This post has been pulled from the archive from last season, merely for hindsight, perspective and "content" purposes.
To recap, we'd started the season in panic, sold two of our best players, bought 3 new ones (familiar, yes) and were yet to splash the last minute money on Mikel and Co. Lots of people may have been thinking very differently about the Club and/or Wenger after Barton's tangle with Gervinho, Frimpong's red - but this was my take on proceedings. Make of it what you will, but during the interlull, a fresh outlook is sometimes necessary.
Keep The Faith
After the most frustrating transfer window in living memory, Arsene Wenger finds himself in unchartered territory, immersed in a wave of discontent amongst the Arsenal faithful.
All too forgetful fans calling for the head of the most revered manager in AFC history remind me of the gun-hoe attitude of plebeians involved in the recent August riots.
We want the quick fix, biggest names NOW and we’d rather ransack teams for their massively overpriced, overrated stars than have faith in a young side that at one stage last year had people whispering about the quadruple.
His record speaks volumes, he’s never been one to splash the cash, and we all knew that, so I find it difficult to hold my tongue when Wenger’s head is called for by the fickle amongst us, especially as, much like the ongoing Fabregas saga, I see no adequate replacements.
Watching City’s sudden rise to the summit, Mancini throwing the Sheik’s seemingly endless oil funds around willy-nilly and first team Arsenal players deciding that ‘constantly-pissing-it-down-Manchester’ is the place to pick up winners’ medals, has had a direct affect on the attitude of said fans and undoubtedly the players themselves.
This time last year, it would have been unthinkable to imagine Samir Nasri directly contradicting himself regarding Man City, but as closure of his reported move draws near and with Clichy already following in the footsteps of Kolo Toure and Adebayor, it appears that money motivates players more than Arsene’s promise of a bright future ever could.
And so the rumours continue.
Nasri is not yet World Class. He’s close and will be missed, showed glimpses of brilliance in the first half of last season, but he, like so many others that waste away on City’s gold-laden benches, has started to believe his own hype, as if the emblem is of little significance in comparison with the name on the back of the shirt.
No, it wasn’t a winning start against the Toon, but with the rumour windmill spinning rampantly on and the telling pressure visible in Robin Van Persie’s body language, the point could prove crucial come the season run-in and there were plenty of positives to draw from the game.
Gervinho didn’t have the best EPL debut, but looked lively and barring the final ball, a constant threat. Considering that he WAS brought down, if the penalty HAD been given along with what should have been a second yellow for Tioté and RVP on spot-kick duty, the game takes an altogether different outlook.
If the audibly irate fans are to be believed, the years of work/faith that Arsene has put into the enviable youth set-up at the club is being overshadowed by our rivals ability to splash the cash on players that can deliver with immediate effect.
Remove Fabregas’ absence from the equation and I struggle to see why we’re so angry with Wenger for not spending.
The exciting prospect of Gervinho will end up costing close to £15M, Alex Ox close to £12M and with two weeks of the window remaining, Mata, Dann, Jadson, and Cahill are all still being mentioned, any of whom would be decent additions to the squad. Yes, Cesc is a legend, but he didn’t want to stay, whilst Diaby is keen to return, Vermaelen is what we’ve missed at the back and we’re still to see the best of Theo, Arshavin or a full season from Van Persie.
Turn your attention to why financial powerhouses such as Man City and Barcelona are even chasing our players. Arsene is responsible for bringing through some of the most talented players of a generation, with Chesney, Wilshere, Ramsey, Gibbs, Miyachi and Frimpong all ready to make an impact this year.
The footballing world is well aware of the legacy that Arsene will leave behind, regardless of whether it is Arsenal’s very own fans that drive him out and they will continue to inflict as much damage to the team as possible. Surely this is the time to get behind him!?!?
To touch on the twitter talk regarding Barton and Song sharing an embrace at the end of yesterday’s opener (much to my dismay), Barton’s initial shocker of a challenge is what drew an admittedly immature reaction from Song, but I believe Joey recognised this and probably saw a bit of his own character in Alex.
Along with The Forehead, Song will no doubt receive a ban, but the emergence of Emmanuel Frimpong in the holding role should be as exciting for fans as seeing Jack Wilshere waltzing into the England set-up.
Keep calm, keep the faith.
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