I am writing this letter to my fellow Gooners worldwide to express my sincere get well wishes for the Arsenal Football Club. Right now, our club is in a rapid decline, and I’m afraid we might have lost hope for a speedy recovery, or for any recovery at all.
Can we believe a recent media report that claims “the Arsenal board is 100% behind Unai Emery?” Is this club statement true, or is this a public relations spin to turn supporters’ jeers into tears while the board tries to decide what to do next?
The following are my own personal thoughts and opinions. You might agree or disagree, and I’m not trying to change anyone’s point of view, however, there is a strong case to make a change, and in my opinion, a change needs to happen now.
For almost one and a half seasons we have witnessed the evolution of Unai-ball. Last season, we finished 5th in the Premier League and 2nd in the Europa League. Neither result was good enough to get us back into the “promised land,” the Champions League. Then, in the summer we had a good transfer window, and with a few exceptions most of our squad reported in good fitness. We had a decent pre-season, and then the season started.
Let’s take a look at some stats to show where we stand at November’s international break…
Overall record: 8 wins, 6 draws, 4 losses – 30 out of 54 points
Premier League record: 4 wins, 5 draws, 3 losses – 6th place – 17 out of 36 points
Goals scored: 8th in the PL
Goals allowed: 8th in the PL
Goal Differential in PL: -1
Notable PL draws or losses vs: Watford, Sheffield United, Crystal Palace, Wolves
Carabao Cup: Eliminated
And, our one success story…
Europa League: 1st place in Group F – 10 out of 12 points
As I have stated in previous posts, I’m normally not a proponent of firing a manager midseason, however, after watching game after game of Arsenal football this season I just don’t see how this club gets any better under Emery. We hear the board wants to block out the “noise,” but how can they? Gooners are a passionate group of supporters, not only in London and the UK, but from all over the planet. All of us invest our time, money and hearts into this club…and we expect more. Am I wrong?
Right now there is a host of potential candidates who could come to the Emirates and bring some positive change. The list: Massimiliano Allegri, Brendan Rodgers, Luis Enrique, Mikel Arteta, Thomas Tuchel, Erik ten Hag, Jose Mourinho, Steven Gerrard and Patrick Vieira
But what will the Arsenal front office and ownership do? Are they hoping a relatively weaker schedule following the break will get us back on track? Will the likes of Southampton, Frankfurt, Norwich City, Brighton and Hove Albion, and West Ham be the medicine the team needs? But…what if we go down in flames in some of those games? We will still have a very long and difficult list of fixtures to follow. What happens if we don’t have our stuff together by the time we play Man United on December 15th? Will we be stuck in mid-table of the Premier League by then? That is even too frightening for me to consider.
So my Gooner friends, we know we are part of the “noise” being discussed in north London. But you know what, our opinions count, too. We do not want to see this club go down the poop chute without a fight. Stand up and be heard, and let’s hope the execs in the boardroom come to their senses and realize it is time to make a change right now.
The clock is ticking.
All best to the Arsenal Nation!
Regards. Gunner1953
This is guest post from our friends across the water at YankeeGooner.net. Have a look at his other posts….