A guest post from shottagunna ( @shotta_gooner )
By now we are all familiar with the recent punditry of Thierry Henry, when, from the comfort of his perch at Sky Sports, he declared that for Arsenal to win the league again “I think they need to buy four players – they need that spine. They need a goalkeeper, they still need a centre back, they still need a holding midfielder…”
A visitor from Mars, scrutinizing the League table, may have cause to wonder if Henry is confused; is he mixing up the red of Arsenal with the free-falling Liverpool. The Gunners have been the best performing club in the top flight since January and in the last 6 games is ranked second only to Everton with 16 points compared to Chelsea’s 14.
In my opinion Henry’s punditry is not only a public declaration of no-confidence in this squad but a virtual flip flop from his opinion two weeks earlier when he was bigging-up Coquelin in particular, famously comparing him to the tv detective Columbo, extolling his ability to sniff out any attack. Henry is no regular TV blowhard, he is an Arsenal legend who is still connected to the club, often working out with the squad at London Colney. Surely he should be aware that he is undermining confidence in players who see him as a mentor and in Wenger, whose approach to squad building is signing talented players whom the lazy pundits have doubts and turning them into world class players, a policy which he personally benefitted.
In my opinion our greatest ever goal-scorer is just another hapless victim of a certain media narrative, echoed in blogs and on twitter until it becomes conventional wisdom with barely a shred of factual evidence. This is exemplified by the repeated nonsense that somehow David Ospina is inferior to all the top goalkeepers in the PL. But as footballrepublik.com observed:
“Comparing Ospina to arguably the other top 2 goalkeepers in the league, David de Gea and Thibaut Courtois, he has the best clean sheet ratio, makes more saves per game, more saves per goal & has conceded the least goals per game.
He also boasts the best win ratio out of the three and has the most successful punches per game. Comparing him to his Polish counterpart (Szczesny), Ospina concedes a goal every 150 mins compared to every 71 mins for Szczesny.”
Those statistics are pretty overwhelming but, no matter how well he does, Ospina’s performances are discounted and subject to thinly disguised skepticism. This is best reflected in a recent headline in a very popular blog which stated “David Ospina’s win ratio makes him the second largest oil producer in the Universe.” Admittedly that was a very funny headline, but certainly a perfect example of being damned by sarcasm, a technique which this particular blogger excels.
All of us with experience of the last 11 years know that at the core of this false narrative concerning Ospina are the following facts; he only cost the club a reported £4 million, he wasn’t signed from a big club and he is not the stereo-typical huge 6ft 6in plus European type goalkeeper. Too Almunia-esque in my opinion.
Hence the usual suspects went into overdrive in the last transfer window demanding Wenger sign Chelsea’s #2, Petr Cech. Ray Parlour, who like Henry is loved by the media for being a famous ex-player (get the pattern) stated in the London Evening Standard. “It is nothing against Ospina but when you look at the games Cech has played in and the trophies he has won, he’d be a great addition for Arsenal. If you are going to challenge for the league, you need a top quality goalkeeper which Cech is.” One very popular tweep who also writes for the Metro went so far as to suggest that “A move to Arsenal would keep Cech in London, a city that has been the home of his evolution into a world class goalkeeper.” Imagine that, Arsenal has a duty to keep him in London.
Look out for more of this guff in the silly season coming up in July, worse if Ospina proves he is only human and by making a big mistake in one of the four upcoming matches. The main thing that keeps us serene in this nonsense is the wise words of our manager who said of our players in a recent interview:
“Every moment is analysed of every event on television. Just after the game the players open the television and hear ‘Why did he move on the right and not on the left?’. That was not the case before. It is the price to pay for the popularity of the sport. We have the good sides and have to take the bad sides as well.”
Positively Arsenal 
Plus with Walcott not getting game time at AFC, the gutter press will have ample raw meat to chew. When fit, Chamberlain over Walcott for me.
As I type West Brom scores.
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Shouldn’t you have player in front or behind two players infiltrating a wall like that?
Whoop whoop it’s the great tactics from da Pooolis.
Especially the deflection.
Looking forward to a decade long inquisition of the Utd D-Fence by every half-arsed plundit.
Did Utd really spend £60M on three LBs?
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Hmmmmm.
I think they need to spend spend spend. A little bit more. Perhaps, some midfielders? Maybe? Seeing as they fall to pot every time Carrick is not on the field? The player who is almost as good as Arteta.
The snubbing of Carrick by successive English managers especially during Utds last tile winning season when he was utd’s midfield (all of it) is almost up there with the snubbing of Le Tissier for me. Crazy scenes. Thank fuck for Greg Dyke eh?
A generous call from our friend Taylor considering his position…?
But it looks like RVP is playing with confidence! Might have to up that quote above to 96%…
Props to Myhill for the saves.
Fantastic mangament from Pooolis again.
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Hunter
Otto is a minnow compared to the well travelled Tony. You don’t mess with the Poooolis.
We are watching genius at work here.
Arsene Wengr’s genius I admit (Chambo bought with some of the cash he squeezed out of Slurgus once Robin played the Webster Ruling/traitor card) but genius nonetheless: how old is RVP, thirty something or fourty something? Maybe his bones really are made of glass? The AAAA were right!
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I love the Ox, but I believe Sterling is a smidge ahead of him at the moment.
Damn, I used to enjoy watching West Brom. Now Pulis has them playing with four CBs at the back and five defensive midfielderse ahead of them.
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Fins, you are on fire. Carrick, the player who is almost as good as Arteta. Boom!
You must have seen something I referenced about some kid writing some rubbish in a blog that we need a midfield controller, completely oblivious of Mikel, the best controller in the EPL. It was only this season we completely fell to pieces vs Anderlecht when we’re 3:1 up and he had to leave the field because of injury.
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manure lose so a draw tomorrow will do us just fine
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Myhill again! Amazing tactics I must say.
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Yup, I was behind the gaffers dugout for the Anderlecht game.
Arteta has been the leader they keep saying Arsenal don’t have. He might struggle to regain his form after such a long lay off, he lost the season after the Ba stomp in the first half of the first game which had the most negative impact on Arsenal’s start more then the WC, he might not struggle an might be with us for another season or two instead. Perhaps unlike Viera he has already asked to be a coach? But no one can deny what he’s done for the club on the pitch and in the dressing room. Well, they can, but that tells us more about them then it does about the footy.
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Louis Van Fraud.
Time for some oxtail with rice and gungo peas.
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I guess the possession stats there are 90v10
Hilarious
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The Ox was on fire in that Anderlecht game.
A big set back he suffered during the A.Taylor initiation ritual at the start of last season. But he’s still ahead of Sterling for me. At the same age he performed better in the Euro’s for England then Sterling this past summer. When given a chance in Brazil the yet before he took it in some style. As with Wilshere his only problems seem to be big setbacks from injuries, predictable injuries that could’ve been easily prevented by the same old same old.
I’m also biased!
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The Ox’s recent injury/s were picked up during the Xmas crunch period when the squad was overextended due to…injuries!
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“You fat Dutch bastard, get out of their club”
What do you reckon the chances are for an aircraft towing a Van Gaal Out banner before our Trafford Park game?
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And they are off to take on Palace next weekend at Selhurst Park-just what they need
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The only reason I think Sterling is slightly ahead of the Ox is because he has goals in him. Once the Ox gets that side of his game sorted, I’d pick him even ahead of Theo.
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aaahhh now i understand the activity and happiness…united lost.
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If AOC was playing for Liverpool and in the same positions, he too would score more.
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He’s a good player I don’t mind if you have him in your team.
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i was watching trump vs bingham ..didnt have a clue football was on
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I cannot see Hull, changing their 5-3-2 playing system?
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carrick is imo the most european player england have.
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holy shit…feel sorry for rio ferdinand…cruel fate…i take back wishing him to die when he operated on sagna’s appendix with his studs…
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Please don’t be unkind to Louis van. It must surely be obvious to everyone that if only we had him in place of Arsène, we would have won both the EPL and the CL.
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Nor can I NOTH – they will come out and have a go – they have no choice
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Damian Martinez kept a clean sheet in the last game of his loan at Rotherham Utd, he has really impressed on this loan spell and was a major factor in them avoiding relegation.
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Blimey Shotts, England 28-4.
Test class opening spell of bowling on a wicket that isn’t dead/a black hole (didn’t even watch highlights of the last test), serious cricket!
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Some will say the wicket is poor but in my opinion all these batsmen were simply spoiled by the soul destroying life absorbing evil sponge (baked) that they offered up to the bowlers in the last test.
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Five down! Definitely back in the game now.
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for once it will be ok for tottnum to win, would help our chances of 2nd
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https://mobile.twitter.com/BanditNanna/status/592066423213666305
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@EDUARDO.. THEM DRAWING WILL HELP D CAUSE SO WHY WIN?
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TS
It’s the hope that kills them.
I wonder – which of the three battlers for 4th spot would suffer the most by missing out:
1) Man U? – financially their sponsorships would pay them less, and getting players to move there under LVG’s tactics, they would haver to offer double the wages of Arsenal.
2) LolaPool?, Brenda gets a P45, empty shell of a team when Stevie G and ££ leave, very likely to screw up the UCL play off.
3) Spuds?, a UCL cash injection to help pay for the stadium, UEFA cash probe into FFP.
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TS cos them winning helps us more, they are not a rival to us, they are just a neighbor, city are a rival, we want them to lose. Tottnum are about to finish behind us for the 19th year in a row, neighbors, not rivals.
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This has to be read http://wp.me/p3Yt1s-3eJ
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“Judgments on Arsène say far more about the judges than they do about him – about our comfort with the idea that sport, or football, or life itself, can be worth our while even if it doesn’t end in victory. That to be beautiful, or to be decent, to improve ourselves or leave something for the future, might be as or more important than the trophy case.”
That, just that.
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ha ha ha le grove still pretending to be a fitness expert
“Well, Jack is ahead of schedule on the fitness front. Not sure how that works, he’s about 3 months behind by my reckoning.”
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ManU no doubt about it DC. I don’t really know about such things but as far as I can understand the Glazers/owners have some kind of hefty interest charge on the leveraged carcass of the club that they have to service in order to help pay off their other debts…a grand old joyous circle of debt
A few more years of no CL and we could be witnessing the slow death of one club to be replaced by some kind of Manchester Servco mechanism?
It’s the hope that kills you.
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Eddy, with respect and I mean no offence but please don’t repost stuff from a wannabe shock jock (as in he dreams of being Durham, sad but true) who grubs a living through trolling the giant online AFC fanbase.
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For any who have not seen it a good interview with Liam Brady in today’s Sunday Times.
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PG @ 10:52pm – I saw that Gunnerstown piece via NewsNow and saw you were the 1st poster in Comments. What a beautiful piece. I often have a rant at the young kids writing blogs and telling that old geezer, Wenger, who to buy and how to set up the team. What a refreshing change.
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DC @ 10:04 am – Surely the answer is (d) Any of the above.
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I now see how bourinho is a disciple of van gaal despite different football philosophies. They are both very quick to blame the players as soon as results go against them. No wonder so many players tend to turn against them in the end.
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i think it’s the “…how we do it.” part that makes Arsenal so great. Arsene is the epitome of that approach. but for my part limpar is to blame for my sufferings. And blessings.
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A little excerpt of Brady’s interview from the ST;
“Still, for all that old Italian connection, Arsenal are his club. Always will be. Nine years as a player, 18 as head of youth development.
“I decided to step down, I wasn’t pushed. Felt I did a decent job, a lot of players came through the academy to the first team. I look now at the two latest, Hector Bellerin and Francis Coquelin, and I think, ‘Yeah, we were doing something right’.”
Much of the credit, he says, must go to Arsène Wenger.
“Arsène has always been prepared to put young players into the team. He made my job easy, he made it successful. At the moment Chelsea and Man City have the best young players in the country but will any of them get to play in the first team? Who have Chelsea brought through? John Terry, that’s it.
“If I’d had the resources that Frank Arnesen had at Chelsea and did the same job at Arsenal, I wouldn’t have lasted long. Arsène put Ashley Cole in the team at 17, Jack Wilshere, Cesc Fabregas, Kieran Gibbs, there were so many. You have to be careful with young players. Look what happened with [Paul] Pogba.
“United had him and didn’t play him, which was unusual for Alex Ferguson because he had a good track record with young players. But if Pogba had been at Arsenal, he would still be at Arsenal.”
He remains convinced that Arsenal will soon re-emerge as genuine title challengers in the Premier League. “We are now in a position where it’s justified to say, ‘Well, you should be winning the league,’ but over the past 10 years you couldn’t have said that. We had to build the new stadium, build the club’s future while sacrificing five or six years of competing with Chelsea, Man United and then Man City.
“Unlike City, we weren’t handed a brand-new stadium. And unlike Chelsea and Tottenham, we don’t have a problem regarding a stadium. We went through a period of not being able to keep our best players: Henry, Cole, Van Persie, Fabregas, Adebayor, Clichy and others. Ashley Cole got a lot of criticism but I’ve no doubt about the best player to come through our academy. It was Ashley Cole. Also I don’t think it was all Ashley’s fault that he left. There were two sides to that story.”
The criticism of how the club allowed the left-back to leave offers an insight to Brady’s character. He is an ambassador for Arsenal, not part of their PR team. Still, he has zero doubt that Wenger remains the right man to manage the team.
“The way he did the job through the tough years, always getting us in the top four, is proof that the guy has much, much more to give. I’m looking forward to him staying at the club.”
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Shotta
It would have been wonderful if Southampton had challenged till the end,
Alas their narrow squad depth caught up with them.
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Anicoll
Brady was said to have been sacked ignominiously by the club for his handling of the youth teams – according to that snide fuckwit Pedro.
I wonder who was coaching and developing Bellerin, Zemalen, Martinez, Crowley, AMN, Akpom, Aboue and so on?
Brady has remained remarkably loyal to a man who had no involvement in his football career, so his insight into Arsene is especially important.
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Liam Brady is a very frank man. I remember in a previous interview he let it known he had free reign but when he had doubts he always turned to Arsene for advice. So much for a dictator.
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And I absolutely admire his loyalty. The man walked off the champions league studio because they were slagging off Arsene. and only came back because the show producer pleaded him.
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great words from liam ! spot on.
anyone saw the boxing match ?
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More predictable diving from the boring and predictable Gazprom players. This time the officals eye for a cheat was not as reliable as Oliver’s.
AP went with ‘Pace’ as many call for against this creaking Gaprom back line but as with Palace’s last game against the Arsenal I feel that it was an error to not start Murray.
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