Arsenal: Two steps forward, two steps back

Trawling through some unused submissions. This one was sent in after the CSKA Moscow 0-0, but is still relevant



Arsenal: Two steps forward, two steps back

Ashburton: It’s getting better


So I was watching Sky Sports News on the Thursday (2nd Nov) after the Champions League games, interested as to the boss's views on the game. And the first thing I saw was Henry apparently upset about the fans’ attitude and them leaving early. Surprised, I logged onto the official site to see the club denying this. However this latest news did little but add to the annoyance I have felt in the recent three games.

To get to the point quickly. It seems to me that whereas the club is advancing in some areas, in other areas where we did not have a problem, we seem to be tripping over at. The unbeaten season was simply perfection, and the next two seasons were simply stopping to catch our breath, and taking steps back. However the high hopes I had at the end of last season, and from our six match winning run (from Hamburg away to Watford), have quickly gone. I can only hope that Arsene also realises we have a problem which needs to be addressed and fast. There is no doubt in my mind that we play some of the most fluid and beautiful football I've seen in my lifetime. It's simply amazing and lovely to watch. But we lack sharpness. What the hell’s happened to our shooting? Where did the lessons from the Reading game go?

I come to the Grove to watch Arsenal churn out a good performance and get a result. As much as I love the techniques, they mean little without the results to show for them. CSKA Moscow at home was a sad example of how we need to hone the touch. It's no surprise the fans were annoyed - when you miss chances like that then people will get on your back. Accurate shooting and finishing off teams is the defining factor in any team’s game. It is just as much the quantity as it is the quality in our case. Do we really need to be like we were with Jensen and yell "Shoooooot!" whenever a player is outside the box? I would hope not. The fans are happy knowing we won, not how we played. We have dominated so many games this year, and we did not win three of those because we don't know where the goal is. It's not that small. I can't see why we are so afraid of it at times.

The other point is the issue of why do fans leave early. It's a common argument. But I was surprised that the news was reporting Henry complaining, and as much as I don't wish to believe it, I wonder if it does reflect how the club is feeling. I admit, I’m not a fan of going early, and I do wish that we could all stay till the end, I would love to, but this is where I feel Mr Spock must have taken an off day. The reality is, the location of the stadium is not meant, or able to cope with 60,000 fans coming in at once. The tube is too small, too busy, and without any good parking space nearby, it forces us into bottlenecks.

It was no surprise fans turned up late on Wednesday. It was congested, the tube was delayed, the motorways seemed to be enjoying accidents. And there must have been room for expanding that, or at least making some bigger parking spaces nearby. At least we got there to cheer you all on. It's not that we had much choice given the state of things. We have no choice but to use the tube. As much as Arsenal is an important factor in my life, there is a little thing called other events. People have work, they have school, me and my Dad have that situation. We can't do such things if we have to wait in lines for two hours to get home. It just is not possible, people have other things to think about. You’re not going to succeed at doing any of that if you stumble in at 2am and then need to drag yourself out six hours later. You can get into trouble, you can lose out on such things and then not be able to afford to come watch Arsenal play. It's not that we don't like the club or are fed up. We are just being realistic and simply, we can't always put Arsenal above other priorities. That’s only possible if the transport system is given some serious revision.

If you can't make life easier for the fans, then you won't get many positive results. Arsene needs to consider that trying to hit the back of the net will make us more happy then enjoying beautiful football will. We can do it, we know that, we are excellent at it, but I think the professor needs to get the class back in for a revision lesson. He needs to make the players aware of the bad shooting, otherwise they can't improve their overall game. And we won't move on. We have so many talented youngsters coming through, we know we can lift glory in Europe. We know we can challenge Chelski and ManUre. The atmosphere is improving already. Those are good things. But we need to press on them a bit more. If that can continue, and improve in those bad patches, the fans will be able to appreciate the side so much more and the players can be encouraged then. And then everyone can be happy. I’m Arsenal till I die, and I love the club, but I want to help the club too. I’m just trying to think in my head as well as my heart.

Let’s keep the faith people, at least let us rally.


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