WHY AM I NOT SURPRISED? by Victor Stephen
Hi Gooners! It’s been a while since my last post as I have been in hibernation somewhere in the Goonerverse. I decided to take the back seat since the season opener to give myself enough legroom to enable me to observe the first half of Arsenal’s season, to give me a good number of games to deduce my analysis from and it has been nothing short of euphoric, ecstatic and fantastic and that’s being humble. Truth is, there are no adjectives for Arsenal’s current run of form. Games 19, Won 16, Draws 2 Lost 1.
They have no right to do what they are doing. We have been so good, it shouldn’t be legal. The youngest team in the EPL led by the youngest Manager in Super Mik Arteta, we have been sensational. 50 points from 19 games, sitting at the summit of the league table, dispatching top-tier opposition ruthlessly.
Why Am I Not Surprised? Because I called it during pre season, specifically our tour of the USA, after our 4 nil drubbing of Chelsea.
I called for optimism but the internet police came for my neck. If you’re an organic football head, Arteta’s philosophy has been crystal clear from the get-go. The final piece of the jigsaw was just finding consistency and now that we have, these young Lions have tasted blood and are hungry for more. I am not implying we are going to win the EPL title, we’re just half way through and truth be told, City are still in with a shout and Halaand has vowed to hunt us down.
Arsenal are favorites and it’s wonderful to hear the chants from the Emirates of late, shaking the Goonerverse to its core. I call it again, let’s be optimistic, let’s ‘be excited’ this could just be our season and even if we don’t win the League, the future is so bright, we definitely have got our Arsenal back.
COYG! LET’S GO!!
Victor Stephen
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I couldnt agree more. I havent seen any team play city like we did yesterday for years.Its MADNESS
And more than half of our first team were missing
What a thrilling and welcome realistic article to read. Where have you been hiding your writing talents Victor and WHY?
On studying your writing style and use of English with fine punctuation, it is clear to me that you are an educated man.
Promise us all that you will hibernate no longer in that “Goonerverse” and that more, many more of your articles will enrich this site!
Monsieur Jon fox!!!🤣😂😹
most definitely Jon Fox, i shall hibernate no more
Yesterday’s game could’ve gone either way. We had 2 good chances for Tomi and Trossard and couldn’t finish them. On the other end Ake finished theirs and it was enough.
That’s a good lesson for the team: against top teams you’ll get one or 2 good chances all game and you have to make them count. If you don’t, the other team will.
Other than that, I think we really gave City a tough match even with 5 changes to the starting XI.
When you say “when the internet police came for my neck”…
I re-read the comments in the article you linked and saw almost 100% optimism.
My recollection was that pre-season is when people started to become (cautiously) optimistic when we saw the difference GJ made to the confidence of the team.
Saliba was also making an impact in defence (probably playing better then than he’s playing now).
The signings of Zinchenko and Jesus, along with Saliba finally playing for the club, saw such a difference this season to the previous ones under MA.
Also, the form of Xhaka has been an inspiration and to think some were calling him slow, lazy and not good enough for the shirt!!!
There is an atmosphere of belief in the terraces and throughout the club, so MA has to be applauded for the amazing turnaround.
Yes , we have got our Arsenal back, but let’s just remember what went on before and keep our feet planted firmly on the ground…. until we win the PL again.
@Ken1945:call me pessimistic but when I read comments from people saying they knew MA was going to succeed or that they could see how he was trying to make the team play from the”very beginning”, I’m sorry but I do not believe it.as you already stated the new signings including Saliba made a big difference and up to that point,there was nothing to write home about.
Totally agree Siamois – if they were that clairvoyant, why haven’t they won the lottery?
As I’ve said before, I can recollect only two people on JA who have not expressed doubts about MA – Angus and LC.
Unfortunately Ken and Siamois
You are both incorrect
Some people did call it from the beginning
Even When we were at our worse some stuck up for him whilst others stuck the knife in to him
I am sorry but just Because the two of you took time to be convinced and come on board doesn’t mean others didn’t from the beginning.
Onwards and upwards
No my friend, even you were doubtfull, but if you want to say you knew he would succeed, then that’s fine with me.
I just remember the 8th 8th 5th situation, bottom of the league, worst run since early last century, out of the fa cup in 3rd and 4th round, no european football for the first time in over two decades – of course MA has done a marvellous job in getting us where we are now and he has my 100% support.
But to be a fan who says he always trusted it would turn out the way it has, with no doubts whatsoever?…. No way.
Of course there were others who could see and understood what Arteta was trying to do.
Some became tired of the relentless despair and cynicism and stopped contributing. The hounding and “ganging up” that followed any kind of different viewpoint probably became too much to take.
What is clear that the pessimistic and negative voices were most prominent and dominated articles and comments. Remarkably, even making this observation drew ire from those who were campaigning to get rid of Arteta.
This “campaign” you mention?
Can you direct me to it?
How many signatures were there?
Who instigated it?
Was it produced on or by Just Arsenal?
You see, this “campaign” is a figment of your imagination, driven by the need to be seen as one of MA’s staunchiest disciples, who never wavered or asked questions as to why we were in the position I described above (8th 8th 5th etc etc).
Others, like myself, wanted to know why we were in such a state, playing dross football (worst position in over 20 years) playing square pegs in round holes (Willian) and wondering why MA was getting a free pass compared to previous managers.
Now you might want to erase all this from your memory and I can understand why – MA has turned it completely around and we are a force to be reckoned with…. unlike the previous MA seasons.
But it’s all in our history and trying to ignore it will not make it go away.
I’m happy for you and glad you are now able to debate and give your opinion as to all of MA’s attributes and I don’t think you will find any arguments, at least not from the football witnessed this season – it’s top drawer and MA deserves all the accolades he is getting…. just as he deserved all the questions he was asked during the previous seasons under his leadership.
Let’s both enjoy the moment and long may it last, but the record book never lies and facts are there for all to see.
This is cynical, condescending nonsense.
A “campaign” does not need signatures. There were clearly a significant minority of fans who wanted Arteta out. There were any number of negative articles, comments and insults clearly designed to discredit the manager on this and some other sites. Much of this ignored the realities of the relatively limited quality of the squad that we had.
Equally ridiculous and disingenuous is the notion that Arteta was given a “free pass”. Who has ever given Arteta a free pass? There is a significant difference between being critical of performances and the unreasonably negative articles which would follow any loss; in a number of cases calling for the manager’s sacking.
The problem with your “questions” and frequently suggested answers (i.e. sack the manager) is that they lack any kind of critical thought. So what if the likes of Willian did not prove to be right for Arsenal? An overall strategy can be sound even if there are missteps along the way.
When I suggested that the owners had done their due diligence and appropriately given Arteta more time and support I was called an apologist. Now, you patronizingly call me a “disciple”. Basically because of your inadequate insight regarding the issues plaguing Arsenal and lack of appreciation of Arteta’s potential to turn things around.
Reference to the league position is a common refrain on this site often with inadequate consideration of the context in which these positions occurred. A lot of moaning and complaining. An understanding of the underlying issues and the wherewithal to put things right is what was required. We are now seeing some of the benefits of sober analysis and a process of improvement.
I totally agree with everything you say Ken as you are right. I’ve always said coming into this season that for me the most frustrating thing was the fact of how we threw away 4th place MA was then questioned. But after watching the all or nothing documentary on Amazon and the fact that MA only wanted to play forward I think a lot of people changed there mind about him and the process
I agree David.
Exactly this!!! I had to stop contributing on the site due to constant criticism against Mikel. One of the kings of that was Dan …., Can’t remember his last name right now. I’ve always been behind Mikel from the very moment he walked through the door. Now everything is going well, some people forget that others have been with the manager for long.. annoying.
Hi Allan
I did stick up for Arteta and the criticism was hard to take so I decided to not bother with JA for some months. One poster in particular was shockingly rude and got told so by other posters who read his foul comments. It was, not surprisingly, removed from the site and I guess he was as well. It made openly supporting Arteta difficult.
I did give myself a cut off point at which there would have to be something about the ‘process’ that was going to bring back those glory years. 2 years was long enough to get a sense of where we were heading and here we are now after 3. It was never going to be plain sailing as he was an unknown quantity as was so much of the club’s hierarchy. I could not understand the ‘must have it all now’ attitude. We had been in decline and a magic wand was never going to solve all the problems overnight
Onwards and upwards 😊
Sorry but Xhaka was never lazy.. Slow yes but lazy? No! We always said he was a hard worker just that his ability wasn’t up there and we were right because he was indeed bad the past few seasons!
so true, when we get the trophy in the bag, we shall shake the Goonerverse
Yes. Arteta’s football philosophy was very clear since his disastrous second season, but many failed football managers, so-called experts, pundits and fans couldn’t see what Arteta was trying to implement
He showed that he had many unorthodox tactics up his sleeve and knew how to train his players with such complex systems. Unfortunately he assigned Willian in the wrong position and our old CFs’ playing styles didn’t suit his plans
Told y’all many times that our trajectory was upward and Nketiah must’ve learned a lot from our more experienced CFs. The same people seem to have similar judgement on Sambi-Lokonga, who actually played decently yesterday as a CDM
OT: Ounahi is heading to Marseille for merely 8 M + 2 M add-on, whereas Napoli bought Kim Min-jae for 10 M only. Brighton rejected 60 M from Arsenal and 55 M for Caicedo, so the EPL experience has inflated his price tag
Some of your comments are disastrous for human logic.Not Artetas second season
Speaking of Ounahi,Leeds and Leicester did bid 20M & 25M respectively but he ends up at OM for 10M(8M plus add-ons).I must have missed something.🤔
Did Leeds/ Leicester really make those big bids or maybe it was just some rumors from the media?
Because Angers would’ve chosen the bigger offer if it was true, yet Marseille are getting Ounahi for peanuts
And they’ll then sell him for £40m
I think we won the psychological battle or rather I believe Arteta purposely fielded a team that nobody could form a judgement on the outcome of our two forthcoming ties with City. So the pundits will have to keep punditting for a while longer. But what Arteta did do is show this Arsenal squad are all playing from the same philosophy and style and tactics that the first 11 do. With the starting 11 so clearly changed to our usual team, Arteta has left everyone still guessing as to where the balance of power lays, and makes for a mouth watering two games.
Having said that, we did pick up and injury to the one player I have said several times this season we cannot replace. He is the glue, and we purr with him present. So what to do, well the obvious answer is to sign someone but that remains to be a complicated process. if we have to face City with out Partey or an equivalent PL experienced replacement we will be poorer for it. So what if we don’t sign someone are we able to utilise our squad? I was thinking after the performance of Lakonga we might be better using Xhaka as our defensive midfielder and using ESR or Zinchenko in the current Xhaka role. Not ideal but it might be the best solution hoping of Partey has popped a cartledge he may be back soon a broken rib more like 4-6 weeks. But he can have pain blockers for matches with the hope he doesn’t aggravate the injury. I just live in hope that we sign someone decent before end of Tuesday.
Pls aterta fast replacement for partey ,given Us Rice ,for the midfield
One more fruitful and rewarding shopping in the summer window and we’d be ready
Spot on Victor Stephen I was there in the Camping arena downtown Orlando,
I have witnessed the drubbing of Chelsea first hand and a keep saying the 4 nil did not flattered us.
Just like you I was convinced from preseason this team mean business.
Wish Arsenal would conduct more of their preseason in the west, the support is their and we love to see them play
“Arteta’s philosophy has been crystal clear from the get-go” really?
When the author says “from the get go”,does he mean from this season or the start of his tenure?
Watch his inaugural press conference and you’ll be surprised how he kept to what he promised.
We have a true genius as our gaffer.
I’m a bit skeptical with the author’s claim on that subject. Arteta’s philosophy was hardly “clear” to anyone in his first 18 months at Arsenal.
Granted it was Arteta’s first try as a manager, so pitfalls and setbacks were to be expected. The defensive, static, “Artetaball” early in his tenure was polar opposite to what we see now on the pitch.
The evolution that has taken place since then is remarkable, and my compliments may well have fallen short.
Arteta has shown himself to be a quick learner, and the influences of Wenger and Pep can be seen, as well as Arteta’s own ideas and tactics.
For anyone to say they “knew” from the beginning is a dubious claim at best; but retaining “belief” in Arteta would be a more accurate statement.
I was doubtful, but have since been convinced since seeing the proof on the pitch. With the participation of Josh and financial backing of KSE the future looks quite bright.
Durand speaking ONLY for myself, I fully supported MA, until having doubts in his second season around 18 months into his tenure, when our fotball was boring and dull.
I then expressed doubts but also said he needed nore time and I noted that I was impressed by his refusal to tolerate Ozils lazy attitude, subsequently the same with Auba, and convincingly, his determination to get that nasty trouble maker and anti dressing room harmonyperson, Guendouzi, gone as soon as possible.
I never wanted MA sacked (as some who have lied about me claim), though I did express doubts.
Sadly for truths sake, there are a very few on JA who are determined to put their own incorrect interpretation on my posts and who either cannot or will not understand my precise and correct English.
Some of the comments here lack perspective. No-one can be absolutely certain that a manager will be a success. However, Arteta quite clearly stated his philosophy right from the beginning. Some people quite clearly understood this and realised that significant changes and time would be needed for his vision.
Notably, even when we won the FA cup he stated that we had some way to go to match the likes of Liverpool and Man City.
A key difference from his predecessors has been the organisation of the team. If you go back to before him we were often a disorganised mess particularly in transition. We also had far too many players who were not at the required level who needed to be moved on. This particular fact was regularly disingenuously overlooked when criticising Artetaball.
Where he probably went wrong was in expecting more from several of his senior players than they were able or willing to give. These include the likes of Ozil and Aubameyang
I agree with you David, Arteta did rely on some senior players too much but in his position and knowing he could only change so many players per window he was in a difficult position. But I do think we should not lose sight that his philosophy extended across all aspects of the club, all employees, remember we had that clear out, I suspect it was another step in rooting out the decentors ensuring everyone across the club were behind his philosophy. He also had the fans at the heart of his philosophy, rightly so, and he made certain everyone knew that particularly the fans. And look where we are now the fans and the atmosphere has never been better.
Going back to senior players I think you have to give him some wiggle room, as these are players who were central to the first team and outing them too early would have had the fans all in a tizzy, vying for blood. I will give credit to Arteta for taking his time in making key decisions, all of which I think he got right. The Ozil one, when he just paid the Macots wages, a clever power play by Ozil. Then the Auba one for his continued behaviour which some still say cost us CL last season, (I don’t think it did btw). And finally we’ve had that amazing turn of events surrounding Xhaka, who can say anything other than remarkable seeing how he’s playing in his advanced role this season. I just think he’s taken the right amount of time getting to know his team, his squad, his staff, the fans and made the right decisions at the right time.
That’s his genius, just listen to Pep speak of his friend glowing about how much he helped him, how instrumental he was when he started at City and how he could easily have succeeded the master.
Spot on @ Durand!!
Now we can believe Arteta’s has Almost completed his jigsaw – We’ve got our Arsenal back
I was very wrong about Xhaka
The only non first team players were Holding and Lokonga and Vieira….I consider Tierney and Tomi and Trossard and Nketiah as first team players
Like for like..Ødegaard and ESR
If ESR played instead of Vieria it could have been a different outcome
Vieira needs time
Just feel Patino would be better than Lokonga..I know he played out of position but overall performance I consider
Siamois
I think from the start of his tenure cos Arteta did say that he will give us Champions league in 3 years time….!
Arsenal progressed in stages
Building this team from scratch
Moving players out and bringing in players that suits the philosophy
It’s called the process. To built something great requires a bloody strong foundation. Now with that strong foundation, Arteta gonna do wonders.
Last January Window we needed Partey cover, This window we need Partey cover even more. Yes we are playing amazing football…..but….Lokonga is poor cover. We better sort ‘NOW’ out rather than massage your ego’s.
I believed in MA and have trusted the Process from day one.
No cause for alarm! I feel Arsenal’s loss to Man City was Arteta’s tactic to test the depth of the water and study their strategy. The exemption of about 6 first team players while they used their full team attests to my assertion. Moreover, the FA Cup tournament is a distraction and could put a strain on Arsenal’s EPL ambition. I’m positive we’ll roast Man City in the next EPL game!
We definitely have got our Arsenal back, no doubting that. That said, there are still 19 games to go and the way Arsenal are playing right now, if they maintain that consistency, we will cross all hurdles and win the title come May. Just imagine, we have 50 points from 19 games. Even if we draw each of our remaining 19 games, we are equalling the points tally of last season, simply amazing.