3rd place and new faces crucial if RVP is to stay

For Arsenal fans the summer transfer window in recent years has been one of the never ending sagas about whether their prized assets should stay or leave the Emirates. And this summer is shaping up to be the same with club Captain Robin Van Perise the topic of much debate and Manchester City as known admirers.

Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, spoke in Friday’s press conference of his eagerness to extend Van Persie’s current contract, which expires in 2013, before this summers European Championships. But for RVP to sign a new contract much will depend upon Arsenal qualifying for the Champions League and the guarentee of big summer signings to freshen up the squad and challenge both the red and blue of Manchester for the Premier League Title.

This week can certainly be seen as a missed opporuntity for the Gunners to cement 3rd place as Monday’s frustrating home defeat to Wigan was followed by a 0-0 draw against a weakened Chelsea on Saturday. However, despite this weeks slip up, the Gunners can certainly look at their remaining three fixtures and believe they can get the job done, and see off the charge of the rampant Magpies who have a tough run with games against Chelsea and Manchester City to come.

Arsenal also need to change tact in the transfer market this summer and show that they mean business. Recently, the summer transfer window has far too often been dominated by the departure of high profile players rather than the capturing of ones, which will turn this clearly gifted team into one which is capable of mounting a serious challenge for the title.

It is well documented that Lukas Podolski has all but put pen to paper to sign for Arsenal and if he were to it would certainly set a precedent. Podolski is also the ideal player to support Van Perise, with his strength and power which he brings to the front line, something which would certainly assist against the likes of Stoke!
Whilst finishing third and the guarantee of future sigings are important to Van Persie, he should not forget the faith which Arsenal have shown in him following his recent years spent on the sidelines plagued by injury. This season is the first season in which Van Persie has played over 30 Premier League games for Arsenal.

Van Persie is very much at the height of his career, now being 28, and whilst Arsenal should be able to guarantee him a healthy wage packet, it is the prospect of mounting serious challenges for trophies which will concern the Dutchman, who only has an FA Cup Winners medal to his name.

But if Arsenal can secure the signing of Podoloski together with another household name and a few customary “Wenger bargins”, then Arsenal fans can certainly be confident of challenging for trophies and seeing Van Persie grace the number 10 shirt next season. Rather than joining the Arsenal rejects in Manchester who were lurred by City’s money rather than adding their names to Arsenal’s folk law.

Written by Alistair Evans @IslingtonBlog

NOTE: ORIGINAL ARTICLE FROM OUR 'PARTNER' BLOG ;ISLINGTON BLOG (@Islingtonblog)
Link: http://theislingtonblog.wordpress.com/2012/04/22/3rd-place-and-new-faces-crucial-if-rvp-is-to-stay/

The Run In

Here we 'crisis' club Arsenal in 3rd (Considering some thought we would be fighting for our Premier League status, as we come to the final run in of this Premier League season.) This team may not be the 'best' squad we have ever had but they do have a good squad morale and team spirit, this have been shown by last minute winners vs Newcastle and Liverpool with a excellent comeback vs the Spuds.
Our run in isn't easy , but when has anything this season been simple? (Apart from Blackburn at home!)

Next up on Monday night is Wigan who will be on high after beating Man Utd and once again will want to some how stay up however I feel we will just to much for them up front, (especially if they play 3 at the back.) We all hope that the Ox will start however if we does not let's get behind the 11 which do start and see how it goes and trust Wenger in his decisions.

We then host Chelsea who will face Tottenham in the FA Cup semi final tomorrow and then Barcelona midweek. I don't think this will affect Chelsea, Instead it could do the opposite a win over Barcelona would give them bags of confidence (No not chips Frank) . However saying that this Chelsea said are extremely average. Mata is the obvious threat but we all know that Drogba likes to score against us ( 12 in his last 10 against us, I think) However hopefully him and Torres will be the latest hostages in Koscielny's pocket who will back from suspension.

The next game is one we all dread; I trip to Stoke Rugby Club (Luckily it isn't on a cold night.) We SHOULD be able to get all 3 points however coming away from Stoke with a point would not be the end of the world as long as we don't slip up elsewhere.

Our last home game against Norwich will hopefully all but secure Top 3/4 (get your get bin bags ready, just in case!) I trip to West Brom on the last day of the season will hopefully be stress free and we will finish the season off with 3 points. Neither of these teams are fighting for much but both will be looking to finnish well.

Tottenham have on paper a much easier run in but in reality may not be as simple as it looks, for 2 reasons:
1) Many teams they face are threatened with relegation ( QPR, Blackburn, Bolton and even Aston Villa). So they will be scrapping for every point.
2) Tottenham are sh*t

Newcastle have Stoke Rugby Club, Wigan and then Chelsea, Man City and Everton. None of which will prove a easy task as they are targeting 4th, 1st and 7th respectively.

Chelsea will have to juggle Premier League with the best in the world (No not Bale) but Barcelona. They face us, QPR, Newcastle, Liverpool and Blackburn.

So thats what we and the 'others' face between now and the season.

Let's hope come May we are celebrating (Yes I know 3rd isn't a trophy but back in September we would of given a Park or two for that in September!)

Up The Arsenal!

Luke- ( @Arsenal_RTs)

Please comment below on how you think the EPL table will finish up like and any other comments you have.

Blog Situation

Latest situation (11th April 2012) :  We understand that the blog has had very little content recently and the content that has been put here recently isn’t the best. We have decided that we will write pieces when we have time until the end of the season then over the summer we will  ‘re-launch’ for the new season.

If you would like to write for the blog on a one off basis or more regularly please tweet us @OnlyOneArsenal or @Arsenal_RTs

Thanks for your continued support of the blog and UP THE ARSENAL!

My thoughts on Man City

Fucking Shit

Let's laugh at them! (and Tottenham!)



HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHA





















Ha

Hitchin superstitious

Many football fans have their superstitions for match days. Some have the same shirt one. Some have the right foot sock before left foot sock, or was it the other? Same route to the stadium. Same programme/fanzine seller. Same pre match meal and/or drink.
Anything we believe could help influence the result, we begrudgingly undertake. No matter how daft. No matter how monotonous.
I wear the same group of clothes for when I watch the Arsenal at home, or for when I go to the match. For the Milan and Sunderland matches, I wore what I hoped would be the lucky gear that would get us through the preceding 90mins.
It didn’t. It failed.
What was I doing wrong? Something had changed. Something was negating the lucky power of my mauve pants, centenary shirt and blue pj’s (I do like the comfortable clothes at home). Would I need new gear? Should I change my clothing?
Then it hit me. Something indeed had changed. I’d moved. I’d bought a house, in Hitchin. Since then, 0-4 and 0-2. 2 defeats. We hadn’t even scored.
So, as you can imagine, I was somewhat concerned ahead of the fixture I hate above all others – at home, to them. In my circle of friends, I know more of them than us. Therefore, I am spoken to more when we lose than when we win these games.
They have also improved. Can’t argue with the facts – 10pts clear, with only 13 games left, we were destined to finish below them, too. And we had just seen any chance of a trophy go within that first week of my move.
So, confidence was not high, chez Hitchin, at kick off. Then they scored. After 4 mins. (I can’t recall them scoring so early an any match against us. Fate). The shot was on target, but the horrible deflection took it over our keeper. Meant to be. Then it was 2, a horrendous dive by he who looks like a monkey led to a penalty, scored by he who used to play for us. Where was the luck? Was I destined never to see us win again? To score again? Would I have to tell me better half that we would have to sell up and move, irrespective of any potential loss on the sale? (I would have done anything...)
Then, like a phoenix diving in for the kill, our right back scored (it’s been so long...). We scored, I cheered, my new neighbours knew where my allegiances were.... even more so after our skip bashed one in. We’d scored twice! Half time came, I got Twitter busy, then the second half came. Our busy no7 scored (it had been so long...) and we were winning – we were winning at my new home, in my lucky gear.... Then, our sprinter scored (it had been so long..) and then he scored again(not so long) and I found myself counting my lucky stars, thanking my lucky clothes, that I could see Arsenal 5 Tottenham 2 in the corner of my tele, in my new home, that ,maybe, I could call a lucky home. Hurrah!
Or, my supertitous home. We’ll see on Saturday....

Mike Hennessy

Arsenal vs Sunderland late review.

Sunderland 2 Arsenal 0, is anyone reading this really shocked by that result?
After the massacre at Milan there was no way this Arsenal side were going to lift there spirits and defend OUR honour against an energetic Sunderland side,to be honest I was stunned we beat them away in the league,they are after all in a great vein of form,showing all the cliché of a side under new management,
Looking revitalised hungry and enjoying there football,could you really pick an opposite to OUR team right now?lacking hunger,drive, movement,pride,all the characteristics that were once in ever Arsenal player, that built OUR legend as a team that plays the beautiful game as it should be played.
That in 2003 was our party piece,big powerful technical players that had a great understanding of the game and most of all felt that wearing the Arsenal shirt was an honour, one that wasn't taking lightly,we all remember Keown in the face of Ruud,Ian wright squaring up to schmichael,Henry getting angry at spurs,and Viera and well anyone!
Then the players cared about defending OUR colours! cared about the fans!the club!most of all about being the pride of London,
The style of play,the swagger in which we played it,was until then unseen,we frightened teams all over the world,pundits, ex-players and even other Managers ran out of accolades to lay at OUR teams dominance,Press struggled to find words to describe the beauty they were seeing and the devastating effect of letting Arsenal have an inch of space,a second on the ball,as an opponent if you hesitated you would be destroyed by pace accuracy and passion,fear was in the eyes of every man that stood against The Arsenal,the side were unbeatable,they refused to lay down or be beat,
Arsene Wenger was the man responsible for bringing that to our club,he was responsible for buying the right players,telling David Dein before he even left japan that he wanted a Viera,a player no one had heard of,when Henry was bought and played as a striker he actually hit the clock in the clock end with a shot! Yet when others mocked Wenger persisted,
So how has it all come crashing down?
Well Arsene caught the footballing world with its pants down,buying in players unknown,teaching them about diet and training,turning them into athletes and scholars then finally footballers,
The football world witnessed the success and pulled its pants up,now all teams in the Premier Divisions scour the earth looking for talent,now all teams counter attack,pass and move like Arsenal used too,Arsene's tactics haven't changed,the world has caught up and now overtaken,
Looking at our style of play now makes me feel sick,we are stagnant,slow,sloppy,lacklustre and toothless! It now takes us 20passes to do what we used to in 4!worse then all that the pride is gone,can you imagine any player before 2006 asking to leave?or entertaining the idea of leaving?the very idea would have been met by any player, with a firm NO! should the press have suggested they may leave The Arsenal!
Now it seems every Arsenal player uses our club as a stepping stone,a place to gain experience without the pressure from fans or the board to win trophies,
It has become normal for everyone around the club to except defeat,that is a very dangerous situation,
Wenger was asked prior to the Milan game if he felt his team could win,he replied "if I didn't think they could I wouldn't be here",but thinking and knowing are very different,we used to KNOW we could beat any team,
I appreciate the stats surrounding our team are shocking,I also except that you can make statistics read what you want,but the main one is no trophies in nearly 7 years!
I have checked and Manchester United have won 14 cups since then,and been too finals without winning,we have been to 2 finals and Few quarter finals,that gap is huge,
I'm sure if Wenger was confronted with that statistic he would feel disgraced,
I feel for Le Boss, I really do,he has believed in players that have let him down,but he has also let himself down by believing that the players we have posses the quality to win or the knowledge to win any cup!
Now I feel even our formation and tactics can be questioned,players don't appear to have roles on the pitch or understanding how there individual performances or mistakes effect the team,we used to have the philosophy that all players can play in any position,all players had to be able to move the ball,go forward and backwards with confidence,showing skill in all aspects of the game,now that's missing,
It is time for this era to come to an end,I'm sorry to say,if someone can get through to Arsene then I'd love him to be the man to turn it round,
unfortunately after losing so much great talent we will now need to buy in big names,not just names but winners,I'm not sure Arsene has the heart to start again,let's hope he does,
Looking at players that have left our club, compared with there replacements has to have any "armchair"manger questioning the direction of our club,looking at our squad now,I would happily play Denilson or Eboue,never mind letting Silva go cos of his age then buying Arteta,
I don't think Arsene even knows what he wants from the squad anymore,we need a total re-think we need to get back to basics,I end with this,how many of the current squad would get close to first team football in the 2003 team?
that was 9 years ago,its unacceptable that OUR great club has gone backwards,I highlight OUR because after all is said and done this is OUR Arsenal,its all of OUR faults for letting the club feel no trophy in 7 years is acceptable! That has to change to save OUR club.
Ryan Smith
@ryanvr46

Reflections on Milan and the current situation

By @SamTheGooner

I wasn’t surprised or shocked by what we all had to painfully witness on Wednesday night. It wasn’t some freak result or unlucky defeat. It was the result of an inevitable manifestation of decline on and off the pitch at Arsenal Football Club. And this didn’t happen overnight. You don’t go from being Champions (2004) to Europa League misery or mid-table mediocrity overnight. No, we haven’t reached the latter yet but we have no reasons to believe that those lows aren’t on the horizon.
 
I am not one to blame the players. You see, I don’t think we lost at the San Siro because of Squillaci. The 8-2 debacle at Old Trafford wasn’t Denilson’s fault. Nevertheless, the other night, there was absolutely no heart, passion or desire, from most of the players, to get a result. As Le Boss said, we never really got into the game. We were woeful. It was almost as if the players didn’t want the ball, were keen to get rid of it and pass the responsibility on to someone else. Time and time again we gave away the ball.
 
Most of the Arsenal players don’t understand what it means to wear that cannon or the famous colours of red and white. Why not? Why was the performance so woeful? I don’t know really, probably a combination of a few things - one of them being this modern reality that a large percentage of players are driven solely by the money (*cough* Samir Nasri *cough*). They are anyway paid thousands so why bother to try? Wenger’s duties don’t halt at just picking the team; he must also serve as the motivator. The players didn’t look too fired-up in the Italian cold the other night – another reason, in my opinion, for the no-desire attitude. The performance was utterly lethargic.
 
A bad pitch or dodgy referee has nothing do with the team’s effort. Give them a game. Show some pace, urgency, passion! Make it difficult for them! The tie is essentially over and we must turn our focus to the FA Cup and the Premier League, where it is so vital, albeit unlikely, that we finish in the top four. Doomsday is looming large.
 
Even before the game we (well, those whose heads aren’t buried in the sand) knew that this Arsenal squad is very average but the least the 5,000 travelling fans deserved (and those watching at home) was a spirited performance full of desire, urgency and hunger. But no, we were battered and outclassed all over the pitch. Where was that Frimpong-like fighting spirit in Milan? Frimpong’s not the greatest footballer but his sterling attitude, fighting spirit and love for the club is a reason he’s already established himself as a fan favourite.
 
The next day the media were singing AC Milan’s praises, but they really weren’t that brilliant. They’re not unbeatable or particularly world class. Yes, they deserve credit for taking advantage of our lacklustre performance but we made them look amazing. I watch them in Serie A as well, and trust me; they are nowhere near the level of Barcelona or Real Madrid.
 
People tell me that the players constantly let the manager down – which may be true – but these players are overpaid, underachieving and don’t pick themselves. We reward failure. Sp*rs’ wage bill is £61 million less than ours! Wenger has too much faith in some of these players who, quite frankly, aren’t good enough. It is one of Wenger’s obvious flaws: too much loyalty. Yes, believe it or not, Wenger is not flawless. His successes of yesteryear don’t make him some unquestionable mastermind.
 
We are a club in decline; on the pitch, as was evident in Milan, throughout January, at Old Trafford, Wembley etc, and off it. Problems at Arsenal are far deeper than personnel. Signing one player, selling another or making a tactical change won’t suddenly make us world beaters. Our absurdly outdated wage structure, transfer policy, ownership (Kroenke – our unpopular owner who has attended only one Arsenal game in nine months) and management are all among the issues needed addressing. But getting rid of the deadwood players would certainly be a good place to start rebuilding. Bendtner, Chamakh, Almunia, Squillaci, Diaby, Denilson, Park, Djourou et al are all underachieving and overpaid. They are passengers. It’s the club’s fault these players are tied in with long-term, highly paid, lucrative contracts no buyer will ever take on.
 
The past summer, for me, was a major turning point. They’ve been problems for a couple of seasons now (the lack of leadership, winning mentality etc) but we always knew the summer would be pivotal and the club blew it. They blew it from board to manager and while blowing it big style, gave the fans a double whammy of price increases and mediocrity. The summer was a genuine existential moment for the club, and their answer was to nickel and dime it.  What’s happened since isn’t exactly rocket science.
 
We had a dreadful end to last season, sold our two best players, made inadequate and rushed signings, were unlucky with injuries and the backroom staff remained the same. It’s quite simply the disaster formula of how a club go from finishing inside the top four to out of it.
 
Arsenal FC has become the personification of acceptance in mediocrity. The board, and some fans, have shown absolutely no ambition and are satisfied with a top four finish. This season, I’m afraid, there’s little chance we’ll get even get that.
 
There’s a case to be said about Wenger being thrown under the bus and that he’s a victim/hostage of his own success but we don’t really know. It was quite clear at the beginning of January that this squad weren’t good enough and our finish inside the top four was in jeopardy, so why didn’t we sign anyone to help us get over the line? A striker to help share the burden with Van Persie, a left-back to ascertain the likes of Miquel and Vermaelen weren’t forced to play in an unnatural and unfamiliar position. It was fresh madness. Were there funds available? Were those funds available to the manager? If not, why not? If there was money, why was Arsene so reluctant to spend? These are questions that need asking. The determination to muddle through rather than use money to help ourselves looks ridiculous.
 
Whatever it is, it would be nice if Gazidis, Kroenke and co would come out and tell the fans, the lifeblood of any club, the truth. It’s the least we deserve after suffering for quite a while now. I couldn’t help but admire and feel sorry for the fans that spent their hard-earned cash on an extortionate away trip to Milan to watch such a shower of crap.
 
The board have spat in the faces of us, the fans. We pay the highest ticket prices in world football, season ticket prices are increased season after season, and more and more of the core support are being priced out of the game. We pay Harrods prices while the club are searching for basement bargains in Primark. It is truly disgusting that the loyal fans are the ones suffering from the mediocrity and austerity visible on the football pitch.
 
The board will proudly boast about our self-sustaining business model and relatively healthy financial situation but bank accounts don’t score you goals or keep clean sheets. The football model must come before the business one. All you ask of your football club is that it strives to improve on the year before. Arsenal have been getting worse, each year, for too many years now.
 
It is a sad situation - a dire one – which hasn’t developed overnight. The perennial questions about Arsenal’s under investment will be raised again this summer especially with two billionaires owning the shares.
 
Yes, for the first two/three seasons at The Grove the excuse was that we were still paying off the debt but we’ve been at the stadium for almost six years now. No excuses anymore. I urge fans to show some ambition, unlike the board, and to stop applauding the mediocrity. Without the fans, the club is nothing.
 
Please give me reasons to be positive as I currently see no reason to be “positive” and keep the faith, as all I, a realist, can see in the nearby future is us reaching two new lows: finishing below Sp*rs and playing Europa League football at a half-empty Emirates next season. Channel 5 beckons. You can’t argue with the league table.
 
Robin van Persie is our captain, talisman and best player. After the humiliation in Italy he was reportedly forlorn in the dressing room. That kind of evening in Milan will not persuade him to sign that new contract in a hurry. I won’t be surprised or bewildered to see him go. If Van Persie does leave in the summer, where does that leave us? Where do we go from there?
 
We’ve never been so bad under the tenure of Arsene Wenger. The man can no longer see wood for trees. The blind, deluded, non-critical devotion to Wenger is one reason we’re in this mess. Heads up, ostriches.
 
Perhaps the board have just tied his hands behind his back and the Frenchman has performed miracles with limited squads for the last few seasons, but this time alas I can’t see it. There is a strong belief from some Gooners that our failures this term are down to the board too often rolling the dice and getting the manager to make chicken salad out of chicken shit. All this, as I say, may be true but we don’t know.
 
Wenger is either too stubborn to realise the glaring inadequacies in his side, or, he is being hindered by a board who are too incompetent to land his desired targets, or simply unwilling to pay inflated asking prices. Anyway, I personally find it hard to believe that Wenger is completely infallible and am therefore of the opinion that it’s time to wish him farewell. (I could write a whole article on Wenger. Here I’m just touching on it - it’s not my main focus in this piece.)
 
You can’t take away Wenger’s achievements but it seems to me he is dwelling on past glory. Football’s moved on but has Arsene? He is tactically inept and the way he worries about the state of Europe’s economy makes you think his next job is more likely replacing Sarkozy than Jose (via Tim Payton).  If Wenger is to part company this summer, it should be announced sooner rather than later so he leaves with the dignity he deserves. Build a statue, say thank you and move on.
 
I thought I’d end on a positive note after that rant. So, let’s all remember, we’re still a bigger club than Sp*rs. And we will be for a long time. To put things into perspective, we’ve won more league titles just under the reign of Arsene Wenger than Tottenham have in their whole history. We’ve been in the Champions League for 16 consecutive seasons, while Sp*rs have managed to reach Europe’s elite competition only once in that time. St Totteringham's Day may not occur this year but Arsenal have finished above Sp*rs every season since the 1994-95 campaign. These facts prove that there’s still no case for an argument. Forever in our shadow. Up The Arsenal!

Milan Massarce

15th February 2012 will always be remembered as the date I lost faith in this current Arsenal team, not only the team but the mentality of the players, the judgment of the board and finally the manager himself.
We made an at best average Milan side look great the club we love was out played for 90mins by a Milan that are struggling to fill the once packed San Siro every week.
(I know this because I live in Milan.)
The papers every day highlight the flaws in the once great Milan with comments usually centred around the lack of pace in Milan's team the lack of goals and creativity even their legendary defence has had huge criticism as they have struggled to keep out 'serie A' opposition away from home despite being top of the league.
Opposition that might not eve rival the top four of our premier league its fair to say that 'serie A' quality of football is no where near the same level that we play in the Premier League.
Yet despite all this they outplayed our once great club, they out ran out thought and more importantly they out Gunned our once great club.
Our recent good form has hidden the real problems that are deep in our club that now painful night in the San Siro showed how not having real winners and leaders in our team has kept us back and far away from silverware. We found it impossible to turn the tide and really lacked quality not only in the final third but across the pitch.
We once had a great defence Wenger once understood you have to build from at least two big, ugly (Sorry keown and adams.) central defenders; so that all the attacking play can take place without fear of sloppy or crazy mistakes at the back.
Now with this current squad of players we have no clue how to play the beautiful game and no confidence to go forward or play in 'triangles'. Now tonight having watched the game on TV after having to witness it live, I can see what was clear to all 5000 stood beside me which is there is no belief around the club or within the players and even the fans didn't look surprised this hurt deeply hurt. The majority of player showed now fight or pride to be representing Arsenal on the biggest stage.
5000 Gooners who work hard in normal lives, everyday to earn money to watch our were rewarded with a slap in the face. Some Arsenal fans will keep the faith but I urge you with every red part of my soul to see reason too look not only at this season and the departure of certain players but the standard of football the last 5 years, the games we have lost or drawn when leaders and quality were needed on the pitch that were not wearing our famous cannons.
Many Arsenal fans will list single occasions and games when we played well,but I ask you is that enough? To win silverware you have to preform every match win, loss or draw and today like so many other days we did not perform. All our breathtaking history will mean nothing if we don't make drastic changes this is more then a 4-0 defeat it's about glory that has been missing from our club for the better part of a decade! The fans here in Milan tonight and ALL Gooners across the world deserved so much more from our club.
I wish I could take positives I usually do but now is the time to get real; time to wake up. I'm not asking for protests or for abuse to players or the manger but we need to all move forward together and we ALL need to get the message to the club that this is no longer good enough and we will no longer will we stand aside and bicker amongst ourselves that we as a group thousands strong demand more than ever.
We needed leadership as well as spirit and were found wanting not for the first time we have taken millions in transfers alone only to line the already bulging pockets of our greedy board it's not just the money but the acceptance of defeat and average performance's that is now the norm. Even the once great style of our club is gone no longer do players move and flow in sync to often the play grinds to a holt as players struggle to pick out passes that only a handful of players in the world could complete.
I end with this thought- what young lad growing up watching football would want to be an Arsenal fan? What players would they follow so keen to emulate?I pray that some big changes take place so that us Gooners don't become a forgotten breed.

Ryan (@Ryanvr46)

AC Milan vs Arsenal Drinking Game

AC MILAN VS ARSENAL DRINKING GAME ( I don't want to be blamed if you land up in hospital so I advice this game to be played with Orange squash ;] )

Have a sip if...

Us being a 'One man team' is mentioned

Fabregas and Nasri are mentioned (a sip for each one)

ANY reference to Barcelona

The Camera turns to Henry on the bench

The referee makes a cock up

Have a few sips if...

When a Walcott cross goes to a Milan player

Song picks up a yellow card

A player goes down injured

Down your drink if...

Any mentions of trophy drought

A mention that we might not be on the Champions League next season

Any mention to Bale's performance against Inter Milan last season.

If a Walcott cross finds a ARSENAL player.

IF HENRY SCORES THE WINNER DOWN THE BOTTLE

Enjoy the match #COYG

DRINK AWARE

Contracts and what not: An Arsenal week in review.

Just posting a small news update and my thoughts on said topics.

It has become apparent that a certain Swiss defender has signed a new deal at Arsenal. No, we are not about to witness the return of Senderos, but we’re going to have three more years of Johan Djourou (although Swiss reports say it's just two). There are several ways to look at this:

1)     We’ve increased his price for potential buyers

2)      For two or three more years we’re stuck with a player who’s been below-par all season

3)      We get to keep the man who played out of his skin and defended well for the first two-thirds of last season

4)      We’ve lowered our wage bill and have therefore not got enough funds to tie down our better players

5)      OR, the board have made extra funds available for wages and so Wenger is slowly but surely getting the whole squad on new long-term deals.

6)      Kyle Bartley isn’t coming back

Theo Walcott is also close to a contract extension, taking his weekly pay up to £80,000. Luckily we’re doing all this now and not in the summer. For instance, the deal to sign Juan Mata was reportedly halted due to the club focussing on Fabregas’ transfer and the contract renewal of Samir Nasri.

Robin Van Persie has dismissed (laughed off) rumours that he will be going to Real Madrid in the summer after speaking to the Telegraph saying:  “Real Madrid? No, no, not for me. Me and my family love London. This is my home.” Judging by this quote, he is very happy at the club. – Please note that if you have read the Marca interview with Van Persie then ignore it, the whole thing was made up and blown way out of proportion. Marca also reckon Káká admitted to having a medical with us in mid-July, hmm.

According to very reliable WeAreTheNorthBank.com, we are lining up a summer move for Sturridge after his father recently touted the Chelsea forward to the club. This would be a decent move for us, well, when I say that, I simply mean and improvement on Chamakh and Park.

Last but not least, Carlos Vela. The Mexican striker has said he doesn’t want to go back to Arsenal, and he wants to stay at Real Sociedad, or at least stay in Spain. 

Thanks for reading, whilst you're at it, give me a follow me on Twitter: @MylesBurrell.

The Story So Far

NOTE: This piece was meant to be published 11 days ago. My apologies go to Ryan the writer.


> This is one of the hardest pieces I have had to write,the story so far,it should be easy for any team with huge ambitions and a top four finish the minimum expected,
> It should read something like,"the start to the season was Not as easy as we thought, but its ok we are safely in the top 4 of the table before the end of the year"
> However being fans of the mighty Arsenal,its been different,the season started the way many would have expected with the departure of cesc,and then the departure we few were expecting of nasty,from then on every so called expert questioned more then the ambition of our club!but the very soul of it,the usual fans wanted us to spend big and spent fast,these fans are clearly new to the club and must be the glory years supporters of the Henry era,which is fine,all Arsenal fans are of course welcome,fir us fans that have supported the club longer,we knew the likely hood under AW of us spending huge and fast were tiny
> AW has never done business this way,and never would,he buys clever and when he feels he must,often to the naked eye buying wrongly too,the acquisitions we made weren't good enough for all,so many quick to say that they wouldn't be enough to save our season, a season that after 3 games was in tatters,fans were actually protesting against the club
> Then at what has to be the biggest meeting the last 5 years at the club,its revealed we will stick to our current financial model,
> Basically spend what we can earn,and for a club that is not winning trophies it won't be a lot,yet still with days remaining in the summer transfer window,some fans demanded huge signings of 40 and 50 million,this was never going to happen,not because of our clubs lack of ambition,but our clubs determination to stick to its own guide lines,
> We should maybe be proud of that,AW did buy in the transfer window,and it did the job,after a poor start,Arsenal turned it round,with some massive wins,Udinese being one! Against all the odds we started to turn it round,playing with confidence and looking like the old gunners we once were,and with RVP being the most in form striker on the planet we were looking dangerous,some in the media continued the Arsenal bashing saying we are a one man team,its maybe hard to argue with that one,but those that follow the game of football know the goal is the end product of 11players working hard,its the icing on the cake,so Arsenal as a team were playing some great football,
> Still so many fans weren't happy,pulling names from the sky of players we need,like we are a FIFA12 game,these people I feel need to get real,the  media still hounded our club,even the 5-3 hammering of chelsea wasn't enough,it appears any team we can beat is then in crisis!?! Its been the most obvious year for media hating arsenal I can remember,
> Despite all this AW has remained as classy as ever, and the club have taken criticism well,the players have reacted well,yes we know we are still carrying dead wood in some players,and I'm sure every Gooner reading this ,has at least 5 players they would happily sell,but for us all I'm sure that Arshavin and chamakh are the main 2!
> The club have done us all proud,we were and are never going to spend money like other big clubs in Europe,its not our style,finding young talented footballers,holding onto them nee to become a bigger priority,I have mentioned before how Arsenal need to be careful we don't become a feeder club for big clubs with big money and trophy ambitions!
> That aside, we have gone from looking like relegation fodder (according to telegraph) to being just outside the top four,yet with the wolves result the other day, the haters are all back and we are in crisis again,
> I agree we should have taken 3 point,but we didn't,I believe we are struggling as a squad because we have no winners,we have talent,loads of it,but not winners,had we won the carling cup we would be a different team,
> we all know that the Man u of old specialised in taken advantage of dropped points by other team challenging for the title,but we are a much better team then we started the season with,the second half of the season will see the return of the "winner" the king is back,wilshere will also be back ad AW will buy someone in January,I'm sorry to all the pessimistic Gooners that will say I'm deluded,but I remember the arsenal that couldn't buy a win!so for me the future is always bright,we need to look at what we have, not what we don't,for the second half of the season,if you have been negative so far this season try being positive!and let's see what we can achieve together,going forward!

Ryan