So, here we are. Internationals are over, real football is about to begin again, and yet there’s no news. This is the post Interlull depression, from now on known as the Lullfunk. It occurs when the players have returned to their clubs but no pre-real football interviews have been given.
Today, the Lullfunk will be broken by Arsene giving an interview with the official site and there’ll be some team news and so on, but for now we simply wait. This weekend sees us travel to newly promoted Norwich and it’ll be a real test, I think. We’ve had our issues with sides that have just come up in the past so it will be a measure of how far we’ve come to see how we react to the Interlull.
We went into it on the back of the easiest win we’ve had in an ages, a 3-0 swatting aside of a poor West Brom, but with so many players away on international duty it’ll be interesting to see how quickly we can regain our focus. Will the experience brought into the team enable us to pick up where we left off? It is sometimes difficult to keep the pre-Interlull momentum going when it’s been halted by two weeks of interminable nonsense but, on the other hand, I think it’s a better problem to have than the alternative.
A number of times this season we’ve gone into the Interlull looking at it as a way of putting something bad behind us, a wiping clean of the rather scummy slate. If I reminded you the previous two came after defeats at Old Trafford and White Hart Lane then I’m sure you’ll know what I mean. So, I’m much happier we’re in a position that we’re worrying about picking up where we lift off instead of hoping we don’t pick up where we left off. If you get me.
Obviously there’ll be plenty more on the Norwich game to come in the next few days. Again the boss will have the nice problem of deciding which centre-half pairing to use but beyond that I think the team more or less picks itself (assuming that Gibbs is still out). As I said though, we can start thinking about that properly tomorrow once we’ve heard from the boss at interview and press/conference level.
As a way of providing some Arsenal content this morning, check out 7amkickoff’s analysis of Arsenal in Europe v Arsenal domestically over on Arseblog News. One for the stats fans, for sure, but interesting reading all the same.
Beyond that not much to say about us but our old friend at FIFA has put his size 15s in it right again. Speaking about racism in football, Sepp Blatter said in an interview yesterday:
There is no racism, there is maybe one of the players towards another, he has a word or a gesture which is not the correct one, but also the one who is affected by that.
He should say that this is a game. We are in a game, and at the end of the game, we shake hands, and this can happen, because we have worked so hard against racism and discrimination.
Leaving aside the muddled nature of his words – for the president of FIFA to suggest that a player who is racially abused by another should simply shake hands and write it off as something said in the heat of the moment is just ludicrous. For far, far less have others in the public domain been forced to fall on their swords and it’s just another example of how out of touch Blatter is with real life.
He can talk all he wants about the work he does to try and combat racism but what’s obvious from those comments is that he doesn’t understand what racism is. It’s like a doctor saying he’s working very hard to cure your cancer by painting over a cut with iodine. And while the reaction has, naturally, been one of dismay to what Blatter has said, is anybody even slightly surprised?
On the face of it the remarks from such a public figure are outrageous but given the source I don’t think there’s a great deal of disbelief. He’s an old man, living in a football funded ivory tower who isn’t so much out of touch as completely and utterly out of his depth. FIFA is a corrupt committee whose focus, first and foremost, is making money for FIFA when it should be the good of the game.
Along with UEFA, and other football associations, their efforts at tackling racism in football have been pathetic. By all means come up with a slogan and a logo but until real action is taken against those guilty of racism then nothing will change. Go back in the archives and read how Arsenal players were subjected to monkey noises in away games in Europe then hold your head in your hands as the club whose fans engaged in that behaviour were given a fine which is less than a week’s wages for their worst player.
Those at the top of the game do everything they can to ensure the financial health of the game. Silly edicts like players being booked for taking their shirt off are created so that sponsors don’t complain. Shirt off, people can’t see sponsor’s logo, therefore FIFA gives a shit. Racism on the pitch, in the stands, from the very top of the organisation, well, it’s not really an issue.
Luis Suarez has been charged by the FA in the same week that John Terry captained his country. Innoncent until proven guilty and all that but you can’t help but shake your head a little. In any other organisation comments like Blatter’s would be enough to force his resignation. Instead we get damage control and a picture of Sepp hugging a black man. All that was missing was the old ‘Some of my best friends …’ line. Unreal.
He is a fossil and the longer he remains at the top of the game the more the game will suffer. If he had any interest in the good of the game he’d resign, because that’s what’s best for it. He won’t though because he probably, and quite genuinely, thinks he hasn’t done anything wrong. The only hope of getting rid of him is the weight of public opinion and let’s hope that proves crushing to this horrible, malign little man.
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Anyway, so as not to end on a bad note, how about a competition? I’ve got 5 copies of the newly released ‘100 goals RVP’ DVD to give away.
All you have to do to enter is answer the following simple question: Who fell over to allow to Robin to score Arsenal’s 4th goal against Chelsea last month?
Was it a) John Terry
Answers to [email protected] by midnight tonight – winners announced on tomorrow’s blog which will come replete with an Arsecast.
Until then.
