Guest post by Adi (@positivegunner)
So the transfer window filled with ITKs, Exclusives, Airport Sightings, constant reminders of our bank balance and more has finally passed us.
We’ve added one genuinely top quality player to play left back as part of a quality foundation that already exists here. Now, this might not be the position where you thought a player was needed and it certainly wasn’t the first position this author would have strengthened if given the choice (I’d have gone for a CF). This might not be the only signing you thought we needed and you could even feel that if we have the money it should have been spent right away on whoever was available to add to this team for now. There’s a couple of reports from Italy about getting rejected by Fiorentina for Jovetic and plenty about Barcelona refusing to sell Villa, so it looks like we did try for a top quality forward (though some of you don’t like the “we tried” line).
However, we need to be reminded that as much as we’d like, we have zero say in this process and this is finally the decision of the manager. He thinks what he has is enough for now to get the job done between now and May and whether we like it or not, the squad will remain as it stands and no amount of complaining or moaning or lambasting or screaming is going to change that now until May.
So this is it, our team and potential depth for various positions from now until the end of May. Take a good long look at it. It seems thin in some areas, strong in others but has quality and versatility in it capable of getting us the top 4 (especially as we seem to be getting a lot more cohesive and deadly going forward)
Now let me let you in on a little secret. I’m furious and have been for a while. About a signing we missed. I thought we could have used him in the summer and I thought we should have paid beyond our means to get him if that was the stumbling block (other clubs, their own interest in moving is really no issue if you throw money at it)
This is a player, the likes of whom we used to have before, and I wish we had signed. He’s a free agent now, so it still isn’t too late to sign him and he could make a massive difference between now and the end of the season. Who is this you say?
Let me give you some clues while I hold your attention for just a little bit longer.
To narrow down his style, I’ll just say that he’s a fierce defender and truly loves the club.
I believe this kind of player is what we need to help push past and overcome the Jekyll and Hyde act that we do in the two halves where we play the first half fearful and flat and the second half at a level near our true potential.
Besides any big quality signings that you might think we need or didn’t get, this is one player this team needs to push it on to every success even if we sign other world class players.
He has had the reputation of going missing sometimes against weaker teams but he’s the ultimate big match player, delivering his best performances on the biggest stage or against the biggest rivals.
He is loud and usually dependable, and often the one that players turn to when they need inspiration, confidence and self-belief and need to shake themselves out of fear and nervousness.
He can induce fear in the opposition and reduce them to nervous wrecks and has the ability to singlehandedly spark his team to life from the lowest of depths to achieve anything and fight like warriors.
He’s supposed to be so good that he makes people feel like they’re up against an extra man, a 12th man if you will.
A whopping 94% of professional footballers believe that playing with this guy, helps them play miles better.
Wondering who this is if you haven’t figured it out already?
The answer is simple, its Mr.Vocalis Fultus.
Confused? Well you’re supposed to be. This is Latin for vocal supporter.
That’s right, the signing that I hope we’ve made and if not yet, then can still secure is the vocal supporter. The one who makes himself heard in the stadium in full support even when the chips are down at 0-4 like we did against Milan. The very one who resides inside each and every one of us who claim to love this club and support the players in red and white. And this is not just when the team is playing well, but more so when the team is playing with fear and looks completely flat when the extra 12th man counts for so much more.
Support means a lot of things to a lot of people but I see supporting the team you love as similar to supporting someone you love. When they’re going through a bad patch, you don’t just pound on them and make them feel worthless, you do what you can to help them out of that patch.
Our opinions on matters of ambition, how much money we have to spend and we haven’t spent, why we spent or didn’t spend, can be far and wide and extreme. Our opinions on the quality of players (and whether they’re Invincibles level or not) can differ between shit and world class. Our opinions on the board, Gazidis, Kroenke, Usmanov and Arsene Wenger can range from they’re right and they know to they’re ruining the club. All this is and more can be up for debate, and you have every right to do so.
But what is not up for debate anymore is the fact that now that the January window is over, between now and May, the constant unabated support of every player on the pitch, ranging from Santos to Santi, is needed more than ever. We cannot let our opinions of things that cannot change for the next four months cloud our support for the team or detract from it in any way. We cannot take out our frustrations or anger of any perceived decline since the stadium move out on the players who are on the pitch now. We cannot put the pressure of that frustration onto every misplaced pass, every missed challenge, every scuffed shot and every goal conceded. Now is not the time for that, now is the time to stand up and be counted as a genuine 12th man.
So what do you say? Can we as fans provide this massive signing that will prove as big a boost to the team starting Saturday against the cavemen? Or do we as fans dither until the summer or the next trophy and refuse to make this one signing that could prove to be the difference towards achieving those goals?
Positively Arsenal 
Fuck him, Adi. Not worth it. No loss.
LikeLike
Also Sam isn’t his real name…it’s parth (@onekeysersoze on Twitter)…a look at his TL might tell you all you need to know about how “reasonable” he is
LikeLike
Passenal @ 7:00pm
The DM meme is just another marker of how many of our “supporters” are out of touch with the direction of modern football and like luddites (sabots according to Frank) attack Wenger for not sticking with the old. There was an interesting piece on this subject by 1nildown2oneup blog:
http://1nildown2oneup.net/ramsey-anchors-midfield-superbly-who-saw-that-coming/
LikeLike
Also George…this reply has to be saved to copy paste every time someone like that waltzes in
“You see Sam you missed the point .I suspect you make a habit of doing that..
You can have your opinions ,good luck to you ,wallow in your misery ,we just don’t want any of it here ,We are like minded and happy .And happy to be deluded ,AS YOU KNOW DOUBT THINK WE ARE..Because I know every one of you arguments and points.I have heard them hundreds of times .Keep them thanks.”
Absolutely brilliant reply
LikeLike
Shotta
I agree totally…I don’t get the constant demands for a pure DM when our fluid midfield doesn’t require one and doesn’t suit a traditional one..it is tailor made for someone like arteta (or Ramsey) who has the intelligence to cover his defense without throwing himself around like Scott Parker…what I do feel makes us a different beast is Diaby and hence the need for power next to our intelligent deep CM rather than a bulldozer DM who isn’t needed in modern football IMO
LikeLike
Adi @ 7:38pm
@onekeysersoze is a known hater with a penchant for vile personal attacks on those who don’t subscribe to his brand of negativity. Passenal, who I follow on Twitter was his most recent, as recent as hours ago. Proves the point. Moving right along.
LikeLike
Well,if fucks with Adi, he fucks with all of us, he can do one. You know in the good old days it would have been in the boot and off to Epping forest,ah….happy days.
LikeLike
Shotta, Barcelona don’t use an anchor, Bayern don’t either, neither do Germany, neither does Manchester United or Chelsea, nor Real Madrid. The anchor is dead. We had one who could string a pass or two together, but he had to go as well. That position now belongs to Pirlo types who can step in and intercept a pass.
LikeLike
Shotta…I just saw the uncalled for abuse of passenal…That really is classless and unbecoming of anyone who calls themselves a gooner
LikeLike
Thanks Mel for the support…not worth giving someone so simplistic and small minded any more attention than he has already got on this forum so far though
LikeLike
Agree completely with the last comment by Gains…and now that it is 1:30am here in India, I’m off to bed…take care everyone
LikeLike
Where has the awful concept of a DM come from? In my day it was considered to be the height of modernness…modernity..moderosity…moderingtation…all the rage to have a sweeper. Such a creature could ‘sit’ behind the centre halves or in front. Oh maybe the latter was a liberetto or liberanian something like that. Anyway it all came to nothing and in the end it turns out you just need a good goalkeeper and ten technically very good players with a good attitude and a bunch of very good supporters. Simple….and the effect in Arsenal’s case is enthralling.
LikeLike
I love Steww’s knowledge of music even if I don’t understand why it is called music AND I am happy that my friend Gainsbourg is back SO light a gitane, siit back and wonder how a man with such a huge nose and ears could be so successful with… er..you know…thingy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Nr0dUcrAU0
LikeLike
Oh well thank you Youtube. That was crap. You have to press the little Youtube knob. Easy.
LikeLike
..and there we must leave him sleeping. Dreaming about the game tomorrow no doubt..or maybe he stayed up long enough to see Serge. Night. Night, Adi. Good days work.
LikeLike
He said his head resembled a cabbage did Serge. He even named one of his lp’s after this unfortunate likeness : “L’Homme a Tete de Chou”.
Serge was great.
LikeLike
If a blog were to have a ‘mission statement’ (and I’m not saying we should have one) George’s already quoted words below would do the job rather well:
“You see Sam you missed the point. I suspect you make a habit of doing that.
You can have your opinions, good luck to you, wallow in your misery, we just don’t want any of it here. We are like minded and happy. And happy to be deluded, AS YOU KNOW DOUBT THINK WE ARE. Because I know every one of your arguments and points. I have heard them hundreds of times. Keep them thanks.”
LikeLike
It was rather good wasn’t it, Andrew. George is a very inspirational speech writer. But please don’t tell him. We will never be able to live with him.
LikeLike
Welcome Alabama. As a matter of fact I am Zimbabwean here in the central southern part of Africa, my wife came from America, Chicago origins to be precise. She played some youth football in her day, and we both support the excellent USA women’s football team. She too shouts at the TV during matches while wearing her Arsenal gloves (we bought on a rare visit to Emriates, bitterly cold it was that day) and gets guilty if we lose and she didn’t have the gloves on. It’s true, … ulp, many inexplicable defeats and draws have been caused by forgetting the magic gloves. Our household, raucous at the best of times has been known to explode in dancing, running up and down and acting like Frank I suppose at a winning, or beautiful Arsenal goal.
You’re in the finest company here. Have fun.
George, coming from the state that practices censorship on a grand, insidious and at times lethal scale, I am opposed to censorship. However, like all freedoms, it comes with responsibility; moreover this blog has an opinion, a position, it is supporters’ site. I propose you use your editorial discretion, and DNFTVI. I could not agree more with Frank, the real danger is being bored to death by middle of the road football snobs feigning “realism” and talking rubbish, over and over and over. Let those who want to discuss football have their say, the scope of the positive supporter is broader than most think, and some are inquisitive. Bin the village idiots. Discourage the snobs (you know you can always spot them by their insipid lack of humour), or allow us to.
LikeLike
You really are a very impressive bloke, ZimPaul, very impressive indeed..
LikeLike
…now these gloves that ZimPaul’s wife wears. Turns out I might be able to do you a favour. Let me know if your interested.
LikeLike
Passenal,
You’re preaching to the converted 😉 I wasn’t making these arguments.
LikeLike
Passenal,
I’ve re-read my post – what I meant to say, is that people may be making what they see as legitimate points and they may indeed be the subject of a lot of debate. The problem for us of course, is that they imply criticism of the manager and/or club and you get caught up with another load of negativity. My take on the DM situation is that it’s Wenger’s decision and who am I as an overweight middle aged armchair dweller to question that.
LikeLike
I bet you wear your gloves in the jacuzzi 🙂
LikeLike
Erm, we’ve tried exorcism Frank, turns out the gloves are more powerful than we thought. The one-horned goat just sighed and murmured “live with it”. But you’ve got my attention … yes, I’m interested.
LikeLike
Deluded microcosm ? Piss off.. totally missing the point. The biggest delusion is from fans who expect to win the premiership and CL on the resources we have, or even more deluded, expect us to do it without resources, or should make the resources available to do so even if it breaks the bank.
LikeLike
Not the jacuzzi, but a neat pond full of fish a little ways down the hill, often see a kingfisher hovering above it, and from time to time, a hammerkop eyeing the frogs.
LikeLike
Epping forest Mel? We used to gaffa tape them to a rock on Brean Down.
LikeLike
Some great comments over on The Oatcake, an online Stoke fanzine. Here’s a few
“If they score early it will be four or five nil. If we can keep them out for 70 mins it will be a one nil defeat”
“The most difficult of the remaining season is tomorrow vs Arsenal.
Arsenal 3 – Stoke 0 is my guess.”
“However I reckon we are going to get well and truly mullered. (and i’m an optimist)”
“We’re gonna get absolutely murdered… again, that’s why.”
Now you see why I hate public negativity. How beautiful do those comments read to us? And our moaners give the same joy to Spuds and Mancs.
http://oatcakefanzine.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Potters&action=display&thread=207487
LikeLike
So Stoke RFC fans can actually write. Wonders never cease
LikeLike
DM = deluded microsm = as in … “so we need a CB, a GK, a 30-goal a season striker (as if those are bought off the shelf by Le Boss on his visits to Waitrose, which btw I assume is a supermarket) and a physical DM”. I am paraphrasing from a blogsite that used to discuss actual football.
I simply couldn’t agree that we need that deluded microcosm. No more DMs, FFS.
LikeLike
Cheerful bunch the Stoke fans, so I’ve heard.
LikeLike
As one blogger used to remind us, it is his blog. Fair enough. No probs. What is good for the goose is good for the gander. George and Adi have said upfront, it is not a free-for-all. You are admitted. That is good enough for me.
BTW: Do you think AW will do a Mourinho and play with a double pivot? Ramsey and Diaby?
LikeLike
Brilliant post as usual, Adi. Nothing to say regarding the post. But what a wonderful atmosphere here, in the blog comments. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. Keep it up. Let positive vibes spread all over the gooner family.
LikeLike
steww @ 9:42 pm – I read the Oatcakes with mixed feelings. Flattered that they recognize we have awesome firepower upfront unlike the maudling middle-of-the-road supporters but concerned that our players do not recognize how good they have become and how much better they will be.
Carmon Arsenal, Carmon!
LikeLike
enjoy matchday from wherever you are tomorrow,mine starts in the kings head, lets hope the doomers are quite and we can all enjoy our positively ARSENAL
LikeLike
Sorry Muppet, didn’t mean to sound like I was critiquing you, it was just the well worn argument to which you were referring!
LikeLike
Match day gloves…awesome. I have one sad little t-shirt that I wear with my pajama pants while drinking my coffee. I gotta work on that… But, yeah, I try to wear it for every weekend match. I’d wear it to work for Wed. afternoon games if they’d let me. 🙂
LikeLike
That’s my favorite Gainsbourg song, Frankie. Old Serge nearly destroyed that girls career for being a sly bastard. Hahahahahaha!!!!!!
LikeLike
One nil to the football team, one nil to the football team, one nil to the football team.
LikeLike