When I saw the pictures of the Arsenal training in wintry snow ahead of today’s trip to Swansea I confess to harbouring a certain sympathy for them. As my Scottish uncle used to say to me that snell wind makes everone fair jeelit. The sympathy has evaporated this morning as I sit in my frozen writing shed stabbing with numb fingers at my frost hardened Smith-Corona. But on I plough.
It wasn’t only compassion which moved in my breast at the sight of poor Danny Welbeck muffled in his muffler. I also felt a twang of envy. You see I rather like the town of Swansea and I was a little jealous of the players and fans who will get to visit today. I should imagine the beach at Rhossili will be a bit parky this weekend so I doubt a trip to the Gower is on the cards, but I do urge you to make a weekend of it if you are travelling and at least have a little tour.
Swansea City FC, we are told, has done much to put the ‘ugly, lovely town’ on the map. Since their ascendency to the higher reaches they’ve earned plaudits for playing the game as many of us like to see it played. A fashionable football team allied with a popular university can encourage an enlightened view of what had previously been regarded as a somewhat grim industrial setting.
Sadly the Swans have been struggling of late. I’ll leave you to decide whether the managerial merry go round in which they’ve indulged themselves has been cause or effect of this unwelcome downturn in their fortunes. Personally I think it is always a mistake in life to panic, to chop and change when things are going badly.
An unfashionable view in a footballing world where many seem to crave change simply for the sake of change itself. I can only assume that decades of consumer culture, of an economy built on endless growth, demands we throw away and replace at every opportunity. This is not the road to happiness, merely the endless dissatisfaction of the spoilt child given too much, too often.
So while I am grateful for any advantage to the team I support I am also saddened to see one of the few smaller clubs to actually beat us by coming and out playing football going through hard times. I believe the league is improved by keeping the good guys and losing the dross and not the other way around.
Improvement of the league isn’t the concern of most of you, I know this. All that matters is three points and that is of course your prerogative. Just as it is the prerogative of those who take a more holistic view to want to be part of a culture of excellence rather than a lowest common denominator tactical dirge, which, if given too much rope, will strangle the golden goose as audiences eventually tire and turn away.
So Swansea are all at sea and should be there for the taking. Surely an away win is such a guaranteed result that there is no point in even watching. Just go bung a tenner on us at the bookies and collect your one pence winnings at ten to five. Well perhaps. Perhaps if you’d never watched a season of football from start to finish. Maybe this is your reality. In my reality teams who are struggling need to be put to the sword a little before their fragile confidence is exposed.
Concede an unlucky goal such as that fortuitous, bobbling, pinball series of deflections which gifted Preston the lead the other day and that fragile confidence will cease to be a factor. A team in decline can still surprise you and we will need to be sharp and up to the scratch from the moment Mr Jones emits his primary peep.
What of the teams? Swansea will be without Neil Taylor after having his cheekbone broken in training on Wednesday. I don’t know much about the estimable Mr Taylor but as he played every minute of the Welsh teams heroic failure in the Euros I’m sure Kelly, our resident Cymru expert, can fill us in on the details. Losing a first choice international full back against an Arsenal team rightly famed for their fast, wide attacking game cannot be a good thing.
They will also be missing Jefferson Antonio Montero Vite who is one player and not four as you might think. He is a fast and dangerous wingers and one that the home team will surely miss. Talking of flyers we still see no sign of Theo nor of Hector and I am just beginning to worry that Theo’s small, irrelevant, only keeping him out as a precaution, niggle might be turning into something more significant. It is a mark of the quality in our squad that we can miss these two hugely important players and still approach any fixture with confidence.
Given Gabriel’s flawless understudy shift when Hector first joined the sick list and seeing just what a player Arsène signed in Lucas Perez I don’t think we need to be overly concerned. Of course we want our first choice players fit and healthy but Perez in particular excites me and so I’ll be happy to see him step up in Theo’s absence.
With Danny back and raring to go we have a superfluity of striking options which ought to make us blush. Sanchez and Giroud are in stunning scoring form, Mesut has also stepped up in front of goal this season and we all know the boy Iwobi can find the net when the fancy takes him. Add to that the goals Aaron can get us running from midfield and the Swansea defence ought to be in for a trying time this afternoon.
I shan’t be watching with you today as I have been thoroughly duped by my ever resourceful wife into attending what I’d assumed was an evening event but transpires to start at three and finish at seven thirty. That will teach me not to listen when I’m trying to concentrate on Doom Three Hell On Earth. Lesson learned. Press pause and get all of the details before saying yes to anything.
If you are lucky enough to be in beautiful South Wales today then wrap up warm and should you bump into me at Longleat’s Festival Of Lights don’t tell me the score, it wouldn’t enhance our friendship.
Positively Arsenal 
Wisdom and wit in equal measure: another Saturday morning enhanced by the quite excellent Monsieur Noir. I’m really looking forward to this game, which I guess I will follow via the Arsenal player. One way or another Arsene has managed to get quite a winter break into many of our key players, and today seems like the start of the second half of the season. I’d love to see Welbeck come on at some stage, and I’m also hoping to see more of Perez, who I haven’t really caught up with yet as I’ve a fair few missed matches to catch up with. He sounds exciting.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Morning Tim, Perez has taken a few games to tune into the pulse of the team and for those around him to learn his strengths. Difficult when your appearances are so sporadic I should imagine. But if you go onto the Arsenal player and check out the last two games he has looked very good especially in partnership with Olivier Giroud.
Of course that is another great strength of Olivier’s game – he enhances the game of those around him. Even the greats like Mesut look better when linking up with him.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Lovely write up Stew, I could nearly smell the sheep.
Only worry is that this is already seen as a ‘must win’ game for the gunners.
LikeLike
dc – to some people they’re all ‘must win’ games. It’s a load of old bollocks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
brilliant again Steww, I had to read it twice before I realised you wern’t sitiing on a plough in your rural shed.
So both teams missing special full backs and flying wingers today, like you say our squad should be more capable of the two to cope with the absentees.
Of course the two players missing that many have been talking about concerning the goals conceeded are the midfield barrier in Le Coq and Elneny and so its once again an oppertunity to see the almalgamation of Xhaka and Aaron build a bass for the rest of the team.
This is the second time swansea have sacked their manager just before they played us so I don’t know if the swansea board are compleatley influenced by us but Steww says the simmarlarities are there in building and playing style so maybe.
Whatever the position, confidence or style of our opponents today once again its our performnce that matters and the ARSENAL swagger returning COYG.
LikeLike
I hate watching on a stream.
LikeLike
It’s like sex George. It just means you aren’t doing it right. The quality streams are better or as good as TV and no English commentary to ruin the game. Doesn’t affect me today as I’ll be in black out mode until I watch on Arsenal Player tomorrow.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good morning Stew and you capture the salt air tang of the Gower perfectly – oh to be in Llareggub now that January’s here.
I see we face yet another new manager today in Mr Clements – an educated and widely travellled man in the football world – we shall see if he has more luck that the unfortunate Mr Bradley had in his first outing at the helm of the Swans.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Stew, if its like sex, I’l miss the game.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks Steww,
Another huge match.
We won’t hear 5live plundits grunting their approval at this new appointment as they did with the previous: “they’ll play better more direct football” I kid ye not…after today’s match I wish Swansea and their new manager well.
–
That lighthouse is on the Gower peninsula?
LikeLike
That was a splendid write up, a scene-setter of great depth and imagery.
And thanks also for reminding me of the beauty of the Gower Peninsula and how I marvelled upon my first visit to its sandy environs that the Welsh should name their greatest peninsula after one of England’s greatest cricketers. David must have been most impressed although I’m still looking out for Brearley Beach, Boycott Bay and the Pietersen Piss House amongst one or two others.
Surely games are only designated ‘must win’ if there are other teams in the league we have zero chance of beating? On our day, with that rare phenomena as a fair wind combining with that equally rare commodity, the fair ref, we are more than capable of beating any team – and indeed have done so in very recent memory. ‘Must win’ also assumes our opponents for the league won’t drop points either.
Well with the Chinese inspired raid on the PL, it happily looks as though the club that started the whole ludicrous price inflation of elite players are going to be one of the first victims of it, albeit at the hands of a new megalithic contender, far richer then they. What goes around … will always Cost(y)a.
Tempting to get a Longleat Festival of Lights public service announcement made at full time to keep all the happy punters up to speed on PL results but that would be showing scant appreciation for Stew’s shed-based, finger-less gloved efforts on our behalf earlier!
Have a great day and “Go Gunners” (expecting a win today btw).
LikeLiked by 3 people
fins – “Mumbles Lighthouse, completed in 1794, is a lighthouse located in Mumbles, near Swansea.[3] The structure, which sits on the outer of two islands off Mumbles Head, is clearly visible from any point along the five mile sweep of Swansea Bay. Along with the nearby lifeboat station, it is the most photographed landmark in the village.”
LikeLiked by 3 people
It is Fins, and if you place your cursor on the photo it gives you the name.
Bleeding cunning.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh I give up, I really do.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Out of interest, what do people think might happen to the respective teams of the likes of Costa, Ibrahimovich, Alli and Aguero if they leave or get injured? Each of those players represent, in my few, their sides’ greatest strength and greatest potential loss (and dramatically so), should they be unavailable for any period.
By this logic, Arsenal should end up fighting it out with Liverpool for the crown as only these two teams have a properly balanced squad in respect of their attacking options and playmakers.
Let’s first see what happens to Chelsea if Costa ends up as a takeaway …
LikeLiked by 2 people
My guess is that if Costa were to exit to China that as he is under contract then his current employers would receive a fairly hefty lump of transfer fee which they would immediately go out and invest on a new striker Andrew. I do not think Conte is the sort of manager to allow a stroppy teenager, albeit a very ugly stroppy teenager, to disrupt his team for long.
LikeLike
Agree Andrew though I’m not sure where the chavs would pick up a striker of equivalent potency at short notice. Could easily wreck their title bid.
LikeLike
No curser here but if I tap on the photo I can go to the Flickr feed. Blimey! This newfangled technology outwits me every time…
LikeLike
PG…sometimes we’re better than an orgasm George.
Stew…thanks again. I think we may be spoilt children wanting more!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Martin Keown on football focus said he expects alexis to sign a new deal but is not sure if ozil will.
LikeLike
Nicely done Steww. Must admit that much of the landscape upon which English football is played is unknown to us foreigners. You have painted a nice picture.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Spurs laying waste to West Bromwich. Old, slow, uninspired. The 3 year Pulis cycle?
LikeLike
quote steww
“Concede an unlucky goal such as that fortuitous, bobbling, pinball series of deflections which gifted Preston the lead the other day and that fragile confidence will cease to be a factor. A team in decline can still surprise you and we will need to be sharp and up to the scratch from the moment Mr Jones emits his primary peep.”
well our problems keeping clean sheets has to be a boost to any side we face, until we go 2 or 3 up, they are bound to feel they still have a chance, its like when teams face liverpool they know if they are not behind at around the 70 minute mark that the storm is dying and they have a chance of getting something out of the game.
Arsenal really need to win a few games in a row keeping a clean sheet.
LikeLike
spurs well on their way to going 2nd, does not seem WBA parked the bus at shite hart lane like they did at the emirates, no 10 men behind the ball and inspired goalkeeper today, 30 minutes in and its 2-0 to spurs.
LikeLike
Commentators jizzing over Spurs combinations. Looking forward to such ejaculations when we play.
LikeLike
Shotts, the diving and clogging combo?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lovely Post, Steww, with the quintessential smoothness of a well seasoned sports writer.
I have said before how much I enjoy the different shades of tone and whimsical humour that is redolent of your work, and I see no reason to change that view. Class.
I was also happy that DC said he could almost smell the pungent odour of sheep wafting over him from your descriptions of Wales and Swansea — I thought it was me having a moment! [lol]
LikeLiked by 3 people
Fins: Got to admit the Scum have played some good stuff today. But the English football Establishment have given them every opportunity to thrive. Indulgent refereeing and a fawning press. Who wouldn’t be jealous?
LikeLike
Fins: Nobody seems to have noted that with Alderwield’s return the Scum have become more expansive playing out from the back. Rose and Walker now have more license to pour forward.
LikeLike
Rocky#7 @AFC_Forehead83 13m13 minutes ago
If we had refs that protect us half as much as Spurs get, we’d barely get an injury, it’s a joke what refs do for that muggy lot
LikeLike
I really hope danny rose is ok, its amazing how quickly he recovers from being shot, he has been shot at least three separate times today, but he is some man, being able to run it off and continue.
LikeLike
Kane hat-trick and the commentators are mooning and publicly jizzing.
LikeLike
Yes, Stew, the Swans will miss Neil Taylor I think. Frankly though, I’m happier that they’re missing another dragon…Ashley Williams. Unlike some, I never wanted him at Arsenal (I’m silly not stupid), but he definitely made Swansea better. I haven’t watched them at all this season (I cant stand their fans, they’re mean to Aaron) but I’d bet Williams having left is a big part of why they struggle. Let them struggle mightily today.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks for the update, Shotts. Now I know not to even turn on the TV until 8:55.
LikeLike
do you get the impression teams managed by Pulis ….and others try harder against us?
LikeLiked by 3 people
if its like sex i’ll be finishing te game quickly and going to get a nice cup of tea.
There have been a lot of sexual references on here today which is very childish.
Hope our boys show their spunk today…… oh no mrs!
COYG
LikeLiked by 3 people
Had a check again on Ancelloti’s take on playing us as it should be relevant to their coach today
: you have to be tough
: be stronger in challenges
: be patient and not too afraid when they have the ball, because that could be to your advantage on counter.
Quite standard English approach, i’d say. His Derby team were pretty unadventurous the couple of times I saw them.
Don’t know a couple of their defenders but from midfield up there’s no real cloggers I’m aware of, so hopefully there’ll be a fair honest game.
I feel pretty good, but you never know what will happen and they’ve certainly been tough opponents in past. Quite a mixed threat with pacy wingers, long range Sigurdsson and a big striker with real pedigree.
Bit of luck, Ozil, Sanchez and co will be fresh and make a good start.
LikeLike
Alabama: According to both Robbies on NBC-SN it is now the Spurs machine. With all due respect to AorB this sounds like premature ejaculations.
LikeLiked by 4 people
LikeLike
MALEN SCORES AND ASSISTS AS ARSENAL U18S BEAT LEICESTER
by jeorge bird
Donyell Malen produced an impressive performance as Arsenal U18s returned to winning ways with a 3-0 victory away to Leicester City today.
The Dutchman hasn’t always been at his best this season but he was in inspired form against the Foxes as he found the net and also provided an assist for Jordi Osei-Tutu.
Arsenal were determined to bounce back from the defeat they suffered to Brighton. Coach Kwame Ampadu made several alterations to his team with Tolaji Bola, Marcus McGuane and Emile Smith-Rowe all coming into the side.
The young Gunners took the lead through Emile Smith-Rowe with half an hour gone before Malen made it 2-0 after being found by Yassin Fortune.
Late on Osei-Tutu sealed the win after latching onto Malen’s pass.
There was another positive for Arsenal as Charlie Gilmour played almost the entire game as he continues his return to full sharpness.
Arsenal: Crean; Osei-Tutu, Ballard, Olowu, T. Bola; McGuane, Gilmour; Smith-Rowe, Coyle, Fortune; Malen.
Subs: Tella (for Fortune, 64), J. Willock (for McGuane, 71), Omole (for Gilmour). Not used: Barden.
LikeLiked by 1 person
COYG
LikeLike
The primary thing for me in this game is how we manage central midfield. It is our biggest challenge in the immediate future.
LikeLike
Already Cech has absolutely no reservations going long to Giroud.
LikeLiked by 1 person
poor so far from arsenal, sloppy passing, slow tempo, and creating our own problems.
LikeLike
a different day, a different ref, a different set of rules for arsenal players.
LikeLike
what was ramsey doing there
LikeLike
ah natcho you have to understand that different rules apply, they are allowed kick you without a booking
LikeLike
Get in
LikeLike
Girouddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
after missing a ramsey pass by inches with the goal open, alexis gets the ball, lofts a cross, ozil heads down and giroud fires home
LikeLike
Just seen that. Jones is a fucking joke, reminded me of Riley in match 50 deliberate studs to achiles and not the first one. At least a yellow. PigMob bastards
LikeLiked by 2 people