Thanks all for kind words about yesterday’s blog. It seemed to strike a chord with many. Today’s blog is entitled: Things I hate and why I should be really angry about them. Like buskers who play Hallelujah and sing in an over-earnest fashion. Look pal, it’s Saturday morning on the main shopping street. I had a few beers last night, so if you must play your guitar and attempt to warble out loud, at least play something that doesn’t make me want to jump into an industrial sized mincer.
But none of that banjo-pop nonsense, there’s no room in my town for that kind of thing. I think I should run for Mayor. But imagine how annoying it would be, having to deal with people and councillors and politicians. I might just stick it out here and see what happens.
It’s the Interlull of course. Players are away with their countries, or at home with their countries, and from those gatherings we do get little snippets of stuff. Take Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, for example, who says being left out of the England squad last time around was a ‘kick up the backside‘.
I suppose there’s something quite hurtful to think you’re not wanted by Sam Allardyce. A bit like when two captains picked teams at school and they went through the whole ‘him’, ‘him’, ‘him’ thing and you ended up being Jonny Last along with the lad with the gammy foot and the fella who, no matter how hard he tried, could never master the art of, you know, kicking the ball.
I mean, I’m guessing that’s what it was like because it never happened to me. I was always one of the first picked because of my awesome skills and the ability to boot the ball really hard. One time I smashed a shot into Kevin Stanley’s head and his nose more or less exploded. I think it was Kevin Stanley anyway. He seems like the kind who would have had that happen to him.
My point, however, is that Oxlade-Chamberlain was jolted out of his comfort zone by this decision, so perhaps some good will have come from that disastrous spell as England manager. He says:
It provided a real kick up the backside. I have been playing for England since I was 18 and, while I wouldn’t say I took it all for granted, it just seemed to be a part of my season – to play for Arsenal and for England. And so, to be available and feeling good and fit – but not to be in the squad was a jolt. It was a wake-up call.
I guess the first thing we should be grateful for is that despite getting a kick in a sensitive area, he’s not sidelined for 6 months with severe bruising of the arsecheeks. Like our other ex-Southampton chum, his injury record has been a significant factor in how his career hasn’t developed quite the way it should have. Just when you think he’s playing himself into some kind of form, a knee pops or a calf strains or something keeps him out and he’s playing catch-up once more.
So for him, like Theo Walcott, staying fit is the first thing he has to do this season. After that, we can see where he goes. All the ingredients are there for him to become a really good player, but there’s also something missing. From what we can gather, from what he’s said and Arsene Wenger has said in the past, a lot of it is in his head. His intelligence – and he’s a very smart guy – leads to introspection and a lack of self-confidence which is manifested in his performances.
Interestingly, on last week’s Arsecast Rory Smith suggested that some clarity regarding his position in the team was a factor in Walcott’s improvement this season. When he was on the right he wanted to be a striker, and when he was a striker for a bit he wanted to be back on the right, and now that he is he feels comfortable there. Settled, perhaps.
It’s hard not to wonder if something similar might not benefit Oxlade-Chamberlain. What is actually his best position? Wide forward? Central midfielder – remembering that his best ever performance for us came there in the Champions League against Milan? That’s a packed area, in fairness, and I can’t see him establishing himself there, so with plenty of opportunity on the flanks, that really should be his focus.
When you think of Ox, Walcott and even Jack Wilshere, this is the season of the three Fs for all of them. Fitness. Form. fConsistency. If they can keep Fing it up, then they’ll be doing themselves a lot of good. Fingers crossed.
Finally, a couple of other things to get you through the tedium of no Arsenal. Firstly, if you haven’t already read Swiss Ramble’s latest look at the Arsenal finances, get yourself a cuppa and get on it immediately. When I spoke yesterday about how much more informed we are these days, this is the really positive side of that. Expert analysis, and great writing so it’s easily understandable by financial dimwits like myself who are very easy to mystify.
Lastly, Arsene Wenger’s interview with Rog Bennet from Men in Blazers has been meticulously transcribed by Andrew Allen over on Arseblog News. Go have a read, it’s so worth it.
Right, that’ll do for this morning. Tim Stillman will be here with his mighty column later, and I’ll be back tomorrow. Not sure if there’ll be an Arsecast yet, because of the Interlull, let’s see what happens. Have a good one.
