to 11 injuries, we should still have the players on the pitch to combat whatever they have to throw at us.

A potential line up of Fabianski, Sagna, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Arteta, Ramsey, Kallstrom, Gnabry, Giroud, Cazorla should be more than enough. A side littered with international’s. A side littered with quality. And what do Wigan have? Not much.

Yes, we might be in a spot of poor form, with just 2 wins in 9 games, but Wigan’s form is not much better. 2 wins in 6. They will also have one eye on ensuring a play off place and a return to the Premier League.

Wigan should be no problem. I do not understand the fear that is being generated with Arsenal fans. It’s only Wigan. Yes, if we were playing them at rugby, I would be concerned, but we are not, it’s football. This is our game.

Arsenal fans are deeply scared with the history of cup defeats. This is the fear which is in the fans mind this weekend. From Cardiff to Walsall, Ipswich to West Ham, Luton to Wrexham, Bradford to Blackburn, we are littered with being giant killed.

But this is Wigan. The odds dictate that, in a one off game, we will lose eventually. Before the Blackburn defeat, we had never lost under Arsene Wenger to a team in a league below us. Odds dictated that the run would end eventually, and it did. The odds are now in our favour. Wigan should not be a problem.

Tomorrow, wake up with a smile on your face. Do a few star jumps to get the blood circulating. Get down the boozer of your choice. Have a couple of bevies. Get yourself down Wembley and cheer the team to victory.

Keenos

Arsene Wenger to leave this summer

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I write this with a heavy heart this morning. Having been at the 3-0 defeat away to Everton, on the back of a draw against Swansea, and a thrashing by Chelsea, it is time, time for Arsene Wenger to go.

A little over a year ago, Andre Villas Boas famously said: “they are in a negative spiral in terms of results, to [get] out of that negative spiral is extremely difficult.”. How we all mocked him as Arsenal shot down the ten Tottenham points in the gap.

This year, however, we are in a negative spiral. In our last 11 games, we have won 3, drawn 4 and lost 4. DWLDWLWLDDL. The Premier League form guide for the last 6 games does not make pretty reading:Form GuideThe team is falling apart. And the buck has to stop with Wenger. When I look at the team that started yesterday, it contained 9 players who are regularly picked in the squad of their international side, and a total of 510 caps. It was not like we had a bunch of untried kids out there.

If the players are as good as they are, and we are unable to compete against Everton, let alone get a point, the buck must stop with the manager. Our capitulation against Everton, against Chelsea, against Manchester City, against Liverpool, is simply not acceptable. I often back Wenger by saying ‘name someone who can do a better job’. But surely there is someone out there who can do a better job then 0 points away against the top 5, conceding 20 goals.

Our results against the top 7 this year have been shambolic:

Liverpool: 2-1 / 1-5
Chelsea: 0-0 / 0-6
Manchester City: 1-1 / 3-6
Everton: 1-1 / 0-3
Tottenham: 1-0 / 1-0
Manchester United: 0-0 / 0-1

Played 12, Won 3, Drawn 4, Lost 5, F 10 A 24, Points 13.

13 points out of 36. Those games make up nearly a third of our season. How we can expect to compete for the league, let alone win the league, with that return. And it is a double edged sword. Not only did we only take 5 points from our title rivals, they took 11 from us. It is not good enough. Wenger is not good enough.

The side is lacking confidence, it is lacking quality. Yes, after 22 games, we were top. In a 3 horse race for the title. Now we risk coming 5th. That has to come down to the manager. OK, you could point to injuries, but how many years have we done that?

All the injuries expose is a) our medical process and b) our lack of squad depth. Whilst Manchester City have had a choice of Dzeko, Negrado & Jovetic. If Giroud get’s an injury or loses form, we have the choice of Bendtner or Sanogo.

As for our captain, Thomas Vermaelen, a lot of the talk has been ‘if he leaves we need to replace him’. After another inept display, it should not be down to him, he should be sold and replaced. He looks disinterested and is not the committed player he was during his first season for us. He should be shipped out. And the vice-captain is no better.

I am not being reactionary. Did I expect us to go and spank Everton? No I did not, they are a very good side, the 5th best in the Premier League. But it was our lack of fight. Our lack of chances. The way we played. When we went 1-0 down, I turn to my mate and said “that’s that then”. We just do not look like scoring.

The fact is, we are not good enough. We have £100m sitting in the bank. I know this has not been there a long time, but it is negligible that more was not spent in the summer, or in January.

Do I still think Wenger is the best man for the job? Perhaps. Yes. But that is based on the fact that he must spend. He must give his 10 transfer targets to the board, and let them sign the players he wants. He must not be let to dither over an extra couple of million. Hand the targets over, let the board, Dick Law, Ivan Gazidas, whoever, sign the players. Likewise, if we need a bit of extra cash to complete a spending spree, the board should release it. The money is in the club.

If he tells the board he is happy with the squad, that he only wants 1 or 2 new players, then that is it, ship him out. Get the new man in. A man willing to spend big. A man who will motivate the players. Yes, he might not win away to Chelsea, Manchester City or Liverpool next year, but a new man would certainly get the team putting up a better performance. Not accept capitulation. Not accept mediocrity.

Is it time for Wenger to go? My heart says no, my head says yes.

Keenos

Final Note: Let today be a day of negativity. Get it out of your system. Then tomorrow wake up. Be positive. We have an FA Cup semi final to win on Saturday.

Nine free transfer’s that could interest Arsenal

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Julian Speroni (Crystal Palace)

The Crystal Palace legend has proven this year he is a decent Premier League keeper. Palace are currently stalling on a new contract until their Premier League survival is confirmed. If we are looking for a back-up for Wojciech Szczesny, we could do far worse. He ticks all the right boxes. Experienced, Premier League quality, lives in London & would see sitting on our bench as a step up. At 34, he would jump to end his career at a big club. Although he does love Palace…

Robert Green (QPR)

Much in the same was as Speroni, Robert Green would become a decent 2nd choice goal keeper. With QPR’s promotion challenge faltering, a move to a Premier League club would interest him. Might not be a big name, however he would be the right name.

Mickael Landreau (Bastia)

The 34 year old French goal keeper has played 750 games. In the short term, he has the ability to compete with Szczesny for the number 1 spot. In the long term, he would be a very good number 2.

Mario Gaspar (Villarreal)

With Bacary Sagna still yet to sign a new contract, and with Hector Bellerin and Carl Jenkinson not read / good enough for the first team, an option could be to go for Mario Gasper, the 23 year old right back of Villarreal. A Spanish Youth International. Quick ,with good defensive awarness, he could develop into a long term replacement for Sagna.

Younes Kaboul (Tottenham)

Last week we were linked with the Frenchman. Whilst he has come out on twitter denying a move to Arsenal, a deal could well still happen. At 28, the French centreback is in his prime. Were Thomas Vermaelen to leave for pastures new, he would be a very compotent replacement, with the added bonus of being free.

Joleon Lescott (Manchester City)

Like with Kaboul, interest in Lescott would only materialise if Vermaelen left. A solid, if not exceptional centre back, you’d think he could do a job as back up for Merteseacker and Koscielny. However, just 8 games this season in the league, and with Demichelis starting ahead of him, the question would be ‘has he lost it’.

Alex (PSG)

The former Chelsea centre back has already been linked with Manchester United. He would be able to provide serious competition to Koscielny and Mertesacker at the centre of the defence.

Jeremy Menez (PSG)

If we are looking to increase our strength in depth on the wings and add some pace to the side, Jeremy Menez could be the answer. A left winger with a beautiful right foot, he would be a much cheaper option than Julian Draxler. If I were manager? I would snap up Menez no matter what happens with the Draxler deal.

Tom Ince (Blackpool)

Whilst some are talking about bidding for Wilfried Zaha, Tom Ince, on a free transfer, could provide better value. Whilst he might not have the class or ability to ever become a 1st choice winger from Arsenal, he would add a bit of squad depth and pace. Things sorely missed this season.

Keenos