More sagas than a VIP home, we’ve got. It’s wearing.
Sol Saga
Well, lots of comments about Sol Campbell of course, and many positive. My own view is that he’s had a torrid season and an especially torrid few weeks, but let’s not make it personal. He’s clearly not right, physically and mentally, and who else – regardless of how much they earn – has not had times in their career when they’ve wanted to jack it all in? Walking out at half time was unprofessional, but we don’t know the circumstances of that, and besides, if he couldn’t carry on, he couldn’t carry on.
The fact is, he’s still a top defender, and even at the age of 31, plenty of other managers would trample over grannies to pick someone of his calibre and experience up. Forget that his roots are a few miles up the road, he’s been brilliant for us for most of the five seasons he’s been here, and with any luck, he still can be. I just hope he does – come back, that is.
Backline Saga
This one’s hilarious – a right rip-snorter. Lauren, it has been confirmed, will now be out for the season, and I can hear the collective groaning of thousands of Arsenal fans. It’s a sort of half-groan-half-cackle. Making light of our defensive crisis is about all you can do at the moment.
I’d give not just my left arm but my entire torso for a stable back line of Winterburn, Dixon, Adams and Bould now. As it stands, we’re without two left-backs, three right-backs and three centre backs. It’s grim alright. Looks likely that the back four will be Larsson, Senderos, Djourou and Flamini, so they’re going to have to play the game of their lives.
Still, it’s nothing if not exciting, and Wenger is compensating for a lack of defensive cover by including Adebayor and Walcott in today’s squad, as well as the returning Reyes. You know what – I hope he just goes for it. With a creaky defence, our best form of defence will be attack. We may crash and burn, but let’s go for it. Attack from beginning to end.
And on a lighter note
As I say, you’ve got to laugh sometimes, so with that in mind Mr East Upper and I have been trying to think of names for our end of season video. Clearly, Invincibles isn’t going to hold much sway, so I came up with Season’s Beatings.
This was, however, trumped by his offering of Lost In Transition.
Better ideas?
