Another False Dawn

[Letters]

Has the turnaround this season from the car crash last summer and the awful start a sign of real progress this time? Something we'll build on. Or is it yet another false dawn?

I'm a lot more hopeful this time for the following reasons:


RvP looks like a proper captain and not one who is endlessly making eyes at another club. Yes there will be bids for him this summer but I believe he'll sign another contract and stay.


The Podolski thing sounds like a done deal. A promising sign that we're going to get business done early this summer and not be scrambling around panic buying on deadline day.


We have stronger characters in the team, players who seem to get what playing for The Arsenal is about. I'm thinking Verminator, Jack, Ches and the Ox looks to be one too.


There seems to be a real team spirit at the club, a willingness to fight for each other.


The mental strength seems to be better, 4 games in a row we came from behind to win games recently. We bounced back from the QPR defeat. We were miles behind the Spuds and 2-0 down to them, the atmosphere was turning nasty. Other years I think we'd have fallen apart, this time we didn't; we came back and thumped them and have overhauled them.


There's a real connection between the players and fans which has been sadly lacking in the last few years. This is in some ways the most significant thing but the atmosphere feels different at The Emirates right now.


So...is anyone else feeling more positive about things than for a long time or are we just deluding ourselves and it's another false dawn?

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

this has been done to death.

in short: most important summer in years.

[Syn]

A lot of fans (not you, letters) assume a bad run = nothing has changed, and a good run = things might've changed. We lost against QPR and a number of people said "well, back to usual. Shows the previous run was a purple patch or whatever. There are a number of things that have clearly changed from last season (and the start of this). Wenger is at least trying something new - some good, some bad, but we are adapting far more to the situation than we used to.

e.g. you can see Wenger is thinking about the opposition more for his team selection and approach. Benayoun plays no games in between but he's straight in for the 'big' games against football-playing teams. It used to be the case that Wenger would pick the Arsenal team that play the Arsenal way and what used to happen is that Arsenal would get bullied out of games.

We are a very different team from previous seasons - again, not all good. When we used to lose games before, we were often bullied out of the game and concede many from set-pieces. Every corner the opposition had we were cringing. How many can honestly say they don't feel much more confident we'll clear a long ball pumped into the box? When we lose now it's usually down to a lack of quality. Someone else who can unlock a defence through a moment of genius. But it's not through a lack of trying.

For me, the success of this team depends on Van Persie staying and Wilshere coming back the player he was (for the start of next season, obviously). Along with Podolski and maybe a couple of other players gained from removing Arshavin, Chamakh and others, should - in theory - get us challenging for trophies. It's incredible that we have played the season with only one striker.

[cricketsi]

There's probably a reason the board's eternally being divided and defined as optimists and pessimists and for the most part your take on this will follow previous patterns. Obviously that's an over-simplification, nothing's black and white, and so on. I like to remain optimistic with each "false dawn" because where's the fun without hope? Hence, I think we could be on the verge of turning the corner. I think most of the other clubs around us have harder and less obvious tasks in taking themselves up a level compared with us, but maybe that's because I don't focus on them as much as Arsenal.

[Letters]

We are a very different team from previous seasons - again, not all good. When we used to lose games before, we were often bullied out of the game and concede many from set-pieces. Every corner the opposition had we were cringing. How many can honestly say they don't feel much more confident we'll clear a long ball pumped into the box?

When we beat Liverpool we rode our luck but they had...I forget how many corners but it was in the double figures. I thought we dealt with them all comfortably. I am more confident in this lot when it's tight late in a game that they're not going to cock it up.

[Marc Overmars]

We've always played well in periods and been left feeling very hopeful of what might be about to come, but it never happens. I hear people saying things are different now in that we have a good fighting spirit, no mercenaries, better connection with the fans etc...now whilst I'm sure that's all true, it's all said with the benefit of hindsight.

When we hit form after Christmas last year and were looking good in all 4 competitions, no one was thinking about how out of touch the players were and all everything else. We were all thinking that our time might have finally arrived and talking up our chances, just like we are now.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that we just don't know, history suggests we'll fail to live up to the expectation but then I do tend to agree we have a more of a balanced team now with the right characteristics to succeed.

Fuck knows. We'll see.

Sign RVP up though, otherwise we might as well pack it in.

[Flavs]

this has been done to death.

So's your mum

LOLjkkbai

[Flavs]

The addition of experience and calmness to the team has made all the difference IMO, well that and getting rid of Cesc "slow you down" Fabregash.

We were awesome against Citeh, probably the best i have seen an Arsenal team play since the invincibles era but doing that every now and again wont cut it, clichéd as it is, consistency is the real benchmark.

[LDG]

There are no certainties in football, but in order to win shit, you have to be consistent. It's what SAF has instilled at Utd. They're no better than us as a team IMO, but they slip up far less. Once you have a capable unit, as we seem to have now (a few quality additions aside), all you need is the right attitude, desire and consistency.

Broken record? Maybe. But it's true, else City would be ahead of Utd on talent alone.

So why is there room for optimism? Because we're getting some of the basics right. Start with a solid foundation and build on it.

It relys heavily, as many have said, on keeping hold of RVP. But build on what we have, and we're certainly going to be there or thereabouts next year.

As far as questions surrounding previous years go. Well, it's clear to me at least that players past, didn't have the bottle or attitude, or in some cases, quality.

Nasri - Good player. But no doubting what he's all about, the lesbo ****
Cesc - Heart wasn't fully in it despite having the desire
Denilson - LOL
Bender - LOL
Flamini - Again, about the money
Adebayor - Money
Clichy - Liability
Senderos - Prone to nerves

The list goes on and on.

Most of them were good players when looking at ability alone. But they lacked the mental strength, desire and attitude. And this is where it's different.

[RomfordPele]

We've always played well in periods and been left feeling very hopeful of what might be about to come, but it never happens. I hear people saying things are different now in that we have a good fighting spirit, no mercenaries, better connection with the fans etc...now whilst I'm sure that's all true, it's all said with the benefit of hindsight.

When we hit form after Christmas last year and were looking good in all 4 competitions, no one was thinking about how out of touch the players were and all everything else. We were all thinking that our time might have finally arrived and talking up our chances, just like we are now.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that we just don't know, history suggests we'll fail to live up to the expectation but then I do tend to agree we have a more of a balanced team now with the right characteristics to succeed.

Fuck knows. We'll see.

Sign RVP up though, otherwise we might as well pack it in.

We've done well (and got a bit lucky) to get where we are. But as everyone has said, Wenger needs to show real ambition in the transfer window, and I'm still not convinced he'll do it. I suspect we'll still be watching Chamakh, Ramsey and Gervinho coming on as our 'game changing' subs next season.

What I can say is I much prefer supporting the team we've got - hard-working and resilient if slightly limited - than the last few years, where we've had teams that were as brittle as they were talented. In that sense, it's a big improvement this year, and it's something we could build on if Wenger shows some bottle over the summer. Here's hoping.