Morning all.
It’s quiet, a tension inside each and every Arsenal fan I’m sure. We’re so close but not yet close enough to feel overly confident. At least I’m not. Hopeful of course but tomorrow’s opponents have hurt us before.
Can Brentford achieve something special later today I wonder? Unlikely perhaps but with European football still a possibility for the London club, I’m pretty sure they will try.
This is often a strange time in the season as the campaign draws to a close. Recent seasons have offered hope for a Premier League title only to see that hope crash and burn before the end of May. The domestic cups have bought no joy either, not since Mikel Arteta’s first season so to be into the second week of May.
Perhaps the years of League disappointment have conditioned me into expecting nothing as not even now, with three League games to go and holding a two point advantage, do I truly believe we’ll get over the line. Perhaps it’s just a simple case of self preservation.
West Ham are a funny old club. Since the turn of the year they’ve have a mixed bag of results. They’ve suffered defeat at the hands of Chelsea, Wolves and Nottingham Forest, yet they’ve also taken a point off of both Manchester Club and Bournemouth whilst beating Everton in their last home game. Admittedly, Brentford battered them last weekend at the Gtech Stadium but the Hammers are better playing in front of their home fans. Yes, that’s what concerns me.
Our last two performances have been little short of brilliant albeit in different ways. Having swept away Fulham with consummate ease on Saturday evening, we won a difficult game on Tuesday against Atletico Madrid, the club which previously dumped Barcelona out of the Champions League.
Four more performances like either in those two fixtures is what’s needed now and yes, if the victories do come, celebrate them as you, I or the players wish. The celebration police can take a long walk off a very short pier as far as I’m concerned. Something Mikel Arteta alluded to in his press conference yesterday.
A factoid for both West Ham and Arsenal fans. Ron Greenwood has been at both clubs. Not as a player but as a coach, a role he took up after retiring from the playing side of the game.
After coaching at what I would call smaller clubs in the game, he was picked up by England in 1957. Not only England though as he’d joined the coaching team at Arsenal before becoming assistant manager under George Swindin. Four years later, he moved to West Ham and became their manager. Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters – no wonder Greenwood enjoyed success. The FA Cup in 1964 and the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1965 – the first two major trophies of their history. Ironically, Greenwood’s final season with West Ham saw them finish 18th, one point off of relegation. Perhaps six points from the final two fixtures will see them safe too.
Having managed England, Greenwood retired from football after the 1982 World Cup when he was replaced by the late, great Bobby Robson, but Greenwood made history by selecting the first black player for England – Viv Anderson, in 1978. Greenwood stated: “Yellow, purple or black – if they’re good enough, I’ll pick them”.
Viv Anderson was certainly good enough, so good Arsenal signed him six years later…
Catch up in the comments.
Morning Cicero, thanks.
Very warm and sunny here but feels like a storm could be lurking. A day gardening for me..
Good morning Rico, bright, sunny and warm today, even though there is a hint of chilliness creeping in when thinking about the final run in. We’re not quite in the home straight yet.
I enjoyed the post, thank you.
Ps, Potter check my last comment on yesterday’s post re 1971.