{"id":3276,"date":"2021-05-09T05:07:36","date_gmt":"2021-05-09T04:07:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=3276"},"modified":"2021-05-09T21:37:39","modified_gmt":"2021-05-09T20:37:39","slug":"the-pleasure-principle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=3276","title":{"rendered":"The Pleasure Principle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Now that the vestiges of any lingering delusions about the quality of the Arsenal team circa 2021 have been mercilessly shredded, and the stark reality of the club\u2019s complete irrelevance in upper echelons of the European football is staring straight at us, I wonder what really is the point of the Arsenal football club?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To go back to basics — away from all the feverishly regurgitated fashionable wisdom of the day about everything from ownership to tactics to super league to player contracts, a favorite pastime of modern football fans, including this one \u2013 what I think best answers that question is really another question: what is the point of football?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can only speak for myself, and football to me has always been about the joy of the game: creativity, flair, movement, precision, imagination\u2026in its very finest moment approaching something close to an art form. Arsenal football club in the 21st<\/sup> century had earned a well-deserved reputation of being one of the key exponents of such artistic, joyful football in Europe. The pleasure of watching Arsenal play with such panache had made many of us around the world — without any umbilical connection to London, let alone Islington — become devoted fans. The trophies at those early years were great, but even when the silverware became all the rage simply by refusing to any longer be associated with Arsenal for nearly a decade, Arsenal continued to grow its fanbase because the football almost always was sparkling, and on few occasions every season was truly champagne. Arsenal had rightly earned a much prized identity in football: a team that consistently plays attractive football. It was more than an ideal, it was a principle that inspired how the team trained and behaved on the pitch, and once that identity was firmly established in the hearts and minds of so many football lovers around the world \u2013 Arsenal fans and beyond \u2013 I always felt that it surely makes most sense to focus on carrying that identity forward even when its architect inevitably leaves the club one day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And now here we are, after a few tumultuous years defined by utter chaos masquerading under the respectability of \u201ctransition\u201d, and that proud identity too has become but a distant memory. Not only are we now a mid-tier club in English football, but our football too gives as much aesthetic pleasure as is expected of a mid-tier club in English football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is supposed to be a match preview. But to be honest there isn\u2019t much I am looking forward to anymore in what\u2019s left of this season that never seemed to have taken off for us. Except, maybe, hoping against hope, that the manager and the team decide to put on a performance that can bring some joy while watching and at the end of the match won\u2019t make me feel that I have completely wasted precious hours. Given how dire the quality of our football has been at home \u2013 ten home matches in the entire season where we failed to score any goals \u2013 I realize it is but an unreasonable hope of a fan, but maybe the manager and the coaching staff will have a sudden collective realization that there is good attacking potential in the team, and unshackled from a cautious, over-orchestrated, highly tactical approach and sent with encouragement to enjoy their football and express their qualities the team can produce maybe more than one shot at goal at home. Maybe even five!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our opposition this Sunday is the relegation-struggling West Bromwich Albion. The Baggies are on the verge of being relegated, but they still have a mathematical chance of survival, being 10 points behind the 17th<\/sup> placed Burnley with both teams having four more matches to go. As Burnley enjoys a significantly better goal difference, if WBA want to harbor any hope of survival after this weekend they will have to win this Sunday. The match preview on the Arsenal website rattles out one eye-catchingly positive statistic after another \u2013 WBA lost more top-flight matches against us than any other team, Arsenal have scored in all 25 Premier League meetings against them etc. \u2013 which this season has typically meant a favorable result for the visiting teams. Let us hope Arsenal breaks that trend of trend-breaking home results this season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would love to see this starting line-up in a simple, elegant 4-3-3 formation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ryan<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cedric \u2013 Chambers \u2013 Gabriel \u2013 Tierney<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00d8degaard \u2013 Partey \u2013 ESR<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nelson \u2013 Balogun \u2013 Martinelli<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saka needs a break as he has been playing non-stop, Nelson deserves a rare start because he at least scores the odd goals and plays with a directness and pace that is often missing in our game, there will be no better matches to give Balogun a confidence inspiring start as we will need him next season, and since his recovery from injury Gabriel Martinelli (one of the few players in this squad who has a truly elite mentality of never giving up and always playing with a positive intent) has been mysteriously underused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I suspect we will see something like this (with two holding midfielders passing the ball around endlessly with the defenders in their own half):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ryan<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chambers \u2013 Holding \u2013 Gabriel \u2013 Tierney<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Partey \u2013 Ceballos<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saka \u2013 \u00d8degaard \u2013 Willian<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lacazette<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As West Brom will have to come out attacking I think we will find more chances to score a few more goals in this match than we have generally been able to master at home. A 3-1 win seems likely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Come on Arsenal! Play like Arsenal \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE CONVERSATION: EPISODE TWO<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

And again…the second part of the conversation, and the second part of our Double Celebration<\/strong>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GHF.com are pleased to release this, especially considering the Arsenal events of these past couple weeks. Lift your spirits<\/strong> by watching the second episode of two video conversations with Bob Wilson and Pat Rice about Arsenal’s 1970-71 Double year, on the 50th Anniversary of our FA Cup win over Liverpool at Wembley. Remember to donate to Willow<\/a>, or bid on the GHF.com Auction<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Click on the image below (or on the Youtube link below that) to watch<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Episode Two: Double Glory — The 1971 FA Cup Run”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Or, watch here: “Episode Two: Double Glory — The 1971 FA Cup Run<\/strong><\/a>“<\/strong> (on Youtube). This is especially helpful if you’re having any loading issues with the link to the one the site is serving above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let us know what you think in the “drinks” section below!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE AUCTION<\/strong>: NOW ACCEPTING BIDS<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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We are also pleased to remind you that our auction of signed 1970-71 Double memorabilia is now open for bids!<\/strong> For full information, please visit The Double\/Willow Auction<\/a> tab above. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just a taste…the lots offered are as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lot 1<\/span><\/strong>: A 1971 Cup Final replica shirt signed by Bob Wilson, Pat Rice, Frank McLintock, George Graham & Charlie George.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lot 2<\/span><\/strong>: A 1971 Cup Final programme signed by Bob Wilson, Pat Rice, Frank McLintock, George Graham & Charlie George.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lot 3<\/span><\/strong>: A second 1971 Cup Final programme signed by Bob Wilson, Pat Rice, Frank McLintock, George Graham & Charlie George.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lot 4<\/span><\/strong>: Bob Wilson’s autobiography, ‘Behind the Network’ signed by Bob Wilson & Ars\u00e8ne Wenger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All proceeds from the auction go to the Willow Foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Now that the vestiges of any lingering delusions about the quality of the Arsenal team circa 2021 have been mercilessly shredded, and the stark reality of the club\u2019s complete irrelevance in upper echelons of the European football is staring straight at us, I wonder what really is the point of the Arsenal football club? To […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3276"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3276"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3276\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3283,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3276\/revisions\/3283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3276"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3276"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}