One old acquaintance not forgot…

  • Post author:
  • Post category:News

Truth be told I’d prefer the 2002 vintage, but I’d be lying if I said I was completely cold about the possible return of Sir Thierry of Henry. It’s difficult not to be taken in by the romance of our all-time top scorer coming back for a few months, even if he is now one score and fourteen years old.

Such is the power of the mystical statues that next up, Tony Adams will be wheeled in as cover in central defence and Wenger will start dressing as Herbert Chapman in the dugout.

It’s all rather simple though, says le Boss: “I do it for footballing reasons because I need a striker for two months.”

I would wager, as many others have, that we need a striker for more than two months, given the recent contributions of all our strikers whose surnames don’t contain a van or a Persie.

It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that Chamakh, with some matches under his belt, will come back sharper and more confident and sporting a dainty sharpshooter’s hat. It happened to Alex Song in 2008 – he was named in the team of the tournament. This at a time when his name was generally only muttered under one’s breath.

So honestly, I think the Africa Cup of Nations has come at a good time for our Chamakh, who could do with the matches and a bit of a change of scene.

Nevertheless, and I refer back to my point about needing a striker for more than two months, can this kind of thing be left to chance by Wenger? What if Chamakh comes back in the same kind of goalscoring funk that has seen him score two goals since November 2010? If van Persie gets an injury and when Henry goes back to the Big Apple, what have we got in the goalscoring tank for a run on fourth? Walcott in the middle? Park wheeled out of semi-retirement?

Anyway, we can worry about these things for a whole month. And let me tell you – I have every intention of doing just that. In fact, I may set up a Worry Group; let me know if you are interested in attending. It will involve sitting cross-legged in a circle, I suspect, though don’t worry, I won’t make you take your shoes off.

Between now and then though we’ve got QPR, a game for which you can pick your own cliché. We simply must win and dare I say it, cannot afford to lose.

A similar all-out assault as we saw in the second half of the Wolves game will be required – surely we’d not come up against another Hennessy? With a bit more pace on the flanks courtesy of the returning Walcott then we ought to prevail. But then I’m sure I said that before the Fulham and Wolves games.

As both @LittleDutchVA and @HayleyWright have pointed out on the Twitters, the last time we played Rangers on a New Year’s Ever, this happened. We all went a tiddly bit mental, even if we did lose 3-1. Odd that Jensen that day was wearing the number 17 shirt, and it’s seventeen years ago to this day. ISN’T THAT ODD??? No, not really.

All that remains – apart from a ‘Come on You Rip Roarers’ – is to wish you all a Happy New Year. My blogging has been a bit stop-start this year but thanks for reading anyway, thanks for the comments, thanks for chatting on the Twitters. It’s been a pleasure to put some faces to virtual names this year – let’s have more of that in 2012.

Arsenal v QPR – BBC preview, Guardian preview

Jim

Arsenal since about 1979. Thick, thin and all that.

This Post Has One Comment

  1. Jeff

    Walcott was through on goal, but did not audition well for a striker’s role. Disappointing that.

    Arteta gets my vote for man-of-the-match. I wonder if he could mentor Denislon, because that’s the role he was supposed to be playing.

    The absence of Cesc, Wilshere, and even Nasri is taking a bit of a toll on me. On New Year’s Eve of all days I need some Champagne football.

Comments are closed.