DEALING WITH IT
What would the manager have been saying to the players this week? How would the players have been feeling about all the madness that has gone on in the press? How will Wenger really be planning to deal with the likely loss of some of his vital players for what is likely to be a sustained period?
When Wenger refused to back down from his –largely justified – opinion that although we did wrong on Sunday, it was not the hideous slur on the image of football many have deemed it to be, it tells us quite a lot about what’s going on in the camp, on the training ground, in the boardroom.
In what he said there is little paranoid sense of our being persecuted, it’s more clear-eyed than that. Wenger has divided off absolutely the wrongs that we do from the wrongs done to us, and that’s important because it shows the way forward.
The most important report this last week is the one in the Guardian today, the one that says that next Thursday at the AGM it will be announced that the funding is finally in place for Ashburton Grove. With that announcement, forget the media pressure, forget the punishments to be meted out by the FA, which will, in all likelihood, be much less than the tabloids scream for. With Ashburton Grove we can start to plan for the future again, and at that point, the gang mentality the James Lawton’s of this world have condemned becomes an asset. However many players we lose come January, come next summer we can bring in the reinforcements for our little mafia, and we can come back from whatever blows we must expect to suffer from the games when our defence could read Stack, Volz, Toure, Cygan, Clichy.
Gangs operate on the principle that no one can hurt them. That whatever the law does, they can survive and come back stronger, tougher. Arsenal will wait the full fourteen days available to them before appealing, at least, the charges levelled against Parlour, Keown and Lauren. It’s been speculated that they may simply accept the punishment for Vieira, Cole and Lehmann. Accept one game bans or heavy fines for them as an act of contrition to enable them to defend the other three all the more.
But such decisions have to be made on a practical basis, on a rational assessment of how much it could cost us in terms of points on the board. What Wenger will want least of all is to have both Keown and Campbell unavailable at the same time. There was always going to be a point when Cole or Lauren would miss games, hence the arrival of the very talented Clichy, and Wenger’s earlier announcement that Ryan Garry (currently out injured) was reserved a chance as Ash’s deputy. We can cope with that. Cole will only get suspended for one game at worst, as an England player he may just receive a heavy fine (these things count). Lauren’s our weakest link, however good he is, and that was why Volz was sent to Fulham, to blood him should he be needed there – and he’s doing very well, currently the Independent’s 15th highest ranked player in the league. But Sol and Keown are our defensive leaders, and Wenger will want one of them available at all times. Toure’s been brilliant, but he and Cygan don’t have the authority between them to run a defence under pressure. So I would expect Keown’s appeal to be delayed as long as possible so that Sol has served his time first. Do that, problem one solved.
We’ve had to cope without Vieira many times before, probably will again. He’s the most serial offender in the league, we have to accept that about him, neither using it to acclaim him nor using it to damn him. 8 sendings off is a lot. But a motivational factor comes in here, because the Arsenal players don’t have, for one second, to believe that Patrick has had the fit punishment meted out. Vieira himself clearly doesn’t. Feeding off resentment directed towards Van Nistelrooy, the Edu’s and Parlour’s who replace him will be ‘doing it for Paddy’. Holding a line as he would hold it, not simply standing in for him. Edu particularly always seems to play best in high-pressure situations. He disappears, gets sloppy when there’s no real perception of danger. Parlour often does the same. Remember Bolton. But ‘do it for Vieira’ and they will be accepting a burden of responsibility not there when he’s out injured. Problem two is solvable.
Oddly, it’s Parlour’s suspension that worries me most, because I think we saw a glimpse on Sunday of a tactical change Arsenal need to make. Wenger had been pulling it at the close of the first four matches, withdrawing Pires and Ljungberg to let Parlour and Edu shore up the wings. They were there to add defensive stability first and foremost, but also to play crosses, that rarest of Arsenal strategies. Both can, but especially Ray on the right wing, the area where we cause the least danger to the opposition.
Wenger has spoken about Aliadiere being promoted this week, and it seems to me him and Parlour could form an interesting combination. Ray playing it simple, Ali playing as a straight up forward to Titi’s trickery. Getting in the box. Waiting for the simple high ball. Seeing Owen’s goal in Europe yesterday, a pass up the wing and a high cross which he headed brilliantly was a real reminder of the absence of that most direct but satisfying of routes to goal in our play.
With Ray out, it seems we might miss a chance to test that tactic out. Because Pires and Freddie are not good crossers of the ball. Pires is the best passer of a football along the floor in the league. But he never takes the aerial route. While Freddie keeps his passes simple and his running strong.
Which made me wonder about Pennant. Will he be recalled once his initial two month loan period at Leeds ends? Would Wenger have the guts to play a twenty-year old at right back, a twenty year old on the wing, and a twenty year old up front. Combined that’s a whole 17 years younger than Keown and Seaman combined last year. And, frankly, I doubt it. It’s a big risk. And that could be the real shame of this whole sorry affair that it creates a chance to blood our fabled youth, but makes that chance to risky a one to take. Volz will have to play, there’s no-one else. Ali is staking his claim loud and clear on his return from injury. But linking them with Pennant, who’s been awesome for Leeds, who can cross the ball and provide the link on the right wing we need most of all, is too big a risk. Too young. Too open to calamity when it’s calamity we must fend off most of all.
We all want Pennant to succeed at Arsenal. He’s ‘ours’ in a way none of the other youth players are. Not just because he’s English, but because he was the one we always had the highest hopes for. And though I think we can cope with the various suspensions, fines and whatever else the authorities and the press throw at us, I have this sneaking suspicion it’s his chance that could go begging just when it looked to have come. At least for now. Not because of any decision Wenger wanted to make, but because of one he’ll have to make.
So every cloud may have a silver lining, but some days it still pisses down on you just when you thought it was going to get sunny.
What would the manager have been saying to the players this week? How would the players have been feeling about all the madness that has gone on in the press? How will Wenger really be planning to deal with the likely loss of some of his vital players for what is likely to be a sustained period?
When Wenger refused to back down from his –largely justified – opinion that although we did wrong on Sunday, it was not the hideous slur on the image of football many have deemed it to be, it tells us quite a lot about what’s going on in the camp, on the training ground, in the boardroom.
In what he said there is little paranoid sense of our being persecuted, it’s more clear-eyed than that. Wenger has divided off absolutely the wrongs that we do from the wrongs done to us, and that’s important because it shows the way forward.
The most important report this last week is the one in the Guardian today, the one that says that next Thursday at the AGM it will be announced that the funding is finally in place for Ashburton Grove. With that announcement, forget the media pressure, forget the punishments to be meted out by the FA, which will, in all likelihood, be much less than the tabloids scream for. With Ashburton Grove we can start to plan for the future again, and at that point, the gang mentality the James Lawton’s of this world have condemned becomes an asset. However many players we lose come January, come next summer we can bring in the reinforcements for our little mafia, and we can come back from whatever blows we must expect to suffer from the games when our defence could read Stack, Volz, Toure, Cygan, Clichy.
Gangs operate on the principle that no one can hurt them. That whatever the law does, they can survive and come back stronger, tougher. Arsenal will wait the full fourteen days available to them before appealing, at least, the charges levelled against Parlour, Keown and Lauren. It’s been speculated that they may simply accept the punishment for Vieira, Cole and Lehmann. Accept one game bans or heavy fines for them as an act of contrition to enable them to defend the other three all the more.
But such decisions have to be made on a practical basis, on a rational assessment of how much it could cost us in terms of points on the board. What Wenger will want least of all is to have both Keown and Campbell unavailable at the same time. There was always going to be a point when Cole or Lauren would miss games, hence the arrival of the very talented Clichy, and Wenger’s earlier announcement that Ryan Garry (currently out injured) was reserved a chance as Ash’s deputy. We can cope with that. Cole will only get suspended for one game at worst, as an England player he may just receive a heavy fine (these things count). Lauren’s our weakest link, however good he is, and that was why Volz was sent to Fulham, to blood him should he be needed there – and he’s doing very well, currently the Independent’s 15th highest ranked player in the league. But Sol and Keown are our defensive leaders, and Wenger will want one of them available at all times. Toure’s been brilliant, but he and Cygan don’t have the authority between them to run a defence under pressure. So I would expect Keown’s appeal to be delayed as long as possible so that Sol has served his time first. Do that, problem one solved.
We’ve had to cope without Vieira many times before, probably will again. He’s the most serial offender in the league, we have to accept that about him, neither using it to acclaim him nor using it to damn him. 8 sendings off is a lot. But a motivational factor comes in here, because the Arsenal players don’t have, for one second, to believe that Patrick has had the fit punishment meted out. Vieira himself clearly doesn’t. Feeding off resentment directed towards Van Nistelrooy, the Edu’s and Parlour’s who replace him will be ‘doing it for Paddy’. Holding a line as he would hold it, not simply standing in for him. Edu particularly always seems to play best in high-pressure situations. He disappears, gets sloppy when there’s no real perception of danger. Parlour often does the same. Remember Bolton. But ‘do it for Vieira’ and they will be accepting a burden of responsibility not there when he’s out injured. Problem two is solvable.
Oddly, it’s Parlour’s suspension that worries me most, because I think we saw a glimpse on Sunday of a tactical change Arsenal need to make. Wenger had been pulling it at the close of the first four matches, withdrawing Pires and Ljungberg to let Parlour and Edu shore up the wings. They were there to add defensive stability first and foremost, but also to play crosses, that rarest of Arsenal strategies. Both can, but especially Ray on the right wing, the area where we cause the least danger to the opposition.
Wenger has spoken about Aliadiere being promoted this week, and it seems to me him and Parlour could form an interesting combination. Ray playing it simple, Ali playing as a straight up forward to Titi’s trickery. Getting in the box. Waiting for the simple high ball. Seeing Owen’s goal in Europe yesterday, a pass up the wing and a high cross which he headed brilliantly was a real reminder of the absence of that most direct but satisfying of routes to goal in our play.
With Ray out, it seems we might miss a chance to test that tactic out. Because Pires and Freddie are not good crossers of the ball. Pires is the best passer of a football along the floor in the league. But he never takes the aerial route. While Freddie keeps his passes simple and his running strong.
Which made me wonder about Pennant. Will he be recalled once his initial two month loan period at Leeds ends? Would Wenger have the guts to play a twenty-year old at right back, a twenty year old on the wing, and a twenty year old up front. Combined that’s a whole 17 years younger than Keown and Seaman combined last year. And, frankly, I doubt it. It’s a big risk. And that could be the real shame of this whole sorry affair that it creates a chance to blood our fabled youth, but makes that chance to risky a one to take. Volz will have to play, there’s no-one else. Ali is staking his claim loud and clear on his return from injury. But linking them with Pennant, who’s been awesome for Leeds, who can cross the ball and provide the link on the right wing we need most of all, is too big a risk. Too young. Too open to calamity when it’s calamity we must fend off most of all.
We all want Pennant to succeed at Arsenal. He’s ‘ours’ in a way none of the other youth players are. Not just because he’s English, but because he was the one we always had the highest hopes for. And though I think we can cope with the various suspensions, fines and whatever else the authorities and the press throw at us, I have this sneaking suspicion it’s his chance that could go begging just when it looked to have come. At least for now. Not because of any decision Wenger wanted to make, but because of one he’ll have to make.
So every cloud may have a silver lining, but some days it still pisses down on you just when you thought it was going to get sunny.
