Same old Arsenal always, well, Arsenal
We hear that apart from a smallish game against a smallish club this last week, it’s been quite a profitable time for the club recently. Then came last Saturday. Hmm.
Our property ‘division’ is now debt free and is making wonga on every sale made from here on in. This from a club called the Bank of England during its history. Seems like a healthy state of affairs.
We mashed the Spuds in their own backyard even after our goalie and the officials colluded to take the game into extra time. Seems like a good result.
Then we come to Saturday. Oh dear.
It would be easy to say it’s the worst I’ve ever seen an Arsenal team play, but regrettably that’s not strictly true. There were games in the mid-Seventies you’d have to had post traumatic stress counselling after, if real men were allowed to show what was then considered weakness. For an idea of what was acceptable think ’Ashes to Ashes’ and you’d be somewhere in the ball park. Thing is, we also won stuff in the Seventies, the 1970 Fairs Cup (uefa thingy) was our first trophy in seventeen years, yes seventeen years, and we got our first double during that decade. So up and down results are nothing new at Arsenal, same as any other club, you just have to stop being so shouty and widen your perspective.
So was the Baggies winning proof of some deep-lying crippling character trait in Arsène that the Told-You-So-But-You-Wouldn’t-Listen’s now claim to have warned us about right from the start? Nah.
Yes we would all have liked someone with two serviceable hands attached to two serviceable arms to be in goal and for whatever reason that’s an issue for the management. In January. Our number one and number two’s (stop tittering) are aptly characterized by their club goalie ranking, but that was hardly the only issue. I don’t want any team to beat Arsenal, ever. But since it’s happened, I’m glad it was a team who took the game to us, even if they found we didn’t have a game when they got there.
So many errors, so little to gain in pointing the finger at specific players. We were rubbish, plain and simple. Whether Arsène generally knows best or not, I’m getting the feeling that he didn’t find the team display anything like acceptable. If you effectively play a 0-0-1-0 formation where only Nasri turns up, chances are something has gone wrong. I’m guessing he may make some changes, especially since Almunia has been ruled out with an ‘elbow injury’ he picked up against the Baggies. You couldn’t make it up. Not playing due to the elbow. Is that some sort of coded message? Don’t break open the champers yet though, that puts the Pole between the sticks. Unless of course he picks up an ‘elbow injury’.
But anyways, with the mancs and chavs both dropping points it ain’t quite as bad as it might have been, but of course we now have Al Citeh breathing down our necks. Unpleasant in all regards, I’m going to try and get that image out of my head now.
On a lighter note, the BBC reports that the enigma that is Ryan Shornandcross is on Juventus’ radar. I think what that really means is that they are drawing a bead on him for the good of humanity and capital punishment will follow.
And finally, Smilin’ Billy has injured himself in training with the Spuds. Out for three months matches so no sitting on the pitch sulking there then. At least that’s one good thing about the Arsenal, it’s never so dark you can’t find something to laugh about with our dear neighbours.
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