Cambridge Gooner
The 2-1 defeat at Manchester United proved to be the tipping point for me as an Arsène Wenger optimist. This was a result which, ostensibly at least, looked to be respectable to Arsenal fans and the media and did not subject us (weather-beaten though we are) to any more ridicule by association. The truth of the matter is that we never got near them and, with the exception of Jack Wilshere, who was unfortunate to be on the end of some more OT refereeing, never looked like trying.
The whole match was a pointless endeavour in every possible sense; do I need to say any more? Why bother lads, why bother travelling up the M6 once or twice a year to get soundly beaten, by a team with less ability, but vastly more gumption, drive and belief? I’ve seen teams from the Blue Square Premier go to OT and give United more of a game. If my home club (Cambridge United) were to play Moan U as frequently as we do, they would have won more games simply by the law of averages.
Taking responsibility and leading by example
What I’ve come to realise is that none of what we have seen can you blame on the players; the responsibility for every vacuous performance lies squarely with AW. These are players that have proven throughout their careers that they have fight, ability and a passion for winning. Why then, when put in an Arsenal shirt, do they turn into invertebrates incapable of passing a ball five yards, or testing one of the worst United defences in living memory? Since the 2006 move to the Grove, Wenger has inculcated and repeatedly reinforced a culture of losing with detachment - “it’s the taking part that counts, boys...... and if, heaven forbid, you do lose, I will be as wantonly purblind as ever and blame it on (a) the referee, (b) the European match in mid-week, (c) the international friendlies, (d) the ugly football of the opposition, through which they disgracefully contrived to win, or (e) the amount of money spent by Chelsea or Citeh.” Either way, the responsibility for defeat is never accepted by him or aimed at his players.
Tactician Supreme
I’m no football expert, I’m a mediocre Fifa 13 manager at best, but even I can tell you that every other person, inside or outside of football, would not have put Andre Santos in the starting line-up. Pitting one of the worst left-backs in the league against the best wide right player in the league is suicide in its purest and quickest form (three minutes to be precise). The half-time shirt swap needs no further probing.
Ferguson does not need to be a genius to out-manoeuvre Wenger’s Arsenal; the team is set up exactly the same way for every single game we play. There is plan A, a plan A and, if in trouble, there’s always plan A. If Fergie had not figured out how to beat a team playing the same way since 1996, he would surely be an imbecile and not a man at the helm of the most successful club in English history. “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting to see different results” – wise words that a man as studious as Wenger has no doubt read.
Old Trafford Results since 2006
- April 06 – 2-0 – Can’t remember much about this one, fallen into the recesses of my brain amongst the rest of the forgettable OT defeats
- September 06 – 0-1 – Amazingly a win stolen through the invention belonging to the itchy feet of Adebayor and Cesc
- April 08 – 2-1 - Marginally off the pace, United just wanted it more
- May 09 – 0-0 – Season over, neither team were up for this much
- August 09 – 2-1 – Some hope provided by the brilliant Arshavin, game tamely handed to United courtesy of some OT refereeing and an excellent, if geographically misplaced, Diaby finish
- December 10 – 1-0 – Another game lost to the brilliance of Park the enthusiastic Labrador, not be confused with his *cough* prolific cousin
- August 11 – 8-2 – Another season well prepared for by AW.
That’s not to mention two FA Cup defeats and a Champions League embarrassment.
Looking forward and planning for the future
I appreciate that I have waffled at great length about one tie in a 38-game season, but the significance of this tie lies in the volumes it speaks about the stagnation at Arsenal. I wrote at the beginning of the season about my optimism and belief that we have one of the strongest squads in our history. The optimism has evaporated, just like my respect for AW, PHW, SK and IG, but my belief in the squad remains. Wenger is turning wine into water, and soft water at that.
One of the big questions previously banded around the stands of the Emirates, the online gooner and the inside of my head is ‘who can do a better job?’ My belief was that although AW was played out, there was no one better to replace him. The answer to this question has been given to us thanks to the mutual incompetence of the new Spurs boss. In the space of a year, Roberto Di Matteo has taken an awful Chelsea team to Champions League success, playing ugly but winning football. Then he did the unthinkable and turned Chelsea into a team that not only wins, but wins playing the best football in the league; yes they spent nigh on £60m to do it (a figure reported to be in Arsenal’s semi-permeable player trading account).
Counting the beans
Where else in the world would you pay more money to knowingly get less? We are being extorted; the Yank has eyes, has learnt that the bond between football fan and club is the strongest emotional bond, beyond reason or sense, and he plans to tap us for every penny. I would rather see this club become the next Rangers than see it further remove itself from the Arsenal we know and love.
What can we do about it?
