International breaks are universally accepted as boring; it shouldn’t really be the case with so much football being played during a condensed space of time – or should that be space in time, I’m not sure, I seem to have lost my Time Lord mojo – but try writing about it. The tedium is numbing. A major aspect of the dislike is timing; you get into the new season, time for international breaks. Unlike London buses, international breaks come along as regular as clockwork and stick unfailingly to their timetable, nothing can be allowed to halt Blattini Enterprises on their motorway to Football Hell. It’s alright for them, they occupy the leather-upholstered seats at the front whilst the rest of us are lucky if there is space on the handcart trailing in their wake.
Being at the peak of the game is certainly a rollercoaster ride for players, particularly those in the England camp. One minute they are heroes, the next they are forgotten men unless of course they are the remnants of the self-styled Golden Generation who simply will not crawl into the corner quietly to allow us to forget how overwhelmingly disappointing they were. Will the new generation be any better? In all likelihood, no but they are seemingly intent on not playing up those expectations either.
The manager is helping, building them up and then telling the players that in truth, they were really quite rubbish. Roy Hodgson‘s technique for keeping egos in check is interesting,
We’re very pleased with him. He did what we wanted him to do and I selected him to do what he actually did in the first half extremely well.
A previously unseen Jekyll and Hyde side to Hodgson’s character subsequently emerged,
I thought Alex was very good first-half. We made it clear to him we were going to take him off after 60 minutes, so I think he forgot to play in the 15 minutes of the second half but that will be an interesting lesson for him as well. Especially when I tell him
Just as well Alex doesn’t read The Daily Telegraph, isn’t it Roy? Best you hope that he doesn’t read any other newspapers either. The beginning of Soap! seems so appropriate. I am sure that Oxlade-Chamberlain knew all of this anyway, football managers rarely tell players anything through the back pages of the media and then tell them “See You Next Tuesday“; “Tuesday, Wednesday And Thursday, Boss“….
If Hodgson has been talking this way of Oxlade-Chamberlain, his silence on Theo Walcott is telling. Or is it? In some ways, sympathy is hard to come by for the former golden boy. Seemingly out of favour at Arsenal, his England decline began in the summer when he was relegated to the substitutes bench. In truth it started years ago, dropped for South Africa 2010 in favour of Aaron Lennon. How low can it sink? Missing that tournament was, I still maintain, a blessing in disguise for Walcott; he wasn’t tarred with boorish behaviour, Bacary Sagna reminding the French public that their players don’t swear into cameras. Well, England players don’t go on strike Bacary, we prefer our players not to turn up in the first place, we’re used to that.
Back to Walcott. It’s hard to know what is the problem at Arsenal. Part of me hopes that it is tactical flexibility from the manager. Theo was not bad against Sunderland and I understand the rationale for leaving him out against Stoke. It is the trip to Anfield which leaves an uncomfortable feeling with regard to tactical omissions. A match played on the counter-attack is tailor-made for someone blessed with Walcott’s pace; leaving him out suggested hardball over contract negotiations, succession planning on the pitch. That is a double-edged sword for the club; Walcott will either knuckle down and be minded to resolve the differences or cop the Arsenal and not be bothered, knowing in all likelihood he will be sold in January for a knockdown fee.
What will happen is his choice, genuinely his choice. I have no doubt that he will be used against Southampton, whether it is from the start remains to be seen.
But why the focus on England players today, I hear you ask. Well, yes, there is not a great deal going on but the comparisons are too uncomfortably close to home. Both have seen their Golden Generations pass unrewarded, the masters of all they surveyed could not deliver when it mattered most. For Beckham, Neville, Owen, read Cesc, Hleb, van Persie. Both club and country have allowed arguably their most talented players to pass without honours yet both club and country seem to have more professional outlooks subsequent to that, more determined, more focussed players. Whether the missing silverware will be found remains to be seen.
Arsenal and England, peas in a pod.
’til Tomorrow.
ffs stop making comments like DIABY needs to stay healthy and avoid getting injured
He isn’t out there intentionally trying to get crooked
It’s the responsibility of the FA AND THEIR SHIT referees to protect all players from scum cheat butchers
Case in point
Skirtel just this past weekend
Barton ladat year
Both get away with not even a warning
There should be no room for players such as these trying to stop technically superior players with nasty and dangerous tackles
Add to these the smiths, Taylor’s, Robinsons, Shaw crosses, chillanies and etc
And increase the penalty from three games to at least ten
Or prepare to witness more butchery and bull crap un the pitch,
C’mon why pple do forget so easily or get carried away.rem-THEOVANASRIGAS era?why slate walcott just bcause Ox started in both club n co’ntry.so wats the purpose of squad depth?competion for places,rotation,tactic etc.atleastwe’re not one dimentional or predictable by our opponents.wether ox or theo am fine as far as we get RESULTS,which is important.
Just on your first point – ‘moment OF time’ would be more correct, as it implies a period of time that matches are played. Whereas, ‘momemt in time’ implies matches being simultaneously.
If it turns out that by January another midfielder is needed, I am thinking Fellaini would be a very good option. He said that he is going to leave Everton in January or next summer.
But, touch wood, I hope we won’t need another midfielder.
thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife or fellaini… where the hell would he play? let’s not do a barca and want everyone in sight and no where to play them. barca by the way is going down. best team in the world my tushi. much as i hate maureen, he’ll continue the work of cutting them a peg or two. does anyone doubt that real have la liga? what about champion’s league?
every one is on about city winning the prem. they have to dislodge chelsea 1st. man u are now a 1 man team (name any other player) and i know i am biased but as usual while everyone is overlooking us, we are quietly continuing with our development. with our wealth (on field, not on oil field) i see a huge chance for a double – FA and Prem – or at worst FA, wooden cup and runners up in prem. when i look at it long and hard, it seems more likely than just a fan’s wishful thinking…
As I said, if the need would arise, I think Fellaini would be an interesting option. Far better than say, M’Vila. But I genuinely hope that our current midfield will hold steady and that if someone goes down injured the replacements from within the squad prove worthy so that we don’t have to bother with having to recruit anybody in January.
I am genuinely excited for the fixture against Soton. 3 points would be so vital and a clean sheet, too. I think if we keep another clean sheet it might play on the minds of City, while our players and especially the defence will be extra-motivated to keep the run going against last year’s champions. But I hope that our players won’t bother with City just yet. They can’t let their mind wander, Southampton have shown that they are dangerous and they know where the opposition goal is. We need a calm and collected approach against them. Trying to play an open game of who scores more will play into their hands and we can’t afford that. Usually I’d prefer a high scoring win, no matter how many we concede, but for Saturday one-nil to the Arsenal will suit me just fine. And yes, that I am talking about the game on the weekend early morning on Monday shows how fed up I am with those pesky international “breaks”. Like we need a break from proper football three games in.
Morning all, http://www.aclfarsenal.co.uk/?p=9468 is where its at today
Fellaini would be an interesting addition on the basis that he would be the most un-Wenger like midfielder ever signed
I expect however that in moving from Goodison in January or next Summer Fellaini will expect a wage in six figures – and he ain’t getting that down N5
anicoll5 – Flamini walked away from Wenger on a free after the great man had resurrected his career.
I’m hoping Theo shows loyalty, though I won’t hold my breath.
Let’s get on to the next blog.
I bloody love ‘A Cultured Left Foot’.
My daughter has just informed me that I share a birthday today(did I mention it) with the pickpocket Laurent koscielny,my son then informed me that in Jeremy Kyle years I’m old enough to be laurents dad, with the news from some posters on here that arteta is an old man at 30 i’m slightly depressed and will proceed to drink my way through this news.