Ladies and gentlemen - may I introduce to you Public Enemy Number 1; the Hicks/Gillette of Arsenal Football Club.
I'll come back to our 'friend' later. However, having digested the aftermath of the Liverpool debacle, and the Transfer Window shenanigans, I've got a few other points to make; this is going to be a long one, I'm afraid. Please gird your loins and read on:
The State of the Squad - and the way it is being utilised. I add this because there are questions to be answered all over the pitch.
At goalkeeper, whatever the plan was changed midway through the Window. Ospina was expected to leave, but he now stays and Martinez heads out on loan. Cech of course remains first choice.
Muddled thinking.
At right-back, rumours abound that Bellerin may have asked to leave at some point over the summer. At least he can go back to playing at right back now! Cover appears to be Chambers - another with whom the thinking was muddled - he was originally told he could leave, but then despite offers in excess of £20m in the last day or two of the Window, he stays. But of course he's a centre-back, not a right back (remember what happened to him against Swansea a few years ago, and what playing out there did to Djourou). Alternatively, never fear, Matthieu Debuchy is still at the club!!!
At left back, there's a choice of Monreal or Kolasinac. Although both have been used as makeshift centre-backs in the first three matches with Bellerin on their flank. And the Serb was inexplicably dropped against Liverpool? Good luck to Kieran Gibbs at West Brom, by the way.
At centre-back, questions abound. If fit, Koscielny plays. Around him, there is Mustafi (who apparently also asked to leave), Holding (whose confidence must have taken a knock over the past few weeks), Mertesacker (apparently as far away from the team as he was for almost all of last season), the two left backs (???) and the aforementioned Chambers; Gabriel having been sold.
Again, confusion reigns in every position. At least we know, now that The Ox has gone (£40m; thanks very much!), that Bellerin will be back in his proper position. And we know that Kos will start. As for the rest, who knows? I'm not even convinced that we're going to see the 3-5-2 again, and that the manager has ever been truly convinced by it. So it's impossible to predict the other 2/3 positions.
Bemusing.
In midfield lies the most glaring of omissions; the lack of a top-class man to shield the defence that was exposed time and time again at Anfield. Leaving aside the manager's total lack of clarity or acknowledgment of the threat likely to be posed on that particular day by the opposition, the fact that the matter was not addressed at all (again) during the Window is negligent in the extreme. Both Elneny and Coquelin can do a job there, but not to the required standard perhaps - although it's difficult to tell with Elneny because clearly Wenger isn't impressed (for what it's worth, I'd start him against Bournemouth; but what do I know?). Alongside him, I'm sure that he'll stick with Xhaka, despite his series of errors which have cost the side three goals so far this season. To be fair, if he's got nobody to pass to then he's going to be under pressure, and there's been little acknowledgment of the pressure he is often under when he receives the ball from his centre-backs. And I'd stick with Xhaka too, considering the alternatives. Which are: Coquelin; who one cannot partner with Elneny unless one is hell-bent on merely defending, Ramsey; who I'm sorry is NOT a central midfielder, Wilshere; who isn't fit enough, or the injured Cazorla. I'll say this yet again; this is an area of glaring omission and is inexcusable.
Negligent and utterly befuddling.
Up top, it's just as confusing. I still wake up at night in a cold sweat, trying to work out the thinking behind leaving Lacazette on the bench at Anfield. He simply must start. After that, nothing is clear or obvious. The Sanchez position must be addressed. One presumes that Ozil will play - he always does - and thereafter the question of Welbeck, Giroud or even Walcott needs to be addressed. Oh, and then there's Ramsey to consider...
Ideally, I'd pick Sanchez, Lacazette, Ozil; but this isn't anything close to an ideal situation. And there's more muddled thinking here. Does he play Ozil or Ramsey in the No 10 role, and two up top? Who are the best choices for the wide positions?
Confusing.
So here's the issue. There's no discernable plan. The squad seems to have been chucked together. The formation of choice isn't clear. Too many pegs don't fit into the holes. I defy 50 Arsenal fans sitting in a room together to agree on the best XI. We can't work it out, and clearly nor can the manager. Sure, inferior sides will often be beaten merely by the amount of sheer talent on the field, but that doesn't win you titles. Look around at Arsenal's (supposed) rivals, and it's easy to see the way they play and who drops into the required roles. Not Arsenal; not by a long chalk! The issue is that I can pretty much name Mourinho's preferred XI. And Conte's. And Pochettino's. Maybe not Guardiola's, though.
Add the manager's well-known stubborn streak, and the perverse decisions will no doubt continue. Over the past few years, one has at least been able to see some logic in many of the team selections and substitutions, despite mostly disagreeing with them. This year, I think that we're all at a loss to see any sense in quite a lot of what's been going on - especially in the last game.
And then there's the matter of the current state of mind of around half the squad, and the manager's ability to deal with them and assuage their doubts. From what I can see it's easier to name those players who DON'T have doubts at the moment, but those of most concern to me are Sanchez, Ozil, Bellerin, Mustafi and Xhaka.
I could talk about other stuff in more detail. Sanchez and Thomas Lemar. The much-maligned Ozil. What ever is going on with Mertesacker. Monreal and centre-back. Steve Bould. And more. But for the moment I think I'll stick to our friend Mr Kroenke.
I'll start with this graphic:
If the bare facts don't even speak for themselves, consider this.
Arsenal have won three FA Cups in the past 4 years. That much we, of course, know. The team have not mounted a serious challenge for the title or the Champions League since Kroenke's takeover. He bought a majority shareholding, but aside from that has not injected a single dime into the club.
Kroenke bought Colorado Rapids in 2004. They won the MLS Cup in 2010; however, they currently stink!
Kroenke bought Colorado Avalanche in 2000 and they won the Stanley Cup in 2001; it is fair to say that they did this on the back of what the previous regime had put into place. In the past 5 years, they made the play-offs just once and lost in the first round. They currently stink!
He purchased the Denver Nuggets in 2000 as well. Mirroring Arsenal's Champions League performances, they have lost in the first round of the play-offs in a total of 9 seasons since then, but did reach a single Division Final as well. They failed to make the play-offs in the past 4 seasons, and currently - yes, you've guessed it - stink!
Kroenke's Rams ownership is a tale of deceit. He bought the club in 2009, breaking US Sports cross-franchise rules hands down in the process, and was only allowed to go through with the purchase when he transferred ownership of all his other franchises - nominally at least - to his son, Josh. Having as part of the deal agreed to ensure that the club continued to develop and maintain their stadium, Kroenke failed to do so and, having run it down appallingly and played St Luis off against Los Angeles, used that clause to revoke use of the stadium and apply to re-locate the team to LA. St Louis was left with a $300m dollar bill to cover in outstanding payments, and Kroenke persuaded LA to build a new stadium for the Rams. Kroenke is so loathed in St Louis these days that most English Soccer fans now support Tottenham Hotspur in protest. He has - mirroring what he has done with Arsenal - not invested a dime of his own money in the Rams. They are currently one of the very worst teams in the NFL.
So here we have a man who is clearly not in it for anything but the money. US professional sport is a closed shop, with no relegation, and the money therefore just keeps rolling in. Therefore, he uses the same 'self-sustaining model' with these teams that Arsenal use. That maintains the cash flow and generates profit, but the teams have been performing appallingly in the past 4-5 years. All of them.
The warning signs for Arsenal are clear. In Europe , the ownership landscape has changed completely. Clubs are now owned by actual countries! Those with ambition are investing in a manner never before seen whilst Kroenke, who along with Wenger and Gazidis professes to being desperate for titles, does not do so. His current personal wealth is estimated at $7.5bn; so it's not as if he'll miss a few hundred million. In the meantime, the club managed to turn a profit - for goodness' sake! - in the Window.
It was Kroenke - happy with the financial status quo - who persuaded a reluctant Wenger to stay on. He - and a rapidly-shrinking minority of the fan base - have contributed to the mess the team is currently in. In many ways, I feel sorry for Wenger; he has misguidedly hung on for what he perceives as the good of the club, but has been badly advised and has been left behind by his peers over the past 10 years. But I don't feel sorry for Kroenke and the abuse he suffers - with more on its way. Not ever.
It is clear from this that there is no hope for Arsenal at the highest level whilst Mr Kroenke owns the majority shareholding in the club. Like Hicks and Gillette at Liverpool, he must go. Let's hound him out, like Liverpool fans (and the press) did. Goodness knows how, though.
Otherwise, Arsenal will indeed experience Villas-Boas' famous 'negative spiral'.
Public Enemy Number One.
