Kevin Whitcher
Stan Kroenke must have been riveted by the first half, sitting next to chairman Peter Hill-Wood in the directors’ box. So much so that he had something better to do and disappeared after the interval. He obviously cares deeply about his football club. Still, let’s give him the benefit of the doubt. He wouldn’t be the first fan to leave a Gunners’ game at half time. And Sol Campbell did it once when he was a player. Tony Adams was also in the directors’ box. I wonder if, at any point before the Denver tycoon’s departure whether they conversed, and regardless, whether Kroenke had the first clue who Adams is, in spite of there being a statue of the former captain outside the stadium and images of him dotted all over inside.
The majority owner saw a first half that was an improvement on recent games, albeit only a slight one. People were so pleased to see Jack Wilshere back they thought he had a fantastic game. From these eyes, he made a difference, adding a little more drive to the play, but rarely fired the Gunners into the kind of rhythm they need to find to get the season back on track for real. The dream midfield of Cazorla, Wilshere and Arteta will need time to form the understanding required. Remember Arteta had never lined up with Wilshere before, never mind Cazorla. The players are of sufficiently quality that it should come, although Old Trafford next weekend is undoubtedly too early. Most fans are not optimistic about that particular fixture.
QPR’s team is stuffed with good players, and it is a bit of a mystery why they are struggling. It was opined to me before the match that they are unlikely to go down given their resources. They did a fair job of making life difficult for Arsenal, but in the end, the better team won. That isn’t really saying much though. It felt like watching two disjointed sides and at times was quite bitty. One got the feeling that the likes of Santos and Ramsey were picked out of sheer bloody-mindedness by Wenger. Given the nature of the opposition, there was an argument for starting Walcott ahead of Ramsey on the Russian roulette principal that you might get a moment or two from Theo that turns the game. They have to happen once in a while by the law of averages and the player has certainly got something to prove.
There is a story that Arsene Wenger got a bit narked with Steve Bould getting all the credit for the good start to the season and has told him to take more of a back seat in training, which may explain the team’s regression in the organizational side of their play when possession is lost. It’s a story that is difficult to believe on one level, but then you hark back to the refusal to give Martin Keown any credit for the run to the Champions League final in 2006 you find yourself actually giving it some credence. Something’s going on between the pair anyway, as was alluded to by Stewart Robson in a TalkSport interview last week. I think Robson, no longer employed to deliver tactical analysis for the club, is now free to speak more openly, so it is interesting to hear his views. Reputedly he was warned about being too critical when recording his Talking Tactics spots for Arsenal TV. It looks like Adrian Clarke, far more of a Wenger loyalist, has been given the gig this season. I’ll have to see what he had to say about the Norwich game!
Arsenal continued ploughing away after the interval and a classic moment of Superhoops’ madness changed the game as Mbia kicked out at Vermaelen. Somehow, it just wouldn’t be a Rangers’ game without the obligatory red card. This could explain their position in the table. Losing a central defender seemed to see the visitors’ solidity evaporate and chances followed before the pressure eventually told. Arteta was offside for the goal, but it was so chaotic in the goalmouth it wasn’t spotted. Arsenal got their break, and then in injury time almost conspired to give the win away with the return of their lack of discipline when it comes to closing games out.
As far as next week goes, a shadow team will play at Reading and anything could happen there, but a Capital One Cup exit might not be a huge surprise. Remember that fourth place is a bigger trophy, so there’s not need to fret over that, as no-one realized that in fact we have not had a silverware drought since 2005 and have won a trophy every year since, according to the manager. What I can’t understand is why the years on the front of the upper tier stop at 2005 though. In the words of Stan Kroenke at the AGM, “I must have missed something.”
Old Trafford will be interesting to say the least. Surely, the left back situation has to be resolved, as there is no way the team can start with Andre Santos up there. My guess is that Ramsey will retain his place simply to contain Patrice Evra, but the player needs to revise his opinion of his abilities and try to forge a future as a water carrier, a Didier Deschamps. His continued attempts to imitate Glenn Hoddle and fail abysmally are beginning to turn him into a boo boy.
A win was vital yesterday and Arsenal just about squeaked through. The patient is showing basic signs of recovery, but intensive care is needed for a while yet, and a growing number can see transplant surgery as the only long term solution.
The 25th anniversary edition of The Gooner will still be on sale at the away games v Reading, Man Utd and Schalke. It can also be bought 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
