Ides of March

Well it's that time of the year when knives are sharpened and secreted under the togo just in case. There's been a lot of mutterings from the disenfranchised masses this term, our erstwhile Ceaser AW has but ten games to avoid the ignominy of having the knives turned not on the cockerels but his own tender and bruised flesh.

If we learn nothing brave Spartans, let it be that lessons learned at the expense of others is always better than having learned them the hard way, at the knife thrust as it were. One needs only to look at Chelski, who's gladius wielding Oligarch has had 10 heads roll down the blood stained steps to little if no effect to the desired outcome. That is not to say we should not replace Ceaser, but to do so without considering why the empire falters outside of this factor would be criminal and contra to intent.

That there are questions to answer are obvious, and given the corporate culture of balanced books one could be forgiven in thinking that by replacing the figurehead we shall with one thrust return Arsenal to its former glories. That AW is at the heart of this villainy and black turn in fortune; that his hand alone is responsible for the crumbling fabric of our glorious empire is overly simplistic and I give you but one factor of decline. There are others.

A lot has been made of the fact we are in an eighth season without a touch of silver. We have gone from treating the league cup as a nuisance to a proving ground for our youth to this season as a touchstone of intent. Alms for the poor. That fourth place is now our true goal rankles. Not because I remember the good times, not because I fear a return to the bad times. It is simply because of the true overwhelming nature of this issue and the depths of mediocrity we see on the horizon.

So as master of the obvious I shall endeavor to catalogue our calamities and suggest a quieter revolution, one that might perhaps be achievable without a frenzied and destructive toga party (blades optional). In this light I shall begin at the top, as surely it all flows down from there.

Starting at the top, we have an owner who sees us as an investment. If no other comfort could be taken from this we should consider that he has yet to take a dividend from this investment. Cold comfort as that may be. It will take more than a sibilant caress from a take over by a shadowy Middle Eastern Cabal to convince me that we couldn't end up as the poor Malaga fans. That Kronke has no passion for football could be a good thing if you support the club being run as a self sustaining entity, though I myself have a hard time thinking of Arsenal as a corporation or investment. These are head things... I see Arsenal as a heart thing but for the sake of balance I'll explore this. Unlike Kroenke, Usmanov has passion, but who is to say we would not see yet another Abramovich, though it's not likely he would ever get enough shares to get a board position, let alone control.

For a second lets move on and accept the current board and ownership as the status quo which besides selling, the only other real impact the owners and the board can have at this juncture is to push AW from the throne. This is a scenario I find unlikely, no matter the outcome of our next ten matches. To wit, their concern is next season and knowing that no further extension would be offered to our beleaguered leader, the question is how much money Do they allow him to use were this his last year. It would be good to remember that the board is a politically motivated as well a financially motivated lot. Thus pressure put upon them by the fan base could motivate them to support AW financially though I suspect they will go about replacing him quietly in the background in case the 13-14 season pans out the same as this year. This proves their able stewardship no matter which outcome and I think is the clearest intent given the individuals involved.

Keep calm and carry on indeed.

AW, then and now. I don't think truly either matters. When we look at what's going on, our failings come down to more than his decisions, lack of spending or keeping the same tactics no matter if they work or not. Though we are loath to point fingers at our players, one must and the culture in which they operate needs to change.

We have been on a slippery slope, where other teams know exactly how we play, in what formation and how to combat this. We have not deviated from the same tactics in years, while these years have seen the players who made it work move on, our tactics have not. Many cries have been made to bring in four new central players and while I would in principle agree, we also need to see why the ones we have are not working as intended.

Several players have recently come forward insisting that individual errors are costing us games. While this perhaps vies for my spot as Captain obvious I shall however address this by adding that these errors seem to be with little personal accountability. I'm not saying Keown had it right grabbing a teammate by the occasional throat but a simple shrug or look isn't enough. Not when we do it week in week out. Were that these players bad, but its lapses in concentration and generally switching off that is costing us, not the inability to see the issue or do the right thing. Where these cost us the most is at the back.

Way back when, keepers were taught to catch the ball. With the new balls and the greater athleticism of the players somewhere along the line it became acceptable to parry the shot away. This is fine as long as you don't possess effete wrists and no sense of geometry. While Szczesny is young and all too prone to little mental lapses, he also sadly possesses the wrists of freshly hydrated noodles and his parrying often is a precursor to us picking the ball out of our net and carrying it silently to the centre circle. Sadly he is our only choice at present, so replacing him is something worthy of consideration. To have him learn under a keeper like Asmir Begović would do two things. Firstly give us a keeper not unlike Seaman who could stabilize the defense, but someone our young Pole can learn from and have genuine and honest competition for a starting birth. This might focus him in the right way and given his age would represent the future.

The defense is another lot of individuals that have been poor of late, individually and collectively. While I don't lay all of this on Vermaelen, I would contest that given his form, the only thing keeping him in the side has been the captain's armband. Time and again he has simply switched off or went rampaging up the field leaving a rather large hole at the back. This has been compounded by the selection of Arteta as our DM. Not to say he hasn't performed admirably there for us, it has highlighted his lack of pace as he can't fill the holes made by Vermaelen. Next season I'd like to see a new CB, DM and a new captain. At this point I feel Wilshire deserves it and is one of the few trying to gee up the others at present anyway. Failing injuries a dedicated pairing in the centre would behoove us. Amorebieta, the Butcher of Bilbao is perhaps someone who could add a bit of steel to our central pairing, but given that I'd like to see a Gilberto type DM, perhaps the option of Swanseas Williams would be a better choice. Next season should also see improvement in Monreal's English and thus a better understanding along the line. Another player who has not been the same since he came back is Sagna. A mooted move to the centre doesn't seem the best option here and in Jenkinson we have an able replacement who has continued to get better, a trend I see continuing.

Midfield we have a great selection, though of course are missing a genuine DM, I’d prefer to see a Gilberto type, someone who plays the simple ball to our creative forwards and lets them do that, all the while breaking up possession giving cover to the back four and forces teams out wide and into coverage, slowing the attacks and not letting them come at us through the middle. Arteta plays the ball well, but lacks the physical presence and speed to cover the ground. We have such a player in Diaby, but lets be honest, at this point in time its favorable to bring in someone who we can expect to be in the lineup for more than 2 weeks at a time before once again being banished to the black hole that is the physio’s room. Cabaye is a nice option given that he has PL xp. Another choice could be Daniele De Rossi.

Up front we need someone who can actually put the ball into the net. So many times this season we have laid siege to our opponents goal to no effect. I often wonder if Ray Wilkinson is our attacking couch as so many times when in scoring positions we pass sideways. It’s frustrating and at times mind boggling. So I’m looking outside the PL and looking at Radamel Falcao García. Yes he’s going to cost, yes he’s worth it and given who will be in for him, unlikely, but here’s the thing… does that mean we don’t even try? I bleeding well hope not. Now there are other options, but again fits the bill to left, compliment and transcend this team. Top four isn’t something I feel going forward is what we, the fans want. We want more and for the first time in a long time, feel that we have the financial wherewithal to fulfill this. Now buying these will help, but without tactical reorganization, armband issues and having errors eliminated and brought into a culture of personal responsibility when they do occur, we’ll just be throwing money down a pit.

So there is the obvious with a stab (see what I did there) at how these can be overcome. In short, stability, investment and passion. Not exactly revolutionary I'll admit, but as the fictitious Sherlock once said… Eliminate all other factors, and the one which remains must be the truth.