Many Gooners have always felt that their club is different.
And superior. And, in some ways, it has been superior.
Arsenal is a big club which won trophies in the Thirties, Fifties, Seventies, Eighties, Nineties and Noughties.
It\’s by far the biggest club in London.
Chelsea will never be an Arsenal.
And Tottenham will never be an Arsenal either.
Today\’s Premier League?
Manchester United try to win trophies.
And Chelsea try to win trophies.
Liverpool have obvious desire, if not the talent.
Manchester City won the FA Cup last year and crave the league title. Having been knocked out of the Champions League at the first attempt, Roberto Mancini needs the Premier League. Half the season is left and City have a chance.
Other clubs, who know they can\’t win the title, try very hard to win the FA Cup.
Liverpool beat West Ham on penalties in 2006. Portsmouth beat Cardiff in 2008.
Most clubs outside the Top Six would love to win the Carling Cup. Remarkably, Birmingham fancied themselves in the Carling Cup Final of 2011 and beat Arsenal 2-1. Then Birmingham were relegated.
Football is about mainly about players.
Daniel Levy refused to sell Luka Modric to Chelsea in August – and Spurs are still above Chelsea and Arsenal. There is a shortage of players who can do what Modric does. That’s why Paul Scholes was brought out of retirement yesterday.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are not really committed to winning anything.
Wenger’s squad is never big enough or strong enough, so he never gives himself the tools to do the job.
Historically, Arsenal have lacked ambition and the club is still unique in its lack of ambition. That makes their successes all the more remarkable, I reckon.
If you look at the 10 top clubs, Arsenal are the only one whose strategy is to be an also-ran.
FOR INSTANCE :Do you welcome Wenger’s willingness to sign a 34-year old has-been for two months? A guy was past his prime when he left Arsenal five years ago? The standard of football in the MLS is pitiful. It really is. It’s worse than you think.
In general, I’m told, the media response to the return of an old favourite has been : He\’s a legend, he won\’t damage his legacy by playing badly, he can advise the young players.
My view? It’s a business decision and a cop-out, a cheap option.
The faded superstar will probably put some bums on seats during the cold winter months. By doing that he might bring in more £ £ £ £ than his wages are costing.
Arsenal is a business whose mission is (1) respectable failure (2) making a profit.
Let’s see what side Wenger puts out against Leeds tonight.
Chelsea played their strongest side and beat Portsmouth 4-0, although three of the goals came in the last five minutes.
If Arsenal win they’ll have a home tie against Aston Villa in the Fourth Round.
Liverpool will play Manchester United.
Patrice Evra, welcome to Anfield !
The Manchester derby was ruined by the referee.
At the Etihad, Rooney scored with a tremendous header after 10 and got Vincent Kompany sent off after 12. He raced up angrily to ref Chris Foy and demanded punishment for a two-footed tackle on Nani which won the ball. Nani nimbly hopped over the tackle and didn’t appeal for a foul, preferring to chase the loose ball.
I’d have booked Kompany and booked Rooney as well.
Welbeck’s volley was spectacular for 2-0. Then Kolarov brought down Nani in the box and Rooney scored with a second header, after his penalty had been parried.
United tried to play keep-ball in the second half to protect a 3-0 lead against 10 men. But they were too sloppy to keep possession for long periods.
Keep-ball is a tactical approach as well as a technical test, and since United’s DNA is aggressive physicality, pace and momentum, it doesn’t suit them.
It suited the Hansen-Dalglish Liverpool team because they had that mindset and the rules were different. Before 1985, Hansen could pass back to Bruce Grobbelaar.
When Evra fouled Micah Richards in 48, Kolarov scored beautifully from the free-kick. And when Kolarov fouled Valencia in the box, he got away with it.
Aguero, an energetic forager and chaser of lost causes, made it 2-3 after a small Scholes error in 64 and United scrambled to the final whistle and a draw that brought Dalglish and Ferguson together yet again.