Graham Perry
Ed’s Note – Graham Perry sends out his views on matters Arsenal to an email list and is keen to reach a wider audience. What follows is the text from his email sent out yesterday…
The General Election is over. Summer is in full swing. The cricket has been great and the possibility mounts that we might be able to challenge the Australians for the Ashes. Murray fever is upon us – we are getting ready for the Open - we still have the Grand Prix. It is a good time to be in the UK but don’t kid ourselves if you are Arsenal you pore over the back pages with even greater intensity. Yes you glance at a Joe Root big score and keep abreast of Tiger’s troubles and you wonder if Lewis Hamilton can see off the challenge from Nico Rosberg but in truth you scour the media for a mention of new signings. After all we are all Arsenal – the players may go on holiday but we are only thinking of the new season.
Can we mount a serious challenge?
Was the win over Villa at Wembley so convincing that we can dare to think the unthinkable?
Will we be able to make the additions to the squad that will force the detractors and the moaners to accept that we can do it?
Isn’t this going through your mind – aren’t you hitting the web for transfer talk, hovering between Radio 5 and Talk Sport for the announcement of a new signing, peeping at the headlines on the train or the bus as you pray for confirmation that we have signed Petr Cech or are close to getting the defensive midfielder to prevent Coquelin from over-use and possible injury or maybe one big striker. And haven’t you scrutinised the early season fixtures to work our which matches you need to view from a bar on the Continent instead of seat at the Emirates.
Nerds all of us?
No, The Arsenal thing goes deep – it starts often with a family relative who took you to your first game and then you recall your first goal and how you focused on your new hero – be it Ted Drake or Ronnie Rooke or Joe Mercer or Jack Kelsey or Derek Tapscott or George Eastham or George Armstrong or Big Raddy – the list is endless and for many it starts more recently than any of the players I have mentioned – maybe Charlie George or Michael Thomas or Denis Bergkamp, Ian Wright or simply David Rocastle or now Alexis Sanchez.
We all have favourite players, best remembered goals and most exciting victories – we all have our Anderlechts.
Then there is the revival thing – the “coming good” after the “being also-rans”. Wherever you are in the world and you meet up with a fellow supporter the debate begins. Has Wenger done well to see us through the transition or has he under-achieved?
I remember the three barren years after Giggs’s semi-final goal in 1999. That was under-achievement – something went wrong when we had the wonderful array of talent.
We recovered and became the Invincibles and I close my eyes and see Yakubu bearing down on Lehmann at Portsmouth in the relentless rain right at the end that 2003-04 season sure to score and prevent us from being unbeaten. He scuffed his shot but I am sure it had something to do with Jens’ great presence between the posts.
This column wants Wenger to succeed. What he has done in terms of making the transition to the Emirates and providing the secure foundations for future purchases is really not appreciated.
Glass half empty because we did not win between 2006 and 2014 or glass half full because we stayed in Europe, were always in the top four and are now admired by all genuine football lovers for being the real thing.
I want Arsene to succeed because I want Piers Morgan to fail and I want Wenger to be accorded the respect he deserves. Identify yourselves if you disgracefully sang at Wenger “You don’t know what you are doing”.
For the future I am looking for a seamless transition from Wenger to Guardiola but that is for the future – what excites us is the coming together, the all round improvement, the challenge of Sanchez, the emergence of Coquelin, the revival of Ozil and his partnership with Cazorla and the return to form of Ramsey. The ingredients are there – we can see it in every position – we are close. Please let us have a good start – that will set us fair for a real challenge.
As you while away the summer indulge yourself and let me know your favourite Arsenal moment – what really got to you – what really turned you from a follower to a fan. And in the meantime let’s hope that Cech signs, that we get the defensive midfielder and an addition up front though I still believe that Akpom has something special.
Keep in touch – it is all simmering below the surface.
Roll on 8 August or whenever Sky dictate when we play West Ham.
Don’t underestimate Bilic – didn’t he almost win with Besiktas in August 2014? Somehow Ba failed to reach the header in the last minutes. Phew...
