Sell By Date

I was never really in the Arsene Knows Best bandwagon nor was I in the Wenger Out brigade. To be honest, I don’t think anyone ever really starts in one of these camps. Now though, I am tilting towards the Wenger Out school of thought.

Wenger has given us some great years and was the perfect manager for us from the time he took over in 1996 till about 2010 which included the great trophy winning years followed by the stadium move which tied our hands down. He truly pushed us to the next level. We needed Wenger’s conservative spending and management which kept us in European football kicking about with the big boys. Post 2010 though it has been a different story - rather the same story ironically! All clubs around us had strengthened, started using technology, better scouting networks etc. We now had the stadium debt well in control and were ready to splash the cash on marquee signings. This was the time to strengthen in the areas where we longed for world class talent. We were assured by the manager and the board there was cash to be spent and we would where needed. We were given hopes, sold the dreams of challenging for the league but as it turned out it was just that. The seasons started, same old failings began to surface, same old squad shortages reared their ugly heads, same old injuries began to haunt us and we fizzled out of the race around Jan-Feb period.

Not to say we did not sign any great players – we did secure services of Ozil and Sanchez in two consecutive summer transfer windows (even Arshavin after he had left Europe gasping with his sublime performances) but we still left gaping holes in our squad at the same time. We failed to add a top striker to our rolls for so many years. So much so that recently we Arsenal fans were longing for Giroud’s return from injury as if he would propel us to top of the league. Don’t get me wrong he is a decent striker but that’s all he is - decent. We never really added a solid DM to our folds. We always were ‘those 2-3 players’ short of putting up a realistic challenge for the league. We now rarely rotate unless forced by injury. We run the same players to the ground week-in week-out resulting in injuries, tiredness and also rustiness for those who aren't given game time. 

All these makes one wonder if Wenger has now crossed the thin line between genius and plain stubborn. A stubborn person out to prove the world wrong.

I think I have had enough of Mr. Wenger’s stubbornness to address the obvious. We are where we were the year after the stadium move - 2006. There has been no flexing of our financial muscle (ours isn’t the bulky kind like that of a Sunil Shetty ..cough – Man City or of a Salman Khan..cough – Chelsea; ours is a fit, strong and sustainable kind like that of an Akshay Kumar, and it can be flexed!!).

Wenger has done great things for the club and will always be one of the best managers we have had. He rightly has his bust installed at the club and we will always be thankful to him for the great years, for the beautiful football, for the term ‘footballistically’, for the Invincibles... but I think he cannot take us forward anymore. We need someone with new ideas to do that. It is now time for Mr. Wenger to move on before he ruins his legacy. Au revoir, Monsieur! 

Tough times to be a gunner

I am left high and dry by Arsenal’s recent performances in the Champions League and the Premier League. It is not the defeat (after all no bloody team has the right to win each and every game they play) it’s the manner of it. Let me put it for the record that I disagree with the Boss and believe that we got exactly what we deserved. At Shakhtar, we played as if the one goal we scored was enough and we paid dearly for it. At the Emirates, we played without any leader on the pitch the result of which was that nobody forced the issue onto Newcastle. We gave away the ball so so many times, Fab-4 was in particular guilty of giving away the ball on numerous occasions. If he wasn’t fit or out of sorts he should have been subbed and so should have been Walcott for his lack of ideas when with the ball at his feet. I am not singling out any player but just mentioning what comes to mind. Reputations should not govern who stays on the pitch rather their form should.

It is so frustrating to see a team of highly talented players go down so easily AT home AND against recently promoted teams. One blogger put it very aptly by saying that Arsenal were like an Orchestra where if one part was dysfunctional or not upto its mark then they struggle to make any impact while when each part was functioning well it would be the most enjoyable experience. If you ask me what I would like- I say let’s stay the Orchestra that we are but also have a switchover button (plan B) that could turn us into a one or two man band where the lead guitarist and the percussionist together or even alone could make for a winning combination. A start in that direction would be to start shooting at the very sight of goal and not trying to pass it in.

I will always be a gunner- there’s no doubting that but, I want to see my team put in the effort the passion that gets us supporters going, that brought us to the club in the first place. I don’t know if it is Wenger’s off pitch shenanigans the effect of which could be seen in the last two games or just plain complacency. Whatever it is, Wenger needs to sort this out soon and get back on track. I say bring on the Wolves and we’ll hunt that pack down with our cannon.

Now that it's over

The FIFA World Cup 2010 finals in South Africa was a grand event. It delivered less than what it promised but the Football on display was exceptional nonetheless. There were teams that played well, those that didn't and many that gave an expected account of themselves. Here are some of my thoughts.

Some of the expected
England- I am not one bit surprised by their round-of-16 exit. They were lucky to be in the round of 16 and progressing any further would have been a shocker in all senses. I mean the whole team couldn’t string together 3 passes in the whole tournament (err..whatever of it they were a part of) for crying out loud. The only people who expected more from this bunch was few English people who bought what the media said about the ‘Golden’ generation of English football. Each and every team in their group (Algeria, USA, Slovakia) let alone the WC finals was technically far superior than the English. It seems the so called 'stars of Premiership' shine only in the presence of the other hard working, technically gifted club players.

Argentia- Under Maradona they were overhyped as a team. Yes, they have some good attacking players AND Messi but to go further than they did they needed a tight backline which they lacked. Some individuals stood out.

Germany- If there is a team to watch in the future this is the one. BUT that is only if they believe in themselves unlike in the match against the Spanish where they sat back and wanted to catch the Spanish on counter. It’s best to play to ones own strengths rather than to nullify the opponent’s strengths.

Dutch- Have always underachieved. Guess that is the reason why they wanted to do anything to achieve this time around. Even if that meant displaying Kung-Fu on the pitch. They were one of the most physical teams in this tournament but that should not take away from them the quality they showed throughout the tournament. I think they are being given a hard deal by the media. If kicking the opponent is cheating then so is diving.

Some unexpected
Italy – I thought Zizou gifted them the 2006 WC in the form of that (in)famous head-butt. Or maybe I am being too harsh..Either way, at hind sight, i think they went as far as they deserved to.

France – I thought all I would say is Raymond Domenech but in all honesty all I will say is Patrice Evra!! That should sum up France’s dismal trip to SA. Lead by example has a new meaning now.

Uruguay – Led by their talismanic striker Diego Forlan had a run to remember in the WC. They were WC winners the earlier days of the tournament 1930 and 1950 when not many European teams took part in the competition. This run, though not a winning one, will be up there with the earlier glory moments.

Ghana- If any African nation (or any underdog for that matter) deserved to reach the quarters it was Ghana. They were a team that played attacking Football with the flair like any South American country. They surely have a bright future.

Refereeing- Couldn’t have been more controversial (and poorer) given the tournament of this magnitude. It was inconsistent, unpunishing-to-diving-and-play-acting, unbelievably rubbish at times...so much so that it stirred up controversies around what could have been had the ones with the whistles been better at their jobs - England, Mexico might have more to add to this.

Media- They are a joke and will always be. They started drooling all over for Spain even before a ball was kicked and it showed throughout the tournament. Now, I am not for a minute saying that Spain didn’t deserve to win. They played, by far, the best Football but they also dived the most, play-acted the most, tried-to-influence the referee the most which the inept media chose to ignore. The Spanish are as much cheats as the Portuguese or the Italians. The same media which lauds the physical side of the game of most English clubs (Bolton, Stoke, Blackburn et. al.) labeled the Dutch as Thugs after the final. Huh!

FIFA- If there is a job in the world which has no performance evaluation system in place then here is where it is. I really do not understand what they do and get paid for. In this day and age for some reasons they refuse to use technology. I understand that technology will take away some of the human element from refereeing and will also bring in halts into the games but SOME technology at least…Goal Line Technology for crying out loud!!?!!

he isn't that kind of a guy..

well, then who the f**k in Football is??? I mean which Football player goes out to with the intention to break fellow professionals' legs. It isn't a football game played at the central jail (if you would) that there would be that kind of players. It is just that these players are dangerous and while the world has moved on from the early years of 20th century the game itself hasn't moved...well, not much in England.

On the contrary, the subject in question is exactly that kind of a guy...Ryan Shawcross has broken 2 legs and caused serious injury to others keeping them out for months (season in case of the former) all at just 22yrs of age. It may not be intentional but is clearly a sign of dangerous play so a 3 match ban for career threatening leg break, in all my wisdom, is not just.

That said, what amazes me is the British media..there have been more articles feeling sorry for Shawcross than for AR-16 (whose leg got broke into two). The apathy shown towards AR-16 just screams of bias and hypocrisy. It is utterly unbelievable hearing people coming out in support of the 'good lad' that is Shawcross, hoping that he comes out of the trauma that he has had to go through. Damn that 19 yr old super talented AR-16 for breaking his leg on Shawcross' boots!! Who cares whether AR-16 will be able to play again we just want Shawcross to come over this...huh!!!

It is so funny how blatantly biased most ex-players and football pundits are when they forget Shawcross' past record and try to pass it off as an unfortunate accident. Well, it is unfortunate but accident it is not- when a coach tells their players to compensate for their lack of obvious talent by kicking the opponents hard this is what is bound to happen. For me Shawcross is the product of coaches who think roughing up the opponents is fine, media who showcase this as grit, commitment and physicality, ex-players and pundits who just say anything that is in favour of the British style of play or players themselves. Somebody ask them if Italians, Spaniards and Brazilians are any less committed. However, there are sane and objective people (media and ex-players included)who can call a spade a spade and have rightly criticised the rash tackles that still prevail in the game and have asked for more action to be taken against offenders. Don't for a second think that i don't like the physical aspect of the game...it is a contact sport and we all love it for this but dangerous and reckless play has no place in any sport.

Wenger is rightly cross and agitated after seeing 3rd of his players being stretchered off the pitch with broken (and i mean snapped into two or more) and hanging legs (ankles) as results of reckless and dangerous tackles all within 4 years. As Wenger rightly said 'I don't believe in coincidences'..Sir, you don't have to because this is no coincidence. This is a result of the conventional wisdom spread around by the media about Arsenal 'not liking it rough'. After the incident the team gelled together like never before (in this season) and came out flying. AR-16 has Edu-9 and AD-2 to look up to in getting on and coming out of this injury.

All these media persons, these pundits, coaches etc. jumping to Shawcross' defence seem to miss the point here. Would all people still defend Shawcross if his tackle had left Rooney's leg hanging in mid air??? I think not.

So, a sniper shot down a footballer

Big Deal??? I mean it's now a common practice whereby a sniper hidden somewhere in the crowds or on the roof of the stadium or the VIP boxes (if you will) shoots down an attacking player making a marauding run inside the penalty area of the opposition. Sometimes the snipers even shoot down players not making any dangerous runs. These snipers are present all over the world, more so in Europe and do shoot down players (mostly attackers) from time to time in matches at various grounds. They are believed to be a real terror in Italy, so much that they even shoot down Italian players practicing at their football practice sessions. The one shot down by a mystery sniper this time was Edu-9 and it hurts me because he is a gunner and UEFA have, this time around, taken it upon them to do something about it (by charging him of diving). Why? Rather… why now?

Edu-9 dived and won a penalty against Celtic... to go down like that is just cheating! But maybe the authorities are to be blamed for letting these things happen week-in week-out, what are other honest (till then) players to make of this? Maybe Edu-9 is then a victim of authorities' indifference towards this type of cheating which has infested this game so long.

OK, now i am not condoning diving in any form, sort or shape. All i am on about is the lack of consistency shown by the Football authorities, in this case Monsieur Platini's UEFA. This was also not to set a precedent (in which case the claim can be that henceforth all such incidents will be dealt with severity) as the same had already been set in 2007 when the Scottish FA reported a dive from a Lithuanian striker and UEFA imposed a 2 match retrospective ban on the player. Good move if you ask me but then the same should have continued thereon. I mean they were using video evidence they couldn't have gone wrong. The ronlados, drogbas, gerrards, rooneys, RB-7 of the world have all time and time practiced (their art of) diving and even won penalties (crucial ones that have changed seasons and tournaments for their clubs, countries) long after that incident involving Lithuanian player. So where was UEFA in the last two years, what's with this waking up all of a sudden? I think i know, UEFA is still the good-for-nothing body that it is, it is just that this time around the media blew the incident way (and i mean WAY) out of proportion. Why? Simple...it was a foreigner and one from Arsenal!! When Owen does this, he's 'clever' and won a penalty. When Rooney does that, he's ‘passionate’ and will do anything to win. When Ronaldo does (did..since now he is in Real Madrid and not Man utd- the darling club of the English media and the refs) it they would just laugh it off. The only player who has got stick, any close to what Edu-9 got for his act, has been Drogba. So, lest UEFA becomes consistent with their treatment (or even cognizance) of such incidents it (action against Edu-9) will remain a joke. plonkers!!

Talking about the punishment itself, it is a yellow card if the ref spots the dive. It is a 2 match ban if the ref doesn't spot the dive (or maybe the fact whether the resulting penalty is scored also plays in, or even the result of the match).

My beloved Gunners went to Old Trafford this weekend and we saw within a gap of a few mins two genuine (one stonewall) penalty claims turned down by the cowardly referee (playing his whistle to the home crowd or simply to man utd)- RVP-11 was clipped inside the box (obviously there were no replays...we all know about the bias of English media) and then Fletcher clattered into AA-23 (a two footed challenge inside the box getting nothing but the player) and referee waved 'play on'. Some refs would give a red card+penalty for that challenge and all would give a penalty. And as if this was not enough, the Professor kicked a waterbottle (did not talk or complain to anyone) out of disappointment when in the injury time min RVP-11's goal was disallowed for a WG-10 offside and the ref to everyone's amusement sent the Professor to the stands. Shame! a total shame. Although (and rightly), Keith Hackett, the chief of the referees' association (or some sh!t like that) is due to apologise to the Professor for his sending off. Wenger later described the events (in terms of refereeing) as "It was Old Trafford-ish. We know how things work,". And he is right, history (even recent) of English football will tell you what he means. And one arsenal supporter (alwaysafc) rightly welcomes the new term from Wenger's dictionary, he says on 606
"TRAFFORDISH! Thanks Arsene.. We all know what it is... but we needed a word to describe it."
Coming back to the referee, It could be just two big mistakes by the referee and nothing more but then why doesn’t the FA do something about it (poor performance from refs)... i mean any paid professional is bound to be reviewed for their performance (or lack of it). I agree it is a thankless job but then it is also a powerful job and it is a shame when the talking point of a match is poor officiating; spoils the football. Some refs try to be the talking point after the game by misusing their power and there are others who try to keep a low profile by being consistent at both the ends of the pitch and not be the centre of attraction- the latter for me are examples of good referees. So while the authorities want to check players' retrospectively using video evidence and punish those who cheat why can't the same technology be used to evaluate referees' performance and appraise them (maybe relegate the regularly faulting refs to lower league, pay cut... just thoughts) because we all know how much impact bad refereeing can have on teams and their campaigns. After all, not long ago an English referee dished out 3 (THREE) yellow cards to the same player in the world cup. Ring any bells?