What an interesting few months. I like to describe it as, a lucky escape. No, I’m not talking about football, I’m talking about my now ‘ex’. What a lunatic... total fruitcake, but I’ll tell you about her another day.
Welcome to my final post of the season. My ‘review of the season’, if you will, and my hopes for the future. It’s difficult to avoid clichés when looking back at Arsenal’s season. It has been, simply, a rollercoaster ride but with a familiar ending.
Arsenal FC 2011-12 Season Review…
It’s amazing how a team can be so unpredictable. Over the past ten months, the team has been beset by near relegation form, at others it strings together a winning run worthy of champions. After a calamitous summer in which we lost our captain, our left-back and an influential, sometimes brilliant, midfielder, we had a terrible start to the season, losing four of our first seven matches including the 8-2 mauling at Old Trafford. Speaking of which, I was there and I remember the taunts all the way home (and for many days to follow), ‘oh I’d 8-2 to be an Arsenal fan’ – karma works in funny ways – United lost the league due to an inferior goal difference of, would you believe, 8 goals.
Arsenal won six straight league games in October/November which included the epic 5-3 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. I’ve been to many away games in my time but this ranks as the best ever. I still laugh upon remembering John Terry being left on his knees chewing grass like a donkey when RVP raced away to put us in the lead before lashing home his hat-trick goal to make it 5! This run saw us climb the table from 17th to 7th. So-called ‘experts’ and media pundits had called for Arsene’s head, claiming that he’d lost the plot and that Arsenal were finished. ‘Arry Redknapp even suggested that the spuds could become London’s top club. Mugs. I’m ashamed to admit that a small minority of our fans also turned on Arsene using slogans such as ‘In Arsene We Rust’. Embarrassing.
Further impressive victories away at Wigan and Villa and RVP’s goal of the season winner against Everton at the Emirates in between, put us in good stead but nothing could prepare us for what was about to follow. In the space of a few days, we lost not one, not two, not even three but all four full-backs to injury which crippled us in the new year. We lost every league game in January and were then pummelled by Milan at the San Siro in what was the worst Arsenal performance I can remember in recent history.
With the North London Derby just days away, my thoughts turned into worries and my hope quickly turned to prayers but Bacary Sagna had other ideas, ‘we play Tottenham this weekend; they are the enemy - we cannot lose.’
What followed was quite incredible. 2-0 down after 35 minutes and the fans feared for the worst. Cue derby-day demolition. Sagna, RVP, Rosicky and a quick-fire double from Theo saw the Gunners smash five past the enemy. Spurs and Twitchmeister had no idea what hit them. North London is, and always will be, RED.
The victory spurred us on (see what I did there? clever) to an impressive run of consecutive wins which took us from 7th to 3rd, including a memorable day out at Anfield and impressive wins against Everton at Goodison and Newcastle at the Emirates. These last two games were won by goals from vice-captain, Tommy Vermaelen, who has been subject to some unfair criticism in recent weeks. Moans about how he roams forward gung-ho leaving obvious gaps at the back don’t sit well with me. I don’t think it’s his fault. It’s exactly those gambles which won us several points during the course of the season and other team-mates ought to be intelligent enough to cover him.
A home-defeat and a ‘thrilling-yet-frustrating’ home-draw against Wigan and Norwich respectively, saw us drop points in the run in to the final day of the season. Away to West Brom, Woy Hodgeson’s farewell match before England duty and a chance to secure Champions League funding again. It was fitting that Laurent Koscielny scored the winner at The Hawthorns – the most improved defender in the league, has fought bravely for Arsenal all season-long. Love our Larry.
As the final whistles blew around the country, the Premier League season came to an end. As expected, City won the league, Arsenal finished in a Champions League spot and we also continued our tradition of finishing above the scum. Incidentally, these obvious predictions won me several bets this year (mostly from deluded United and Spurs fans) - for anyone who still owes me winnings, my offer to accept a letter of written apology for doubting my prowess as a football genius, still stands.
In conclusion, considering the transfer debacle back in August, the awful start to the season, losing all full-backs for almost six weeks after Christmas, the media hype surrounding Arsene’s future and our ability, finishing 3rd is satisfying. I do wonder whether this was more due to Arsenal’s strengths or our rivals’ failures. Some interesting points to mull over:
§ We finished 19 points behind the Champions
§ We conceded 49 goals in the league (only 4 less than Villa!)
§ Almost a third of our league goals were assisted by Song & Theo
§ Squad’s average age of 25 is youngest in Premier League
FK Arsenal Awards of Season…
Best Players
1. Mikel Arteta (A simple, effective midfielder. Pulled all the strings by controlling the midfield, energetic and full of drive and determination, box-to-box and deliciously handsome).
2. RVP (No explanation required, though many of you will wonder why no.2? Well, he’s an outstanding goalscorer – of this, there is no doubt but without the supply, he wouldn’t be half the player, hence Arteta no.1).
3. Larry Koscielny (With exception to Vidic, the best defender in the league. In 29 of 33 league games he played, Arsenal kept 15 clean sheets conceding only one goal in the other 14, you’ll never beat him 1v1).
Beautiful
Best Goals
1. RVP v Liverpool (Anfield) – the pass, the finish, the timing, the venue. Boom.
2. RVP v Everton (Emirates) – unbelievable volleying tekkers, super pass from Song. Magic.
3. TV5 v Newcastle (Emirates) – Quick counter-attack, TV5’s driving run from his own box. Krul.
Best Game
We’ve had a few this year, the 5-2 mauling of Spurs, 3-0 win over Milan, 2-1 last-gasp victory at Anfield.. but for me, it has to be the away-day 5-3 win at Stamford Bridge. The 8-2 defeat at Old Trafford, by far the craziest game I’ve ever been to, will always haunt me for obvious reasons but our fans’ reaction by singing non-stop until the end made me proud to be a Gooner.
Best Moment
Thierry Henry’s winner against Leeds in the FA Cup at the Emirates. Quite unbelievable to see him come back, come on, bang home the winner in typical fashion. I remember everything; the pass from Song, the expectation as soon as TH12 took one touch and opened up his body, the roar of the crowd when the ball nestled in the bottom corner of the net and the stadium announcer going nuts. That night will stay with me for a long, long time.
Just in case the great man ever reads this: merci et au revoir, Titi x
Summer
RVP
Everyone seems to be an expert on RVP’s contract scenario and depending who you talk to, he’s either buying soft-furnishings for his new home in Manchester, or being told by his mum to sign at Arsenal, or secretly hiding in Arsene’s house holding him hostage until new signings are made. Truth is, nobody knows. Only RVP knows what he wants and whatever decision he makes I will respect. My opinion? Well, obviously, I would like him to stay. However, at 28/29 he has two, possibly three more top seasons left in him and he’s unlikely to better last season. Furthermore, when you consider that before this season he has played less than 200 games in 7 years, due to high injury proneness, is it unreasonable to consider selling him for £20m+?
Transfers
We need players. Simple as. However, we need to let a few go before we can buy! Almunia has left but Diaby, Bendtner, Denilson, Chamakh, Djorou, Squillaci, Fabianski, Vela and Park all remain on the club’s hefty payroll. Delighted about Podolski coming in, and I have fallen for the Twitter rumours about Yann M’Vila (more through hope than anything else), because a £16.5m deal for this guy on a 4/5 year contract is immense business for us. I’d also like a defender, both Vertonghen and Sakho remain possibilities, and a decent no.2 goalkeeper – Craig Gordon and Jussi Jaaskelainen are obvious candidates. Looks like it’ll be a long summer, Gooners. Let’s just hope the club learnt from last year’s mistakes.
What an incredible season. Highs, lows, tears, tantrums, hopes, fear, joy and ecstasy all rolled into one season and best of all, Arsene knew we’d be OK. You know, like seasons, women come and go but Arsenal FC is my one true love – always there for me as I am for them X
And that, my friends, is that. It’s been an absolute pleasure writing all season and I wish you all the very best for the future. Much love and good night!!
X
