In my previous article, I said that football is a results business and in that respect, what a great couple of weeks it’s been since I last penned my thoughts. Most supporters are quick to criticise the manager when he gets it wrong, so I’m going to buck that trend by being quick to praise […]
Polish the rocks to buy the diamonds POSITIVES, NEEDS and HOPES Many years ago I was in Memphis sitting in a restaurant late at night. I was chatting with a local man who was imparting one pearl of wisdom after another. As is life, we only remember the odd thing here and there. For some […]
Pressure wins twice If you are thinking that the headline refers to Arsenal beating Southampton due to two individual moments of pressure, you’d be 50% correct. Arsenal won due to a couple of reasons, and leaning into their speed upfront was certainly one of them. Southampton never found an easy way to play or create […]
A positive solution We don’t have to wait for the transfer window. There is a solution that leans into our individual and team strengths. Our defense is the best it will be until new players arrive. Our midfield is unfit for modern football so why worry about it until it gets blown up as there […]
It’s only a few days before we kick off vs. Man City. And Guardiola and his former assistant Arteta will face off to boot. Let’s not forget that both Pep and Arteta had varying experiences during the pandemic/lockdown. Pep sadly lost his mother, and Mikel had the actual virus. We could also meet in the […]
Money could save us, Money could kill us Positives, Needs and Hopes It’s March. It’s 2021. One year from now. Could this happen?….. Who would’ve thought that Arsenal would be where they are today? After a fairly miserable 19/20 season where Arsenal tumbled prematurely out of Europe and failed to make it back in, the […]
This feels different Positives, Needs and Hopes I respect the world of football stats but don’t search them out. There is something in me that resists stats and considers them somewhat unnecessary even though many are interesting and revealing. I far prefer basing my judgments on feeling. Maybe it’s because I’ve poured much […]
Systems vs Swagger Positives, Needs and Hopes One of the most frustrating parts of coaching is when you spend endless hours working on what seems like such a good idea only for it to hurt the team. I can’t prove this but the first half against Newcastle looked like a plan shut down. In my […]
Structure 3 Balance 1 Positives, Needs and Hopes Arsenal are in a period of sacrifice. It looks to me that the new coaching team has sacrificed needed work on our attacking game to focus heavily on defensive structure. I’m not necessarily disappointed as Arsenal haven’t had a proper defensive structure for almost half my life. […]
The STARTeta of transformation. The last game versus Bournemouth was the real beginning of Arteta’s reign as manager, and it’s what all us Arsenal fans have been crying out for. I reiterate that it is the beginning, and we don’t need to be getting carried away as it’s a long way to get to where […]
