Show Me The Money – Fees, Wages & The Usual…

The usual contradictory banter from this morning’s media, along with quotes out of context from their Catalan chums, faithfully regurgitated here without any question. Even if Arsenal had made any attempt at controlling the PR around the club, today is one of those days where failure was the only outcome. That they did not – repeatedly do not – is The Arsenal Way and at the moment, the air is one of ‘Have Arsenal Lost Their Way?‘ rather than ‘The Arsenal Way Is The Righteous Way‘.

Reporters and headline writers have their angles, predominantly what is going to garner more hits. The collapse at the end of last season makes it easy, negativity on the pitch equates to a venomous atmosphere off it. Despair and despondency are the order of the day, mixed with a dash of desperation. Please Arsène, sign someone to end these tales of woe.

Barcelona have rapidly replaced everyone as Arsenal’s favourite cartoon villains. Depending upon which source you believe, they have made a bid for £32m (which is really £37m), £34m, £35m or not formally bid at all, instead phoning Ivan to tell him that a bid was coming before Sandro Rosell jumps out of the executive washroom, replete with black smock and mask. So long as the bulge below the smock was a result of a suitcase carrying £50m in used fivers, Ivan need not be worried.

Drama emerged with Cesc’s quotes being parlayed around the world, portraying him as a chattel being flogged off on Cash In The Attic thanks to the questions which elicited his responses, being omitted. Who cares, we’ve been here before as Arseblogger points out this morning. At the end of the day, Arsenal do not have to sell and will not do so unless the manager believes it is in the best interests of the squad.

The same is true of Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy, albeit to a significantly lesser extent. Nasri according to laughable tweets has already signed for United. Except he has not because Sir Alex Ferguson believes he can ‘break the will of Arsène Wenger and land Samir Nasri‘. At least that is what Neil Custis and his headline writers believed as, to a crescendo of maniacal laughter, they tore the wings and legs off a fly they had christened ‘Arsène’, watching him squirm in his death throes. A shame the photo accompanying the piece is of a smug uncle at a family wedding. Drunk and incontinent he maybe but he has done all of his summer shopping already.

Arsenal, it seems, are too busy playing hard ball with the recalcitrants, prepared to tell them to ‘do one‘ over their reported wage demands. Except nobody is quite sure what their demands are although £75k per week for Clichy seems a reasonable salary in the current footballing climate whilst Samir Nasri needs more consistency to be worth £110k per week. Whatever they are, too high for Arsenal is apparently the stance being taken.

Whilst Nasri’s departure would weaken the squad, it would not be terminal as there are alternatives even before any additions. And, to put not too fine a point on it, £20m for him would not be a bad deal by any stretch of the imagination. But it would mean that Jimmy Five Bellies – or Gervinho as we may come to know him – will be feeling lonely. Nasri’s pal? I suppose they might be acquaintances but pal? That seems to be stretching it a bit.

Clichy meanwhile is a bargain for Manchester City although I somehow doubt that talks were going on through the night. Arsenal’s negotiating team were too busy talking to Bolton about Cahill and Newcastle about Jose Enrique and Joey Barton. No don’t laugh, this is football and anything can happen.

’til Tomorrow.

 

Director’s Are Clowns In Arsenal Circus, Cesc & Other Transfer Gossip

The outbreak of loose tongues around the club has brought a stinging response from Lord Peter Wimsey. Those who sold the club should leave having fulfilled their duties encapsulates the basic premise of Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith’s comments. The originals were less polite and brought a succinct response,

She put something like £100m in her pocket and she didn’t earn a penny of it. She should keep herself quiet and not complain.

Indeed, as did all of those who sold to Kroenke and Usmanov, no dividends taken but the compensation came from the profits on the sale of their shares. The custodianship of Arsenal came at a price.

Without telling us exactly what he has done to earn his pay-off from inherited shares, Wimsey observed,

I wouldn’t pay any attention to it myself. I don’t know why she is suddenly sounding off.

Immediately identifying himself as clueless, for Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. There is something unedifying about sounding off on Twitter, no matter how dignified, no matter how valid the observations. A dash of sexism, a whiff of dissent, a host of intrigue. But not The Arsenal Way.

More interesting is why Wimsey continually talks to Daily Star reporters. Being a bastion of The Establishment, you would expect close ties with The Times or Daily Telegraph might be forged over the years. Opposites attract or something more sinister?

This is nought but a sideshow, a titillating distraction from the business of summer. Which is about to get into full swing.

July 1st approaches, the day when the transfer window really opens. All of the leg-work should be completed by now if reports are to be believed to any degree, new signings arriving quite quickly after the bells toll for midnight. The tour of the Far East followed by friendlies home and away make for a busy month leading into the new season. Wenger will want his new players in and those departing gone in a seamless transition.

Barcelona took encouragement from their meeting with Arsenal, something presumably handed out in either body language or verbally. The Catalan media are gleeful in their reporting that the away kit launch took place without Cesc, a rudimentary PR mistake from a club that habitually makes rudimentary PR mistakes. Although I am sure there are plenty of examples, I am struggling to remember when the club last got something right in terms of media presentation.

The Guardian believes that a second and final offer of £35m will be made this summer. In itself that does not seem to be a bad price, particularly as the ubiquitous Catalan media are suggesting that this is before incentives take it to a more palatable £40m. Add in savings on bonuses, £45m suddenly presents itself even if it is a result of financial smoke and mirrors.

With Liverpool having paid £20m for an unproven youngster, that seems on the face of it to be a small fee. Two things emerge. Firstly, Liverpool acted in haste, showing poor negotiating skills in paying that much for Henderson even allowing for the ‘English Premium‘.

That is before factoring in the second key aspect, this sale is to a large degree a buyer’s market. If Arsenal have decided that Fábregas’ time at the club is up, the player has made it clear that Barcelona is his only destination. No matter what stroppy rhetoric may emerge, with only one buyer, the price is going to be lower.

Whether Arsenal should sell is debatable. Cod-psychology is no answer. Unless you know the individual extremely well, nothing can be discerned from their body language or demeanour without confirmation from the subject. When Cesc was fit, no-one could question his endeavours. Mistakes were made but his effort and attitude for me, were spot-on. His unerring professionalism ensures that this will continue if no move emerges this summer.

The in-no-way-opportunistic Daily Mirror believes that Cesc is off and Nasri to follow. Cesc, according to The Daily Mirror has cancelled a public appearance at his Catalan Soccer Camp. According to the equally unreliable Catalan media, he has simply cancelled a press conference. It is not quite the same. Especially since they will be able to get their neice’s next-door neighbour’s uncle’s grandfather’s nephew’s son, who quite coincidentally is on the course, to ask questions in private.

Gary Cahill is rumoured to be on his way for £17m minus £12m-rated Nicklas Bendtner and Ignasi Miquel. No doubt Ivan will claim the remaining £4.67 back on his expenses although I hope he remembers to get a receipt for it. The Sun reckons Emilio Viviano is joining for £8m to ‘battle Wojcech (sic) Szczesny for the No.1 spot‘. Poor old Lukasz Fabianski, injured and now forgotten.

But Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is going to be first in according to Arsenal’s pet media outlet, Daily Star hacks so ashamed of the speculation that they don’t want their names attributed to it.

’til Tomorrow.

Kit Abomination, Careless Whispers In Cesc War & More Gossip

Samir Nasri not smiling? Little wonder with this design for next season. An away kit which neatly encapsulates all of the past 125 years. It is not going to help in the French midfielders contract talks: “I want £110k per week and there is no way I am wearing that blue kit“.

Yesterday afternoon provided an object lesson in how quickly an unsubstantiated story can gain legs. Within an hour of this phrase appearing on the BBC, every news outlet in the world appeared to have run with it as gospel truth,

A senior Arsenal official said: “The offer was made formally in writing to our chief executive (Ivan Gazidis), and we said no straight away.”

When asked if the club expected an improved offer this week, the source said: “Possibly yes, and if it’s enough then I expect we’ll have to sell.”

The unattributed source, key for investigative journalists, beloved of all others as it is the ultimate in plausible deniability. Nobody will name the individual which means his or her existence cannot be proven and their veracity tested. That is not important any more though. A good story is exactly that: a tall tale. An unattributed source is the basis of many fairy tales told by journalists to keep small children in order, a bogeyman.

Dismissing the words lightly in this instance could be the wrong choice. Whilst any unattributed quotes immediately bring an element of cynicism to the table, it would suit Arsenal’s purposes for them to be true in this instance. In the first place, it raises the prospect of Cesc being sold. Leaked quietly, it seems that the board are resigned to him leaving but only if the price is right, emphasising that it is a decision in the club’s hand. Arsenal remain in control of the situation, for the moment.

There is a marked difference between this season and last. The intensity of denials from Arsenal is missing this summer. Perhaps the interview given by Cesc in Madrid recently were deemed to close the matter by the board until Barcelona made a bid. Until now, media speculation had been undone by Barcelona’s woeful finances.

In the context of recent stories – this morning included – Cesc is on the back foot. Media pressure is intensifying to the levels of last season, determined to make the transfer happen as Arsène alluded to recently. The current scenario of the player striking is a fanciful notion, fostered firstly in the Catalan media, now pointed in Barcelona’s direction. To an unattributed source, of course.

What would the right price be? Some believe £35m will be enough to secure his release despite Arsenal’s valuation being anywhere between 1p and £50m. We do not know what the right price is. There have been many calculations done to show how the £5m foregone by Cesc will automatically make any fee higher than it is. Whatever it is, matters appear to be coming to a head in the media this week, almost as if they are bored with it.

With exquisite timing, Sport decided to try to move the deal along, focus Barcelona minds if you like, by claiming that Real Madrid were prepared to offer €50m for the player. All on the basis of unsubstantiated reports, you understand.

And so to other matters. Well, unsubstantiated transfer gossip. First to re-appear were claims that Gary Cahill is very much Arsenal’s first choice centre back signing this summer. He apparently does not rate the current incumbents in central defence, believing he will walk into the starting XI rather than fighting for a place at Manchester City. I thought £17m was too high but Arsenal are thought to be thinking that it is not. For thoughtless gossip, there is a hell of a lot of thinking going on.

Next up is the small Mata of Juan – ho, ho, ho indeed – who is going to cost £23m not the £18m that Arsenal were thought to be ready to offer. A lot of understanding is going on in this instance. Still, if that is a problem Arturo Vidal will keep the stories coming, £15m the price tag in Leverkusen’s shop. Ivan and Arsène are scouring the discount code websites as we speak to see if they can come up with a 10% reduction…

’til Tomorrow.

Arsenal Turf Wars and All The Transfer News That Mata’s

So a week in the Algarve sun brings me back to find that it is really business as usual for another four days, July 1st being the date when the outcome of the bunfights around Europe becomes known. More on that later.

Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith has thus far been quiet upon the reasons for her departure. Until yesterday evening when she shone some light on it, provoked into speaking out on Twitter by a suggestion that David Dein should be invited to return to the Board. According to her tweets, she was the victim of a turf war between Danny Fiszman and Dein, the latter blown to oblivion in a Terminator-style attack by the former. I’ll be back…

Dein has become a deity in a certain section of the support, the failure on the pitch presumed to be entirely down to his departure from the club with no-one there to challenge the manager over players and performance. His connections and smooth political operations are the stuff of legend. Indeed they are but like all myths, there is a basis of truth overwhelmed by more recent events, e.g. his removal from EPL power and failure to win the FA Chairmanship.

The point is not to rehash old ground, my view is that the two were coincidental and even if they were not, resuming his position on the board is no guarantee of success. What happens if no silverware is delivered? No answer to that is forthcoming but no surprise if his champions became his biggest detractors.

Shall we mention selling out for £75m? It is ironic that his pursuit of billionaire interest in the club has manifestly failed. KSE – his original interest – are showing no inclination to invest in the club beyond the shares already purchased. Usmanov’s vapid attempts to curry favour with PR as stale as cheap perfume have failed in equal measure.

KSE can provide some commitment to the club. A rights issue now would do two things; improve the finances of Arsenal by either clearing the debt or providing additional funds for the playing side whilst it would put Alisher Usmanov into limbo. No investment should be expected though, the self-financing model held as the reason for that not being required in the owners eyes. A reluctant owner it is beginning to appear.

Onto transfer speculation. An intriguing story that has made its way to the back pages this morning concerns Juan Mata. Hotter property in Spain than Reyes ever was and more consistent in performance at a similar age, he has had a successful Under-21s tournament in Denmark this summer. Cue a rumoured £18m bid from Arsenal. At the same time that Barcelona are re-igniting their interest.

If Arsenal were to sign Mata – and it is and massive IF – he represents the quality desired. I cannot help thinking there is a link between an Arsenal bid and Barcelona’s interest. High domestic fees rise when overseas clubs are rumoured to be in the hunt.

One that is not going to happen at this moment in time is Cesc to Barcelona with the expected derisory offer being rejected by Arsenal. I’m not quite sure why either party needed a meeting to decide that £27m is significantly below the value of the player as that would indicate a willingness on Arsenal’s part to negotiate. Or at least that is how the media is portraying it and in this instance, their interpretation is pretty much difficult to argue with. Unless, of course, the meeting never took place.

Mundo Deportivo has decided that on July 5th, the Arsenal captain will ratchet up the pressure by refusing to return to pre-season training. Having been willing to waive £5m in bonuses according to reports last week, another couple of hundred grand in fines is chicken-feed. The Catalan media is goading him, a game of footballing chicken.

Gervinho to Arsenal has been the battle cry of the red tops for most of the close season and remains so, the danger being that it will turn as limp as the lettuce leaf left from yesterday’s multitudinous barbecues. This week though is when it will all apparently come to a head with the Ivorian reportedly telling Lille that Arsenal is his ‘dream move‘. In a footballing sense at least, Manchester City being his financial dream.

Ricky Alvarez won’t go away unless Inter get their way that is whilst Christopher Samba’s move to Arsenal might be his dream but it has not yet amounted to anything. It is curious how the Cahill links have gone awfully quiet at this time, an indication of things moving behind the scenes or a sign of nothing happening at all.

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.

’til Tomorrow.

Players Out Of Time: No.2 Charlie Nicholas

Last day of the holidays, back online late today. If Arsene has signed someone, yay! If not, presumably the media are passing off the same drivel as news. Another in an occasional series, something for the weekend as they say…

Twenty eight years ago, the hype hit London. Scottish Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year; 50 goals in 1982/83 for Celtic. £650,000 saw Charlie Nicholas arrive at Highbury following a transfer tug-of-love involving Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United. The lure of the capital’s nightlife must have been strong, Arsenal in the early part of that decade were a big club in decline. Nicholas was to be part of Don Howe’s revolution, a team of high quality internationals mixed with homegrown youngsters. Sound familiar?

Nicholas was instant favourite, even though he never came remotely close to scoring as prolifically again. Each of his seasons at the club saw him reach double figures – just about. In 1983/84, he broke his duck against Wolves, scoring twice in his second appearance for the club. He enhanced his popularity with another brace, this time against Tottenham…

The Tottenham defence would take their revenge on Nicholas, Graham Roberts dumping him over the advertising hoardings at Highbury a year later in a New Years Day clash. Nicholas had the last laugh. Tottenham needed a win at White Hart Lane in April 1985 to stay in the title race. Nicholas gave Arsenal the lead in front of the visiting fans in the first half, firing home from an acute angle. It got better, Roberts cannoning a penalty against the bar before Brian Talbot broke away with the final whistle beckoning, to score and seal the victory.

As much as he could unlock defences, Nicholas could be easily snuffed out. He was not a fairweather player, if it was fine and sunny he could light up the afternoon. Drab and dreary? Quite likely so would Charlie be. Inconsistency was his middle name.

He had pace but that could be deceptive. Deceptively slow. He made up for it by his reading of the game, capable of finding space in the area where none existed. And yet in the modern Arsenal team, he would have thrived, an intelligent player dropping deep to link the forward and midfield, creating space for teammates to run into as he pulled his defenders out of position. Track back he would not have; Nicholas just did not ‘do’ tackling.

Could Wenger have cured the inconsistent performances? It is highly doubtful as he has not been able to eliminate that problem from others. He would perhaps have had more patience with the Scot that George Graham did. The pair argued, Graham disapproving of his compatriot’s lifestyle, matters coming to a head over pay, a common theme in Graham’s reign.

Ironically, Nicholas had his iconic moment under Graham, Barry Davies squealing “It’s Charlie!” as Ian Rush’s phenomenal record went south. “One nil down, two one up, we f*****d Rushie’s record up”…

’til Tomorrow.

The Arsenal Civil War.

Beautiful football and no trophies have heightened a civil war amongst arsenal fans with prats like me raging all over the blogosphere. Instead of being a cultured person like YW, I turn into a demented caveman, holding no quarter. The most reasonable of people are demonised into traitors, even if they have been going to arsenal for 150 years, have the placidity of a monk, and have fossilised records of their ancestors in Finsbury Park and Islington. When you worship the club as a shrine, it is hard to hear any criticism whether it’s true or not.

I am bringing up my daughters now, and teaching them manners, politeness and good will to mankind. I’m not leading by example. Arsenal has somehow penetrated into the blood, and my behaviour resembles a hypnotised, crazed lunatic, snapping into consciousness to defend the faith and slay the doomers. I know that I need therapy.

The warfare is played out here on the blogosphere and in public. One night, coming back from a match on the train, a guy with his mates said loudly “Wenger is a c*nt”. Joy. They all smiled, as he trotted out the usual frustrations. He was in the minority, but his friends were remarkably restrained. I was sitting behind waiting to down the snotty nosed bast*ard.

The arguments have become polarized at both ends of the spectrum. One camp says that we play beautiful football, the other dismisses it as having no end product. One marvels at the peerless forays into the transfer market, the other accuses the club of being a bunch of cheapskates, specialising in child labour and procrastination. Our13 year Champions league qualification is celebrated,  or dismissed as being the bridesmaid and never the bride. Having a strong belief at either wing is going to make you angry, very angry. One set of anger directed at the club, the other at the lot who are directing anger at the club.

The answer possibly lies in anger management. The same skills that you need when some arse of a BMW driver has been tailgating you for 30 minutes, is going to be useful here. When you hear that Wenger has not signed Eden Hazard but a 13 year old kid from Costa Rica, you want to be keeping your cool. Or, the ball on the other foot, when you see someone tweeting “FFS Wenger, another rugrat”, you need to keep your cool too. I need this I think, the anger management. The problem comes when a BMW driver is tailgating you whilst Adrian Durham is being a knob on Talk Shite. It’s a double whammy.

There is no doubt that the near relegation form of our last 12 games poses questions. Despite finishing two places ahead of Liverpool, our campaign feels like a failure. In Liverpool, because of their strong finish, there is momentum and optimism. Here, our collapse has exacerbated the civil war. The significance of the last 12 games should not be downplayed. Even if one is happy with the really modest expectation of finishing 4th, given our resources, an examination of why we could not win vital games, when push came to shove, is not unreasonable. People want answers, and some are obviously not shy in coming forward with answers. Thanks guys.

Why did it all go wrong ? Was it the absence of key personnel, like Cesc ? Was it complacency ? Was it an imbalance in the squad – a lack of leaders and/or players lacking in mental fortitude and/or physical strength ? Was it an overestimation of the strengths of our key players, or real weaknesses in our fringe squad players ? Was it the manager ?

The venerable fans who turned up at the AST meeting, had a consensus of opinion that they did not want Wenger out, merely, they wanted him to change. Change Wenger, they believe, and we will be successful. Change in what way ? I didn’t hear what was said, so I can only surmise. Probably, change the beautiful football to some ugly football. Adopt a plan B and a plan C, sign some ugly players in defence, spend more on experienced players and less on the youth academy.

However, even neutrals say that we are not that far off. We just need to do one or two things to make that extra push required. This contrasts with the views at either end of the squabbling camps. What are those one or two things ? To stick my neck out, I discount the theory of englishness, and the theory of leadership, and the theory of transfer parsimony. My own view, and it has always been my view, is that this is an incredibly competitive league now, and an incredibly competitive champions league. To be successful, one needs sublime talent coupled with an outstanding manager who fosters teamwork and continuity, and an outstanding youth academy, and a bit of luck with fixtures and injuries.

Our resources in the last 5 years following the stadium move has meant that we have been eclipsed in some transfer deals by clubs with larger resources. If we are to bridge the gap, we must compete on a more equal footing in the transfer market. That doesn’t mean signing Messi or Ronaldo. Also, it doesn’ t mean that I concede we were parsimonious before, it is just that I suspect we have missed out on more potential targets than has been revealed by the club. There have been too many good players to go the likes of Barcelona, Chelsea, City and Manchester United.

The jury is very much out now. Ironic, in a way, as this is said to be the last big summer of spending before the FFP regulations coming in.  Yes, the big clubs will find ways to circumvent the rules by adding lots of so called related commercial income on their books, such as Hotel trade. But with our healthy financial position, we might be competing on a more level playing field in a couple of years time. Then perhaps, perversely, some fans will demand even more as a result and the anger management classes will have to continue.

As for the news, looks like reports are coming out of Argentina that we have signed Ricardo Alvarez. The Cesc saga rumbles on. We await the next derisory bid from Barca. Samba is still linked. The Mirror are reporting that we will be announcing the Alvarez, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gervinho signings next week. The Telegraph say we are interested in Gary Cahill and Christopher Samba, while Matthew Upson and Jonathan Woodgate, who are both free agents, will also be considered. They also say that fresh talks will resume with Nasri.

‘Til tomorrow.

Muppet

Look To The Past In Hope For The Future

I’m on holiday for a few more days yet, here’s a missive to digest. By now, all of the transfer activity will have been completed, I’m sure. Hasn’t it…?

The situation it seems is as bad as it has ever been for Arsenal. The club is stuck in a cycle of finishing fourth or third, incapable of sustaining a challenge for the title. Silverware is elusive; the Carling Cup has been lost to a team that was relegated three months later.

But we have been here before. If Arsène seeks any solace from the situation, he need look no further than Arsenal in the mid-1980s.

Don Howe assembled a very promising squad following Terry Neill’s departure as manager but they flattered to deceive. Progress was made but not enough. Howe and assistant John Cartwright fell under the spell of Charles Hughes, Arsenal descended into a long-ball mire. It was a cycle repeated a decade later by George Graham. Howe resigned following the board approaching Terry Venables to take over as manager at the end of the 1985/6 season.

They turned to Graham instead. The statistics show an immediate impact with Arsenal breaking into the top four at the end of 1986/7. Defensively there was a marked improvement; the previous three seasons had seen an average of 53 goals conceded during the 42 games. Graham reduced that to 35 in his first full season in charge, delivering the Littlewoods Cup into the bargain.

1987/88 brought great expectations. Viv Anderson’s departure brought only temporary solutions with Michael Thomas and Nigel Winterburn filling in as an emergency right back until Lee Dixon joined.

There were still some players not living up to expectations. Rix was continuing his exit strategy of not being selected whilst Steve Williams and his manager were on a collision course, the midfielder’s abrasive character not sitting comfortably with the dictatorial approach of Graham.

The season was hugely disappointing. Arsenal were 19th as Portsmouth rolled into town on the August Bank Holiday weekend. A six goal rout signalled the start of a run of eleven wins in twelve games that took Arsenal to the summit.  December and January were horrible, the team failed to win for two months, dropping to 5th place.

It got worse. Three consecutive derby wins in February / March threatened a revival but Arsenal would win only three of their final eleven games and finished sixth.  The FA Cup promised silverware but Arsenal succumbed to Nottingham Forest, the second season a quarter-final was lost at home.

This left the Littlewoods Cup. Defending the trophy, Arsenal had a relatively straightforward route to the semi-finals. A tricky quarter-final was won thanks to a Nigel Winterburn goal at Hillsborough, Everton despatched comfortably with a 4-1 aggregate victory.

Luton took an early and deserved lead. They held it until the final twenty minutes when Martin Hayes and Alan Smith scored in quick succession. They won the cup when Winterburn missed a penalty, Danny Wilson equalising following Gus Caesar’s defensive error before a very late winner from Brian Stein. In the last minute.

It was a team apparently in decline, the steps forward during the season lost in a collapse at the end.

Fast forward twenty three seasons. Substitute different teams but the pattern was the same. So how did Graham change things? What made the difference? How did a team that looked shorn of confidence for three months turn sixth place into a title the following season?

Can history repeat itself? If you want to push this further, look at the double-winning side of 1971 (previous season finished 12th). On each occasion it was a tweak or two that moved the team to a different level. Crucially, it was a defensive improvement that sparked each title.

Graham tightened the defence. Like Wenger he had good full backs in place. Centrally he needed more cohesion, Adams and O’Leary was a good partnership; signing Steve Bould gave Arsenal an outstanding one.

Wenger has the opportunity to bring in a robust centre back, seems intent on doing so. Where the Scot had the advantage was in coaching them. Graham was an exceptional organiser; he had one on the pitch in Adams. The current defence lacks this quality and must do so. Perhaps it is time for the goalkeeper, be it Szczesny or Fabianski, to take on more responsibility for this?

It is this area which is the key to success. Arsenal have good attacking options; they need to ensure that the defensive frailties do not waste them.

’til Tomorrow.