Howard Lamb
Ah, lazing on a Sunday afternoon, in the summer time! Maybe that’s what most of the Arsenal team were already thinking about on that tiresome visit to the Potteries? Far more preferable would have been a few days by the river, a pleasant way to while away the season break, perhaps to make a start on writing those money-making memoirs – probably could pick up a decent bargain by the Thames for a million or so from the last few months’ earnings?
Clearly such thoughts could not have been further from the minds of Liverpool’s players last Monday evening. With a miniscule mathematical possibility of overtaking the two clubs ahead of them in the table – who just happened to be playing each other the following day - Liverpool FC comprehensively dumped a Fulham team, who had been getting some good results recently, but in all honesty had little meaningful to play for, fairly and squarely in the Thames. Fulham 2 Liverpool 5, but it might easily have been ten; Liverpool, a mix of experience, youngsters and some precocious talent – and passion (yet lacking their talismanic Captain and their most expensive signing) – set about Fulham from the off. Sixteen pulsating minutes and three goals later the game was as good as over, but the Scousers had no thoughts of easing off. For Fulham, give credit where it’s due, they never gave up, but they were comprehensively outplayed and totally overwhelmed.
Compare this with the tame, ‘boring’ performance of our ‘team’ last weekend. Given an almost identical scenario – small mathematical possibility of overtaking the two teams ahead of them, who just happened to be playing each other that afternoon, and needing to improve their goal difference against a team with only pride to play for (and the small matter of the FA Cup Final next Saturday), Arsenal FC gave a frustrating and immensely disappointing end of season performance.
So why the big difference? Well, maybe lots of reasons, but one stands out like a sore thumb. The respective managers. Liverpool swapped the inappropriate Roy Hodgson (interestingly a success previously with Fulham) for the inspirational and passionate Kenny Dalglish and have barely looked back since. Arsenal have a manager who, for whatever reason, appears to have lost the positive side of his passion and now seems content with Champions League qualification, which has been achieved. So, it would seem, job done. Maybe it was the constant haranguing by the media; maybe it was the realisation that Arsenal could not compete for the foreseeable future on a level financial playing field without a ground move which would undermine their player purchasing options; maybe it was partly his nemesis ‘Old Red Nose’ deciding not to retire just yet; maybe it was a personal ambition to disband the Invincibles and devote his life and efforts to ‘Project Wenger’? Pass. Whatever it was, in my mind and clearly for many other Gooners, it has failed.
I feel very sorry for Arsène. As I’ve written in so many Gooner articles, his teams have provided some of the best moments of my Arsenal-supporting life. The man clearly loves the club and I truly believe genuinely wants to succeed. But I think he has lost the ability to motivate his team. And, as we saw so clearly at Craven Cottage on Monday night and in the Potteries on Sunday, that can be the difference on the pitch between overwhelming success and humiliating failure.
