GoonerGoal
A great second half performance against Udinese and a good win, but let’s not kid ourselves that everything is going to ok this season. Some of you may have read the J’accuse! article that I wrote immediately after the Liverpool match when all my frustrations built up over the previous four years suddenly erupted. Judging by some of the comments it attracted, I have not been living alone with my frustrations.
Now, I am not a new supporter who has known only success while supporting Arsenal. I was Highbury born, and raised within a five-minute walk of the old stadium. I attended my first Arsenal match with my father in the 50’s, and my first full season of continued attendance was when Billy Wright was appointed in 1962. I have known and witnessed both the good times and the dark times since then. Now in my 50th season with 10’s of 1000’s of hours and £10,000’s invested in my club, my loyalty cannot be questioned.
If you read “J’accuse!” the one thing you would have noticed is that there was actually no demand for the head of Wenger. But do I want this particular version of Arsene Wenger in charge of my team? Absolutely not! No, I want the return of the original Arsene Wenger. Which is why I suggest the way forward is to take some of the following points and go - Back to the Future!
While I appreciate not all the following points could be put into action immediately, the first one certainly could, because right now there is actually nobody in a position of power at Arsenal to offer advice or challenge the Manager on any matter relating to football. The immediate appointment of David Dein as Director of Football would offer Arsene Wenger that advice and counsel from someone he trusts, and just as he did during our most successful period, Dein could immediately begin assisting the manager in the identification and purchase of players, and just as importantly the re-negotiation of existing contracts.
It should also not be forgotten that Wenger is now into his 60’s. Alex Ferguson has understood as he has grown older the benefit of surrounding himself with younger vibrant minds, so I propose that at the end of the current season, the younger more abrasive winning mentality of an Adams, Vieira, and/or Bergkamp could come to replace some of those long-serving personnel currently holding way too comfortable senior positions amongst our coaching staff.
No matter what, the backroom staff definitely requires overhauling. Replacing the fitness coach, making Gary Lewin “an offer he cannot refuse” to return as our Chief Physio, and bringing in a new club doctor should be a high priority. Our never-ending list of soft-tissue injuries and tediously long recovery times over the past few seasons has been catastrophic and suggests that between the existing fitness coach, physio, and club doctor, something is currently going very wrong.
Those are my thoughts; I hope those who were ubercritical of “J’accuse!” accept these suggestions as a form of constructive criticism. You see despite your suggestions, I am not a Spurs fan, that really would make me the “complete c***” suggested, nor am I a potential City fan, or some kind of “arrogant extremist”, whatever that is supposed to mean.
All of us that submit articles put ourselves up to be shot at, and by all means criticise our views, or the style and content of our articles, but never make the mistake of believing that any of us are somehow less of an Arsenal supporter than you. Got that, sunshine?
