Supporting Arsenal – Page 6

How DB10 re-inspired me: ‘Stillness and Speed’

January 30, 2014January 30, 2014TotalArsenal

‘Stillness and Speed’, by Dennis Bergkamp – A Review.

In terms of footballing autobiographies I am not very widely read; I think the extent of my involvement is Perry Groves’s (which was ridiculously funny in places, but amounted to essentially a collection of anecdotes) and Kenny Sansom’s, which I still haven’t finished. However, having spent four days immersed in Dennis Bergkamp’s experiences, I have emerged from my self-imposed exile from humanity with a much more satisfied glow than these other former Gunners provided, or threatened to provide. I feel now much more like I did at the end of Fever Pitch: pleased that God made me Gooner, and privileged to enjoy football in a way that only a Gooner can (and as Nick Hornby pointed out, this sometimes involves intense disappointment, frustration and hatred). If you’re looking for an objective review, you’re probably on the wrong website. I don’t want to ruin this book for anyone either, so my review won’t mention anything in great detail, as I could not do any of what was said justice by rehashing it into my own words.

Overall one of the best things I found was that the narrative isn’t a ghost writer imposing his own linguistic artistry onto Dennis’s thoughts and portraying them as his own, but rather a transcript of interviews with him and others who knew enough about him to add something worthwhile to the book (family, friends, colleagues and bosses from the teams he played for – notably Ian WWW, Thierry Henry and AW).

As I read the first few pages, I began to realise why I didn’t become a professional footballer (as I had wanted to when I was 6), or even very good at football at all: the attention to detail that Dennis put into everything, particularly football, was incomprehensible to me; and the feeling that he understood deeply something I only ever see superficially grew as the book progressed, as he spoke about distances between players, angles, manipulating space on the pitch, working for the team and making the perfect pass.

As an Arsenal fan, knowing where the book was headed even at the beginning, I was delighted to learn that he had put in more time and effort as a kid playing football on the street than I have ever had the concentration to put into football – he would aim for particular bricks in the wall he used to kick a ball against and constantly test out what happened when the ball rebounded in this way or that, or when he changed variable x, y or z.

Another impressive trait I observed was that of him not objecting to other people seeing events differently to him: he called it having their own truth, and he encouraged the authors to get the points of view honestly from others involved, such as at Inter Milan, where he doesn’t seem to have had a very good time. And although he would defend himself against some of what was said it would only be to put across his own view.

Turns out Dennis Bergkamp doesn’t like to do things the way other people do them.

That’s why he signed for Inter instead of Milan, opting against joining the Dutch trio who enjoyed enormous success there, where he would have been able to integrate pretty easily with van Basten and co, but would have become just another player scoring lots of goals: he wanted to make a distinct mark. It is also one of the reasons why, when he left Inter, he signed for us rather than the Spuds where Hoddle, one of his favourite players, had made a mark. Whatever the reason, and really the story of every human life hinges on decisions which may be made on little more than a whim, he signed for Arsenal and he has Arsenal in his blood now.

It was illuminating reading about situations at Highbury when Bruce Rioch was appointed; this was a time when the information superhighway was more of a dirt track, and one I was not connected to: most of my ‘knowledge’ of football came from Amiga games, and I was more concerned with whether Arsenal had beaten Villa or Man United than I was with who our manager was. From the time he was appointed to the time he departed, all I knew about him was that he’d been the Bolton manager when they’d knocked us out of the FA Cup. I didn’t realise he’d had a vision for Arsenal to play attractive football too.

Despite my comments about Perry Groves’s book earlier, autobiographies would be nothing without anecdotes, and once Dennis has signed for Arsenal there are a good few of them, and as a Gooner a lot of them made me giddy with excitement, as I’m sure they will you lot too.

I know I said I didn’t want to spoil it but if you don’t know the one about his first meeting with Ian Wright, you’re in for a treat; in general however it was exhilarating to see what other people at Arsenal had to say about him, particularly Thierry and Wrighty, who played up front alongside him. I get the impression that it was really at Arsenal he was allowed to become the footballer he wanted to be and his commitment to the team (whichever one he was playing for) is something that is reflected in the way he takes pleasure as much in his assists as he does in his goals.

It is lovely to relive his great goals as well though: another reminder as to why I was never going to play football for a living though as he talked me through his decision making processes and the attendant awareness of everything around him on the pitch. The goal against Newcastle still has me in awe, as does the one for Holland at the World Cup.

Discussions of his experiences at Ajax, Inter and Arsenal lend themselves naturally to delicious considerations of his footballing ideology both by himself and others, notably Johan Cruyff, AW and Thierry. Certain transfer decisions are cast into lights we may not have considered before too, which, whilst objectively uninteresting, is still of immense interest to (certain) Gooners. I was just annoyed Vieira to Juve wasn’t one of them.
I’m not a literature buff so I don’t read many books more than once, but this is certainly one I will come back to. Because of Stillness and Speed, my three-year-old can now recognise DB10 and AW, and I feel like a better informed Gooner for reading it.

I cannot recommend it highly enough, especially to Gooners.

Written by: Jozefos2013

For another review, see this Guardian link:

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/sep/21/dennis-bergkamp-arsenal-love-game

Lack of Attitude? My Arsenal! Southampton afterthoughts

January 29, 2014January 29, 2014TotalArsenal

Southampton – Arsenal: after thoughts.

Thanking 'Voetbal International' for picture. — Thanking ‘Voetbal International’ for picture.

In summary:

For a large part of the first half Arsenal were outplayed. The Saints had great movement and were more energetic, stronger and passed the ball round really well; and we did not have an answer to it – at least not until the end of the first half, when we were gradually getting back into the game. During the second half, we turned it round fantastically well, initially; only to be surprised by our own success and drop our concentration, leading to us conceding so quickly the equaliser, which cost us most probably two points as a result – and the Flame’s red and yellow mist did not help either.

Gaining a point from that game is still not a bad outcome, but we were given a lifeline to get all three and did not take it, which is disappointing. On the balance of the night – and that is all we have to take into account – a draw was a fair result. Now it is all about OGAATing on and the ‘bouncebackability’ of both the players AND the supporters: bring on Crystal Palace!

I saw the game on a tiny screen with interruptions, so cannot do justice to a full match review. From what I could see, it appeared that the FlamTeta wall was too easily breached and did not offer the expected, and much needed, solidity; neither was it able to support our ‘attacking four’ sufficiently. We were hemmed in by the Saints – just like we often hem in our opponents – and they deserve great credit for it: we were out-total-footballed in the first half. Chapeau, Respect and all that!

It would be good to hear your views why this was the case: lack of fitness, lack of communication, or simply superb Saints tactics?

I also thought Southampton threatened our full backs continuously last night and, despite good efforts by Gnabry and Santi to support them, they were made to look exposed a lot.

The first goal was all-round bad defending by the team, and that is all I want to say about it. Our equaliser was an act of power by Sagna and precision finishing by OG. Our second goal was well taken by Santi. Their equaliser was the biggest disappointment of the night. Sagna could have done better, but nobody picking up the run of the very impressive Lallana was the real issue here. If you score two goals away, you should come home with all three points…. no?

Flamini and Arteta should never have allowed this situation to developed, as they should have closed up shop straight after us taking the lead. But euphoria often makes the head go dizzy and that is probably why a team is at its weakest just after taking the lead. So this can happen in a game. What probably cost us dearly, though, was Flamini’s sending off. He should have known better.

Not for a single moment, did I blame the attitude of the players last night; but I was still not surprised to see many fellow Gooners – on BK and other places – doing just that.

To blame the players for a lack of motivation and not turning up for the game is a gross injustice and, quite simply, a lack of understanding of the game and our team in particular.

The first team Arsene put out yesterday are all fighters, hard workers and responsibility takers: each and every one of them.

Supporters continuously act like they are managers on blogs, and I am no exception; although, half of the time we are not aware of this. ‘Blog managers’ can be divided into Theory X and Theory Y managers, as per Douglas McGregor’s famous ‘Theory X and Theory Y’. Theory X blog managers distrust their players and think they are basically lazy and can only be motivated by money. They also love to blame someone – players, manager and Board members – for any failure. As per Wikipedia’s description of the Theory X manager:

‘The Theory X manager tends to believe that everything must end in blaming someone. He or she thinks all prospective employees are only out for themselves. Usually these managers feel the sole purpose of the employee’s interest in the job is money. They will blame the person first in most situations, without questioning whether it may be the system, policy, or lack of training that deserves the blame.’

‘Theory Y blog managers’ tend to believe that players want to do well and give their all for the club, and are not purely motivated by earning a lot of money and their status. As per Wiki:

‘A Theory Y manager believes that, given the right conditions, most people will want to do well at work. They believe that the satisfaction of doing a good job is a strong motivation.’

Over the years, working in various businesses and following Arsenal passionately simultaneously, I have learned that employees AND footballers can be roughly divided into two groups: those with a passionate commitment and those with a calculated commitment. The first group is more driven by intrinsic motivation to do a good job first and for all (and are sucked dry by most companies as they are usually the main drivers for their success), and the latter one is mainly motivated by money and status – sometimes described as mercenaries (they are usually tolerated by companies/clubs because of either their excellent derrière moistening abilities and/or they possess a technical/rare skill set).

In my opinion, Arsenal now have a team – carefully picked by Arsene over the last few years – with only passionately committed players in the core team. Of the eleven starters last night, Szczesny, Sagna, Koz, BFG, Flamini, Nacho, Arteta, Cazorla, Giroud, Ozil…. are all players with a passionate commitment, rather than a calculative one. Whether Gnabry has this as well is too early to say, but first signs are promising.

There are no mercenaries left in our core team: they all work hard and give their all; and they did so again last night. Rather than blame the attitude of a few players, or even the whole team, for us dropping valuable points, I strongly recommend we focus on the technical, tactical and quality aspects of last night’s performance and avoid knee-jerking. That is what Bergkampesque is all about.

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Bergkampesque is an inclusive blog and we welcome constructive comments from Gooners and other supporters: the more the merrier. We always welcome new bloggers to comment and share in the debate as long as they stick to the blog guidelines (see at top of page).

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TotalArsenal.

When Football Doesn’t Matter—Why Then Do We Post?

January 19, 2014TotalArsenal

Another post from 17HT in the wake of events beyond football. New readers (or those confused…) please see the comments from the past two posts.

Author’s note: The ongoing tribulations of poster “James Bond” combined with my own personal life experiences have led to the following reflections…

We live in a wondrous and modern world, and yet the essential problems remain. Human relations have changed and yet they haven’t. Our world (at its very best…) still revolves around Love. If we risk love we risk losing that love. In fact, in our heart of hearts, we KNOW that we WILL lose the object(s) of our love. As such, it is an act of great bravery to do so—to engage with each other and give ourselves, wholly and without reservation, to one another.

The internet is a different ball of wax (as we say, over here in the States)… If you don’t like what’s on one page, click on another…If somebody says something you don’t like, you can disappear for a few days (or forever…), gather your thoughts, and come back when you’re ready. Or (more commonly…) you can respond instantaneously from behind the safety of your screen and keyboard. Hell, if you’ve got nobody to talk with, you can even create multiple personalities and carry both sides of the argument. 😆

Following Arsenal on the internet (for me) has shown some of the worst and some of the best elements of this new world of human communication. No matter what, the football goes on, as does the conversation about it. No matter what’s going on in our personal lives, we can go on-line and exult (or complain) about our team. The usual characters–the manager, the players, the owner, the other posters– will be there for us. With the latter group we can argue positives to the gloomiest of gloom-mongers or bring down the most positive optimist. The important thing, maybe, is that it’s different from our day-to-day. In many ways, it’s an extension of the old way—trudging down to the stadium and supporting (or having a go at) the lads and sharing a cheer or a moan with your mates…

And best of all…None of it matters. Or maybe… ALL of it matters…

Here on Bergkampesque the assumption, I think, is closer to the ALL of it matters. Yes, people come on to hate and denounce, and certainly venting happens. Some have to be banned, others chased off. The regulars, however, are bonded by (nothing less than some strange form of…) kinship or tribalism or shared affection for something bigger than ourselves. To varying extents, we idealize the club, the players (when they perform to our liking), and (some of us at least…) the manager. Certainly the player for whom the site is named conjures an ideal of intelligence and teamwork. And the man himself pursued it with an unparalleled professionalism. If we can bring these qualities to our support, we can (almost…) believe that we too can enhance the club. Of course, even Dennis had his moments of frustration. If we can forgive him his, we should likely forgive ourselves our own…

One of our own, a guy we’ve never met and whose real name we are unsure of, is going through a VERY (very, very…) tough time. We pray that he is getting the face-to-face support and love that he needs. That he turned to us to share his experience speaks volumes. That we’ve tried, in whatever way we can, to offer our words in return speaks to the fact that we have created an environment where that is okay.

The tragedy of poster “James Bond” has affected me. As I said in the comments, his story hits home for me even if the memory of its immediacy is a long way back. It’s nothing more than words on a screen, but it IS more.

Strange, but true. It’s also true that I can switch it off and watch a match or get outside or just turn my thoughts to my own issues. That’s human nature. A better part of human nature is to share with others. Pain is the flip side of Joy, and it could be argued that you cannot have the one without the other. Our culture tries to sell us pain-free Joy, but we know (in some deep place) that the truth is different. To the extent that Bond has shared his pain with us, I want to thank him. Feeling it (attempting in my own small way to absorb the fullness of it) makes me a better person. To the extent that I can help him feel less alone (and it’s a very, very, very puny extent…) in this brutal moment, I would like him to feel less alone.

The rest of the world including Arsenal and your fellow BKers are here for you, 007, whenever you’re ready… From personal experience, I know that it’s good to have places you can go that are away from the bigger issues. This may or may not be such a spot. You’ve shared a lot, and those of us who’ve been with you through this will always know you differently. In my opinion, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with knowing people more completely and more deeply, even if you never meet them.

Finally, from your comments earlier, I know that you would like us to pivot back to our shared love, Arsenal Football Club. I believe Gerry and Dylan have posts related to yesterday’s match, and I think Total will be publishing them as the week moves on. For now, having watched some up and down matches of mayhem (I’m talking yesterday’s Liverpool-Aston Villa 2-2 and today’s wins by Spurs and Chelsea, as well as highlights of other matches, notably the Man City-Cardiff City match…) I’d like to talk a little football myself.

I’d direct people to the league table. There’s separation there and a gap to the top 3 teams: Arsenal-51, Manchester City-50, Chelsea-49. I couldn’t be prouder of my football club right now. Through spirit, grit, collective play, and continuity we’re competing with clubs who have owners literally (or is it “figuratively”…?) burning money to keep warm. Those “assembled” squads are right on our tails, point-wise, and they will be (exquisitely) tough to beat as the season grinds on, but they are nowhere near what we have created as a team. It may seem outmoded to suggest such things, and the difference between players who cost £50 million (Torres, who didn’t even play today…) vs. those who cost €50 million (Özil) is very slight, but there IS a big gulf between players who work together as a team (and a manager who has committed HIS future to his club’s future) vs. the merely hired ones. Maybe it’s similar to blogs that merely “tolerate” comments vs. one that is hoping to build a community of like-minded supporters of a beautiful club playing a beautiful game and where it’s (even) acceptable to believe that results (and tables) don’t always tell the whole story. Maybe that’s why we have to write about it (even if it’s” just” in the comments, like Mr. Bond)…

So (as an aging American hipster–such as I–might say…), “Right On”….or (better yet), “WRITE ON”…007, and everybody else, on whatever topic you wish, including the title race, yesterday’s match, or the bigger issues…

By 17highburyterrace

Economics, Terror Windows and why we pay more for the same thing…

January 8, 2014January 8, 2014TotalArsenal

So, another terror/transfer window (TW) is upon us and just in time for the injury gods to strike down our own TW (Theo Walcott), along with the usual other collateral damage of the holiday season (Bendtner, Ozil, Ramsey, …. list until squad is finished).

However, like modern asymmetric warfare, terror, in this case the TW, and should we add an ! to that, TW!, is the solution. A chance to buy what you need, and loan out (metaphor for leave at the curb) that which you don’t. It sparks something akin to Christmas fever among otherwise sane adults who suddenly dream of that star ST, DM, CB, RB, … that might be “theirs” for just (insert large number of millions). All SQ of course! 🙂

So, we know right away that the TW! Is like a car. Put a normally sane person in one and you may well end up with a wild-eyed crazy person. This article is about adding some sanity and fun economics to ever growing lists of “what we need,” where just today I read an article that for just 7 new starters Arsenal will be solid for the rest of the year.

Seven!? That’s not a change, it’s a whole new team, kind of like Spurs this year, who have done oh so well with that plan!

Anyway, we all know the basics and have discussed them ad nauseum, but let us review so I can get my word count up:

Release clause: specifies the amount of money for which a player may leave, key point here, if they wish to. No car lot bargaining here, stump up and a willing player is yours. Imagine if the car could look at you and go “nah, I don’t think that he/she is my type of owner, …”
Available: an adjective describing the state of being open to offers. Often overused in the TW! To mean “desperately desiring”
Interest: a noun that means lightly intrigued in principle, but in a TW! It suffers inflation to mean “stalking and acting quite anti-socially weird”

All of which is to say that all wish lists are subject to a player in question being willing to leave if a suitable deal arrives and they have a release clause, as well as a team being willing to part with that player for a price if they don’t.

Lesson 1: Embrace Reality: It’s all well and good to say “get XXX” and all his friends, but if he isn’t interested in Arsenal or moving just now, or his team won’t sell then … This is despite the fact that all supermodels desperately want me, even now, which is to say,

à It helps to see the world as it is rather than how you may want it to be.

Lesson 2: Strength from Scarcity: If a hundred SQ strikers were all available due to the simultaneous collapse of the Spanish, Italian and several other economies, then getting a good deal would be easy. Alas, never true when you need it! Scarcity is what drives prices in the TW! Scarcity, and fear of missing out on a one chance opportunity. How do you beat scarcity? You look for weak teams or those who need money, or who need something else even more. AW knows this, and has basically said so, good economist that he is, and we see it every game that Santi and Nacho play. And Ozil, and many others who were bought for needed money when the time was right. Players entering the last year of their contracts, forcing teams to cash in before losing them on a free, in effect reverse scarcity, which is to say create desperation for the team, by their desire to leave. At least towards the end of a TW!

à Need and player are only two elements, timing matters. Who are the teams that need something even more and have the player we want? How can we create a reverse scarcity with the teams we deal with?

Lesson 3: Marginal is of central importance: An economist will tell you that when the price of a good and its value are about equal, you are in an area where small margins of interest or need determine the final price. Another way to look at it is that lower priced, more available players who turn out to be great, with some input work usually, are a far better bargain then buying a star. For Ozil’s 40M how many youngsters and training years could we have bought. Figure TW and AR together didn’t cost that much. Hence, AWs preference for youth, it’s a better buy. If you can wait.

à It would indicate that buying now should be an act of desperation. If we consider Lesson 2 then, the real moral of this story is to find someone more desperate. With some SQ to spare. Who are those teams? Who is this year’s Malaga or Anzhi?

Lesson 4: Prices are optional: The price set is optional. I can charge you $100 for a coffee from my brand new espresso machine, and 17HT might pay it! But, if you have other options (see Lesson 2, or Lesson 1 if you are addressing my price), then I likely wont get many buyers after 17.

However, more interestingly, they thus reveal information. The price set in a release clause for example shows not only the players value to the team, but also the added value they derive from not losing him. A form of insurance if you will. Find a desperate team and you will find that the second price component comes down, and you have a Santi or Nacho for example.

à Use the quoted price (and total cost) to determine how much a team feels “not losing” a player is worth to them. Who are the teams with a player we want who can “afford” to lose them the most?

Lesson 5: Much of business is figuring out how to get a customer to pay more for the same thing: This is fundamental and to me denotes much of the TW! You’re at the movies and of course you get overpriced popcorn. It’s like $10 for a small, and immediately the perky teenager behind the bar says “Would you like the next size up (appears to be about 50% more) for another $1?” Whoa, really?!? What a deal… And so we grow fatter. But, that’s not it really. What has really happened is that you paid $1 (10%) more for about $0.01 (1 cent) more of cost. I.e. you just paid more for the same thing!

TW! time concentrates the market and its desperation, and thus we pay more for the same thing. Far more then if we had a more open market. That should clearly point out that the TW! benefits not teams, nor players, but agents and leagues who profit directly and, by the publicity of large sums for players in their leagues, indirectly.

Please don’t go on about how we can make it up in shirt sales. I agree, but, that money also goes towards infrastructure development, paying the person who sells you your tickets or keeps Arsenal player online so Gerry and I can watch the games. Like a bonus or a tax return you should save, you can, or at least should, only spend it once.

The real question is how to pay the same for the same thing. Something I think AW has been very good at over the years but, with all the other lessons above, requires patience, and a willingness to be creative. We didn’t *need* Ozil, but he was available for the “same” price when you compare his cost to Bale for example.

Now, before you leap on the “he’s a cheapskate, kill him!” wagon. This is not about being cheap. Our friends across the way at Spurs are the classic case of paying more for the same thing. They took £80-100M of Bale money and spent it on just about a whole team. That played the same. One 40M Ozil or similar might have been a better deal and a way of paying less for more. ‘Nuff said!

à How can Arsenal and AW buy more for less or the same price, rather then paying more for the same thing (or less if you buy the “Arshavin Corollary”)? To me it’s about being creative, need a ST, buy a DM and play different perhaps… How can AW be creative and still get Arsenal where we want to be at the end of the year?

So, just some thoughts to keep in mind when reading those wish lists and figuring out who we might want and who we might get. Consider them tools to use in analyzing what might really be going on.

Who’s really willing? Who’s desperate? Who’s “scarce” and who’s not? Are we being super-sized to pay more for the same thing? Should we care? Who’s the player we don’t need that will turn out to be the player we absolutely needed (keeping in mind another midfielder wasn’t top of many folks lists this past TW!)?

What are your thoughts?

Cheers — jgc

What is the score The2-0 Wal2-0tt? Reflections on 12 tough days

January 6, 2014January 6, 2014TotalArsenal

ARSENAL v TOTTENHAM

A reflection of a demanding 12 days

Due to a mis-communication, the review is somewhat later than might have been the norm for such an important game like an NDL. But maybe we needed some time to celebrate the victory, without analysing the various aspects that went to produce such a stunning victory.

Perhaps Jack Wilshere summed it up best when he said … ‘Arsenal have clicked’?

So let me just roll the clock back to where our Christmas schedule began: December 23^rd, a home-tie against Chelsea. We had not won a match since December 4^th. We drew 1-1 in a very open game against Everton, Then lost away at Napoli in the Champions League, but it was enough to get us through to the group stages. Then came the dour home game with Chelsea that finished 0-0. Not surprising, given how few shots on target by either team. But that point is the difference between us and the rest of the chasing pack right now. It might have been a disappointment at the time, as a win would have pushed us 7 points clear, but less so now?

Three days later we travelled the short distance to West Ham. This was the game where we lost Aaron Ramsey, and welcomed the return of Podoski from the bench. Two goals from Theo Walcott and a sealer from Lukas Podolski, meant we ran out comfortable winners in the end. For Theo it was an impressive return to his best, after being shut out against Chelsea. It also got us back to winning ways.

Three days later we make the long trek to Newcastle, who were in impressive form themselves. Another game remembered for injuries and sickness before the game, and big ones in it: the changes that were made because Vermaelen and Monreal did not travel through sickness. Ozil was left behind because of a shoulder injury. Then, both Gibbs and Giroud came off with injuries that would mean they would miss the next two games at least.

Despite starting the stronger of the two sides, it took until 65^th minute for Olivier Giroud to have a glancing header and thus break the deadlock. It left it for Newcastle to dominate the final 20 minutes, but our defenders stayed calm and we secured a 0-1 victory. Those three points took us back to the top of the table going into the New Year, but it was MOTM performance by Tomas Rosicky that gave the team the drive and determination that helped maintain this winning sequence.

Yet another 2-day break before we took on Cardiff at home. Nacho Monreal recovered enough to replace Gibbs, while Jack Wilshere replaced Rosicky, who had a slight injury from the previous match. But it was over to Lukas Podolski, making his first start as the central striker, replacing the stricken Giroud, with Waclott continuing on the right and Santi Cazorla on the left. This game needs little in the way of refreshing the memory, it being the most recent. There was the disappointing return of Podolski as the main striker; and Cardiff seemingly able to keep us out. So it was no surprise to see him being replaced Nicholas Bendtner in the 65^th minute, along with Tomas Rosicky, after Flamini was withdrawn.

Almost immediately the balance of the team looked better, as Arsenal lay siege to the Cardiff goal. The dramatic concluding minutes will long remain in our memories? A nice interplay with Cazorla and Monreal and his cross to the far post, Sagna sees his header saved by the ‘keeper, but only to witness Bendtner arrive and rifle in a bullet across the goal and into the far corner.

1-0, but the drama did not end there. Nicky B landed on his right foot and it got caught under the diving keeper. Yet another injury, out for 4 weeks minimum with a sprained ankle. But he had barely made his assisted walk around the pitch to the much relieved fans applause, when a quick breakaway saw Walcott dink a second goal. His first home goal of the season. 2-0, and still TOTL!

That was the backdrop to this FA Cup and NLD match.

I felt it was worth taking that in, to place this fixture in context if you like. It was not just any Cup game. It was not just any NLD. It came on the back of some extreme physical effort from the entire squad that took part, and could be forgiven if the whole thing suffered because of it.

However, nothing could be further from the truth – apart from the opening few minutes when Spurs moved the ball about nicely, and a misplaced clearance by Koscielny went straight to Ericksen. He got first run on Sagna and only had Fabiansky to beat, but delayed too long and Fab blocked it away for a corner. Thereafter it was Arsenal who made the quick passes, got the better chances, and really dominated the game with ease.

We were superior in virtually every department. Spurs had moments of individual skill, but Arsenal had the collective skills, and it was that which proved decisive. Perhaps also, it was the speed at which we could move the ball forwards. No surprise then, that it was another master class from Mr Endeavor himself, Tomas Rosicky, who provided much of that, and for once he got his reward with a goal he created by that very tireless running that I speak of now. That was an individual moment which he thoroughly deserved.

However, in the collective spirit he was ably assisted in the running of Walcott, the interplay with Cazorla and Wilshere, but special mention has to go to Serge Gnabry. 18 years old, playing in his first NDL, indeed, having his first start since September, and he positively shined. His interplay with Walcott was great. The perfect pass for Cazorla’s goal was sublime. He made a couple of others of equal merit, and had a snap shot from the edge of the box that skimmed over the bar. If it was somebody’s first visit, they would not have known he was: a, not a regular team member; or b, just 18 years old, such was the mature performance he put in.

The second goal came about after Danny Rose thought he’d be clever and twist away from the rapidly closing Rosicky. So, in failing, and being the last defender, he doubled his ignominy when Rosi darted away for a one-on-one with the keeper, and delightfully chipped him with a sand wedge instep.

It was not a game without flashpoints. Wilshere squaring up to Bentaleb, the Spurs youngster, but the ref dealt with that quietly. Chiriches clipped Wilshere late, but advantage was played and he escaped a booking. Indeed, he escaped a ‘second’ one where he caught Walcott on the foot when he had no chance of getting the ball. A couple of penalty shouts, both denied.

Other things like injuries did not leave us alone though. First Vermaelen was replaced at half time with a cut just below the knee. Then, after we had changed Arteta and Wilshere for Flamini and Ozil – nice to have replacements like that? -Walcott picked up a knock, accidental this time, and had to be stretchered off.

This led to one of the photo moments of the game, as he was carried past the Spurs fans who, it is reported, sang some distasteful songs at him while he was being treated, to which, two fingers and a zero reminded them of the score. One for the album without doubt, but the unfortunate stretcher bearers received more missiles than some of their counterpart did at times in WW1.

Very sensitive, and no sense of humour these Spurs fans?

So the final 10 minutes or so we were down to 10 men. But even then the Spurs could not muster a worthwhile shot on goal.

It was expected to be a tough encounter, but with the ease that Spurs were brushed aside, I think we can safely say … …. ARSENAL HAVE CLICKED!

Discuss: Key battles?; Does 4-3-3 always beat 4-4-2?; Overall tactics?; Greater loss – Giroud or Walcott?; MOTM… majority say Rosicky, and I agree.

But remember what the squad has achieved over this short period is nothing short of a miracle, built on sheer hard graft and a collective desire to win, and keep winning.

Written by: Gerry.

How can Arsenal win the title? Your advice to Arsene Wenger

January 2, 2014January 2, 2014TotalArsenal

Isn’t fantastic, even a bit surreal, for Arsenal to still be top of the league at the start of 2014? I am always hopeful – even confident – we do well at the start of the season but to be ahead of the Oilers – South and North – and eleven points better off than Manure is well beyond my expectation.

It looks like the battle for the title will be between the Oilers and us. I expect Liverpool to come close to us one more time this season, but it looks like they have not got enough to really push us for the title. It is of course still early days to start pulling conclusions, but as we have played all the teams at least once now, we can say we were not embarrassed by any of them, except maybe the Northern Oilers who caught us at our weakest moment and at their ground. I wonder where we would be right now if we had played ManCity at the home of football and less fatigued: we could be five, even seven points clear from them now.

We also had bad games against Villa at home and Manure away. The former can happen but the latter was more than a bit disappointing, although we should take into account the fatigue factor as well after two big battles – and well earned wins – against Liverpool and Dortmund in the week prior to that match.

We played two of our three hardest away games already (both Manchester clubs), with the Chavs game still to come. We also have to go to the great football city of Liverpool, where we have to play both high-flying teams. Our recent record against Everton and Liverpool is good, but this year round it will be hard to take six points from the North-West.

I reckon we will battle it out with Chelsea and ManCity for the title right till the end. MC have the far harder second part of the season with away games against Liverpool, Arsenal, Everton, Manure, and Spuds still to come. Given that they have been quite poor away from home, there is real hope they will fall away gradually despite their impeccable home record.

The hardest challenge for the title is most likely to come from Maureen’s Chavs, who have played most top teams away already (only fellow Oilers to play away) and are starting to find more consistency in their away performances. If they can improve their away form further, it will be very hard for us to beat them to the title, I fear.

It amazes me how many pundits make excuses for Maureen’s current team – some even feel he is doing really well ‘given the circumstances’. Chelsea are apparently missing a striker, but they are having a laugh with the likes of Torres, Eto, Demba Ba and Schurrle in the team.

Chelsea, with Maureen’s natural safe (yes boring), defensive football style and an embarrassment of riches in midfield and attack are of course the favourites for the title. If we were to beat them to it, Arsene will have done extremely well IMO. To achieve this, we will need a lot of luck and to reinvigorate the team through tactical changes and/or arrival of new players in this transfer window….. or should we stick to what we have and how we play and change nothing…..

My question to you, fine fellow Gooners is:

Can Arsenal win the title this year, and what do we need to do to achieve it?

Imagine – as just a bit of fun – you have one minute in a lift going up with Arsene Wenger today, and he asks you what you would do/change to win the title this year: what would you say?

Written by: TotalArsenal.

Why Arsenal will still be ToTL on New Years Day…and win the League

December 21, 2013December 21, 2013TotalArsenal

Chelsea, West Ham, Newcastle, and Cardiff: Four games to renew our statement of intent.

Much has been made about our loss against the Northern Oilers by the media, and IF we were to lose to the Southern Oilers on Monday as well, expect it to get much, much worse. We the supporters need to stay calm and focus on the war rather than the battles. This is not a tournament but a 38 stages competition, and the only thing that really matters is, who will have collected most points after the last round of games in May.

I think we will finally beat the Maureen-Chavs on Monday if the referee is fair and consistent, but this is for another post, which our esteemed fine fellow Gooner 17HT will provide. But ultimately, it is really just another game; not more or less important as the next game and the game after that. Beat the Chavs and lose to the Hammers, or vice versa, and it’s still three points lost.

We are entering a period of 216 hours in which we will play four times and twelve points are at stake.

I predict that over the four festive season games all top teams will have won and lost about the same number of points; it is how it usually goes around this time of the year. Key for us is to stay focused whether we beat the Chavs or not: quickly forget the result and move on to the next game. I also predict we will still be ToTL after New Years Day with a gap of two to three points with the rest.

I believe the recent adversity combined with a well-needed nine day rest will form the perfect platform for an Arsenal ‘through-start’, and it might well be that we will actually do better than our competition between now and 1^st January. The combination of wanting to make up for the losses against Napoli and Citeh and a period of rest and regrouping of the troops, should serve us well in making a renewed statement of intent.

Why we are going to win the League

Structurally, there are four aspects to our game that make us a strong contender to win the league this season:

Consistency and stability at the club: experienced and loyal manager and support staff, good long term plan and financial stability, money to add quality to the squad in January and hold on to our current talents.
Best away record in the League (together with the Spuds). Arsenal won 16 points from 24 away, despite having played both Manchester teams away already; four more than Pool and five more than the Chavs and an amazing eight more than the Northern Oilers.
Despite conceding six last Saturday, our defence is still slightly meaner – conceding 17 goals in 16 matches – than our direct title competitors Pool, Chavs and Citeh with all conceding 18 goals until now. With the BFG rested and an eager Verminator back in the team, and the rest of the ‘back-five’ fit and raring to go, we should see a continuation of our meanness in defence, which is absolutely vital for winning the league.
Despite having played without last season’s plus-ten PL goals scorers Walcott and Podolski for most of the season until now (and Santi for a large part), we still managed to score third most goals in the league and we have the third best goal difference at the moment. There is space in our team to play the current Arsenal PL top scorers Giroud, Ramsey and Ozil with two of Theo, Pod and Cazorla. Once we can field such an attacking line-up on a regular basis we should expect the big scores, especially at home, to become more regular, and score more goals all round.

Our home record is good but not as great as our direct competition, with especially Citeh performing well in front of their crowd. We need to score more at home, but other than that we are doing fine if it was not for that horrible first game against the Villans. Of course, we can also strengthen the team in January and we’ll see whether that will happen. But for me, there are some good structural reasons why we will build further on our current FANTASTIC position and win the league come May.

Keep believing and supporting with all you’ve got fine, fellow Gooners, and let’s keep our eyes on the price by focussing on one game at a time (OGAAT). This team is going to win the League.

Written by: TotalArsenal.

It’s Just One Loss: 5 Reasons for Optimism

December 17, 2013December 17, 2013TotalArsenal

After our season opening loss to Aston Villa at home, many Gooners everywhere were very very down and pessimistic. As a result of this, our very own Total Arsenal asked me (one of a few optimistic Gooners) to write a post to try to bring optimism back to people. Now we find ourselves in a similar situation, and TA has asked me to do this once again. So let’s start this off:

1. We’re in first place!

Guys! We are top of the league and lost to a team unbeaten at home! If someone had told you after that Villa loss that you would be disappointed in the team after game-week 16 when we would be top of the table….. you would tell them that they were insane. Look at the positives. We’re still top and we now have 9 days until we play a team that just barely ground out a wi against CrystalPalace this weekend. This team is good enough to win games, and overall, being in first is technically the best position we could be in. You could argue that points and goal differential are issues, but we’re in first. We just have to focus and not make any more mistakes like that.

2. We still have players to return from injury!

Podolski and Oxlade-Chamberlain are still not back from injury. Once we have two more wingers in the squad we can move Santi and Rosicky back into the middle in the CAM position and therefore we can give Ozil (someone with famously low stamina) a rest. This will allow him to get back to his best and take some pressure of him. The more players we have in the squad, the more rotation we can do and the less physical and even mental fatigue will affect the squad. Even though there are no excuses for our performances, everyone must concede we’ve had a tough schedule as of late. You can argue that champions have to deal with that and it’s true, but the injuries are compounding these problems and with those players back we will be able to play fresher squads in every game, therefore scoring more goals and winning more games.

3. January is right around the corner!

January. The time of unsettled players moving on and desperate clubs making big buys in attempts to save a season. This year players like Di Maria, Cavani, van Persie, Berbatov, Chicharito, Benzema and more, are rumored to be unsettled. As well as the big name Lewandowski available for free on a pre-contract. This is a year where Arsenal have openly admitted to having plenty of money to spend and the team is clearly ambitious. The purchase of Ozil has shown the club is willing to spend and Wenger has admitted our strike options are low. Hopefully we can see at least one big signing this January. It is not unlikely that we will sign a winger or a striker to shore up our attack as well as a younger defender to begin learning from Mertesacker, Koscielny, and Vermaelen as they age. Keep your chins up and let’s see where the team is come February 1st.

4. The team wants to win!

Some may think that Ozil not applauding the away fans is disgraceful. But one positive to this is that it shows that this team finds anything less than a win unacceptable. We fought until the end at City with Per scoring late on. We didn’t give up and fold like one would expect after letting in so many goals. This is a team that will work hard all week to redeem themselves against Chelsea. We need not berate and attack them, just let them work this week and let’s judge them based on how they respond against Chelsea now that fatigue is not an issue. Let’s not judge them on a defeat to a side undefeated at home this season after just returning from Italy having played a game last weekend as well.

5. It’s just one loss!

We are 11-2-3 in the Premier League this season. Last time we lost in the league was a 1-0 away at United. We followed that up with a 2-0 home to Southampton and then a 3-0 away at Cardiff. This team knows how to respond. In the grand scheme of things we’re still top of the league with a nice opportunity to gain points at home after a 9 day rest. We can keep our position at the top of the table next week. In reality, our loss to City was not that bad. In fact, it could set us up for a nice run of wins. Let’s turn our eyes to the next game, everyone slips up (See: Manchester City 4 – Manchester United 1, Tottenham 0 – Liverpool 5, Manchester City 6 – Tottenham 0, etc.).

In conclusion, stay positive guys! It’s one loss to a very good team and quite soon we could have more points as well as more players. Let’s assess where we are after Chelsea, and then at the end of January. There are bigger milestones than this. We just have to get behind the team for Chelsea and trust in the team and Wenger.

Have faith you Gooners!

Written By: Dylan.

Aaron Ramsey: One Blogger Makes Amends…

December 2, 2013December 2, 2013TotalArsenal

Note: I actually wrote most of this BEFORE the CardiffCity match, but it is more apropos than ever…

His performance in that match was simply awesome, even “magisterial,” as Ray Hudson would say… The placement of both goals was exquisite. The first was a great run and an extension of a sublime pass from Mesut Ozil. The second took more effort…something that AR-16 is NEVER short on… He ran the break; tried to play Theo Walcott in, but kept running (of course); took the return pass (a touch to take the ball away from the defender, which, to be frank, appeared a tad heavy…); and struck with deadly precision into the top corner against a stranded (but onrushing) keeper. Wow! It could even be argued (okay this is a stretch…) that Ramsey had a hand in the 2^nd goal—the one that clinched the match—because his running is such an example to the team, and Flamini made like Aaron and kept running so that Ozil could put the ball on a platter and seal the points. To top it all off, he celebrated none of the goals against his former club and responded with a local sign to their accolades as he left the pitch. Class in every regard…

So, without further ado…I present…My Ram-Sey A-Pol-O-Gy…

Aaron Ramsey, I’m sorry, very sorry, if I ever said a bad word about you. You are Da Man and as much a ray of sunshine to this Arsenal squad and Gooners everywhere as that image at the top of the (unbelievable) tattoo you’ve had etched onto your leg… Good job on recovering from the (brutal) leg break. Your leg, like your spirit, is (maybe) “ink-destructible”… (Oooh, that too was a stretch…)

In truth, I think my worst offense was an occasional moan that we didn’t have the players to keep you out of the starting line-up. At the same time, I consistently noted that maybe you belonged there as you always had the engine to go the full 90. The fact that you kept going (and going and going…) and trying things (including audacious shots from distance…) brought out the haters, and I don’t think I ever crossed into that category. (Critical yes, hater, no…) It also helped bring out a never-say-die attitude in the squad which may have been THE key factor in our painful-yet-successful get-up for 4^th last season and one that has clearly carried over to this year’s efforts.

With 8 goals in the league and 13 overall (plus, how many assists?…) you’ve stepped into the (scoring) void and become one of our biggest stories, if not THE biggest. The critique used to be “squad player at best,” and your versatility and engine may have changed that to “Best Squad Player,” if not “Best Player in the Squad.” With Wilshere struggling (for fitness and form), Ozil getting used to his new landscape (full of Shawcrosses ready to scythe him down…), and big layoffs for Poldolski and Walcott and Cazorla, we’ve needed an attacking midfielder (if not a second striker) to play off our other workhorse, the one whose name rhymes with “Hey Jude.” You’ve answered that call and then some. Many will insist that your best spot is as a defensive midfielder, or at least a 2^nd in the double pivot, but no matter where you start, that ability to run and run and run means that you’re never too far off the ball. A little bit of confidence and suddenly it’s the net (not row Z nor the corner flag) that you’re finding…

This weekend you returned to Cardiff, where you played (starting at the age of 8…debuting in the first team at 16…) and where you did a few months on loan during your long re-hab. It must’ve been (at least somewhat) bittersweet. I couldn’t truly gauge the response (watching on the telly as I was), but I did hear a smattering of boos on your early touches. That you were such a key figure in a dominant team performance was ultimately acknowledged, and I would guess that the hops in an ale would remove any bitterness even the most dyed-in-the-wool Cardiff supporter might’ve tasted earlier.

In praising you, we cannot help but discuss the injury. In fact, I’d rather not dwell on it nor repeat what we all know. Instead, I’d prefer to touch upon another scar which you must bear, the loss of (Wales manager) Gary Speed, who (perhaps prematurely) made you Captain of Wales. To take two such blows, one to flesh and one to spirit, is something that surely has shown you the full spectrum of life. Image is one thing; self-belief (self-worth?) is another, and transiency is always with us. No matter how the world judges you, you must find your own contentment and live with yourself… I believe you have taken these lessons and done the absolute most you could with them. Well. Done. Lad.

My hope is that all of Wales can salute you and that you become Captain again, in time. Even if you haven’t gone off to Spain for the world record transfer fee, you may be the best Welsh player in the world (at the moment at least)…

Speaking of players off to Spain…(and I don’t really mind the other Welsh fellow heading that way…) That was a tough moment when OUR guy, Cesc Fabregas did the same two summers ago. It was a very dark moment for Gooners and very tough on you to slot in for Cesc. As such, you bore the brunt of more than a few disgruntled fans. I guess the manager believed you could take it and hoped you were (maybe) recovered from the leg break more than you were (or than was humanly possible).

At that time, you were still recovering and still very raw. As a guy who was always the best player (in his age group at least), you were more comfortable running with the ball. Cesc is a fantastic player, but his strength lies in single touches and knowing the field before receiving the ball. You, in fact, are a far stronger athlete, and, as time goes by, you are picking up some of Cesc’s attributes. I believe you can thrive in our fluid set up and work well from any starting position, though, for me, AW was correct and a #10 you are. More importantly, over time, I’ve seen less reliance on running with the ball (and better running in general—less over-striding, less of that running-in-quicksand futility chasing lost causes…), and you’re picking up the many moves of the other technical types we’ve brought in. I see more left-footed touches a la Santi, though certainly multiple right-footed touches and quick circles (in the style of Tomas Rosicky) could earn you the nick-name of another classical maestro…(Milo—who are the leading lights in Welsh classical music?…) Fewer touches and quicker thinking (and continued goal scoring) will make us cease to long for Cesc, while audacious creativity and a taste for flare brings to mind another who played in Spain (Zidane). As long as you try those things closer to the opponent’s goal than to our own, I’m fine with it…

In the end—the end, hah, you’re only 22!—it’s a great story of perseverance and redemption and one of faith—both personal and on the part of management. I remember 2008, when AW took you to Austria for the Euros and you decided to sign for us instead of ManU. He was scouting Nasri and Arshavin at the time, but you’ve turned out to be much more valuable than either. Along the way, many doubted that it was the right choice. Hell, some might have even said we should have done like Sir Alex and bought Michael Carrick (or Anderson…) instead. Sometimes, investing in the future, even a future which might appear to have been snapped in two (in two places…), turns out to be worthwhile…

Well done, Aaron. Well done Arsenal. Apologies, all around… 😉

Written by: 17highburyterrace

ARSENAL FC – Sacrificing Trophies for Profit? You decide

August 18, 2013August 18, 2013TotalArsenal

Do Arsenal have the real appetite to spend?

Just some food for thought….

Since we last won the PL, The only winners have been Man United, Chelsea and ManCity.

We all know this. Yes, Chelsea, the club with no history have spent Megabucks to achieve all that they have achieved, same goes for ManCity. This is not news to any of us.

The game changed years ago since our Invincibles achieved what most believed would never happen. Roman invested heavily into a team that had not had much success at all, same with all the oil money now at City. The Mancs continued as per usual by investing in talent when they needed to.

My main gripe with what has happened to our club is that we have done quite the opposite. Selling our main core of players and re-investing in players who normally would not get a look into our team. Santi is one of the few shining stars who we have picked up due to the distress of another club.

Since the inception of the PL, what has The Arsenal actually spent on players?? If we look at the total amount we have made from selling players vs what we have spent on players since the start of the premier league, we have spent £20,216,000 (in 20 years). In comparison Man United have spent £230,810,000,

Chelsea £618,165,000 and ManCity £565,927,000.

We have spent considerably less than the winners of the past 10 years; a lot less, actually.

I do not expect us to spend the same crazy money that others have spent. Firstly, we would not have to spend a lot of money if we had not been soft and sold all our core players to direct rivals. Isn’t it funny that when we are looking at buying players from rival clubs, no one is crazy enough to sell to us. Rightly so!!

We have strengthened the likes of ManCity and even handed the title to Man United last season. Who is to blame? We are! In favour of making profits, we have sold our players and jeopardized our chances of winning any titles.

Did we need to sell the likes of Cesc (soon after signing a new contract) and RVP to a direct rival? My answer is NO!! By selling RVP to a rival club we are saying that we are:

1) more interested in making money

2) Not serious about challenging for titles

3) We are a selling club (in order to make profits)

I am not saying that I want Wenger Out. I appreciate all that he has done for the club. All I am saying is that we need a change of direction or leadership.
We have heard all the excuses over the past few years, and I do not buy it. Success brings in more commercial money, and the success we could have had with the players we have sold would have meant that we would not have needed to sell players in order to make a profit for the club. Success also makes you more attractive to other players; and from what we are witnessing now, we do not have the same pull on the Transfer Window as we once did. This is definitely evident.

Whilst the current TW is still open and we will make a few panic buys, I am not convinced that we are being led the way that a club such as The Arsenal should.

Yes, they will be panic buys because we’ve had the whole off season to plan and buy, and nothing has happened so far. It’s the same pattern as the past few seasons. We get thrashed by ManUre 8-2, we pick up Zorro, Per, Santos and Park.

Gibbs gets injured mid-season, we pick up Nacho.

How can the fans accept what is going on when we clear the dead wood from our books and still no one has come in. 17 out, 1 in on a free. Does that sound like a sound planning? Definitely not to me.

I now put it to you fine BK’ers out there: in your opinion, what do we need to change to get our fine club back to where it should be?

Written by: Alexgunners.