The Beautiful Groan

Well, it certainly has been an interesting week. In a way, being away for a week was a good thing, because what I’m left to report on shows perfectly the popular notion that you’re only as good as your last game. Heroes after the trouncing of Sheffield United, our title challenge was being written off as Hull came away with three points at the weekend.

Over the next few posts I’ll reflect on this a little, looking at whether the performances really were that extreme, and where all this leaves us. Of course, there’s also the small matter of a Champions League game against Porto tonight to look forward to.

The week began with the Carling Cup, so that is as good a place to start as any.

There is little down that at the top of world football there are some complete idiots. At the very peak you have Sepp Blatter, a man with more faux pas than Boris Johnson, and whose ideas are often the ridicule of the media and blogs everywhere.

On the European stage, you have Michel Platini, who is a more intelligent man than Blatter, but who seems to have an ulterior motive for everything he says and does. Elected by promising the world to the smaller nations, who clearly outnumber the elite, he has long criticised the English game, and Wenger in particular, usually for the lack of homegrown players in the team.

Recently, he has been attacking the artificial financial might of Chelsea, and even the earned muscle of United, but he couldn’t keep off his favourite subject for long, and has now returned to Wenger, in an interview first translated on Young Guns, and later picked up by the mainstream media, in which the subject of video technology came up:

“Me, I only want to talk about football, he (Wenger) only cares about business. We must shut up with Wenger and everything. [As for video technology] It would make me happy that Arsene Wenger never sees it.“

The original article is well worth reading, as his initial angle is a scathing attack on Wenger for being proud of the club’s business results, an extraordinary act of hypocrisy given how much he apparently despises those clubs who spend lavishly (excluding Real Madrid, who he supported in their quest for Cristiano Ronaldo this summer - how convenient).

Even when asked about Cluj’s win over Roma in the Champions League last week, he couldn’t resist another pop:

“That is what makes football so great. It is what people like Wenger do not want, little clubs beating the big clubs, because they want their business.”

Other than the fact that Wenger doesn’t want smaller clubs beating his club, quite correct for a manager, I doubt he has any problem with the smaller teams triumphing. In fact, as a football romantic, he probably thoroughly enjoys it.

This is all very bizarre, but if Platini wanted to discredit Wenger, then he failed miserably, mainly due to timing. First, Wenger is currently being lauded by the press for his ability to create a competitive team in a Premiership overloaded with riches. Top of the league, he is again proving the critics wrong.

Secondly, even his usual attack on the foreign nature of the team is less relevant today than on most other days, with the current on song player being an Englishman, Walcott, and nine other British players appearing in tonight’s Carling Cup squad.

One thing is clear, that Platini seems to have a serious problem with Arsene Wenger, but by having a constant dig in this way just makes him look like an spiteful idiot, especially when Wenger’s reply is so succinct:

“I am stunned by the aggressive content of Platini’s words. I am a supporter of good management of clubs, for financial equilibrium, and Uefa must equally support this idea. I am fighting for the future of the game and of football.”

“I don’t see why Uefa should take umbrage at ideas that are different from their own.”

Arsene 1 Michel 0.

But it should still cause great concern that a man like Platini has managed to get into a position of power with such a chip on his shoulder.

Only one thing to talk about today, and that is with the confirmation that Stan Kroenke has now joined the Arsenal board, a quite remarkable turnaround from when Peter Hill-Wood claimed ‘we don’t need his sort’. That view has been softened not only to stave off the interest from Usmanov, but also because Kroenke does seem to be striking up a good relationship with the other board members, and his sporting background means he is actually the ‘right’ type of man to include.

Kroenke does of course already own a decent slice of the share pie, around 12.4%, which pales in comparison to Usmanov (but then Usmanov is larger on most scales), but when his share is combined with the other board members, those in power now hold around 60%, a very healthy cut.

Kroenke is not part of the lockdown agreement, at least not at present, and the wording of the statement on the official site lends some clue to the board’s ‘backup plan’:

“Mr Kroenke has confirmed that he will not increase his shareholding beyond 29.9% of Arsenal’s issued share capital within the twelve months following the date of this announcement, [but] reserves the right to increase his shareholding beyond 29.9% of Arsenal’s issued share capital within twelve months, [...] with the agreement of the Board of Arsenal or following the announcement of an offer or possible offer for Arsenal or if there is a material change of circumstances”

Or to remove the legal speak - Kroenke will not purchase a 30% stake, and thus embarking on a takeover, unless another party attempts to do the same, in which case the existing board will back their man instead.

It is a leap of faith for the existing board members, but a very wise one - they have been sounding out Kroenke for some time now, and to put him in position to be their main man if Usmanov decides to take over means they retain a great degree of control. As for Kroenke himself, his has not Usmanov’s shady past, and his sporting portfolio means he has the experience to help the club, not milk it.

This is good news. Kroenke has been trusted, but that makes me feel a lot less uneasy about the vulnerability of the board as a whole.

After a bit of a blog break, I thought it time to reflect on the past couple of weeks, and talk about the one thing that really struck me amongst the furore around Theo’s international hattrick. And that was David Bentley’s reaction.

If you get another chance to see the highlights, take a look as Walcott is substituted. The camera pans across the bench where, to a man, the players are warmly applauding as the hero leaves the pitch. There is one exception - Bentley is sitting there, looking as sulky as is humanly possible, clear annoyance and bitterness on his face.

Now of course Walcott’s emergence threatens Bentley’s place in the side, but a true professional desires team success over personal glory. Contrast his reaction to that of the oncoming sub, David Beckham, whose international career Theo is helping to close. Beckham is grinning from ear to ear, congratulating the man on his fantastic night’s work.

Say what you like about Beckham, but there’s little doubt that a) he is an absolute professional, and b) he is desperate for England to succeed, even if it means his own appearances are limited.

Bentley, on the other hand, has the best years of his career ahead of him but once again seems to be reacting extremely poorly to competition, much like he did at Arsenal when he demanded to leave because he couldn’t oust the Pires-Ljungberg combination. He also recently suggested Walcott do the same for the sake of his career, clearing missing the point that Walcott is a) a brighter prospect and b) a more level headed individual.

Players who respond to adversity positively succeed. Walcott himself has, after the difficult period following his World Cup call up and the pressures that brought. Bentley is from the Diarra school, a self-important man who will probably never fulfil what is undoubtedly huge potential.

I know which one I’d rather have at the club.

Blackburn 0 Arsenal 4 (Van Persie 8, Adebayor 45, pen 81, 90)
(Premiership)

Last season Derby’s defence were twice victims to Adebayor hattricks, and after a slow start to his Premiership campaign he managed another against a back line almost as poor. That isn’t a dig at our big striker - you can only score against those you play against - more a simple assessment of just how fast Blackburn are slipping. I’m no fan of Mark Hughes, but Blackburn were never this bad under him.

The first was created by man of the moment Walcott, who started in place of the injured Nasri and embarked on a jinking run, darting past three men, none of which even tried to put in a tackle, before slipping a pass to Van Persie, who made the most of ample space to coolly slot home. It was the sort of goal that some drool over but defensive minded pundits despair at.

Blackburn actually played okay in the first half, restricting us to some half chances, while looking quite threatening themselves. The latter was mainly due to some at times average defending, which against a better side may have been punished. There were also the usual crunching and illegal challenges, but that is so very Blackburn that it barely needs reporting.

Just before the interval, the killer second was scored, after a patient passing move ended in Denilson running down the left flank. Again, no-one closed him down and he had time to pick out a delicious cross which begged Adebayor to head home. The big man obliged.

It was after a first half in which Adebyaor had constantly strayed offside. His enthusiasm is great, and he is desperate to make those runs, but it is a little annoying to see him running full pelt towards the goal during a counter attack, offside all the way, and earlier in the half Van Persie was forced to shoot from a tight angle because he was offside in the middle. He can improve, which is I guess a good thing.

The second half was fairly processional, to be honest. Eboue flung himself down for a penalty, and remarkably got it while most of us were cringing. Going off on a stretcher didn’t convince many that he had a real injury, but looking at the replay his leg did jolt sharply on landing. Although he’d only have himself to blame, it would be a shame if he were badly hurt, as his form is currently as good as it has ever been.

It was then the tale of the kids, as first Ramsey and then Wilshere came on as late subs, the former setting up Adebayor’s third with a through ball, and the latter becoming the youngest player ever to play in the league for Arsenal. The future seems bright for both.

After the last away game, there was a lot of doom and gloom around Arsenal. Once again some clinical performances have got rid of the malaise. Often criticised for not taking chances, we finally did on Saturday and came away with a thumping 4-0 victory. It was an excellent start to a tricky week, with the next step in Kiev on Wednesday. Bring it on.

Apologies incidentally for the lack of posting recently, but there really has been practically nothing to talk about, so I’ve been having a break. There will be some reflection over the next couple of days.

My initial reaction to the Man City takeover yesterday was simply ‘oh, another one’. The new owner, Dr Sulaiman Al-Fahim, was making the same noises as so many of his predecessors. ‘We’ll break the top four, we’ll win the Champions League, we’ll be the biggest club in the world’.

Of course, we’ve heard this before. Peter Kenyon is always banging on about being the biggest brand in the world, Shinawatra said it, even Al-Fayed said it when he bought Fulham. And look where they are.

But now, it seems that he’s serious, with today’s frankly ridiculous claim that he’ll buy Ronaldo for 135m. Or is it ridiculous? If they offer United that sort of money, the offer will undoubtedly be accepted, and if they flash enough salary around, they’ll get the players on side. After all, Robinho signed, and City aren’t in the Champions League, and nor will they be next season as they don’t have the squad and will be too far behind by January. If I were told that Robinho is now the best paid player in the world it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest.

So is this bad news for Arsenal? On the one hand, City will get stronger over the next few years, so talk of a big five aren’t far fetched. But other than that, it is much worse news for the rest of the top four.

It seems that Al-Fahim is interested in glamour signings, so he’ll be competing with Chelsea for those. Abramovich already has a headstart with his squad, but he is no longer the biggest fish in the pond. Already Al-Fahim is talking about players as if they were collectible Panini stickers, and as the richest kid in the playground he feels he can own them all.

Chelsea buy ready made players, Arsenal invest in youth, United do a combination of both, and Liverpool….well Liverpool aren’t really threatening anyone. With an impatient owner, I can’t see City joining us in developing teenagers, choosing instead to outbid Chelsea for the next star they’re after.

So this isn’t all bad. It certainly makes the Premiership a more obscene place to be, but it is amusing to think that if Abramovich offers a club 35m for a player, Al-Fahim will simply up it to 40m. They will compete in the same market, so to speak.

And realistically, the only player of ours City will be interested in is Cesc, as has already been suggested. And that will never happen, by choice of the player himself.

So, for Arsenal, this changes very little. We can proceed with the same strategy we’ve been following, while watching Chelsea realise they aren’t the bully boys of the Premiership anymore.

And anything that makes Peter Kenyon squirm can’t be all bad.

Well, midnight has come and gone, and barely even a rumour around the club means that, for once, it seems there will be no late deadline day arrivals at Arsenal.

And that in itself will let the doom and gloom brigade have their fun, predicting bottom half finishes, empty seats, mounting debt, and everyone from Spurs to West Ham becoming a bigger force in English football. Unfortunately, with an international break going on, there can be no football to silence them.

Am I disappointed? Absolutely. In fact I’d go as far as to say that it’ll be almost impossible for us to win the league now. To do so would require a great deal of luck with regard to injury, luck that we have not had over the past few seasons. Our first team is as good as anyone’s, but we have potential in reserve rather than readied players, a fact that cost us last season.

Am I joining the ‘Wenger out’ brigade that blighted the comments section of the last entry here? Of course not. These fans are a cross between two evils - fickleness, and believers that real life is one big Football Manager simulation. In that world, we could fill the gaps in midfield with anyone we wanted, even ridiculous names like Gerrard (as one commenter suggested).

But this is the real world. Aston Villa refused to sell Barry to anyone, Liverpool first wanted far too much money for Alonso and then became reluctant to sell when their midfield depth was tested. Inler signed a new contract, and who else could come in and provide value for money? Wenger’s genius is that we don’t often know the name we want, just the line ‘the usual sort of cheap but excellent Wenger signing’. And some of those same people now want him out.

Wenger clearly could not find someone who a) wasn’t ridiculously overpriced, b) had the quality to make a difference this season, and c) had the mental attributes he looks for. The latter point is why we don’t sign mercenaries, the likes of Robinho, who is now chasing the easy money at Man City.

Also, consider this. The general reaction to the board’s words of ‘there is money to spend’ is ‘okay, so spend it’. But is it really worth spending 15m, even 10m, on a player who really isn’t what we’re looking for, only to find that the player you really want becomes available a year later, and you can’t afford him because you blew the kitty on mediocrity?

If this all seems like I’m seeing the world through rose tinted glasses, then don’t be fooled. The fact that we don’t appear to have signed anyone is a major blow. I know why it has happened, it is because the right player was not available, but it is a problem nonetheless. Perhaps not a surprise given how Clichy was talking up the existing squad earlier in the day, mindful that maybe it wouldn’t be strengthened, but I think if a league challenge was realistic, we needed more bodies.

Now our only hope is luck with injuries, and perhaps a boost in January. The thought of Cesc getting injured now doesn’t bear thinking about.

But please, enough of the knee jerk reactions. That goes for you too, Myles Palmer, with your typically sensationalist piece about how Man City will now remove Arsenal from the top four. They will be strong, no doubt, but it takes a lot to break that quadopoly. Just ask Spurs.

Remember - there is still an outstanding core of talent at the club. And they need our support.

Finally, we’re here. The days leading up to the transfer deadline are painful, with rumours flying around left, right and centre, and barely a transfer being completed as most clubs wait for the final evening.

Today, it all gets resolved, one way or another, and unlike some deadline days, there are likely to be some big money moves, the two likeliest being Robinho and Berbatov. As far as Arsenal are concerned, we’re all simply hoping for another body in central midfield.

But it isn’t easy. There is no one stand out signing that we all think should be made. Alonso isn’t the terrier that many want, and I suspect the desire for his signing is borne only out of the desperation for anyone to arrive rather than logic saying he is the answer.

I would be surprised if midnight came without a signing though, and if that happens it won’t just be the fans who are disappointed. Wenger himself will be - he said after the first Twente game that he intended to bring someone in, and again this weekend indicated that he is working hard on it. If no new faces arrive, it won’t be for the lack of trying.

I missed out covering the two cup draws this week. The Carling Cup draw is annoyingly familiar, as we seem to play Sheff Utd every year, but at home it should be a great run out for the younger players, while the Champions League draw isn’t actually that bad. Sure, trips to Fenerbahce and Dynamo Kiev are long hauls, and Porto have the experience, but we avoided Bayern Munich and Zenit, the two most dangerous floating sides, and we should easily have enough to go through.

But back to today, and don’t panic if nothing happens by 6pm. It rarely does.

It could be a late night.

Arsenal 3 (Van Persie pen 18, 41, Denilson 59) Newcastle 0
Premiership

After the angry reaction to the Fulham defeat, Wenger must be delighted with the response. A comfortable dispatching of Twente was followed by an equally routine win over a side that have started the season well, and in Shay Given have a keeper with a history of foiling us.

Early on, we created plenty without taking a deserved lead - Gallas missing a sitter, Van Persie having a clear penalty shout turned down, and Toure finally getting one of his long rangers on target only for Given to deny him.

And just as we wondered whether it was going to be one of those days, Adebayor won a penalty that was a lot less clear cut than the earlier one, N’Zogbia handling his cross. The reason I say it was less clear cut is that I sometimes think the awarding of such a spot kick is harsh - N’Zogbia’s momentum pushed his arm out, there was no intentional or ‘unnatural’ movement, to quote how Keith Hackett describes the rule.

Still, it was awarded, and Van Persie gladly lashed it home. Before half time, he’d got his second, after some fine and surprising play from one Emmanuel Eboue, exchanging the ball with Adebayor before cleverly backheeling a perfectly weighted pass to the Dutchman, who lashed home with, equally surprisingly, his right foot. All in all, it was a bizarre, but beautifully worked, goal.

The third actually came after a period of pressure from Newcastle, after we had seemed to ease up a little. Butt hit the bar with a looping header, and their midfield were beginning to find their feet, but after Adebayor played a disguised ball to Denilson, the Brazilian fired home and killed the game.

But that wasn’t the end of the talking points. The first, and most worrying, came after Van Persie rattled the underside of the bar from a ridiculous angle. As he landed, he seemed to have his foot stepped on in much the same way as against United two years ago. Let’s hope the damage isn’t as bad this time.

The final one was Joey Barton. Quite what Keegan was thinking bringing him on for a few minutes before his hearing next week is anyone’s guess, but any thoughts that Barton might want to conduct himself more maturely vanished within seconds. He charged into a challenge with Nasri, and while it was a perfectly fair tackle, the smirking grin on his face afterwards belied the true nature of the man. Once an aggressive thug, always an aggressive thug, I guess.

Nasri was having none of it, and endeared himself to Arsenal fans (and probably many others) by quite deliberately tripping him towards the end. As in any situation where a player cynically trips another in full flow, Nasri picked up a deserved yellow, but Keegan went overboard after the game, claiming it should’ve been red. Come on Kevin, be serious. It was a trip, not assault, it is your player that specialises in that.

Perhaps Keegan is an eternal optimist, claiming that he still believes in Barton and he deserves a second chance. But the problem is that while everyone does deserve one reprieve, he’s far beyond that now. I can’t help but think that by weakly backing him, they’re setting themselves up for a fall later on. Even after a few minutes on the pitch it was clear Barton hadn’t grown up one bit.

With a day and a half of the transfer window left, attention turns once again to our central midfield hole, and I’d be very surprised if it weren’t filled by tomorrow night. But elsewhere, the signs are good. Four good wins and one poor performance isn’t exactly the disaster it looked last weekend.

There is a lot of worry surrounding Arsenal fans at the moment, centred around the perceived lack of depth of the squad, especially in midfield, and rightly so. Wenger’s words of praise for those he has are irrelevant - he knows as well as anyone that we’re light in the centre of the park but is moving to give the players confidence in case the next five days go badly.

So with all the anxiety, the departure of Senderos to AC Milan seems badly timed, especially as it is fairly apparent that he’ll never play for the club again despite his move officially being a loan. But on reflection, the paucity of options in one area of the field shouldn’t make anyone panic about the depth in another.

Because defensively we’re better equipped than we were last season. Toure and Gallas are still there, Song is improving, Djourou is showing potential and is not out on loan this season, and of course Silvestre signed last week. Even when you remove Senderos from the equation, the cover is better than a year ago.

What this is actually doing is shedding a great deal of light on Silvestre’s arrival. He covers the central defensive positions just as Senderos did, except he should be able to be in and out of the side without it affecting his performances as much as it did the Swiss. And he can cover for Clichy at left back while Traore is out on loan.

That’s not to say that Senderos’ departure isn’t a shame - it is. At times he looked immense, a throwback to Tony Adams in his pomp, and he had the ability to form partnerships with both Toure and, last season, Gallas. But his trouble was his shaky mental state. One mistake would affect him for three games, but more than that, he was badly affected when out of the side.

I don’t believe Wenger helped him by rotating him out of the side when his form was at peak levels - two years ago Gallas arrived when Senderos was a regular for the first time, and even last season he’d embarked on a great run of form before Toure returned from Ghana and took his place back. He never recovered from either blow.

But at the same time, can you really afford a player who takes four or five games to get up to speed after being dropped or injured? He isn’t someone who seamlessly slots into the side, he needs that run of games. Worryingly, that trait is also true of Rosicky, which is another reason why he may never make it at the club.

But back to Senderos, and he’ll probably shine at Milan. Their focus on defence will give him a feeling of stature, and he cannot fail to learn from the legends around him. The pace of the Italian game will also suit him - what is often missed is how good he was on the European stage. Ironically, it is a team like Arsenal that would actually cause him the most problems as his turning circle and recovery speed are his weaknesses - just like Cygan, who has also thrived since he left (yes, really).

So it is probably a good move for everyone. Not a first choice here, he was unlikely to ever fulfil his potential, and he has to think about his career and move to a big team where he can be a regular. He may have found that.

It is a shame though - I’ve always been a fan of his.