Mass positivity breaks out as fans and writers go for Arsenal love in

By Bulldog Drummond

If there is one thing we have known for a long time about Alex Iwobi it is that he was not good enough.  Consider some of these headlines:

Arsenal Fans Blast Iwobi – You Are Not Good Enough

OwnGoalNigeria, 16 Feb 2017

Arsenal fans have descended heavily on Alex Iwobi over his poor performance in the 1-5 loss they suffered against Bayern Munich in the UEFA …

Arsenal: Alex Iwobi not good enough, again

Pain in the Arsenal 2 Jan 2018 

Arsène Wenger: I’ll fine Alex Iwobi if partying is true 

The Times  9 Jan 2018

Alex Iwobi faces being fined by Arsenal after being photographed at a party …

He’s just not good enough.  Somehow he got worse 

Footballfancast, 4 April 2018

Arsenal: Alex Iwobi showing just how ill-equipped this club truly is

PainintheArsenal  3 May 2018

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So what a shock it is to wake up and find that today’s headline is not just

 Boost for Arsenal as star set to return for Newcastle United clash

But that the subject of the article is Alex Iwobi, with the Daily Canon telling us he was the man of the match against Chelsea.

And that is not the only positive story about an Arsenal player this morning.  We also have

Matteo Guendouzi is everything people think he is 

That from Pain in the Arsenal.

Also on the positive front we have “Unbeatable: This is the amazing XI Arsenal should play from now on to secure a top 4 spot” from The Transfer Tavern who really seem to have not only got a completely new clientele into the Tavern but a new landlord as well.

What makes this particularly interesting is that at the start of the season almost all the players in the Arsenal starting XI were being hammered – in fact every player at Arsenal was being hammered except for Bellerin, before, as if noticing the omission, all the blogs and newspapers turned on our Hector.

Anyway the Pain in the Arsenal magic team is

Cech

Bellerin Sokratis Mustafi Monreal

Guendouzi Torreira

Ozil Ramsey Aubameyang

Lacazette

What is interesting there is that the lineup does include one or two players who like Iwobi have been sacrificed on the alter of audience numbers in the past.  Well in fact all of them were at the start of the season, with the possible except of Monreal who wasn’t playing.  Certainly there were days when Mustafi would probably have wanted to ban all newspapers and internet connected computers from his house and as for the commentary on Cech…

And really was it not just a couple of weeks ago that Ozil was the ultimate enemy of all decent football going people, the man who had stormed out of training and refused to play for the club because he was being asked to play in a position he didn’t want?

And as for Cech, well.  Oh no hang on I’ve done that one.  (Sorry there was so much hatred of Ozil and Cech doing the rounds it is hard to get it out of my head).

So what is this?  Could it at long last be the odd scribbler here and there looking at the meanderings of Untold Arsenal and thought, “hey let’s be positive – we ain’t done that before”?   No, that’s probably going too far, but it is a pleasant surprise to find such commentaries.

Elsewhere the Express, one of the biggest abusers of players, has a story about how the abuse Bellerin received really affected him (they don’t say sorry, but at least they recognise what they are doing), and Caught Offside comes up with another positive message under the headline “Arsenal star gives exciting insight into how Unai Emery has transformed the club”

This Caught Offside story is about Bellerin (again) who is quoted as saying, “With Arsene, he wanted us to play in the same way regardless of the opponents. The idea was that we could play in our way and beat anyone. But Emery is very focused on preparing a plan for our next opponents, whoever they may be.

“It is very detailed and very professional. The next few months are going to be very exciting for all of us. We will reach a higher level.”

Which is particularly interesting, since if you can think back to a few lines above in this little ramble we had Transfer Tavern telling us that they had come up with the perfect lineup – implying it should be played in every match.

And tantalizingly, perhaps showing show how far this transformation of approach to Arsenal has gone we have the headline “Xhak-attacks? Are they unfair?” from The Loose Cannon. 

But no, that would be a step to far.  The anonymous author who reports that he/she is “an FA coach” who has “trained up to UEFA ‘B’ level ” thinks that the attacks are justified.

Bit of a let down after all that positivity.  But you can’t win em all. 

3 Replies to “Mass positivity breaks out as fans and writers go for Arsenal love in”

  1. Mass positivity…. I can only be suspicious
    The media especially online outlets need to keep the conversation going and would probably be sheer wickedness if the Arsenal bashing of the earlier weeks keep going on… It has at least been an average turnout of results having played 2 teams that finished above us last season. But I wonder if there won’t be a resumption of normal service if any of the next 5 matches doesn’t end up in wins… Imagine the Xhaka attack even though Emery experiments shows glimpses of him improving.
    I think it’s just that negativity draws more clicks and more. Money for the writers.

  2. Legends

    Arsenal legends XI: Lehmann, Cygan, Whyte, Upson, Winterburn, Parlour, Gilberto, Rosicky, Pires, Boa Morte, Suker

    Apparently Seaman got hurt in warmup, hence Lehmann starting. Also apparently Whyte got hurt, and Alladiere in place of him.

    Mid first half, no score.

    COYLG!

  3. Lehmann cleans up on the penalties, Arsenal Legends win!

    Marca never seemed to carry this game, I wonder why? They carried the first game.

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