So what the hell happened then? I didn’t watch the internationals, have no interest in them but I did conduct a brief news trawl and it appears that we have lost another five players as a direct result of, or at least at the same time as these irritating fixtures. Honestly it beggars belief that this is allowed to happen. Surely there should be some rule that if another organisation takes our players and breaks them then they should let us borrow some more. Couldn’t they have a pool of super fast young talent chomping at the bit to step into the shoes of our knackered stars? It might work. Arsène could stroll down to the FIFA holding pens and peruse the winger coral where the stock players mill about hopefully waiting to be chosen. Then it’d be off into the midfield barns and pointing out a suitable stopgap for Ivan to load up onto the truck. Or how about our next two or three fixtures being automatically postponed to allow us time to recover. Or something. I don’t know, it just doesn’t seem fair that this can happen. The injury to Gedion Zelalem is particularly cruel. I suppose in the pursuit of scrupulous accuracy I probably can’t blame FIFA for his plight at least, but the young man would almost certainly have looked upon our current injury woes as an opportunity to see what he could do in the first team. Promising pre season displays are one thing but the ploughed cauldron of Sunderland would have been a heck of an experience for the boy.
It is what it is and moaning will do no good but somehow it hurts less if they are at least wounded in the cause, striving for Arsenal in matches that actually mean something. I am repeating the serenity prayer over and again in an attempt to come to terms with this needless vandalism, this reckless wrecking of what is our most promising squad in years. I haven’t spent the entire time weeping though. I did have to laugh when I read one news site describing how our current sick list stands as testimony to the weakness of our squad, the fabled ‘lack of depth’ being exposed again. It wasn’t a big full on belly laugh with tears of mirth squeezed from the corners of scrunched up eyes to run between my ample cheeks you understand. It was more one of those derisive snorts which on a cold day will make the snot fly if you’re not careful. These same lowlife hacks that spent the last week and a half telling the world how Arsenal were now title challengers and had joined the big time after just one signing appear to have torn up their scripts and returned to the summer mantra of the squad lacking substance, being thin and weak. Apart from their risible insincerity and laughable inconsistency do they seriously think that any squad could cope with losing ten top class players? It is in fact a testament to the group that Arsène has assembled that we can still field any kind of competitive team under these circumstances. But hey ho, as some people queue up to remind me, this is a Positive blog and I shouldn’t spend so much time putting the boot into those who revel in the club’s distress.
Odd stance that isn’t it? ‘You’re supposed to be positive so stop being so negative about negativity.’ Um. Riiight. OK, tough call that and I’ll try but I think you’ll find that remaining positive about our club actually might involve destroying the shallow arguments of our detractors. Just every once in a while. Seriously we actually had a comment to that effect only recently. Here’s my question: Why would an Arsenal fan be so offended by an Arsenal supporting blog having a go at people who hate Arsenal? It’s parallel universe time again folks. Well in any event this is George’s house and as long as we don’t offend him those with their grubby noses stuck against the window can stay out in the cold offering advice on how the furniture should be arranged, I’m sure we don’t really give too much of a hoot for their bellyaching.
I don’t know about you but I spent the international break walking my dogs on the beach, reading and listening to music. It’s therapeutic. I’d like to say I didn’t think about football at all but for a man who isn’t in the least bit superstitious I did spend an inordinate amount of time whistling, touching wood and rubbing the back-stays in a furtive hope to appease the injury gods. And a fat lot of bloody good it did me. Hopefully Arsène’s news conference tomorrow will take the sting out of some of it as he announces divine intervention and miracle cures for our brave battered boys.
I would like to end on a positive note, honestly I would, but I am so utterly fed up with these stupid international bullshit festivals that I find it difficult to raise my spirits. The timing stinks, the matches are usually awful, the outcomes irrelevant and the injuries infuriating. So I’ll leave you with a song instead. Not one of mine but one that might better express what I ought to be saying
Positively Arsenal 
A propos of nothing in particular, the meeja just can’t let this whole transfer speculation thing lie, can they? Despite the window having “slammed shut”, as they love to say. Weird. Are they going to keep it up all season?
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Me too, I wonder, could NB be the most unexpected find of the season, the joker in the pack. He has the qualities I have no doubt at all, but I think one of those who also needs to get very, very fit to achieve the right impact and attitude. He has a good record at international level, almost a goal every second game.
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Stews
I like the Rothko tribute.
You ever made any pinhole cameras? There are one or two great books out here on the topic, one inspired a friend to once make a camera out of a raw pumpkin*
*a versatile vegetable. Can be used to make cameras, scary faces, sitars(!) Not to mention soup.
I’m impressed with the pumpkins CV.
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Thanks fins. Not got into pinhole camera making but my daughter is a film freak so she might be interested.
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Sports photographer, finsbury? Your mate. Like to see him at the Arsenal with his pumpkn
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like to see some fans turn into pumpkins
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Really Stew,that would be doing them a favour,sort of an IQ upgrade.
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Frank, No not a sports photographer.
Not sure if two fourty-five minute exposures of a football match would sell to the Daily Fail (trying to be professional here so I’d swap the vegetables for a cardboard box) but I’d be interested in having a look.
A spectrographic recording of each half of a football game. Cool!
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A bit of a worry with Flamini
Last time he was with us he forced his way into the French national side
When he departed to Milan his international career ended
And now he’s back
Ominous
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Twitter seems to be currently unavailable – was following the U21 game.
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And Nic B is indeed just 25 years old
In terms of rough tough centre forwards he is just emerging from puppyhood
Droggie had barely scored a goal before his late 20s
The future lies in your hands
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Or head – or feet
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Flamini will prove to be a very shrewd signing by Wenger.
Awesome pictures Steww. What kind of lens did you use to shoot that photo?
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“Is Erik Lamela a better signing than Mesut Ozil!” is a headline I had no trouble resiting the temptation to click and read. How desperate are these media types?
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If anyone is interested in the U21 Arsenal v West Brom game, please let me know the score.
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Hi gainsy. The top shot was a 10 – 20mm Sigma ultra wide angle lens on a Sony A850. The sunset shot taken with a Panasonic point and shoot.
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@ FG
FT 1-0 to the Arsenal. Serge gnabbed a goal.
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steady on with the pessimism Steww,
Have you seen our squad?
Ok, TR7, Poldi, Diaby & the Ox are serious losses, but my Dennis we still have awesome cover.
Please tell me TV5 and Arteta are nearly fit? please??
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😉 face, Steww!
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I’m not pessimistic, I’m angry.
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PG @714
HUNTER 13@ 452
HAHAHA…….
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yes Steww… In answer to ‘Am I happy’ above. Posted that just before work, home now and one more shift tomorrow am before two weeks off. Sunny – hopefully – north Majorca awaits. Away for 5 Arsenal games (two on the days I travel and back early am on the saturday in plenty time for Swansea game on return) but fortunately only one home game, Stoke – I loathe them with a passion – so not all bad missing that other than our new signing’s first appearence at Emirates. On a positive note for that game, the chap next to me gets to bring his dad to take my seat so he’s chuffed.
On an unrelated note of happiness… have now not smoked for almost a year and during that time have thrown lose change, every evening, into a bottle. Bagged and taken to bank and turned into paper money – £776 quid from loose change in a year – get the fcuk in! imo!. Was seriously thinking a couple hundred at best… woot! I might buy a whopping great Cigar to celebrate ( wink) I have absolutely no concern regarding sharing that on an arsenal forum because I’m a smug chuffed git, not only because of being right as we all are, hereabout, about Arsene, but because I have a spare pile of cash to waste on shite on holiday.
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Yah, smashing pumpkins.
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STEVE I
congrats on the one year anniversary. Keep going.
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Brilliant article and brilliant pictures! That’s proper talent right there! and it’s nice to see that PA is getting recognition outside our usual borders. The site got a shout out on Arseblog today!
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really evil? where and by whom?
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Oh yes I see it,It could have been a lot worse.I suppose being a “sell out” is one of the least offensive things leveled at me.
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Steve-I
You can almost buy a season ticket at Spurs for that money….
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