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Great Expectations

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It feels like the disappointing end to the 2021/22 season was yesterday, and yet here we are already on the eve of the new campaign. Another Friday night kick off for the Arsenal, another tricky away tie in London. But for many, a whole different feel about the occasion. When we went to Brentford on match day 1 last season, we had no recognized first choice striker with Aubameyang and Lacazette Covid hit. No Thomas Partey, injured in preseason. Saka not fully fit after a trying Euros tournament. Pablo Mari, Calum Chambers and Bernd Leno three of the back 5, with Gabriel absent, no recognized right back available and the Aaron Ramsdale deal not yet completed. It was an understrength lineup on an occasion that was always going to be difficult. Arsenal XI in away defeat to Brentford Compare and contrast to the 11 that started the last two games of preseason, and barring any last minute calamities should start tomorrow, and  it is easy to see why a sense of optimism abounds this time a...
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The worst of times

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I hate the transfer window. More specifically, I hate the transfer window on Twitter. It's a place full of stress, anger, frustration, fake news and mass overreaction. And that's just 5 days in! I remember growing up, before social media, I would wake up in the morning, switch on Ceefax on BBC, football headlines on page 302, check for any Arsenal links and then, if none, off to page 316 for the brief snips of news. And that was it for the day. Nothing about Arsenal? No problem, they know what they're doing. I'll check again tomorrow. Simple times. These days with Twitter, it is completely different. With  journalists with various levels of connections to the club and even more varying levels of accuracy, self-proclaimed ITKs telling us that they heard through the hairdresser of their mates cousin who is best friends with the agent of a mid level talent from the Bundesliga that a player is definitely joining us, YouTube fan channels who need to say something to put out ...
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The top 4 paradox

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Unless you've been living under a rock, you will be well aware that Arsenal currently sit fourth in the league, four points clear of Sp*rs, and with the opportunity on Thursday to seal qualification for the Champions League for the first time since the 2016/17 season if we are able to overcome win one of the most high-stakes North London Derbies in years. Being back at Europe's top table would be an exciting prospect, you might think. Slightly terrifying considering our current squad, but it's what we have been striving for for the last five years, so the potential to achieve that goal with this threadbare squad of also-rans and comparative kids would be a hell of an accomplishment, and one that many, many of us will celebrate with great enthusiasm. But yet there are still murmurs that this isn't a good thing. A scroll through my twitter feed on any given day over the last month or so when this goal became a tangible reality will show all manner of varying, contradictor...
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Get in the bin!

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I enjoy using Twitter. For the most part, I find myself able to engage in sensible discussions with most people from across the spectrum of footballing opinions. I don't keep myself in an echo chamber, only following people with views similar to mine. But, as with most forums, it has it's fair share of plebs. Morons. Idiots who you would cross the street to avoid.  Luckily, I find that these people are quite easy to identify on Twitter. Whether it be by their avi, or just something they say or a phrase they use, these people are not hard to spot. So, here are a few of the things that set off immediate warning signs to me on Twitter: Your avi is a mock up of Arteta as a member of the taliban or Hitler? Get in the bin! Using works like "Tetasexual", "Artetasexual" or "Tetaliban"? You're most likely a child who won't open themselves up to why people might support Arteta. Avoid! You're calling Arsenal "Assna"? You obviously don...
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Finding perspective

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So  the transfer window has closed and Arsenal have signed a grand total of 0 players to come in to the first team squad whilst getting rid of a few more. This has led to predictable outrage. Claims that our season and push for the top four is over. That Edu and Arteta  have to  go. That we will be lucky to finish in the top half. Last week I said that it would be bordering on negligent for Arsenal to not fill the two positions that we knew we had the biggest need for when the transfer window opened: center forward and center midfield. To a degree, I stand by that statement, although maybe negligent was a bit strong of a word. Let’s look at the situation rationally, starting with the need for a midfielder. We entered January knowing that we would be losing Thomas Partey and Mo Elneny to AFCON, leaving us with Xhaka and  Lokonga  as our only two recognized midfielders for about a month. There was a clear need there. However, as the month rolled on, we only played...
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The big shop

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Every week my girlfriend and I put together our shopping list. It’s largely the same week on week, with things that we have noticed we have been short on or ran out of during the last week. Nothing too specific goes on there. It’s just a generic list of generic items. No brands, no labels, just milk, bread, etc.   Then, when she gets home from the shop, it’s like the list never existed. Sure, she might have the bread, she might have the milk, but the bread will be some weird, seeded thing. The milk will be completely different to what we are used to. This might be because what I was expecting had ran out. Could be that she has completely different ideas on how to approach the shop to me.  More often than not , there may even be some kind of treat for me and our two boys. They love trying to guess what it will be. Never get it right though. But who cares? Everyone loves a treat. Unless it’s fruit. I cannot emphasize enough that fruit   is not  a treat * . Anyway, I di...
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They think it’s all over

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6 th  place. Played 21. 36 points. 2 points off fourth with a game in hand. If you had offered that to me at the start of the season, let alone after the first three games, I would have bitten your hand off and taken it with glee. Let’s not forget after all that this is a season that no one expected us to challenge for top four, so to be well in with a shout past the halfway point is a position that should not be sniffed at. Yet following the disappointing 0-0 draw yesterday against Burnley, my Twitter feed was full of doom and gloom. Comments that the season was over, we’re never getting top four, there’s no progress and the manager needs to be sacked. Now, I will absolutely agree that drawing 0-0 at home to bottom club Burnley is disappointing. Regardless of absentees (Partey and Xhaka missing from the middle in particular) you would expect the team that was out there to have had enough to dispose of a team that only has 1 win all season. It was a line up after all that included ...
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