Rich has had a go at some positivity. Well done lad.

So, Positively Arsenal. Positively, positively…Arsenal. Hmmm. It hasn’t been a great few weeks. In fact they have been stinkers, though interspersed with better news from the European front. For many here, it hasn’t been a good let alone great season, or rather it has been a really poor, really worrying one, and that following on from a previous one which was hard, even heartbreaking. Well, that’s not a good start for a positive piece , but lets hope it is just setting the scene and things pick up (no plan here yet, so, erm…I’m waiting to see what comes, too).

Right, things can change quickly in football. It doesn’t feel like it, of course, and because they can change does not mean they will change, but they can change quickly. Liverpool were apparently days from bankruptcy not so long ago, now they are near the top of the football world, and it happened sans oligarch or oil state. The end.

No, there has to be more. Try this. We have on our hands, a prime opportunity to re-evaluate our supporting selves. I can’t be alone in the feeling that ‘this isn’t working for me anymore’. By that I mean particularly the whole loathing rivals at least as much as I love my team business.

With the advent of so many more televised games, and the Internet which allows you to follow, discuss and imbibe all the action and reaction 24 hours per day, every day, among the plethora of changes is that you can end up ‘following’ rivals almost as much as your own team, or, in total, a lot more (because there are a lot of them, rivals).

The ‘following’ consists of tuning in wanting (needing) them to lose each time, or when against each other picking your poison for whatever reason . As they tend to be pretty good teams, it makes for a lot of disappointment. As there are normally at least a couple of teams better than us, and this might be the case more than ever at present, some acute misery- supposing you aren’t flying high because of our results- is guaranteed. Is this the lot of the football fan?

Is it betraying your club not to agonise over them, alone and in comparison to others, if performances and prospects merit such behaviour? Maybe, to a degree, but it’s also valid to come back to ‘this isn’t working for me anymore’; and if that’s the case, you surely have a big opportunity to look at how you are doing football, and see if there is anything you can change to make it better for you.

On a related note, anyone who began their Arsenal journey during Wenger’s tenure, or who has naturally forgotten much of before, is currently undergoing a broadening of their football experiences. Yep, we are getting to find out what it is like to play 6 shit matches on the bounce at the business end of a season, losing four of them,

Can you feel it, folks? That is us gaining new insight and perspective into the lot of the majority of supporters. For us, we can at least believe it will not become our norm, and we are a large enough club to imagine that at some point in the not too distant future it will be an interesting ingredient in the joy of a big success or successes again. Who has not looked at the fans or Barca or Madrid, crying over a terrible season and sacking their coach, when they have come 2nd or something, and won a league or something a year before. Who has not looked at that sort of thing and thought ‘you spoiled bastards’. Well, we are, potentially, a little further away from them today than we were a few years back. A little, but it’s something.

The academy. We have a bloody good academy. At the moment there are a large number of prospects with the potential to become good players with us, and a few who have huge potential. We will, fingers crossed, get to see more of a few of them next year. They appear to be in very good hands with Freddie. We surely need our academy to perform well at this juncture, and there are players there to encourage hope it can happen. We need some new heroes, and it is hard to beat a home-grown hero.

So, that might be about that from me. Revealing, perhaps, that I cannot pick out more or even any definites (feck off ,spellcheck; it stays) or certainties, and am mostly reliant on indirect, self-reflective and circuitous (potential) positives. Maybe I am wrong in assuming most people are even interested in anything like that, when it comes to football at least. It’s the best I can do and I don’t think it’s complete rubbish.

There are the traditional positives- the good academy, the hope which uncertainty naturally permits, the fact we do have some good footballers at the club, the fact things can change quickly in football- then there is the rest, this weird internal stuff; this great opportunity to recalibrate how you do football and see if you can find a better way for yourself. My own experiences suggest this is improbable, but I nonetheless feel some optimism today. Maybe I’ve hit rock bottom.

If fecking Spurs can get a pretty good team, after so much trial and so much error, why can’t I trial and error my way to improvements? And, if it comes to that, why can’t the club? Though hopefully a lot quicker than Spurs, with a higher high, and with some trophies to show for it. Speaking of which, we may just end this season with one of them. Now, that would be a positive, and no introspection required.

Seriously, that was dross

The end.

Aaron Ramsey has played his last game for Arsenal after suffering a muscular injury during their Europa League quarter-final against Napoli. The midfielder pulled up feeling the back of his thigh in the 33rd minute and was replaced by Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

What a sad way for it to come to an end. After 11 years our top scoring Center midfielder of all time is literally limping out of the club. It’s a devastating blow for him and Arsenal. I saw a stat recently that we have averaged twice as many points per game with him this season, than without him. I’m not at all surprised.

The lad has scored or assisted 129 times in his 369 appearances for Arsenal.that’s better than a 1 in 3 games,direct contributions to a goal, outstanding for a center midfielder. And a center midfielder is exactly what he is. At times he has covered as attacking Mid and even as a wide forward, that is testament to his general overall value to the team. Under Arsene Wenger, when fit, he played. He played no matter who else was fit, he played somewhere.

His work ethic, professionalism and heart are everything anyone could ask from a professional football player.

I won’t go into his history and injury record because everyone knows all about it but I will say that without the initial leg smashing attack and the subsequent muscular problems that have blighted him, he would likely have doubled his goals and assists total.

He is a quiet ,well spoken ,polite family man, that was shown loyalty by Arsene Wenger and returned that loyalty in spades. I have never seen him shy away from the ball or put in less than 100% effort in the 11 years he’s been at the club. He is brave and adventurous on the ball and is almost always the player that has covered the most distance at the end of each game. When in midfield with Arteta he regularly was in the mid 90s in % passing stats. He is the complete box to box player.

On top of all that he is staggeringly good looking, immaculately well dressed and campaigns for animal welfare and other green topics. Seriously, what is not to like about the lad?

Yet despite all this “opinion on him is divided”. Why? Well I would suggest it’s because many of our fans are as thick as mince.

Now he is heading off to Juventus on £400k per week, so we don’t have to feel sorry for him, oh no, but we should feel sorry for ourselves. Why? Well because we could be losing or last legend, that’s why.

Football has changed and support has also changed, and not for the better. It used to be that if a player was committed to the club for a few years and scored ,or just contributed, to the winning of silverware, his legendary status was assured. But not anymore! Oh no, a few perceived bad games, an injury or a transfer can all lead to his status being revoked by our over demanding fans.They turn on, and turn their back on, players as quickly as they can scurry to their twitter accounts. That and the tendency for players to maximise their wages by moving, or the clubs wanting to profit from player sales, mean the day of the one team man is dead, It’s very hard to become a legend if a player only has a short window to cement their status.

Well Ramsey has put in the years, the effort and conducted himself with the class that put him firmly in the legendary status, and that’s before we add the two FA Cup winning goals.  Add to this that he refused to shake Piers Morgan’s hand and allegedly sat RVP on his arse with a right hook and he is elevated to super legend.

So make no mistake Aaron Ramsey is an Arsenal legend, and perhaps the very last of them.

Goodbye, good luck and thanks for the memories sweet prince of Wales.

This is how I will always remember you.

Or as Bob might say

“Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won’t come again
And don’t speak too soon
For the wheel’s still in spin
And there’s no tellin’ who
That it’s namin’.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin”

And of the game tomorrow, here’s Labo

Well that was a funny old game.

We went one nil down after about twenty minutes and it was lucky it was just one. They were well on top and we looked like a team that’s been shipping goals for fun.

However, HOWEVER !!! I say, then we turned the tide. A beautifully constructed goal involving Ozil Aubameyang and finished by Lacazette seemed to give us a boost of confidence, we got on top and ran out 3-1 winners. It could,and should, have been more too. Aubameyang missed an easy chance and Lacazette missed 2 absolute sitters.

I was surprised when Ozil was subbed off for Mkhitaryan but I have to say that Henrikh did very well for his cameo.

Not wanting to point fingers, but I was happy to see the back of Mateo, to my eyes he had a poor game.

We go to Spain a week tonight full of hope. All in all it was a good night.

Please excuse me today as I attempt to put down my thoughts, because honestly they are all over the place. The only thing that is clear in my mind is that I have not got a clear mind. Lets start with last nights game.

For the first 25 minutes we dominated the ball yet failed to have a single attempt on goal. In fact we didn’t have an attempt in the entire first half.

The first goal was a well taken free kick but that kick was a result of a needless foul in a dangerous area. The commentators tried to blame the wall for being weak, but I think it just was over them and a great kick. Sadly, that was basically the end of the game as a contest. For me the next 2 goals were the result of rank bad defending and goalkeeping errors.

The second half was not much better although we did get one back from a wonderful Xhaka delivery from a corner. Truth be told we never threatened to get back into the game.

The question is why were we so ineffective? The answer is quite simple, you all know it because we are all experts in the game and could easily put things right ourselves? Right?

Well no, but that’s the problem. If I was to hazard a guess it would be that Ozil was moving wide to find space and the lack of a midfield runner(namely Ramsey), together with Iwobi and Mkhitaryan being ineffective and also not giving movement in and around  the box., meant nothing was created. But really, it’s just a guess.

Anyway, we were soundly beaten by a team that executed their own game plan very well, a huge amount of credit should go to just how good Wolves were.

Once the game was over the fans retreated to their trenches and the attacks began. It was Emery’s fault, it was the players fault or it was Wenger’s fault, depending on which bias you wanted confirmation of.

We were woeful against Everton, dreadful against Palace, poor and lucky against Watford and easy to beat last night. We had a golden opportunity to finish 3rd, let alone 4th, and we have royally ballsed it up. But, this manager and these players also put in decent performances that gave us the golden chance. Yes, it’s all gone wrong, but for a while it was all going well. We tend to forget the good as soon as some bad comes along. It may get worse, then again it might get better.

I long for the attacking jazz play we used to get from Arsene’s teams,but we should also remember the thrashings we got when it didn’t work. There were times when we looked toothless,weak and even clueless.

After the Palace defeat Emery came out and defended Mustafi, that showed class and strength from our head coach. His post match press conference last night was fantastic. He didn’t throw any player under the bus, he knew what had gone wrong and where we could have done better. I think he is too negative and pragmatic, but he seems a very decent man and he has been successful at smaller clubs than us and at a mega club, there is a good chance he can be successful for us.

We had one of the all time great managers for 22 years, if we expect Emery to be as good , let alone better, then we will be hugely disappointed. It doesn’t matter if you thought Arsene was great or rubbish, the comparisons to him are pointless. By all means be critical of Emery, but at least understand the difficulties he has in front of him.

This blog was built on the shoulders of people like Arsenal Andrew,Andy Nic, Zim Paul and Frank, we must remember this:-

“If you are a fan of the club who needs to vent their frustration by denouncing players who are “Notfittoweartheshirt”, or who delights disparaging the efforts of the club’s former or current coaches then the site is probably not for you. If you are an expert in the football transfer market, in sports medicine, in the mechanics of running a £1.5 billion sports business etcetera then it may be that PA is an insufficient platform for that abundance of your accumulated knowledge. There are many other blogs on which you will be much, much more at home.”

And I am talking to you Pedantic George(that’s me for any new readers) as well , by the way.

Finally, our friend Mills posted this. This is what the site should be about,have a read.

“It’s always the same, how aftv don’t seem to understand what football is or how it operates. Wolves are having a honeymoon at the moment, the cat shall mew and the wolf have its day, but the woodman( relegation) is always standing next to them waiting. They needed to beat us, it validates them, but for Arsenal, who wants to go to Wolves? Its of little interest, and in a way its a big fault on our part, but I’m sure man yof the other top 6 teams feel the same, in a way its the Problem of the EPL? Don’t get me wrong, its pretty disappointing, how can it not be?
I just don’t think the lads felt inspired and if they play in an uninspired way without parking the bus, bad play and mistakes will happen. Its unlike Leno to make a couple of mistakes, and its unlike Kos to not mark up really well. The whole season has been devoid of getting in a good place mentally and building on it. But we have the potential, we can see it, its all there.
aftv think that Man City and Liverpool and Arsenal of 20 yrs ago just come out of no-where or you can pay. Cash helps but still it needs a geist. Good psychology and getting a unity(or even a general unity) is the key, then all things proceed from there. Of course its not plain sailing, its keeping on the path, reacting to causes and effects and thats easier said than done.It doesn’t come when youre watching either.
For example, the lads now have to get up from these two games and do their best, but if the geist bogs off, how to you get flow and rhythm? How do you keep unity and a good geist in all players?Go on social media and get advice form people who cant kick a ball properly but know everything in hindsight.
It concerns me that people think that going to a game, then slagging the team off afterwards because they didn’t get what they wanted (“im the paying customer!”)because they believe they are the real deal (and a manager) because loud voices and sensationalism get attention, is supporting. No it isn’t. Its only part of the equation. We’ve all spent loads of money going, as did generations before me. Without social media what then for these commentators? Why do they think they are right? If they were in charge what then? What the film the Matrix misunderstood, is that everyone thinks they are the one.

On a petty level they give too much ammunition to other teams to throw at the club. 5th columnists, and its unconscious, which makes it all the more scary.

Of course my opinions are as worthless or worthy as theirs, but I don’t claim to be right, just to try and add another perspective. They doesn’t make me righteous either, more than likely a tool. But the world suffers unnecessarily…

The club imo, should ban the players from looking and interacting with social media,(and people like me) its could also stop playing up to the likes of aftv, what for? Because they proclaim themselves the in crowd? Outside any in-crowd circle are people who are also worthy, all that in-crowd stuff is nonsense anyway. All is fleeting.

Every single player who went out last night is a good player, has proved for years they are good players. It didn’t happen, Liverpool and City, just like ManUre and Chelsea and us will also experience this, its football. Wolves are king of their dung heap, let them have it. Soon enough another will come along crowing all knowing.On another day and with the right flow, they would have lost 3-1. and the season isnt lost yet either.

And the ship sails on.COYG!”

This is a comment Mills made , listen and learn. Again- Thanks Mills.

“If Mustafi is a pile of shite as Im told by aftv etc, then every single Arsenal defender ever, and probably every Arsenal player ever is a pile of shite? Strange logic? Non!

Truth is every player makes a mess of something sooner or later. I can list them off, or you can think of them yourselves. There’s been some big moments that went down the kasi, with big names at fault. Players are humans, not some AI bot that seems never to make a mistake. Notice in the AI of computer games they have to put flaws in the play so that somebody wins?
The history of Arsenal ( a considered process with agenda by humans) filters the subjective idea of whose a hero or villain, we then see endless highlights to remind of ourselves of good and bad moments, but these arent the full picture.

Humanity is at the key point of football, we hate the mistakes when they happen to us, but love it when it happens to “them”.
Mustafi is a good player, went through a fantastic period with us, then hit the wall and seemed to lose his confidence, which is a shame as hes a great player, and still can be.That will finish his career with us no doubt, but only because of money. Yesterday I thought , well he will be kicked out now if we lose, many players are bullied out of our club when they dont need to be. If the people who think hes shite at aftv then they should go out there and play at profi level, its a million more times harder than those people think. I got to the level below and even played with a lad who went professional and that was tough enough.
But we still need him (Mustafi) now, in this part of the season, but the mob want blood, they want to feel good, and Mustafi made them feel bad. Imagine how he feels, shamed and loathed. Must be big laughs. But the finger is pointing in the wrong direction, or at least not enough in all directions.

But why did the team give up at 1-2 down? The third goal ( poor marking) was the killer, and we had enough chances to make it three or even four. Mustafi is not the enemy or the evil one who ruined the day. The whole team are to blame and the fans too, they are also part of it all, and the typical reaction at 1-2 was to go all quiet and introverted, when the lads needed support.

aftv and people dont have the monopoly on opinions or on whats what, in my opinion.
I also wish people at aftv would stop going on about the “previous regime”. If thats was a regime then they want to get out a bit more. Closer to their understanding is probably that they cant dictate how Arsenal are run. And thank the stars for that.

Mustafi made a mistake, but so did our attacking players in missing chances and not converting, we cant have it one way and not the other? Theres no difference.

Sometimes I wonder, having watched “Our planet” recently if we football fans could also put as much thought and energy into saving ourselves psychologically and physically then our grandkids might have a better chance?

COYG!”

Mustafi is an Arsenal player, he does his best. Sometimes that may not be good enough, but no one should doubt his effort.