Sunday, April 1st, 2012 « Untold Arsenal: Arsenal News. Supporting the Lord Wenger; coach of the decade
By Walter Broeckx
All good things come to an end and nothing lasts forever. Such truths that we all know from our daily lives are also valid for football. After 7 great results this was the end of our seven games winning streak.
Such things happen. Winning 7 in a row is a thing that doesn’t happen that much but defeats like this can. And such a defeat we should be reminded of how difficult it is to win 7 games in a row.
I still have to see the game completely because of a bad stream I had a lot of black outs during the game. There was one even during the second QPR goal so I had to wait for a while before I could see what a bad slip it was.
So I could have missed a few things as I only have been able to see 2/3 of the game live. Maybe I missed the non-given penalties for Arsenal but our ref reviewer will inform us about it when he has done his job. So I cannot comment on Dean; if he had a fair game our ref reviewer will tell us about it.
What I do want to talk about is the fact that we lost to a team that I didn’t have the impression that played to win this game. They played for a point and got 3. They played with all their players bar one behind the ball and defended and defended. It is their right to adopt this tactic and when they win they can enjoy it. It’s not really my cup of tea but it works for some although most of the time it doesn’t. And despite this win if they play like that every week, the chance of them going down is bigger than the chance of them staying up.
I think the biggest difference was the fact that they took their chances better than we did. And that for some reason a lot of our players had difficulties with staying on their feet. The slip up from Vermaelen that led to the second goal was the most important slip but it was not the only one. Rosicky also didn’t perform his usual pirouettes and he found himself lying on the floor at times. Better check the length of the studs next time I guess.
Vermaelen had his worst game for Arsenal I think; not looking good with either goal. It can happen. Those days happen to all players. Knowing Vermaelen he will be angry with himself and will try to make up for it in the next game. Come on Verminator next Sunday is payback time.
What was strange about this game was the amount of wrong passes. We somehow struggled to do our passing game. Lots of passes were misplaced and some came not even close to an Arsenal player. In a way we played the same team as we did at Everton and that did really well in defending a small lead. I think Wenger expected a same game scenario against a team that will try to hit us at the counter and for the rest defend deep and with lots of people around their own penalty area. So I could agree with his starting line up. At Everton it did work, now it didn’t. That is football. That is the way it sometimes goes.
By the look of it we still have some happy goners today. Okay I want to type Gooners but for some reason my spelling checker modified it in to goners. And in fact that is what they are. How on earth can you react to this loss with a ‘we are doomed’. If we would have lost 7 in a row, okay but if you have one defeat in 8 games how can you be so negative about this team? Of course I am feeling down after this defeat. As I always am. But my god we have won 7 games (and not the easiest ones) and suddenly after one bad result those 7 games are ignored as if they never happened.
We could have won this game. We had some chances that we didn’t take. The Robin Van Persie miss springs to mind (because I have seen it live), I remember Theo having another chance. There could have been others that I didn’t see. But I admit it wasn’t good enough compared to the previous games.
But let us not get overboard after this game. Okay it isn’t nice but who could have even imagined being where we are now some 6 weeks ago?
The only thing I would want to ask to the real Gooners is to stick up for the team and the players. Vermaelen will put it right in the next games. He will be more determined than ever before. And please let us get off the back of Ramsey. I really cannot understand what he has done wrong to a certain part of the fans. Really sad.
We will win nothing by abusing our players. We will only go backwards. So if you want Arsenal, the players, the team, the club to go backwards go ahead and abuse the players, the manager and all you want. But don’t pretend to be a Gooner. Because it is after a defeat that a real SUPPORTER does his work. I will support the players even more after today. ALL of them. Not just the one I like more and blame the players I like less. As long as they put on the Arsenal shirt I will support them and as long as they do their best I will cheer them on.
Something some “fans” have forgotten. I even heard some “plastics” demand a refund from Arsenal because we lost this game!!! Can you get more sillier than that??? This is too stupid for words really. If you only want to pay when we win then it is time to stop being a supporter. Then it is time to tell that you are a customer. Don’t pretend being a supporter then. Last season I went on two occasions to the Emirates when we lost a game. I had spent a lot of money but I only felt sadness but never it came to my mind to write a letter of complaint to Arsenal and ask my money back.
This is just part of being a supporter. And if you cannot live with the fact that you can lose a game you have to question yourself and consider what you are. I will stick to being a supporter. And feel down tonight…and tomorrow. And then pick myself up and just go on supporting my club. Because that is all I can do and want to do. In good and in bad days: just support the lads.
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