Football without Flair POSITIVES, NEEDS and HOPES I go through a check list before every game that I coach. I have to because I have a tendency to be an over thinker. Certainly when it comes to football and my team. I used to try to be clever and when I was a new coach […]
It’s time to get in the ambulance The Positives, Needs and Hopes will return but I don’t think they are relevant today. I think this is more relevant… Over the last few years I’ve been avoiding the doctor. I didn’t feel right and knew I needed to go but fear and the hope for a […]
As we have all seen, Arsenal’s Hale End academy graduates have made quite a significant contribution to the club’s first team over the past 18 months. Today I sat down with Jeorge Bird, who is a prominent follower of the Arsenal youth teams. Omari recently signed his first professional contract at the club, how highly […]
Trusting your ears or your eyes POSITIVES, NEEDS and HOPES My life has been periodically tainted by my over enthusiasm for trusting people who convince me by what they say. I have a positive nature that gladly hasn’t been changed by my experience with people who I’ve trusted and who have later, let me […]
Following last week’s result at home against Dundalk, Arsenal struggled against an Irish Low-Block, which resulted in us having a lot of the ball. We can expect the same tonight from Moldë who will look to sit back and hit us on the counter-attack. One man that will most definitely help break a low-block, is […]
The Premier League’s ‘Big Six’ isn’t a fixed concept. Fifteen years ago, you might have argued it was more of a ‘Big Three’. Whereas ten years ago, there were maybe four teams who challenged for the title. The number of teams who hit that peak of performance, and dominate both home and away, can shift […]
It’s not in the Headlines POSITIVES, NEEDS and HOPES My son Maxwell asks me the same question each week after his football match. He asks me, ‘How did I do, Dad?’ All parents reading this can relate. We all get a similar question. We all probably feel the same way about our response. We tell […]
Attacking solution enclosed POSITIVES, NEEDS and HOPES “Do Rapid Vienna have a goalkeeper? I haven’t seen him yet and this is the 55th minute” “This looks like a massive game of keep away. Again.” “If we are going to score, it doesn’t look like it’s going to be from open play.” “Eddie looks lost. Why […]
An Arteta-induced L Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal – PL review It is about time we got an away win at another big six club. But this game wasn’t it. Maybe we can beat City in the League Cup very soon. But not this time around. I can recall a time when City was a […]
So, it’s back to Anfield for us then. This is a ground with some very mixed fortunes in our history. Anfield 89 stands out, of course. Some of our best league wins in the Wenger-winning period were at Anfield – Pires’s curlers were grand, as was Henry skinning his former Sky pundit buddy Carragher in […]
