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Losing the point (Positives Needs & Hopes) [WOL 0-1 ARS]

‘Losing the point’

   An Arsenal blog from the uncorrupt version of Michael Oliver

Apathy is possibly the worst emotion.

I experienced it today. Apathy for one of my favourite things.

Max seemed bothered with me in the second half because I wasn’t paying full attention to the game. He kept giving me the ‘what the heck am I doing’ look. I had to check myself too. Why wasn’t I fully attentive? I’d somewhat checked out because subconsciously I have started to lose the point of watching my team play.

I anticipate that we are going to be shafted. Deliberately.

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All sports have their reason to watch but football is somewhat unique in that every detail matters more because it is a low scoring sport. Let’s say for example that sometime down the road we find out what we all suspect. That deliberate cheating occurred. Would loyal fans like me, loyal fans like those that read blogs like this one, stop bothering because the whole point has been removed.

In my opinion we have to start using the right adjective. It’s not incompetence. It’s not a terrible decision. It’s not ‘another bad call against Arsenal.’

It is deliberate.

Conscious cheating.

I remember a friend once telling me that ‘perception is reality.’ I hated hearing this. I want justice. Fairness. After reflecting and swallowing my desire for utopia, I realized that I live in a very imperfect world and that for the benefit of my sanity, I had to realize the power of perception.

So, after deciding to live in the world that I live in, I am aware that this very perception will very soon set fire to the world’s most exciting league. The straw. The back. The camel. It will happen. People will stop going. Stop watching. It may not be the hardcore crew but one of the advantages that the PL has is that wherever in the world you go, anywhere, people love the Premier League. It used to be that the country I now live in was the last one to buy into ‘soccer.’ That has changed largely because of the Premier League. Not the MLS. Not the US National Team. The Premier League. For those that read my blog regularly, they will know that I live in Tennessee in the middle of nowhere, yet there is a specific Arsenal pub here. There is a problem though. The people here that fell in love with the Premier League have options. There isn’t really any that I know that just love Arsenal. They love UT (University of Tennessee) who have a 107,000 seater stadium. They love the Smokies minor league baseball team. They love the NFL team, Tennessee Titans. The Knoxville Ice Bears hockey team. They absolutely love March Madness Basketball. Many of them have chosen an MLS team too as there are 4 within driving distance. Then there are the women’s sports that are more popular than most any other country. And on…..

Why is this relevant to the Premier League, though?

Well, what will happen is that folks like those sports fans in the US will stop watching the Premier League because it’s not their first love and they have options.

Should the Premier League care? They will because of the TV deal. They will because the US is the destination of choice for not just the PL teams but the best teams in World Football for a pre-season destination. We all know that the root of most all problems is money and when countries like the USA, Japan, Australia, China and the continent of Africa start switching off then the PL teams get far less money and so the best players and coaches go somewhere else.

Worse than the issue of money though is this….

I am an example of someone whose life can easily be described as one that revolves around football. To the point where I have convinced my boss to move his annual meeting on Monday to another location so that I can use the conference room for my ‘Who Am I Arsenal quiz.’

My cage has been rattled this season more than any other. I honestly wonder how I would feel about turning the game on next weekend if Arsenal would’ve dropped points today. I know I’m going to be tested again if they don’t rapidly rescind MLS’ red card too. Call me over emotional but Michael Oliver has a personal interest in MLS being banned against the team he supports, who haven’t won anything in my lifetime and he is the senior FIFA referee in the PL and Howard Webb won’t want to make him look wrong.

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The Premier League have to be mighty careful. The energy that a football fan feeds off is hope. Their cheating is sucking that away. If they lose me or you, they lose it all.

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POSITIVES:

I wasn’t surprised that we kept our heads after the red card and after half time. Arteta is a ‘no excuses’ coach and he is being tested as if he was the footballing version of Job.

Rice:

Without Odegaard available, and even though Gabriel had the armband, I noticed Rice leading the second half huddle. He played like his speech of determination. He is the perfect player and leader for this kind of moment. the perfect blend of anger and focus. Of all those at Arsenal I think that Rice has the furthest to go in personal improvement. I would imagine that a player with his determination and technique will figure out the penalty area and get 15 goals per season.

Arteta:

We don’t know what was said at half time but whatever it was kept our focus in the second half. I’m sure the human side of Arteta wanted to throw tables but he has obviously composed himself and focused on the task. You can see this focus directly after the red card too. I just hope for Arteta’s sanity that the club has installed a rage room for him to let loose including a sound proof mobile one for away games.

Calafiori:

There are only a few players that play with the desperation to make an impact like Calafiori. That’s how I see him. You can see it in his swashbuckling style and especially in how he celebrates. Nothing planned, just raw emotion. I particularly loved his goal. I like players who come to Arsenal and show the coaching staff what is possible if you shoot without thinking. “If in doubt, shoot,” Brian Clough would say. Arsenal in particular, almost always think twice before they shoot. Arsenal also almost always have to shoot/finish with a crowd in front of them. What percentage of our shots are blocked? A lot %, I’d say. If you don’t take a touch then the crowd drops 50%.

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Trossard:

Another rare sighting at Arsenal is the first time cross. Very hard to be accurate with but you most certainly have more space to hit it into, if you do. I wish we would do it more even though it’s difficult because we have elite players. Elite players are elite because they can do difficult things. That Trossard cross to Havertz with his weak foot was one of the best we’ve seen in a long while. Especially considering it was his weak foot. He is starting to make the regular impact that he did last season. Good timing.

Havertz:

Not his best game but his effort is unquestioned. You will note that all these others are midfielders.

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NEEDS:

Darren ‘I will soon wish I wasn’t born in’ England:

Yes. Darren was on VAR. Is it worse to throw the first or final punch? Oliver has ultimate power but Darren has either bottled it because his superior is on the field or he is in on the cheating. Let’s not hyper focus on Oliver. It’s almost all of them.

Back to Darren. The decision in how to best cheat has been discussed. All those at the stadium will always accept decisions quicker if you make them quickly and with authority. i’ll give them credit here. They are at least trying to be good bank robbers rather than running in the bank at 11am without a ski mask on having forgotten to bring a bag to put the money in. Like politicians, they only fool the stupid or those that watch and believe Dermot Gallagher and see no other opinions. If I was to describe the world right now, I would say that it is in a state of awakening. So many lies are being revealed. Why would the PGMOL choose this now to cheat? We are all on red alert. Odd.

Players:

We were far from our best but I’m making a stand today. No criticism of any player or coach at Arsenal because they all overcame a huge injustice and showed more composure than I expected them to. Part of me was wishing that they spent the second half throwing limbs because they deserved to rage.

HOPES:

An attacker or 7:

Firstly, I think if we sign Sverre Nypan, we will remember the day.

I remember being on the way to Aldbury when Rioch signed Bergkamp and I’m now trying to think of other signings that I knew were going to change the club. All of the best hit the heights at Arsenal rather than beforehand. Nypan obviously isn’t close to the Bergkamp feeling but then we didn’t have endless video clips, podcasts and information back then. I haven’t written a transfer blog for Le Grove in a long time but I know that I know that I spend way too much time looking at targets. There are a handful of players currently playing that I would speak this way of. If Ousmanne Dembele stayed fit he would be a ceiling raiser. Whoever signs Frimpong this summer will add a dimension that only Hakimi can reach. Bradley Barcola at PSG could reach Mbappe levels and he has just lost his place to Kvara. Skelly Alvero would dominate with a better coach. I pleaded for Justin Kluivert when he was at Roma. Viktor Gyokeres will become the best striker in the world unless he goes to Man Utd or Spurs. Matheus Cunha is elite but you can’t really see it because he’s playing relegation football. Semenyo will probably end up at Bayern Munich.

So, what of Nypan?

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I would describe him using two Arsenal players. Santi Cazorla and Myles Lewis Skelly. His main quality is running with the ball. There are less of this type in modern football as his skill is considered too high risk unless used out wide, but is the one quality we lack at Arsenal. Legitimately two footed with a similar creative eye. Also, possess the same gift as MLS. The ability to protect the ball whilst dribbling as he uses his body to prohibit defenders from nibbling.

As crazy as it sounds, I am more excited about this signing than the others.

Mathys Tel:

It has become quite obvious that Arsenal want to pursue Isak or Sesko in the summer and greatly prefer to do a loan in January. Tel has elite talent and is just a bits and pieces player behind Kane at Bayern.

Cunha:

One of the 3 players I want. Elite. Versatile. Motivated to play at a higher level. Quick. Creative. In form. Almost the full package.

Nico Williams:

I think he is mad if he doesn’t drop his wage demands and join Arsenal. We are the next big thing in European football. The club most likely to rise to the top and stay there as we are so well run and have so many elite players. If he thinks he is worth 300K a week, I’d tell him to sod off because that is his ceiling and not his current value. I think the other first team players would feel insulted because he’s not yet proved that he is better than players like Saka, Saliba and Odegaard, because he’s not.

Evan Ferguson:

Like him a lot, especially on loan but his injury record is quite abysmal.

Tweets and Thoughts:

As part of my therapy I have searched the twitters far and wide for some of the best comments that help remind me that I’m not raging alone.

 

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FINAL THOUGHT:

It isn’t just Arteta that is going through ‘the trials of Job.’ The players have it even harder because they are standing right next to these moments of deliberate cheating. Winning is the best revenge and that is an experience that this impressive group of men have just experienced.

These last two pictures are going to be used in a symposium on coaching at some point. Football, or any other sport.

The lesson…… ‘How to deal with adversity.’

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4 Responses to Losing the point (Positives Needs & Hopes) [WOL 0-1 ARS]

  1. Ken Cross January 27, 2025 at 8:52 am #

    Santiago Gimenez at Feyenoord is scoring for fun, has Max checked him out? Price seems reasonable.

  2. Leonardo January 27, 2025 at 2:35 pm #

    Hi, Mike.
    I have to admit that I yelled at my tv and slammed at the innocent coffee table that was in front of me. On top of that, I refused to continue watching the match (as if it could prove a point or something…)
    So, when you share all of this stuff showing that I’m not alone in feeling robbed, I feel less ashamed of myself for reacting in that emotional way.
    Thanks for the reading. Excellent as always.

    Leonardo

  3. allezkev January 28, 2025 at 12:16 pm #

    Great post Mike:

    In the words of the song often belted out by the Millwall fans and which applies very much to Arsenal this and many other seasons as well ‘nobody likes us, we don’t care’…

    I’m not expecting anything from MLS’s appeal, I’ve felt ever since Trossard and Rice got sent off that the football deep state was out to stop us and nothing that’s happened since has changed my mind on that. All Arteta can do it to evoke the George Graham mantra that everyone is against us and just dig in and fight fight fight.

    We don’t really have too many friends in the media and the football authorities seem quite transparent in their dislike of Arteta so all the club can do is to play to its maximum and hope that we can cause an upset despite the dark forces lined up against us.

    Us against the rest has always been the way, even when we had Wengerball at its peak we were the recipients of some outrageous officiating, it’s in our DNA and it’s something our newer fans will soon learn to live with, it makes our successes all the sweeter because we know how it affects the haters.

    The players need us more now than at any other time this season, they need our support and affection even when things are stacked against us and there seems no light at the end of the tunnel, we have to stick together whatever the end result – it’s what makes us Arsenal.

    And everyone else can do one!

  4. Bob January 28, 2025 at 5:06 pm #

    Thanks Mike! Many thanks.

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