Tony Pulis. There I said it. I know George hates it when we use foul language on his blog. There are outlets which won’t promote Positively Arsenal if it employs such revolting epithets and we are all about the numbers here as you well know. The advertising revenue alone keeps us in swimming pools and pearls and we must not piss off our sponsors.
However there comes a time when difficult issues must be faced and the Pulis is one of those issues. It wasn’t always so. Back in his playing days he was part of the Bristol Rovers golden generation along with ‘Jockey’ Wilson, Devon White and Ian Holloway and I applauded like a Stoke fan every crunching tackle, every score settled.
Of course he blotted his copy book by going on to manage at Ashton Gate, a move which ensured he was despised by both the blue and red halves of the city. After a long and celebrated stint in the Potteries he has now wound up at West Bromwich Albion and thither the mighty Arsenal must travel today and secure a much needed three points.
You might recall I mentioned a young man of my acquaintance who travelled up to London town for the recent FA Cup tie. I saw him last night and asked about his Emirates experience and his face split into a huge grin as he recalled a wonderful day out. He showed me his latest Arsenal shirt and then we got down to the nitty gritty. ‘How was the match?’ I enquired. His answer, refreshing in its honesty, neatly summed up much of our season, ‘We were rubbish in the first half’ he replied ‘but then we were great and won five nil’.
Not so complicated this football lark, is it?
The problem we often experience when anticipating a match is not knowing which version of Arsène Wenger’s project will show up on the day. The tentative, nervous, pass it about at the back under ever increasing pressure until they give up and let the keeper hoof it forward edition, or the free flowing, inventive, confident, improvisational theatre of full blooded Wengerball. Sometimes we even get both in the same game.
People say it’s infuriating, I see it as an intriguing example of the huge role mental confidence and relaxation plays at the highest level in any sport. Andy Murray gave an interview where he said that losing in the Wimbledon final to Federer was the ultimate piece in his jigsaw to becoming a top player. Defeat in the game he’d always seen as the pinnacle of potential achievement meant he’d experienced the worst. With that out of the way there was nothing left to fear, and he could play with a freedom from which he’d previously been inhibited. He wasn’t a better or worse player he just got his head right.
You could see in Aaron’s finish last weekend how important it was for him to find the net. A couple of chances had gone awry, the kind of chances he was dispatching with aplomb in his best season for us, and even though his goal was essentially a tap in he really needed it and whacked the ball into the net with a cathartic flourish. Will it open the floodgates? Time will tell.
Aaron, like Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain cannot be judged on this or recent seasons because both players are endlessly coming back from injuries. That or just about to get injured. It has been a frustrating time for them and I’m sure we all wish them a long sustained spell of good health and a proper chance to show what they are capable of.
Let’s hope Pulis and his boys don’t set out to further the injury woes of any of our players. It would be nice to see a sporting contest. The casual observer might deduce from our recent results that Arsenal is there for the taking, and this could, I suppose encourage in West Brom an adventurous spirit. I’d welcome this as the old attritional warfare against deep set defensive tactics is never easy on the eye. In any sport you cannot attack without creating vulnerabilities in defence so it might open the game up were they to sense blood.
I don’t actually believe Mr P will make the mistake of taking our results at face value. There has been some wonderful football among the dross and he will know that on our day we can demolish any side. The question he’ll be asking is very similar to the one I posed earlier. Which Arsenal side will show up at the Hawthorns today? Don’t be surprised if it’s a mix of both. To achieve one of the three hallowed places beneath champions elect Chelsea will call for some determined hard work as much as for fast moving, eye catching football. I’ll take a one nil win and some backs to the wall defending if it sets us on the right track for the run in. Of course I have the advantage of not travelling all the way to B71 and forking out for match tickets so I can be a little more relaxed about the nature of the performance.
If you are going I hope you enjoy a sizzling treat of speedy, confident Arsenal at its best and a result to match. If like me you will be at work from this morning right through to tomorrow lunchtime then I hope you avoid hearing the score and somehow navigate to the match on Arsenal Player without their giving the game away. They love to do that to us. Pages of headlines telling what happened before actually arriving at the match highlights and even then the video itself often displays a still clip from late in the game with the score clearly visible next to the time. It grinds my gears I don’t mind telling you.
See? Who says we’re afraid to criticise the club?
Positively Arsenal 
Morning Stew, thank goodness we have some football to watch. All of Pulis’ sides are the same, functional. We have the beauty without any doubt. We must employ the guile.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Hoping Danny is available and plays. Good memories of a winner two years back against them and think opposition is less willing to boot him over the park than they are our other options, refs not as harsh either (think something of how they viewed him as Utd player is reason for that)
Mind, Giroud would be very handy for dealing with their diabolical threat on set pieces (even sofa management isn’t easy, so I’ll just see what happens)
Anyway, not keen on this gap ahead of us, even with game or games in hand, so today feels crucial. Win and 2nd still looks doable. Lose and top four is looking very difficult.
Should be Xhaka and Ramsey again. Pretty sure Ozil will get his ten role back as well but who knows. Not got a clue what to expect but hopefully last week was good for confidence and we’ll make a quick start.
I stopped enjoying Utd being 6th a long while back and will only consider doing so again if we can establish a healthy gap. Fingers crossed. I want that enjoyment back.
LikeLike
After another PL gap and the type of opposition we are playing, today will be hard game. Actually the business end of the season all our remainingt 14 games will be hard and results rather than performances will be the order of the day. Although we know even in attrition we still will see some sublime stuff.
I’ve no idea of the eleven today especially as there are a few knocks and a few players just back from injury and with the added ariel threat to consider.Whatever the side I’m looking forward to The ARSENAL today COYG.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hope we do stir ourselves up and go the next 12 unbeaten, more wins than draws of course…
Me I never give up until mathematically over
LikeLiked by 1 person
No Ozil, no Santi = no Wengerball.
Oh well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
PG: From your tweets, Ozil is injured which makes him a malingerer according to the malcontents. What a crowd.
LikeLike
LikeLike
Arsenal FCVerified account @Arsenal 17m17 minutes ago
We’ve seen a lot of tweets about this, so to confirm…
Lucas and Ozil miss #WBAvAFC with thigh and hamstring injuries respectively
LikeLike
West Bromwich AlbionVerified account @WBA 31m31 minutes ago
Albion team v @Arsenal: Foster; Dawson, McAuley, Evans, Nyom; Livermore, Fletcher (c); Brunt, Chadli, McClean; Rondon
LikeLike
No Mesut,no Lucas? I demand a banner! I demand a twitter meltdown! i want my Arsenal back! I want my meltdown back! I want my melting banner twittering at the back! I demand a protest! I demand a melting protest of banners twittering and melting and demanding at the back! Grrr!
LikeLiked by 4 people
And the guile we have gone for is the fleet footed Danny ! Big afternoon for Aaron and Granit – handbrake off in the Welshman’s case, less so for his partner.
LikeLiked by 1 person
so Ozil is out injured, but that means he is certainly leaving in the summer, as he does not want to play under Wenger,
but Alexis starts but he is also leaving in the summer as he does not want to play under wenger
now I’m dizzy
LikeLiked by 2 people
the protest went well today, there were hundreds and thousands at it
exclusive picture from the protest
LikeLiked by 4 people
Welbeck! It’s not a bad front three is it? Hehe.
Missing one or two that we enjoy watching play the footy but it is good to see AOC back, another chance for that trio in midfield to get their groove on.
LikeLike
both teams with a good scoring chance in the first five minutes
LikeLike
awful defending at a corner and west brom take the lead
LikeLike
1-1, Alexis with good footwork and a fine finish in off the underside of the bar after being sent in by Xhaka
LikeLike
-wob very unhappy.
LikeLike
In Arsene we trust
Fly over
LikeLike
JB™ @gunnerpunner 9m9 minutes ago
1-0 to West Brom. Players were too busy looking up in the air to see where the plane was. So counterproductive.
LikeLike
LikeLiked by 2 people
Cech with a fine save after we let them in far too easily
LikeLike
Cech down injured,and goes off, Ospina on
LikeLike
good God, there was a wenger out and a wenger in flyover today. More money than sense
LikeLike
In, out, shake it all about you do the okey Wenger and turn around thats what its all about …oh the okey Wenger! oh the okey Wenger! knees bent arms stretched WOB out !out!out!
LikeLiked by 1 person
finally a West Brom player booked, they have been leaving the foot in all game.
LikeLike
IT WAS so obvious what was coming… sure the ref is very proud of himself now that Alexis is down
LikeLike
Would be red for Granit
LikeLike
That has to be a red
LikeLike
Only for Arsenal players it seems
LikeLike
WBA fans cook up an electric atmosphere.No.
LikeLike
HT: 1-1
been the better team without being anywhere near our best.
Let in a soft opener, but responded quickly.
Need to raise the tempo for the second half. Welbeck not been good so far, looks well off the pace.
We have been opened up a little too easily at the back a couple of times too. In attack we are a bit too static and the passing has not been sharp enough which has allowed west brom to get men in position.
LikeLike
Arsenal Nexus @ArsenalNexus
Swarbrick?? More like SwarPRICK!
LikeLike
I doubt Rantetta will stop trembling during this match as Swarbrick allows them to kick the shit out of us. Meanwhile the commentator and pundit on my feed are just having a laugh “McLean tackles like a fullback….Ha, Ha, Ha.”
It is a wonder Sanchez is stll standing much less running.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Yet again the referees allow clear targeting of our players refusing to nip things in the bud, and we see the result, a terrible tackle that really should have been a red.
LikeLiked by 2 people
when its an arsenal player taken out of it with a studs up tackle from behind
Match of the DayVerified account @BBCMOTD
Alexis Sanchez is down injured now after clashing with James McClean.
LikeLike
Paddy @VieiraPaddy 20m20 minutes ago
If Xhaka made that tackle John Moss would fly a banner over The Hawthorns offering a reward for killing him.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bellerin is the opposite to Samson, he loses his strength the longer his hair gets
LikeLike
awful from opsina and robson-kanu strokes the ball into the empty net 2-1
LikeLike
I think we can anticipate a bank of ten strategy for the final 35 minutes
LikeLike
Replays show McLean was offside for the initial thru ball.
LikeLike
Giroud on for the ineffective Walcott
LikeLike
welbeck hits the bar
LikeLike
Eddy: Replays show Oops couldn’t get his hands around the ball without fouling the West Brom player.
LikeLike
jesus christ we are so easily opened up, its unreal.
LikeLike
we must be the worst team in the league with freekicks and corners
LikeLike
Replays show McLean was offside for the initial thru ball
Who should not even be on the pitch the dirty bastard
LikeLike
20 minutes left to pull this one out of the fire
LikeLike
8 yellow shirts in the 6 yard box and Dawson still had plenty of space
LikeLike
deserve nothing out of this game, when you let in two headers from three yards out, what the fuck are our keepers at, and have our defenders ever heard of blocking off runs. pathetic stuff 3-1
LikeLike