An Arsenal fan's agony

Skysports.com's James Dall takes a look at Arsenal's title capitulation

By James Dall   Last updated: 24th March 2008

Birmingham v Arsenal William Gallas woe

Downhill from here

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Arsenal's Grand Slam Sunday defeat at Chelsea hammered a painful nail in the coffin of their crumbling Premier League title ambitions, with only a flicker of light now visible in their bid to top the table come May.

Gunners fans had been dreaming and pining for a first league crown since 2004, but stale league displays that sandwiched a succulent filling of a performance in Milan, have brought the North Londoners back down to earth with an unwelcome and unanticipated crunch.

Arsene Wenger promised that February's FA Cup humiliation at Old Trafford was a one-off, a blip, an exception to Arsenal rule; and while progression to the last eight of the UEFA Champions League provided the Frenchman with a welcome smokescreen, four limp stalemates steadily punctured belief.

A rotten five weeks was then topped off with the most bitter of cherries as Wenger's troops bottled a lead against Chelsea, with their points return from their last five games now matching the likes of Newcastle United, Fulham and Sunderland. The unthinkable had happened.

How Arsenal went from leaders - with a five-point advantage over Manchester United - to trailing Sir Alex Ferguson's men by six seemingly unattainable points, not even the wisest of French professors can explain.

Demise

And while one can blame offside decisions, a Glastonbury-like surface and injuries; the truth of the matter is that the Gunners' demise signifies a lack of depth and experience among the squad.

Rewind to 23rd February, and captain William Gallas' quite unbelievable demonstration of petulance at St Andrews. Sir Alex must have rubbed his hands together as he witnessed the first sign of Arsenal's wavering form - from within their own ranks.

Meanwhile, United have been a model of professionalism, a juggernaut that has the route to glory memorised all too well, capable of churning out results at will.

To be fair to Wenger, his side has grown in recent years, and maybe this campaign comes that little too early for his maturing youngsters - who had in fact been expected, by some, to limit their ambitions to wrestling for fourth with rivals Tottenham.

But to have the title at your mercy, within reaching distance, and then blow it, hurts. It is agony. It is to come last in the lottery of life.

And yes, there is still time, seven games in fact, with much to unfold in what has been a fascinating Premier League season at both the peak and trough of the table.

But even the most optimistic Arsenal fan must surely realise that a Spice Girls/Take That style comeback is beyond their grasp.

Realist

I for one - as an Arsenal fan - would love to see it happen. But I am a realist. A realist who knows that Wenger must strengthen with a world-class individual or two in the summer if Ashburton Grove is to witness its first title.

So, for now, Wenger's men must see out their run-in, guarantee Champions League football for next season, while possibly going one better in Europe than their final defeat in 2006.

And as the old saying goes 'the table never lies' so whoever is top once 38 fixtures are complete, will fully merit to have their name etched into the silver of the Premier League trophy.

Football is a peculiar and quite bewildering little thing that tugs at your heart strings. Arsenal's journey this season has been gripping, with these few wordy paragraphs merely portraying the thoughts of one fan and journalist who loves how each soccer enthusiast goes through their very own unique tribulation.

Comments

Philip Gitau (Arsenal fan) says...

Wenger needs to buy and buy period. He's the most astute in economical buys and spotting budding talent, but to compete against United & Chelsea, we need depth and not just young sensational players who you hope will play for more than 8 months, in 4 tournaments and especially in crunching-tackle-England without injury!

Posted 10:06 29th March 2008

Gary Rifat (Arsenal fan) says...

Heres my 2 bobs worth why did Wenger not buy another striker in January because we were sitting top of the league RVP was soon to be coming back from injury everything was looking great Eduardo and ADE were on fire we did not need one then. Senderos should definatley start yes he can make some mistakes but he is solid he played in every champions league game 2 years ago he is definatley the best we have in the air and at that position. Also i put my money were my mouth was at the beginning of the season for us to win the league and it is not over yet trust in Wenger trust in the Arsenal, if the worst happens and we dont win any silverware all you gooners out there know that we play the most sublime football in the league and that thanks to other teams trying to foul and injury us and break our legs we would have one this thing hands down. Lastly Gallas is doing a great job as captain i think his blood now runs red instead of blue you can see it in his passion and heart dont let isolated incidents ruin his great body of work. I still believe

Posted 18:09 28th March 2008

Thabo Mokotong (Manchester United fan) says...

Before the hectic Chrismas period, I told a friend of mine, who is an Arsenal fan, that they would not win the league. I based that on the fact that, player for player, they don't match Man U or Chelsea. I also felt they're a bit too young and dont' have the grit to grind out results. They alwyas play beautifully to win matches, but are easily frustrated by physical sides. Funny enough they opened a gap at the sumit of the league thereafter, but I somehow knew it would unravel. Perhaps the 2002-3 season filled me with hope. Remember that 2-1 loss to Bolton away that ended their title charge? History repeats itself.

Posted 16:15 26th March 2008

Salman Khursheed (Arsenal fan) says...

I feel like crying what Arsenal has done for the past 5 weeks,after being on the top for 6 months we dont deserve to finish 2nd or 3rd in the table.Wenger was given 70 million pounds at the start of the season and still didnt bring a big player.We need quality strikers,Adebayor is not that good, or a wing player.I am sure he would be given a good amount for the start of the next season and he should make a good use of it.

Posted 16:55 25th March 2008

John Kitawi (Arsenal fan) says...

If the team fails to win the league,all the blame should be on Wenger,the boys have done their best considering their age and experience.He has to start spending money which is readily available and stop applying his economics where its not needed.There are four tournaments in a season and he doesnt have a team to play in all,look at the benches of Man U and Chelsea,they are full of mature and experienced players.What does wenger have as back up?young and inexperienced boys,once a first eleven player gets injured there's no quality back up.Wenger should save us from the heart aches and go shoping big time this time round........or just fire him !

Posted 16:52 25th March 2008

Robert Joaquim (Arsenal fan) says...

As all the other fans here, Im obviously disappointed that we've thrown away the league so close to the end, but I dont think there's a lot wrong with this team. I definately think we need another winger, walcott is clearly more comfortable through the middle where hopefully he will play more next season, and eboue is great as a right back but I dont think he's a good enough footballer technically to play in midfield and with rosicky's bad run of injuries we are definately short in that position. We are getting vela next season who has been generally playing wide left for osasuna this season but how ready he'll be for the premiership only time will tell. Im glad to see that wenger has said he'll be interested in getting ben arfa if he's available as he could be just the player we need. On top of that, I think we need a quality centre back with some experience who can step right into defence when needed as senderos seems prone to errors when called upon. Its not all doom and gloom though, if we win our next 7 games and beat liverpool in the champions league, who knows......

Posted 16:16 25th March 2008

Danny Williams (Chelsea fan) says...

Just a quick note to the Arsenal fans. Money cant buy you everything but it does buy lots of other things, success being one them. You never one a league title or cup with only players that had come through the ranks, so you purchased them. You cannot be that naive in thinking you dont have to spend money to win anything. You pride yourselves on the fact you havent spent huge amounts of money on players and then turned them into quality players which is not being disputed but your choice was to spend just as much as Chelsea did on a new stadium, of which you have reaped the financial rewards of your investment. If you look at how much Man U have spent over the last 10 years and they have won EVERYTHING. Its not just about how much you spend, it's how you spend it ie: Liverpool FC competing for third place with Everton / Villa and the like who have spent a fraction of what they did. I drive pass your new stadium every day and look at it with envy, knowing that we will not have a stadium of that magnitude because of our location NOT because Roman cant afford it. Im not going to gloat about the win over you but im extremley pleased we did win as is to be expected and it was funny when all my Arsenal frends rang me after the first goal,then for some strange reason their phones where switched off at the end!! Anyway thats football. You will be there or thereabouts at the end.

Posted 16:01 25th March 2008

Marvin Stewart (Arsenal fan) says...

Marvin (Arsenal fan from Jamaica) says... Arsene is a brilliant manager, but his team's lack of depth n experience is finally revealing itself at a critical stage.... n my heart is hurting. He needs to add some serious quality n experience but summer is a couple of months away.... so why is he gambling with the present. Eduardo was the best natural finisher in the club n he is out .... there is not much faith in the other strikers other than Ade ... so why not go back to a... 4-5-1 ...formation that has brought success this season. Gilberto experience is needed now in the midfield to protect the back four with the odd goal or 2, hence everyone else can attack n maybe score some goals. After all the Arsenal is about attacking. Rosciky is still out (experienced lossed) so that leaves Fab, Flam, Hleb, Gilberto, Theo, in the middle, Diaby, van Persie, Bendtner coming off the bench .... Ade plays powerful up front on his own, the full-backs (Clichy, Sagna) to get down the flanks n produce quality crosses.. we have scored from them before .. Ade n Bendt airal presence.. Arsenals football is too predicitive (commentators n I say).. mix it up so to create chances and shoot from outside the box.. Flam, Fab, Hleb have to get in the box more n pounce on second chances created from mistakes ....And can someone explain why can't Ade n Fab chip a ball over an advancing goal keeper with some finese n composure (Eduardo).... Gallas n Toure needs to be more uncomprimising at the back, the offside trap doesnot always work as we see, they play too square n lack anticipation of proper coverage (complacent)from the air.. Senderos for my money he does not gamble.. Clichy and Sagna needs to anticipate coverage for the centre-backs from long balls. Gilberto can do what he does best since he would be fresher than the others around him... We need good penetration from the air, middle and flanks and smart, sure defending to win the BPL

Posted 15:49 25th March 2008

Chidi Anosike (Arsenal fan) says...

Arsenal's most recent record of 4Draws AND 1Loss is the worst in 9yrs. What does it show us? the young lads are tired. When Ferguson took an experienced hand from scotland for a 3month loan spell during the January transfer window of the 2006/2007 season, some of us scoffed at him thinking he was desparate. But the man knew Experience is invaluable for a young team approaching the home stretch of a competitive title campaign like the premiership. And it worked perfectly for him. I really hope Wenger has a 'rethink' of he's policy. For me, that policy has cost arsenal the title this season. Its even more painful when one considers how hard the boys have worked only to loss it at the end. The Emirates is in need of 2 or 3 big names'. I've seen those big names are actually match winners in difficult games.

Posted 15:40 25th March 2008

Michael Akinmoplayan (Arsenal fan) says...

I believe Arsenal can still win the championship this season if they play well and score more goals. Wenger need to buy more experience player to the team if he want to win anythin next season. Look at other teams, they are doing very well because they spent more money and buy good players. Arsenal is a big club,but we dont have worldclass players who could step up to the game.

Posted 15:27 25th March 2008

Natalee Satchwell (Arsenal fan) says...

Well its all good reading all the comments, but what i believe is wrong with Arsenal at the moment and probably ever since i have been watching these young boys is: Arsene Wenger is too soft on these players, yes they are young and they want to win games and trophy but if thats the case why not play like you want to, imagine they had five points ahead, they had played Birmingham twice at home and away and both times the had the chance to keep the advantage ahead and they slip up... what i say is they are young and they want to win now as a manager he need to make them know that they need to win, well and good he has a lot of faith and belief i do as well but he need to push these guys he need to threaten their position, i believe with the person above that says Eboue is not playing his best this season, i do believe and he has become this arrogant player, i as a Arsenal fan doesnt believe in cheating and he does it alot in cases where he does need to. I'm however is sad at the fans that believe arsenal is out of the trophy race, when we were 5 points ahead no one said man u was out of it so why now say arsenal is, i reckon you are not real fans. I believe pressure needed to be put on the players and maybe the manager and then we will see a difference i garantee you this

Posted 14:20 25th March 2008

Derek Rushmere (Arsenal fan) says...

It is important to realise that Arsene Wenger is working with brilliant players who have just to settle down. I think that a cool head, as like Dennis Berkamp, is really needed to keep a steady ship afloat. I do agree that William Gallas is NOT the right person for captain, would like to see a more mature player. Yes we can agree that we have lost our strikers, Robin van Persie and Edwardo, seems we have this problem each year. Maybe it would be better to strengthen the side with a senior center back, who is able to settle the nerves and allow players to use the wings more often. Otherwise I can see great things for this club, but would like to see some silverware. Well done in the Champions League so far

Posted 14:17 25th March 2008

Olu Ashaolu (Arsenal fan) says...

Well written, James. I am now convinced that Arsenal cannot compete with the other top 3 teams without two things. One, Arsene Wenger now needs to beef up the QUANTITY of the team. The quality is there for all to see and admire, but what happens when Adebayor is tired, Eduardo is injured and Van Persie is only just coming back? We don't score, that's what happens. We need the numbers as well as the quality. Two, the wages of the players MUST be increased to make them happy to sit on the bench for two or three games at a time. The only reason SWPhillips, Nani and Kuyt will sit on the bench is because they are being paid much better than almost anywhere else in the world and that's the truth. Arsenal MUST now match that for the team to compete. All we need now is the numbers. The quality is there for the entire world to watch and marvel at. Let's get the numbers in now and then the 2008/09 season will see us lift the crown once again.

Posted 13:31 25th March 2008

Christiano Johnson (Manchester United fan) says...

I find this amusing, all u Arsenal fans have been going on about is how better u are without Henry, play more as a team etc. Yes, i do agree 2 a certain extend that u do however, @ times like this players like Henry is what u need 2 lead the team 2 success with inspirational displays. Adebayor has been anonymous recently which tells me that he is not @ that level yet. Arsenal need 3 players in my opinion, a world class striker, winger & central defender before u can even think of winning titles. Thats what u had before & thats y your current crop of players are not in the same class as the invincibles. Overmars, vieira, Henry, Bergkamp........

Posted 12:32 25th March 2008

Donald Adadgbor (Arsenal fan) says...

Arsene Wenger really needs to get a rethink about spending the funds on the trasnfer market next summer.. We not only have to get a big money striker and possible winger, we also have to get an inspirational one for that matter. It is far too early to think we cannot clinch the prmier league for the first time since 2004, man united and chelsea also have to win their remaining 7 games too, to be guaranteed the tiitle.. i believe we can win this title, it is not over until it is COMPLETELY over!!!

Posted 09:47 25th March 2008

Sedgie Rubrik (Arsenal fan) says...

Much as I love Arsene (and which Arsenal fan doesn't: most successful manager ever;best football in the league; revolutionising the science of football etc etc) the great man has made some mistakes this year. 1) Making Gallas captain. Gallas is a superb defender but he is no captain. He is too much of a hot-head and too egocentric. Hansen was right that he lost it at Birmingham and I think he lost some of the respect of the players, too. But how will Wenger row back from making him captain? It was a poor decision which has backfired. 2) Persisting with Eboue instead of given Walcott more starts. Eboue has lost it this year. He is a liability and his sportsmanship is questionable. Worse, he looks like he will never score again and Arsenal have few people who can put the ball in the net at present. Walcott was good at Birmingham but since then he has been knocked back again. Time to choose him over Eboue. 3) I'm not convinced about Toure and Gallas as being automatic. Even Wenger said they lost their 'serenity' at the weekend. They are both a bit volatile. Senderos is much maligned but he was the rock that got us to Chamions league final two years ago. He is calmer and gives us something which the other two don't. 4) Not establishing partnerships up front. Eduardo's loss was a massive blow but prior to that it was still hard to see who partners Adebayor best. Eduardo + Bendner looked a better partnership even than Eduardo + Adebayor. Hleb + Adebayor looks better than Van Persie + Ade as a partnership, but really there is no established relationship and Arsneal look disjointed up front at present. Anyway, the Premiership has gone for this year and it will be very, very hard to get past Liverpool and Man U in Chamipions League. Let's buy a top striker for next year and go again.

Posted 09:40 25th March 2008

Sunny Otuya (Arsenal fan) says...

Hey guys lets face it, Arsenal blew it when they drew at st andrews. I think the problem of this club is still the lack of an inspiriational striker. Now it is beginning to tell. I don't see any sense in the talk about nurturing young squad. Look at chelsea, the big names made the difference in that grand slam. It is high time, Wenger started making use of the funds. His economics of not spending the money will make titles continue to elude arsenal. They spirit of the players and fans is down. Can they still win any titles this season? NO. I think we better start preparing for next season again. the team is crumbling at the moment. I dont see United dropping six points. Notwithstanding, arsenal are still the romantic team.

Posted 07:44 25th March 2008

Ran Singh (Arsenal fan) says...

cudnt agree more ppl...im not doubting wenger coz he is the best manager there si but he has to spend money to get sum big players in there...i for one wud lyk to see david villa join arsenal as he has expressed his desire to come to england n by the way is the best striker a team cud possibly hav...fabregas n him cud work well together as they play in the national side as well...samir nasri from marsielle again wud fit into arsenal very well n is one of the best young players i've seen...defenders we need defenders...kompany n mertesacker are gonna end up being fantastic defenders if not already...oh hey n lulinha from corinthians whos still 17 but is gonna turn out to be a legend in football...we need these quality players to challenge for titals coz lets face it sum pf the players at arsenal r jst not gud enough for a massive club lyk arsenal...

Posted 19:44 24th March 2008

Padraig Warde (Arsenal fan) says...

Arsene Wenger is a quality manager.He has brought so many players through the ranks and turned them into worldbeaters. Not many Arsenal fans had heard of the Vieira's, Petit's, Toure's Anelka's of this world along with a lot more names. Thierry Henry was seen as surplus to requirements at Juventus yet Wenger transformed him into the club's leading goalscorer ever. His record at doing such things is second to none. I can only hope that he will resume his interest in Sebastien Frey. Almunia has done well replacing Lehmann but Frey is on a different level. He also needs to find another striker who can bag 20 goals per season. He has Walcott and Vela waiting in the wings but they need time to adapt and develop. Gilberto will be leaving in the summer so that means we are dropping more experience. He is gonna need to add at least one world class midlfielder and one world class centre back to push Gallas & Toure. The likes of Vincent Kompany would be ideal as he is still learning his trade but is a fantastic defender, a better prospect than Senderos. Giovinco of Juventus would be an ideal signing also. Small man with huge character that can have a major impact. Check him out on youtube

Posted 16:25 24th March 2008

John White (Arsenal fan) says...

Not much more any Gooner can add realy,it hurts alot today.I just hope the great Wenger has learnt his lesson and spends some of the cash that is supposed to be readily available to him.All Gooners are proud of his record of bringing on young players,but we wanna win something!I don't understand why he didn't bring in a world class striker or winger in January,it could have lifted the whole squad and increased competition.Can you remember the impact that Reyes made upon his arrival during the unbeaten season?The other thing i should add is when is Adebayor gettin hair extensions?P.S.I have always liked all the London clubs,but something is wrong at Chelsea.Congratulations to all the Chelsea boys but remember money can't buy you everything!

Posted 14:14 24th March 2008

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