Gonzo journalism?






Old media resentments die hard. I believe they have been handed down from generation to generation ever since Arsenal had the audacity to become a glamour club in the thirties and break the Northern (down to earth) monopoly.
What Arsenal represent is resented by the sports media, because the club have always been challenging as the number of league titles and record in the top division shows. London's other supposed top teams; Chelsea West Ham and Spurs can get away with things Arsenal never could because those clubs have seen success come and go over the years. The fact is that Arsenal are the thorn in the side of the northern dominated football world. Football is an area in which they feel superior to London and as long as Arsenal have been around & achieving, the culture has been to criticise that success.
The historian in them still hasn't got over Herbert Chapman leaving Huddersfield and creating the Domestic Football giant that is Arsenal.
Regardless of cup runs, being consistently challenging for league titles is what makes a Club a truly great one and this is not the exclusive domain of the North.

As we hit the second half of the season it is interesting to see how the fortunes of teams have differed in comparison to the predictions of so called experts and fans alike. Liverpool where going to get it right and stop being just a Cup team and win the title for the first time in 18 years. Arsenal were going to flounder with a poor squad of youngsters.

So far these views have been shown, at best, to be ill advised. Football journalists appear to be an elite group who, seemingly, have no problem in wheeling out the same clichés year after year. This in turn informs the fans of what tragedies and triumphs they can look forward to. When my fellow Arsenal fans are accused of lacking good grace it is an indication of the frustration and envy that some fans of other teams feel based on their unrealistic expectations

At present Arsenal are in a state of flux yet are 24 hours away from going to the top of the league.
The squad has and is running out of gas and winning the title was a big ask at the start of the season with such an inexperienced squad. With the injuries and lack of investment in new proven players, to go top would be remarkable.
The economics of the Emirates demands success and Wenger may see himself being moved upstairs if it does not come soon. His ability to spot a player and business sense is not in question what is, is his tactical acumen and 'winning ' mentality. Success is the currency and at the moment we are cash poor.
If Wenger delivers a championship (European or domestic) in May it will be a monumental achievement given the number of players still playing at the top level that have left the club, unparallel by any other team in the world; Henry, Vieira, Reyes, Kanu, Van Bronckhorst, Silvinho, Pennant, Upson, Baptista, Bentley, Pires, Laarson, Lauren, Alliadierre,Cole Diarra , Anelka ,Sidwell. To consistantly lose that level of quality and experience and to come up trumps would be nothing short of miraculous! Everyone sees what we are capable of when it comes down to pure football but it's the consistency of a killer instinct that still remains a question mark.

Comments

  1. Hi JJ. Where's Wednesday missive? Its a daily blog right?

    ReplyDelete

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having said that;

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