After a season of more ups and downs than a Thorpe Park rollercoaster, and more emotions than a Sinead O’Connor song, I think I speak for all Arsenal fans when I say a steady, consistent season is what we need; however the likelihood of that happen is utterly obscene.
Nothing is ever, ever consistent and steady in the world of Arsenal.
I am queitly optimistic though, don’t get me wrong, I can still see myself vehemently screaming at the television, and shouting obsceneties in front of my 4-year-old son, as Alex Song decides that he’s the second coming of Yohan Cruyff, and plays one of those ridiculous chip balls, which skids off the surface and out into touch; but this team has grown, and been through a lifetime of struggles in the past 12 months, so much so, that I can only see improvement.
The signings have been superbly positive, not just in terms of the calibre of player, which I will go into shortly, but the timing. We all know about last year’s debacle. I simply do not have enough hours in the day to even begin to question what happened and who was responsible.
It does seem as though that somebody upstairs has listened to the utter bollocking they received last year, and have pulled their finger out early, by signing Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud, with most fans believing more are to arrive.
From an Arsenal point of view, the signings have been exactly what we have been crying out for, for years. Solid, well known names, with a proven track record.
Lukas Podolski, we all know too well about. A sensational strike rate for Germany, alongside his fellow Pole, Miroslav Klose, proves he is of the highest quality. Patchy at best whilst at Munich, in a move which was perhaps slightly premature, however he has blossomed once again since returning to Cologne, and I for one, am certain he will pick up from where he left off, this time in the red and white; and at £10m, a bargain.
Giroud, is a more astute signing, and while I don’t profess to know a great deal about him, he’s clearly got a pedigree which is only going to aid our squad.
We all know what happened with the last two strikers we bought from Ligue 1, and it’s fairly safe to assume the Arsenal careers of those two strikers are no more alive than Mikael Silvestre, however Giroud has International experience of the highest order with France, and returned some impressive numbers last season.
I think with the addition of one or two more names, on the same scale as the aforementioned players, combined with the fresh faces in the back room staff (Steve Bould appointment being a masterstroke), I seriously believe we can push for trophies.
There is a long way to go, and I would snap your hand off if I was offered third place now, however I do believe there is something special about this squad, which we have not seen for quite some time.
A quiet confidence, a fighter’s spirit, and a team that works for all.
Phil Smith
@Philsmithx
@Phil
Sorry to be a tad pernickity but:
“A sensational strike rate for Germany” is a little OTT.
101 appearances, 44 goals isn't sensational; it's less than one goal in two games.
A rate I would describe as 'perfectly acceptable' or 'decent'.
Otherwise a good post, Phil. Thanks.
ps: I especially like the Alex Song bit.