Kevin Whitcher
First up, a lot of people have been asking about my fate with regard to my arrest at the Milan game for ticket touting, as detailed in pieces here and here. I will write a piece on this that goes into detail about some of the information I have gleaned since, ideally in the next few days, but for now I will briefly put people in the picture. The police offered me the choice of accepting a caution or going to court. I mulled over the situation with a solicitor expert in this subject area, who advised me that taking the caution was the best option. Technically, I was guilty by the letter of the law – one that needs revising, granted – and if I was up in front of the wrong judge, things might not go my way, with more serious implications, including a lengthy ban from attending Arsenal matches.
The consequences of accepting the caution would only be of significance if I was caught again, which is not going to happen as the events that led to the arrest will not be repeated. On principle I am not going to stop helping to match up fans that want to attend a game with fans that have a ticket for one but cannot go, ensuring a seat is filled at the stadium. But I will not get involved in any of the financial transaction stuff involved. And it is the sight of money changing hands that excites rabid police officers that need to make arrests to justify their presence at football matches. From what I have learned in recent weeks, the club did not get actively involved in the case, as the officer dealing with it after my arrest and interview could see the reality of the situation – I was not a tout – from the evidence involved. That didn’t make me innocent though.
The automatic policy as far as the club is concerned with such cases is a three match ban for the season ticket holder involved. This is agreed procedure with the police, and the club work closely in tandem with them on this matter. Arsenal counted the Milan match as the first of my suspension, with Newcastle and Villa making up the three. In fairness, I guess they could have started the ban when they were informed the ticket had been confiscated after the Milan match, so I am not going to waste too much energy questioning the policy. I was simply relieved I would finally be able to use my season ticket again, and received it in the post in the days leading up to yesterday’s game.
However, anyone wanting me to relay impressions of the first ten minutes of the match will be out of luck. I turned up a few minutes before kick off to discover my ticket had not been electronically re-activated. The club might have sent it back to me with a letter stating I could attend matches again, but no-one had bothered to inform the computer. I was sent by a steward (the long way round – these individuals aren’t the brightest) to the collection point opposite turnstile S, where I was then informed I would have to see the box office manager in the main ticket office on the level below. A long queue was there, but knowing I had to speak to someone specific who probably wasn’t serving, I jumped the bloody thing and was able to get a paper ticket printed out after Penny Downes, the individual I had been told to ask for, authorized it. Doubtless an admin oversight, but talk about twisting the knife. Due to my ability to sprint (and jump the queue – sorry to all those that were held up a little longer), I managed to only miss the first ten minutes of the game. The Highbury Spy informed me that Arsenal had started well and were all over the visitors. So with some relief, it’s back to the football…
And at times, it felt like both the Man City goal and Mario Balotelli were leading a very charmed life. City were a shadow of the team that we saw in the first six months of this campaign, and the signs that the wheels were coming off have been there for a while now. It seems astonishing that a team packed with such talent and experience could collapse in this way, although the bad apples in the camp phenomenon should not be unfamiliar to Gooners. The 2007-08 campaign saw factions in the dressing room, and opinionated players such as Gallas, Adebayor, Van Persie and Bendtner were unable to suppress their differences when the going got tough. Consequently, a season that could have brought the Premier League and/or the European Cup fizzled out in acrimony. The hangover lasted for another campaign as none of the individuals were moved on with the manager not strong enough to confront the situation. Making Fabregas the captain to bring together that particular bunch of egos was no solution whatsoever.
It will be interesting to see what happens at Eastlands over the summer. Tevez and Balotelli will presumably be moved on, and there is of course the horrible possibility that the Gunners’ current captain might follow other ex-Arsenal employees north to don the sky blue next summer. However, with United likely to land the title for a fifth time in six seasons, it is to Old Trafford that Arsene Wenger needs to look to take inspiration. Alex Ferguson has bucked the odds five times out of six to beat petro-dollar backed outfits, a demonstration that it is possible to overcome clubs that outspend you. By finishing in the top four, Arsenal are achieving what they should – specifically a fourth place finish – but by that logic, United should be in third.
There are things United do that Arsenal don’t. Rotation of coaching staff. Different wage structure whereby younger prospects have to prove their worth before being awarded anything like parity with established and proven stars. Not quibbling about a couple of million extra on a transfer fee. Defensive organization. Cutting adrift obviously below-par performers without sentiment. A switched on and focused mentality that gets results in matches when the team are not at their best.
All these things are possible with Arsenal’s existing finances but require a change in approach. The signings of experienced players on transfer deadline day last August was a step in the right direction. Let’s forget Ju Young Park, but consider the influence the other players have had in the dressing room, on the training pitch and in matches. I have no doubt there has been a more mature approach this season, which helped the team recover from a disastrous and self-inflicted poor start. The addition of more proven quality over the summer can only enhance the team’s chances next season, although the question of the retention of Robin van Persie may determine whether or not 2013 is too early to anticipate silverware again.
The contribution of Mikel Arteta was rewarded with the winning goal against City yesterday. Fans like to see shots like his attempted more often, and there were a couple of opportunities earlier in the game when such chances to shoot were spurned in favour of passes. If the forwards are switched on, such attempts can created chances for them via rebounds even if a keeper is not beaten. Such shots should be attempted more often. We even had time afterwards to see Aaron Ramsey’s party trick of sending the ball into orbit with the goal gaping. This is a technical flaw in the young Welshman’s game and it needs to be addressed in training. It happens too often for it to be accidental. The number 16 knows how to keep the ball down, he just isn’t doing it at vital moments through some habitual flaw that can only be addressed with practice and work on his powers of concentration. There is even an argument for hypnotherapy in my book, and that could go for a lot of the players as the idea of ‘mental strength’ the manager continuously goes on about means to this observer concentration for the 90 minutes of a football match which we don’t always see. Alex Song, too, needs to work on his tendency to give the ball away through trying to be too clever. Not every pass has to go on a youtube compilation. Sometimes, the simple ball is actually the best one, without any need to gild the lily. Song could learn a tremendous amount from Arteta in this regard.
These are minor quibbles, but even in victory, there are lessons to be learned. Lessons that could serve the team well if they are taken on board. To not acknowledge them smacks to me of complacency and an unwillingness to improve. The haters will bash me for having the temerity to write a critical word after a great win, but my focus is on how the team can do even better than third place in May 2013. I accept that some people are happy with third place, but I want better for my team. We have had a rollercoaster ride this season. Some very real highs and some terrible lows. It has rarely been dull, and dare I say it, for the most part unpredictable. Yet defeat at Loftus Road did feel a bit predictable for once. But surely, surely, Arsenal cannot drop any points at a sunk Wolves on Wednesday evening? Can anyone actually see that happening? It can’t… can it?
The current issue of the Gooner can be bought at the match v Wigan next Monday evening. You can also buy it online here. There is also an e-version of the issue available to read on your ipad/tablet/iphone/android. The app is free and you can download the first few pages of each issue as a taster before deciding whether or not to purchase the whole thing
