Daily Bits and Bobs

This Arsenal is different! Substance over style, or style over substance?

Posted on by rico

Morning all.

Arsene Wenger after the scrappy victory over Newcastle:

It is another aspect of your team that is tested in a game like that. You fight, not to concede a goal, not panic and wait for your chance. We were more questioned on that aspect than the way we play football, so it is good sometimes to win like that. I have belief because of the experience, the quality of the attitude.

I think a team always has a charisma. If you look at the team as a unit, it is like a person. If you look at your team like a person and the vibes coming out, you can sense – when you are a long time in the job – if there is something in there or not.

In my job, if you don’t believe in your team you are in a bad shape.

Can this group of players finally win the league, unlike so many Arsenal teams in the past ten years?

I think they are more experienced. When we moved into the stadium here the average age was 23 or 24. On our day we could play everybody off the park but when you had to dig deep, come out with your knowledge and your experience, it was a bit more difficult — but these are different teams.

Our target, and my target, is to get the best out of the team and, if possible, make sure nobody is better than us.

If somebody is better than us, it’s sport.

A few years back, we were too often guilty of playing beautiful football, yet dropping points and fans weren’t happy. Now, we are accumulating points, sometimes playing terribly, yet fans aren’t happy.

Often the view is that incompetent/corrupt/iffy officiating costs us points, and on occasions, even losing players due to injury, whilst others state Arsenal should be taking the officials out of the equation by outplaying the opposition and being better than them.

So I do wonder why for years we have all complained about Man Utd gaining a lot of bonus points each season at the hand of officials.

Complacency is a furphy, in my opinion.

I believe that just sometimes, performances don’t always meet the normal standard and that happens in all sports and life in general but surely, consistency of results is the key rather than consistency of performances. If that fact was in dispute, we’d be mid table right now surely as we’ve gained quite a few points this season while putting on an ordinary display.

It’s a very, very rare occurrence for us to compliment the performance of an opponent when we lose, draw or even sometimes win against a lower table side yet I believe that other teams lift their game against us, yet we almost always make it about our lack of performance, rather than the effort our opponents have put in.

Sometimes, we are simply outplayed, out muscled, out worked etc etc etc. It happens….we aren’t perfect.

Our transfer strategy is woeful – we’ve all said that at times, yet we today with possibly, even probably, the best two outfield players in the League, a keeper who is world class, plus a squad who quite obviously want to play for each other, and their manager. Team unity is worth much more than other single factor in the game I believe and
Leicester show this weekly.

The added class we have is the icing on the cake, but it’s not enough – Chelsea show us that and aren’t we thankful for that.

We were very average on Saturday but we won the game, however, most comments are negative. If we’d have drawn or lost to Newcastle, the same people would be saying these are the games a title winning club must win.

We won, so why aren’t we concentrating on that point?

Why, because we are Arsenal and we must perform every week – well, until we drop points and then it’s back to “we need to be winning those games”.

It’s very frustrating for us all to sit back and watch poor displays and yes, there is always room for improvement, but there’s also always room to regress.

Let’s all be a little more thankful for what we have and if Arsene does well this transfer window, we really could go on to win the league and in spite of the fact we are average, don’t spend, don’t do tactics and can’t handle physicality.

On face value, we don’t do much at all very well do we….. 😉

By Scott from Oz.

rico

134 thoughts on “This Arsenal is different! Substance over style, or style over substance?”

  2. rico says:

    Nice one Scott, thanks.

    I’ll throw a question out there. If Arsenal won every league match between now and the end of the season as they did on Saturday, would anyone care? 🙂

  3. scottfromoz says:

    Thanks Ginge….I knew you’d like it lol.
    Rico, I do love watching us play our free flowing, attacking football, but you know what?
    I am sick of copping it from opposition fans about how Arsenal do things the right way, but don’t win anything important, so right now, I want any win we can manage.
    Morning all.

  4. Wath says:

    We are so crap we may all as well give up go home not watch and just drink ourselves into a stupor…! Players, manager, staff and fans are all rubbish…!

    Oh and morning you lot.

  5. rico says:

    Totally agree Scott… I’d be happy if we win the league in any shape or form. AW won’t be around forever so then we’ll see something different no doubt…

    Morning to you again Ts, Scott, Wath and all…

  8. clockendjim says:

    We will win nothing if we continue to play Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain, they are so off-form lately that they are a liability. Campbell is much better that both of them and should be on the team-sheet before either of them. However we are still in need of a top striker to finish off all our great approach work and Ozil’s wonder passes. Even with every one fit, we do not have a Vardy type in the squad. How I wish we had got Benzema; we would be streets ahead by now if we had.

  9. Wath says:

    Don’t worry Scott you should know me well enough mate I don’t need an invite to drink in fact I need zero reason…….. As nike would say… Just do it…!

  10. allezkev says:

    There is a theme in the media, it’s been thus for ax long as I’ve been an Arsenal fan and that’s why I treat the Media and Press with utter distain…
    It is peopled with hypocrites, the same hypocrites who slagged Wenger for being a Specialist in Failure, unable to win anything.
    And when AW won the FACup in 2014, that trophy suddenly became irrelevant.
    Arsenal defeated ManCity in the 2014 Charity Shield, but still the media thread was that Arsenal couldn’t beat the PetroDollar clubs…
    Of course thrashing Villa to retain the FACup and beating Mourinho to retain the Charity Shield doesn’t count either.
    Thrashing ManUre and beating ManCity this season isn’t important and of course if Arsenal were to win the EPL, it’ll be the weakest EPL ever, blah blah blah

  15. rico says:

    Jim, I don’t think Walcott has been at all bad this season. Poor on Saturday yes, but the rest, he’s been good imo..

    Exactly Kev, funny how the FA Cup was no longer ‘a trophy’ but suddenly ‘just the FA Cup’…

  17. Hell Raising Devil says:

    Good Morning Lovelies and Hunkies.

    Nice post Scott. I enjoyed reading that.

    Yes you are right……many complain about everything. They even end up complaining about their complaints.

    But then there are others who complain simply because they want the club to keep on improving and be the top of them all.

    On a different note……….I would like to make a prediction………….how many of you will bet anything, even 1 penny that the Chavs will finish above the totts.

  19. tsgh says:

    Scott- Fergie won the title in 2009 by not beating us, Chelsea and city in the league. In fact Fergie won loads of titles by being consistent at beating the 15 so called smaller temas in the league and drawing against the bigger teams.
    The media has gotten to us fans by making us believe winning 3 points against city is more valuable than beating lowly Norwich.
    maybe its teh Mourin-ho effect; Jose would always choose beating us 1 week and then losing to Crystal Palace or Birmingham the following week all because he had personal beef with AW.

    As kev has alluded to above, the majority of media and ex-pros are hypocrites; they have gone on about how being beaten 6-1 by Suarez-pool was mentality damaging to us but fail to recognise that between 2006 and 20013 we competed with the so caled oilers on occasions but then lost ground on the EPL titles because we could not motivate ourselves to beat relegation threatened teams after a mid week UCL game.

  22. allezkev says:

    Yep Rico, the bullshit we get from the same media sources and pundits is wearisome, but oh so predictable. Whilst listening to them change with the wind, just shows them up for the frauds most of them are….

    That’s it Scott, win the bloody thing and let the pundits stew in their own revolting juices…

  24. Wavy says:

    Morning all.

    Kev with the press its systemic and I think it goes way back to the glory days of the 30’s. The other teams just couldn’t compete and it created hate, jealousy and envy. Not really sure why, not when you consider the love that is still shown to the dippers and the now failing manure! Old habits die hard! But strangely everyone loathes the Arsenal and delights in their failure even when their own teams are abject!
    Or am I being paranoid?

    Hint of blue sky here. Are things cheering up?

  26. tsgh says:

    It wont be fun Adam;
    On the othe hand, the WBA game was worst.
    Nothing worst than going away in the wet seasons and coming home with 0 points.

  30. Hell Raising Devil says:

    How are you Kev and Wath???

    we win the league…..let the pundits stew in their revolting juices……and then win it again.

    Oh…..and the FA Cup as well.

    this season we have lost against Chavs, Southampton, WHU and WBA.

    Could we have got something from those teams??? it depends. There were games we should have won…against the dippers…..the ref did not give us a pen. Against the chavs the ref fluffed his lines again. Against WHU we were lacklustre. Against WBA we did not show up.

    the thing is…..after 20 games we are 2 points ahead of everyone else. Hopefully that advantage will be increased

  32. Lee says:

    We do tend to have a strong second half of the season, is that due to the fact we are normally out of the title race by then?

    I’m not being a smart arse asking the question……….

  33. Marshall says:

    I thought a certain team in Manchester used to win titles the ‘right’ way- being a goal down then ‘Chicharito’ coming on in 85th min scoring an equalizer then the official giving extra time till they Nick a winner.

    On answering your question Rico, I wouldn’t mind mind 1 nils till May.

  34. tsgh says:

    lol Wavy… nah, I am not taking the blame for that.
    Fingers crossed Wath; What ever happens at east we have competed this season.

    The bookies will be pulling every trick in the book to hinder us winning though…

  35. rico says:

    Don’t the walking wounded returning after Christmas normally improve us Lee?

    This time though, not many key injured are coming back any time soon…

  38. rogerbij says:

    “Complacency is a furphy” Wonderful new word! Im going to throw this around today and see what I can make it stick to 😉

  39. Marshall says:

    I think we (afc fans) are the only people who can genuinly love the arsenal. The outsiders envy us, we have a boyscout (le prof) who’s ‘stubborn’ on doing things the right way, he has a job security any manager dreams of. The has been pundits wish their teams had half of that.

    I wonder what they’d be saying if AW blew £250m and didn’t deliver, or languishing just above relegation zone.

  46. rico says:

    Flat wicket Adam isn’t it and little/no swing for Jimmy.. Beefy said the best thing is the smell of the hops from the nearby brewery… 😉

    Bore draw I think, although yesterday was very exciting… lol

  47. Wavy says:

    Dropped catches = certain draw……Ho hum!

    Furphy, wasn’t he a manager? Northampton and manure ring a bell? He was moderately successful. If memory serves.
    So,
    Does ‘furphy’ mean a fairly good effort or, good try without being a resounding success? Ask micko, he’s Irish so was furphy! Both micko and Dublin and Malaga all should have an opinion?

    Just started raining again here. It could end in a furphy kind of day!

  50. tsgh says:

    Adam; i dont blame your friend.
    I was at the BB 4-3 lose where Per and Santos made their debust and a number of stoke loses but I think the WBA game had the air of staleness that made one want to take up a new hobby instead of following Arsenal.

  51. Adam says:

    TS. It’s the ‘lot’ of the supporter to have to suck those results up I guess.
    I read you are in Salisbury now. I am there every few weeks and have friends and business stuff down there. Nice place but the traffic these days is shocking. I usually go by train now and avoid the interminable M3 and M25 nonsense.

  52. tsgh says:

    Luckily, I am on the outskirts; about 9 miles away from the city centre and I don’t have to go thrrough the city.

    Salisbury has always been extortionate with parking ticket etc. because of commuters.
    Agreed re. M3 and the M25 car park… lol

  53. tsgh says:

    I think the good think about where teh emirates is, is that if one is not in their home kit, they can blend into the London crowd inconspicously without anyone asking you questions

  56. Adam says:

    If you are to the north of Salisbury then you have some lovely countryside around there. I often drop down through that way, especially if I miss the turn that brings me through Middle Wallop.

  58. allezkev says:

    Funny enough I googling a few of our old players from the 1970’s over the weekend.
    Read up about Roberts.

    Alex Cropley is a cabbie in Edinburgh.

  60. potter says:

    I first thought a furphy might be something to do with Ken the ex player/manager . Then I considered whether it might be a furry toy Kangaroo or even a plague of cuddly aliens in an Australian version of Star Trek . But having looked it up I found that it’s an Australian beer , so knowing what I have read about Scott’s lifestyle I have concluded that the rumours of his legendary journeys through the outback to watch the Arsenal on the big screen on Ayres rock is a cause of dedication ,anything less would be complacency on furphy scale.

  65. Dublingunner says:

    Ridiculous antics by the board who have to take the full blame, for the way they do their business.
    Past managers have won titles and been sacked, to sack a manager like Ancelloti and later bring in Benitez was absolute crazy.
    AW was right to stay well away from that joke of a club.

  66. rico says:

    Afternoon all..

    Not a good day in the cricket and sad to see another old Arsenal player leave this world…

    RIP John Roberts….

  70. Dublingunner says:

    Seems to be conflicting reports re Benitez, that he had been sacked already, sky news saying it,s happening this evening
    You would seriously have to question perez and the board on the appointment of Benitez,
    Zidane if true, was their man, but if they didn,t think he was ready at the start of the season, why the hell do they think he,s ready now. smacks of desperation, word was Mourinho was approached. Farcical club, imo.

  71. rico says:

    🙂 Dublin, I’d leave it at ‘you really have to question Perez’… Full stop..

    That club changes managers more than I change my mind about Arsene Wenger… Lol

  73. Joe says:

    A list of Irish supporters on hh and I am left off it I am used to been ignored but it’s a list for god sake. ?

  77. Dublingunner says:

    ‏@standardsport
    Dortmund CEO admits no-one is irreplacable as #Arsenal linked with £42.5m bid for Aubameyang

    Jan Aage Fjortoft ‏@JanAageFjortoft
    Dortmund- boss Watzke: – We are not dependent on Aubameyang..

    Go on Arsene make it happen

  89. Dublingunner says:

    Dream signing, absolutely Rico, and wouldn,t he thrive in the premier league running on to Ozil,s delicious through balls. I may as well dream here as in bed. Apparently AW has given the squad a mini mid season break. Many 1st team players are also not expected to start in the FA Cup. as expected.

    Rafa Benitez record at #RealMadrid:

    P: 25
    W: 17
    D: 5
    L: 3
    and it wasn,t good enough.

  91. rico says:

    I’m sure he’d thrive Dublin…

    Like I said, Rafa was doomed before he went there. Not sure why any manager would go to Real and no wonder Arsene never did eh….

  104. scottfromoz says:

    Morning all.
    I truly didn’t realise furphy was an Aussie term, and no, it’s not a beer lol.
    Devil, the story of Lanesra came out app. 2 years ago,if memory serves me correctly.
    The net is a funny thing-it’s getting more airtime now than it did back then.

  108. rico says:

    I’m off guys, it’s been a long day which followed a sleepless night…

    Catch up tomorrow..

    Thanks again for the post Scott…

    Night all….

  110. paddywhack says:

    Talking of old players, does anyone remember Jon Sammels, driving instructor in Leicester. Wonder how many of today’s overpaid stars will become driving instructors or such.

  111. potter says:

    Furphy is a new, refreshing ale that is Geelong born and brewed from 100% Victorian ingredients. The first sip is clean and crisp, with a subtle balance of fruit and malt to keep it interesting. The finish is smooth and pleasantly refreshing. Given our brewery used to be an old mill, it’s no surprise Furphy is an easy-drinking ale that’s perfect for a session of yarn spinning.

    Jon Sammels inter cities fairs cup. cup goal but target of the crowd, talented inside forward. watch this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF8fKZdJgp4

  112. potter says:

    Watching that video brings back memories , I was on the North Bank that night, I don’t think my feet touched the ground throughout the second half. Absolute mayhem.

  114. allezkev says:

    Orf, that alien phone, it wasn’t found in Salisbury by any chance?

    Morning All

    Morning Rico, great post in anticipation. 😉

  116. Orfevrerie says:

    Haha maybe, morning to you too, Kev.
    New post might include Rafa axe.

    List of Florentino Perez victims:
    1. Vicente del Bosque, 1.321 days (17 November 1999 – 30 Maret 2003).
    2. Carlos Queiroz, 328 days (1 Juli 2003 – 24 Maret 2004).
    3. Jose Antonio Camacho, 118 days (24 Mei 2004 – 19 September 2004).
    4. Mariano Garcia Remon, 101 days (20 September 2004 – 30 Desember 2004).
    5. Vanderlei Luxemburgo, 339 days (30 Desember 2004 – 4 Desember 2005).
    6. Juan Ramon Lopez Caro, 179 days (4 Desember 2005 – 1 Juni 2006).
    7. Manuel Pellegrini, 330 days (1 Juli 2009 – 27 Mei 2010).
    8. Jose Mourinho, 1.126 hari days (31 Mei 2010 – 30 Juni 2013).
    9. Carlo Ancelotti, 693 days (1 Juli 2013 – 25 Mei 2016).
    10. Rafael Benitez, 187 days (1 Juli 2015 – 4 Januari 2016).

    Wonder how many days wenger gonna last if he took that madrid job he was saying?
    Wenger has the most secure job in the world eh, no wonder Mourin despised him so much.

  117. scottfromoz says:

    I always ask this question….
    Why is it the person/people who employ a failed manager don’t fall on their sword?
    They’ve failed.
    They made the decision.
    Arseholes.

  119. Hell Raising Devil says:

    Furphy Morning Lovelies and Hunkies.

    Troy Deeney is being mentioned now. 20million for a 27 year old. Why not Charlie Austin who is a year younger and has a better ratio of 1 goal in 2 games?? Imagine Austin being fed by Ozil.

  127. Adam says:

    Morning Rico and all.
    I can’t imagine how hot it is at the Test. It seems like it’s been running for about a week already. Bloody boring.

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