Pradeep Kachhala
Ed’s note – This piece submitted last week on the day the World Cup kicked off, and delayed by the diary pieces, of which the next one will be posted tomorrow (Friday)…
Hollywood loves a reboot, and at times movies aficionados will take a somewhat cynical look at a film studio’s latest attempt to wring money from the pursestrings of cinemagoers for what is sometimes a very poorly differentiated or inferior product to a film franchise’s previous incarnation. The formula is simple, take a tried and tested character or “franchise” that has become somewhat tired and stale over time and “re-imagine” it for the audience. The reboot invariably brings in a new director at the helm, with a different take on the characters and their motivations within the existing universe. Often characters are tweaked or sometimes eliminated altogether, while the main character’(s)’ modus operandi often reflects the changing contemporary society around them. The cinematography and overall look and feel also changes so it seems to the viewer that this is a whole new experience even if the character or franchise has been around for many many decades.
There are some great examples of this over time, take ‘Batman’ which given Aubameyang’s reputation for dressing up as the caped crusader seems an apt example to use. The comic book character went from a campy Adam West led 60s tv show and was transformed in the late 80s to a more film noir look in Tim Burton’s version. From here the iconic character returned to its 60s routes under Joel Schumacher (with bat nipples) before returning to form with Nolan’s take on the Dark Knight which was grounded in reality. More recent reboots have followed with Ben Affleck receiving mixed reviews for his newest version of Batman. Other franchises, often comic book based as the original source, have followed a similar route to rebooting over the years from Spiderman and Superman, to the X-Men and even James Bond.
In many ways the recent changes at Arsenal seem like a reboot is taking place. Now Arsenal isn’t a character and certainly not a franchise (it’s an awful word to describe a football club), but we certainly have a new man with a new vision, and while Emery’s title isn’t manager or director, as head coach he can start to look at the team and their style through a different lens. Hopefully the fresh approach results in success, and a new identity for Arsenal going forward. Perhaps like certain comic book characters when they are refreshed, we can go back to our more traditional routes as many film reboots often do when they become stale. I always recall that belligerent spirit of the George Graham era along with our defensive stability which was completely eroded away in Wenger’s later years, or even the sheer physicality and calculated nastiness that some of the great Arsenal teams always had along with the ability to play good football.
It isn’t just a reboot on the pitch either, certainly Arsenal’s attempts to become more contemporary in terms of our tactics and style also need to be complemented by our operational approach. The new power structure of Ivan, Raul and Sven supports this modern and without doubt continental style, meaning that our method of player recruitment is also changing. Time will tell whether we can truly pick those hidden gems that we were so good at doing nearly 20 years ago before the rest of English football’s scouting systems caught up and potentially have over taken us in this regard. Hopefully what it doesn’t mean is the tired and stale tactic of waiting until the end of the transfer window before doing anything at all continues, something the previous incarnation of AFC was continually guilty of. To be fair, judging by the various transfer gossip outlets, which we must take with a pinch of salt, it does look as if we are recruiting in those specific areas that have been crying out for attention in the past few years. So perhaps our updated “cast list” next season will provide a more balanced squad with some players getting a new lease of life with new coaching methods while others who have been over indulged will be moved on, unable to fit in with the demands of the new coach.
So what type of a reboot will it be? Will be get the Andrew Garfield Spiderman which was just a rubbish version of the Toby McGuire one, or do we become Nolan’s Batman? If it’s the former well we will be back where we started in 12-24 months’ time, but if it’s the latter, and to quote a line from the Dark Knight Rises “you’re in for a show tonight son”….
