Match Reaction - Arsenal vs Sunderland

[up the arse]

TV has just signed a new deal, surely he'll play for us again some time in the future. RvP says he's committed (or maybe he means he should be committed for deciding to stay), but he's here now and banging in the goals. Arshavin says he's staying, we have new signings that won't be going anywhere soon. There's enough stability to build a team now. I'm not sure how effective that team will be in the long run but we need to give them a chance. What's the alternative? Criticise them win, lose or draw? We know things aren't right at the club, we know how many mistakes have been made, we know there's a struggle ahead. If they fuck up again then let's say they have fucked up again and be angry about that. But why say Wenger out in October when we know that's not going to happen? Wouldn't it be better to focus on what's possible, like RvP continuing to play well, or maybe Ox breaking into the team and making an impact, or Rosicky finding form, or Arshavin starting to play? I don't mean bury your head in the sand, I mean we have a season ahead and if the team is putting a shift in then let's acknowledge that and give them some support. Next summer we can talk about who goes but what does this talk achieve now?

could not agree more

[Niall_Quinn]

could not agree more

Wenger out, tbh.

[IBK]

Some good posts here.

My feelings? I think the Summer was a massive balls up - from board to manager. And I think that losing arguably our 2 best players, after last season's meltdown - and this on top of a reputation for refusing to pay market price for players at a time when Citeh are hoovering up - created a toxic environment in which the arse dropped out of our team. And once you suffer such a complete crisis of confidence as manager and players - underlined by a truly traumatising result al Old Trafford, it is extremely difficult to bounce back. Because players' faith in the manager's methods is shaken so badly, and other teams are encouraged and fancy their chances against a wounded animal.

So yes, mistakes have been made and AW could and should have done something about it. Its not as though our current problems could not have been foreseen.

But what's done is done. We now need to get behind our manager and players. The CL games, and the Sunderland match have seen some green shoots. We are still fragile, yes, but some of our more senior players have now started to perform, and our purchases to bed in. We are at a stage where we need to take as much from individual performances as we do about results, or margins of victory. This team needs to believe in itself again, and our back 5 needs time to consolidate. We have to remember that our defence has been astonishingly disrupted - and this is hard to cope with when you play with the demands that our style of play makes on them. Vermaelen is back at the end of this month - and its crystal clear that he and Mertesacker are our first choice CB pairing. Lets allow them to try to build an understanding before we panic any more about the manager not knowing what he is doing.

So I'm looking for little steps, ATM. And Saturday counts as one of those, as did Bolton a couple of weeks ago and even the performance, at times, against Spurs. A point in Marselle tomorrow will continue the move in the right direction.

But as has been observed, we need to shift our previous points of reference this season, as finishing above Spurs is our real challenge this season.