Hello and how are you? Sorry for the blackout, I got ill and then just simply had enough of writing. I tip my hat to all those who can write about matches even at the basic level like I’ve been doing this season, for the whole season.

In various forms of cranky delirium, I thought about many things, most of which weren’t much more than kack. One thing I always get stuck on is the problem of liberty, what it is, who holds its meaning and who forces its application? There are different types of liberty, and it clashes with other important practices, like justice and equality. It really is a minefield and perhaps one of the problems is not being able to hold more than one idea to solve any problem at anytime?

When Ilya and Emilia Kabakov came out of the east and described their lives, some went mad, some ran away, and others noted the failings of yet another utopian idea. They then set their lives into the discussion around utopia, and how good intentions pave a road to hell. Of course, I understand some people like hell. I hate modernist architecture, it gives me the fear, as I was born into it.

Other people who were more privileged than I, criticised this in me, as they loved it, but when they moved to the bull rings in Hulme it was a choice, a choice to experience those social set ups, and take the consequences thus, but when its imposed on you that a different matter? Were those architects out of touch with the people it was built for originally, but did it work better for more middle-class people ( that was the status of the people I knew who lived there) or a certain personality type? Was it just historical bad timing? I don’t know I don’t have any answers except maybe to how organise my back garden’s layout, and even that is in constant flux due to endless cause and effect?

In fact, I wondered if by carrying utopian ideas as we can’t live by them (according to Moore himself), we immediately create a dystopia everywhere we go? But can we even get away from dystopia as we can’t live in utopia, but could we break through and put both ideas in the bin? But what then leads humanity? Various forms of problems? But which idea will solve this problem, the blood shed of the 20^th century witnessed the imposition of a single ideas with a vast culling of human life. One thing for sure, my observations and ideas of life and how I would like it won’t be right for billions of others? And yet in an online world that is increasingly being taken over by bots and their programmed variable concepts, I miss the human, the ability to be fallible. Losing the League Cup final against Birmingham to the defensive catastrophe was horrible for us, but was wonderland for Blues fans?

At the end of last season I said I thought the world of blogs was dying and the vlog reigned supreme. I still think that, but what I didn’t get until recently is this; even if you hate what I write even if you dislike my opinions, it’s better to have that communication, a truly human communication rather than a programmed (sterile?) manipulative idea that’s destroying the online life, it is often in the YT comments merely bot versus bot?

Human fallibility, wasabi, we might laugh at these things and even lives can be destroyed by them, but they are us. Of course, I understand that bots are too, and the whole natural/unnatural argument, but without its own consciousness is the bot basically not much more than a lie? But then how do we define lies in an almost totally politically charged world when lies are de-rigour? Wtf is truth anyway? I can’t see how we get to any kind of objectivity without the human conditioned and struggling personality being intwined with it.

So where does that leave this piece? Without hope? Without a point? What is the point of life? But accepting that perfection has a tyrannical side, does that not open a doorway to more hope? Maybe not for some but maybe they have to accept that they must also suffer? But then imperfection also creates suffering? What doesn’t create suffering? Bliss here is suffering there and suffering here is bliss there? Are they the same?

Oddly why are laughing at any notion of unfairness, as if its infantile and immature to fit for fairness? But then one person’s idea of fairness is another’s unfairness..? It doesn’t end, so perhaps often squeezing a single idea into many problems doesn’t work? But I will take all the groping difficulties of human kind ( within reason) over a programmed idea that can’t evolve? It might not apparent at any singular point but evolution does carry a strange hope with it, but is it utopian? How we imposed the utopian as a human idea on the natural evolutionary process? If everything was perfect how would it look? Is there universal perfectionism when all we know are simple binary systems? How should I know? But I do see all of these problems and dilemmas in the world of planet Arsenal, online.

And with that The Arsenal take a trip over to Nord Rhein Westphalia to play against Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the first of the knock-out matches in the Champions League. 

Bayer are currently 6^th in the Bundesliga. They have gone 12 games with one defeat in all competitions. Bayer also have a solid defence, and Grimaldo and Schick are dangermen to watch out for. Die Werkself have drawn with Newcastle and beaten Man City (at City) already this season, and apparently have no fear of the Mighty Cannon.

Statto HQ has another view, Bayer Leverkusen have been given 16.7% chance of winning and Arsenal 60.6%.

Next up Everton at the Emirates. So COYG!

Mills

Thanks Mills, that was different, interesting and informative, although I have yo admit that some of it was beyond my paygrade, like who the hell are Ilya and Emilia Kabakov?

Right, we march on in all 4 competitions that we could have one when the season kicked off, so do City by the way, but at the moment they are at the back of our column.

I suspect this tie will be more difficult than many of our fans think, but even so I expect us to progress. On a personal note, as we get nearer the finishing line on all four fronts I find it increasingly difficult to be critical of Arteta’s set up and playing style. Of course I long for peek Wengerball, but Mikel could no more feed us that than Arsene could have stopped entertaining us. It doesn’t matter how much backing Arteta has had in the transfer market or how how little I have enjoyed watching most of our games, if Arteta picks up some of those titles, the bigger the better, all will be forgiven and most us us will say “roll on next season”.

Pedantic George.