This blog is about the demise of the weekly show on Arsenal Player , hosted by Adrian Clarke.
Last year Adrian and his The Clockend show replaced Tom Watt and The Fans Forum.
Some years ago when we had Arsenal TV the Fans Forum was two hours long. It was reduced to one hour when it reappeared on Arsenal Player. If my memory serves me well it went to a 90 minute show until it was replaced by The Clockend, which was back to only one hour per week.
I now learn that the show is to become monthly. Personally, I find this very disappointing. And I’m sure I’m not alone. Here are some words written by fellow blogger @Alternativearse.
“The Clock End running out of time.
With the start of a new season, the Arsenal machine is back in full effect; all the usual news media and opinions being wafted around the various channels with the usual gusto.
Except this time round, there is a slight gap in the proceedings.
Like a school kid who has just lost one of their first gnashers. You see the same face, it’s just not quite like it was before. Something is different, and only unveiled when you start asking questions.
For the first time on Monday, the Monday after the Charity shield victory, Adrian Clarke hosted the first edition of this seasons Clock End chat show. If you are a regular to Arsenal Player, then you have probably caught the live broadcasts or the highlight show at some point in the past.
It was a Monday night staple for some fans; the perfect way of connecting with the club, being part of the analysis of the team performances and a bonfide method of passing on your opinion to the club without the anonymity of the internet.
Twitter, Facespace and the rest of them are all very good methods of connecting, but they are fairly impersonal. You just can’t beat a good old fashioned phone in to chat live with the shows host and the emotion that is conveyed.
The BBC’s 606 is a perfect example of this interaction working a royal treat.
And it’s that interaction is an important aspect of being a fan of any sport. The ability to connect and feel apart of the big show is critical, and the Clock End show provided that link for many supporters.
Sporting the Arsenal colours and that sense of pride it gives you is important.
Feeling like a part of the club you shout for each weekend is important, and being given opportunity to be involved in some way shape or form is also very important, especially in this global age of instant communication that we now live in.
Take members day for instance; 100% in your face connectivity.
Unfortunately for the Clock End Show, Arsenal Media have deemed it necessary to shorten the availability of the weekly show, turning it into a monthly installation instead, citing poor viewing figures as the reason.
The podcast recording of the same show does do well. It received thousands of listens per episode, but the live performance has unfortunately received the hatchet. (not the full axe in case you are wondering)
But the podcast is a recording.
It may be cost effective, but it is history, and offers little in the way of connectivity for fans. You can’t phone into a podcast, nor can you react to another opinion apart from sounding a bit mad and talking back to your computer, or, if you listen to it on the train, the stranger sitting next to you.
This is not the best way of connecting with your club.
But it is only when motions like this curtail something that is loved, that people start to take notice, and often it is then too late.
Football clubs are marvellous things in the way they attract attention, but this support goes far beyond podcasts and favourite tweets.
There are supporters out there who really will support a clubs ambitions Arsenal Media with it’s productions, especially those created in house , have clearly tried different formats and presenters and time slots to boost the viewing figures. They have done their bit and now its up to us to do ours by watching .
Match footage, is of course off limits – that has to be tightly controlled, due to licensing and fees, – but in house media, such as the Clock End, could be streamed, advertised, shared and promoted by individuals across the globe, potentially increasing audience and involvement.
In this day and age, you can watch live TV inside a pair of glasses as you walk along a hill top…so why can’t Arsenal take advantage of it’s colossal fan base and benefit from its outreach and connectivity?
I for one would be very keen to promote my teams activities, I am a supporter, and can offer a lot more than just buying the shirts and watching games.
If it’s for the benefit of our football club, then there should be no issue whatsoever.”
Now then, to get to the point.
Although I feel the club could perhaps have done more to promote the show, there wouldn’t be a problem if more of us had tuned in. Its a great show and we can only blame ourselves that its not to be aired weekly.
If the club are to invest in its production then the least we can do is invest our time and watch it live. If there is a demand the club will cater for it.
So, lets all tune in every month, that way the viewing figures will justify a return to a weekly show.
Arsenal Media will , like the rest of us , be working on a budget. They do ,in my opinion, produce some fantastic shows. If I were them, my budget would be used towards the shows that attract the most views. So its up to us to ensure that The Clockend is one of them.
If you have never tuned in I promise you that you will not be disappointed, its an excellent hour for all keen Arsenal fans.
Please support it and promote it !
I’m pedantic george @Blackburngeorge , thank you for reading and I hope you will all help with this matter.
Positively Arsenal 
fabregas will do well for them no matter how they play or their formation. he is a world class player. he has been since he was only 19. all i want is for our boys to pay back the faith arsene have in then by winning the league and beat cheski home and away. by that, whatever cesc does for them will be irrelivant.
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Or as i have been doing….voodoo on cesc…. come on flam!!!!!
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I will send an email too.
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George its me… just practising my black magic on cesc….open the door
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Anicoll @ 5.11pm
Feel free. One of the rare occasions where I haven’t made any obvious spelling and grammatical errors.
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Celtic FC, one of the biggest clubs in the UK, on their efforts to introduce safe standing:
http://www.celticfc.net/news/6438
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I have emailed them as suggested , I got an e mail back that appeared to tell me to e mail again if my original e mail did not concern digital membership.
So I e mailed again !
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It gives me no end of amusement that a group of Chelsea fans are essentially at war with the abramovich regime: a gaggle of goose stepping pensioners (I guess!) own the pitch in Fulham (but not the ground) and that is their blocker on Abramovich. Of course, he’ll have the last laugh one day if and when he calls in his loans. Funny, but you don’t see ‘not so nice but dim’ covering that story in the Russian owned free London papers.
There may be a threat of sanctions. Butt with so much Gazprom investment in London property I think it’s fair to say he’s one step ahead of most, including the Gazprom faithful.
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Fins i dont think we need a standing section. It complicates things going that route with the stupid laws and such. I think its an internal club matter. Just devote a section of the stadium for the non-conventional. This way we avoid problems with police, council etc…and any political wooshwacka with this safe standing farce.
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I agree–it is a good show. I’ve written to the club as well. I said it should be expanded. They could find special sponsors for it and turn it into a more vibrant forum– add a Friday show ahead of the weekend and looking back at mid week cup/Europe games.
This is an utterly bizarre move, I think.
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Voodoo
I agree that could be a good place to start, but unfortunately listening to Redaction (shame about all the other absolutely useless “supporters groups”) there are many people who will refuse to give up tickets, to move seats, in such an instance. Some people get really precious with their seats, which is annoying. Some are elderly and can’t be arsed to move which is fair enough. They have tried to discuss it with the club, but it’s tricky. They’ve got a section up there at OT but I don’t know if it makes any difference. At the other extreme Selhurst Park is rocking every week and a favourite away ground for many, so there’s something there to be looked at for sure. I’m hoping to go to Palace this year so I’ll try and report back!
Ultimately there is a need for a mechanism that allows cheaper seating, variation in prices, and that could be safe standing. There are also other reasons, ironically safety being one: people getting thrown several rows, hehe, on Saturday over the seats after that late late winner…all in all safe standing has been tried and tested elsewhere and as system it works.
I love a late winner.
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email sent George.
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Much gnashing of molars was done last night, watching Cesc playing like the old Cesc.
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Btw
According to the NOTH the police figures for attendance do not include people who do not walk through the turnstiles. Like, you know, the corporates! Which makes a genuine mockery of last weeks AAA meme. It’s beyond parody. Though I saw some very funny comments. No need for me to add anything.
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I’m looking forward to that back heel assist from the F Word to Özil from the edge of his pelanty area.
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Fins
And not forgetting all the free tickets the club gave the Rozzers.
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hello hello hello
What have we here then?
More selective gibberish released into the ether by the AAA?
*shakes head*
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On reflection, the ticket b*ll*cks from last week marks a new low, or high, for the AAA and their right ole whinging allies in the media.
If they didn’t want to be perceived as toryboy right old wingers, why do they keep getting articles written about them by their mates who happen to be right ole whingers? It is what it is.
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Excellent post George a cause I fully support. Good shows don’t come along often and so when they do we should hang on to them with both hands
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Ah the AAA running out of moans about money and matters on the pitch they have now turned on the fans eventually they will write an article on themselves and their lack of support for the club and wishing it was more like others finally realizing they are indeed spuds
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I thought I would share this snippet from the Indy on tonight’s referee;
“Milorad Mazic has been selected to referee tonight’s match. The Serbian may be a concern for Arsenal after he was criticised for his decision making during the World Cup. Portugal manager Paulo Bento said that Mazic “showed bias” during his team’s 4-0 defeat to eventual champions Germany. Iran manager Carlos Querioz accused Mazic of not being at the right “level” after his side’s loss to Argentina and wondered aloud: “How can this guy sleep tonight, or for the rest of his life?”
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Anicoll5
We do seem to keep getting them.
Our old friend Viktor Kassei springs to mind whenever I hear mention of refs on the take.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/9217074.stm
This result meant we ended up playing Barcelona in R16, with Shakhtar Donetsk topping our group. Looking back, I think it was all dodgy as feck.
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Lucky we are not managed by a Portugese !
Look on the bright side though
The Ref’s a Serb
Bilic is a Croat
You know the rest
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Hehe
It was on the precursor to the clockend, the Fans Forum where I heard Tom Watts and Nick Hornby have a little chuckle over that slightly obvious, erm, performance from grandmaster kassei
The way I saw it Arsenal were happy to help out the Arsenalistas* have a run in Europe, eventually to the UEFA cup final and help pay off all those refurbishments to their stadium. After all, they’re not Tottenham.
*Association comes from the pre-UEFA era when arsenal were, according to such records, a big club – that’s for Hunter!
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Lol… big club my arse…. wheres our champions league? …. our worldwide status of today we owe it to wenger….weve been through this ages ago…
today you get compared as a football club brand with names you have no place sitting next to according to european history…only thanks to WENGER and the football civilisation he brought.
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Like prometheus bringing fire and technology to the tribesmen huntsmen living in caves..haha… light years ahead….covers all aspects of the term ‘football manager’
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Ajax whats our answer? …. bayern? Milan? Juve? Real? Barca? What do we have on them? I dont include any uk teams on purpose cause then it gets really depressing…
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You ok hunter? You see to be struggling of late. How can you win a CL in the pre-UEFA era. Only someone who had headed too many of those old heavy footballs would think that football became a big sport after the invention of UEFA. Poor effort hunter. Weak. And boring too. You undermine your own arguments by trying and failing to ignore the historical record and the evidence from across the football world. This is not an opinion.
Which is annoying for those us who support and appreciate what AW has done.
But, I suppose, your genius knows no bounds.
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For granting man the gift of fire Zeus punished Prometheus by having him chained to a rock with an eagle tearing out his liver each day, and each night the organ would regenerate to allow the eagle the feast next day.
Weigh the words and ponder the fate of Prometheus Hunter
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“But, I suppose, your genius knows no bounds.”
Hahahahaha!!!! I can’t forgive those who encouraged this raving idiot. Who knew he would turn into a doomer with the same type of doomer arguments? I did.
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Our dominance in world football occurred before the European Cup. Arsenal was the most famous club globally under Chapman and his immediate successors, hence clubs in Portugal, Brazil, Argentina, Serbia, Honduras, Ghana and other countries adopting our name and/or colors. As usual, ahead of our time. True, we won’t be seen in today’s game as at the same level as Real, Barca, Milan, Juve, Inter, Milan, MU, and Bayern who have scaled the heights of European competition. It is the jewel missing in Arsenal’s history, as it is in AW’s cv. Hopefully it will be remedied soon. But there is no real comparison to Ajax, Benfica. If you count their faded glory, you have to count Arsenal’s history before the European Cup. Be fair.
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Sent the email. Hope it doesnt go the spam.
George, would Adrian Clark be able to tell us if they got the emails?
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“Be fair”
! The wrong tree LG
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Forgot the e
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He might get told about them but if it goes to the complaints department you should get an acknowledgment Email.
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“Hopefully it will be remedied soon”
Starting this very evening
COME ON ARSENAL!
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Fine game of football and I’m enjoying this
Some great contests going on – Alexis a right handful, Aaron clever, Nacho very sharp under pressure
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And well done Szcz – tricky blighter that Denver Bar at the kick off
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Fair result – I see the Serb finally dealt with the Croat
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We’ll get them in London.
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Chambo millimeters away from killing the tie
Who needs to D**M when Flamini can come off the bench and start kicking! (Arteta taken out straight under the refs nose so I hope his critics forgive him this yellow!)
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Great save from WS at the kick off
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I missed the first hour as I was at Dinner out.
It looks like we can control it readily enough back at the Ems.
Rambo’s second was very silly indeed. Ref looked lie he was itching to find a reason to give a yellow.
Nice work by Ox, if he as luckier – it would have bounced back in off the Keeper’s back.
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A great chance now for Jack to show everyone his stuff in midfield in the 2nd leg.
Tomas Rosicky isn’t too shabby a cover player to have either.
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Finsbury which historical records you talking about exactly? What has arsenal done on a european/world stage to be known in football like say ajax is known with their three consecutive plus one and legends like cruyff, for example. What have we got? Tony adams? ….
without wenger we’ d be another totenham everton newcastle….
‘Our dominance in world football’ says lsg….. what dominance? He then says ‘ true we wont be seen today in the same level as ……’ no shit lsg…. guess why….. we never were at that level. Only now with wenger.
Guys… like it or not… madrid 10, milan 7, liverpool 5, ajax 4..etc etc arsenal 0, … thats what counts. Everything else is just stories for children…..
If you have to go back to the 30’s to convince yourselves that arsenal was big then fair enough……
Troll69
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We have nothing on those clubs …30’s or whatever other decade….
so… either your definition of big is very different to mine or you belong to those deluded folk who consider the 30’s as important enough to be compared with say milan’s 7 ….. or barca’s 3 in 6-7 years.
When arsenal does somithing similar……thats when you can talk about being ‘big’…not before.
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As for goebbels 69 and his mud throwing …not surprised. Usually the exposed and ridiculed tend to hate and want one back against those who humiliate them….. its all good son..let it all out 🙂
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With statements like djourou better than hummels you know youre dealing with a world class arsehole….
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And all these ‘we were big before” bollocks only illustrate your lack of understanding of where wenger took us from and where he has brought us………
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With wenger we sit in the pantheon of clubs even without enjoying their historical european success. Undeniable. This was not the case before his arrival. As a name you get compared to giants of the game thanks to one man’s genius and know-how of how to ‘place’ arsenal in modern football.
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