‘The 2 most important qualities in modern football’ I predict that Arsenal will finish 3rd. I also predict that we will finish significantly closer in points to the winner than last season. I have thought hard about this and my confidence is founded in two things…. Firstly, the club didn’t leave us ‘two or three […]
‘HAS SOMEONE LEFT THE INFERIORITY COMPLEX IN BAKU?’ – Positives, Needs and Hopes I am not just trying to be rose tinted. Coaching taught me a while ago that winning matters but the game is often a collection of separate observations. Take the score away as it matters little in […]
THE GAME CHANGERS vs THE SLEEPING PILLS Arsenal have two opposites going on. They have not only reinforced the attack, they have reinvigorated it with top class, youth, athleticism, speed and a new directness. I was fooled in the first half. We looked like we might replicate the big score line the last time we […]
‘…..AND THEN I PUT MY GOGGLES ON’ Do you have anything in your football world that you really don’t understand? I do. I don’t understand fans that think friendlies are pointless or that pre-season is just for fitness. From my vantage point friendlies are for making BIG decisions about the upcoming season and who stays […]
The Charlotte sunshine was almost unbearable. We sat in the top tier fully exposed and routinely purchasing $5 bottles of water from the equally sad looking schoolkid who was lumbering around his grate of drinks in 90 degrees. I think my gullibility was partially down to the warped idea that I was helping this poor […]
‘THE £90M strategy’ Positives, Needs and Hopes by Mike McDonald How much would you pay if you could buy winning mentality? I’d pay at least £50M. How much would you pay for an on ball hi-tempo? I’d pay at least £40M. We don’t talk about these changes pre-season as much as we do new players […]
LOOK AROUND THE CORNER AND YOU MIGHT SEE HOPE’ Well, I wasn’t expecting that. The first pre-season game is normally a mess, full of mistakes and general rustiness. That is not what happened at all. Arsenal were very sharp and completely dominant against a team in mid-season. A team with an average age of […]
1) There has been a strange pause in our dealings. Almost signed Saliba and then paused. Close on Tierney, paused. Bid for Zaha, pause. In the first part of this blog, I wondered if we have paused due to prioritizing Zaha. It could be this but it also could be that Kroenke has agreed to a […]
‘Nine Arsenal Thoughts’ By Mike McDonald 1) Why are Arsenal taking so long to buy players this summer? I think that this has everything to do with their pursuit of Zaha, for two good reasons. Firstly, I think that we are not wanting to purchase other players until we know how much we have to […]
‘I’ve pressed pause, Arsenal haven’t.’ by Mike McDonald I have 9 summer thoughts including an explanation for Arsenal’s transfer dealings. Let’s start with the latest twitter angst…. why have we not signed players yet? 1. Lack of signings explained Complaining about a lack of transfers in preseason is a little bit like complaining because you […]
