asajoseph
Established Member
Afternoon all,
Apologies for the prolonged absence - this is due to a number of factors, partly that I've lost my home internet connection (or rather, my next-door neighbour finally realised that I was free-loading), and also that over the last few weeks and months the intellectualist bullshit has rather dropped off and I've been totally overcome by all the emotionalism and passion that comes with being a fan of a club who still have plenty to play for right up until the end of the season. It's been a fair few years since the last time the outcome of our season has remained undecided even by 3PM on the final saturday, and with so much riding on that game I'm sure every one of us took a double delight in not only securing (well, 95% of the way) our financial position for next season and also getting one over the Spuds in doing so. A Sp**s supporting friend of mine still won't pick up the phone....
Anyway, whilst it might seem a little odd to be writing a season review before our season is actually over, especially when the one remaining game is undoubtedly one of the most important in our history, but there is method in this madness. Despite the fact that I fear that my entire summer will live or die depending on the result of Wednesday's game, I feel that it's important that in reviewing a season we should not let the outcome of one individual game to affect our perspective of where the club stands and the direction we're moving in: lose on wednesday, and the fantastic achievement of getting to Paris in the first place will be quickly forgotten; win, and the horror months around January and Febuary will all-too quickly fade into the backdrop of the inevitable celebrations. A lot rides on Wednesday night, although how much exactly is not necessarily clear: how will if affect the future of some of our star players? Is it the threshold that we need to cross between a good, middle-sized club and a large, great one? Will the emotional rollercoaster that will come whatever the result affect our performances next season? What will the financial implications be? We, as fans, probably all have answers to these questions, but chances are that unless your gran is the tealady at Colney, you don't really have any firm knowledge as to what will come.
For me though, despite the magnitude of Wednesday night and without wishing to downplay the chance we have to achieve something great (and this applies to last season's FA Cup victory too), our bread and butter always has to be the league title - yes, more prestige comes with European victory, but the Premiership is (and always will be) our bread and butter. Without success there, none of what we have enjoyed in the Stadio Delle Alpi, Bernabeu or el Madrigal - not to mention the fact that I've always believed that it's the marathon of a domestic season that determines the true ability of a club, not the vagaries of a cup competition. So now, before the euphoria or gloom of thursday morning sets in, seems like the most sensible and most objective time to take a look at how we've performed in the season of 2005/06 and look forward into both the near and distant future.
Now, as I'm sure you'll remember, I'm really not one to bury my head in the sand and pretend that everything is rosy when it clearly isn't - my efforts in the past at being dispassionate have, I'll admit, often made me seem overly and unneccessarily negative on occasions where such sentiments are clearly not warranted. I will, however, always try to back up what I say, but if I'm wrong about something I'll always be ready to admit it. What I've tried to do here, however, is break down this post into two headings - positives we can take away from the season, and things that really didn't go as well as we might have hoped. So, without further ado....
Positives
The Champions League Campaign
Well, it's the obvious place to start really, and with so much having been written and said in the press about how far we've come it's difficult to know where to begin without sounding like a stuck record. But, what a great pleasure it's been moving out from under the shadow of our 'perennial European underachievers' stigma in the very season that we were so widely tipped to fail! Unusually, I think a lot of what has been written in the press about what we've managed to do this season that we failed to do with numerous teams who were far 'better' has been relatively accurate, although I certainly think it's difficult to pin it down to just one factor. I think the removal of the weight of expectation has done us a world of good this year, removing the fear of failure that perhaps hindered some of our previous incarnations, but also perhaps resulting in complacency among many of our opponents. The freedom that Cesc Fabregas has been afforded in the middle of the park has been well documented, but the likes of Alexander Hleb and Emmanuel Eboue too have really found European football and effective stamping ground for their particular styles of play - it seems that speed, skill and technique, whilst keeping the ball at our feet has paid us great dividends this season, whereas our previous tactic of the killer through ball for a lightening fast-striker was more easily blunted by savvy European centre-backs. Perhaps this is just one of the reasons that Hleb, Fabregas and Reyes have succeeded where Pires, Vieira and the Ljungberg of old (not the same as the one we have now!) have failed...
But, in truth, our European goalscoring this season has been solid but unspectacular - we were the better side against Juventus and Real Madrid, but scoring 3 goals in four legs of football is nothing special in itself. Truly, the credit this season for our European campaign must lie at the feet of our back 5, every one of whom has done himself thoroughly proud. Jens' exceptional shot-stopping and command of his box, Kolo's crunching tackles, Phil's dominance in the air, Eboue's pace and tracking back and Matty Flamini's bloody-minded harrying of some of the world's finest wingers, and much more besides have contributed to a record-breaking defensive campaign which, if we're honest, none of us thought possible last september. As Thierry repeatedly puts it - credit must go to our defence for not only keeping the opposition out but giving our attacking players the confidence and a platform to attack as and when they could.
We are, as yet, still waiting for the ultimate outcome of all the endeavour of our European campaign, but whatever happens on wednesday night we must be proud of the heart and fight that our players have shown, and the 'stick it up your arse' attitude they've given Europe's biggest playboys of football.
The League Cup
Nobody gives a toss about the League Cup these days do they? I know I don't really. To be honest, whether we win this tin pot or not means very little to me. So why is it listed as one of the 'positive' outcomes of the season just gone? In this, the last season at Highbury, I made it my personal mission to go to as many home games as possible and I'm sure many a ticket tout made a healthy profit at my expense. But, on one of the few occasions I was able to get my hands on a 'legit' ticket, I found myself sitting in the East Lower, on the halfway line for our Carling Cup defeat to Wigan. Not a particularly glorious way to end a campaign for a trophy that nobody much cares about, I know, but for many people I met that day it was the one and only chance they'd had to visit Highbury, the Home of Football. The guy sitting to my right had flown all the way to London just for that game - his first and only at Highbury. And he sang, shouted and groaned like a season-ticket holder of 40 years with every kick of the ball. Judging by the noise we made that day, he wasn't the only one giving Highbury a simultaneous goodbye and hello. It was, in short, a fantastic occasion for fans from around the country and indeed world to get, just once, that Highbury feeling.
Getting one over Sp**s. Again
Over the years, the relevance of the North London derby to our overall campaign has surely been diminishing. Yes, we want to beat them, and yes, we like to see them beaten. But were they ever a relevant side in our overall season? No, not for a long, long time. In fact, winning the league at White Hart Lane in 03/04 was just a taste of what was to come this year, a reminder of the competition and rivalry between the two clubs. For a long time this year, it seemed that Sp**s would finally get one over on us, and I, for one, was busy marking all the names of Sp**s-supporting colleagues in my mobile-phone book as 'Do not answer!'. Martin Jol, to his credit, has put together a tough, combative side with depth, a desire to win, and a greater quality of talent than any Sp**s side I've seen in a long, long while. We, on the other hand, were having one of the worst seasons we'd had in recent memory, a terrible few months in the winter had seen us slip as low as eighth and our form, as well as squad depth, seemed to have hit a long-time low. I'm confident I wasn't one of the only ones who experienced the Sp**s fan's crowing, even weeks before the season had actually ended. Well, as we all know, the show ain't over until the fat lady sings, and, despite outward appearances, this season's fat lady was one monsieur Wenger. Did we care that it was our worst league finish since Wenger took over? Did we ****!
The Highbury Send-off
One thing that I will always, always remain proud of is that we, as a club, are the very definition of class. At Arsenal, things are done properly, with full respect for our colleagues, our fans, our players and even, most of the time, our opponents. I don't like to see our players or staff moaning in the press, I don't like to hear of scandals behind the scenes, I don't like to hear about chairmen getting drunk and being 'indiscrete', and with Arsenal, 99.5% of the time, I don't have to. And, for me, the class and history that come with being a proper club with history (are you watching Chelsea) was what wafted through the afternoon air around Highbury on Saturday 6th of May 2006. The game itself was as exciting as almost any I've seen played at the great stadium, the occasion of beating Sp**s to a European place could only have been better if it had been the league title and the atmosphere, even for those not fortunate enough to have a ticket for the game, was like nothing I've ever seen before. Standing in the Twelve Pins, chewing my arm off with nervousness, my mate quietly turned to me just before kickoff and whispered: 'The script is written'.
And what a script! Wigan, for all their endeavour (and they've been a credit to the Premiership this season, for what it's worth) were just good enough to make a real game of it, but not quite strong enough to cause a true upset - in a match that had everything from wonderous moments of individual briliance and team-play, to stunning mistakes, the emotional see-saw that we all felt as we yo-yo'ed between 4th and 5th finally climaxed in a hat-trick for our greatest ever player (possibly!), and a send off that will never be forgotten by both those who were there and those who simply watched from home. The stadium itself looked stunning, red and white stripes in the stands, (and one corner of blue - free t-shirts for the away fans, that's class that is!), and as just about everyone associated with the club recieved some kind of award or other, I barely knew whether to laugh or cry. One word: class.
Players who've made me smile...
Jens Lehmann - Much debate went on in the summer prior to this season about whether or not the eccentric German should remain between the sticks for Arsenal this year. Indeed, he came within a hair's breadth of being replaced by Uruguayan Seb Viera, only to be given an 11th hour reprieve by a failed medical (which saw the South American end up at eventual Champions League rivals Villareal). But there's no doubt that his performances this season have been as good as any he's put in during his Arsenal career, and an elevation to 'cult' status seems almost inevitable. Once branded un-reliable, the control he's shown over his penalty area over the course of the entire season has been typically German - precise, and complete. There've been specatcular moments as well - the save from Paul Scholes in last year's FA Cup Final finally eclipsed by his crucial save from Juan Riquelme in the dying moments of our Champions Leauge semi-final. The temper and the attitude is still there, of course, but it seems that it's spurring him on to greater feats of excellence rather than detracting from his consolation. They say that goalkeepers are a strange breed, and with Jens, we wouldn't want it any other way.
Emmanuel Eboue - When Eboue first broke into the team, I'll admit, I was less than impressed - his forward runs seemed to produce little end-product, whereas his defensive awareness left a lot to be desired though. However, it seems that we sent one player to the African Cup of Nations, and a different one was returned to us, such was the transformation in the player's maturity and effectiveness - he broke through into the first team thanks to a severe injury to first-choice Lauren and has never looked back. Whilst it's possible that the defensive frailties that marked him before are still there, he now seems able to use his pace, strength and low centre of gravity to recover even the most impossible of positions, whilst going forwards there seem to be very few who are his equal. Ronaldinho will present him with his biggest ever challenge, but with the heart he's shown this year, and the relaxed attitude that seems to pervade his recent interviews, who wouldn't back him to put up a good fight? With the help of Alex Hleb, he has become one of the reasons that our right hand side, once merely a specator whilst Cole, Pires and Overmars set off fireworks on the left, has become a dangerous tool of use against any opponent.
Kolo Toure - Last season, Kolo looked like the weak link in a decent defensive outfit. All too often, his positional awareness let both him, and the team down as we conceeded important goals from weak-set pieces. This season, he's transformed himself into one of the very top central defenders in world football. His tackles this season have been strong enough to knock over a rhino, and precise enough to hit any blade of grass on the pitch. He's worked on the flaws in his game that were evident last year, and now, for me, looks like a complete defender - strength, pace, comfort on the ball, timing and bravery, as well as a good heart and the fearlessness to tell his team-mates just where they're wrong. He's a leader, both by example and by presence, but more than that he's a model proffessional, and a real credit to the club.
Philipe Senderos - His start to the season was undoubtedly weak. Didier Drogba gave him a torrid time from the very start, and it looked like his confidence, after that one outing, had taken a serious knock. He became known for making at least one complete howler in each game he played, and one could only wonder if he'd ever re-gain the form that saw him usurp Sol Campbell at the end of last year. Many here saw him as a liability to the club, a player who'd never make it, but perhaps the weight of expectation was too large. For a central defender, he is still very young, and to expect the complete package of one so junior to the majority of his peers was perhaps unfair and unrealistic. And yet despite all this, his talent has always been there, and to many still obvious. Like many of our players, he hit a real low around the Christmas break, but to his massive credit he was able to seize the season by the scruff of the neck and turn himself around. Senderos, for me, is the sort of player whose character will always mean that he will always be a fighter. He's smart, he's outspoken on the pitch but apparently professional off it, and he has a lot of heart. Considering the difficulties he had early on, I was delighted to see him turn around those problems, the latest in many setbacks he's suffered in his career, and recapture his rock-solid form in the heart of a record-breaking defence.
Mathieu Flamini - Now, many of you will know that I don't think much of Matty Flamini as a central midfielder. And, to be honest, I still don't. When he was called upon to deputise at left back for Pascal Cygan, I really, REALLY thought we were in trouble. I mean, Cygan gets enough stick as it is, so imagine how badly off we are if we're relying on his back up! Well, I needn't have worried. Flamini's defensive performances, against some of the world's best, have been nothing short of water-tight. It's true that perhaps he still doesn't offer too much going forward, and once a specialist like Cole or Clichy regains fitness it's right that he will lose his place, but the fact that he could come into a side that was struggling, and perform so well out of position that he ceased to become considered a liability and instead was thought of as an asset will be forever to his credit.
Cesc Fabregas - Propelled to superstardom after his european performances, there's not a lot to say about our very own boy-wonder that hasn't been written already. His composure on the ball, intelligence, skill, and ability to play the right game in every third of the pitch have all been praised from all quarters. Like Senderos, there were many who believed that, whilst a promising talent, he wasn't quite in the same league as the Rooney's, Messi's and other 'genuine' wonderkids. In fact, his endurance this season, and ability to play game after game after game is a testament not only to his pure genius as a footballer, but also the physical condition which he seems to have reached - almost every critic seems to have vanished into the woodwork, and, if he can score maybe 5 more goals a season, he'll soon undoubtedly be mentioned in the same breath as the most established stars.
Alex Hleb - When he signed, there were a lot of question over his head - we'd just lost Vieira, our talisman of many seasons, and all we seemed to be getting in his place was some little-known, gaunt looking chap from Belarus. Was this guy any good? Would he step into the rather large shoes vacated by Patrick Vieira? Was he really going to help us return to the heights of our unbeaten season? Well, yes, no, and maybe. Alex, like most players from foreign leagues, took some time to settle in, and he was hindered severely by an unfortunate two month lay off at the start of the season. Many were frustrated with his ability to do the hard stuff but struggle with the simplest of passes - he could dribble past three defenders, but a six yard lay-off seemed beyond him. And, like most foreign signings, it wasn't until at least six months into his time here that he really started to come into his own - his close control has been second to none in the latter half of the season. He displays a comfort and composure with the ball at his feet that is very, very rare in this league, and an almost supernatural ability to ghost past players as if they're not there. Domestically, I have no doubt that there's even more to come from him, but in European competition he's been vital as a ball-carrier, someone capable of coming deep to collect the ball, dribbling upfield, and causing problems in and around the opposition's box. Good season, but don't expect the fireworks to end here!
Thierry Henry - It's a testament to the man that even in a season where I felt he could have done so much more, he still picked up the golden boot and a hatful of gongs. Despite a couple of dour months around Christmas, adjusting to his captaincy role, and a continuing unwillingness to make runs through the middle off the ball, the moments of brilliance are flowing as freely as ever. Ronaldinho has no equal in terms of skill and control, but when it comes to the threat the pose an opposition defence, then surely Thierry cannot be surpassed. Whether he leaves this summer or in five summers time, this is a season where he became the club's highest goalscorer, and said goodbye to our great stadium with a hat-trick that surely will never be forgotten. Probably the greatest player we've ever had the pleasure of cheering?
Negatives
4th place.... Just
2001/02 - Champions
2002/03 - Runners Up
2003/04 - Champions, undefeated for an entire season
2004/05 - Runners Up to a multi-million pound Chelsea side
2005/06 - Scraping 4th place on the last day of the season
'Rebuilding' some said. 'It'll be no contest by the end of the season' maintained others. The fact is though, we finished not only 24 points behind the eventual champions, but also 15 points behind third place. That's 5 fewer Premiership victories than Liverpool and only two points and a final day drama above the team that finished 9th last year. In building the 05/06 team, Arsène Wenger undoubtedly had at least one eye on the long-term, but even then he seems to have under-estimated the forwards movement of our rivals, and over-estimated the ability of our paper-thin squad to cope with the rigours of a full, 60 game season. When we started the season, we only had three senior central midfielders (not even Arsène Wenger seemed to give much thought to Alex Song back then) - for a team, even in the process of rebuilding, that was never going to be enough. But more of that later - here, suffice to say that this season standing still was tantamount to a big step backwards. You cannot simply sit on your laurels in modern football - even the best teams need to focus on continual improvement, and, for all his strengths, this seems to be Arsène's biggest weakness. We are, no doubt, a growing club. Our players will get better with every season they get under their belts, however it just isn't possible to sit still and assume the status-quo will be maintained. People always want a pop at the champ, and even if we weren't quite top dogs this year, we couldn't expect other teams to roll over and die for us - we have to work for every point, and at times it seemed like we just weren't prepared to do that.
There is no doubt that Chelsea are raising the bar in British football - the strength in depth that they posess is unprecedented in English, perhaps even European football. But it seems to me that as well as meeting the challenge that they present, we have at times been all-too daunted by the apparent impossibility of the task ahead of us in the short term. To their credit, Liverpool and Manchester Utd seem to have approached the situation in a very different manner, and both continue to grow and challenge as clubs. Whilst neither have yet come that close to Chelsea over the course of a 38 game Premiership campaign, both have shown that it is at least possible to challenge. Indeed, we should recall the woeful state that manchester Utd found themselves in at the start of this year amidst all the turmoil of the Glazer takeover. Yet they managed to pick themselves up, turn themselves around, and only submitted to the Chelsea onslaught and handed them the title in the last handful of games - just imagine if they'd had a better start! Easier said than done perhaps, but a team we comfortably surpassed last year was capable of picking themselves up, turning themselves around and putting together a far more sturdy challenge this year than we were. So one must ask the question, without spending a huge amount of money, they were able to challenge Chelsea - why was it necessary for us to slip as far as we did?
The decline of some of the senior players
As much as I have been impressed with the way in which some of our youngsters have stepped up to the plate this year, I've been disappointed in equal measure with the performances of some of the senior pros. In a season where you'd expect the likes of Campbell, Pires, Ljungberg and Gilberto to step up and fill the void left by Paddy Vieira, their responsibilities have all too often been shirked. I'll talk more about individuals further down, but I feel that as a collective, they failed to fill the vacuum left by our departed captain that they should have. In a team filled with youth, exuberance and flair but very light on wisdom and experience, the emphasis on our senior players to lead the way was surely greater than ever - but it seemed that the likes of Senderos and Fabregas were left almost to find their own way (and they performed admirably doing so).
The FA Cup
In direct contrast to the League Cup, this is a trophy I wanted to win, I care deeply about, and was most disappointed with the 'wet-fart' of a performance we put out in this competition. Our record in the FA Cup in recent years has been thoroughly superlative, but to go out in such a weak manner against a Bolton side that, whilst short on genuine talent, had our number for pretty much the whole season was a great disappointment.
Our Transfer policy
As was hinted at above, I really really feel (and I'm sure many of you will remember), that the way we've approached improving our squad through the transfer market has left a lot to be desired - true, we pulled off a few signings, somewhat uncharacteristically , over the January transfer window, but one has to wonder why we waited so long. The needs we addressed in January were needs that had existed from the start of the season - a striker offering something a bit different, and another central midfielder with presence - so why did we not address these needs at the start of the season, and save ourselves the horror-show performances that we put in before christmas?
As I have alluded to before I've always felt that if we're to truly gain any sustained period of dominance, we have to adopt a philosophy of continuous improvement, be it from a position of strength or one of weakness. Even in the summer of 2004, following a season of absolute dominance in the league, there was room to improve certain areas of the pitch that would have meant we were an even more fearsome force the following season. Once a season is over, all 19 teams we play against have a summer to go away, look at videos and break down what works against us and what doesn't, meaning that unless we too improve over the summer we'll automatically be in a weaker position at the start of the year than where we ended the last one. Of course, this doesn't just have to mean big new signings - it could simply be honing existing skills, learning a few new tricks or developing an alternate tactic. But if it is possible to make improvements in the squad as a whole in terms of personnel, that too has to be an avenue we are willing to pursue - players who play for their place, and go out each day knowing they have to show the manager why they deserve the position next week are much more likely to perform than a player who's sunk so far into the lap of complacency that he might as well not turn up. True, this season the likes of Ljungberg, Lauren and Pires have all been challenged for their position, and the results have been generally positive - if they return next year, they'll be under no illusion that they can just waltz back into the side.
Finally, I've always felt that Wenger is altogether too slow to release players who are simply not performing to the standard that we require - one has to wonder how badly certain players have to perform in order for us to completely lose patience. He makes a lot of 'experience', although how valuable is experience really when it comes at the expense of footballing ability?
Players who've made me cry, tear my hair out, and want to nail their testicles to a rough, wooden board...
Sol Campbell - First of all, congratulations Sol on your selection for the England squad - it's probably what you've been playing for this season, so it must feel good to get what you want. Quite how your performances on the pitch have meritted your inclusion, I don't quite know, although I guess you and Sven go way back, and there's not much point trying to understand the Swede at the best of times. As an Arsenal fan though, I have to say the amount of pace you've lost (not that you had a vast amount to begin with) is quite staggering. With a turning circle of a an oil tanker, and the intelligence of one of it's crew-members, I'm really quite disappointed in the standard of play you've put in this season. But that's not really what's wound me up. No, it's the fact that about halfway through your most shabby performance this season, you saw fit to walk out on the team and out of the stadium, yet never really felt that you owed the fans any kind of apology, but still had no qualms picking up your £60,000 paycheck at the end of the week. Why is that? I mean, I've suffered from depression before, I know what it can be like. But seriously, did I ever do anything as spineless as that? Not that I recall....
Ashley Cole - You all know how I feel about Cole, I don't really need to repeat it. But as far as I'm concerned, secretly meeting our biggest rivals in a hotel trying to arrange a move, then badmouthing the club and claiming that it's all part of your human rights instead of doing the decent thing and admitting a mistake and apologising when you're found out should not be rewarded with the honour of wearing the Arsenal strip, a bigger pay-packet and (as some have been calling for) the captaincy one day.
Robert Pires - Gah! How could the player who once was so good on the ball that not one player in the league could touch him descend to this?!? I mean honestly, we always knew he was a little bit 'lazy', but when he was on the ball he was just so good we could all forgive him, right? Now though, it's another story. Now, no hard feelings against the player (despite the rather tactless and obvious press manipulation and self-obsessed moaning about his future contract - as if we didn't already know!), especially after all the great times he's given us, but honestly, on the football pitch I do wonder what he offers these days. Ok, so I'm being a bit unfair, he still does knock in the odd goal or two, and it seems that being in the right place at the right time is a skill he's not quite flushed away yet. But honestly, when he gets the ball anywhere other than the edge of the six-yard box, you just know what's coming - a ten yard shuffle forward, turning around and passing it backwards. Can he beat a man any more? Can he pick a killer through-ball? Does he track back at all? Will he run off the ball? Ugh.... Thanks Bobby for the memories, but I think it's time to go....
Freddie Ljungberg - Three years ago, we had another player called Freddie Ljungberg. For those of you who don't remember, he was a fantastic battler, whose intelligent runs off the ball and important goals made him a thorn in the side of almost every team he played against. He didn't have much skill, but the skills he had he used to their absolute maximum, and was a fantastic asset to the side. The Freddie Ljungberg we have now, contrary to popular belief, is not the same player. For anyone who doubts this, think about this - when was the last time you saw him make a fantastic late run into the box onto the end of a well-timed through ball? How many goals a season does this new Freddie Ljungberg score? Just one league goal this year, whereas the old one was usually in double digits. Was the old Freddie Ljungberg ever so obsessed with trying stepovers and pinging 30 yard through balls? No, he most certainly wasn't! So how to explain this bizarre switch? Well, either the old Freddie had a twin brother who he never told us about, or he simply shaved his hair off and forgot what he's good at. Unlike Pires and Campbell, I don't put it down to age and physical deterioration - with Freddie it's purely psychological. Perhaps he's seen the press cream themselves over a new breed of dribbling wingers like Ronaldo and Robben and decided he wants a bit of the action, I don't know... Now credit where it's due, Freddie has also put in some sterling performances over the course of the year (Real Madrid away springs to mind), and the endeavour has not always been lacking. But he was never enough of an all-round player to simply switch between roles in the way that he's tried to/been asked to. Please, give us the old Freddie back!
Jose Reyes - Like Freddie, Jose is not in this list because he's a bad footballer. Or because he's been crap all season. In fact, the only reason he's on this list is because I think he's a bloody brilliant footballer. But a bloody brilliant footballer whose brain is like a speck of dust when compared with his natural talent. Never have I seen a player so mercurial. One day he can be absolutely superb, mixing lightening fast breaks with incredible through balls, the next he couldn't pass water, dribble past my grandmother, let alone shoot straight enough to hit a barn at 10 paces. How is it that he can be so brilliant one day and so awful the next? Another one of our players who realistically needs to add to his goal tally if he's ever going to fulfill his potential, one can only hope that in the next season or two the consistency that has so far evaded him becomes as characteristic as his tumbles over a full-back's leg.
Gilberto Silva Quick moan here, because he only had one bad half of the season, but honestly, how difficult is it to pass the ball 6 yards? Credit to him for turning his season round and putting in some great performances, especially in Europe, but you'd really expect a proffessional footballer to be a little better at distributing the ball than that, surely?!?
Emmanuel Adebayor - Ok, harsh I know. After all, he's only had half a season. And heck, he's knocked in a few goals too, more than Franny Jeffers ever managed. But isn't he just a little bit limited for a 7 million pound striker? I mean, you'd think a player costing that much would at least be able to shoot right? And maybe, given that he's over 6 foot, win the ball in the air once or twice? Yes, I know, he deserves time to settle in and I'll give him that before writing him off. But I was never that impressed with him at Monaco, detested the way he treated Monaco and badmouthed them, and I've seen not much in his time here to make me warm to him. I'm glad Thierry likes playing with him, and to be fair it's good to have someone who can do something a bit differently. But really, he's a sub-Kanu player playing regularly at the moment - not what I wanted.
Looking Forward
The Champions League Final
One cannot help but feel, again, that we're underdogs in this game. The press know it, we know it, Barca know it and I suspect our players know it too. And it suits us - we saw what happened at el Madrigal, when the weight of expectation got to our players and we bottled it - fortune (and Jens Lehmann) got us through that day, but against Barca that won't be enough. With the Champions League in the bag for next season, and regaining our 'outsider status', my hope is that we'll be able to regain the form that dumped Real Madrid and Juventus on their arses and out of Europe - if we do that, we have a chnace.
Much has been written (and will be written yet) about this game, so I'll leave rest of the topic well alone, save to say that my head tells me that Barca will just prove too good for us on wednesday, and, should we concede early on, we could go down by several goals. But then, I've been saying that all along, and I've been wrong every step of the way... Right now though, it's up to the boys to step up and make history...
The Transfer Window
There used to be a time (well, last Christmas actually) that I could write almost endlessly about what positions we needed filling, the players we should be looking at to fill them, and criticise some of the linked players as wrong for us in a variety of ways. Invariably, Arsène would then do something (or sometimes nothing) completely different. So making a handful of bold predictions about what will happen this summer is probably futile. However, as we all know, a significant gulf has opened up between us and some of the top teams - part of that gulf will be filled by internal growth, no doubt, but without spending a little cash this summer I can't see how we'll be in any position to challenge next season. Most interesting though, will be the number of players who choose to depart Arsenal this summer - I just put together a preliminary list of senior players who one might think of good reasons to sell or release and even barring unforseen events, it's remarkably long:
Jens Lehmann
Manuel Almunia
Bisan Lauren
Sol Campbell
Pascal Cygan
Ashley Cole
Freddie Ljungberg
Robert Pires
Gilberto Silva
Thierry Henry
Dennis Bergkamp
That's 11 first teamers! I don't expect nearly half that to leave, but 3 or 4 of the above seems plausible - the list ranges from the highly unlikely (Jens, Gilberto, Freddie) to the almost certain and definite (Dennis, Bobby, Ashley Cole), so it seems that almost inevitably some further work will have to be done to increase the size of the squad. Internally, I expect to see more of the likes of Walcott, Djourou, Gilbert and Bendtner next season, whilst it seems probable to me that Wenger will offer a contract to the hapless Alex Song to cover us whilst Abou Diaby recovers from his ankle injury. Even if Cole and Lauren leave, we still are dealing from a position of strength at fullback, with Clichy and Flamini on the left and Eboue and Gilbert on the right plus Justin Hoyte too if we bring him back. In goal though, one must wonder how strong Jens will be next season, a year further the wrong side of 30 and without the carrot of the World Cup in front of him - if he falls apart, is Almunia up to the job of keeping on a medium/long term basis? In central defence, we're very short in my view. Sol just hasn't been up to the job for a couple of seasons, and is deteriorating fast - whilst we've got a good, young, partnership in Kolo and Phil we're not really equipped to deal with any long term injury without seriously damaging the quality of our side. Perhaps Johann Djourou is ready for more action next season, but we do seem a little thin.
With Diaby out long-term, we're back to the square one where we started last season in central midfield, and as we found out (as if it wasn't obvious), what we had was nowhere near enough - I worry that Wenger sees Song as a long-term option, and whilst he's not quite as bad as those who've labelled him as Arsenal's 'worst ever' might say, he really doesn't seem up to the job in my eyes. Gilberto too, whilst excellent at his job, remains a limited player, one upon whom we could seek to improve without too much difficulty - the name of Marcos Senna has been brought up before, and in my view he offers much of what Gilberto does but with the added bonus of a fantastic passing range. On the wings too, both Pires (who's set to leave) and Ljungberg have been well short of the required standard this year, and with both Reyes and Hleb somewhat erratic, one must surely look for a little more assurance in this position - we're going to need to find more goals from other outlets sooner rather than later, and a winger with an eye for goal would be a massive benefit for us.
Up front we seem in reasonable shape if Henry stays, and dire straits if he goes. If he were to leave, a dramatic re-appraisal of our style of play would be absolutely neccessary if we have any pretension of playing competitive football next year, and we'd need to bring in someone pretty special in his place. Names like Torres (great), Berbatov (not so great) and even Andy Johnson (would be disasterous) have been bandied about, but in reality there's not a player in the world we could sign who could make up for Henry - we'd need a combination of strikers to split the load, two players at least capable of hitting the target on a regular basis, and currently we only have van Persie (and even he looked distinctly off colour at the end of this season). Walcott's coming through, and will make a big impact before too long and we have a wealth of young talent, but if Henry goes we'll be very, very short for next year.
All told, we've got a good base of players to challenge with next season, and the improvements in existing members of the squad will make us a better side than we were this year. But it's a base that we need to build on, and bringing in some new signings over the summer needs to be a priority.
2006/07, Ashburton and beyond...
So finally, looking forward to next season, realistically what can we expect? Chelsea have already added Ballack, could possibly add Schevchenko, and will most likely add at least one more look set to be red-hot favourites for next year before even the first ball has been kicked. Unless Wenger pulls of something truly spectacular in the summer, I suspect that we have now slipped too far to make up enough ground to be title contenders in just one season, but I think second is a target well within our grasp and will provide a springboard for a serious title assault in 2007/08. It won't be easy though - rumour has it that Utd. will be adding Momo Diarra this summer, which will address one of their major areas of weakness this year, and Liverpool too look set to grow stronger under Benitez. Significant improvements are needed, and they won't just happen on their own. Even Sp**s might kick on from a good season this year for them (although I secretly think they've peaked, and won't have the same fight/belief next season now that the stuffing's been knocked out of them). I'm not sure how long it will take until the financial benefits from the Emirates start to filter through, but eventually, when they do, I hope they will give Wenger the financial backing to be a little more brave in the transfer market than he has been, go for the top talent, the biggest names in the game and the best players he can get his hands on.
Well, I've taken nearly an entire day to write this, and it'll probably take you just as long to read it. Hopefully it's given you some food for thought, and something to distract you from the nerves that are really building up now ahead of Wednesday night.
Up the Arse - destiny awaits!
Apologies for the prolonged absence - this is due to a number of factors, partly that I've lost my home internet connection (or rather, my next-door neighbour finally realised that I was free-loading), and also that over the last few weeks and months the intellectualist bullshit has rather dropped off and I've been totally overcome by all the emotionalism and passion that comes with being a fan of a club who still have plenty to play for right up until the end of the season. It's been a fair few years since the last time the outcome of our season has remained undecided even by 3PM on the final saturday, and with so much riding on that game I'm sure every one of us took a double delight in not only securing (well, 95% of the way) our financial position for next season and also getting one over the Spuds in doing so. A Sp**s supporting friend of mine still won't pick up the phone....
Anyway, whilst it might seem a little odd to be writing a season review before our season is actually over, especially when the one remaining game is undoubtedly one of the most important in our history, but there is method in this madness. Despite the fact that I fear that my entire summer will live or die depending on the result of Wednesday's game, I feel that it's important that in reviewing a season we should not let the outcome of one individual game to affect our perspective of where the club stands and the direction we're moving in: lose on wednesday, and the fantastic achievement of getting to Paris in the first place will be quickly forgotten; win, and the horror months around January and Febuary will all-too quickly fade into the backdrop of the inevitable celebrations. A lot rides on Wednesday night, although how much exactly is not necessarily clear: how will if affect the future of some of our star players? Is it the threshold that we need to cross between a good, middle-sized club and a large, great one? Will the emotional rollercoaster that will come whatever the result affect our performances next season? What will the financial implications be? We, as fans, probably all have answers to these questions, but chances are that unless your gran is the tealady at Colney, you don't really have any firm knowledge as to what will come.
For me though, despite the magnitude of Wednesday night and without wishing to downplay the chance we have to achieve something great (and this applies to last season's FA Cup victory too), our bread and butter always has to be the league title - yes, more prestige comes with European victory, but the Premiership is (and always will be) our bread and butter. Without success there, none of what we have enjoyed in the Stadio Delle Alpi, Bernabeu or el Madrigal - not to mention the fact that I've always believed that it's the marathon of a domestic season that determines the true ability of a club, not the vagaries of a cup competition. So now, before the euphoria or gloom of thursday morning sets in, seems like the most sensible and most objective time to take a look at how we've performed in the season of 2005/06 and look forward into both the near and distant future.
Now, as I'm sure you'll remember, I'm really not one to bury my head in the sand and pretend that everything is rosy when it clearly isn't - my efforts in the past at being dispassionate have, I'll admit, often made me seem overly and unneccessarily negative on occasions where such sentiments are clearly not warranted. I will, however, always try to back up what I say, but if I'm wrong about something I'll always be ready to admit it. What I've tried to do here, however, is break down this post into two headings - positives we can take away from the season, and things that really didn't go as well as we might have hoped. So, without further ado....
Positives
The Champions League Campaign
Well, it's the obvious place to start really, and with so much having been written and said in the press about how far we've come it's difficult to know where to begin without sounding like a stuck record. But, what a great pleasure it's been moving out from under the shadow of our 'perennial European underachievers' stigma in the very season that we were so widely tipped to fail! Unusually, I think a lot of what has been written in the press about what we've managed to do this season that we failed to do with numerous teams who were far 'better' has been relatively accurate, although I certainly think it's difficult to pin it down to just one factor. I think the removal of the weight of expectation has done us a world of good this year, removing the fear of failure that perhaps hindered some of our previous incarnations, but also perhaps resulting in complacency among many of our opponents. The freedom that Cesc Fabregas has been afforded in the middle of the park has been well documented, but the likes of Alexander Hleb and Emmanuel Eboue too have really found European football and effective stamping ground for their particular styles of play - it seems that speed, skill and technique, whilst keeping the ball at our feet has paid us great dividends this season, whereas our previous tactic of the killer through ball for a lightening fast-striker was more easily blunted by savvy European centre-backs. Perhaps this is just one of the reasons that Hleb, Fabregas and Reyes have succeeded where Pires, Vieira and the Ljungberg of old (not the same as the one we have now!) have failed...
But, in truth, our European goalscoring this season has been solid but unspectacular - we were the better side against Juventus and Real Madrid, but scoring 3 goals in four legs of football is nothing special in itself. Truly, the credit this season for our European campaign must lie at the feet of our back 5, every one of whom has done himself thoroughly proud. Jens' exceptional shot-stopping and command of his box, Kolo's crunching tackles, Phil's dominance in the air, Eboue's pace and tracking back and Matty Flamini's bloody-minded harrying of some of the world's finest wingers, and much more besides have contributed to a record-breaking defensive campaign which, if we're honest, none of us thought possible last september. As Thierry repeatedly puts it - credit must go to our defence for not only keeping the opposition out but giving our attacking players the confidence and a platform to attack as and when they could.
We are, as yet, still waiting for the ultimate outcome of all the endeavour of our European campaign, but whatever happens on wednesday night we must be proud of the heart and fight that our players have shown, and the 'stick it up your arse' attitude they've given Europe's biggest playboys of football.
The League Cup
Nobody gives a toss about the League Cup these days do they? I know I don't really. To be honest, whether we win this tin pot or not means very little to me. So why is it listed as one of the 'positive' outcomes of the season just gone? In this, the last season at Highbury, I made it my personal mission to go to as many home games as possible and I'm sure many a ticket tout made a healthy profit at my expense. But, on one of the few occasions I was able to get my hands on a 'legit' ticket, I found myself sitting in the East Lower, on the halfway line for our Carling Cup defeat to Wigan. Not a particularly glorious way to end a campaign for a trophy that nobody much cares about, I know, but for many people I met that day it was the one and only chance they'd had to visit Highbury, the Home of Football. The guy sitting to my right had flown all the way to London just for that game - his first and only at Highbury. And he sang, shouted and groaned like a season-ticket holder of 40 years with every kick of the ball. Judging by the noise we made that day, he wasn't the only one giving Highbury a simultaneous goodbye and hello. It was, in short, a fantastic occasion for fans from around the country and indeed world to get, just once, that Highbury feeling.
Getting one over Sp**s. Again
Over the years, the relevance of the North London derby to our overall campaign has surely been diminishing. Yes, we want to beat them, and yes, we like to see them beaten. But were they ever a relevant side in our overall season? No, not for a long, long time. In fact, winning the league at White Hart Lane in 03/04 was just a taste of what was to come this year, a reminder of the competition and rivalry between the two clubs. For a long time this year, it seemed that Sp**s would finally get one over on us, and I, for one, was busy marking all the names of Sp**s-supporting colleagues in my mobile-phone book as 'Do not answer!'. Martin Jol, to his credit, has put together a tough, combative side with depth, a desire to win, and a greater quality of talent than any Sp**s side I've seen in a long, long while. We, on the other hand, were having one of the worst seasons we'd had in recent memory, a terrible few months in the winter had seen us slip as low as eighth and our form, as well as squad depth, seemed to have hit a long-time low. I'm confident I wasn't one of the only ones who experienced the Sp**s fan's crowing, even weeks before the season had actually ended. Well, as we all know, the show ain't over until the fat lady sings, and, despite outward appearances, this season's fat lady was one monsieur Wenger. Did we care that it was our worst league finish since Wenger took over? Did we ****!
The Highbury Send-off
One thing that I will always, always remain proud of is that we, as a club, are the very definition of class. At Arsenal, things are done properly, with full respect for our colleagues, our fans, our players and even, most of the time, our opponents. I don't like to see our players or staff moaning in the press, I don't like to hear of scandals behind the scenes, I don't like to hear about chairmen getting drunk and being 'indiscrete', and with Arsenal, 99.5% of the time, I don't have to. And, for me, the class and history that come with being a proper club with history (are you watching Chelsea) was what wafted through the afternoon air around Highbury on Saturday 6th of May 2006. The game itself was as exciting as almost any I've seen played at the great stadium, the occasion of beating Sp**s to a European place could only have been better if it had been the league title and the atmosphere, even for those not fortunate enough to have a ticket for the game, was like nothing I've ever seen before. Standing in the Twelve Pins, chewing my arm off with nervousness, my mate quietly turned to me just before kickoff and whispered: 'The script is written'.
And what a script! Wigan, for all their endeavour (and they've been a credit to the Premiership this season, for what it's worth) were just good enough to make a real game of it, but not quite strong enough to cause a true upset - in a match that had everything from wonderous moments of individual briliance and team-play, to stunning mistakes, the emotional see-saw that we all felt as we yo-yo'ed between 4th and 5th finally climaxed in a hat-trick for our greatest ever player (possibly!), and a send off that will never be forgotten by both those who were there and those who simply watched from home. The stadium itself looked stunning, red and white stripes in the stands, (and one corner of blue - free t-shirts for the away fans, that's class that is!), and as just about everyone associated with the club recieved some kind of award or other, I barely knew whether to laugh or cry. One word: class.
Players who've made me smile...
Jens Lehmann - Much debate went on in the summer prior to this season about whether or not the eccentric German should remain between the sticks for Arsenal this year. Indeed, he came within a hair's breadth of being replaced by Uruguayan Seb Viera, only to be given an 11th hour reprieve by a failed medical (which saw the South American end up at eventual Champions League rivals Villareal). But there's no doubt that his performances this season have been as good as any he's put in during his Arsenal career, and an elevation to 'cult' status seems almost inevitable. Once branded un-reliable, the control he's shown over his penalty area over the course of the entire season has been typically German - precise, and complete. There've been specatcular moments as well - the save from Paul Scholes in last year's FA Cup Final finally eclipsed by his crucial save from Juan Riquelme in the dying moments of our Champions Leauge semi-final. The temper and the attitude is still there, of course, but it seems that it's spurring him on to greater feats of excellence rather than detracting from his consolation. They say that goalkeepers are a strange breed, and with Jens, we wouldn't want it any other way.
Emmanuel Eboue - When Eboue first broke into the team, I'll admit, I was less than impressed - his forward runs seemed to produce little end-product, whereas his defensive awareness left a lot to be desired though. However, it seems that we sent one player to the African Cup of Nations, and a different one was returned to us, such was the transformation in the player's maturity and effectiveness - he broke through into the first team thanks to a severe injury to first-choice Lauren and has never looked back. Whilst it's possible that the defensive frailties that marked him before are still there, he now seems able to use his pace, strength and low centre of gravity to recover even the most impossible of positions, whilst going forwards there seem to be very few who are his equal. Ronaldinho will present him with his biggest ever challenge, but with the heart he's shown this year, and the relaxed attitude that seems to pervade his recent interviews, who wouldn't back him to put up a good fight? With the help of Alex Hleb, he has become one of the reasons that our right hand side, once merely a specator whilst Cole, Pires and Overmars set off fireworks on the left, has become a dangerous tool of use against any opponent.
Kolo Toure - Last season, Kolo looked like the weak link in a decent defensive outfit. All too often, his positional awareness let both him, and the team down as we conceeded important goals from weak-set pieces. This season, he's transformed himself into one of the very top central defenders in world football. His tackles this season have been strong enough to knock over a rhino, and precise enough to hit any blade of grass on the pitch. He's worked on the flaws in his game that were evident last year, and now, for me, looks like a complete defender - strength, pace, comfort on the ball, timing and bravery, as well as a good heart and the fearlessness to tell his team-mates just where they're wrong. He's a leader, both by example and by presence, but more than that he's a model proffessional, and a real credit to the club.
Philipe Senderos - His start to the season was undoubtedly weak. Didier Drogba gave him a torrid time from the very start, and it looked like his confidence, after that one outing, had taken a serious knock. He became known for making at least one complete howler in each game he played, and one could only wonder if he'd ever re-gain the form that saw him usurp Sol Campbell at the end of last year. Many here saw him as a liability to the club, a player who'd never make it, but perhaps the weight of expectation was too large. For a central defender, he is still very young, and to expect the complete package of one so junior to the majority of his peers was perhaps unfair and unrealistic. And yet despite all this, his talent has always been there, and to many still obvious. Like many of our players, he hit a real low around the Christmas break, but to his massive credit he was able to seize the season by the scruff of the neck and turn himself around. Senderos, for me, is the sort of player whose character will always mean that he will always be a fighter. He's smart, he's outspoken on the pitch but apparently professional off it, and he has a lot of heart. Considering the difficulties he had early on, I was delighted to see him turn around those problems, the latest in many setbacks he's suffered in his career, and recapture his rock-solid form in the heart of a record-breaking defence.
Mathieu Flamini - Now, many of you will know that I don't think much of Matty Flamini as a central midfielder. And, to be honest, I still don't. When he was called upon to deputise at left back for Pascal Cygan, I really, REALLY thought we were in trouble. I mean, Cygan gets enough stick as it is, so imagine how badly off we are if we're relying on his back up! Well, I needn't have worried. Flamini's defensive performances, against some of the world's best, have been nothing short of water-tight. It's true that perhaps he still doesn't offer too much going forward, and once a specialist like Cole or Clichy regains fitness it's right that he will lose his place, but the fact that he could come into a side that was struggling, and perform so well out of position that he ceased to become considered a liability and instead was thought of as an asset will be forever to his credit.
Cesc Fabregas - Propelled to superstardom after his european performances, there's not a lot to say about our very own boy-wonder that hasn't been written already. His composure on the ball, intelligence, skill, and ability to play the right game in every third of the pitch have all been praised from all quarters. Like Senderos, there were many who believed that, whilst a promising talent, he wasn't quite in the same league as the Rooney's, Messi's and other 'genuine' wonderkids. In fact, his endurance this season, and ability to play game after game after game is a testament not only to his pure genius as a footballer, but also the physical condition which he seems to have reached - almost every critic seems to have vanished into the woodwork, and, if he can score maybe 5 more goals a season, he'll soon undoubtedly be mentioned in the same breath as the most established stars.
Alex Hleb - When he signed, there were a lot of question over his head - we'd just lost Vieira, our talisman of many seasons, and all we seemed to be getting in his place was some little-known, gaunt looking chap from Belarus. Was this guy any good? Would he step into the rather large shoes vacated by Patrick Vieira? Was he really going to help us return to the heights of our unbeaten season? Well, yes, no, and maybe. Alex, like most players from foreign leagues, took some time to settle in, and he was hindered severely by an unfortunate two month lay off at the start of the season. Many were frustrated with his ability to do the hard stuff but struggle with the simplest of passes - he could dribble past three defenders, but a six yard lay-off seemed beyond him. And, like most foreign signings, it wasn't until at least six months into his time here that he really started to come into his own - his close control has been second to none in the latter half of the season. He displays a comfort and composure with the ball at his feet that is very, very rare in this league, and an almost supernatural ability to ghost past players as if they're not there. Domestically, I have no doubt that there's even more to come from him, but in European competition he's been vital as a ball-carrier, someone capable of coming deep to collect the ball, dribbling upfield, and causing problems in and around the opposition's box. Good season, but don't expect the fireworks to end here!
Thierry Henry - It's a testament to the man that even in a season where I felt he could have done so much more, he still picked up the golden boot and a hatful of gongs. Despite a couple of dour months around Christmas, adjusting to his captaincy role, and a continuing unwillingness to make runs through the middle off the ball, the moments of brilliance are flowing as freely as ever. Ronaldinho has no equal in terms of skill and control, but when it comes to the threat the pose an opposition defence, then surely Thierry cannot be surpassed. Whether he leaves this summer or in five summers time, this is a season where he became the club's highest goalscorer, and said goodbye to our great stadium with a hat-trick that surely will never be forgotten. Probably the greatest player we've ever had the pleasure of cheering?
Negatives
4th place.... Just
2001/02 - Champions
2002/03 - Runners Up
2003/04 - Champions, undefeated for an entire season
2004/05 - Runners Up to a multi-million pound Chelsea side
2005/06 - Scraping 4th place on the last day of the season
'Rebuilding' some said. 'It'll be no contest by the end of the season' maintained others. The fact is though, we finished not only 24 points behind the eventual champions, but also 15 points behind third place. That's 5 fewer Premiership victories than Liverpool and only two points and a final day drama above the team that finished 9th last year. In building the 05/06 team, Arsène Wenger undoubtedly had at least one eye on the long-term, but even then he seems to have under-estimated the forwards movement of our rivals, and over-estimated the ability of our paper-thin squad to cope with the rigours of a full, 60 game season. When we started the season, we only had three senior central midfielders (not even Arsène Wenger seemed to give much thought to Alex Song back then) - for a team, even in the process of rebuilding, that was never going to be enough. But more of that later - here, suffice to say that this season standing still was tantamount to a big step backwards. You cannot simply sit on your laurels in modern football - even the best teams need to focus on continual improvement, and, for all his strengths, this seems to be Arsène's biggest weakness. We are, no doubt, a growing club. Our players will get better with every season they get under their belts, however it just isn't possible to sit still and assume the status-quo will be maintained. People always want a pop at the champ, and even if we weren't quite top dogs this year, we couldn't expect other teams to roll over and die for us - we have to work for every point, and at times it seemed like we just weren't prepared to do that.
There is no doubt that Chelsea are raising the bar in British football - the strength in depth that they posess is unprecedented in English, perhaps even European football. But it seems to me that as well as meeting the challenge that they present, we have at times been all-too daunted by the apparent impossibility of the task ahead of us in the short term. To their credit, Liverpool and Manchester Utd seem to have approached the situation in a very different manner, and both continue to grow and challenge as clubs. Whilst neither have yet come that close to Chelsea over the course of a 38 game Premiership campaign, both have shown that it is at least possible to challenge. Indeed, we should recall the woeful state that manchester Utd found themselves in at the start of this year amidst all the turmoil of the Glazer takeover. Yet they managed to pick themselves up, turn themselves around, and only submitted to the Chelsea onslaught and handed them the title in the last handful of games - just imagine if they'd had a better start! Easier said than done perhaps, but a team we comfortably surpassed last year was capable of picking themselves up, turning themselves around and putting together a far more sturdy challenge this year than we were. So one must ask the question, without spending a huge amount of money, they were able to challenge Chelsea - why was it necessary for us to slip as far as we did?
The decline of some of the senior players
As much as I have been impressed with the way in which some of our youngsters have stepped up to the plate this year, I've been disappointed in equal measure with the performances of some of the senior pros. In a season where you'd expect the likes of Campbell, Pires, Ljungberg and Gilberto to step up and fill the void left by Paddy Vieira, their responsibilities have all too often been shirked. I'll talk more about individuals further down, but I feel that as a collective, they failed to fill the vacuum left by our departed captain that they should have. In a team filled with youth, exuberance and flair but very light on wisdom and experience, the emphasis on our senior players to lead the way was surely greater than ever - but it seemed that the likes of Senderos and Fabregas were left almost to find their own way (and they performed admirably doing so).
The FA Cup
In direct contrast to the League Cup, this is a trophy I wanted to win, I care deeply about, and was most disappointed with the 'wet-fart' of a performance we put out in this competition. Our record in the FA Cup in recent years has been thoroughly superlative, but to go out in such a weak manner against a Bolton side that, whilst short on genuine talent, had our number for pretty much the whole season was a great disappointment.
Our Transfer policy
As was hinted at above, I really really feel (and I'm sure many of you will remember), that the way we've approached improving our squad through the transfer market has left a lot to be desired - true, we pulled off a few signings, somewhat uncharacteristically , over the January transfer window, but one has to wonder why we waited so long. The needs we addressed in January were needs that had existed from the start of the season - a striker offering something a bit different, and another central midfielder with presence - so why did we not address these needs at the start of the season, and save ourselves the horror-show performances that we put in before christmas?
As I have alluded to before I've always felt that if we're to truly gain any sustained period of dominance, we have to adopt a philosophy of continuous improvement, be it from a position of strength or one of weakness. Even in the summer of 2004, following a season of absolute dominance in the league, there was room to improve certain areas of the pitch that would have meant we were an even more fearsome force the following season. Once a season is over, all 19 teams we play against have a summer to go away, look at videos and break down what works against us and what doesn't, meaning that unless we too improve over the summer we'll automatically be in a weaker position at the start of the year than where we ended the last one. Of course, this doesn't just have to mean big new signings - it could simply be honing existing skills, learning a few new tricks or developing an alternate tactic. But if it is possible to make improvements in the squad as a whole in terms of personnel, that too has to be an avenue we are willing to pursue - players who play for their place, and go out each day knowing they have to show the manager why they deserve the position next week are much more likely to perform than a player who's sunk so far into the lap of complacency that he might as well not turn up. True, this season the likes of Ljungberg, Lauren and Pires have all been challenged for their position, and the results have been generally positive - if they return next year, they'll be under no illusion that they can just waltz back into the side.
Finally, I've always felt that Wenger is altogether too slow to release players who are simply not performing to the standard that we require - one has to wonder how badly certain players have to perform in order for us to completely lose patience. He makes a lot of 'experience', although how valuable is experience really when it comes at the expense of footballing ability?
Players who've made me cry, tear my hair out, and want to nail their testicles to a rough, wooden board...
Sol Campbell - First of all, congratulations Sol on your selection for the England squad - it's probably what you've been playing for this season, so it must feel good to get what you want. Quite how your performances on the pitch have meritted your inclusion, I don't quite know, although I guess you and Sven go way back, and there's not much point trying to understand the Swede at the best of times. As an Arsenal fan though, I have to say the amount of pace you've lost (not that you had a vast amount to begin with) is quite staggering. With a turning circle of a an oil tanker, and the intelligence of one of it's crew-members, I'm really quite disappointed in the standard of play you've put in this season. But that's not really what's wound me up. No, it's the fact that about halfway through your most shabby performance this season, you saw fit to walk out on the team and out of the stadium, yet never really felt that you owed the fans any kind of apology, but still had no qualms picking up your £60,000 paycheck at the end of the week. Why is that? I mean, I've suffered from depression before, I know what it can be like. But seriously, did I ever do anything as spineless as that? Not that I recall....
Ashley Cole - You all know how I feel about Cole, I don't really need to repeat it. But as far as I'm concerned, secretly meeting our biggest rivals in a hotel trying to arrange a move, then badmouthing the club and claiming that it's all part of your human rights instead of doing the decent thing and admitting a mistake and apologising when you're found out should not be rewarded with the honour of wearing the Arsenal strip, a bigger pay-packet and (as some have been calling for) the captaincy one day.
Robert Pires - Gah! How could the player who once was so good on the ball that not one player in the league could touch him descend to this?!? I mean honestly, we always knew he was a little bit 'lazy', but when he was on the ball he was just so good we could all forgive him, right? Now though, it's another story. Now, no hard feelings against the player (despite the rather tactless and obvious press manipulation and self-obsessed moaning about his future contract - as if we didn't already know!), especially after all the great times he's given us, but honestly, on the football pitch I do wonder what he offers these days. Ok, so I'm being a bit unfair, he still does knock in the odd goal or two, and it seems that being in the right place at the right time is a skill he's not quite flushed away yet. But honestly, when he gets the ball anywhere other than the edge of the six-yard box, you just know what's coming - a ten yard shuffle forward, turning around and passing it backwards. Can he beat a man any more? Can he pick a killer through-ball? Does he track back at all? Will he run off the ball? Ugh.... Thanks Bobby for the memories, but I think it's time to go....
Freddie Ljungberg - Three years ago, we had another player called Freddie Ljungberg. For those of you who don't remember, he was a fantastic battler, whose intelligent runs off the ball and important goals made him a thorn in the side of almost every team he played against. He didn't have much skill, but the skills he had he used to their absolute maximum, and was a fantastic asset to the side. The Freddie Ljungberg we have now, contrary to popular belief, is not the same player. For anyone who doubts this, think about this - when was the last time you saw him make a fantastic late run into the box onto the end of a well-timed through ball? How many goals a season does this new Freddie Ljungberg score? Just one league goal this year, whereas the old one was usually in double digits. Was the old Freddie Ljungberg ever so obsessed with trying stepovers and pinging 30 yard through balls? No, he most certainly wasn't! So how to explain this bizarre switch? Well, either the old Freddie had a twin brother who he never told us about, or he simply shaved his hair off and forgot what he's good at. Unlike Pires and Campbell, I don't put it down to age and physical deterioration - with Freddie it's purely psychological. Perhaps he's seen the press cream themselves over a new breed of dribbling wingers like Ronaldo and Robben and decided he wants a bit of the action, I don't know... Now credit where it's due, Freddie has also put in some sterling performances over the course of the year (Real Madrid away springs to mind), and the endeavour has not always been lacking. But he was never enough of an all-round player to simply switch between roles in the way that he's tried to/been asked to. Please, give us the old Freddie back!
Jose Reyes - Like Freddie, Jose is not in this list because he's a bad footballer. Or because he's been crap all season. In fact, the only reason he's on this list is because I think he's a bloody brilliant footballer. But a bloody brilliant footballer whose brain is like a speck of dust when compared with his natural talent. Never have I seen a player so mercurial. One day he can be absolutely superb, mixing lightening fast breaks with incredible through balls, the next he couldn't pass water, dribble past my grandmother, let alone shoot straight enough to hit a barn at 10 paces. How is it that he can be so brilliant one day and so awful the next? Another one of our players who realistically needs to add to his goal tally if he's ever going to fulfill his potential, one can only hope that in the next season or two the consistency that has so far evaded him becomes as characteristic as his tumbles over a full-back's leg.
Gilberto Silva Quick moan here, because he only had one bad half of the season, but honestly, how difficult is it to pass the ball 6 yards? Credit to him for turning his season round and putting in some great performances, especially in Europe, but you'd really expect a proffessional footballer to be a little better at distributing the ball than that, surely?!?
Emmanuel Adebayor - Ok, harsh I know. After all, he's only had half a season. And heck, he's knocked in a few goals too, more than Franny Jeffers ever managed. But isn't he just a little bit limited for a 7 million pound striker? I mean, you'd think a player costing that much would at least be able to shoot right? And maybe, given that he's over 6 foot, win the ball in the air once or twice? Yes, I know, he deserves time to settle in and I'll give him that before writing him off. But I was never that impressed with him at Monaco, detested the way he treated Monaco and badmouthed them, and I've seen not much in his time here to make me warm to him. I'm glad Thierry likes playing with him, and to be fair it's good to have someone who can do something a bit differently. But really, he's a sub-Kanu player playing regularly at the moment - not what I wanted.
Looking Forward
The Champions League Final
One cannot help but feel, again, that we're underdogs in this game. The press know it, we know it, Barca know it and I suspect our players know it too. And it suits us - we saw what happened at el Madrigal, when the weight of expectation got to our players and we bottled it - fortune (and Jens Lehmann) got us through that day, but against Barca that won't be enough. With the Champions League in the bag for next season, and regaining our 'outsider status', my hope is that we'll be able to regain the form that dumped Real Madrid and Juventus on their arses and out of Europe - if we do that, we have a chnace.
Much has been written (and will be written yet) about this game, so I'll leave rest of the topic well alone, save to say that my head tells me that Barca will just prove too good for us on wednesday, and, should we concede early on, we could go down by several goals. But then, I've been saying that all along, and I've been wrong every step of the way... Right now though, it's up to the boys to step up and make history...
The Transfer Window
There used to be a time (well, last Christmas actually) that I could write almost endlessly about what positions we needed filling, the players we should be looking at to fill them, and criticise some of the linked players as wrong for us in a variety of ways. Invariably, Arsène would then do something (or sometimes nothing) completely different. So making a handful of bold predictions about what will happen this summer is probably futile. However, as we all know, a significant gulf has opened up between us and some of the top teams - part of that gulf will be filled by internal growth, no doubt, but without spending a little cash this summer I can't see how we'll be in any position to challenge next season. Most interesting though, will be the number of players who choose to depart Arsenal this summer - I just put together a preliminary list of senior players who one might think of good reasons to sell or release and even barring unforseen events, it's remarkably long:
Jens Lehmann
Manuel Almunia
Bisan Lauren
Sol Campbell
Pascal Cygan
Ashley Cole
Freddie Ljungberg
Robert Pires
Gilberto Silva
Thierry Henry
Dennis Bergkamp
That's 11 first teamers! I don't expect nearly half that to leave, but 3 or 4 of the above seems plausible - the list ranges from the highly unlikely (Jens, Gilberto, Freddie) to the almost certain and definite (Dennis, Bobby, Ashley Cole), so it seems that almost inevitably some further work will have to be done to increase the size of the squad. Internally, I expect to see more of the likes of Walcott, Djourou, Gilbert and Bendtner next season, whilst it seems probable to me that Wenger will offer a contract to the hapless Alex Song to cover us whilst Abou Diaby recovers from his ankle injury. Even if Cole and Lauren leave, we still are dealing from a position of strength at fullback, with Clichy and Flamini on the left and Eboue and Gilbert on the right plus Justin Hoyte too if we bring him back. In goal though, one must wonder how strong Jens will be next season, a year further the wrong side of 30 and without the carrot of the World Cup in front of him - if he falls apart, is Almunia up to the job of keeping on a medium/long term basis? In central defence, we're very short in my view. Sol just hasn't been up to the job for a couple of seasons, and is deteriorating fast - whilst we've got a good, young, partnership in Kolo and Phil we're not really equipped to deal with any long term injury without seriously damaging the quality of our side. Perhaps Johann Djourou is ready for more action next season, but we do seem a little thin.
With Diaby out long-term, we're back to the square one where we started last season in central midfield, and as we found out (as if it wasn't obvious), what we had was nowhere near enough - I worry that Wenger sees Song as a long-term option, and whilst he's not quite as bad as those who've labelled him as Arsenal's 'worst ever' might say, he really doesn't seem up to the job in my eyes. Gilberto too, whilst excellent at his job, remains a limited player, one upon whom we could seek to improve without too much difficulty - the name of Marcos Senna has been brought up before, and in my view he offers much of what Gilberto does but with the added bonus of a fantastic passing range. On the wings too, both Pires (who's set to leave) and Ljungberg have been well short of the required standard this year, and with both Reyes and Hleb somewhat erratic, one must surely look for a little more assurance in this position - we're going to need to find more goals from other outlets sooner rather than later, and a winger with an eye for goal would be a massive benefit for us.
Up front we seem in reasonable shape if Henry stays, and dire straits if he goes. If he were to leave, a dramatic re-appraisal of our style of play would be absolutely neccessary if we have any pretension of playing competitive football next year, and we'd need to bring in someone pretty special in his place. Names like Torres (great), Berbatov (not so great) and even Andy Johnson (would be disasterous) have been bandied about, but in reality there's not a player in the world we could sign who could make up for Henry - we'd need a combination of strikers to split the load, two players at least capable of hitting the target on a regular basis, and currently we only have van Persie (and even he looked distinctly off colour at the end of this season). Walcott's coming through, and will make a big impact before too long and we have a wealth of young talent, but if Henry goes we'll be very, very short for next year.
All told, we've got a good base of players to challenge with next season, and the improvements in existing members of the squad will make us a better side than we were this year. But it's a base that we need to build on, and bringing in some new signings over the summer needs to be a priority.
2006/07, Ashburton and beyond...
So finally, looking forward to next season, realistically what can we expect? Chelsea have already added Ballack, could possibly add Schevchenko, and will most likely add at least one more look set to be red-hot favourites for next year before even the first ball has been kicked. Unless Wenger pulls of something truly spectacular in the summer, I suspect that we have now slipped too far to make up enough ground to be title contenders in just one season, but I think second is a target well within our grasp and will provide a springboard for a serious title assault in 2007/08. It won't be easy though - rumour has it that Utd. will be adding Momo Diarra this summer, which will address one of their major areas of weakness this year, and Liverpool too look set to grow stronger under Benitez. Significant improvements are needed, and they won't just happen on their own. Even Sp**s might kick on from a good season this year for them (although I secretly think they've peaked, and won't have the same fight/belief next season now that the stuffing's been knocked out of them). I'm not sure how long it will take until the financial benefits from the Emirates start to filter through, but eventually, when they do, I hope they will give Wenger the financial backing to be a little more brave in the transfer market than he has been, go for the top talent, the biggest names in the game and the best players he can get his hands on.
Well, I've taken nearly an entire day to write this, and it'll probably take you just as long to read it. Hopefully it's given you some food for thought, and something to distract you from the nerves that are really building up now ahead of Wednesday night.
Up the Arse - destiny awaits!
welcome back asa and with a trademark post to boot. it better be interesting 
