By Tony Attwood
Arsene Wenger has established his most formidable squad for five years – Arsenal will win honours
So says Steve Stammers in the Daily Mirror, and just in case you don’t quite believe it and think it is a spoof he goes on…
The Gunners crashed out of the League Cup in midweek but the north Londoners are in the mix for the title
“But significantly, there was no chorus of disaffection with the management of Arsene Wenger.”
Now I have no idea if that is true, because although Untold create the notion of the aaa we don’t actually bother to monitor the likes of P Morgan and their twotter followers.
The article continues…
“Go back to August and the first two Premier League matches of the season. Against Liverpool, the rookie central defence of Rob Holding and Calum Chambers was ripped apart by Liverpool. Six days later a goalless draw against champions Leicester at the King Power prompted calls – in no uncertain terms – for Wenger to spend and spend again to strengthen the team.”
Well, yes I was at both games, and I recall. And then, the paper says, “Wenger acted – it has to be said in his time, not because of demands from the sidelines – and in came Shkodran Mustafi, Granit Xhaka and Lucas Perez.
“Central defender Mustafi was an immediate success. Xhaka is adjusting – showing there is more to his game than accumulating yellow and red cards on a regular basis. The jury is still out on Perez. He played against Southampton and was anonymous.”
Of course it would be good for the press if the jury were still out on football journalists, but I think most of us reached a conclusion a long time about them, with their make believe fantasies about transfers and their inability to tell when Karren Brady is entering her little fantasy world. But anyway, the article goes on….
“But Wenger laid out the cash. The result? Arsenal – until a strong Southampton side arrived at the Emirates – stayed unbeaten in ALL competitions … Premier League, Champions League and, for two rounds, the League Cup.”
Well, yes, I noticed that. Glad it seeped through to fantasy journo land too.
“But there were benefits – not least the most taxing hour to date for the highly-promising French midfield player Jeff Reine-Adelaide . The 62 minutes he spent of the field will amount to a vital part of his education.
“But no-one in the disappointed audience called for Wenger to leave. No-one suggested his time was up. No-one saying it was time to go. And rightly so.
“Wenger’s contract is up at the end of the season but the Arsenal hierarchy want him to stay. And rightly so.”
Isn’t it interesting that the fact that apparently no one started a “Wenger out” chant at the game is now news.
“Some may still believe Wenger’s time is up and he should go next May. One message to them – be careful what you wish for …”
Goodness me it seems that the gentleman of the press has been reading Untold. Well now squire, since I have your ear, would you like to disentangle Ms Brady’s thing about the fact that State Aid United get only a third of the arrests that Arsenal get?
West Ham v Arsenal Saturday 3 December 2016 – The Match Officials
Three times as many arrests at Arsenal as at State Aid Utd? Up to a point Ms Copper
Santi Cazorla out for three months. Now what?
As darkness descends on the football world what can the response be?
League Cup Arsenal – Southampton 0-2
that seems too snarky
Maybe he knows something we don’t know!
More likely setting us up for the “fall” as usual.
I’ve read the article and find it a mixture of fact & opinion which just about anyone with an interest in Arsenal’s season could have written.
In fact if you look around the Arsenal blogs you’ll see much the same stuff written in articles and comments by diehard supporters who contribute comment on a daily basis.
Whether or not it’s sincere is a different matter completely. For my money it’s another journo earning his pay.
I’ll stick with The Guardian!
Arsenal will tonight’s pounce, pound and hammer Andy Carroll’s West Hammers led attack at the London Stadium with nobody whatsoever coming to their aid this time around? I should think so.
So Carl Jenkinson has now been made the sacrificial scapegoat given to Azazel for the recent Arsenal woe in the English League Cup at the Ems last Wednesday against the determined to end our long unbeaten run Southampton backup team. Ehn? (sick we are out of a title race)
Why was Jenko played at RB in the first place when it must have been known by the Arsenal’s defense coach Steve Bould, he wasn’t yet at the top level of his game to mann the position on the night? Why didn’t Bould tell Le Prof not to start him for the match? Or are the two not working in tandem? Okay, he was dispossessed and as a result of that we conceded a goal and he was later sub for Niles. But the question that begged for answer at the end of that match was, why didn’t any of Arsenal forwards score? I think Le Prof later identified the problem that led to us losing the match as been Arsenal backup team lack of the required urgency level in their game to stop the Saint wroughting the havoc they wrought at the Ems on the night.
Urgency and Fluency are the two ingredients which have become the hallmarks of Arsenal game. And for our games to produce positive outcomes at all times, any of the these 2 ingredients should not be missing in our games. For the 2 are married together and if 1 is missing, it means a divorce has happened.
In this my thoughts and at the London Stadium tonight, the Gunners MUST not lack any of these 2 ingredients in their game against the Irons however giant Andy Carroll may be, he can be closed down, can’t he? To close him and other Irons like Payet down, the Gunners MUST be urgent in their game to succeed in closing down any threatening masquerading Iron.