The absence of automatic POSITIVES, NEEDS AND HOPES Everyone seems to be dealing with their own level of disappointment after yesterday. Some have gone for fire-face emoji-man. Others are emotional because it just happened and it wasn’t very pretty. There are a batch who see a 0-1 to City as ‘not bad considering.’ Then there […]
Author Archive | Mike McDonald
The Journey and The Scoreboard: why Gooners need to keep calm and trust Arteta [Positive Needs & Hopes]
The Journey and the Scoreboard POSITIVES, NEEDS and HOPES In a strange kind of way I was interested to see Benfica yesterday. I’ve researched many of their players for my transfer blogs but we don’t much get to see the Portuguese league and we all know that there are frequent gems sold from this league. […]
When the Coach got to coach – the 3 missing pieces Arteta used to tame El Loco
When the Coach got to coach POSITIVES, NEEDS and HOPES I was really looking forward to yesterday’s game. Off the back of two losses and another potential fan meltdown, that may seem a little crazy. My excitement was based on knowing that the game came with a full weeks preparation time. Something our coach hasn’t […]
The Penalty Box Problem – how Arteta can fix Arsenal’s goalscoring disfunction
The Penalty Box Problem POSITIVES, NEEDS and HOPES Well, that wasn’t November and it wasn’t January. It was somewhere in between. The Keeper was very good, defence was uncharacteristically nervous, the midfield dominated but it was the attackers or more to the point, the attacking, that was stuck deep in November. There are multiple layers […]
Have you noticed? – This Squad CARE and Arteta has transformed Arsenal to be the best DEFENCE in the Premier League
Have you noticed? POSITIVES, NEEDS and HOPES I think it’s pretty normal for football fans to notice the following; great performances, poor performances, glaring opportunities, eye catching individualism, big effort, lack of effort and man of the match candidates. There are more but that’s enough. What I’m starting to notice with the current Arsenal team […]
When it’s the Coach: how Arteta unlocked Southampton for the W [Positive Needs & Hopes]
When it’s the Coach POSITIVES, NEEDS and HOPES Every game can be won or lost by a coach. Something they do or don’t do. Often it’s plural. Yesterday, Mikel Arteta and Ralph Hassenhuttl got to show themselves. Two games, same opponents, back to back. A real coaches game. Just played each other so we were […]
A man for all occasions: how Arsenal’s Swiss Army Knife can transform in-form Gunners
The Swiss Army Knife POSITIVES, NEEDS and HOPES There’s a groove developing. A little swagger. Beyond the natural boost of confidence earned when you start winning and keeping clean sheets, what are the details? 1) INDIVIDUAL IMPROVEMENT Have you noticed? We have 11 players that we can pick who are either on a run of […]
ARS 0-0 CRY When your best isn’t good enough, sometimes the solution is the winner. [Positive Needs & Hopes]
Sometimes the Solution is the Winner POSITIVES, NEEDS and HOPES So, we didn’t get 3 points but….. what did we get? We got returning players, Partey in particular. We got a better performance from our central midfielders. Our backline looked solid and we defended against two of the trickiest players in the league, admirably. A […]
January 2 December 0 – The December Old Boys given a chance but saved By January Boys
January 2 December 0 POSITIVES, NEEDS and HOPES I kid you not, I wrote that headline on my notepad before the game. I looked at the line up and wasn’t entirely disappointed as the key players needed to be rested, but I saw Willian and some of his buddies and predicted that the ‘December crew’ […]
From Frustration, Anger and Hopelessness to Excited, Energized and Hopeful in a Week! – A World of New Feelings
A World of New Feelings POSITIVES, NEEDS and HOPES Do you remember frustration, anger, hopelessness and possibly a desire for a new coach? That was the 3rd week in December. Two weeks later and I don’t know how you feel but I feel relieved, excited, hopeful and energized. Two weeks. Just two weeks later. I […]