33 Comments

Football Is Coming Home

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It’s official, Mikel Arteta is the new Arsenal head coach. 

Since the departure of Unai Emery there have been endless discussions , articles, podcasts and twitter threads from people with various levels of insight and knowledge, about who should take over. As ever, just about everyone is positive that their choice is the right choice and any other choice will be a huge mistake by the imbeciles running the club. Now that Arteta is confirmed there will be endless discussions, articles, podcasts and twitter threads telling us why it is the right thing, or why it’s total bollocks of an appointment. So, let me start.

I have wanted Mikel as our manager, above all others, since his final year as club captain. Why? Because he was Arsene on the field when he played. He was for me the epitome of everything good at Arsenal. He put in 100% every minute of every game, he led, instructed, cajoled and fought, all while showing a style of play that was the essence of Wengerball.

Of course that was as a player, other players have done as much, so why him as a coach , you might reasonably ask?

Well it was because of his clear understanding of the game, everything he said and did reflected a grasp of shape , tactics, tempo and desire that I felt he would bring to the table as a manager/coach.

Every interview, every word about how he saw the game , every moment spent discussing with Arsene, suggested he had the credentials.

We have all seen the quotes from Arsene, Pep and Poch, waxing lyrical about his potential, I can’t really think of three better endorsees.

I am led to believe he was hugely respected by his team mates, but not particularly popular, Why? Because he demand they all give their all in games and training and was quick to let them know they when they should be giving more. Well isn’t that exactly what we want from a coach?

I for one could not be happier. Yes he faces many problems with the squad, he has no experience, but so what? The appointment gives me hope that we will see, sooner or later,  the return of the kind of football that I want to watch, the values that I want to support and the return of The Arsenal I love.

Mikel came to us at our lowest ebb as a player and he comes to us at a bad period now, if he has half the effect he had as a player, good times will return.

I simply love the man.

I will leave you with the words and thoughts of the man himself ,

“When I was younger my dream was always to play for Barcelona. But after that, if you had asked me where I would like to play when I first arrived in the UK, the answer would have been Arsenal – and that’s the truth. The way they played, the team they had, the philosophy of attacking football, they enjoyed playing the way I do and I would have chosen them ahead of any other. Now that I’m here, I feel so proud to be part of this football club. What they’ve done with it, how they’ve managed it and built it up, is unbelievable.”

and

“One is Arsène Wenger, of course – he has a philosophy that he’s never going to change because he really believes in it. That is the most important thing, because if you don’t really believe in something then you’ll just change it after one bad result and drive your players crazy.”

Now than , as they say  This IS MY MANAGER !

33 comments on “Football Is Coming Home

  1. Yep, its now on .com
    Agree with every word in this lead article, delighted for him and the club, and the supporters, or at least some of them.
    Arteta, from what I have read and seen of his career is a rare mix of class, intelligence and steel, experience will come. In addition, So pleased we have chosen a man who is not owned by super agents.
    Whilst I dont buy the broken cannon stories, I dont underestimate what Arteta has taken on, there have clearly been and are issues on and off the pitch, and it is no accident our form has been so poor. I suspect some players need great coaching, and have no doubt that unfortunately, some may want, and perhaps need to go. I would expect him to have more say than perhaps emery did on transfers as a condition of joining, and maybe less interference from above. Ad can look forward to football, hopefully inspired by influences like Wenger, Pep, La Masia
    He has some in-tray, and this has to be done on a budget unlike some rivals, but just delighted this impressive man has decided to take on this challenge. The club should feel very proud with this signing.
    Right, thats over with, who will he chose as captain?

    Liked by 2 people

  2. And, not to be demanding or anything, but, as its Xmas, if Juve keep benching him, can we have Ramsey back please Mikel? And maybe Cazorla, perhaps he can help coach when he eventually retires

    Liked by 2 people

  3. I’m hopeful and, obviously, really want it to work out. Fascinated to see how he’ll approach it with early line-ups and any tactical stuff. No idea if there’s much money in kitty but certainly wouldn’t be surprised if he targets cm in January.

    Fingers crossed Freddie staying on as well.

    Like

  4. Interesting name as part of Arteta’s staff, Steve Round. Been, erm, around a bit, worked with McLaren, Allardyce, England (with McLaren) before number of years with Moyes at Everton and Utd. Director of football with Villa from 2016-18.

    At a guess, given names worked with, maybe more one with eye on dealing with tougher side of English football than the attractive stuff. Don’t mind idea of it in a know your enemy type capacity. Could give valuable insight into how those lot prepare for games with us.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. On the money PG. Mikel’s ideas and expectations of himself and those around him are exactly what so many demand in a manager. I for one hope they acknowledge the task at hand and give him the necessary patience required to get an upturn in form.

    It’s not going to be easy road. I love what Mandy said in her comment, that experience will come as more and more get used to him.

    I don’t think many realise how driven, how focus, this guy is. Everything he has done since 2011 has been for this moment. He knew even before then he wanted to become a coach and primarily came to Arsenal to learn from Wenger, as he grew up with great admiration for everything the great man has done at Arsenal, so even took the paycut to join us as he believed the reward will be in what Wenger will teach him. He got his badges while at us and while getting approached for taking up an academy job, he thought it would be best for him to learn first hand from Pep as well. That is what prepared him for this.

    Welcome home Arteta. Just like most regulars here who felt a bit removed in recent months, I’m sure, as most of you now, are looking forward to games with renewed vigour.

    El Capitan who became El Gerente.

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Was initially a little underwhelmed on hearing of Steve Round, but you may have a point Rich, may be part of some sort of balanced approach.

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  7. what of Freddie Ljunberg

    Liked by 1 person

  8. I’m delighted by the appointment of Mikel Arteta as our new Head Coach, everything he has said about the how the game should be played, both as a player and as a coach, has me reassured that it will be a return to attacking football, the sort of football I and many here love to see. Of course a word of caution, going on the early days Emery interviews, I had expected that sort of football too, but it just was all PR guff. I do not expect MA to be spouting untruths.

    We are all AKB’s again, of course his detractors are of course a MOB

    Liked by 1 person

  9. and now for the bad news

    Here’s a team news update ahead of Saturday’s match at Everton:

    Hector Bellerin
    Tight right hamstring. Being assessed ahead of Everton (a).

    Dani Ceballos
    Left hamstring. Sustained during Vitoria SC (a) on November 6. Will miss Everton (a). Aiming to return to full training next week.

    Rob Holding
    Left knee. Bruising to knee. Being assessed ahead of Everton (a).

    Sead Kolasinac
    Right ankle. Ankle ligament injury sustained during Manchester City (h). Aiming to return to full training in January.

    Mesut Ozil
    Right foot. Sustained during Manchester City (h). Being assessed ahead of Everton (a).

    Kieran Tierney
    Right shoulder. Dislocated right shoulder during West Ham United (a). Kieran had successful surgery this week and will now rehabilitate for around three months, aiming to return to full training in March.

    Granit Xhaka
    Available for selection after concussion sustained during West Ham United (a).

    Copyright 2019 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to http://www.arsenal.com as the source.

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  10. all I want to know is did Mikel say “Good Evening” at the start of his press conference

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Excellent. Looks like Freddie staying. Apparently was a cracking press conference as well.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Good call as always.
    A new manager experienced or not is a gamble, what works at one club with a group of players doesn’t automatically transfer.
    Arteta has shown throughout his career all the traits necessary to be a manager.
    I a as Lao believe that he does have a ruthless streak which is a trait I believe he needs more than anything to succeed.
    So as we enter another phase we must have patience but if the defence and midfield demonstrate some organisation most supporters would take that for starters.
    Positive vibes needed at the Emirates!

    Like

  13. Got our hands full with other issues today but wanted to share something from article on women’s game.
    It’s about the women’s transfer market/window, and contains things like this
    ‘With the FA Women’s Super League now largely considered the most popular destination for players, surpassing the likes of the NWSL in the USA, the growing fan base is crying out for a drama-filled transfer window’
    ‘it’s about time we injected some long awaited excitement into the women’s transfer window.’

    Like

  14. sounds like Freddie is staying in some capacity

    Freddie Ljungberg
    @freddie
    ·
    27m
    The message from me is still the same, get behind us and support the team! It’s been an honour to have helped the club I love for the last few weeks and I am excited to work with @m8arteta
    and his staff moving forwards

    Liked by 1 person

  15. It’s a classic look into the press mind and, especially, their thing in relation to transfers where they pretend it is driven by public needs and attitudes when really it is they who want to ramp things up and sensationalise.

    I’d be amazed if there are any supporters of women’s game who feel they are missing out by not having transfer hype and big fees (88 per cent of moves are free at end of contract). They want good players at their teams of course, but that’s a different thing.

    Liked by 2 people

  16. Arteta on Ozil – has he got a future with you?

    He’s a massive player for this football club. I want to understand how they’re feeling and what they need.

    He’s a massive player. I worked with him and I know when he ticks what he can bring to the team. My job is to get the best out of him.

    Liked by 1 person

  17. I take it as a really good sign Arteta is type we want if he came in and chose to keep Freddie on, and gave him reassurance he needs that he’ll has important role to play in new set up.

    There’s talk of Malmo for Freddie, and it’ll be completely understandable if he fancies crack at management at any point, but I’m hoping he’ll be here for this season at least and go from there.

    Liked by 2 people

  18. Well for me this is a nightmare appointment. I’d started to get used to not really minding about the football, used to not feeling the need to jump to the Manager’s defence if points were dropped.
    So now it all starts again.
    One moment sticks in the mind from his playing days with us. FA Cup Q-Final at home v Everton. Trophy drought heaven knows how long. 1-1. Penalty to The Arsenal. Arteta converts. Pre VAR (but oh so right in the middle of Riley’s shenanigans) the kick has to be retaken for encroachment. Cool as you like Arteta scores again. Nerves of steel – but also an intimate knowledge of the extra pressures that such officiating brings.
    As George alluded to earlier today it’s just as well I get my prescriptions for.free these days.
    Brilliant, brilliant news.

    Liked by 2 people

  19. “Everybody at the organisation has to feel so privileged to be here. There’s no other way.”

    Liked by 1 person

  20. IslingtonGoonerAFC
    @Born_a_gooner
    ·
    8h
    A member of Arteta’s team is Iñaki Caña Pavón as First Team Goalkeeper Coach.

    He was a coach a Barcelona Academy, Nordsjælland and Brentford.

    Highly rated.

    Like

  21. Mikel Arteta has held his first press conference as our head coach.

    The new man in charge spent much of Friday at London Colney, where he met and spoke with players and staff before sitting down for his first interview.

    After that, Mikel headed to Emirates Stadium to field questions from the media.

    Here’s a full transcript of the press conference:

    on what it means to be back at Arsenal…
    I’ve been back home. I’m extremely happy and proud to have been given the opportunity to be the manager of this football club. I’ve been preparing for a few years for this challenge to come. I know the expectations, I know the level and I know the stature of this club, and what it deserves. So I’m ready for that challenge, I can’t wait to start working with the players, and everybody here at the club. But I’ve got a good vibe, I’m sensing a good energy since I walked in at London Colney, so it’s giving me more energy and I feel so happy.

    on how it felt walking back into the stadium and the training ground…
    Yeah. It was strange. It’s been four or five years ago in a different role and a different position, but it was always a dream for me on the day I left, and I made a decision to leave this football club, I said to the people that I am going outside, I’m going to learn, I am going to get prepared and hopefully one day I can come back here when I feel that I am ready to make that step. I have so much respect for this football club that if I didn’t feel that I am ready, I am prepared for this, then I wouldn’t be sitting in this chair.

    on what he wants to change…
    The first thing is a little bit to change the energy. Last week I was here with Manchester City and I was a little bit down after the game when I felt what was going on. So we have to try to engage everybody, I have to try and convince the players about what I want to do, how I want to do it, they have to start accepting a different process, a different way of thinking, and I want to get all the staff and everybody at the club with the same mindset. We have to build a culture that has to sustain the rest. If you don’t have the right culture, in the difficult moments, the tree is going to shake, so my job is to convince everybody that this is how we are going to live, and if you are going to be part of this organisation it has to be in these terms and in this way. And after that, we can talk about other things. Obviously now we need an immediate impact, we need to start winning games, we need to start to raise the level of confidence of the players, and finally we need the fans. We need to engage them, we need to be able to transmit with our behaviours, our intentions, what we want to bring to this football club. I think that’s the only way, where we give them a little bit, they give us a little bit, and suddenly we feel that connection, because when plug plug these two things together, it is so powerful. I’ve been outside this football club and when you’re outside you look at it and you say ‘wow, this is massive’. So this is how I’m feeling. There is so much to do, I am so excited, and I think we have the right team, I have many conversations with the senior people at the club, and I feel we’re on the same path. So I have a good feeling.

    on whether the club has lost its way…
    That’s what I’m sensing from the outside. I would like to start to make some steps and start to understand the reasons why. There will be reasons behind it, and a history behind it, and I have to try to understand quickly why this is, to implement certain things that will be quick wins, for the players, the staff and everybody. That is the challenge now. We don’t have much time to train, much time to talk about other things, because there are some important games coming up. We have to create the right vibe, the right energy, and everybody at the organisation has to feel so privileged to be here. There’s no other way.

    on what he’s learned from Pep Guardiola…
    Advice? What I’ve learned mostly is that you have to be ruthless and you have to be consistent and you have to fit every day the culture of the club to create a winning mentality. To sustain it is even harder, so every day is important, every act is important, every organisation is important. His work-rate is incredible, how inspirational he is to people is incredible. But for me, the secret is that the people, the players and the staff, have to believe what they’re trying to deliver. You have to be able to transmit it, and people will buy into that. When you do that, then you are a team and everybody’s together and united you’re stronger.

    on concerns over his lack of experience…
    I completely understand their concern. That’s the only thing I can say but I will try to convince them that I’m prepared, that I wouldn’t be sitting here if I honestly didn’t think I’m prepared to take this responsibility. I will burn every drop of blood for this football club to make it better.

    on how close he came to getting the job 18 months ago…
    A little bit close. It wasn’t the right time. When things don’t happen it’s because it isn’t the right time. The right time came now and I’m glad. I learned a lot from that experience as well. It was great to be part of a process of that nature and I was very prepared for this one. I think it helped. I think it was a very positive thing to happen.

    on what Arsenal means to him…
    When I was playing in England, I started to realise what Arsenal meant. Obviously I was born in Barcelona and the club that had the most similar style and most similar values and ambition was Arsenal. So I always talked to the people around me and said that I had a dream and that was to play for this football club. There was one man, his name is Arsène Wenger, that believed in me and gave me the opportunity to play for this club. After that, he made me captain of this football club and I wouldn’t be sitting here if he didn’t have the vision to give me the opportunity to enjoy this incredible club.

    on what’s been going wrong at Arsenal in last 18 months…
    I have my ideas that I would like to keep to myself because I have to corroborate them when I see them act, when I see them behave, when I see them live together. I want to do things my way but by convincing them that’s it’s the right way for everybody to live better. Everybody has to respect each other first of all, and I want people who are accountable for what I’m asking for them to do. I don’t want them hiding, I want people to take responsibility for their jobs and I want people who deliver passion and energy in the football club. Anyone who doesn’t buy into this, or that has a negative effect or whatever, is not good enough for this environment or this culture. There are things to change, absolutely, because they’re not performing at the level that we expect them to. I will have to help them and to help them I need to know what’s happening, I need to understand how they’re feeling, what they’re lacking. If I get to reach that point, then I can help them. Then they will trust me and then they will follow me.

    on being the youngest manager in the Premier League…
    Time will tell. To talk about experience, experience in my job… My job has a lot of roles and responsibilities. Some of them I was doing in my previous job, some others I was not. Most of them are linked and there are things that either you do have or you don’t have. The experience bit I can’t touch, it’s completely against me. The good thing is that I feel young. When I was playing at 34, I was always the oldest and now as a manager, I’m the youngest. It has a lot of positive things as well on that. I know it’s one of these things where I have to adapt to the job. I have a lot of good people around me to support me and we will try our best.

    on Mesut Ozil…
    He’s a massive player for this football club. As I said before, what I want is to understand how they are feeling and what they need. It’s not so much about what I need. You have to understand them. Sometimes with conversation, you get to understand a point. When you understand them, I can take the excuses out of them and focus on the things that are relevant and have an impact on the team on and off the pitch. Of course he’s a massive player. I work with him and I know when he clicks, what he can bring to the team. It’s my job to get the best out of him, of course.

    on possible January transfers…
    We haven’t discussed the transfer windows and obviously there are a lot of conversations to have around that. I’m only concerned about trying to win football games right now and finding a way to improve little things that bring them confidence. To step on that football pitch and improve what they’ve been doing.

    on what Arsenal can achieve this season…
    I think to set targets at the moment is not what I would like to do. I would like to take it day by day. We have a lot of things to do but what is clear is that the ambitions of this football club are very clear. You have to be in Europe, you have to fight for trophies and the rest is not good enough. It’s as simple as this. To talk about this now is a little bit far [away]. I would like to talk about what we’re going to be doing tomorrow in the game, lifting the morale of thee team and then Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday we’ll be working together for the game again.

    on Freddie Ljungberg’s role going forward…
    It’s a conversation I was having this morning when we addressed the players and spoke to them. I had a conversation with him afterwards to see his expectations and how I see the situation. We will know something soon. I haven’t had a chance to speak to him.

    on what Guardiola’s reaction was when he left City…
    Listen, the relationship between me and Pep is incredibly good. Obviously he was sad and the timing wasn’t the best for him but he understood. He knows how I’ve been growing and the needs that I have emotionally, the ambitions that I had, and he kept giving me more and more and more over the years. If I had admiration for him before, after working with him I cannot explain how much of a nice person he is and what a professional he is. The way he reacted with me looking at my eyes, he knew that I was suffering because I was leaving in a moment where they need me a little bit as well, so I felt in that sense a little bit sad. But he’s been so supportive, the same as Txiki, as Ferran and Khaldoon – I was on the phone with him yesterday. The terms that we left the relationship in, they could not be any better. I said goodbye to all the staff at the training ground yesterday, all the players, I cried because they’ve been my family for three and a half years and we’ve had incredible moments. We had a dream to do something in England with Pep that people said was impossible to do because we would get bullied in the Premier League, and we did it in a way we believed we could do it. That’s so fulfilling and we will share that feeling for the rest of our lives, the moment that we lived together.

    on why this was the right time to become a head coach…
    Because sometimes in this industry you can have a plan, an idea or a way to develop the best possible way. Then the emotions get involved. When Arsenal knocks on any door, it’s difficult to say no. When it knocks on my door, this is my house and it makes it very difficult. It was a very difficult decision, it’s true, but also I felt that the club needed someone to appoint. I saw that and they transmitted that. They were so convinced that they wanted to go with me, that I had to take the challenge.

    on how soon his coaching team will be announced…
    That’s not in my hands. It’s the lawyers and the paperwork. I would like to do that as quickly as possible but to be fair, the timescale has been hectic. I had a game with City so there were a lot of things that had to be done. It will be announced very, very shortly.

    on which capacity Ljungberg will stay on in…
    Like I said before, I need to sit down and have a proper conversation. I didn’t believe that today was the day, just before travelling to speak to Freddie for 10 minutes because I might need to speak with him for eight hours to really understand the situation, his aims, what he’s seen from the players. I need to understand the history of what’s happened in the last 18 months at the club. We will sit down, grab a coffee or a bowl of coffee, then we will make the decision.

    on whether they’ve spoken about the plans for the Everton game…
    No, I just said, ‘You know them, you’ve been training with them, do what you feel is right’. I told them a little bit what I wanted from them and that’s it.

    Copyright 2019 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to http://www.arsenal.com as the source.

    Liked by 1 person

  22. well it seems the first casualty of Mikel Arteta being appointed Arsenal Head Coach is Nexus Dean on Twitter, he had been proclaiming that Arteta was never even considered for the role when Emery got it, and that he was not on the list this time around either, and as soon as it became clear (the photo of vinny and fahmy outside his house on Sunday night) that Arteta was our main target, Nexus has gone underground.

    Liked by 1 person

  23. Freddie Ljungberg takes charge of his final game as our interim head coach on Saturday.

    Ahead of the game he spoke to us about the challenges he’s faced, the honour of helping the club, hearing his name being sung by our fans… and the arrival of Mikel Arteta.

    Here’s what Freddie said:

    Freddie, you’ve seen a lot in your career but has this year been the most eventful one that you can remember?

    Yeah of course. It’s been a bit full-on. I’ve learned a lot and if a year’s eventful, hopefully that’s a positive thing.

    What’s the experience been like as the interim manager?

    It’s been a great experience. I’ve been extremely honoured to be the interim manager for this great, great club. Of course, everybody knows, it’s been difficult circumstances, confidence has been low. Unfortunately we’ve had many injuries, but that’s life. For me, the main job has just been trying to steady the ship and help as much as I possibly can. I feel honoured to have been able to do that. I’ve learned so much and I’m looking forward to meeting Mikel, and talking to him, talking about football. I think we can get this club back to where it belongs. It’s been a great, great honour again.

    You’ve had a lot of credit for the way you’ve conducted yourself, for the way you’ve carried yourself. You must be very proud of that.

    It’s awful difficult when you’re in the middle of it to be proud of anything in my opinion. All I want to do is win football games, try to help and all that kind of stuff. Of course it’s really nice to hear people say you’ve done good things, but also when you hear from players and other people close around you that you’re appreciated in certain things, that feels good. When people said we’d had progress in how we played and stuff like that, of course that feels special. Maybe it’s wrong to say now, but I’m a little bit proud maybe. But the main thing is that we now have clarity and I want to thank as well, for example, when Unai left, he left with a lot of staff and we didn’t have any staff. Per then tried to juggle a bit being my assistant and being the academy manager at the same time. We were short but I want to say thank you to all those people who have been trying to do jobs that maybe are not their jobs. I am extremely grateful for that and I think, together, we’ve done the best we ever could and we pushed ourselves to the limit.

    Your love for the club has really come through. The fans have been right behind you, they think you’re a legend. What’s it been like hearing your song again from the terraces?

    That’s been amazing. The support that I’ve got, and the team, it’s been great. Of course, to hear that song is a bit emotional obviously and they sing it so loudly, it’s been special. Even though we know City and Liverpool are in a different league, at home we had a young side on the pitch in the end and the fans stood up and sang, the whole stadium. I felt that showed. That’s the Arsenal I know. I was very, very proud to stand with them.

    You mentioned Mikel. How much are you looking forward to sitting down with him?

    Of course. I’m looking forward to it a lot. Of course it’s going to be a difficult one tomorrow [against Everton] because everybody knows he’s taking over the team and the club. I just hope the players will still try to be motivated and go for it. With me and him, I’m really looking forward to sitting down and discussing things. I met him before, I have the deepest respect for him and his football knowledge. Together, I think we can do this very, very well.

    Copyright 2019 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to http://www.arsenal.com as the source.

    Liked by 1 person

  24. I am absolutely ecstatic….we have Mikel Arteta…I am beginning to believe again…his press conference was so interesting and enjoyable. We have a very intelligent and strong minded head coach…he will be great…just as I was enjoying the savings I have made after cancelling my Sky Sports and BT Sports subscription……

    Liked by 2 people

  25. Fresh Arsenal
    @Fresh_Arsenal
    Question: Will Ozil give you enough energy?

    Arteta: “He’s a massive player for this football club. I want to understand how the players are feeling and what he needs.”

    Like

  26. Welcome back MA8.
    Best of luck to ya,
    Hopefully our return to glory will not be as long, expensive or as ponderous as Man Utd’s.
    COYG!!!

    Like

  27. I’m starting to feel excited about this appointment. It’s so refreshing to hear such a clear exposition of what he wants from the team. I really feel like this is a man with a vision, who is prepared to ditch any egos that are not on board. Hopefully he gets enough players on side to turn the tide.

    Liked by 1 person

  28. Mikel certainly didn’t come to us at our lowest ebb as a player but yes we’re in a pickle now and anyone who can bring back flowing football will get the thumbs up from me.
    I knew I didn’t want the boring Maureen style but Unai really did etch in my head how I missed Wengerball.
    I have pushed style further and further up the priority list after just a relatively short time without it.
    I had my doubts about any ex player taking over from Arsene as I couldn’t see any with the experience and remembering the Leeds nightmare after Don Revie I thought it would be a bad move. However today is a different time, Unai has made the club ripe for a young manager to mould the team in his own style once again so I’m pleased as punch Mikel has returned.
    Our biggest problem is still the shit toxic fans and I think that is something that will take a decade or so to get rid of maybe longer.

    Liked by 1 person

  29. Arteta certainly know how to talk about leadership, and that’s a start.

    Like

  30. Agree 900ft, very very impressive.
    You can tell he means every word, and will be holding people to it , these are not empty words.
    The players will know exactly what is expected of them, this will especially help the kids.
    Been a good day for Arsenal FC, Arteta needs time, patience and backing , but there is certainly something about him.

    Liked by 2 people

  31. I am really surprised for everybody optimistic about Artetas appointment
    I Wonder why. Does Arteta has more Arsenal DNA than Freddie?
    I hope he does well for the club as he is another Arsene Wenger son. Personally I would have liked Freddie to continue over Arteta but let’s see how it pans out.

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  32. Ro…. the excitement re Arteta’s appointment is no disrespect to Freddie. Myself, like I’m sure most here, expected this appointment to be made 18 months earlier.

    We genuinely believed if Arteta kept the best bits of the Wenger era, while also simultaneously putting his own stamp on things, would’ve made the managerial transition smoother. Because we knew then the leadership and intellectual property this guy has.

    While not getting the job, Arsenal didn’t lose Freddie. He himself said “we”, him and Arteta: “Together, I think we can do this very, very well.”

    This is exciting times man. 18 months later, but still. And as some said, maybe we needed the time with Emery. Despite the usual naysayers there’s a genuine buzz. I doubt they would’ve been so accepting having one of Arsène’s taking the reins immediately. Emery needed to brings fans down a peg a two. Not just the wob, but yes also the AKB. We all were spoilt and needed to learn how to be more appreciative of things.

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