The Conductor and his part time Rock Band POSITIVES, NEEDS and HOPES End of season review This is a tale of the unnecessary. There once was a really good music teacher. He had been given the opportunity to work with a fairly talented but unbalanced rock band called ‘Unexpected.’ The music teacher had taken […]
Whilst it’s been a very poor season for Mikel Arteta as Arsenal manager, he can certainly be encouraged by his side’s form since Christmas and the way his players have finished the league campaign on a high. In this piece, an analysis of Arsenal’s victory against Brighton is discussed. In possession On the final […]
Small happy, bigger frustration POSITIVES, NEEDS and HOPES Perhaps I’m overthinking this as the answer to my frustrations could be so very simple. It’s the last game and the pressures off, right? The players would rather have not played in the Conference league, I’m sure. But…. Why were so many of our season long problems […]
Arsenal don’t but Arteta does POSITIVES, NEEDS and HOPES Mikel Arteta won’t feel like he walked away with a win yesterday. He didn’t. Yet, did he personally get a win? As the coach of the team he may never know or feel this personal victory but I’d imagine when he pauses he will realize, if […]
The Either/Or Conundrum Mistakes happen everywhere and football is no exception. No big drama, we chin up and move on. What makes it particularly difficult to process is its repetition, over time, as the concept of learning through experience doesn’t apply. We can accept the odd mistake, the brain fart that bears unpleasant consequences but […]
A coaches coach POSITIVES, NEEDS and HOPES I wasn’t really ‘Wenger Out.’ I wasn’t ‘Wenger In’, either. I was more ‘Wenger frustrated.’ I spent the post 2010 period largely frustrated. Whether it was the fact that we always seemed 2-3 players short of competing or the more pertinent point, that it became clear that he […]
There are two statements that appeared on my feed recently that sum up a depressingly, growing number of our fan base at the moment. Anonymous (supposed Arsenal fan) on Twitter: ‘When you play well you get zero abuse. They deserve everything they get and more” Granit Xhaka: “I’m the guy on the pitch, not my […]
A line-breaking pass from deep, positional rotations and a smart finish; elements that were on display in Arsenal’s first goal against Leeds (described below). In this piece, I provide a review of the game. Formations in and out of possession Arsenal continued to persist with the 4-2-3-1 that has brought greater levels of consistency in […]
It’s been a catastrophic season so far. But perhaps yesterdays performance may just be a catalyst for change. In this piece, I provide an in-depth match review, discussing the formations/tactics deployed by Mikel Arteta, a general review of the game followed by highlighting individual performances. Initially, it seemed that the hybrid 3-4-3 would be retained […]
Running Scared (and I am Beginning to think we might struggle to make top 4) So, the polarisation of Gooners has begun again. You are either ‘Arteta Out’ or ‘Blind Arsenal Faith’. There is no middle way. Gone are the days of reasoned debates and subjective thought process. These have been replaced by […]
