From Nick Holloway : Damned if you do, damned if you don’t
Hello Myles,
A few years ago an Arsenal fan friend of mine sent me a link to your site .
I forget the article he linked me to now, but I do recall that I while I disagreed with the sentiment, the piece was well written, professionally constructed and as close to balanced as an emotionally-invested fan can be.
I have been a visitor ever since. Admittedly, more when I know Arsenal have split camps within the fanbase. I am regular visitor these days.
For, you see, I am a Spurs fan.
Long-suffering , having to endure a generation of superior performances and achievements by our neighbours. I have watched as Arsenal under Wenger collected a series of trophies and built a formidable team that knew how to win, that took no prisoners, that stood up and collectively said ‘This is my game, my ball, my result\’.
I hated Arsenal all the more for it and I hated when Spurs played them.
The current debate, and the subsequent split, is now a fascinating one. Arsenal FC, arguably better placed than they have been for many seasons for a Premiership title, and yet recent performances have seen the team crash out of all of the cup knockout competitions and lose points in winnable games.
On the face of it, calling for the manager\’s head when 2nd,with only the run-in to play,seems absurd.
And in isolation it is. But that is to ignore the last 6 years. Arsenal are not the team of the early part of the 00s.There was a time when I feared playing Arsenal.
These days, the game is as much about the mental state as it is the football, and Arsenal have long had a delicate confidence that can easily be shattered, easy balls then become difficult, risks are not taken, and players look to the leader on the pitch.
Great players have been replaced by good players, but the philosophy remains strong. Yet there is a general feeling that Arsenal are as far from winning the Premiership as they have been in his reign despite current league standings.
Arsenal\’s lack of a captain is well-documented but one moment this season for me captures one of Arsenal\’s biggest issues.
Against Spurs at the Emirates, as Arsenal were on the ropes the contrast between the leadership was stark. Redknapp barely retreated from the technical area, joined at times by Bond shouting orders to the team. It wasn\’t schooling from the highest echelons of footballing strategy – it didn\’t need to be, it\’s a simple game that follows basic human patterns – people respond to leaders.
Leaderless on the park , Arsenal players had only one place to look for help, for advice, to be picked up by the scruff of the neck and told what to do. When they looked at the Arsenal technical area, it was empty. Pat Rice, not having been given permission to stand up, was sat there in his seat marked ‘PR\’, arms folded shaking his head.
Wenger, whose plan had not gone well, reacted as if he was a pubescent teenager being told he couldn\’t go out. A ridiculous tantrum on the sidelines served only to help Spurs go on and win.
Which they did. If you have no leader on the pitch, you must have strong leadership from the sidelines. If you have neither, you will not win what you set out to. The irony is that Wenger is strong , to the point of taking it to the limits of human stubbornness when he wants to.
If he channeled his dedication, focus and strength to be as agile and flexible as he is clearly talented in his footballing ideology, Arsenal would truly be one of the greats and could be speaking of many recent major trophies. Long term managers are few and far between – however most seem to improve over time or build a regular sequence of success.
Can he now share his place with others who will dilute his influence for the greater good of the team? No.
Can Arsenal survive without him without suffering a long period of convalescence as they reapply for British citizenship? No.
And that\’s the nub of the issue.
Damned if you do, damned if you don\’t. The overwhelming majority of people by nature are risk-neutral, eg 99% of people, when asked, sign up for the balanced pension investment versus adventurous.
Arsenal have a good team and a good record of PL finishing places. Trade that to step back into the quagmire of 5-8 in order to have a better shot at 1st, and potentially face an impossible task to climb back? I’d wager most would say no.
But by saying no, you are also signing up for more of the same.
Now I have written this, Arsenal will probably go on and win the league.
But I doubt it. Whatever happens, good luck and I hope he stays.
Myles says :
If Arsenal win the league, I’ll post your email address on ANR, so that lots of Gooners can keep in touch with you.
Have a good weekend, Nick.
Best of luck against Real Madrid. Football is unpredictable. All teams lose games.