{"id":3521,"date":"2021-05-28T16:49:40","date_gmt":"2021-05-28T15:49:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=3521"},"modified":"2021-06-02T14:24:27","modified_gmt":"2021-06-02T13:24:27","slug":"whither-arsenal-change-or-progress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=3521","title":{"rendered":"Whither Arsenal? Change or Progress?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<a id=\"CnDjmCcoQCZ1VQbV8kGjuQ\" class=\"gie-single\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.co.uk\/detail\/1183838393\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;\" rel=\"noopener\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'CnDjmCcoQCZ1VQbV8kGjuQ',sig:'JL4ueOqNrsd8YCkFK6g1xNbeDkaKMtsX7KvQ456Ja5U=',w:'594px',h:'429px',items:'1183838393',caption: true ,tld:'co.uk',is360: false })});<\/script><script src=\"\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\" async=\"\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>In the business world there is an entire industry devoted to managing change within organisations. Most large organisations now have a Change Management function within them. I find the linguistics of this fascinating.&nbsp; You will notice that the term used is \u201cChange\u201d.&nbsp; Not \u201cProgress\u201d. &nbsp; It is almost as though there is acceptance at the outset that the end result might not be for the better, an implied management downwards of expectations of outcome.&nbsp; There is a school of thought within the strategic change literature that in order to bring about large-scale change there needs to be an existential crisis, focusing minds on the near future in order to ensure the necessary changes can be brought about within the organisation. &nbsp; Arsenal, as an organisation as well as a football team most certainly has both needed and is undergoing that change process.&nbsp; So how are we doing and where do we go from here?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Organisational Change<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Given the years of stasis towards the end of Mr Wenger\u2019s reign, I don\u2019t think anyone underestimated the size of the task at hand.&nbsp; The implementation of a more modern approach off the pitch to spread the load in terms of squad management, signing, developing and selling players and separating the coaching side from these other activities were all required.&nbsp; To date, I think it is fair to say that the popular opinion is that we have seen mostly change rather than progress. And there is plenty to be unhappy about.&nbsp; I suppose that the passing of 2 administrations- those of Gazidis and then the Sanllehi-Edu-Emery triumvirate \u2013 can be seen as a good thing given the dysfunctionality and lack of genuine direction that each engendered.&nbsp; Both of these groups to my mind had, to borrow the immortal words of Ann Widecombe when talking of Michael Howard, something of the night about them.&nbsp; Even their demise can hardly have been said to have been in any way planned rather than necessary, as a result of what can kindly be called a haphazard approach to running the club.&nbsp; Of course, in an organisation with a functioning board and some form of external executive level oversight, these fault lines might well have been spotted and dealt with earlier. The policy of not- terribly-benign neglect followed by the owners is ultimately to blame here.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the last season there have, however, been some signs of a change of approach in terms of the off-pitch running of the club.&nbsp; Having discarded all the internal custodians with so many years\u2019 experience and tacit knowledge both of football and of the club itself, the owners last summer belatedly took on an external adviser, in the form of Tim Lewis, a senior partner at Clifford Chance with a background in corporate law and M&amp;A.&nbsp; I\u2019m not clear as to his credentials in terms of post-transactional restructuring.&nbsp; However, he seems to have arrived with that as his remit as he immediately set about a review of the off-field setup, resulting in several high-level changes, most notably the departure of the Howardesque Sanllehi.&nbsp; He has also been involved in the hiring of Richard Garlick from the Premier League as Director of Football Operations.&nbsp; Garlick comes with a good reputation in football administration and is, like Lewis, a lawyer by trade.&nbsp; We can only hope this change is reflected in better oversight of transfers than the last administration showed. &nbsp; Of course, Edu and Vinai are still at the club and time will tell for how much longer.&nbsp; Both have some markers against them and a good summer in terms of the ins and outs will need to be had to give them any security of tenure, I would have thought, especially with the arrival of the aforementioned Garlick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We have also witnessed a restructuring of the sales and marketing side and the spectre of redundancies at the lower levels of the commercial side.&nbsp; Never pretty but this is the way of the world. I seem to remember a statistic being bandied about that while Manchester City had around 300 permanent members of staff in the organisation, Arsenal\u2019s was over 500. Given the radical difference in business model between the two clubs, and the fact that Manchester City doesn\u2019t have a business model as it is clearly not run as a business at all in any meaningful sense, this just didn\u2019t stack up and so I can understand the need to slim down, notwithstanding the odious human impact of the loss of jobs.&nbsp; The optics of this couldn\u2019t really have been much worse though, given the pandemic and the performance of some of the more egregiously overpaid members of staff, both on and off the pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I would venture that the structural and organisational changes at the club have ultimately, although belatedly, been very much for the better. &nbsp; We have now a structure which is beginning to look as though it is approaching fitness for purpose, although I wouldn\u2019t be surprised to see a couple more changes with a view to weeding out underperformers over the coming year.&nbsp; To my mind, this should be a natural feature of a well planned and run organisation with the executives held to account and not simply kept in place irrespective of their performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Football Side<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The football side of the club has clearly undergone considerable upheaval. As on the organisational side, this was necessary.&nbsp; However, I would posit that the changes on the footballing side are far from being as advanced as those off the pitch. The state of the first team squad, the detail of which I will leave others to discuss in detail, is still well short of where we need it to be. &nbsp; This was in no way mitigated by the club\u2019s appalling contract strategy, to aggrandize the pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey approach seemingly followed up until the season before last.&nbsp; Allowing players to run down contracts; over-rewarding others with a history of fragility and caprice with respect to performances; signing others for at best opaque reasons; This all has to end.&nbsp; It is as yet far from clear that we are out of the woods, but we can hope and expect that having cleared out some of the dead wood at executive level and with the eagle eye of Mr Lewis around the club, these mistakes ought not to be repeated.&nbsp; We saw the first signs of what we hope will be a professional approach towards squad management at in the New Year with the departure of several of the lower and indeed non-performers. &nbsp; Unfortunately, far more of this is needed simply to rationalize the playing staff without even thinking of then improving the quality, although I dare say the former will of itself lead to the latter.&nbsp; There are several positions which I think most supporters would agree we need to improve including most obviously right back and central midfield where we are way short of what we used to and indeed want to see.&nbsp; The extent to which these positions and others can be strengthened will be determined for the most part by the amount we can reduce the wage bill and pull in from transfer fees for the outgoing group of players.&nbsp; I can count off 10 players, loanees and signings, whom I would happily see leave the club, of whom only Luiz is out of contract in the summer.&nbsp; I expect to see the great majority of these players go. I wish them well.&nbsp; But I wish them gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The outstanding success of the last year or so has been the breakthrough and development of 3 players in particular. The two from the academy are the source of greatest pride and pleasure.&nbsp; We all dreamed of being that player, and through them we vicariously live our dreams. Both Saka and Smith-Rowe have come to the fore this season and it has been a pleasure to watch them.&nbsp; I can\u2019t remember the general level of excitement about the development of young players being higher since the mid-late 80\u2019s saw the youth setup throw up Davis, Adams, Keown, Thomas, Rocastle and Merson in quick succession.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The other one is Martinelli.&nbsp; I can only hope that his non-appearance this year has been down to learning from mistakes of the past in terms of overplaying youngsters and nothing more sinister.&nbsp; It would be churlish not to mention that he was an Edu signing, and under Sanllehi\u2019s watch, so credit where credit is due.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The re-signing of Balogun, when until the new year it really looked as if we would lose him, was, I think, a genuine sign that we may be beginning to get our house in order. From the admittedly small sample size I have witnessed, he looks to be a genuinely excellent prospect combining lethal finishing with speed, physicality and nous.&nbsp; We are led to believe there are several others capable of making the step from Walthamstow to London Colney and on to the first team next season and this is a genuine reason for hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Much of the groundwork for these players development was done years ago, so I am not sure how much credit the Academy administration under Per Mertesacker can rightly receive.&nbsp; Clearly though the Academy has been doing something right, notwithstanding this year\u2019s poor performance for the U-23\u2019s.&nbsp; It should be said that a large number of players who would have expected to play at that level were loaned out this year which will have led the poor overall showing in the league. Steve Bould it would appear has fallen on his sword.&nbsp; Its always a shame to see a club legend go, but on the understanding that his successor will be an improvement rather than just a replacement, I am happy to postpone making a call on that one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Which leads on to the performance of the manager.&nbsp; Let\u2019s put this into context. &nbsp; A first-time manager, managing a club in disarray off the pitch and sharp decline on it, during a period of global crisis. I don\u2019t know about you, but I think I might well have wilted quite a while ago.&nbsp; Given the performance in the second half of last season, culminating in very good performances to win both FA Cup and Charity Shield against two of the best sides in the country gave us hope for real development this season.&nbsp; Unfortunately, the first 15 games of the season gave us a metaphorical kick in the nethers as far as those hopes were concerned.&nbsp; At times during that period, and even since, we have appeared as incoherent and plan-less as at any time under Emery or the later days of Mr Wenger. &nbsp; The second half of the season saw a spectacular improvement in terms of points gained if not necessarily performances.&nbsp; I think Arteta can rightly be criticised for overplaying some players, one in particular, quite outrageously.&nbsp; Also tactically there have been times when he seems to have outthought himself.&nbsp; Playing Xhaka at left back works to an extent but really shouldn\u2019t be contemplated beyond anything other than the most extreme of circumstances. &nbsp; He has to learn from these mistakes, not just so as not to repeat them. He also needs to develop a coherent style.&nbsp; There are just too many games when it is just not apparent what he has asked the team to do on the pitch beyond maintain possession of the ball.&nbsp; This is all very well and I\u2019ve yet to see the team that scored when they didn\u2019t have possession.&nbsp; But for too many games we have had to witness aimless \u201cHorseshoe Football\u201d.&nbsp; Next season, with (deity of choice willing) the crowd back in the ground, I don\u2019t think this will be tolerated.&nbsp; There are times this season when I think the chorus of disapproval which has sadly been present for much of the 5 years or so would most likely have made its presence felt.&nbsp; I hope he appreciates this and uses what will be his first genuine off-season period to reflect accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To return to where I started, I am hopeful that there are signs of progress off the pitch. More, much more, of the same please. On the pitch, we\u2019re still in the change rather than progress state for me. I do however see the green shoots of recovery. Certainly, enough to look forward to next season and get behind the club and manager.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Embed from Getty Images In the business world there is an entire industry devoted to managing change within organisations. Most large organisations now have a Change Management function within them. I find the linguistics of this fascinating.&nbsp; You will notice that the term used is \u201cChange\u201d.&nbsp; Not \u201cProgress\u201d. &nbsp; It is almost as though there [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3521"}],"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\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3521"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3521\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3536,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3521\/revisions\/3536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}