I’m struggling to write this blog. Writer’s block you say? Um.. No. I’ve been playing Temple Run so much that I can barely see the screen on my laptop without having visions of a man running along ruined brickwork collecting coins. My eyes hurt and I feel dizzy. Intense gaming on my iPhone has given me chafed thumbs. It’s all been worth it though, I have surpassed the highest score of my biggest Temple Run rival, Gurveenho Singh.
Since my last post, we’ve played four games. As expected, we lost to Manchester United but upon reflection may be it wasn’t deserved particularly as I thought we were in the ascendency for much of the second period. Whilst there was never any danger of a repeat of our 8-2 humiliation at Old Trafford, defensive concerns were evident again. Djorou was picked as right back but may as well have been right back in the dressing room. His clumsiness led to United’s opener and Arshavin’s lack of urgency in defending led to Welbeck’s late winner.
Many Arsenal fans will remember this game for the ‘controversial’ substitution in the 74th minute. When The Ox’s number went up there were deafening boos from the Arsenal faithful. For me, this was a watershed moment. It felt huge. Not just from a footballing point of view, as the reaction itself was aimed at Arsene Wenger. Never has there been such a display of mutiny towards the manager. Admittedly, the youngster had been our best attacking player but according to Arsene, The Ox had started to fatigue and overstretched his calf. With hindsight, the change makes perfect sense. On this note, I am puzzled by the reaction of some fellow fans. On the one hand, they become angry when our players keep getting injured but on the other hand they criticise when players are rested or taken off as a precaution. Consider Jack Wilshere. Here’s a boy who made 49 appearances in his first season, as an 18 year old. As a result, he’s now crocked and has missed the majority of this campaign. Arsene is in a lose-lose situation.
Many Arsenal fans will remember this game for the ‘controversial’ substitution in the 74th minute. When The Ox’s number went up there were deafening boos from the Arsenal faithful. For me, this was a watershed moment. It felt huge. Not just from a footballing point of view, as the reaction itself was aimed at Arsene Wenger. Never has there been such a display of mutiny towards the manager. Admittedly, the youngster had been our best attacking player but according to Arsene, The Ox had started to fatigue and overstretched his calf. With hindsight, the change makes perfect sense. On this note, I am puzzled by the reaction of some fellow fans. On the one hand, they become angry when our players keep getting injured but on the other hand they criticise when players are rested or taken off as a precaution. Consider Jack Wilshere. Here’s a boy who made 49 appearances in his first season, as an 18 year old. As a result, he’s now crocked and has missed the majority of this campaign. Arsene is in a lose-lose situation.
Sandwiched in between the aforementioned defeat and a goalless draw at Bolton, was a thrilling FA Cup victory over Aston Villa at the Emirates. 2-0 down at half-time, the boys responded superbly in the second half to win 3-2. No idea what Arsene said or did at half-time but it worked a treat. We now face a trip to the north-east to face either Sunderland or Middlesbrough. The 0-0 at the Reebok was a bizarre game. We endured a frustrating evening as we failed to break the deadlock. The game saw 30 shots on goal, yet neither team could find the back of the net.
At the weekend, we hosted Blackburn Rovers. Fellow Gooners will remember the painful 4-3 defeat at Ewood earlier this season. This was payback. My father (FK Senior) joined me for this game and what a game we saw.
RVP’s hat-trick, two goals from The Ox, Mikel Arteta’s strike and TH12’s late goal saw Arsenal thump Blackburn 7-1. I’d like to take this opportunity to mention those fans who had jeered Arsene at the United game, those who had also threatened to protest with black bin bags were the same fans celebrating and enjoying our victory. We all know football fans are fickle but this bi-polar support must stop - it’s not doing anyone any good. We must get behind our beloved team and be prepared to judge Arsene & co in the summer – the league table always lies until May.
That said, I’m not going to get carried away following the thrashing of Blackburn. After all, it’s only three (valuable) points but what a timely boost in confidence. But it shouldn’t come as any surprise. Arsene’s been saying it all along, players are beginning to return from injuries and with Gervinho due back after The ACN, I’m feeling optimistic.
Our next league game sees us travel to Sunderland – the most in-form team over the last ten games in the Premier League. Martin O’Neill’s boys have picked up 22 points from a possible 30 and this will provide a stern test for our resurgence. And an away trip in the Champions League to AC Milan follows just days later… Exciting times my fellow Emirati! X
