King Henry: Inspiration or Desperation

We wake up this morning to strong rumours about an imminent return to the club of the legend that is Thierry Henry. A man who is the leading goal scorer for our club, is arguably the best player we have ever had and whose statue now resides at our stadium. The rumours of a possible return have been whispered ever since Thierry started training with the team to keep his fitness in the MLS close season. However as the transfer window draws nearer, these whispers have turned into full blown shouts with even senior players such as Song and Mertesacker giving their nods of approval to such a move.

A Lost Opportunity

Arsenal 1 - 1 Wolves

We didn't get the win we desired and which our performance would have maybe justified but a combination of wastefulness and absolutely brilliant goalkeeping (well done Hennessey) meant that we only earned a point during a round of games when 3 really would have been welcome.  Sp*rs and Man Utd won so they are the only real victors here...while we couldn't capitalise on the points dropped by Man City and more importantly, Chelsea and Liverpool, the previous day.

Yossi to the Rescue

Following the Man City game, a win was needed to keep the momentum going into Xmas. Villa away was always going to be a tricky game for us and so it proved, but we took the 3 points with another hard fought and gutsy performance which is now starting to be the trademark of this team. After the game Wenger said ‘We got a very late three points that are vital for us. We were a bit unlucky on Sunday [against Manchester City] and today maybe a bit lucky. You could see that some legs were jaded from Sunday and some minds as well in the speed of the decision-making. But we kept going and there is an exceptional attitude and spirit in the side.’  In terms of effort and commitment on the pitch it has been a while since I have seen an Arsenal team work this hard and that is refreshing to see. What we need now is some additional talent in the squad which will hopefully come in January.

New Money / Old Money

New Money

I’m left with a strange feeling in the aftermath of the Man City game. We lost, are in 5^th place and wasted a chance to get back in the title race, but despite all of that I’m unbelievably  proud of our team and the way we played. For large parts of the game we exchanged blows with the richest club and best squad in the premier league and did not back off or look overawed in any way. In fact when we did go one goal down there were no heads that dropped and no players feeling sorry for themselves, the team responded with a show of spirit and fight in a manner that we have rarely seen in previous seasons. That never say die attitude is one only a true team where everyone pulls their weight has and is a testament to how far this team has come since the start of the season and is something that gives me comfort for the rest of the season.

Poles Apart!

Premier League goalkeepers are a rare and mad breed. To have a job which involves balls being smashed at you day in and day out by players who are the best in the world at smashing them must mean somewhere deep down inside there is a screw loose. That mixture of part madness and part fearlessness is the hallmark of any good goalkeeper around the world and for whatever reason if the mixture isn’t right their performance suffers…just ask Mr. Cech. Like professional boxers you want your goalkeepers to be confident, cocky and have a strong personality because when you’re putting your body in danger for your team like no other player in any other position, you don’t want there to be any second thoughts or hesitations.

Robin Van Perfect

Arsenal 1 – 0 Everton

It may not have been the great performance that the club had hoped for when celebrating 125 years of history but nonetheless it was three precious points and a single goal (how appropriate it was ‘One nil to the Arsenal’) of absolute beauty that was fitting to win any football match.  Everton were their usual dogged, determined and passionate selves.  However they lacked imagination (always a possibility when your most creative player, Arteta, now plays for those in red and white) and the belief that they could actually get something more out of the game than a draw (hence Moyes’ decision to take off Saha with over 25 minutes remaining and replace him with a central defender).  All in all though, we huffed and we puffed and eventually Song and RVP combined to blow the house down!

Three Men to Celebrate 125 Years

Despite the news being leaked earlier in the week, today the club is set to announce the names of the three men who have had a significant hand in shaping the form of Arsenal FC and as such will have commemorative statues of themselves adorning the grounds of The Emirates....



The names of the three men will provoke outrage and discussion amongst some fans because they don’t match the three that they would have chosen.  Our club has a rich and long history and has seen many men pour their heart and soul into shaping its existence.  In my mind they should all be honoured.  But this isn’t possible so the club has chosen to narrow the list down to three and despite it containing the name of my favourite ever Arsenal player (answers on a postcard please), offering a tribute to the three men mentioned above seems fitting and just.

Obviously the club chose to ignore those in its current employment, hence the names of Arsene Wenger, Pat Rice and Liam Brady were omitted.  Others too, have offered significant and memorable contributions but sadly now is not the time for former influences such as George Allison, Cliff Bastin, Ian Wright, George Graham, Michael Thomas, David Rocastle, David Seaman and Patrick Vieira.

In the end it came down to three and surely if you wanted to celebrate the history and success of our club then you could do no better than to chose Herbert Chapman, Tony Adams and Thierry Henry.   

I will not write in this post a biography of each man because their importance and achievements would make for a very long blog.  What I will say is thank you – thank you to each man for devoting their sporting career to Arsenal FC and helping make the club what it is today.  Specifically to Tony Adams and Thierry Henry, two players who represent the Arsenal that I have supported since a boy – one a one club man who was our most successful captain and  the other, our top scorer who was in my eyes the best player in the world during his time at Arsenal.  If any player comes along and surpasses what these two achieved then they deserve to have the stadium named after them!

Greek Tragedy

Olympiakos 3 - 1 Arsenal

The team that so valiantly lost against Man City in the Carling Cup last week put in an abject display this time round in surrendering to the Greeks.  On one hand, individual and collective mistakes meant that we were extremely lucky to only lose 3-1. On the other hand, this was a team full of squad players (barring Vermaelen and Santos who we unfortunately have lost to an ankle injury leaving us with no recognised full back on either side of the pitch and a trip to man City in less than two weeks) and we comfirmed some interesting things about our more experienced players and some of the younger guns.  Arsene admitted after the game that he was annoyed with the performance and is responsible for putting out a team that maybe he shouldn't have.  At the end of the day though this game was a dead rubber for us but not to Olympiakos and the difference in motivation and desire between the two sets of players was clear for all to see.

Four Star performance from Eleven professionals

Wigan 0 - 4 Arsenal

Apologies for the delay in Saturday's match review but a lack of technology has meant that I was unable to post on the blog...where's a pigeon when you need one!  No worries though because the Arsenal overcame their slight blip against Fulham the previous week and romped away with what was a very easy and convincing 4-0 win courtesy of four different goal scorers.  Wigan, barring the first ten minutes, offered little resistance, and will probably be relegated this season.   With the teams ahead of us all winning this was as an important a result as it was a performance and we duly obliged. 

A loss but still on the road to redemption

A 1-0 loss in the Carling Cup at the Emirates would normally bring out the moans and groans but not last night.  Firstly because it was at the hands of Man City who assembled the most expensive Carling Cup/B-team in the history of the Premier League. Secondly because we played well with several of our youngsters showing themselves capable of being thrust into the spotlight and not cowering meekly into submission.  All in all though, a game in which the positives surely outweigh the negatives even though our naivety at the end lost us a game that we looked more like winning rather than losing.  But this is football and you don’t always get what you deserve – an important lesson for those on the pitch and one which we hope they remember and learn from.

Sympathies

The news of Gary Speed’s untimely passing shocked the football world and put the beautiful game into perspective.  My condolences to the two children and wife he left behind.  Here was a player with nearly 700 games played for various clubs and who from an Arsenal perspective, had always played against us fairly with total commitment and passion.  In recent times, his decision to make Aaron Ramsey the Wales captain has proved to be inspired for club and country alike and he seemed to be improving as a manager with each passing game, developing a young international side around good players who bought into their managers vision and played wholeheartedly for him.

A good point and some perspective

Arsenal 1 - 1 Fulham

I know it’s a few days late...I didn’t have much to say after the game and thought that waiting would help me digest my thoughts.  

The Fulham game itself was really Vermaelan 1 – 1 Vermaelen. 

Fulham offered very little attacking intent and were fortunate to say the least with the own goal we conceded.  However, Bobby Zamora proved a handful and was able to hold the ball up and provide his team with some possession throughout the game.  Our chances were scattered throughout the game but it was only after falling a goal behind that we managed to increase the urgency and tempo of our play as we searched for the equaliser.  That we didn’t score earlier was down to some dogged defending (an RVP shot cleared off the line against us), some good goalkeeping (Schwarzer’s save from a Djourou header) and some poor finishing (Theo’s excellent run and pull back skied into the stands by Ramsey).  All in all though this was a point well earned after a tough Champions League match in midweek.  The fact that Man Utd, Newcastle, Man City and Liverpool all drew as well softens the blow though Sp*rs continue their winning run which one finds most annoying.

It’s been a while since we’ve been top of anything

Arsenal 2 - 1 Borussia Dortmund

At various points this season it looked like we would be top of a table for the number of red cards, for the number of goals conceded, for the number of players that wanted to leave us, for the number of alleged panic buys in the transfer window.....but low and behold it looks like none of these will be true and instead we find ourselves as the only English club that is top of their Champions’ League group and guaranteed to progress into the knockout phase of the competition, achieved with a game to spare might I add! 

Keep on rollin'

Norwich 1 - 2 Arsenal 

A good team performance coupled with another man of the match display from our fearless leader ensured another 3 points, adding to the momentum that this team has been building up over the last few months as we quietly keep climbing up the table.  Robin will rightly get all the plaudits for his brace, the second a fantastic chip over the keeper, but there are several unsung heroes in this team now - players who are quietly going about doing their job in a more professional, efficient and more productive manner than we have maybe seen them do in the past.  Needless to say though, we are The Arsenal, and as such, we are required to make ourselves our worst own enemy and only an Arsenal defender of experienced international quality could self destruct.  Koscielny has been playing very well recently so Per duly obliged to provide the moment of madness that we still fear is in this team.  However, unlike recent seasons, this team appears 'mentally stronger', to use a phrase Arsene clearly gets royalties for such is the frequency he puts it to use, and the win having to come from behind is more proof of that.  

You don't know what you've got till it's gone

Morning all! We are emerging from the depths of interlull and can just about smell the whiff of premiership football. A third of the way into the season and this pointless break is probably a good time for all Arsenal fans to come above water and take in some air because boy have we had one hell of a rollercoaster ride. A season that started with the kick in the balls that was the Old Trafford game, a mad dash in the transfer window and losses at Blackburn and Sp*rs left all heads spinning and media pundits sharpening their knives. Since that point we have shown some fight. A string of good results matched by good performances has left us eagerly awaiting the Norwich game rather than fearing another embarrassing Monday morning at the office! If you dare, you may say that we have turned the corner!

In the aftermath of the game against United, there was only one man to whom my anger was directed...Wenger. How could he have let Fabregas and Nasri go so late in the summer and not replace them with quality signings? How could he put what amounts to 11 reserve team players out against the reigning champions? and most of all, why has he not spent the large cash reserves available to bolster the squad? There were many blogs calling for Wenger to be sacked and although I wasn't of that view, it was becoming ever harder to defend him. Looking at the response of the team since that disastrous opening month you would have to give credit where it is due. I am not saying that Wenger is without his faults but not many managers in world football would have been able to turn it around. I honestly believe that if we finish in the top 4, this will rate as one of Wenger's greatest achievements given the departures in the summer and the team available.

This brings me to the title of the article. Football has a way of stirring emotions like no other sport. It can put a spring in your step all week after a good result (think Chelsea 5-3) or can ruin your whole weekend (i.e Sp*rs). The thing about emotion is that although it's what keeps us addicted to the game, it hardly leads to the best judgements, and no more is this true than for all the people who were calling for Wenger to leave. Without even going into his track record over the last 15 years just ask yourself one question...Given Arsenal's finances and philosophy who could come in and do better? Names such as Mourinho and Guardiola have been thrown around as the best candidates and although they are extremely capable managers, and even if we could convince them to leave their clubs, they would not fit the bill for Arsenal. Mourinho has never managed a club which did not have a large amount of resources compared to other clubs in its league. From Porto to Chelsea to Inter to Real, Jose has always been at a club which has been able to financially bully the other clubs in its surroundings and as a result pick up the best players and spend the most on wages. Furthermore, he only ever seems to build one team at a club, never staying long enough to build a legacy for that club.  Arsenal are most definitely not in this category and for that reason only I would say Mourihno is not suited. Guardiola has had great success in such a short time, but again he has a vast amount of resources available to him and has inherited what is possibly the greatest footballing side ever to have played the game and in Messi one of the all time football icons. Going from that to what is a team that we would have to categorise as a work in progress at Arsenal will be a massive challenge and one he has no experience in. So before we all scream for Wenger's head in the heat of the moment it is important that we appreciate the man we have in charge of our football club because I can guarantee that 18 of the other 19 clubs in our league would welcome him with open arms!

To be clear I am by no means suggesting that he hasn't made mistakes, one of his biggest flaws is that he has kept faith in sub-standard players for too long (Senderos, Diaby, Denilson etc...). People may argue other faults but at the end of the day all of this is just opinion. To really analyse the worth of the man you would have to look at the facts. The science of analysing sports and performance has progressed significantly in recent years and one of the main concluding points when assessing the results of football teams is that it is not the amount spent on transfers which is most linked with winning but the amount spent on wages. This is not to say that spending large transfer fees doesn't make a difference, it does, buying Jonny Nobody for a pound is not the same as buying Ronaldo for 80 million. But the biggest component of success is wages. As a rule, the club that spends the most on wages will win the league. This is a very important point and one which is underpinned by evidence not only in football but in other team sports as well and as such gives us a great base by which to assess Wenger's performance.

First of all, being fellow Arsenal fans you probably already know that as a club we spend a miserly amount on transfers compared to the clubs around us in the league. Putting this into context, Arsenal are the only club since 2002 who have spent less than they have made on transfers! Arsenal have net proceeds of £21 million, while Chelsea and Manchester City have spent well over £400 million. In the same period, Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester United have all spent around £100 million. (source: Swissramble). Over this same period we have won the double (FA cup and Premiership 01/02), FA Cup again in 2003 and 2005 and have got to the champions league final in 2006. This is before we even mention the 2004 unbeaten season. Despite our low transfer spend we as fans have been consistently treated to watching world class players such as Bergkamp, Vieira, Pires, Henry and Fabregas.  Even the current team can claim to have players of world class calibre such as RVP and Sagna with a sprinkling of those such as Wilshere and Szezesny who will undoubtedly one day join them in the same breath. Not too shabby!

Moving on to wages, the graph below shows that in 2010 Arsenal had the lowest wage bill out of the leading premiership clubs. Following the departures of Cesc, Nasri and Clichy this wage bill should be even lower. The gap between us and the other four clubs in the analysis will be even higher in 2011 and going forward so finishing in the top four is actually outperforming for Arsenal, a depressing but important point to note! Another point that the graph partly shows is that since Wenger's reign we have had roughly the same wage bill as Liverpool. Over that same period we have been by far the more consistent and successful club, this is due to the shrewd management of Wenger. Billy Beene, the iconic baseball manager who changed the way teams were managed by excelling in picking up cheap players and making them successful said that out of all the managers in world football he admires Wenger the most.

Source: Swissramble

All of this is well and good and shows that to date Wenger has done an outstanding job. But what does it mean for the future? Is he still the best man to be at the helm? Arsenal are sitting on a transfer budget of c.60 million but this is not solely for transfer fees as it also has to include an increase in wages and this is where the issue lies. Arsenal have an extremely rigid wage structure which means that our top players are not on equal par with that of other clubs but our more junior players are compensated well compared to other clubs. A slightly odd structure which is supposed to reward potential in players but in practice ends up rewarding underperformance as players such as Bendtner and Vela cannot be sold because no one wants to pay their high wages, however players like RVP are on a (relatively) low £70,000 a week. In the past we have paid enough to retain the services of players such as Henry and people forget that we were the club that broke the £100k a week barrier for Sol Campbell (though we did save money on his free transfer!).  However, since David Dein famously remarked that 'Roman Abramovich had parked his tanks on our lawn and is firing £50 notes at us', we have been left behind.  It seems that for Arsenal to remain competitive our wage bill has to rise and our wage structure has to change but until as a club we can actually afford to substantially increase our wage bill there is only one man who can run such a lean ship so successfully and we should thank our lucky stars that he is with us. So to all those wanting Wenger to leave, be careful what you wish for, you don't know what you've got till it's gone.