I’m not much of a one for a post mortem. I’ll watch Adrian Clarke’s breakdown on the official site and that’s usually enough picking over the bones for me. I did however enjoy a chat with our Kelly, PA’s very own representative in Alabama, after the Everton match. It wasn’t so much a discussion about the match itself as a reflection on matters arising. Specifically the fickle nature of football supporters in general and Arsenal supporters in particular. I like Kelly, I like the way she supports. Whereas I specialize in a sort of lugubrious stoicism, Kelly is fierce and tigerish in defence of our players. Neither friend nor foe is safe if they are foolish enough to step over the line into unfair or ill conceived criticism. Many of us have felt the heat, smelt the scorched cloth of our smouldering collars after a poorly constructed comment to the detriment of one of Arsenal’s finest.
She was holding forth Sunday evening on the way people like to write off a player one minute then laud them as the second coming of Ferenc Puskás the next. Take Per. We all know what a wonderful assured presence he has been for us, what a huge part of our success last season. After being rested for the Everton match, and following that über tackle by our new Brazilian beauty people were suddenly consigning the master of the interception to the nearest skip along with the old mattress and bags of dog shit. As Kelly was quick to point out one costly error from the wonder kid and of course it’ll be about face everybody, all is forgiven, please come back Per and save us from Wenger’s latest defensive flop.
What occurred to me after this exchange was first and foremost that Kelly had it exactly right. We’ve seen it with so many players over the years, just look at the way Santi was written off earlier this season and now is indispensable, first name on the sheet, player of the season material. Aaron went through hell a couple of years ago and truth be told when he isn’t banging in the goals every week people often still fail to see how much his ball retention, intelligent positional play, energy and passing bring to the team. Until we lose an important game without him, then the pendulum swings back the other way again.
My second response to our conversation concerned Gabriel. Now don’t misunderstand me, I think he had a very good game. Overall. He wasn’t my man of the match, that was Ospina. Everyone else contributed to a solid team performance while our keeper had a game of individual brilliance. But Gabriel had a shaky start and grew in confidence and really looked the part by the end. However. Just think what would have happened if Ospina hadn’t displayed such phenomenally quick thinking after Lukaku nicked the ball off the boy from Brazil. People would have rushed to judgement it’s as simple as that. In parenthesis, while we’re talking about Lukaku I have to say that there is a player not wearing an Arsenal shirt who I genuinely admire, and you know how seldom I say that. Not only could he have ruined our new boy’s league début in the seventeenth minute by choosing to tangle with Ospina he had another opportunity later when Gabriel produced that fabulous tackle to go to ground and maybe con a penalty or two out of the ref. I admire him for doing neither and felt his all round play deserved a goal on Sunday.
Which brings us back to the thrust of this post. Gabriel’s involvement in both incidents would have been identical and yet a different outcome, through other people’s actions, would have seen him hung drawn and quartered for conceding either goals or penalties or perhaps both. Football matches and our perceptions of players often hinge on the outcomes of events regardless of what the player actually does right or wrong. Look at Mesut’s superb run in the eighty first minute. He controls Ox’s pass and chips the keeper for the consummate finish to make it two nil and earn the adulation of all Arsenal fans everywhere. Except that, through no fault of our Deutscher Maestro, Phil Jaglieka’s despairing lunge somehow puts his knee into the path of the ball with just sufficient impact to send it spinning out of play. So instead it goes down as a miss or a poor finish.
This attitude often translates to our perception of the whole team. I loathe the mentality that suggests the score determines the quality of the performance. I cannot understand how people can be so gormless as to subscribe to it. Teams often win when they should have lost and vice versa. Players have goal bound shots stopped by bad luck, inspired defending or keeping without suddenly becoming poor finishers. How Olivier Giroud even got his head on the ball when Jagielka’s left boot was swinging up towards his beautiful Roman hooter is beyond me, never mind that he actually managed to head it towards Tim Howard’s goal but he put his life (or at least his smouldering good looks) on the line to do it and yet the immediate response wasn’t respect for his courage but abuse at another missed chance.
Inconstant, judgemental, unfair and fickle. Never mind, let’s put it behind us and look forward to this evening’s entertainment. The boys make the short coach journey across town to Loftus Road to face Queens Park Rangers. We are at that point in the season where it doesn’t really matter who we play home or away, the points at the top of the table are so tight that we have simply got to keep winning and trust Man City to keep slipping up. Some people are getting excited at the battle taking place between us Liverpool and Man United for third place. Not me. Those other riff raff are below us in the table. I only look at the team directly in front of Arsenal and hope we can catch and overtake them. That is it and all about it. How else do you climb higher up the table? By staying ahead of the team beneath you? Nope. Bad maths that.
Having just said it doesn’t matter who the opposition is, it happens to be QPR so I suppose I ought to give you my usual in depth analysis. We are still second in the current form table and Rangers are eighteenth. So that’s that then. No need to worry about tonight’s result. Foregone conclusion. Move on nothing more to read here. Except of course for one rather significant fly in that particularly over confident ointment. QPR are in the mire of a relegation dog fight, an unseemly scrap with several other teams all convinced they can escape the noose. Their survival in the hallowed money sea of top flight English footy is at stake and they can’t be expected to go quietly. Some sides may fold with resigned despair when their season looks like it’s headed down the toilet but others rage against the dying of the light. Recent results may suggest that QPR already have one foot in the slough of despond but it may not be so, they might start their fightback at any moment, and as such we must be prepared for dogged resistance. Human nature dictates that people often strive their hardest when they’re backed into a corner.
I do believe we have enough spirit and bloody mindedness in our own squad to match anyone in the guts and determination department and of course our players possess skill and invention by the bucket load, so I remain as cautiously optimistic as ever. We saw the boys playing it a little bit safe on Sunday, the manager being experienced enough to know how to set up his team after a setback. Tonight I expect them to build on the blocks laid against Everton and go at QPR with a little more verve. Having said that if the men in blue and white elect to defend in depth then we may have to be patient. Patient, consistent, sensible and fair. Now that’s four better words for Arsenal fans, right?
Positively Arsenal 
Nicely done, sir and your acknowledgement of one of our finest overseas supporters is spot on, also. Kelly’s logic and passion are to be admired and feared in equal measure but never ignored and there is so much she could teach all too many of the so-called ‘local’ supporters; long may she continue. (Go Ramsey!!, just to be clear).
Gabriel did indeed dodge a couple of nervous looking bullets on Sunday. But surely he should be permitted to find his feet in a new club, in a new league of a new country facing new opponents. And, having found his feet, in games to come Gabby should surely be permitted to make a mistake or lose a spot of form without the entire soccer world collapsing in on him?
Per, our magnificent World Cup winning German is walking evidence that he will almost certainly not be afforded that luxury.
And through this intolerable approach to ‘supporting’, every player, regardless of prior contribution, will eventually likely be subject to vitriol and abuse before they end their Arsenal playing days. Unless they get out at the peak of their game in which case they’ll be absolutely fine – just ask Cesc and RvP …
It’s become a side hobby of mine to try to spot the next AFC player/former hero to fall victim to this foul practice.
My money is currently on Alexis who has unwisely failed to score for a few games now. And try as the moaning brigade might, they just can’t quite get their criticism of Giroud to stick. Shrill proclamation of Ozil’s alledged laziness are embarrassingly put to the stats sword as regularly as every game, as it turns out he runs further than anyone else, quite aside from all those pesky assists. Dammit.
So Sanchez it is then (it’s clearly no longer safe to suggest Aaron).
Unless Ospina has to keep ‘rescuing’ Gabriel, of course.
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Sadly I agree Andrew. The higher the expectations the farther falls the player. Of course the haters hate Giroud and Özil in equal measure but for different reasons. Olivier because he wasn’t the ‘big’ name they demanded or predicted and Mesut because he is one of the greatest players in world football and therefore confounded their often repeated claim that Arsène doesn’t buy recognised top quality.
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As one who faced a significant Alabamian backlash for venturing my opinion that a clean-shaven Aaron was preferable to a bearded one – the comments about stubble being the final straw as far as she was concerned – I can only echo Steww’s advice! But what I love is Kelly’s unwavering support of the players rather than the club, which to me is just how it should be – and the fact that she writes with such intelligence and compassion. As indeed do you, Steww and this offering has brightened up the morning no end, especially as I had momentarily forgotten that we were playing tonight. I think it will be a hard game and I fear the officiating will play a part. It would be utterly brilliant if we could score three quick goals to put the game quickly to bed, but I doubt it will work out like that.
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Author author !!
Excellent words for a Spring morning with a good evening in prospect. A trip to Loftus Road has always almost been a stamped on three points but as Arsene pointed out and records ‘prove’ he who scores the first goal tends to triumph. An early goal will lift the weight from our shoulders and allow us to flow more freely – no Joey Barton tonight so that should reduce the nasty quotient of the match considerably.
Kevin Friend the referee – one of my favourites I think.
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A disapproving Kelly is always at the back of my mind whenever I make public a negative comment of any of our players. It is a healthy check and balance in my opinion. In the midst of the hysteria and emotionalism among our supporters, especially online, it is best to remain calm and stoic amongst the sound and fury. As Steww correctly observes, todays hero is often tomorrow’s goat.
Steww being correct is almost an axiom. Take Gabriel’s shaky start for instance. I agree it could almost have been a Koscielny-like debut. In the Frenchman’s case his initial mistakes were ruthlessly punished by our opponents. I remember him giving away a penalty and being sent off early in his Arsenal career and those idiots at that other place declaring him another disastrous defensive signing by Wenger while I was amonst a minority praising him for being magnificent athlete who is proactive in his tackling and authoritative in passing the ball out of defense. Look where he is 2-3 years later.
As for QPR, there will be hell to pay if we take them for granted. They are desperate. Enough said.
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Lovely stuff Stew,there’s always a player who’s a scapegoat,Gary Neville wouldn’t stop going on about Mesut during The Monaco game,about how lazy he was,guess who covered most miles as an Arsenal player that night? I have to say (this place aside) social media,blogs,podcasts & fanTV haven’t made following Arsenal anymore enjoyable for me personally,it’s just made me realise that we’ve got too many self important,attention seeking,stupid people that have piggy backed our great club for their own means.
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correct in principle and attitude. fans are fickle …but personally speaking i never held mertsaker as some baresi to get disappointed with his mistakes. i know his ceiling. nor do i get angry at mesut like last year ..i know what he can do and what he cant do. whether thats good enough for arsenal to win epl titles and champions league is for others to judge, not me.
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in other words…if wenger feels that arsenal can beat real , bayern barcelona, chelsea etc with players like arteta, mertesaker, scehzny and ozil then fine with me……but i also know arsen is not stupid and that he is still working with look out in the future instead of the now. …
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“Patient, consistent, sensible and fair.” Spot on (as usual) steww – That is what all supporters should try to be and why I’m thankful for this place, which is one of the few where it is mostly like that.
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Mel @ 11:04 am – Spot on about social media and twitter in particular. I was never the greatest poster but nowadays, unless it is a weekend or a game day , I can’t be arsed.
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Arsenal pick strong team to play Leicester City in the U18 league, especially strong midfield.
Arsenal Under-18s to play Leicester City: Keto, Smith, O’Connor, Dobson, Bola, Maitland-Niles, Bielik, Willock, Zelalem, Eyoma, Mavididi
Arsenal Under-18s subs: Philips, Robinson, Sheaf, Mourgos
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and same goes for sanchez, no? loses the ball/ doesnt pass/ wants to dribble them all etc etc …… and people get on his back …………
well..he has kept us going when the rest were still ‘conditioning’ …
when ozil carries arsenal then he can feel relaxed..till then he will be the target of criticism cause ideally you want your star players and highest earners to STAND UP and be counted in the big games…not against crystal palace….. he may have been magnificent for real madrid but this is not real madrid to have a plethora of world class players in every position to make things easier for everyone. when things go to shit here all 11 on the field must dig deep and fight for the team….its not my fault the epl is a barbaric league that encourages fouls and aggression. either we change the country’s football ideals or we adjust.
so either he is not yet settled, either we are using him wrongly , or he is too much of a mamas boy to put in a fight. or we still need two-three transfer windows to fully built the squad to the required level. im open to other considerations too if you have any…
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I’ve always enjoyed Kelly’s contributions. I hope I’ll now remember her name, so when referring to something she has written, I don’t have to copy and paste “alabamagooner”.
(Mind you, I’d still like to see an essay from Kelly about the New York match she attended, pre-season. And I must acknowledge my request for such was logged at the very end of the comments of the article, and when would I ever write an essay?)
By the way, I really like the monika Alabamagooner. It has a wonderful ring to it.
I did note at the bottom of an earlier article that Per hasn’t had any kind of break for many, many months, and I think that’s significant, and that he has done remarkably well for Arsenal.
I’m frightened of tonight’s ref, Kevin Friend, but then I’m frightened of most of ’em. I’m grateful that the “sage” Barton “philosophised” his fist into another player’s balls – so he doesn’t play tonight. Did you see the piece he done on MOTD, urging all and sundry to look at how to stop Arsenal? The fact that this convicted bully is given the space to spout his views doesn’t sit well with me. (Google his rap sheet). Should I forgive him for his displays against Arsenal’s players? Diaby, Gervihno, Nasri – Fk, anyone! It doesn’t even have to be a footballer.
Zamora’s no angel. Nor some others in that team. Bah.
Anyway, thanks for another good article, Steww, and here’s hoping for a good game and an Arsenal win.
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u18’s losing 1-0, 8 minutes gone
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lol..youre sick edy..i like it..
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now 1-1, Mavididi with a penalty, 18 minutes gone
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Ilias Chatzitheodoridis Profile
Born December 05, 1997
Katerini, Greece
Position: Defender
Squad Number: 61
Greek left back Ilias joined Arsenal as a scholar in the the summer after a successful trial with the club.
The hard-working defender is a good reader of the game and adept in a one-against-one situation.
1997…..lol…..ahhh wenger!!!!
Savvas Mourgos Profile
Born March 16, 1998
Amarousio, Greece
Position: Midfielder
Squad Number: 72
Previous Club(s)
Greek midfielder Savvas joined Arsenal in the summer after impressing in the Ferroli Cup while on trial with the club.
An intelligent passer and exciting dribbler, Savvas came through the youth ranks at Greek side Panionios and will be hopeful of gaining experience of under-18 football this term.
ela re mourgo ! agorinako mou!! mourgos means stray dog in greek ..welcome home savvas straydog
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Hey, wake up in the morning only to find I’m famous! You guys should be able to see me blushing all the way over here. Thank you guys so much for the kind words and thanks for being a place where such sentiments about our boys are always welcome. And much thanks to Stew, who always fights the good fight with positive comments on Twitter, even during games when I’ve gone into “if you can’t say something nice…” mode.
FH, you make an interesting comment about supporting the players rather than the club. I do feel that way. The organization, any organization, to me is the people who make it up. Otherwise it’s just a concept. But I’ve always been a bit afraid to say that out loud. It seems to be sacrilege to feel that way. “The club is bigger than the manager or the players” and all that. Of course I understand that, and those of you who are life-long all supporters understand it much better than I. But too many people use that as an excuse to batter the players we have, on the premise that they want “better” for their beloved club. I think they just want a shiny new toy to consign to the scrap heap once it doesn’t do all those things portrayed in the commercials.
Oh, and hey, Hunter/c13? Lay. Off. Mesut. Mama’s boy? What the hell is that? Did you not read this blog at all? Look out, now…
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hey edy who is the kid that played midfield/libero in a game for us ..recently..abt 2 months ago… he came on with zelalem.
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lol alabama ..easy…mamas boy is no insult…im a mamas boy too 🙂
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Nothing like a bit of mutual backslapping on a wet Wednesday.
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O’Connor gives Arsenal the lead, 35 minutes gone
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HT: Arsenal winning 2-1
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Calm yourself Ranty – Kevin Friend has refereed us just three times over the past two seasons, – a 3-1 Home win against West Ham last year, a 2-0 win against the Black Cats in October and the 2-2 daw at Goodison at the start of this season. Looking back he has presided over some good games , the 6-1 demolition of the newly promoted Saints and the 7-5 goal fest at Reading. In fact as far as I can check we have never lost a game Kevin Friend has had the whistle for !!
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HT: Arsenal winning 2-1
has straydog scored?
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QPR facing some kind of crippling FFP fine if they go down – QPR are doomed,it’s a question of when not if. Watching that pukka geezah Fernandes’ antics with Caterham would’ve been dispiriting for fans of the hoops . Apparently he’s meant to be a very good buisnessman. I have no south that NOTH could explain why better then most (One doesn’t mess with experienced accountants!).
Narrow pitch. Desperate opponents. Not an easy game.
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As most will recall it was Mesut (pus Rambo! Yikes I nearly forgot*) carried AFC to the top of the league. Without any serious Pace in the team, that’d have been Ozil’srunning resulting in AFC running the games (plus Rambo too!)
It’s as the gaffer said , it’s all about the combinations innit?
Maradonna and that striker bloke (Diego did need a little help…), R.Baggio ably assisted by D.Baggio etc. hehe
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Mavididi with his second and Arsenal’s third, makes it 3-1, with 53 minutes gone
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South < doubt
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come on big sam! beat him !
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Eyoma gets Arsenal’s second goal in two minutes to make it 4-1, with 54 minutes gone
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76 minutes and Zelalem makes it 5-1 to Arsenal
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Comparing Mark Butcher’s appreciation of Sangakara’s destruction of England on Sky with the likes of the palpably corrupt Barton or Savage would be a disservice to the former cricketer who had a few years right at the top of his sport*.
*bit like Diaby really. Which for me is the measure I use to help understand that in spite of the horrors he has gone through that as a result of the club’s support he has in fact had a better career then most footballers: how many players have acheived the accolade of returning from a World Cup whilst being hailed as the best performer for a major football playing nation? Admittedly his colleagues shot themselves in the arsenal but all abou could do was play his football. He’s ha a better career thenBarton, which is why you see Barton desperately trying to start his media career before he’s even hung up his useless boots.
So yes Diaby lost many many years and that is sad if you like watching football and it is even more sad if you’ve been lucky enough to have seen this rare gifted and unique talent play in the flesh. He will also probably have some mobility issues in the future a result of his desire to carry on playing, but to repeat he’s had a better career then most – and in the context of this article it puts the bleating by those who should’ve known better over the years into some context. No doubt the club’s upstanding support of abou has made a strong impression on the parents of Ramsey, chamberlain, chambers etc. and all the other proper young footballers out there. The right impression.
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90th minute and city pull one back, 5-2
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city get another 5-3
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FT: Leicester City U18’s 3-5 Arsenal U18’s
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Yeah but none of you have had dinner with Kelly………..
Fantastic piece yet again Steww…..
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I’d rather mutual backslapping than pointless bickering and provoking folk for the fun of it.
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Don’t you have a go at pointless bickering ………!!
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That would depend on the folk being poked I’m partial to a good provoke.
I don’t see much provoking going on here mind.Have I missed something?
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Talking of ‘disgruntled’ I was just lurking on a Rangers forum;
“Arsenal game still not sold out!!!
We will never ever fill a 30,000k stadium if we can barely sell 17000k for Arsenal at home in the premiership. We just haven’t got the fan base 40,000k at Wembley! as in the words of Delia “where are you where are you lets be aving you”. £50 odd is a lot but would you rather pay £30 to watch us play Huddersfield, Rotherham etc. It looks like we will be round the Bush for a little while yet. C’mon Urs”
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“£50 odd – a lot”
Discuss.
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finsbury
March 4, 2015 at 1:45 pm
yaya toure…now thats the one that got away …..yaya diaby cesc in midifeld…holy shit..
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More insight from the opposition dressing room!
“Zamora
If he plays and is in the mood he could be key tonight up against Arsenals ‘iffy’ centre halves.
I know he has put in some questionable performances lately but generally does well against Arsenal and if Mertasacker plays I fancy big Bob to give him a rough time.”
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what are we discussing ani…im lost a bit
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I am peering through the keyhole of the Rangers dressing room Hunter – finding out their cunning plan.
Ssshhhhhh
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its my fault…i read rangers and thought you were talkign about glasgow rangers and then thought the discussion was about being careful about expenditures …then zamore showed up and ok …you meant queenas park RANGERS not glasgow…..what do i win for being so clever? ….
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ok im in you be the fly on the wall ill be the spider in the corner ..whatever that means
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I have found out QPR don’t have a cunning plan – they are expecting a beating. Still 120 tickets to be sold at the turnstile apparently.
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“Fierce and tigerish in defence of our players. Neither friend nor foe is safe…”
You should try living with her!
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