Part 3 – The Basque Saviour?
Mikel Arteta was a well-timed present from the Arsenal hierarchy to a disgruntled fan base. He was appointed just before Christmas and his first game in charge was at Bournemouth on Boxing Day. For us Holics it was a sombre time. After several months of increasingly poor health we heard on Christmas Day, of all days, that Dave Faber, Holic to us all, had passed away. So many of us felt a real sense of loss and sadness. As a new era was unfolding at Arsenal, so we had to come to terms with life without the insights, wisdom and geniality of a great man. He would have pooh poohed such sentiment and focused on the game at Bournemouth but boy did we miss him. A number of us decided to continue his admirable tradition and this blog is the result.
Many of us on here saw, even in a rather frenetic game at the Vitality a sign of greater belief and organisation. In Arteta’s second, at home against Chelsea, a team that would loom large in his life over the rest of the season, we saw an excellent first-half performance followed by a collapse in the second half, where errors from Mustafi and Leno cost us a rather undeserved defeat. On New Years Day we welcomed Manchester United to the Grove. In the first half we played them off the pitch and led 2-0. In the second we managed the match beautifully and flattened the game in a very professional style. Belief coursed through the club again and it was possible to divine a sense of direction for the first time since Arsène was in his pomp. After disposing of Leeds narrowly in the FA Cup there followed a series of draws, most notable of which was a fight back at Stamford Bridge where, down to ten men after Mustafi sold Luiz down the river (penalty concession and red card followed), we trailed twice but saw a spectacular Martinelli equaliser followed by an unlikely late goal from Hector Bellerin that gave us the draw. After the fairly moribund draw at home to Sheffield United a number of us met to formalise plans for the blog and enjoy a delightful evening of Gooner fellowship despite the absence of our friend and mentor.
Progress at Bournemouth in the Cup was followed in February by a gradual improvement in the League and three successive home wins. During this period we won a difficult Europa League knockout tie with Olympiakos and looked enthusiastically to the second leg: a momentous game in more ways than one.
The threat of Covid-19 was becoming ever more real and after the game it was revealed that the Olympiakos president had tested positive for the virus. That was not the only big shock on the night, as we were taken into extra time and after a spectacular equaliser from our talisman Auba we conceded at the death to go out on away goals, our first defeat of 2020.
A few days later Arteta tested positive for Covid-19 on the eve of our game at the Etihad. Football in Britain was immediately postponed until further notice and the world took stock of a raging pandemic. Football was very far from our minds for some time to come.
Part 4 – Could we finish with a flourish?
Football resumed behind closed doors on 17th June with Manchester City welcoming Arsenal. It was actually the second game post-resumption, the first seeing the Villa keeper drag a ball from almost a yard behind his line to earn the point that ultimately rescued Villa and relegated Bournemouth. VAR, the innovation intended to provide fairer and clearer decisions, was not able to be used for a reason which was not properly understood by anyone before or since. VAR had been introduced in August and had done little to endear itself to Arsenal fans who usually saw us on the wrong end of decisions. In truth, VAR was not needed much at the Etihad. Arsenal had two players seriously injured in the first half, then saw substitute David Luiz concede a goal on halftime with an amateurish error…and then (there’s a theme here) concede a penalty with a stupid challenge. When we lost to Brighton after leading through a brilliant Pepe goal with Maupay, who had previously challenged Leno and caused him to seriously injure his knee, scoring at the death, our cup runneth over. It was a significant game as Emi Martinez came on to begin a fabulous run in goal in unlikely circumstances and Matteo Guendouzi (very understandably in my view) had a flick at Maupay after the game. It was probably his last action in an Arsenal shirt. In the stand, sheltering under an umbrella, the parasitic Mesut Özil sat as an unused substitute. He had previously refused to follow almost all his teammates in taking a 12.5% pay cut to help the club through the challenges of the pandemic, and seemed happy to pick up his huge paycheque and not worry about being called on to play. Arteta, ostensibly, had problems.
They eased after a comfortable win at Southampton, and we progressed into the semi-finals of the Cup with a win at Bramall Lane secured by a late strike from the impressive Dani Ceballos. After despatching Norwich to open July we secured one of our very best wins of the season at Molineux, and may well have prevailed over Leicester at home had Nketiah not been dismissed for a challenge that was heavily debated in this bar. I thought the red card very harsh. A week later Trent Alexander-Arnold was guilty of something very similar as we came from behind to beat the champions Liverpool at the Grove. He received a yellow card. So much for VAR providing consistency. Sadly, in-between these matches we lost the North London Derby after leading through a Lacazette rocket, only to see an appalling Kolasinac backpass gift a very average Totts team an immediate equaliser. Alderweireld headed the winner with ten minutes left.
Few Gooners approached our Cup semi-final tie with Manchester City at Wembley with any optimism, but a really disciplined performance garnished by two superb Auba finishes gave us an impressive and deserved victory. Luiz, so awful at the Etihad was also superb as we repelled everything they threw at us.
Our remaining league games were something of an anti-climax, as we were very flat in losing to Villa and having lost a Europa place through our league placing finished by relegating Watford with a fortuitous 3-2 win.
And so to Wembley and the Cup final, the denouement of our season. Could we reprise the City performance, or would the season end in another disappointing defeat to Chelsea as we had suffered in Baku?
Of course we know the answer now and it proved a very happy ending. What was most notable was the ability of Arteta to alter tactics after a torrid first twenty minutes and allow us to dominate the rest of the first half. We saw big performances from some of our most controversial players in Luiz and Xhaka but as ever we owed a huge debt to Aubameyang, one of the finest strikers we have seen even in this club’s illustrious history. For us to maintain the momentum Arteta has created we must retain Aubameyang’s services and also persuade Real Madrid to let us keep the excellent and much improved Ceballos. But we have a core of excellent young players, especially Saka, Martinelli, and particularly Tierney, who impressed enormously as the season moved towards its climax.
Much remains to be done, it always does at the end of the season, with players needed to be re-signed or moved on, and we hold our breath as we await Auba’s decision. The roller coaster analogy is something of a cliché but is apt for this most extraordinary of seasons. At least at the end of this ride we have a sense of direction not apparent to me as I set out from Norfolk almost a year ago. It has been a marathon, one none of us hope ever to repeat, but that marathon has ended in an unlikely garland, the fourteenth such one for our club. If the trophy isn’t irreparably damaged let’s hope it kick-starts a new and very exciting era.
On a personal note I have been delighted to deepen my personal connection with some quite delightful companions; many of the denizens of this bar. Extremely sociable, caring and intelligent a bond has deepened that I believe would delight Dave Faber, and which has been a great comfort to me personally in a very testing year. Let us hope our futures are bright and positive and that we can enjoy great fulfillment through our wonderful club.
Excellent stuff, TTG.
COYG
Thanks TTG,
An excellent summary of a year
of more lows than the much
missed cba’s cows, but one that
ended on a positive note.
On we go.
Wonderful stuff, TTG, and much appreciated over here in the northern hinterlands where we already have a hint of cooler weather in the air. Arteta must be our man of the year seeing as he is the one who engineered such a positive turnaround, but Auba and the kids deserve many plaudits as well.
Great summary of the season, TTG. Haven’t been around much because of life, but glad to see so many of the familiar faces here. Looking forward to what Arteta can do with this motley crew next season.
Very nice write up, TTG. HERE’s to next season and having rather more fun than for most of this…..
Fabulous summary of a trying but ultimately triumphant season TTG. In our worst league season for 25 years, we manage to pick up more silverware than the tiny Totts and their “golden generation”. I thoroughly endorse your comments about this bar – it has been a refuge. Now for weeks of transfer nonsense and cricket before the whole merry go round starts again. And starts how? Behind closed doors? With some fans but socially distanced? How will that work? Truly we live in strange times, but never forget; it is now THE ARSENAL FA CUP!
TTG – absolutely superb summary of an extraordinary year.
And it has been a whole year, this season. Last night the remaining games of “last” season’s Champions League we’re kicking off, on the same evening that qualifying began for “next” season’s 😳
Your (TTG) season review has been all encompassing yet succinct and interesting.
You’ve absolutely done the Guvnor proud 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Only one PL team in the last
8 of the CL. World domination
will have to wait.
Haven’t watched much but
Bayern look quite strong and
beat Chavski nearly as easily
as we did.
C100@6 – “Golden Generation”! The only part of the Sp*rs organisation we should consider stealing is their PR team. That they can continue to generate such hugely positive press and media coverage despite the utter lack of anything approaching objective success is quite an achievement. Viz. media coverage of the ridiculous performance The Egotistical One and the latest trophy dodging Spuds team put on to celebrate the “6th place trophy” versus the constant ridicule Arsene faced for the “4th place trophy” comment. Strangely enough, it seems to be generally accepted now that 4th is an achievement by the same talentless scribblers……
Who knew?
You have delivered a superb season review, TTG. It captures the essence of this strange year perfrctly.
Moreover, your review is Faberesque in its style, sucinctness and accuracy, right down to its final personal note which as CM100 observes, is shared and reciprocated.
A large bottle of your preferred tipple awaits you on the bar, sir.
Forward Arsenal.
A superb succinct season’s review TTG. The season encapsulated, both the highs and the lows, in a most readable report.
Echoing what others have already said about your compelling end-of-term report, TTG. You have done the Guv’nor proud and there is no better way to honour his memory.
The magic of the story is not in the story itself but in it’s telling. TTG your superb two part season review actually deserved a better season on the pitch by the team, although they have atoned for it somewhat by delivering the cup right at the end. Now here’s hoping that the club do good & decisive summer business and back Arteta to the hilt.
Nicely put, desi’.
TTG, this was a fantastic trip reliving through your expert recollection this bizarre, traumatic, surreal season that ended with such a strong sense of positivity. An already rapidly changing world is now going through a metamorphosis. I don’t see any reason why football or following football will not come out significantly changed on the other side. But I share with you that sense of optimism that whatever might the shape of things to come be, with Arteta at the helm we have all the reasons to flourish. Provided he is given the tight support, of course.
Finally, would like to echo your sentiments about the privilege of carrying on ‘Holic’s legacy in our humble ways: for me this has been a most instructive and enriching association in recent past. Looking forward to celebrate the highs (and commiserate the lows) in the coming days of Arsenal universe.
Holic would be amazed amazed and humbled but I think very proud indeed. Nice to see more old ‘faces’ returning to the blog.
He could just be watching the golf though. 🙂
I guess The Guvnor might’ve
wanted Paul Casey to win. But
well done to Colin Morikawa.
We had a Colin once, Pates, but
he didn’t win any majors.
And in the 70s I wanted us to
sign Colin Todd.
Unlike Colin Coutinho or Colin
Willian.
Morikawa’s great shotmaking and the golf course itself were both very watchable, and the logjam of leaders until nearly the very end.
Excellent review of this very strange season. Dave must be proud of you and the rest of the crew who keep this new bar running smoothly. Due to personal projects and circumstances, I mostly lurk in the background these days but I still drink with you gentlemen.
Like many here, I have faith in Arteta’s abilities and vision. How much control he has over who he recruits to execute that vision remains unknown but hopefully it all works out well enough for us boys in red and white. I’m excited for his first full season in charge.
Cent @ 20: Great to see you back! Hope to see you more regularly here now that you have found us back again. 🙂
Great to see you back in the bar, Cent. Hope al is well with you and yours.
Good to see you Cent – Be less of a stranger!
COYG
Hey, Cent. Nice to get your two cents. 😉
Welcome back, Cent. Good to see you in, again.
Willian appears more and more to be a done deal. But three years, plus the option of a fourth for a 32-year-old? Really?
It seems odd to me too Ned.
I don’t even see where he would
play.
Unless as you said the other
day we plan to move Nelson
or Pepe out.
But if we do sign Willian,
Coutinho and Gabriel our team
will have a very Brazilian look.
Hopefully the 1970 Brazil.
We want 40m for Guen apparently.
May as well add the pound while
we’re at it.
Cheers TTG! And I hope Mrs TTG is bearing up.
Great to see Cent as well. Since my twitter ban been unable to talk to him.
I had feared, TTG, that there might be a sucker punch awaiting me at the end of this tale, that perhaps the silver trophy might just slip through our captain’s outstretched fingers and be snatched away by some other-worldly spirit, just because we’re Arsenal and our endings are so rarely happy ones.
But you held resolutely to the challenge and in true TTG style – delivered!
Well done.
Many thanks for the kind comments . Cent, lovely to have you back in the bar.
Mrs TTG and I have decamped to Norfolk having waited to see her specialist last week thereby sacrificing four days of holiday. He moved it to a phone appointment a few hours before .
Nevertheless we are as chilled out as you can be in this heat..
Re Willian the idea is he will be our number 10 and will pass on his professionalism to ESR. Someone suggested to me this was a done deal weeks ago and coupled it with the Nice defender Sarr who is also on a free . It appears to be very much a deal Arteta approves of
It looks like Willian is incoming. If Mikel wants Willian, that’s good enough for me.
I understand the concern about his age of 32 and the 3 year contract we have offered. I understand the contempt for the club for which he has plied his trade for the last 7 seasons. However I do not understand the hate I see directed at Willian on Twitter. He’s a good player and I understand he posted his best numbers last season. He will add PL experience, ball carrying, pace, creativity and goals to a midfield that lacks those qualities and he can also play wide and provide an alternative to Pepe.
While the 3 year contract does seem generous for a 32 year old, it was clearly necessary to seal the deal to make him move across the city. Mikel clearly sees a place for him in the team he wants to build and he’s added creativity without the need for a transfer fee upfront, leaving funds to address the critical deficits in central midfield and at centre back.
Forward Arsenal
In other news, Manchester United have just been awarded their 21st penalty of the season.
This is an excellent article, freed from the pay wall, about the scout we just fired
https://theathletic.com/1735166/2020/04/10/cagigao-arsenal-fabregas-martinelli-bellerin-aubameyang/
C100@35: Interesting read. Makes one want to know the back story of the firing.
bath@33: I can see the near-term benefits of Willian. We get an Ozil without back strain from lifting £350,000 a week. You never quite know how long anyone’s legs will hold up to the stress of the Premier League, but there should be a couple of good seasons left in Willian, and he is proven Premiership quality. His long-term value will depend on how soon he manages to school ESR as his replacement, if indeed a mentoring role is what is intended for him.
Thanks for the kind words, gent. Me and mines are, thankfully, as fine as we can reasonably hope to be in these circumstances. I will try to write here more often.
@30, Essooo!! Good to hear from you again, Jez mate. I was wondering why you disappeared from Twitter. Sorry to hear you were banned. My regards to the kid.
We can’t really look at our
transfer business this summer
in isolation in terms of Willian
alone – it seems several
will come and several will go.
We don’t actually know that
MA strongly wants him or that he will
mentor ESR just as we don’t
know he wants to keep AMN
as reported. I hope so and also
that we have a stronger squad by the
end of the transfer window.
My main concern is it is yet
another Kia deal and regardless of
whether I trust MA or not I am
very doubtful about Raul’s direction.
Of course when Willian joins
he will certainly have my support
the minute he pulls on the shirt.
Wise words about Willian Bath.
Some older players as Santi proved in La Liga last season after a serious injury as well, can maintain a high level of quality in their play and my friends who follow the Chavs feel he was getting better with age and are disappointed he has left them- especially for us .
Santi’s loss had a huge impact on our midfield play, he was the glue that held us together and he always seemed to have such a positive and happy demeanour .
Man United’s penalty luck continues. It is quite extraordinary and is exacerbated because Fernandes never misses when they are awarded. I would guess they a getting a penalty every three or four games . We got three in the PL, two in the Cup and none I can remember in Europe .So in 54 games we got five – nearly one in eleven . That’s a statistic to ponder .
To add insult to injury they had five less penalties awarded against them than we did. Not that I’m counting!
Best of luck on loan for Zech
Medley (to Gillingham) and
Zak Swanson (MVV Maastricht).
Ramsey unwanted by Juventus
and can leave according to the
Mirror.
Would we swap him for Guen?
Only if he takes a pay cut of about 75%
You know what they say. Never go back.
Martin Keown?
Still 400k a week might be a
small problem 🤔
TTG@40: Another aspect to United’s penalty awards is that they are consequential. Just this season:
Europa League
50% of their four penalties awarded provided the winning goal;
Premier League
11 of 14 were (or would have been if not missed) either the winner, the opening goal, the go-ahead goal or rescued a point;
FA Cup
Two, both awarded when United were well ahead.
Carabao Cup
One, an opening goal.
That is 14 penalties awarded to them that changed the result. By way of comparison, none of the six penalties award to us across those four competitions provided a winning goal nor rescued a point (two provided opening goals and four levelled (or should have levelled) the score during games where further goals were scored.
The other reason, apart from creativity, experience and goals – what have the Romans ever done for us ? – for Willian’s three year deal is presumably so that we don’t find ourselves with a sell or keep decision to make in twelve months time. Or do we, if we are going to be really professional ? Maybe it won’t matter if he is coming on a free ….
The Torygraph is far from my usual read but this is rather good.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2020/08/11/rachel-rileys-plastic-fan-putdown-revives-footballs-ancient/
Wonderful summaries of a difficult season – many thanks TTG.
Discovered the new site recently, after lurking on Dave’s website for several years.
Thank you all for Continuing on his work. Would have been nice to meet him and
you other drinkers; but flying to U.K. from Canada not in my budget. I would love to watch a game at the Emirates – but I’m sure it doesn’t hold a candle to Highbury. The atmosphere there, especially before total seating was incredible. (I’ll never forget the evening match
against our neighbours with 60k fans! Amazing!)
Keep up the good work you guys; and thanks again, things are looking better with MA8
in charge.
Cheers to all…
Nice number.
Boff, you are very welcome. Save the airfare and the grief in airports, draw up a stool and join us here in the drinks regularly. The first drink’s on Lars. Let’s hope we can meet you in person at the Emirates when the world is a saner place.
Re: c100 @35: A very fine article indeed. Cagigao’s story parallels the story of the club in recent years.
Welcome to the new bar Boff. As CM100 said, draw up a stall and join the craik. Sláinte! 🍻
CM100 @35, that article sounds like we’ve made a huge error. Ned @36, indeed it does. It sounds like he is a straight talker who fights his corner and defends his views. That may have been a problem for a certain little man who is playing Il Duce.
Welcome in, Boff. New bar, but many of the same old faces and, we hope, the same spirit.
Boff,
Let me add my greetings and warm welcome to my other mates here.You are very welcome . When you make it to the UK we will share a match and a few jars together.
I understand Real Madrid are reconsidering the loan of Ceballos to us. . They may have realised after Friday that he made a much better job of taking on the Citeh midfield than Modric and co did . It would be a real shame not to get him back as he settled in so well.
A lot of continental sides keep dicking you around on transfers because of internal politics . These are truly labyrinthine at the big Spanish clubs . I understand the most frustrating to deal with are the Turkish clubs who try to broke the most outrageous deals because they can’t match fees/ wages or both of the above . Pity then that we are trying to deal with several Turkish clubs on Elneny . One can’t imagine many of them making much of a dent in the package that Ozil is on .
Our best ally in keeping Dani
was Zidane who didn’t seem to
rate him. But Zidane’s position
is a little more precarious after
the CL exit.
Before the restart I don’t think
that many fans would have been
too exercised if Dani left but 5 or
6 good games later most (including
me) want to keep him.
We’re a fickle impatient lot 😄
Another 1 year loan and if he
keeps playing well Real want him
back or double the price.
The Sun reports “Fulham are considering a move to sign Arsenal defender Calum Chambers as they prepare for their return to the Premier League.”
Seeing as he played for them a couple of years ago, and I believe he was voted their player of the year, the story has its share of verisimilitude.
hey, cent, long time no see! welcome back 🙂 welcome boff, glad you could come out of the corner and clap an empty on the bar.
ttg, part two was as good as part one, maybe better. your restraint about özil and your thoughts about dave and this new place align with mine, and i hope the kickstarting nails the covid right in the nads, and i get to come over again with a new scarf for you.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>