Sense of entitlement? Half term report

I've been away for a little while, despite promising to blog every week. Well, work has been pretty full on since early September; that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. But I've got some time off now, so I'll be blogging more often this year; I know you can't wait. And I am currently chastising myself for not keeping to my word; ouch!

I thought I'd start with a report on the season so far, as it's exactly half-way through it. Some stuff on our rivals, but mostly on another season that's starting to feel like Groundhog Day - some incredible highlights but also some painful lows - and examine how one's mood changes, whether it's wrong to have a sense of entitlement, and whether Arsene Wenger is the man to take Arsenal to the next level (or if there's anybody out there who is).

Firstly, the highs, which to my eyes are:

• The emergence of Alexis Sanchez as a centre-forward, and the difference this has made to Arsenal
• The ability to grind out results when things aren't quite clicking
• Two of the greatest goals (Ozil in Bulgaria and Giroud's scorpion kick vs Crystal Palace) that have ever been scored by an Arsenal player

Any debate as to whether Alexis Sanchez is world-class or not has been rendered irrelevant by his performances this season. Not only is he the most wonderfully talented footballer, but his will to win and almost tireless work rate make him an absolute standout not only within the club, but in the pantheon of football all over the world. I've not seen anybody work like him, ever. And to add his talent and football brain to that and you have almost the complete player. His presence as the main striker has added something to the side that Giroud - for all his abilities - is unable to do. And I've not been among the Giroud knockers - he is a fine footballer who has been burdened with criticism merely because he's not Ian Wright, Thierry Henry or even Robin van Persie. Harsh. Giroud is an excellent link forward and a decent finisher, but Alexis adds a fluidity that not many around the world are capable of doing (I'd put Aguero and Suarez in that category, but off the top of my head I'm struggling for other names) to which you can add an unsurpassed will to win.

There have been times this season where Arsenal have grabbed late winners. Burnley away and Southampton at home spring to mind. This always gives rise to the 'mentality of champions' theory. I just wish they had the games sewn up long before then, but a win is a win; no matter how it is achieved. Plus you can add draws against PSG, Sp*rs and ManUre to the list of results dug out of the fire. We'll come to other matters of 'mental strength' a little later.

This season, we have been witness to two of the greatest goals I have ever seen. And this in a time when 'great' goals are scored every other week, it would appear. Sky did a little cameo of some of Arsenal's greatest Premier League goals (subjective, of course) after the Palace game, and both Ozil's sublime effort against Ludogorets https://twitter.com/btsportfootball/status/793566356381765633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw and Giroud's extraordinary finish against Crystal Palace https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffJVEvDUeKI are right up with the very best of them. Here's a rather good photograph of Giroud's sumptuous effort:

For the record, by the way, and whilst acknowledging that he is by no means every Arsenal fan's cup of tea, my personal favourite is RvP's thumping volley on the run https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmr-ioXZ7mw at Charlton Athletic.

On the whole, and despite the improvements to the squad made by the additions of the bulldog Mustafi and the elegant Granit Xhaka, and the aforementioned re-deployment of Alexis, it still feels a little bit like Groundhog Day yet again. The irritating defeat to Liverpool on the opening day and the successive losses to Everton and Manchester City in the space of 5 days a couple of weeks ago show the frailties that this team cannot seem to shake off. Getting back to 3-4 against Liverpool - commendable. Going 1-4 down in the first place, by conceding three goals in less than 15 minutes - inexcusable. Allowing themselves to be bullied by a desperate Everton, and conceding the initiative to City in the second half having looked so comfortable in the first - both from 1-0 up - deeply frustrating. Lest we forget that this is a team that literally thrashed Chelsea earlier this campaign.

And Groundhog Day is drawing Bayern Munich yet again in the Champions League. The only thing I can say to that is 'Aaaaaaargh!!!'.

So now to weigh up whether being an Arsenal fan should give one a sense of entitlement, and whether it is this that puts Arsenal fans in a bad mood when a match is lost, or whether it is merely the lot of every football fan around the world (after all, even Barcelona lose sometimes!). Are Arsenal fans expectations at too high a level? Is the cup half full or half empty? I really don't know; all I know is that any and every defeat hurts; as it does every football fan. I think that it's the unexpected defeats that hurt most.

I don't personally have a sense of entitlement. I am very lucky that my dad took me to Highbury when I was just 6 or 7 years old, and that I have owned for over 20 years a season ticket that has enabled me to watch at close quarters what is acknowledged by almost everybody (Fergie excluded) as 'by far the greatest team the world has ever seen'. Well, if not the world's, then certainly England's.

And now onto Arsene. It's defeats like the one at Everton (and to a lesser extent the one at Manchester City) which leaves me wondering. I look at the apparent inability to influence matters on the pitch when things aren't going the way we want, and wonder if it's really the end of the road for him. You can look at the table and see the team on the fringes of the title race, and in the thick of the battle to get into the top 4 again, and think that things are as rosy as they usually are; and perhaps you're right. But is that rosy enough? Are Arsenal forever 'doomed' to just miss out, year after year? Is there always going to be an excuse? One can point at another Kroenke 'franchise', the LA Rams, and see that they've just sacked a Head Coach - mainly down to fan pressure. But on the other hand the LA Rams are a poor side and Arsenal are not. So the question that must be continually asked is 'Does Arsene have the capability of finding the extra 1-2% that the side needs?'.

I think No. And I look at Klopp, at Conte, at Guardiola, and wonder if Arsene's longevity is blocking the opportunity for change. Yes, be careful what you wish for - look what happened to Liverpool and to Manchester United. But... I'm afraid that I don't have the answer.

Anyway, we head into the business half of the season, starting at Bournemouth this evening. We need three points there, and maximum points up until the season-defining game at Stamford Bridge on February 4th. I live in hope.

Just a quick view on the 'title race'. Following their change of formation since defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal, Chelsea's transformation has been dramatic; the title already appears theirs to lose. The likes of Hazard, my friend Costa and even Cesc are looking back to their best (a sad indictment of the management methods of Mr Mourinho), and they have no European distractions.

Of the others, Liverpool look too flaky (let's call it mercurial) to last the pace; City appear to be a Guardiola work in progress, with next year being the big one for them; Sp*rs look good a lot of the time but are, at the end of the day, Sp*rs; United are too far off the pace and not good enough... and Arsenal - in the same way as their North London rivals have a certain reputation - are Arsenal.

Just a little bit more, please, Arsenal, and the sky will become the limit. Handbrake off, please!

Can we start again, please?

I've given it until the transfer window closed and the interlull is over with to comment, something I've not done since post-Leicester. And I've essentially got two main points to make:

Firstly, the fairly routine victory over Watford shows that it makes a hell of a difference when you put your best player back into the team; Ozil was majestic, as we have come to expect, and his work with Sanchez - a player on his wavelength - was a joy to behold. We saw an excellent first half performance, and then a drop-off in the second half once the game was essentially won. Solid performances from Xhaka - one awesome diagonal to Walcott must be mentioned - and from Kos, who held things together at the back. There will be tougher tests. Of some concern was that the team still don't look fully wound up to last 90 minutes, and that's somewhat inexplicable.

Secondly, the transfer window. I've got no issue with the signing of Lucas Perez - although I'd actually never heard of him. By all accounts he is a pacy, tricky player who can play out wide as well as though the centre, and there are parallels in his career to that of Vardy, in that he has had to work very hard to get where he is today and will surely be looking to make the most of his opportunity at a big club. One must imagine that he was nowhere near Wenger's first choice and that he was holding out for a bigger 'name', but on the whole he's a typical Wenger signing and I reckon he will do well.

We may never find out the truth about the daly in the Mustafi transfer, and I sincerely hope that it wasn't down to Arsenal haggling over the fee. However, the frustration is that I would imagine that if he had been signed earlier we would not have lost to Liverpool on day one, and would therefore be closer to our rivals than we find ourselves. And that's why I'd like to start again, please; the three clubs we fear most all have 100% records, and we're playing catch-up. This will probably come back to bite us. But I'm happy with the make-up of the squad, and feeling considerably more optimistic than I did before. And on another level delighted that I'd shoehorned Ozil into my Fantasy Football team as soon as I could!

I cannot leave without discussing the loans out. Chambers I understand; if he's not going to play with so many in front of him - and it looks like Holding has overtaken him - send him out and see how he gets on with plenty of games. Although it does feel like Wenger has given up on him as being able to make it at Arsenal; we shall see.

Now Jack Wilshere is another matter. I can only assume that it's the player - seeing his way to the first team blocked by Xhake, Cazorla, Elneny, Coquelin, Ramsey and of course Ozil - who has asked for the move in order to finally get some get some game time (and hopefully stay fit). If that's the case, then good for him, and hopefully he can come back next year a different player, ready to take his rightful place in the heart of Arsenal's midfield and finally fulfil his potential. Personally, I'd prefer to see him go abroad and play at a higher level of club, but Eddie Howe's philosophy is similar to that of AW, and he is sure to be first choice in the Bournemouth midfield. Good luck to him, and I for one will be watching what he does very closely.

That's all till next week. Here's to three points against Southampton, and pushing on up the table. COYG

It's deja-vu all over again

Ok; so having decided to resist the temptation to blog in anger on Sunday evening or Monday, here's my take on what we saw.

In summary; a bright start, a lead taken, 15 or so minutes of abject capitulation and humiliation, and then some apparent 'mental strength'. Same old, same old...

So what did we learn from the match, from Wenger's and the team's response to situations that evolved, and from the manager's comments afterwards?

Firstly, it is quite clear that, as previously seen in the early stages of a new season, the team was ill-prepared and poorly set out. The central defensive partnership was a recipe for disaster, and I cannot understand that Xhaka would not start. Ramsey, who had done well for Wales over the summer, does not look suited to the Number 10 role and I am starting to wonder how much of a square peg he is becoming at Arsenal. Up front, not many predicted that Walcott would start and for all his qualities Alexis is not and never will be a centre forward capable of ploughing a lone furrow.

Secondly, compared to Liverpool Arsenal did not look physically ready for the challenge. For all the bright start and taking of the lead, it felt inevitable that accidents were waiting to happen all over the pitch.

Thirdly, the way the game panned out felt like watching Groundhog Day. But with standard Wenger's Arsenal Embellishments. The bright start that you'd expect, with fairly crisp passing and little end product. Having won the penalty, the choice of Walcott - the flakiest of flaky characters - as designated penalty taker left me flummoxed. Give the ball to Alexis, for goodness' sake!

The concession of a needless free kick in first half injury time and the ball inevitably arrowing into the top corner. The embarrassing concession of three goals in a 15 minute spell. The inevitable rally that never quite got the team back into the game.

Anf fourthly, the manager's reaction. As we went 4-1 down - and by the way all of Liverpool's goals were things of beauty - I looked over to the Arsenal bench. Where Wenger sat, as per the photo above, not moving from his seat. I don't know what message that sends out to the players, but it made me even angrier than finding ourselves 4-1 down in the first game of the season.

Bear in mind, of course, that the squad deficiencies are problems known to as yet undiscovered Amazonian tribesmen. Yet the manager, who has the power to do something to rectify them, has failed to do so. Our rivals have done their business, yet Nero fiddles while Rome burns.

We need a centre-half before pre-season started, yet despite losing BFG and now Gabriel, and with a replacement apparently lined up, still he dithers - with disastrous results - and we're going into the next match with the same defensive issues. Fortunately, we won't be up against a counter-attacking side whose pace may expose the inherent lack of pace and experience in our central defence...

We need a centre-forward. Not, I add, just A Centre Forward, but an upgrade on Giroud. Two games into the new season, nothing appears to be happening.

So there's the two missing pieces of the jigsaw - still missing. And all of our rivals won, so we're three points behind all of them. Already.

The team got booed off. Slightly unfair on the team, if you ask me. It is clear where the finger of blame needs to be pointed. What amazes me is that the level of criticism of the manager remains so low. I, for one, am utterly fed up with him. He must 'spend some f*cking money.'

I'm back! And this time it's personal (I'm talking to you, Arsene)

Hello again :-)

I've been away from this page for months now, and I'd accordingly like to apologise to my thousands (?) of followers. Personal reasons and all that... but those are pretty much solved now, and it is my avowed intention to post a blog a minimum of once a week, and certainly after every Arsenal game, from now on. I'm sure that you can all hardly wait.

I thought I'd start with a summary of Arsenal's summer, and if you spot a theme... well, that's because it's really not been too dissimilar to Arsenal's last 10 or so summers. There's been one big addition to the squad..

... we we await more. 

Here we are again, approaching the start of the new football season. Last Premier League season will never be forgotten for the totally unexpected success of Leicester City, for the shocking (and highly entertaining) fall from grace of Jose Mourinho - more on him later - at Chelsea, and from an Arsenal fans point of view for the highly amusing last-day embarrassment of Tottenham Hotspur, a team who just when everybody thought had finally stopped being 'Spursy' did the 'Spursiest' thing ever seen. Coming third in a two horse race is quite a feat!

But last season's emotional roller-coaster was a microcosm of what being an Arsenal fan has become. Manchester City underperformed. Chelsea vastly underperformed, the meltdown of Mourinho causing massive amusement to the entire football world - some Chelsea fans of my acquaintance included. Manchester United hardly made up any ground. The astute appointment of Klopp pointed Liverpool in the right direction, but from a lower starting point, Tottenham ultimately flattered to deceive (as usual). And yet... and yet... from out of nowhere, and completely merited by the way, Leicester City motored past everybody to run away with the title. It was inevitable, I suppose, that the team most likely to take advantage if the Big clubs slipped up ended up second in the table. Arsenal blew their chance, and who knows when they might have another opportunity that big?

Because the landscape in England has changed massively again over the past few months. Untold billions of pounds of television money have swelled the already obscene coffers of Premier League clubs, meaning that the likes of West Ham, Sunderland and Everton (following their change of ownership) have been spending fortunes. Chelsea and Manchester City have inevitably strengthened, Liverpool have splashed the best part of £100m, and Tottenham have also added to their squad. Suddenly, the list of Wenger's management rivals ready like a Who's Who of management talent: Mourinho, Guardiola, Conte, Klopp, Pulis... the only one really missing from the list is Allardyce!

Manchester United's appointment of Jose Mourinho has formed the most horrendous Axis of Evil witnessed since World War Two (OK, I'll accept that ISIS might be a bigger threat to World Peace, but only just) - plus they have added some formidable players to their squad...

And Arsenal? In the immortal words of Gary Barlow, 'Everything Changes But You'.

Arsenal will - alone amongst the possible title challengers - start the season with a poorer squad than 12 months ago. I can't knock the astute signing of Granit Xhaka, who looked top class at Euro '16 and appears sure to be suited to English football. But in typical style, Arsene Wenger has failed to address the other glaring issues with the squad.

Even before the injuries to Mertesacker and now Gabriel, they looked light in central defence (and lest we forget Koscielny is unlikely to be rushed back after his summer exertions). BFG is not getting any younger or quicker, and Gabriel is yet to convince, and due to the injuries to the latter two it looks like we'll possibly be starting with Chambers and Holding in central defence on Sunday; something which, despite their promise, doesn't fill me with much confidence. Get it done with Mustafi, Wenger. What on earth are you waiting for?

In central midfield there is now an embarrassment of riches - for all that Ramsey is probably not quite cherry ripe and Cazorla lacks battle hardening after his extremely long layoff (I am choosing not to discuss Jack Wilshere - the Darren Anderton of the decade - at this point).

In the wide positions and up front, things are somewhat of a muddle for the next week or three. Alexis needs a bit more time to get up to speed and Ozil won't be back for a week or two either. Nor will Giroud. Iwobi shows massive promise and Campbell is a useful squad man. And The Ox is coming back from yet another layoff, but is probably merely flattering to deceive once more. As for Theo?... well, it's impossible to have any faith in Theo any more, I'm afraid.

Now, it's possible that there is enough there to cover and deal with issues in the wide positions, but having decided that Xhaka was a better buy than Kante (a moot point, perhaps), and having failed (and I can't get over this) with a bid for Vardy, I'd be chucking the best part of £50m at Leicester City for Riyadh Mahrez if I was managing Arsenal. He's young, is certain to improve the squad, and will have a sell-on value, thereby ticking every box for the manager. Come on, Wenger, show some ambition!

And, of course, there is the matter of fire power. For all that he had a successful Euro '16, the tournament also showed up Giroud's shortcomings. And with due respect to Chuba Akpom he's the ONLY bona fide centre forward in the entire squad! Wenger has - along with all of us - known this for months - yet where are we on this issue today? I'll tell you where we are; clubs all over Europe are lining up to extort medium-sized fortunes from Arsenal for their prize centre forward, and there's only one place to point the finger of blame for that.

On top of all this, to hear Gazidis bleating about still being unable to compete with the richest clubs for players from the very top table is disingenuous and incredibly depressing. And, looking at the amount of money in Arsenal's coffers, patently not true. They could have afforded Pogba; they could have afforded Ibrahimovic. Do you know what; they could probably afford Cristiano Ronaldo! This is not good enough from Arsenal; the apparent lack of ambition and proactivity is soul-destroying to the fan base.

If Arsenal go a goal down on Sunday, I'm pretty sure that the chants of 'Spend some f*cking money' will start immediately. And I might even join in! We've got a tricky start to the season, it's more competitive than ever before, and nobody can quite work out what Wenger is waiting for.

As they say in Wenger's home country, 'Plus ca change'. It's like the world is merely passing him by, whilst he sits on a park bench eating a croissant and staring into space. I, for one, am totally fed up.

The Special (G)One - on Chelsea and how to build a genuine Big Club legacy

I've been giving a lot of thought to the subject of what constitutes a Big Club recently, and yesterday's news has finally got me putting my thoughts down on paper (so to speak). Let it be known that this article is not intended to kick somebody when they are down - and some of my best friends are Chelsea fans - it is intended to be a dispassionate argument based on some of the most reasonable of premises.

The astonishing demise of Chelsea this season is one of the biggest football stories of this and many a year. Currently overshadowed, of course, by the ongoing investigation into the fallout from corruption within football politics at the highest level, but at club level certainly gigantic news. What has brought it about can only be a matter for conjecture, but whilst anything Jose Mourinho does is news in football (he has made it thus), I still can't bring myself to call Chelsea a Big Club. And why is that, I hear you ask... 

In a nutshell, firstly I feel that there is a need to differentiate between a big club and a Big Club. Chelsea are a big club, but they're not a Big Club. They're notorious; not famous. Like an East End gangster trying to muscle in on High Society.

So what are the criteria for being a genuinely Big Club? In my opinion, you need to qualify in a certain number of categories, and I'll list them here:

• A large fan base, irrespective of success on the field of play
• A history of sustained achievement
• A club which has made a mark, or left a legacy, in their own country or in the world of football
• A certain 'je ne sais quoi'; something intangible that indicates 'class' - either on or off the pitch
• A club whose success is not based purely on spending large sums of money, or on bandwagon-jumping so-called 'fans' who follow whoever won the Premier League in the previous season

If there's an intangible word that one can put to these criteria, I suppose that it's Pedigree. And on that basis, here's my list of the Biggest Clubs in Europe:

Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Paris St Germain, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Ajax. A total of 11 (it would have been neat to keep it to 10).

I believe that you can safely say that each of these clubs scores extremely highly on most or all of the first four bullet points - and I don't think that I need to spell out my reasoning to any football fan. But despite the recent history of Real and United spending obscene amounts of money recently to sustain their position - and to a greater or lesser extent succeeding - I think that due to the past you can (almost) excuse those two clubs their recent financial excesses.

In England, there are a number of clubs now plying their trade in lower divisions with far richer histories than Chelsea. I include the likes of Huddersfield, Preston North End, Blackburn Rovers and even Leeds United in that group. Although Leeds are a fine recent example of how the misuse of money can do irreparable damage to a football club. One may wish to add the likes of Bolton Wanderers, Blackpool and Aston Villa to that group. If they had the sort of money that Chelsea have had thrown at them over recent years, their previous history would mean that your average football fan would look at them differently to the way they look at Chelsea. In their day, they were Big Clubs.

Whereas the relatively recent rise of Chelsea - whilst it had started under the much-maligned (until recently, of course) Claudio Ranieri - has essentially been built and sustained on the back of the injection of over a billion pounds of Russian oil money. Without it, Chelsea would likely be vying with the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham for Europa League spots. There is of course no point in denying that Mourinho is a very good coach, and brings success wherever he goes. But - and here's what preventing me adding Chelsea to the above list - what he can't deliver is a legacy.

It is of course distinctly possible that a change of manager will see a massive turnabout in the fortunes of the Chelsea team, and that they will start to rise inexorably up the table towards where the inherent talent of their players dictates they should be. But when a club's recent success is based on shaky foundations, there's not much to fall back on except for the money to get them out of trouble. They have no other Credit in the world of football.

Whereas Manchester United dropped to 7th in their first post-Ferguson season, yet they missed just a single year of Champions League qualification. And whilst they have a massive Ferguson-sized hole still to fill, their fall from grace has been nothing like that of Chelsea. 7th, or 16th?

Whereas following the re-direction of funds into a new stadium meant that Arsenal fell from the lofty heights they had achieved under Arsene Wenger around the turn of the century, he still managed to keep them in 3rd or 4th spot - and that's with the likes of Eboue, Denilson and Bendtner in the side. No mean feat. Does that make him a Specialist In Failure? Compared to the collapse of Chelsea this season, I hardly think so. People may be aware that these days I am no Wenger apologist - I think that he has missed a trick or five by not spending more of the money available to him over the past two or three years - but there is simply no comparison between the genuine legacy that Wenger will leave and the mess that Mourinho has left behind (as he often does). And not forgetting that he is the second Arsenal manager to have created a dynasty, after Chapman in the 1930s. 

I am not questioning Chelsea's right to join the exclusive Big Club Club. What they need to do before they call themselves one is meet the above criteria. If Abramovich is genuinely interested in moving Chelsea into that bracket, he has to build a brand built around those criteria. As we know, throwing lots of money around does not suddenly mean that one has Class. Good intentions, Roman; just the wrong choice of manager. 

And in the same way that I can't capitalise the first letters of 'big club' when I think of Chelsea, I feel much the same about Manchester City. But to give credit where it is due, they are doing loads for their local community etc., and whilst the amount of money they have to spend is of course absolutely obscene they are at least spending a chunk of it in the right way. But whilst that makes them, like Chelsea, a big club, it doesn't make them a Big Club.

Of course, there is a path to becoming a member of the Big Club Club; but it's a club that's not quite as easy to join as some hope it is. 

Pedigree. Legacy. Dynasty. Either put up or shut up, Chelsea FC.

Post-Bayern. Should there be Blues?

I've got three weeks of Arsenal to cover in this post. The question is this: Do I focus on the debacle at Sheffield Wednesday, or the hammering in Munich, or do I pick on the positives that have seen the team win 5 in a row and go joint-top of the Premier League? Actually, let's do both.

As far as The Capital One Cup is concerned; well, it would have been nice to have progressed, and would have continued to give the fringe players and the youngsters - those that aren't out on loan - a couple more outings. Of far more concern were the injuries. As if we needed more! I'll come back to this.

As for Bayern... well, they're a fantastic side. Comfortably the best in Europe. And whilst we took a tonking there were a few positives, as we managed to look good on a number of occasions going forward. No point in getting disheartened, as we won't come up against that calibre of team again all season. Will Arsenal qualify? Well, one can safely assume that Bayern will beat Olimpiacos, and we should expect to beat Zagreb at home. So it will come down to having to go to Greece and win by two goals. Which is doable. But the frustration is that we won't have the luxury of a dead rubber at the end, where we can rotate. Hey ho; such is life and - going back to one of my previous posts - blame the Manager for instilling a feeling of complacency in the team for the first two matches by rotating far too much.

As for the Premier League, we've continued the good run and won well at both Watford and bogey team Swansea; plus a narrow if comfortable win at home to Everton. All great. But the injuries are mounting and today we have the unpleasant matter of a game against The Sp*ds. We need the points to a) keep up with Manchester City and b) keep the noisy neighbours down. I think we'll do it.

Remember this? Twice?

Two more subjects to cover. Injuries, and Mesut Ozil.

So we've hit the standard Arsenal injury crisis. Up to 10 players out, and an injury to a left back would give us a side perfectly capable of holding its own in the Premier League... out injured. Now some things you can't allow for, but perhaps the problems would have been alleviated in the manager had bought a player or two in the summer to boost the squad? Fanciful? I think not.

And now to Mesut Ozil, who one would know from reading previous postings I have always loved. He's not there to track back and do the hard years - though goodness knows he does cover a lot of ground. If anyone saw what Chris Waddle wrote in the Daily Mail yesterday, they'd understand what being a flair player and the linchpin of the side is all about. Don't knock him for what he can't do; admire him for what he can. And that's seeing and doing stuff that nobody I've ever watched can see and do. And finally, this season, he is starting get the recognition from the media and the public in this country that he deserves.

Oh, one other thing. Chelsea. Who isn't enjoying what's happening to them? They're a soap opera, with little or no sign of things improving for them. Keep going, Jose; it's so entertaining.

The Sublime and The Ridiculous

Ridiculous

Sublime

Firstly, an apology. I'm sure that my ramblings have been sorely missed, but my excuse - and I'm sticking to it - is that I've had a massive project to do for work, and then a few family issues to sort out straight afterwards. Admittedly, it has been a long break...

But the end of another Interlull seems a good time to post again. And hopefully I'll get back in the groove from next week. Anyhoo...

Quite a lot has happened since my last post, but going through things chronologically would bore me, let alone you; the reader. So I'll stick to the most salient points from the past couple of months:

The Transfer Window...
...was a total shambles. I can't think that any Arsenal fan could argue with the purchase of Cech, but the fact that he was the sole arrival is frankly incomprehensible. Our rivals strengthen, and we do little, despite the vast sums in the Bank.
And then add to the mix the fact that the Manager knew that Welbeck was going to be out for months as the deadline approached, but still did nothing? I can't spin this as anything but negligence.

Performances and Results 
The Manager preaches a need to be consistent, yet all we can manage on a consistent basis is inconsistency. There have been some solid performances and results (e.g Stoke, Palace, Leicester), and of course the game against United was outstanding in every way, but when you put the performances and results against West Ham, a poor Liverpool side, Zagreb and Olympiakos into the mix, then you can see that the same mistakes are being repeated again and again.
Now, whilst it's difficult to allow for individual errors, I believe that there has been a lack of continuity and consistent thought from the Manager. To make 6 changes for Zagreb - Chelsea 4 days later notwithstanding - is too much. To play Ospina against Olympiakos, having lost the first game in the group, is inexplicable. Yes, rotate by all means, but two or three at a time at the very most. Otherwise you're asking for trouble.
But the really aggravating thing is that we've seen all this before. Repeatedly. So why does he never learn?

Individual Performances
Summarising, I'd say that Cech has to start in goal, the back 4 look settled but Gabriel seems to slot in seamlessly when required at centre half. At full back, both Debuchy and Gibbs look rusty when called upon - all the more reason not to change both of them for the same match, Arsene.
In midfield, we can ill afford a Coq-shaped hole, as we're light on cover. See above... And we're covered everywhere else - apart from up front, where with loans and injuries we're extremely light.
Sanchez is absolutely exceptional, and hopefully on his way to becoming an Arsenal legend. And I simply love Ozil.
We're seeing some cracking stuff all round when the team really gels, but there's still this nagging tug, isn't there, that there are too many cracks in the squad and a lack of power.
Still, we're stuck with it and I'll back the players every time. But I can't say the same for the Manager.

The Champions League
What a mountain the team has set itself. They've now got to take the majority of points from the double-header with the best team in Europe, or they're finished. Or an absolute minimum of three. And still might be finished if results elsewhere go against them. What a mess.
So do they look to finish third and go into the Europa League - and imagine the stick we'll take from Spurs fans if they do! - or just aim to come bottom and concentrate on the League? My opinion is this: despite the whole Thursday-Sunday farrago, I think that they should go for it. I'm jumping the gun and expecting them not to qualify for the Champions League (thus ruining Wenger's proud record - a self-inflicted wound), but at that point they'll be a Champions League quality squad up against a good number of inferior opposition. With the carrot of a more winnable trophy and a guaranteed Champions League spot at the end of it. There'd be considerably more ignominy attached to finishing last in that group and having nothing but blank weekdays in the spring.

Title Rivalry
Well, it's been a funny old season so far, hasn't it? To have this inconsistency and be just two points behind the leaders feels a bit strange. So all we've got to do it become more consistent and we can challenge. And if we can challenge, we can win it. The league doesn't have a single outstanding team, so consistency - plus flashes of brilliance - may just do the trick.
Of those one would expect to be challenging for the title, I have this to say, As regards City, I've been swinging between extremely impressed and watching in disbelief at the horrible performances they've thrown in. United I simply can't see being good enough. They seem dysfunctional to me. And with due respect to Liverpool, Everton, Sp*rs etc. - well, they're unlikely to challenge. Klopp or no Klopp.
Which brings me on to...

Chelsea
As people would be aware, I've had a lot to say about Chelsea. All of which means that their current plight has me thoroughly amused - and bemused.
Their victory over Arsenal was a triumph for the diabolical (some might say downright biased) refereeing of Mike Dean - a man whose name I have shuddered to see slated to officiate an Arsenal match. I must say no more.
As for the rest of their season... well, their Manager set the agenda early on with his treatment of the Team Doctor, and Karma seems to be dealing with the rest. It's absolutely hysterical to observe them playing so poorly - both individually and as a team - and to see Mourinho suffer as a result. To me, he's out of his depth in a struggling side, the excuses are pathetic, he is failing to deflect anybody with his spurious diversions, and the 7-minute rant after their last game was met with scorn and the inevitable fine.
What Mourinho failed to see - probably deliberately - were two things:
Firstly, that whilst whinging about the penalty Chelsea should supposedly have had in that game, he conveniently closed his eyes to the fact that it was the most contentious of three penalties that the referee didn't award. The two for Southampton were nailed on spot kicks; there was doubt for Chelsea's claim.
And secondly, when he moans about his treatment as a result of calling a referee 'afraid', against Wenger's description of Dean as 'weak and naive', he fails to note the most salient point - that he was wrong and Wenger was right.
People say they'd like to see him sacked. Others say they want him to stay. From my point of view, he's doing a marvellous job at the moment and should therefore stay. But if he gets the sack... well I for one would really enjoy that!

Arsene Wenger
I have said it before and I'll say it again. I don't want him to go; I want him to change. But he won't change, so I want him to go. Now there's a dichotomy...

Watford away. The sort of game Arsenal must win if they want to challenge for the title. So COYG. And Come On The Villa!