Morning all.
You probably gathered over the weekend that I love golf, especially The Ryder Cup. The Solheim Cup too as there’s something special I’ve always thought, about a group of men/women who for most of the year are battling it out against each other to be number one, to then group together for just one week to play as a team. One group from Europe, the other, the United States, both consisting of twelve golfers and then one captain with his or her entourage. The camaraderie is incredible and this last one was possibly the best I’ve seen in a long while. Or at least it appeared that way.
It made me wonder how difficult it must be for a club manager/coach, or whoever it is responsible for signing players, to make sure they’ll fit in. Well, it was either the golf or the goings on a Utd which I find particularly amusing. Just as I did when something similar happened at Chelsea. Twice! Wriggle out of this one Jose!
I can’t recall Arsenal ever suffering such problems, certainly not publicly. There was the Adebayor/Bendtner spat, Gallas and Toure and then the Alexis/Ramsey so called fall out but other than those two, I can’t think of any real issues. Certainly not during the reign of Arsene Wenger. My memory isn’t good enough to remember if George Graham had any, in fact what sticks in my mind about that time is it was more likely to be Arsenal versus the rest rather an internal issue. Henry could cut any player down to size with his French stare but that was on the pitch and more likely to be down to getting a result because it mattered. Not sure poor old Reyes ever quite grasped that though. Similar in my opinion with Sanchez. Both wanted to win and at any cost. Players often get the hump with each other when a pass goes astray or someone takes a shot and misses when they were in acres of space. That’s not falling out though, that’s passion.
If we are to believe what’s been written though, there’s been many a player to fall out with Arsene Wenger. Sagna, Pennant, RvP, Bendtner, Szczesny, Bentley, the list is quite long but exaggerated no doubt but none made big headlines, few made it into the press or onto television. I read an article from Alan Smith a few days ago and he fell out with Wenger and the club soon after he started working for Sky Sports. His scathing views on how we were playing were weren’t appreciated.
Aaron Ramsey always seemed to be Arsene Wenger’s golden boy as regardless of how he played, more often than not, he’d be picked. Even if his position was filled, the Frenchman would find a place for him in the side. It drove me nuts. Yes, he nodded his head in disgruntlement after being subbed, but apparently Auba did too not long ago and we all knew Alexis hated being replaced. Emery dismissed it as just being someone who wanted to play. No big deal. I guess with Ramsey and the same with Alexis when he was here, we knew/know their time at Arsenal is coming to end. In similar fashion as far as their contract situation goes.
It wasn’t just Ramsey though who would make the team-sheet regardless of their performance level, there were others who simply couldn’t do anything wrong. On the flip side, over the twenty two years of his management couldn’t do a thing right, or weren’t given a chance to show they could. Talking of which, I was surprised that Unai Emery didn’t give Lucas Perez a chance before offloading him to West Ham although that decision seems spot on right now, just as it does with Jack Wilshere.
Utd aren’t the only club to have suffered problems with players, Pulis and James Beattie at Stoke, David Moyes v Wayne Rooney at Everton, Joe Kinnear v Charles N’Zogbia at Newcastle, Fergie and Beckham, Roy Keane too, Shearer and Barton at Newcastle, there’s plenty but as far as Arsenal are concerned, we’ve been fortunate. Good scouting perhaps?
It certainly can’t be down to egos because during both George Graham and Arsene Wenger’s successful years, plenty of our players had egos but the right egos.
Unai Emery certainly seems to be changing the attitude of the team and if he can add the right players in January and again next summer, perhaps he too can build a team full of egos, but of the right kind of course.
It all made sense in my head when writing this post, honest.
However, when reading it, it might not.. 😉
Good morning Rico, yes I think it’s great when individuals come together to play as a team. But, as in the USA Ryder Cup Team, it can all go to s**t in an instant when things don’t go to plan.
It made sense to me Rico….but that’s not necessarily a good thing.
🙂 Cicero, we must think alike..
That’s the USA for you though, they can fall out over nothing… lol
Seriously though, I can’t think of a manager who has divided his players as much or as often as Mourinho has, certainly not publicly.
Morning all.
Troy Deeny’s “cajones” jibe was actually fairly accurate. Most of Wenger’s sides post Vieira and Petit didn’t have much of a spiteful streak. My good lady wife has said many times, about a variety of players, ‘oh he’s a typical Arsenal player one of Wenger’s boys. Look how he smiles, he’s got a really nice face, etc etc.’ And in the main that was true, any player who had the cajones to stand up to Wenger or publicly criticise him or his team, was shown the door. Most recent and last was Walcott, or it may have been Alexis.
As we have seen two or three times already this season the team has won games that in the past it would surely have lost. Under Wenger many of the players, when facing defeat, just rolled over and let it happen. Not so much no passion, but knowing what would happen if they ‘behaved badly’ by kicking three lumps out of the opposition by way of spiteful revenge, they would find themselves on the old subs bench the next week. Eg Gabriel.
Now, I think we are seeing a more steely side to our reinvented team.. A good thing too. We just weren’t competing, the team were playing nice, tika taka, possession football. All very pretty but, often with no end product, and no cajones to get back and retrieve a lost cause!
I see some really good signs of several of our players ‘growing a pair’ and a new ‘team spirit’ to match. They actually look as if they are enjoying playing football for Arsenal and take a delight in making or scoring a goal. They all seem to so much happier, both on and off the pitch. Even Ozil😊
They are becoming a “team”
A bit grey and cloudy here. If it’s like this tomorrow I think I’ll try to make it to the golf club. Just the weather for a casual round.
Interesting report rico, enjoyed it. Difference between Yanks and us just starting to come out. Koepka and Johnson, Reid and Speith, happy days! They haven’t got Molywood 🙂
Read an American Times forum, some said no need to worry about a glorified exhibition match with no money.
Sums it up, if no money, no importance! Grief. What has happened to sport? I guess upcoming exhibition match from joint losers Mickelson v Woods for 8 million actually matters?
Agree there Wavy, I had forgot about Walcott’s comments and we know what happened next with him. But still, the club seldom, if ever made the headlines for internal fallouts, not really. I suspect there was plenty though, certainly in the last five years of Arsene Wenger.
We just dealt with it better I’d imagine.
Thanks Andrew, ‘Molywood’, I like that, they’ll be around for a long while yet so it’s win win for Europe.
The press might write that in the USA but I’m sure the players don’t think the same way. They’ll be hurting after that thrashing..
It’s like The Ashes in cricket really. It’s about pride.
Rico, it’s also like the FA Cup-it doesn’t matter if you’re not in it 🙂
Morning all.
And the League Cup Scott.. 😉
Yep, add that to the collection lol
Anyone with an ounce of competitiveness will give 100% to win, no matter the prize (money).
The tears in the eyes of many Europeans when interviewed said a lot. I do fear football is now too money-orientated and can’t turn back.
Kick off 17 .55 soon find out if Nelson is playing.
On the bench. City one down first minute
Both Manchester sides to get beat wouldn’t please the newspapers 😉
BBC cock up. 😂😂
Posted at 21:4821:48
Post update
Man Utd 0-0 Valencia
Romelu Lukaku and Paul Pogba link-up on the edge of the area before the Frenchman wins a free-kick for a shit tug.
Who will take the free-kick this time? 10 minutes to go.
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Morning..
New post up now..