Hi Myles.
I have followed your blog for many years and always take pleasure in reading it, although I don’t always agree.
Myself, I\’m from Norway and have been a gooner since the mid-eighties. And to be frank it doesn’t bother me too much that we haven’t won anything for some years. Partly this is because I\’ve been a gooner for too long to take winning for granted.
Another factor is that I\’m a professional historian, and always feel the need for a broader look on things.
One important factor right now, that definitely affects both Arsenal and our view of club and manager, is the fact that a club many of us goners hate or dislike, is managed by arguably one of the best mangers of all time. Sir Alec has a cunning way of adapting to changing demands, and I can hardly think of anyone fit of comparing with him.
Of course I’d like us to win trophies.
But, for me soccer\’s always about the matches and how the team performs in a single moment. All the more reason for frustration, since the past few seasons have been coupled with more frustrating performances than ever.
One thing that\’s frustrating is the teams\’ obvious lack of backbone and often lack of a winning attitude.
Personally I don\’t think this is down to the players. I don\’t even think that the so called boo-boys are too weak as players to be fit wear the shirt.
I think it\’s all down to Arsene’s management, and motivational (where Sir Alex is unplayable), skills.
There are some sides to being a manager of which he\’s a master, others where he seems completely ignorant. Take for instance the team\’s defensive capabilities, or too often, lack of them.
You often talk about players being natural defenders. And it\’s not that I doubt whether talent has anything to do with being a good defender.
Still, I think that great defending is something that can be learned to a greater degree than great attacking.
As a Norwegian I have to believe that. Just watch the Norwegian national team.
However, this is not really why I wrote this piece.
Another thing that frustrates me is the teams\’ lack of luck in deciding situations.
Regarding to this, I found a recent post from optajoe on Twitter very interesting.
According to his statistics: If every shot that hit the post (for all the teams in the EPL) had gone in, Arsenal would already have been crowned champions this season, with 86 points after 35 matches, Chelsea second with 74, and Manu third with 73.
This statistic is of course manipulating reality in a way it probably wouldn\’t have played out (at least not a 100 percent). Still, it puts some of my frustration in perspective.
Another time maybe I\’ll write you about my thoughts on the teams, the manager, and what\’s wrong with them.
I certainly spend too much time thinking about it. Until then, keep up the good work.
Best regards ,
Trond