Kevin Whitcher
I was intrigued to see that of the bottom five teams in the table, it is only Arsenal’s next opponents Wigan that have failed to take points off them this season. In these matches, the team have dropped a total of ten points, leading to questions of what if…?
The Gunners went to Wolves last night though, with the knowledge they were facing a side almost certain of the drop, and with the Loftus Road performance fresh in the memory. There is no doubt that, in terms of defensive organization, Terry Connor’s team are in a very poor way at the moment, and were very much there for the taking. And so the first eleven minutes proved, as two runs by Theo Walcott produced a penalty for RVP to convert and a well-taken goal of his own. With the opposition reduced to ten men to boot.
The number 14 was largely anonymous on Sunday v Man City, and yet here he was winning the match almost single-handed as the Wolves defence simply couldn’t cope with him. Such is the dilemma of Theo. Perhaps he is the luxury player we always thought Arshavin was. You never know what you will get from him, but sometimes he will do things that win you a game.
79 minutes to go and a relegation-doomed side a man down. Perhaps an opportunity to work on goal difference (Arsenal were three better than Spurs at the start of the game) but Wenger’s team opted not to go for the jugular and contented themselves with keep ball. Perhaps they were saving their energy for next Monday night’s visit of Wigan?
What it did allow was for the home team to regroup and – even a man down – make a fist of it after the interval. Szczesny pulled off a wonder save with the score at 2-0 although his later one when Arsenal had scored a third goal was less critical if no less spectacular. Obviously Wolves’ pressure led to breakaway opportunities, but these were generally spurned. Perhaps the inclusion of Rosicky instead of Ramsey might have made the team more incisive. There is a view that the young Welshman actually slows things up when going forward.
Yossi Benayoun’s goal, when it came, was well deserved after a good performance as he worked himself space for a low shot past the keeper. Credit to Wolves for not making the victory a totally foregone conclusion up to that point, even if it was difficult to see how they could have scored anything at all for the duration of the first half. Everyone knows they are down, it is just waiting for confirmation. It has the same feeling that you can get if you are on the train headed for the airport. You are running late, and know the flight will take off before you arrive, but looking at your watch, you know it is still there now. You just aren’t going to make it in time but the hope is that the take off is delayed. But the sense of inevitability is what dominates. Here was a club that – if they were going to dispense with Mick McCarthy – needed to shake things up and bring in someone that would be able to organize the players into getting much needed results. By promoting from within, things have become even worse. A new stand is on the way to completion, although it’s full opening will be witnessed when the club is back in the Championship. Still, at least we’ll be spared Karl Henry and Stephen Hunt next season.
As for Arsenal, five points clear of Spurs and Newcastle, with Wigan to come in the next fixture, confidence should be high. Let’s just hope complacency is avoided and ensure the decent run of league results since the draw at Blackburn continues. Wolves have themselves demonstrated this season that a below-par home performance by the Gunners can cost points.
To end, a sidenote. Wolves fanzine ‘A Load of Bull’ has been going for about 25 years. There was an issue on sale last night which it transpires was their last ever. The previous one had been released as long ago as the autumn of 2010. They had decided to call it a day but wanted to mark it with a final issue that stated as much rather than just go out with a whimper. It’s as much to do with declining sales as anything – they sell a third of the number of copies they used to. The advent of the internet is to blame. Information and opinion about a team is readily available on a daily basis for free. I have no idea if the fanzine was still profitable, but I am under no illusions that if you have other things on your plate, it is difficult to continue doing something as a labour of love for 25 years. It’s ironic though, that with so much going on at Wolves (including protests outside the directors’ entrance), there isn’t going to be a fanzine to cover it. Times change for sure, but it is sad to see another fanzine go under. There can’t be too many of us left! And on that note…
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
