To describe results of the past week ‘topsy turvy’ is akin to calling Robbie Savage, “rather punchable.” Having returned from Milan late Thursday evening (cheers Easyjet) I haven’t really had a chance to collect my thoughts in any cogent manner. Indeed, the fact that the Milan trip, the 90 minutes on the pitch apart, was such an enjoyable one may mean I’m feeling softer and cuddlier about the aberration of a non-performance than I ought to be.

I guess the easiest way of tying the still incoherent strands of thought together is to attack them chronologically. Beginning with the Sunderland game – which seems a long time ago now in view of the Milan massacre – and the fairytale Premier League ending for Thierry Henry. I have to say I was one of the most vocally opposed to the move, but whatever we put in his bank account during his stay was worth it. Two winning goals in tight games and, given we currently lead Chelsea in the table on Goals Scored; his strike against Blackburn could yet prove to garner more than just sentimental value.

I always felt there were a couple of nigglingly unsatisfying things about the end of Henry’s Arsenal career in 2007. The fact that his last season was such an injury hit, mish mash affair. The feeling that he was having a hard time acknowledging the handover as the team’s focal point to Fabregas. Arsenal never really settled on a regular formation in the 2006-07 season and it’s a matter of public record that Henry and Wenger fell out on the training ground quite bitterly in advance of a 3-0 North London derby win. The manager was having difficulty reconciling Henry’s ego with the needs of the team.

His goal scoring away from home dropped off significantly in those last few seasons and even the fact that he didn’t get to break the goalscoring record at his beloved Highbury denied him a poetry that his legend demanded. Minor ink blotches on the tome of Henry’s imperious Arsenal career. But it feels as though he has resketched his own epitaph and removed those small blemishes, in my mind at least, ending his legendary scrawl on our history with the penmanship it deserves. A bit like blowing a few stray crumbs away from the kitchen table after a delicious cake.

In truth, on his brief forays wide he has looked slightly off the pace. But the manager seemed to work out rather quickly that if you put him on the shoulder of the last defender, the movement and finish is still there. In short, I recall Henry having three good chances in his loan spell. I don’t need to tell you how many were scored. Thierry appears to have revelled in his role as elder statesman on his return. His public pronouncements have earned him full diplomacy marks.

But as a set of supporters, we know Thierry well enough to realise that the romance of his return will not have been lost on him. I recall an interview with him on the 2002-03 Season Review DVD in which he said, in his enigmatically, cartoonishly French way, “To feel right at a club, I need to feel lurve.” That “lurve” was shown most aptly as his name was sung for the duration of injury time in the San Siro as another show of thanks. On a personal level, I’m delighted my own scepticism was so disproven. So thanks again, Thierry.

In the meantime, his absence now represents a hole in our squad. Henry became the de facto back up to the criminally overworked van Persie in a matter of days, to the point that neither Chamakh nor Park have even made the bench in our last two fixtures. Both players will simply have to feature in our run in at some point. I’m not sure if there is any GPS technology to measure confidence, but one or both has probably long since dropped into the red zone. (Otherwise known as ‘Almunia territory.’)

Now they must partake in the knowledge that, but for the beginning of the MLS season, the manager would sooner have them cleaning boots. It’s a puzzling situation. The bafflement with which will only be increased by Wednesday night’s humiliation in Milan. Pundits and supporters are often wont to say that any defeat, no matter how narrow, is a question of desire or ‘pashuuuun.’ It rarely actually is for a club that operates at the level we do. (Or at least that we have done!)

In our very elevated position inside the stadium however, it was very apparent that, at least in part, lack of desire was responsible for Wednesday night’s thumping. Critics of Arsenal’s back four are all too keen to place the blame entirely on the defence, but it was apparent from the first minute that Milan had untracked runners enjoying the time of their lives in Arsenal’s third. We seemed to stumble on an unhappy marriage of having nobody attacking and nobody defending.

Milan were able to double and triple team the full backs without fear of reprisal. Having excelled in the centre of midfield over the past few months, Rosicky looked maladjusted on the flank. Walcott just looked contemptibly idle. On the few occasions we did manage to work the ball to our one man strike force, he found little in the way of support. Sometimes you can identify Arsenal as being too cavalier in their approach. Sometimes a team’s game plan falls apart through unnecessary caution. Both are understandable if not acceptable.

But we were neither. We essentially set up with five midfielders of varying degrees of offensive and defensive responsibility, yet not one of them protected their defence, nor supported their attack. That, I think, came down to two things at a guess. The lack of a coherent plan from the manager – or at least one that the players could understand. The selection of Rosicky out wide hinted at an air of caution, but were they specifically instructed to be cautious and how exactly to execute that caution? The players didn’t seem to understand their roles.

But the bottom line is also quite simple. Running. Effort. Not enough of it and that’s very concerning indeed. It wasn’t exactly an occasion for flippancy and underestimation of your opponent. It may seem harsh to pick on individuals, but the replacement of Walcott at half time suggested that the manager, like me, felt Theo was the chief culprit. The embodiment of that malaise. The amount of times he left Sagna to fight off two and three pronged attacks down his side was appalling, frankly.

Walcott’s loss of form could not have come at a worse time for him. He’s currently trying to show a strong hand in a contract negotiation and such listlessness weakens his case significantly. The increased popularity of Oxlade-Chamberlain likewise threatens to leave him in the shade. He’s not the darling of the terraces that he once was. Last week, I picked up on some of his more laissez-faire comments about his performances.

With autobiographies and children’s books (!) increasing his commercial repertoire, there’s an increasing suspicion that his focus isn’t as high as it could be. Gervinho has returned from Africa now and the manager’s team selections in coming weeks will tell us how farTheo’s stock has fallen.

The season is on a knife edge now. A lot of Wenger’s reputation rests on Saturday’s F.A. Cup tie. I have a feeling that the state of the pitch, (which has well and truly banjaxed our BFG) may govern his team selection. But to tumble out of the F.A. Cup would finish our chances of a trophy for another season and the dissenting voices will become a choir. Arsene, it’s over to you. LD.

Follow me on Twitter @LittleDutchVA

Just another week in paradise. With the resignation of Fabio Capello from his post as England Manager / press voodoo doll, we’re being reminded of some of the less savoury sides of the game. The politicking, the whooping hyenas in the press, the reminder that the never ending cuntishness of John Terry seems to hurt everybody expect John Terry. I had made a note to discuss the cynical, tiresome negativity with which the game seems to be reported by the fourth estate nowadays in this week’s column as it was.

But this issue has brought it from the margins of the notepad into bold type. Does anybody report about footballanymore? Or even the finer forensic details that influence it, such as how it’s financed, or even its cultural relevance. A fine example would revolve around the reportage of our FA Cup victory over Aston Villa. Having scored three goals in seven minutes to complete an exciting comeback, the back pages were full of innuendo around a pretty innocuous “elbow” incident. The game itself wasn’t enough. There had to be a scandal.

It’s the same on television, if you were to tune into post match analysis of any given game, without knowing the score, you probably wouldn’t ever find out who had won based on the flapping jaws of Adrian Chiles and chums. The focus is always on controversy or ignominy. The shrill blast of a referee’s whistle is given infinitely more weight than a beautiful through ball or a crisp finish.

As an indirect consequence, we’re left with managers resigning on points of PR principle and the particulars of a pre-match handshake requiring a board meeting and scripted press announcement. Because one lonely nut-job has the phone number for the Mirror sports desk, one of the most decorated managers in the world is reduced to spending a pre-match press conference talking about non-existent bin bag protests.

Of course, when the protest never materialises, the press are never held to account. They simply create the next scandal, and then stand back as if they are separated from it. I read this piece on Football365 this week and immediately related it back to the manager’s cryptic comments about profit in the Belgian press. They begged further exploration, further questions. There was a genuine level of intrigue.

Instead, the comments were just intentionally misreported as the manager saying he needs to make a profit on his transfer business. He didn’t actually say that – though he might have meant that. But of course his transfer business is the biggest, knobbliest stick everyone is beating him with at the moment so let’s try and bleed that delightful little stone again. We’ll probably never know what he truly meant now.

The wearily disavowing reportage of the game is leading to a fractious relationship between clubs and the media. In their hubris and self interest, journalists will posture that poor media relations hit the supporters. But in the age of instant information this is not true. Keep your eye on your Twitter feed the next time Wenger holds a pre match press conference. Arsenal will tweet the details in advance of any journalist. It almost looks like a deliberate and pointed “fuck you Fleet Street” to me.

The first place I read about Capello’s resignation was from the FA’s official twitter feed. No journalists were drip fed the story. The meeja have risen to such a level of arrogance that they don’t report the game. They think they are the game. But with access so open to all, clubs taking an increasingly untrusting stance and the plethora of online media, Fleet Street’s insatiable desire for soap opera could bring it down. Bloggers of the world unite and take over.

Coming back to Arsene’s comments in the Belgian press, they were very curious. He’s an intelligent man and will have known that they would be seized upon and analysed. Since he was discussing the prospect of signing Eden Hazard, it could be that he was reminding us that Arsenal operates as a responsible business whilst competitors for his signature do not. Or it could be that it was a pointed comment to his critics and / or his bosses of the constraints upon him.

Whilst it’s naïve to expect a manager to completely divorce himself from the financial side (he needs to know what he’s working with and, therefore, how to prioritise any targets) it does rather add to the suspicion that he’s too immersed in the books. I had the sense that there was something of a spin war with Kroenke and Usmanov duking it out for control of the club. But really this ought to have settled down by now. It adds to a supposition I made last week that there is still a suggestion of a lack of strong leadership in the current club structure. The AST reports that Red and White Holdings purchased more shares this week, suggesting that they have no intention of selling up and leaving.

In other news, it looks as though Johan Djourou has extended his contract for another two and a half years. I’d say this is an interesting development in how the club is treating contracts. I wrote last week about them looking for a happy medium between over rewarding unproven players (Diaby, Denilson) and protecting themselves against losing players that we’ve improved for free (Flamini, Edu).

Of course I’m not privy to the terms Djourou has agreed, but I’d suggest his progress has been studied and this deal seems to be a more cautious one. Whether that reveals a new strategy or else simply appreciates Djourou’s status as a 25 year old squad player will be borne out as deals are signed by other players. What I do know is that if Djourou does end up becoming a world class performer and mainstay of the team in the next 18 months, the length of the contract put in front of him this week will be greeted with retrospective howls of derision.

In closing I wanted to address some comments Theo Walcott made in the week. Having provided a commendable hat trick of assists in the 7-1 shellacking of Blackburn, young Theo told the official site that “creating assists is my main role.” Married with his persistent assertions that he should be a central striker, I have to say the comments worry me slightly. Walcott appears to have fallen into the trap many armchair pundits fall into of neatly formatting particular duties according to screen graphics.

I don’t see how assists can be weighted against goals. It comes back to a criticism I’ve made of Theo before, about failing to appreciate in game situations and act accordingly. The best teams are always fluid and Arsenal’s front three relies on that fluidity and quick thinking. The excellent form of Chamberlain has shown that a wide front man in our formation has liberty to come inside and either provide assists (think the pass for van Persie against Manchester United) or else to score, (his first against Blackburn).

In short, Theo should be looking to both assist and score, depending on what’s appropriate in the situation. If the pass is on, pass. If the shot is on, shoot. If his movement is intelligent enough, he’ll find plenty of opportunity to do both. He doesn’t need to be a centre forward to score goals and being a wide man doesn’t mean his only job is to supply crosses. His form in supplying van Persie is beyond reproach at the moment, but his finishing is ailing slightly and he needs to work on it.

I rather hope his attitude in training is less to simply point at his assists and more to say, “O.k. I’m supplying plenty, now if I score some more too I’ll be twice as lethal.” Anyway, three big away games on the horizon and a total of 3,280 miles travelling in 7 days. I shall scribble to you all again upon return from Italy. But to end, how about another story about David Bentley … LD.

Follow me on Twitter @LittleDutchVA

It’s difficult to know where to start this week’s column. On the face of it, a compelling comeback from two goals down to keep our FA Cup hopes alive, followed by a point and a clean sheet away from home should constitute a reasonably good week. Yet it doesn’t feel like that at all. For a start, we’ve put ourselves in a position now where, effectively, any draw represents two points dropped.

But something really struck me at the Reebok on Wednesday night. With about 25 minutes remaining, with the score 0-0 and Arsenal needing to win, ordinarily I would be hunched with nerves. My fingernails (though heavily gloved in the Lancashire cold) would have been drawn pensively to my teeth, shuffling from foot to foot, excitedly imploring into the ether for a winner. But I wasn’t.

Like most others, I think I’m settled on the impression in nearly every game that, unless van Persie produces something, we will toil. I guess my lack of gusto in the second half was evidence of resignation with regards our chances of a top four finish. I had subconsciously accepted that we won’t and therefore, it just didn’t feel much like the result was in aid of anything. Even as Bolton went close in the dying minutes, neither my heart nor stomach convulsed as it usually would in such circumstances.

And that’s why I have struggled to forge any kind of snappy introduction to this article. The whole club just permeates a massive lack of urgency. Goonerholic’s latest piece really struck a chord with me with regard our January business – or lack thereof. I realise the winter market is difficult, but we handled the thriving summer one so badly, that another goalscorer was a necessity.

The manager is not totally blind to his lack of attacking options either. 34 year old Thierry Henry – who is only with us a further fortnight – is persistently seen as a superior option from the bench over Benayoun, Arshavin and Park. It’s an admission clear as day that the manager is not taken with the more permanent resources at his disposal. Why then was it impossible to rectify this in January?

I get the line about it being difficult to find “super, super quality”. Really I do. But when you’ve got the best part of four offensive players in your squad kicking their heels behind an ageing temp; you’ve constructed your squad badly. I think the majority of people realise that we can’t compete with Chelsea or Manchester City in the market, but we appear to be wilfully handicapping ourselves by not utilising the resources we do have.

That’s the crux of the issue. We built the stadium and pursued the quite correct self sustaining policy in order to organically grow our resources. We have done that now and our resources are growing year on year. Whilst not as flush as other steroid injected clubs, we do have money. Yet having been so well run to put ourselves in a position of material wealth, we have struggled to escape the frugal mentality that we were trying to outgrow in the first place.

That lack of urgency seeps from every corner of the club. We are still in a period of transition from Kroenke’s takeover. So the gentlemen behind me at The Reebok that sang “back the players, sack the board” are wide of the mark I think. The board are locked down until April – after which Kroenke will surely get his own men in. In essence, we have something of a lame duck board anyway, so sacking it won’t make one iota of difference. In fact, that possibly informs the air of ‘drifting along’ behind the scenes. There’s just no way I think that the Directors are handcuffing the manager with regards to resources, but I don’t get the impression there’s much constructive discussion either.

Not being privy to what goes on behind the scenes, it’s pure conjecture of course, but it’s just a feeling I get. I don’t hold that we’re going to hell in a handcart as some clearly do, more the sense that we’re trying to drift along. To make do and mend and cross our fingers and hope it works out. Hope that our injured players come back and have faith that no others will be crocked. Of course, due to his gift for self promotion, many champion David Dein as the gaping hole in the jigsaw.

Yet the current set up is chided for over rewarding players too early with big contracts. This is because under Dein’s stewardship, expensive contracts belonging to the likes of Wiltord, Edu and Kanu were allowed to run down. Flamini played that game too, Hleb was able to threaten to invoke the Webster clause to force his move. The mishandling of Cashley’s contract was rather camouflaged by the player’s endless bellendery. Our current contract policy is borne rather out of caution given mistakes made under Dein’s stewardship (Lest we forget that those prohibitive commercial deals everyone complains about were made when he was vice-Chairman too).

It’s fair to say we’re still searching for a middle ground. But ultimately, you have to reward players early or lose them. That’s where the manager comes in. It’s down to him to assess whether the benefits realised of giving a young player a good deal is going to reap rewards. It’s a tight rope. On one hand we’re criticised for losing Flamini on a free, just as he was blossoming at the age of 24. On the other, handing Diaby an expensive, long term deal at 22 is derided. This might also go some way to explaining Wenger’s loyalty to players, much is invested in them financially as well as emotionally.

The same principle applies with young players. With Jack Wilshere suffering another setback on his road to recovery, fingers are pointed at the manager for overplaying him last season. Presumably by the same people that continually boo his decision to substitute 18 year old Oxlade Chamberlain. His substitution was again jeered on Wednesday, despite clear evidence that he was fading. They’re fine lines that exist at the top level and no manager gets them all correct. But you just get the feeling Arsenal don’t have the urgency to make contingency plans to offset any fallout from borderline calls.

To close, I wanted to address the rumours around Arshavin departing for Russia. Understandably, the pocket sized Russian has attracted criticism for more than a year of indifferent form. I’ve read many theories as to why this undeniably talented individual has sunk into such a slump. Chief amongst them appears to be that he has been too often utilised out of position on the flank. It’s an argument I don’t buy. Arshavin has nearly always played in the same position for Arsenal.

When he arrived and he was considered the darling of Goonerdom, he was starting games from the left. He had and still has license to roam inside and affect the game. Pires and Ljungberg played in a system with only two central midfielders, yet neither left the field with much chalk on their boots come full time. He hasn’t suddenly become lazy and disinterested either.

He was always mercurial even when playing well. Sadly, I think he just came and tested himself in a competitive league too late in life to adapt. Back in September, he and Chamberlain were rather similar in their lack of attention to defensive detail. But The Ox has improved in that respect because it’s easier to teach an 18 year old than it is a 29 year old who has had the liberty of being a talented stroller his whole career.

I think that’s as much maudlin discourse as I can manage for this week. Till next time. LD.

Follow me on Twitter @LittleDutchVA

It probably says something about the relentless coverage of the modern game when a substitution can generate days of headlines and fall out. In this respect, we see how the modern media works. They can forge subplots and spin offs to furnish another day’s worth of sales and clicks – such as the unbelievable scenes as the captain visibly shakes his head! The horror! The story then grows tentacles, as the microscope zooms in ever closer. This must be revealing of a deeper unrest, surely?

Then of course, the club is forced to fire fight and release statements with the intention of calming the PR waters. The denials then provide another raft of website fodder, ravenously consuming ever more clicks. These rebuttals are always reported in a curiously detached way, “Robin van Persie was moved to deny claims of dressing room unrest.” Claims of course that now somehow no longer belong to the very organ that made them in the first place.

In this sense, the press constructs a synthetic reality – what Baudrillard referred to as the hyper-real (yes, I am pretentious, please don’t feel the need to point it out to me) that many of us buy into. Now don’t get me wrong, I seek not to defend the decision. At the time, I shared the exasperation of pretty much everyone when The Ox’s number was called and thought it a baffling change. I just think it’s important to see a little wood in those trees in the days of hyper furore that have followed.

I have to say I don’t really buy Wenger’s reasoning that Chamberlain was cramping up. I sit in a decent position in the stadium and I didn’t see evidence of it myself, nor have I seen any illuminating footage to support the supposition. If you’ll excuse a little amateur cod psychology, Arsene seemed pretty tetchy and defensive about being taken to task over it. But I don’t think it was the removal of Chamberlain that was revealing so much as Ferguson’s reaction to it. He instantly changed up his right hand side and within six minutes it was a move from that very area of the pitch that won him the game.

I think that probably reveals a difference between the two managers. Wenger’s substitutions are often prescriptive and decided before kick-off it appears. Ferguson will appreciate an in-game situation and react to it. There again, one could argue that it was probably never in the plan to replace the ailing Djourou with the raw Nico Yennaris, but that was a change that worked incredibly well. Well enough you’d imagine for Yennaris’ stock to have risen.

What I’m trying to say in a roundabout way is that, whilst undoubtedly not one of Arsene’s better moments, a little perspective is required. One only need look at some of the reportage of Chamberlain’s signing in the first place to see that allowing the press to dictate hyperbolic reactions to you is a fool’s errand. It was a decision worthy of scrutiny and, ultimately, criticism, but it probably doesn’t have the far reaching implications many will have you believe.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to be superior or tell anyone how to be a supporter or latently making excuses. I just think it’s important to appreciate the 5,000km of grey area wedged between the black and white many are so fond of. I felt the need to say that because, if I have learned one thing this week, it’s that a lot of fans will absolutely not accept any scrutiny. Last week I drew some criticism – not all of it undeserved – for labelling our support as ‘schizophrenic.’ I accept that the accusation was a tad generalised, but some of the feedback I got ranged from a tad precious to implicitly threatening.

Supporters are not responsible for results and have every right to criticise. But call me naïve; I also still think the fans are one of the biggest parts of a club. So I don’t think it beyond the realms of all reason to pass comment on them as part of the fabric of the club. That’s not to say the critic is purporting themselves to be any better or more superior a supporter – the same way that most of us aren’t really angling for Arsene Wenger’s job when we ask, “why in the name of blue fuck have you just hooked our best player?”

It just strikes me that those of us that offer criticism should be willing to accept some too. It goes back to something I’ve said on these hallowed pages before, everybody needs to be told they’re a cunt once in a while. Except for me. I don’t need to be told because I already know. Plus, I’m probably just plain better than you are anyway.

Moving on and there’s another trend I’ve noticed emerged this week. Once again, stories have been doing the rounds of Arsene Wenger being linked with the manager’s post at Real Madrid. I’ve also seen a repeat of the story that Paris Saint Germain lifted their skirts in Arsene’s direction again prior to the appointment of Ancelotti. I have to say I have observed that these stories have a tendency to resurface whenever the manager comes under sustained criticism. So whilst the wily old codger’s assertion that the press “create fear” for the supporters is not incorrect, he seemingly uses them for his own ends too.

The FA Cup returns this weekend and I really hope we take the competition seriously. Though I am certain Arsene is only responding to pointed questions, I’m not sure I’m comfortable with the consistent reinforcement that it’s not very high on our priority list. We all know that the top 4 is the be all and all and most of us accept it; even if we do so grudgingly. I often see the question posted on message boards, “What would you rather? Finish in the top 4 or win the FA Cup?” To which my response is, “Why do we have to choose?”

The only discernable reason for not going for both would be that our squad isn’t deep enough to handle it. If it’s the case that the manager doesn’t trust the depth of our squad to maintain multiple assaults, then really that should be questioned. The top 4 is more important to our long term ability to compete –most of us know that. But the boost in morale a trophy would give players and supporters can’t be underestimated. The gusto with which we took to the League Cup last year shows the manager knows that too.

I think come May, a top 4 finish would be treated with relief. A top 4 finish and a trophy would be greeted with delight and cautious spells of optimism may even break out! It would also go some way to removing the sense of Groundhog Day that I think supporters are experiencing. Boredom is a fertile ground for discontent. The devil will make work for idle vocal chords to boo and all that. I think we can and should make a go of this competition without apologetically diminishing its existence every five minutes.

O.K. That will do for this week. Be sure to check back again next week to find out exactly what you should be thinking. LD.

Follow me on twitter @LittleDutchVA