Clearly, footballers are taught to make it almost impossible for journalists to glean anything interesting from interviews these days. It’s mostly “take it one game at a time” and that kind of stuff.
Unlike some Arsenal fans I quite enjoy the official site, but the conversations there can be bland and by rote – often players just answer by rewording the interviewer’s leading questions.
For that reason I find it interesting when something is revealed about the way managers try to make players tick.
I can’t be arsed with that ITV programme about Liverpool because Rodgers knows the camera’s there and pulls stunts like the envelope trick (google it if you don’t know and are bothered about finding out).
I prefer it when material falls into our laps unintentionally – and then we can draw sweeping conclusions from these tiny scraps of evidence. Sometimes, with hindsight these scraps give rise to plausible explanations of what goes on behind the scenes.
Four years ago trouble was a brewin’ at Arsenal. We didn’t know how bad it was at the time but the friction between players was about to spark a fire. Think Gallas vs Touré; Bendtner vs Adebayor; Nasri vs the rest of humanity.
All the spark needed for combustion was some bad-smelling gas, and Captain Gallas obliged. He gave an interview slamming his teammates on a catalogue of life and death matters including seating arrangements on the team bus. Looking back it’s amazing to think he lasted another 18 months at the club. And that we still finished top four that season.
Anyway, a few weeks before Gallas’ leadership masterclass a handout from a team meeting was found in a hotel room. Forget the grammar; notice how often the word “team” occurs. It makes you wonder if there were things preventing Arsenal from playing as a team:
“CONFIDENTIAL
Team meeting 19th September 2008-09-22:
The team:
* A team is as strong as the relationships within it. The driving force of a team is its member’s ability to create and maintain excellent relationships within the team that can add an extra dimension and robustness to the team dynamic.
* This attitude can be used by our team to focus on the gratitude and the vitally important benefits that the team brings to our own lives. It can be used to strengthen and deepen the relationships with it and maximise the opportunities that await a strong and united team.”
On to dressing room billboards. They’re the football equivalent of the pictures of dolphins breaching pristine waters, or the mountain landscapes, that you see adorning some offices. In our world they’re accompanied by headings like “Perseverance”, “Courage” or “Achievement”, and an inspiring quote.
Hard to believe, but these posters get mocked for being trite or tacky. When the journalists were given tours of England’s flash new base at St George’s Park the posters didn’t go unnoticed.
One, in the office space overlooking one of the indoor pitches featured an image of Danny Welbeck mingling with diagonal lines, and the words “Aspirational” and “Inspiring”. Down on the corridors linking the various hi-tech facilities are more diagonal lines with phrases like “Potential Development”, vaguely, “Exceptional Decision-Making Skills”, and comically, a picture of Andy Carroll with “The Finishing Phase”.
They might bring David Brent to mind, along with any office-related traumas you might be trying to drink away. When Alan Pardew got the Newcastle job, his reputation for using Brent-esque slogans around the training ground got him slated by Sunderland fans. He’s also known for gathering the players together and making them chant some of the slogans out loud. An example – when he was at Reading “Tenacity, Spirit, Flair” became a club mantra.
People who know say it started with Helenio Herrera. He was the Argentine coach credited with the invention of Catenaccio, now a byword for the ultra-defensive football, but referring to a specific system of man-marking, counter-attacking football with a sweeper.
Anyway, the football is by the by. I want to know about the stuff he scrawled on the walls. Here are some of the slogans that were posted in large-font during his time at teams like Sevilla, Barcelona and Inter. On the dressing room wall at Sevilla there was a sign with “Why Can’t You be the Best?” Dunno, sounds a bit whiny to me.
In his career-defining spell at Inter there was a billboard at the training ground reading, “Class + Preparation + Intelligence +Athleticism = Championships”. You do the maths, but don’t forget to show your working or you won’t get full marks.
Remember the Venky’s TV commercial from last year? Maybe you just don’t want to remember. Anyway, if you can bear to watch again, notice how your eyes instinctively avoid the sight of David Dunn chomping on a chicken leg and focus instead on the slogans above the peg rails.
I assume it’s the home dressing room at Ewood Park. The signs are garish and eye-catching, and read like relics from the Allardyce era. Here’s a few – “Outwork the Opposition”, “Be Proactive Instead of Reactive”, “Dominate” and “Be Ruthless on Set Plays”.
People suspected for years but now know that we don’t master our actions as much as we would like to think. To my mind slogans like these can’t be intended as a simple instruction to read and carry out:
Allardyce: Andy, read the sign – I want you to be ruthless on set-plays today!
Carroll: OK boss! Good thinking!
More they’re surely supposed to affect players’ behaviour in indirect ways, appealing to the part of the brain that forms associations. If I knew anything about them I’d talk about things like the ideomotor effect and psychological primers complementing drills performed on the training ground.
After all they play their best football when they don’t have to think things over – like the apparently complicated systems that became second nature to the Dutch players in the 70s or Spain today. The best teams have players that don’t need to ponder short passes, or shape, instinctively taking a few strides in a certain direction to shut off an avenue or cover a teammate closing a player down. These teams grew up together, a benefit only a couple of tops sides down the years have enjoyed.
I suppose in the end, one of the frustrating things about following a top football team is that so much is a mystery. We see the final product in 90-minute performances, but can only speculate about the relationships between players and how coaches find the magic to fashion groups of individuals into teams.
I agree Paul – every one should stand up although not everyone will – black, white, yellow, green – all JR is expected to do is wear the t shirt
anicoll, what is your point? If you believe he wrong to not wear the T shirt that is a totally different thing than saying he has an agenda apart from dealing with racism.
I would say he believes the movement is bulls given the recent dealings. I share his view.
Self indulgent?
oh well…
The current side now appear to be free of the `me` mentality at last
===============================================================
Not entirely.
There are a few highly paid veteran squad players that rarely even make it to the sub’s bench who refuse to leave the team for another team that would give them first team football. No need to mention who they are. We’d be stronger if they left as that would free millions in wages that could be invested in emerging talent that are more committed to making a name for themselves.
We have a current player who is in the last year of his contract who clearly wants more money than he is worth and who feels he is being played out of position.
We have a young gun who feels he is as good as our best players (at least on the training pitch) and has moaned publicly that he should be playing more.
Balance, Philmar. Those veterans don’t necessarily have to be on the pitch to have a positive impact at the club.
But Roberts is not “dealing with racism” is he Paul ? He is refusing to participate in KIO because it is not sufficiently “strong” It does not meet his expectations of what a “movement” should be
Except Jason does not offer any alternative, no clues as to what he does want done, no effort on his part, as a senior professional footballer, to direct KIO in the way he feels it should go. No effort to set his own “movement” in motion
No sireeeeee – he just won’t put the t shirt on
Still it has got us talking about him as well as plenty of others
anicoll, have you read WG Sebald’s Rings of Saturn? It illuminates the role of former UN chief Kurt Waldheim in WW2-era Croatia – to the extent that Sebald actually refuses to “speak” Waldheim’s name.
The Serbians paid a heavy price when confronting Waldheim & co, and the post-WW2 settlement, up to the disintegration of former Yugoslavia, reflected that – which makes the current doings of the far right in Serbia even more difficult to bear.
true – When our defense is under pressure in a game Squilacci can still serve as an inspiration for our CBs even if he’s watching the game in a luxury box…
Chamakh can give Giroud important insight on how to beat a high line in the dressing room at half time….
And I’m sure Andrei’s sage advice on how to play on the wing is forever in the Ox’s thoughts when he is on the pitch experiencing tight marking.
Never read it CG but Waldheim’s past was a murky one, as was the vast majority of Germans of his age. You may recall that earlier in the week I mentioned I have spent a bit of time in Serbia, two years ago in fact, in Kragujevac,a provincial town in Southern Serbia and home of the Yugo car plant. Speaking to local Serbs there are very few who do not have views on race, religion etc who do not hold views that over here would get you thrown out of the BNP for extremism, and I am mot talking about ditch diggers but professionals, engineers, teachers etc
The point is though in Kragujevac there is a big memorial museum to the thousands of local townspeople the Germans rounded up (61 years ago tomorrow according to Wiki) and shot dead – the Nazis say just 2,300, the locals 5,000-7,000.
The locals today are not ignorant of the damage that racism and ethnic hatred and conflict causes – they are however apparently unable to get out of it
Roberts has brought attention to the feebleness of the response, so I’d say he’s achieved quite a lot. He’s helped open up the debate on whether players – and fans – should tolerate UEFA going round in circles on this.
Of course he cannot solve it alone, and it’s equally feeble to suggest that he could. He is bringing whatever pressure to bear that he can – and simultaneously making himself a target of criticism from the likes of you, anicoll – while others remain silent.
AW, being French, perhaps has an historical memory of the 1936 Popular Front?
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/-kick-it-out-campaign-needs-to-be-united-
Anicoll, making people aware is doing something about it by itself. I hope he goes on to do more, but from my point of view he has done a lot.
But perhaps not as much as KIO, who don’t just campaign on race but discrimination against women, the disabled and homophobia in football.
As you say I look forward to Jason’s next movement – I feel sure we will here a lot of him over the short to medium term
Yup – well said Clerkenwell. Many of us I feel share his frustration and it is high time people voiced sensible opinions that right thinking people can at least identify with.
UEFA’s actions to date have been pathetic to the point of incredulity and disgust. It is clear they do not prioritise racism or remotely treat it with the importance required. Instead we get hypocritical lip-service.
The more people in the media that rock the boat the better as far as I am concerned.
So Jonny Uefa don’t do enough ?
Well what should they do ?
If you were in charge of Uefa what would you do to defeat racism ?
Give me a few ideas please
You paint a depressing picture, anicoll, but worse seems to be your view that nothing can be done to challenge or change it.
FWIW, I’ve visited former Yugoslavia both before and after the break-up several times, year on year, and later had flatmates from the region – from Zagreb, Pula, Porec – here in London as a consequence, at least one of whom had proud antifa family history – his father and uncles had helped kick the shit out of Waldheim’s SS mates, and had been rewarded handsomely post-war as a result. It was not hard to see why if the son was anything to go by – he was f$king enormous.
None of the people I knew at that time, and it was a while back, would’ve countenanced anything remotely like you describe. But economic conditions have worsened since then, and racism is a tried-and-tested device when it comes to instigating divide-and-rule. Because heaven help that we should direct our attention to the real authors of economic and social misery right now.
anicoll5, we are dealing with racism and in this day and age what they are doing is quite offensive to me. It is a joke. Credit where it is due, had Terry said this in the US it would have been a whole different story, ironically.
anicoll5, so wait, you think nothing more can be done?
I think loads can be done, as loads already has been done
I think the expectation that some organisation is going to magically come along and solve racism in football, or society generally, with some sort of quick fix policy or gesture is specious
Progress will be measured in years if not decades
@clerkenwell gooner
I think Santi has nothing to worry about with the return of Jack. I think Ramsey does though in my opinion along with Le Coq. With the reintroduction of Jack and with Diaby growing fit by the day both can deputize Arteta and the CM role along with the return of Lil Mozart. Isn’t it great that we can possibly have a 1st choice for a FA and CC tie of Ramsey, LiL Mozart and Le Coq or AA, that’s better than most 1st choice midfields for regular PL matches.
DAMN I LOVE ARSENAL FÚTBOL CLUB!!!!
Norwich has NO BLOODIE idea what they have coming for them.
Also interesting read by ESPN about our beloved Andre “samba dancing” Santos.
http://m.espn.go.com/general/blogs/blogpost?blogname=arsenal&id=287
Anicoll – I appreciate fines don’t solve the problem of racism but treating like it is an insignificant offence (as they do) is effectively trivialising the issue.
Clubs should be banned from competitions and fined. Individuals should suffer much heavier punishments similarly.
Look at the punishment they dished out to Arsene Wenger – just for talking to his players.
The punishment and fine for that was worse than the fines many clubs have suffered for racist chanting. I think RM got fined something like £450 for racist chanting at a CL match years back.
You can argue it will not solve the problem but it sends a message that THEY take it seriously. When they start taking it seriously maybe the clubs themselves will start doing the same.
Right now it’s just a deeply unfunny joke.
On the topic of racism, part of the futboling world and governing bodies also tend to look at who is doing the offense and to whom they are doing the offense to. For me that is where the whole John Terry situation failed miserably is the fact that he should have been dished out the exact same punishment as Suarez. I hear stories of racism throughout fútbol and it does sadden me but the only way for it to stop is to really start punishing players and clubs as well as managers for not taking action. Here in the states you get fined and suspension in ALL sports for anything done on the pitch I.e. racism and it has changed the la.dscape drastically. Does it still happen, yes but it also comes with stiff no nonsense punishments that done drag on.
anicoll5, I think Jason is protesting a specific case this time. That is the time it took the FA to punich Terry and the extent of the punishment compared to Suarez’s case. I believe one of the Ferdinand’s has made a comment about FA’s complaint to UEFA about the Serbs too. In a way the people in glass house don’t thow rocks type of comment. I gather all pointing to the same direction. The FA have double standards when it comes down to their own players, but pointing fingures and harsh punishment when it comes from other places. I think it’s a valid point. Speaking of the Serbs. It is not beneficial to a society to let repeat offenders to go free. You try to rehablitate them without hurting the society they live in. Otherwise, you lock them up and throw away the key!
Getty – the time it took to get Terry in front of the Tribunal was related to the preference of all sides to conclude the criminal case before moving on to sanction by the sporting body. As I said much earlier today that was, as far as I can see, the correct way to proceed. A criminal prosecution – the real world – must take precedence over the sporting authorities.
I think it was disappointing magistrate Riddle allowed the case to be listed after the seasons’ end but the CPS went along with the request – not much the FA could do as Terry was clear that he would plead not guilty.
As for swiftly rehabilitating the Serbs take five mins to read the exchanges with Karadzic and Mladic from the Hague – and these guys are revered by most Serbs and by no means regarded as war criminals
Anicoll, you make good, thouthful poits, as usual.
I understand your logic and appreciate your knowledge of Serbia but, for me, anybody who kicks against the anodyne mainstream response to almost any serious isue is worthy of careful consideration.
The ‘kick it out’ campaign seems to fit that bill.
Does Roberts have another agenda? I have no idea but I think his point is a good one, If I was a black footballer, I wouldn’t wear a pointless T shirt either. Not now. No one takes a blind bit of notice of that particular platitude. For cameras only.
His refusal will creat more of an issue, and focus on the matter, than just conforming with the expectation of wearing a T shirt.
Doing the latter has never changed anything in my experience. When I was at University, most wore a ‘Che’ T shirt. Fuck knows why.
Back in my world, I took the scaffolding down today. Fit=rst time clear of the stuff in three years. Now, that’s progress.
Picked our crab apples. Poor crop but enough for a few jars of my favourite crab and chillie jelly.
No cider making this year. No apples worthy of the name. However, I still have 5 barrels stockpiled from last year.
Oh, and I have a broody hen. Stupid bird. Now in the sin bin.
anicoll5, I understand your point in both cases, but from across the pond looking in Terry’s case there seemed to be a lot of other considerations to extend the time. The European championship and all that. Who knows for sure. I also know (strictly from reading) a little bit about the Karazdzic and Mladiz case, even how long it took even to arrest them. But the Serbs obviously like their soccer, right? The only way you force someone to respect the rules is by taking away the very thing they love. I remember how South Africans were so happy that their rugby team joined the world competetions after apartheid.
Lot of good conversation and enjoyed this afternoon – suicide for the self employed but there is always tomorrow
You are coaxing me round on the Roberts is not just a shameless self publicist point
And like you Bob I barely have an apple worthy of the name this year
Earlies only, anicoll. Before the rains came and stopped the bees doing their thing.
A handful of eaters from the trees that have shrivelled brown tips, and the cookers that have produced year after year nothing
I would duck a shrivelled local widow in the pond but there are rules even up here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20009560
Ian Holloway in full flight.
What an interesting post OOU – thanks, good original writing, as usual.
Having worked as a publisher of business books for many years I am about as cynical as it’s possible to be about pretty much all of the ‘motivational’ material that is produced. Most of it is motivated by money (who’d have thought?!) and it’s largely derivative and painful to see. Ricky Gervais’s The Office and it’s hugely successful US version hit nerves waiting to be struck.
What is more interesting, for me, is touched on towards the end of your post when you talk of:
” … they play their best football when they don’t have to think things over – like the apparently complicated systems that became second nature to the Dutch players in the 70s or Spain today. The best teams have players that don’t need to ponder short passes, or shape, instinctively taking a few strides in a certain direction to shut off an avenue or cover a teammate closing a player down. These teams grew up together, a benefit only a couple of tops sides down the years have enjoyed.”
In this you have hit the nail on the head.
There are few great musicians who refer to motivational texts to drive them on to musical accomplishment. Rather, their craft is learned, almost organically as the instrument in question becomes, in effect, an extension of their body, the hands all working seamlessly and seemingly effortlessly to reproduce the beauty being played out in the mind of the master.
So in the same way great footballers – and I’d argue by extension, great football teams – also make their achievements through familiarity and unthinking instinct as to what to do for the best. The Adam’s led AFC defence not only moved out as a single unit, but they raised their hands in unison; one up, all up! That I guess was football by rote.
But whilst the greatest talents may be honed I think it’s unlikely they will ever be taught. I’ve yet to read an instruction manual on how to play like George Best.
***
Some great comments re: the whole tragic racism in football saga.
Sadly I fear this one will run and run …
OOU
Forgot to mention how much I liked the picture in your post. Awesome sight. When I lived in Virginia we would often take a boat on the Chesapeake Bay and watch the dolphins swimming around during their mating season. Very frisky they were.
Irish:
I only saw your avatar once but I have to rub it in just a bit. The Yanks had the most anemic display of hitting in the post season history. I think the hit 0.188 against Detroit. I thought the collapse of my boys was epic but yours might top it. The local media and blogs have all been extremely unforgiving of the Rangers so I can just imagine how much vitriol is floating around New York. Oh well, some significant retooling for both of our clubs this winter. Please take Josh Hamilton away from us. He an A-rod on the same team could be the biggest melt-down in waiting in baseball history.
Bill – Yep, no argument here. The Yankees sucked big donkey balls when it came to hitting. A-Rod’s hitting was non-existant but he can’t be the only one to take the blame. Swisher, Tex and Cano are also big hitters and they also choked. I thought our pitching was excellent, until the last game that is! Still, we got about as much as we deserved when all is said and done. The O’s must have looked at our performance and wondered how the hell they didn’t beat us?
I see Kos is out injured for tomorrow’s game. It really has not been his season so far but fingers crossed he will bounce back. Am I the only one who does not want JW back for tomorrows game? I really want to take it easy with him, no rushing his return. And when the hell is Diaby back?
Tried to follow the baseball a bit. To state the obvious Delmon Young is a blow wow killa!
anicoll5, you have not seen combatting racism yet, I say again had Terry said this in the US his backside would be really feeling it. The Football associations seem to be more doing something because it looks right than coming down hard. Suspend people for 10-15 matches and see.
You may not be able to legislate emotions but you can punish and teach same way. What will not change things is making a mockery of it or making excuses for people.
Footballing organizations are pusillanimous about racism. Lazio got fined 32000 Euros for crowd behaviour. It’s laughable. Serbia might get more because other Europeans generally don’t like them – although one could argue more mitigating circumstances, like they’ve been isolated from the mainstream, had leaders like Milosevic who boosted racial hatred and paranoia for political purposes, etc. Lazio can hardly have such excuses.
If Roberts follows up on his non-shirt wearing with a more sustained campaign I don’t think we should criticise him. It would be better to have a campaign that comes from the grassroots than one that is officially sponsored by an outfit (the FA) that basically doesn’t care.
We are approaching a crucial time of the season when games come thick and fast and how we perform in this matches will decide where we finish come the end of the season.If we can be injury-free, we will increase our chances for a good finish because injuries have been one of the major reasons we could not do well in previous seasons.
Come on Gunners!
http://www.aclfarsenal.co.uk/?p=9753
Here you go