By Tony Attwood
I really had to laugh when I read the sentence “There is no leadership at the club whatsoever and that’s why issues like the above are happening.”
“The above” of course was in relation to Koscielny saying he didn’t want to go on tour. The blog itself was one of the hundreds and hundreds that are endlessly negative about Arsenal. They were negative about Mr Wenger, and now they are negative about the club under Mr Emery. The piece concludes, “This season is careening off the road before a plane has left the tarmac, and that’s before Xhaka is given the captains armband.
“Arsenal is chaos, it’s staggering how badly we’re being run at the minute.”
But what I find particularly droll and interesting about that blog, and all the others that follow this same negative-negative pathway day after day, week after week, is that they didn’t actually look at the situation and ask why was this handled in a different way.
And in matters like this, “why” is always the key issue.
I can’t think of a time in the recent past when Arsenal would have reacted like this to an event of this nature. It would have been handled internally and quietly, leaving the bloggettas to scribble away and deposit their bile, while remaining very Arsenal like above it all. Reading the press of the 1930s I think Chapman would have dealt with it in a flash. In the 1920s Sir Henry Norris would have had it sorted straight away. But since?
Mr Wenger could have dealt with it, but it was taken out of his hands. The directors directed the media team to do as little as possible.
So why, on this occasion have Arsenal come out so very publicly with the story. Why was it that, effectively, it was Arsenal.com that gave the story to the media.
The most obvious answer is Edu. Now, unfortunately for me the timing of today’s little eruption and Arsenal’s response wasn’t perfect, as the research on Edu and his approach was only just being finished as this Koscielny news broke. But this sort of situation would fall very much under Edu’s role, and looking at what he did at Corinthians and for Brazil, this has Edu written all over it.
Of course I wasn’t there to watch Edu take control of the situation, instruct the press officer, and the guy who runs Arsenal.com but I am pretty sure that Edu has come in to change the whole approach of Arsenal in relation to both the media and the players. When we put up the Edu piece I think you’ll see what I mean.
If we think way back to the days in which the directors would cower in their room in Highbury while the media was baying on the steps of the main entrance demanding a statement (you might remember that time in Mr Wenger’s first season when the media went berserk on a horrific story about Mr Wenger and tried to taunt him on the steps, and the directors begged him not to face them) we can see this is a totally new approach – just as Mr Wenger had his own approach.
The difference is this time the approach is coming from the Director of Football rather than the manager. Mr Emery might have said of Koscielny “we leave him behind” but in the past the press office would have been left to make up a tale about injury problems.
We’ve never had someone like Edu before at the club in a directorial role. And I think this is going to be fun.
Oh yes, and ignore all the media coverage about Arsenal not knowing what they are doing and behaving like chickens minus a head. That is the hallmark of blogs repeating the same old story hour after hour. This has every hallmark of a club that knows exactly what it wants to do and how it wants to do it.
The article “Edu comes to Arsenal: why this is the moment everything happens” will be published around 0710 BST tomorrow
Thank you! I know exactly which blog you’re referring to and can’t stand the illogical negativity that comes out of it.
Head and buried in sand springs to mind
I still haven’t figured out what the big deal is about our captain not going. Most people in his position would do the same. He wants to go and if this facilitates that so be it. If Arsenal want to be hard Arse then they should expect the players to respond in the same manner..
Arsenal should have behave in a professional manor install of making such statement to the media. I think they should know how to handle cases like this one. The manager should have been the one to give information about the player absent from the squad. We sorry to inform our fans or supporters that our captain will not be traveling with us due to injury. But they have painted Koscienly black to the media, I truly feel sorry for him.
A nicely measured analysis to the days events. And I must say I do agree with the rebuke of the shrill, headline grabbing antics of so called fans in the various online formats who are doing the club a real disservice around the world at the moment.
Back to the article though, and while I agree that the decision to own and shape the story was bold and decisive – I would personally reserve judgement that it marks a sea-change in our media approach, or indeed that it has anything at all to do with Edu’s arrival.
Time will tell of course but I am hopeful the author is correct.
Regarding Koscielny, I think it’s worth pointing out that the man has been a wonderful servant of the club. A great captain and player, who kept us competitive and his head when many others around him lost theirs. Koscielny could have left us at many times in the past few years when his stock was high and the club’s low, and he stayed to be a captain of consequence.
Now in his final years as a player he wants to extend his career with a new long term contract. If Arsenal were offering it best believe he’d take it. But we are not and should not. Therefore the decent thing to do is allow a recent Arsenal great to move on to pastures new.
Spot on. For many years these types of incidents at Arsenal would have been covered up with player X ‘has a hamstring injury and can’t travel’ etc. Too much of a co-incidence this new approach (cant recall Arsenal doing this before) happens just a couple of days after Edu parachutes into town. Change is happening.
what do you mean when you say “painted black” ?? why not “painted white”?. very insensitive….
This is the nail in the coffin of the Wenger style.
The management will now play hard-ball with the players, ie you do what you are told, or you are out.
It ties in with UE’s style.
Ozil mind your back!!!!!!
No matter the reasons, I’m extremely disappointed the Captain is not going on the tour for a selfish reason; I’m traveling to Wash. D.C. to see Arsenal take on Real Madrid. My daughter and friends are members of the D.C. Armoury, a local supporters group that will be out in force.
Koscielny has been been one of my favorite players and I was very much looking forward to cheering him on and the rest of the squad as well. Well, not Mustafi, lol. But there are so many really entertaining players to cheer on that I know I’ll enjoy the match. I’m sure I won’t be disturbed by a Kroenke sighting. Maybe it will be sorted by then. One can only hope. COYG!
Contrast this with the way Chelsea handled Cech’s desire to join Arsenal. Although the move wasn’t ideal Chelsea showed class in the way they handled it all and appreciated his long service. Hence Cech was able to return to Chelsea and received with open arms at the end of his playing career. This should have been handled differently.
Pay cut for the player is surely a slap in the face of the captain.
It is already clear the Koscielny situation has been mishandled by making such a statement. However there is no evidence, that Edu would have been involved. As the previous regime let Sanchez, Ramsey leave for nothing, why not let Koscielny also leave, although he has one year left on his contract. Welbeck was also allowed to leave last season.
Whilst like many on this site, I had tremendous admiration for Wenger. However there is no doubt between Gazides and Wenger the contract situation has been poorly managed. Even agreeing to Ozils, excessive salary demands.
In the new structure having two very senior executives, running the club the commercial side and players side, can lead to confusion and misunderstandings. Also Emery whilst the coach, does not have the same relationship with the owner. Wenger had far more respect, responsibility and power, which he earned over his twenty two years of service with the club.
The problem Arsenal now face is absentee owner, who wishes to minimise his investment, as most of Kroenke’s money is committed to the LA Rams stadium project, with an Investment company, just under $5 billion dollars.
The new management team, I personally believe do not have the same autonomy as Gazides and Wenger. Emery has a very difficult job, he has little or no say with regard to player Investment. Something which people may consider not relevant, his lack of English would hinder any interaction with Kroenke, when he meets him.
Whilst a Gooner since my first home game at Highbury in 1964, I am always optimistic. The current ownership and management structure, will make things much more difficult, for us to achieve the success we all wish for. COYG
Why all the sympathy for Koscielny? Or is it just a bit of sly Arsenal bashing? Don’t forget this is a guy who has been handsomely rewarded for his time with us during which his contribution has been sometimes excellent, sometimes indifferent and sometimes non existent. Like all other players the club makes calculations about the upcoming season based on their availability or their value in a highly competitive transfer market. Last season was a wash out due to his injuries but he was still paid a fortune. For him now to try to opportunely ditch us and secure a big payday at our expense, particularly given our parlous financial situation, reflects very badly on him. He should now be subject to whatever financial penalties are permitted by the terms of his contract. Any move to another club must only be agreed subject to a mutually agreed transfer fee failing which he must continue to serve the club for the remaining term of his contract in whatever capacity they see fit.
Sad to see that statement from the club. A player with ten years loyal service should be treated with more respect. There is obviously a behind the scenes reason why Koscielny is doing this.
Respect is reciprocal. If Kolscieny has no respect for Arsenal, he shouldn’t expect any from the club.
For me, I see nothing wrong with the club’s statement. Better say it as it is than allowing for speculation and rumor that would destabilize the team.
Micho I disagree with you. The language we speak in England has evolved over 1000 years and of course contains phrases that interpreted in a certain way can be deemed to be insensitive. But I don’t think that, for example, we should take offence at the Rolling Stones “Paint it Black”, nor that in a game of chess white starts. Or come to that the fact that very few teams have an all black strip.
It’s quite astonishing how many people commentating on here (let alone elsewhere on the internet) are making assumptions and judgments based on those assumptions when they have no access to any of the facts whatsoever. This is all just ridiculous speculation………..yet again. Infuriating. Why can’t people just deal in facts or at the very least make judgements based upon them. We all moan about the nedia making stuff up about players and transfers and then we get people making up their own reasons for what is happening here when they have absolutely no access to anything but the most basic of facts i.e Kos isn’t going to the US. Get a grip people.
Micho/Tony – English has evolved with intrinsic colour prejudice. The terms ‘fair’, ‘dark arts’, ‘whiter than white’, ‘black sheep of the family’ etc. are all based on lighter being purer, cleaner and more honest. It is what it is.
Spin
The club has announced their opinion and stance. No point in trying to read too much , or misread or misconstrue their message . We will have to be patient to see how this pans out.
I like this new way of the club saying it as it is . No punches pulled. No more wishy- washy and conflicting reports.
The club’s reaction to the Koscielny affair makes no sense – he must have little to no transfer value anyway so giving him a free transfer would have saved a years wages,£4m or so.
I personally think we should try to get him to stay.If we could get 20/30 games out of him,it might make the difference between qualifying for the Champions League or not,Tens of millions.Instead we alienate one of our best players.
I’m not saying he’s blameless but you have to worry about the people making decisions at Arsenal these days.