One defeat changes nothing

Here’s a simple fact – we’re two points behind the leaders, with a goal difference that is only one worse than the leaders.

Here’s another fact – our children’s team looked a dream and a half on tuesday.

Or another fact – even if Manchester Bankrupt win their game in hand we are still above them in the league.

Or another – when Manchester B screwed up earlier this season – or indeed at the start of last season – I don’t recall anyone saying, “that’s it, all over, that’s the end, Man B are dead in the water…”   Of course not.  Everyone takes it that their manager knows a thing or two about football, and has just had a bit of a bad run.

I’m just another supporter, and, for what its worth, what I feel at the moment is…

a) there is nothing written in the laws of the universe that says Arsenal have to be one of the top teams – after all for many years of my life the club has very obviously not been one of the top teams.

b) I have never in all these years of watching the club seen football as exciting and stunning as in the Wenger era.

c) The football I am seeing now is not worse than during the 2 Wenger double seasons – it is in fact better.

d) The only period at all in all the years I have been watching Arsenal in which the team exceeded what is being offered now was the unbeaten season – but

e) The prelude to the unbeaten season was a dreadful awful terrible dispiriting defeat at home to Leeds which lost us the league

f) The aftermath of the 49 was a dreadful run where we couldn’t have beaten our own children’s team

I don’t think this is a disaster at all – because I am not going to measure everything against out ability to win every single game.

I loved the game against Sheffield U, I am not going to give up on this season after just a handful of games, I am certainly not going to start criticising Wenger just because we have lost two games this season by the odd goal, I am going to the game against Porto full of enthusiasm, the world did not end on saturday evening, and most important of all…

If I was coming to this country from Brazil, with no knowledge of English football, but as an incomer was looking for a team to support, I would look for an attractive, attack minded team that could make a serious challenge to win the league.   That would reduce the field to two – Manchester B and Arsenal.  I would choose Arsenal because of the tradition, the ownership, and above all the pure style and quality of the club.

One defeat by one goal changes nothing.

5 Replies to “One defeat changes nothing”

  1. I love your passion and grit, total insanity, but passionate. Would you like to buy some stock in Lehman Brothers?

  2. I am a regular reader of yours, either because you make sense or because you reflect my views – same thing I suppose! I agree that losing to Hull changes nothing – we still play wonderful football and I still expect us to challenge for both EPL & CL.
    However, our performance was extremely disappointing. Arsene needs to kick some arse. We cannot win if we abandon RvP or Ade, but they must be motivated to better performances. I’m not sure the same is true of our captain.
    Although their first goal was a cracker, if we had been playing a 4141, the shot would never have been allowed. Our performances at Bolton & Blackburn were predicated on that basis. Perhaps giving the extra support to Cesc & Denilson gives them an extra spark?
    I hoped for the 4141 before the two away games, but not before Hull. Perhaps Wenger suffered the same loss of vision? Or was it hubris?

  3. Yes, we got two defeats and losing at home is not good for moral and then getting beaten when 1 goal up and then conceding two to Hull City is unforgiveable. I agree with most of your articles but in this one you are giving credit to the way we play but not toforget we play or rather should play to win tropies too.

  4. Hmm. whatever happened to people’s mind? Anger I suppose. I’ve read and find a repeated fault of blaming Denilson on our loss. Had Ade and VP scored all misses no one would have said a word about Denilson.

    Last time he played a blinder against Bolton because he had Song behind him and therefore he and Cesc could push forward which they did marvelously especiall after conceding a goal.

    Please please, dont just blame him the team lost because we failed as a team. End of

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