Kevin Whitcher
Emails, text messages. I had a few. Sometimes, it’s nice to ease into a piece reflecting on a defeat by giving the views of others first, just to remind myself I am not a voice in the wilderness wondering why things are allowed to continue as they are at Arsenal.
17.26 (2-1) - No disrespect to Swans. But this is a truly shocking display from us in last 20 especially – Pete Mountford
17.27 – Why is Theo still on? Why doesn’t he replace him with Chamberlain? – Mike P
17.29 (2-2) - I guess that’s why! – Mike P
17.30 (3-2)– Unbelievable. Don’t Wenger ever dare say mental strength again – Pete Mountford
18.00 – (Full time) Only thing he (Walcott) did all game though – Mike P
18.01 – The whole team now looks like an accident to happen. Where now Arsenal? – Howard Lamb
18.13 – I am so angry, even more so than the 8-2 thrashing. This was proof we weren’t good enough, won’t come top 4 and are a spent force. And did you see Wenger looking like a **** in tracksuit and trainers. That would never have happened under Graham and is a symptom of the declining standards we have come to expect. Wenger can take his manky trainers to somewhere like Bolton where managers can wear shorts. – Marc Ollington
18.20 – Is it 120 games before May 2014 when Wenger leaves? – Don K
18.23 – AW knows game is up. We will waste £35m of money available plugging CL revenue gap next season! What a waste – Don K
18.25 – Ironic that their shirts say 32 red – Marcia Milnes
18.54 - We need to change the Club's motto to "Clade discordia crescit". It means "disharmony grows with defeat" – Mike P
20.01 – Just got this from a Manc… Apparently the Henry signed by Arsenal is not their former player but a new hoover to remove the dust from their trophy cabinet – Marcia Milnes
20.02 - Someone at Arsenal needs to think long and hard about putting up Wenger's quotes on the website. Today’s pearler is: ”I think we panicked a bit too quickly today.” So panicking is all right if it is done at the right time, or slowly enough. As you and I know, nothing will change until the manager goes and Kroenke wises up or sells up. To quote Mr Dylan: “I used to care, but things have changed.” – Ian Henry
20.38 – Wenger on today’s game. “Defensively, it’s difficult to know what’s going on, I don’t know.” But… “there is good spirit and a desire to do well.” You just couldn’t make it up! - Telboy
23.22 – Just got no father figure like Adams or leadership on pitch. Or big talkers. AW teams just can’t defend. – Alex Laidman
Monday 07.35 – See the back page of the Metro reads: ‘Wenger is baffled by Arsenal’s Swan dive’. Guess that puts him in a minority of one then. – Doktor Schneide
To get things in perspective, only Manchester United have taken three points from the Liberty Stadium so far this season. And yesterday’s game was the first in which Swansea conceded more than a solitary goal at home since their return to the top flight. So although Arsenal may have missed some pretty decent chances, ultimately, their attack did actually do their part of the job by scoring twice. It should have been enough to secure the win.
But in defence, oh boy. Certainly, the penalty was unfortunate, no doubt about that. But the second and third goals were almost criminal. Giving the ball away so cheaply in their own half for Swansea’s second and then the travesty in the minute after the equalizer. Koscielny, one of the team’s best performers this season, just did not appear to make any effort to keep up with his man. It reminded me of Denilson. What on earth was he thinking?
On both counts, it was lack of focus, lack of concentration that undid Arsenal. Swansea were switched on and took advantage. Perhaps the most galling thing for Arsene Wenger was that he was beaten at his own game. Brendan Rodgers’ side played football in the style of the Gunners – on the floor, possession the priority. Wenger apparently complained about the state of the pitch before the game, but what followed demonstrated that it need prove no handicap. Swansea moved the ball around better and critically, took advantage of the opportunities presented to them.
It’s not the first time the manager’s way of doing things has been thrown back in his face. At Old Trafford, the fact that Alex Ferguson’s team were younger than Wenger’s finally brought the curtain down on project youth, and since then there has been a passable attempt to salvage the season from the wreckage. But the wheels have come off with 11 points being dropped from the last 18 available, and suddenly Champions League qualification looks a big ask once again. Even the introduction of Thierry Henry made no difference on this occasion, Swansea were simply too good at the back.
There’s little gain now in highlighting the lack of contribution from Walcott and Arshavin. Both played a big part in one of the goals, both missed a decent opportunity, but aside from that, were peripheral. Perhaps this played a contribution to the fact that Swansea enjoyed more possession than a team facing Arsenal would normally have, thus handing them the initiative.
Whichever way you look at it, the team have been dropping too many points against teams they should have enough in them to beat for a number of seasons now. And the rot shows no signs of stopping. It was pointed out to me in a phone call from the Highbury Spy that when Vermaelen is not in the team, we stand a great deal more chance of losing. Such reliance on an individual should not be allowed to happen at a club of Arsenal’s stature, but the squad is simply not strong enough to compensate. At least the faint hope of a top four finish flickers as long as the captain remains fit, but should he get crocked, the writing is on the wall even more so than it seems now.
The Spy and myself even pondered whether we would prefer the team to finish fifth or seventh, so to avoid Europa League football. There’s nothing wrong with the tournament itself, it’s the fact that so many of the weekend games are moved to a Sunday that we both agreed we would prefer to avoid given the choice. Who would have thought we’d be having this type of conversation five years ago once we’d moved from Highbury for the express reason of keeping up with the Joneses?
What we are left with is, for the most part, a highly overpaid bunch of underachievers who cannot perform to the levels they are capable of on a consistent basis. For a few weeks in the autumn, things were looking up, but reality has bitten us on the backside even earlier than is traditional. There are a handful of decent players, but the squad needs an overhaul, and specifically more leadership, so that should the likes of Vermaelen be absent, there is someone on the pitch doing the job the team is crying out for. Van Persie may or may not be a good club captain, but he isn’t going to sort out the defensive side of Arsenal’s game. And if he has any footballing ambition, he will only be a one season captain anyway.
The manager is at a loss to explain the lack of focus in his players. I’d suggest his methods are probably the reason for it. Is anyone going to have a word?
PS – After posting, received an email from Alan Humphrey which seems to fit here nicely. Alan writes… The club is dying … and it hurts. The most frustrating thing for me was that we were told this move to E******s will allow us to compete. What a load of rubbish that has turned out to be. The board need to be replaced with Dein and Usmanov and then the manager probably needs to go as well. The lack of competence on the pitch beggars belief.
The current issue of the Gooner with a free 2012 calendar is available to buy online here. A new issue – number 222 – will be on sale next Sunday at the Manchester United game.
