Ticket Prices Are Not Transfer Fees & Injured Feelings

John Cross took up the cudgels this morning, criticising Arsenal for increasing the price of Club Level season tickets by 6.5% on last season. According to Cross and sections of the support who pay the price for this hospitality-devised seats, it is not fair. Arsenal did not help by employing dubious maths, a core rise of 4% does not increase to 6.5% when you add the increased VAT rate which applies. Unless of course, these seats are bearing the burden of the VAT rise for the whole ground.

It would be of little surprise to see this increase being the only one, or the most significant in terms of percentage. Arsenal may well be testing the water, seeing the response that is received. At the moment, outside of the indignation of these supporters, the best that can be said is that ‘cautious concern’ is in the air about ticket prices. Football as an industry has been relatively recession proof in the past. Attendances may fall in these times but the game still shows extravagance when it comes to wages and transfer prices thanks to the largesse of broadcasters and sponsors.

An ill-conceived notion is becoming more prevalent, namely that this season ticket increase is unacceptable because Arsenal are not making ‘big money’ signings. People need to be careful what they wish for; Jose Antonio Reyes was a big money signing and it is almost impossible to argue that Arsenal got full value. Or even much value. But the concept is understood. Big money equals big name.

The correlation between ticket prices and transfer spending is an utter red herring. There is, and never has been, any link between the two, save for the fact that ticket prices help to fund transfers. Even then that is a dubious and contentious theory, borrowings tend to fund player purchases but that is to leave the main argument at a tangent.

In Arsenal’s case, the link is of no surprise since complaints are regularly made about the lack of big name signings, Arsène’s parsimony and the question of what is happening to the money. The Arsenal shareholders are the main beneficiaries of the lack of money spent by the manager, funds diverted to clear debt instead. That is a logical business decision: if the manager does not require the funds, use them to the benefit of the club in other ways. The shareholders benefit as the value of their holdings increase. Where this becomes an issue is if the Board are deliberately utilising this policy, requiring the manager to take the blame for a lack of spend when the money is already earmarked elsewhere.

Realistically, I do not think that is entirely the case but my belief is that there is an element of truth in it.

Arsenal’s commercial deals need to be re-organised and we are told that they are being reviewed. It is a review that is not bringing in significant results. For a club in its position, commercial revenues are woeful by comparison to their peers. Chelsea in recent times have broken deals, making break payments to compensate but ensuring that subsequent revenues are much higher. Have Arsenal even contemplated this? It would not necessarily be the ‘Arsenal Way’, in keeping with club traditions. Does that matter any more? A beacon of light in some respects over transfer dealings does not necessarily make you commercially astute elsewhere.

The injury situation at Arsenal descended into a farce yesterday, at the same time highlighting a key issue between club and country, perhaps the biggest source of contention. Johan Djourou’s absence for the season derided by the Swiss FA, Arsenal swift to counter and point out surgery was likely within a week. The Swiss, seemingly led by Brian Rix these days, took this as their cue to skidoo, quickly withdrawing their comments.

It highlights a problem though. The Swiss would quite happily have played Djourou and in Fifa’s eyes, have the last say in whether or not a player is fit for international duty. The clubs understandably are not happy with this, Steven Gerrard a recent high profile ‘victim’ of the distrust. The Liverpool player was forced to sit ‘cramped’ in a car, travel to the England team hotel where doctors informed Capello, yes the player is unfit. It must have been a bitch for Gerrard to have to sit a Range Rover from Stamford Bridge to Burnham Beeches – all of thirty minutes. Hard life.

The clubs though, brought this upon themselves. Manchester United regularly withdrew players from international duty in the past. Mysterious injuries emerged at other clubs, ruling players out of midweek clashes but Lazarian recoveries enabled the injured party to perform to the peak of their abilities two or three days later. Fifa acted, as it only knows how, with draconian measures. The national FAs have the final say, the clubs can do nothing about it. Insurance might contribute to the wages but do nothing to help with the loss to the squad.

There is as ever a balance between the two sides. As ever, we wait for it to be struck.

’til Tomorrow.

A Thin Line Between Genius And Madness

Arsenal’s season has descended into farce or Arsène has pulled off a transfer masterstroke in signing a 41 year-old goalkeeper who has not played for a year, depending on whom you believe.

Let’s make things clear before we start, Jens Lehmann was a good servant for the club in his previous spell at Arsenal. He is without doubt one of the top five goalkeepers who have donned the Arsenal jersey.

Yet this is a huge risk, even for a six week spell whilst Szczesny recovers. Arsène would argue that his options were limited. Mannone is also injured, so is Fabianski which left the hugely inexperienced James Shea as reserve. With the way in which this season has unfolded, having experienced cover is important. Arsène presumably felt that this outweighed the issue of match fitness.

It is inconceivable that Lehmann’s fitness is not up to the required level but as with Sol Campbell, the danger exists of an over-romantic memory, the heart ruling the head. Campbell’s elevation to Arsenal’s best centre back during Vermaelen’s absence last season says more about the performances of those alongside him than anything else. He did well but.

I hope Lehmann is not required. It means Almunia is playing well and uninjured. It means that the memory of The Invincibles goalkeeper is not sullied. If he is needed, there is no doubt he will try his hardest to ensure that Arsenal win. We have to hope that his best in good enough in those circumstances.

Lehmann will no doubt be a strong character, something desperately needed so we are told be everyone outside of the dressing room. Most of the staff know him; those that don’t will sure to be ‘genning up’. At the time he left, the trophy cabinet was brimming to the point of bursting open.

The whole ‘strong’ character is being overplayed. Having a new face in the dressing room will change the dynamic for a while and might contribute towards rebuilding confidence if needed but anything more than that is wishful thinking.

One reasonably unknown character for Lehmann will be Jack Wilshere or the young player being rapidly elevated to Football God status. Much hope is being foisted onto this young man, more playing time than he might have expected this season and in the absence of his captain, a great deal of expectation.

Wilshere seems to be thriving and that is great news for Arsenal. The hope must be that he is not being run into the ground by this season, that the exertions will not lead to wear and tear injuries. Arsène is experienced in bringing youngsters through and the hope is that he has not lost the knack of doing so successfully.

If he wants a warning of what can happen if he gets it wrong or, including internationals, the player is involved in too much football, he need only look at his captain.

Wenger is not going to get any assistance from England or the media. The latter is desperate for good news from the England football team. The rugby and cricket equivalents have given them good times and bad in the last decade. It has been nearly twenty years since what is rapidly turning out to be English football’s Golden Age.

Wenger, it seems, is not the only manager tottering on that maniac / genius line, Fabio Capello is quite close to it as well. If he thought Real Madrid was insane, he has found that international management is definitely a case of the lunatics taking over the asylum. And he contributes to that state of affairs. Wilfully.

For example, his latest opinion on Jack Wilshere.

He will one day captain England. Undoubtedly. He reminds me in many ways of Bryan Robson. He is the best young midfield player I have ever seen at his age.

Robson is held up as the archetypal English midfielder, the one with a great engine who covered every blade of grass, tackled robustly. Except in Robson’s case he spent as much time on the treatment table as the pitch. Hopefully Wilshere will not follow suit.

Capello clarified why he thinks of Wilshere as a potential captain,

His Champions League performances against Barcelona show he is a real leader on the pitch. To play with the confidence and attitude he showed against a Barcelona side that is the finest in the world was incredible.

Which is fine, a tribute to the young man. And at the same time, feeding a media frenzy. Well, it is not yet but by the time the next international tournament comes around, it will be and a maelstrom will be cast around Wilshere.

Problematically for the FA, the international tournament comes within months of the Olympics. As the country that will provide the Under-21 players for that tournament, England has a careful balance to strike.

Firstly, the national team will suffer if anyone – not just Wilshere – plays in Uefa2012 and the Olympics before rushing into the Premier League season. When Theo Walcott was used twice in one Summer, he did not make it to the start of the season before breaking down.

The FA owes the players a duty of care. They have to put this first and decree that anyone who goes to Poland / Ukraine, does not play at the Olympics. The British Olympic Association might want to investigate the feasibility but there has to be a line drawn and little doubt if the decision is left to Arsenal, the answer will be a polite but firm, “No”.

And that is the way it has to be. I feel sorry for the BOA, the decision of the Irish, Welsh and Scots to withdraw support over petty reasons does not help their cause. That Capello is using younger players does not help their cause. That Olympic Football is viewed sceptically in the UK does not help their cause. That Fifa and Uefa are not the organisers of the tournament does not help their cause – rules enforcing international call-ups do not apply here.

But that is their problem. Players have to be used sensibly and this is the biggest barrier to Jack Wilshere participating at the Olympics. It ought to be insurmountable. But this is football and sanity is frequently in short supply.

’til Tomorrow.

Complaints Department Overflows

or are Arsenal supporters just keen anglers – constantly carping.

Questions are being asked of Arsenal right now. The players, the managers, the board, everything and everyone is being swallowed into an abyss of acrimony as the nightmare scenario of a month ago has materialised.

Whose nightmare depends on who is asking and answering. Certainly though questions are rightly being asked of the players, manager and other staff in light of recent defeats. A point is missed in that questions should be asked constantly not merely amid rancour and PC game mentalities. Problematically, to ask the questions in good times requires a lot of thought, the absence of which is marked at the moment.

It has however been the cue for a number of angles on the Wenger / Arsenal bashing. Flick through any newspaper and there will be a critique of Arsenal’s failings, how this has been foretold since the opening day of the season and how, without significant investment and a change in the manager’s philosophy, the club is doomed to repeat a cycle of failure, decades to pass before a trophy is won.

I do not particularly have an issue with that, column inches to be filled, advertising targets to be met. That is the nature of the beast.

Where I have an issue is the insinuation that articles are being written out of concern for the club, that the fans are fed up. Into that category walked Brian Woolnough, who has worked for just about every tabloid at some point and now finds himself cosy at the home of Peter Hill-Wood’s pet paper, The Daily Star.

This morning, “Woollers” set himself up as Spokesman For A Generation, informing us that Arsenal fans will not suffer Wenger’s tenure any longer if he does not deliver silverware this season. Pretty much that is excrement. In fact there is no pretty much about it.

Woolnough though will not rest here. The summer is being set up nicely for him. No international tournament to cover, little money in football so high value Premier League arrivals are unlikely, departures of more stars, less quality for him to opine about on Sunday’s with his chums over a croissants – very sophisticated and intellectual. His only hope for something juicy is a high profile managerial casualty.

It strikes me that the media believe they got Roy Hodgson the sack at Anfield this Winter. The concerted campaign was nothing unusual in that each club is generally in crisis, simply rotating the headlines week in, week out. Most other clubs have owners with a full set, rather than the Liverpool bosses who crumbled in the face of an onslaught.

Having dealt with Hill-Wood & co for a number of years, you would have thought that the media would understand that they do not hold sway with the board. Equally, you would have thought that they would have known that a vociferous minority is not a representation of the Arsenal support.

Surprisingly, it appears that they are unaware of either scenario.

Some of the complaints raised against the players and Wenger himself have elements of truth. Criticism of the inability to find a shot on target in the Camp Nou before Robin van Persie’s dismissal is not misguided. Equally those who dismiss the impact of the the Dutchman’s sending off are misguided. Barcelona may have enjoyed the majority of possession, been the better team but at the time were clearly rattled by the equaliser. Who knows what the outcome would have been had it remained 11 v 11.

There is a real concern about the lack of cutting edge that the players currently have. The midfield is not taking up the slack where goals are concerned, something that title winning sides always have is a midfield that consistently scores, topping up the tally of the strikers.

Signs are there that the old issue of passing rather than taking the responsibility of shooting on-board are re-emerging. That is of great concern, especially with teams lining up to put banks of five and four in front of Arsenal. Sunderland were successful in doing so, Birmingham somehow won doing so, United followed suit and won. Expect that policy to continue to be employed by opponents. Arsène and the players need to deal with it more effectively than they have done recently.

Where I take issue with criticism is when it is ill-conceived and a regurgitation of media cliches. Where the demand is to motivate players by abusing them, I wonder how motivated the abuser is in those circumstances. Such demands are pathetic and deserve the contempt with which they are met.

There is one aspect to the current squad. At each club there are those players who are not as popular as the others. Complaining about it at this moment in time serves no purpose; Wenger is not going to sell a player because he cannot due to the transfer window regulations. Try encouraging that player, you would be surprised how more motivating that is than disparagement.

More than anything before regurgitating media thoughts remember they have agendas. Firstly, egos are rampant in the media, none more so that those who pontificate on a Sunday morning courtesy of Sky. They have – probably without exception – dismissed Arsenal as Champions of any competition this season. Newspapermen don’t like to be proved wrong and will try their hardest to make sure others follow suit.

Secondly, very few of them support Arsenal. They have a jaundiced view of the footballing world. They are not going to be positive about teams they do not support.

Lastly, they are not scared of upsetting Arsenal in the same way that United and Chelsea’s media and managers intimidate them. By all accounts, the Arsenal people are too nice in comparison. Given the abuse he receives, it is almost inconceivable that Wenger would go into a media silence.

If you want to criticise, do so with a substantive train of thought. You might be surprised, people might listen to you. Even then, bite the bullet and actually support the team rather than constantly criticising.

’til Tomorrow.

Cup Distractions Over, Now Concentrate On The League

FA Cup Quarter Final
Manchester United 2 – 0 Arsenal

1 – 0 Fabio (28)
2 – 0 Rooney (49)

Arsenal’s quest for silverware is now down to one. Following on from the midweek defeat and failure to lift the Carling Cup – where did this new media angle of being ‘dumped out’ of a competition with two teams left, spring from? - the exit from the FA Cup is deeply disappointing, especially as Arsenal were the dominant team. And we had the obligatory poor challenge from Paul Scholes that went unpunished. It was usual Old Trafford fare…

Manchester United though have made a fine art of absorbing Arsenal pressure and lining eight players across their penalty area proved a barrier too far for the visiting talents. The lack of guile too often left Robin van Persie isolated in attack, reducing the attempts on goal to be restricted to efforts from distance, gobbled up gleefully by Edwin van der Sar.

Matters took a turn for the worst when Johan Djourou dislocated his shoulder, the manager advising that the Swiss defender’s season is over. With Thomas Vermaelen seemingly unlikely to return before the next campaign, Arsenal’s injury list is growing just as the business end of the season is upon us.

Post match, Arsène bemoaned how bad the luck of the squad is at the moment yet in conceding both goals, his XI were architects of their own downfall. The first goal came as a result of a direct counter-attack by the hosts. van der Sar relased the ball quickly following the breakdown of Arsenal pressure. Rooney broke and found Hernandez at the far post, his header pushed away by Almunia, Fabio the quckest to react, pouncing and putting United ahead.

It was a poor goal to concede; Arsenal were slow to react across the pitch, starting with the forwards and midfield when van der Sar released the ball to Djourou and Koscielny who were beaten by their opponents rather too easily. Arsenal had received a warning prior to that, Rafael blazing a header over from another swift United break.

Arsenal almost clawed the deficit back immediately. van Persie had a curling shot clawed away by his countryman before he met Nasri’s corner with power but could not guide his header into the net. Arsenal continued to press but the only real chance in the remainder of the half came when Samir Nasri tried to catch van der Sar unawares with a low shot through a defender’s leg; he didn’t and Arsenal were left trailing at the interval.

Within minutes of the restart, an opportunity to equalise had gone begging and the deficit was doubled. Koscielny and Arshavin fashioned an opening for the centre back who hesitated and in the ensuing challenge, fashioned a cross. van der Sar saved, the rebound came to the Frenchman who found once more the Man of the Match in his way.

It was to prove costly almost immediately. Rafael beat Gibbs comfortably, Hernandez found Djourou in the way, the ball squirming through the air to Rooney who guided it in via the far post, tantilisingly away from Sagna.

Arsène immediately brought Chamakh into the action, the Moroccan followed Nasri in shooting straight at van der Sar. It was a common theme of the match, Arsenal keeping the Dutchman busy with routine saves. Only once did it seem he might be beaten, Chamakh meeting Sagna’s cross but alas nothing could be garnered from the header. Rosicky tested with a venomous strike, more of a test than his air kick when unmarked on the edge of the six yard box late on.

It is a poor result, capping a miserable few weeks. Yet such is the nature of professional football, the manager, the players and coaching staff must all dust themselves down, pick heads up and get on with it. And we must do the same. Allow the media to conduct the bitching, backbiting and derision; they are so good at negativity.

Still it could be worse Arsène, you might work for MirrorFootball and the Sunday Mirror, never noted for its reporting accuracy…

’til Tomorrow.

Manchester United Preview: Arsenal Are Being Underestimated…

For the first time since 1906 Arsenal travel to Manchester United for an FA Cup Quarter Final tie, hoping to repeat their victory of 95 years ago. It is the thirteenth time the two sides have met in this competition, the previous twelve seeing an even split of victories.

Arsenal will be boosted by the continued return of Robin van Persie, skipper for the day in the absence of Cesc Fàbregas. The visitors have not scored a goal from open play in an FA Cup tie against United since the 2-0 victory in 2003.

Much is being made of the defeat in Barcelona requiring victory to put the season back on track, consecutive losses in ‘big’ games will condemn Arsenal to another season in the doldrums.

Or at least that is the logic of those with a negative agenda. There is, of course, evidence of previous seasons to support it but another angle worth remembering is the exit of The Invincibles from the Champions League and Manchester United in quick succession. Victory over Liverpool in the Premier League had that season back on course in no time at all.

Arsène gave the theory some credence,

We need it I must say, because we need help. We have been touched severely recently and we are chasing after a win of that type. We will try to win.

We need to keep the right attitude to turn the luck around on our side a little bit.

There is no doubt that the defeat to Barcelona will have hurt, especially knowing that somehow destiny had been grasped close to the Arsenal bosom, if only for three minutes. Yet this should be a spur for the team. Rightly chastised for their unadventurous performance, the defensive nature exacerbated by Robin van Persie’s dismissal, the criticism ought to provoke a strong reaction, overriding the negativity of defeat. Whether it will or not remains to be seen.

The last time that Arsenal travelled to Old Trafford for an FA Cup tie, Arsène fielded a weaker than usual team, the naivety of their play ruthlessly exposed by a strong United XI, compounded by the sending off of Emmanuel Eboué early in the second half. The game had gone by that time.

This time around, United’s injury list is longer than Arsenal’s. Ferdinand, Park, Nani and Valencia are all definitely out. The latter trio ensure that Ferguson will flood the midfield, numbers overwhelming the Arsenal intricacies. Few can argue that it has been anything other than successful in this fixture over the years.

In all competitions, Arsenal have won only one of their last eleven visits, eight of which have ended in defeat with a miserly three goals scored since eliminating United from the FA Cup in 2003. It is a poor record and one that Arsenal will seek to reverse.

Today’s team will see a few but not many changes to the starting line-up. With Cesc out, Wenger has to decide whether Samir Nasri reverts to the central role and Eboué the right or if Aaron Ramsey has sufficiently recovered from his injury to allow a resumption of the central midfield duties that he was carrying out with great promise before The Boot Of Ryan intervened.

Today might be that day. There has to come a point when Ramsey returns to the first team and whilst he might not have played ninety minutes of every match at Nottingham Forest or Cardiff, his loan spells will have hastened his recovery. This evening will see that completed.

The line-up I expect Arsène to field is:

Almunia; Sagna, Koscielny, Djourou, Clichy; Ramsey, Diaby, Wilshere; Nasri, van Persie, Arshavin

It is an attacking XI; Arsenal are at their best with this style of play and United are not at their strongest. Will defeat be damaging if this line-up were to lose? I do not believe it will be irreversible, especially with a week until the next match.

It is an omen-tastic clash. Twice before during Arsène Wenger’s reign have the two sides met in March; both seasons saw one of the clubs hoist the FA Cup and Arsenal win the Premier League title. Twice before on this date have the two sides met, a goalless draw in 1910 followed by a 4-2 win for Arsenal in 1930.

Enjoy the match wherever you are watching it. ’til Tomorrow.

Stone Cold Friday: Faint Heart’s Not Required

It’s Friday and I’m sloping off for the day. Instead, here’s Darius…

I wondered how much time would elapse before the traditional piss-taking phone call would come in.  And sure enough, it took until yesterday afternoon with my smug and smiling friend Dean ready to enthusiastically spread his ‘positivity’.

“Dude, get the hell out of the bunker.  We’re at war here and you guys have a job to do against the Manure.  I have an early birthday present to cheer you up.  Get up – get up, we’ve got to stop these punks”.

You see, Dean is a diehard Liverpool supporter who can’t stand the thought of the red Mancunians winning another title.  He’s always been of the school of thought that the Champions League was a distraction for us and that there were bigger fish to fry.  We have a mutual enemy in that, but without prejudicing his right to take the piss, hence the early present.

Apparently, it’s a special edition limited release of a double epic DVD that he picked up while on his rounds on the wrong side of the Seven Sisters Road.

“It’s a collector’s item”, he insists, “with Spurs v AC Milan and a bonus disc with Barcelona v Arsenal”.

But as we pick up the debris from the crash out of Europe, it’s easy to forget that there’s still a massive job in front of us.  I suspect that like Dean, most Liverpool fans would be happy to let their team roll over at the Emirates in a tactical manoeuvre to outwit the old enemy.  Whether Dalglish and his charges think the same way is another matter altogether.

A lot has been said about the injustice at the Nou Camp, with Busaccas performance rivalling the Phil Daud show at St. James’ Park – something you would think was impossible to replicate.  My take is that even with the referee shafting us, we still had an opportunity to take the tie in the last minute, but such is the bitter sweet nature of the beast.

I would rather take the positives out, and in particular, a gallant display in defending.  It puts paid to the argument that if we needed to, we can’t defend, but as the narrative goes, many will have you believe otherwise.  Of course, we would rather play an attacking game, and that comes with its warts and all, but by God it’s entertaining.

The home straight is here and what bemuses me somewhat, is that there is still a lot of noise about the ability of this team.  The noise that comes from other camps about the smash and grab that smuggled the Carling cup out of Wembley forget to mention that the supporters of these teams were watching the game on TV.  If there teams were any good at it this season, they would have been at Wembley instead of us.

The noise about whether our defence is good enough and the flawed argument about needing a ‘world class keeper’ has been bitch-slapped by the consistency of a solid back 5.  I argued here the other week about the privilege of having the most experienced 2nd choice keeper in the league and the name Shay Given was thrown back at me.

Manuel Almunia has had more experience than Given in big name European games and that’s fact.  He showed it again on Tuesday and you have to admire his dignity and humility after all that has happened.  He was still ready to come in and do a stellar job for the cause.  Our 3 keepers this season, despite the regulation moments of madness have done us proud.  And in case you doubt it, look at the league table, the table doesn’t lie.

It’s easy to forget that Thomas Vermaelen, the best defender in the league last season is still on the Arsenal payroll.  I’m sure he’s even doubting whether he will be an automatic starter when he gets back.  Even with the individual mistakes at the back that you can’t legislate for, all our first choice defenders without exception, have given an excellent account of themselves.  If you doubt this – the league table doesn’t lie.

Despite everything that has happened in this campaign, we are in an excellent position to end up with a very successful season.  It would be naive and even criminal to actually think that it’s going to be easy.  There’s no such thing as an easy run-in.  There’s prizes to be won at the top and bottom of the table and all teams will be fighting for something.

The team is under no illusions about the fact that referees are not necessarily inclined to be impartial and this job has to be done the hard way.  Can we win 14 straight games?  Yes, it’s a possibility, but it probably won’t happen.  Even so, we are in control of our destiny and don’t have to necessarily depend on other teams to do us favours, as much as it will be welcome.

Picking up from this week’s defeat and the bitter way it happened is something both the team and supporters have to do and have to do very quickly.  This journey doesn’t take prisoners and it’s not for the faint-hearted.

My sense is that the reaction – especially from within the Arsenal ranks – when we suffer a defeat is amplified beyond belief.  There is a bigger danger that the overwhelming negativity and defeatist mentality will consume us and keep us firmly in the gutter with the red-herrings, as opposed to focussing on the rest of the job.

We’re  at the stage of the season where results are more important than vintage performances, and our regular display of Wengerball will be a bonus.  Make no mistake, our character, our belief, our patience and our sanity will be tested.

Now is not the time to pick perceived holes in our performances, or to consume ourselves with over analysing actual mistakes that we can live with.  It’s time to get out of the bunker and from behind the sofa and enjoy the 14 game roller-coaster.

Watch out for the warning signs for the faint-hearted before you board.

’til Tomorrow.

The Spirit Of Arsenal

I’ve been beat up, I’ve been thrown out, But I’m not down

Like Mick ‘n’ Joe thirty-odd years before them, Arsenal found London Calling having suffered a Clampdown following Spanish Bombs…you get the drift.

Arsenal are being lambasted as ‘losers’; written off as the ‘worst’ and castigated for being ‘chokers’. The media has sell whatever, be it printed copy or column inches on the web – don’t be fooled; in their world, size really matters.

The upcoming FA Cup tie is apparently the make or break match of the season. Lose and capitulation will ensue in the Premier League, Manchester United will continue their stroll to glory. Win and goodness knows what will be said, presumably that poor refereeing cost Darth Ferguson more trinkets for his trophy cabinet. At least he will start talking to his media pets once more which will make them happy.

Conveniently all of this presupposes that Arsenal are mentally weak. That theory neglects to consider whether disappointments previously suffered have been dealt with, simply presuming that they are bubbling under the surface waiting to seep through the cracks.

Publicly at least, this is not the case. Bacary Sagna said,

We are ready to fight because we are even more frustrated after what happened last night and we want to give more.

It is this mentality which will see them through. The team that takes the pitch will be as strong as Arsène can make it; it has to be. Cesc will be missing, his tweaked hamstring twanged in the Camp Nou. Everyone else must be present and correct, injury permitting.

Too many remember the debacle of the last cup-tie at Old Trafford and the impact that the defeat had. It was a weakened team, Wenger saving his best for other competitions, a move which backfired.  This time around, the first XI are the wounded party, they need to react like a cornered beast and come out fighting, primarily to give themselves belief.

Yet too much emphasis should not be put on one result.

Intriguingly the players are being questioned for their failure to Wembley (rightly) but also for the failures of others before them (wrongly). The trophy drought is not attributable to the current squad. Some of them were here when the FA Cup lifted on a sodden afternoon in Cardiff; most though, were not.

The players who we see as maturing now, were reserves then. There are those among them who have won but collectively they have not. Apparently this means that Arsenal Football Club do not have a winning mentality; the reality is that in the Premier League, only one occasion has there been evidence of that, the rest of the time, ability has let them down. Players replacing key individuals have not been able to climb to the levels required and too often in the past, a number of the key players have been missing at the same time.

This time around, there is no doubt that the squad has individuals who can come in and replace those missing. The XI adapts to their absence, moves forward. On occasion it goes wrong but Arsenal sits second in the Premier League and that would not be the case if absences were not covered.

But it was down to Jack Wilshere to put it all into words,

We never give up, that is the spirit of Arsenal. We are still in two competitions and need to get a trophy this year, that will be the aim.

’til Tomorrow.