Is this the man who can get the Gunners back on track?

I really haven’t got the heart to go through the papers this morning. I haven’t the slightest desire to read the depressing reports of the Arsenal’s 4-3 defeat at the hands of Blackburn in the Premier League encounter.

Neither do I want to read AW’s post-match musings. ‘Cos, let’s face it we don’t need reminding. In a way this loss is more horrific than the eight at the Mancs. Why? Because, we now can’t put that result down as a fluke. This latest embarrassment reaffirms our worst thoughts about the quality of our players, and, yes, as unpalatable as it may be to many, the qualities of our manager.

So instead let me waffle on about our trip. OK, after 300 miles in the motor we pitch up at t’Rovers gasping for a pint and head for that poxy boozer opposite the ground designated for away fans. And the tossers charge us £2 to get in. To a pub. And they have a price list up that is clearly wheeled out for match days. You can’t tell me locals would shell out £3.30 for a pint.

And how many stewards did they have? It wasn’t Luton Town-Millwall, 1985. Ridiculous. But not as ridiculous as our woeful defending. (I intended to steer clear of the game but…) Wasn’t Martin Keown once employed as a back four coach by AW? Why is he no longer in the post? Who now can come in and drill our defenders in the art of, er, defending? Tony Adams, Steve Bould, Keown? Nigel Winterburn, Lee Dixon, Igor Stepanovs? Ok, ignore the last one on the list.

Surely TA can be tempted to quit that vital coaching job in Azerbaijan. Or would that be an admission that AW has weaknesses? Just imagine the huge lift around the club if Adams joined the coaching staff.

Now then. I thought we had a decent turnout given the soulless dump that half-filled Ewood Park is and that the game was on the box. But the travelling support were massively let down by the schoolboy errors. Lack of concentration, focus and application. In other words all stuff which can be addressed. But when?

Met a bloke in the upper tier who has been going since 1967. He is what I call proper Arsenal. Old school, goes everywhere. He is seriously considering giving up his home and away season tickets, so disillusioned is he with the manager. Sad indictment.

Me? I’d start the same eleven who lost on Saturday tomorrow night in the Pub Cup. But what do I know?

Has AW lost the plot? Has he still got a plot to lose? Or are we just having our annual dodgy patch early?

Even the Roman Empire fell. As Mr Wenger looks down his Roman nose to survey his players in training this morning he must be aware of this: Arsenal can rise or fall, but, and this is hugely important, we will always be Arsenal.

See you at home to the Shrews…

Article courtesy of Carl Eldridge from the excellent Arsenal Insider

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