All's Well That Ends Well - You Are My Arsenal

I don’t know about you but I think I started this season back in August as a 25 year old with no grey hair, a strong beating heart and I am ending it here in May as a 43 year old male with gray hair and a constant need for heart meds. Before anyone goes any further – I am 43.

This was not a season many of us wanted to endure nor some of us expected. It was as we all know, filled with downs and ups and downs and ups. And in the end, Arsenal came out ahead – barely.

We endured endless speculation about the overall decline of our team. Our neigbours around the corner picked by many to supplant us as the top club in London and ultimately take our place in the Champion’s League.

We suffered the ignominy of hearing our manager tell us in the summer that any club that sold its two biggest players could no longer be considered a big club and then have just that happen. Then we suffered an August to forget as we not only were humiliated – yes humiliated at Old Trafford 8-2 but also endured the own goal fest versus Blackburn. Finally, a team that never reacts on the last day of the transfer deadline spent about money quickly bringing in players to shore up the holes on what certainly seemed at the time to be the Arsenal equivalent of the Titanic.

We were all very flayed and frayed 3 weeks into the season and there were 35 games to go at one point and you couldn’t blame the faithful for wanting to crawl under a rock, cry in a few pints (or 20) or just plain wish the season would end. I remember personally saying I had hoped that this was just a dream, that it was the day after we clinched the 2004 title and that the last 7 years was a result of a bad piece of Chinese food that didn’t digest. But alas when I woke up it was still the 2011/2012 season.

Overall, with the ability to look back on the season, and as Arsenal’s performances stand out for Gooners, it was season of mediocrity league wide. While there were sustained plays of brilliance from many of the teams it always seemed like this was the season when no one team clearly wanted anything to do with being looked at with a winning eye. Ultimately City, would win it but their match and the way they won it was a microscopic look at the league and the season as a whole.

I will remember this season for the infighting. Already at fever pitch early in the summer because of the way the previous season ended. I will also remember it for the incredible highs as well. The 5-3 at Stamford Bridge, the routing of Spurs at the Emirates, the near comeback in the Champion’s League versus AC Milan and the 1-0 win over City. There were more moments and we’ll likely get into those in more detail as we do final reports and looks back in the next two weeks. But with every low came a high and vice versa.

So here we are. A day after the season has ended. We all are breathing a little more relaxed. Pepto Bismol and other assorted pharmaceuticals are out of stock. What is next is anyone’s guess. While we can relax knowing our minimum target is secure, there is still work to be done. Defensively, yet again we need fixing. When they were good – they were very good. For a team that did allow in 49 goals this season they were still the 8^th best team in Goals Allowed Average of around 1.7 (or so). Still where they were really lacking was strength defensively in the middle of the pitch. Alex Song was good at times, woeful at others. He would have a good half a good game or a few games but like yesterday on West Brom’s second goal or against Norwich, the midfield allowed too much room for the opposition to walk through. A defensive midfielder is a must and we stick by our story that Yann M’Vila is that guy.

The signing of Lukas Podolski is a hopeful sign that the team has learned the errors of last summer and will hopefully tie down its biggest deals early. Additionally, players who can be shipped out must be shipped out. A complete reworking of the way the club is organized in terms of playing staff has to be considered. No, that is not saying the entire teams needs an overhaul, it means the financial system players operate under needs a re-working.

Additionally, there are rumours that there will be a summer shuffling of the board. Stan Kroenke is no longer bound by the 1 year agreement that kept the board as is at the time of his taking control as majority shareholder. Stan is now free to bring in new people. Word is his son will come on board and take an active role within the team. There are other organizational changes being talked about. We hope one of them is a way to restructure sooner rather than later the awful commercial deals the club finds itself constrained by.

Then there is the Robin Van Persie saga. The last thing fans want is another summer of ‘will he, or won’t he.’ By all indications I do not think it will be that. I think this is going to resolve itself before the Euros. No, no insider information here. Just some sleuthing and trying to read the tea-leaves.

There are other things to discuss but I am going to leave that for later.

The season is over. We did it. By the scruff of our teeth and in spite of ourselves. We are back in the Champion’s League for an unprecedented 15^th season in a row. While silverware is an absolute must for any sports fan, success can be measured in many different ways. I’ll leave it at that.

With the season over, I know look to next season – sorry – I am. I do believe that there were performances that showed us this season that we may not be as far off as we may believe. There is still work. But not major earth moving work. I believe that if the right pieces are added that this club will compete for a title. (There I said it). There is a core here that is a team – something we have not had 6 years prior. That is something to me and since it’s a new day and a new season is only 12 weeks away – I am refreshed, relaxed and waiting for the start.

We have a busy week and some busy times ahead just wanted to keep abreast of a couple of things –

This Wednesday we are planning a live chat event with our writers and hopefully some special guests from the Arsenal world. We’ll release details soon. It is tentatively scheduled for 1400GMT/0900 EST. Look back to the site later.
We’re calling on you to submit who you think rates for the 1^st Annual YAMA Gooner’s. The YAMA Gooners aour an award to recognize the following: Best Arsenal Blog, Best Arsenal Blogger, BestArsenal Tweeter, Best New Arsenal Blog, Best Journalist, and Best Opinion Writer. Please use our contact page to submit your nominees. We are going to allow a week for nominees and then post the top 4 in each category. Please be sure to mention who and what category you are nominating for.

And plenty more. We don’t plan on resting this summer. Me, for right now I am going to relax. Take some deep breaths and sigh a deep sigh of relief for getting through this season.

Until next time Stay Goonerish – DAG (@YouAreMyArsenal)

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