Tha. . . Tha. . . Tha. . . That’s All Folks . . .

Thank you Warner Brothers and Pork for succinctly capturing the end of our title run. Yeah, I said it. It’s over. We’re done and we’re dusted. Look I have always poitioned myself as a pragmatist. I try always to be balanced in my view of the club I love and support. I see negatives when positiuves occur and vice versa. I tend not side with either the ardent optimists or the flaming doom and gloomers. But that is the great thing about being a supporter we can fall into any category can’t we?

The fall to capitulation and gifting United the title started the moment Koscielny and Szczesny made the bone headed move that gave Birmingham the Carling Cup. I think everyone was right that the silverware would’ve worked as a spring board for this club. But it has had an absolutely opposite affect. Even a loss can be galvinizing in this case it has been just the oppositie it has sent the club spirralling and noone seems to have answers.

Sure, on the positive side of the coin youlc argue that Arsenal are still undefeated in the league this season. It is a run though that is similar to United’s in the first half of the season – they aren’t losing but hey, they aren’t winning either. I’d gladly swap the time of season this happened if it meant some sort of consistency and verve going into the closing months of the season. But seriously, I think we should accept the fact that barring some epic collapse by United yesterday’s draw basically gift wrapped Fergie title number 19.

So what’s the problem? To me it goes to one core foundation that can be traced through ever level of the club. It all starts with concrete leadership. There is no leadership in this organization from top to bottom. From the board room to the players and everything in between you get a lack of direction from every corner with only money seeming to be the unifying factor.

The board is the first culprit in the leadership void. It is hard to see that the direction we are following doesn’t all start in the boardroom with a group of people who’s loyalty is to lining the pockets than filling the trophy cabinet. They pray on the fact that fans are supporters and live and die with their club and even when it is going horribly wrong the fans will still show up. They know this and they thrive on it. Mass protests of people not showing up aren’t likely to happen because people want to support the club. Additionally, how can a amanager be allowed to run the club the way he has – as some sort of sports lab. The club has to set a direction for the whole organization to follow and frankly they don’t have the cajones to step up to Wenger and his staff and say – financial direction is fine but real success is measured by the trophies lined in the cabinet.

After the board the lack of direction and leadership from the manager is astounding. There is no doubt that Wenger is a good manager. He’s insights into the game when he came where revolutionary and they changed they way the game was approached in England. However, what he has done by creating some sort of touchy-feely utopia at the club is the real reason we lack any real sense of direction. To the players Wenger is more “father figure” than manager. His attempts to psychologically manage the club through a direction of gentleness and harmony is failing. It is like with my son who calls me his “best-friend.” I remind my son I aqm his dad not his best friend, I love him but I set the rules he has to follow or he gets a smacked hiney. Well, Wenger has undermined his position as manager by becoming a “father figure” because it strips him of the fear factor. I don’t doubt Fergie and Jose love/like their players. And their players respect them whole heartedly because they create winners. Why? Because they don’t take crap and the establish a level of fear for underperformers. Wenger has failed miserably in that over the last few years.

And when there isn’t leadership from the top the players themselves must establish the law. It doesn’t happen. Not on the pitch or in the dressing room. There currently is noone calling players on their failures, getting in faces when they fuck up or picking them up to rally the troops when things are going horribly wrong. PLayers need to understand that they are not bigger than the club and that the badge on the chest is more important than the name on the back of the kit (thank you Goal!! the movie). That is part of larger symptomatic problem in football but on the macro (club level) not having a player leader is killing Arsenal. Cesc Fabregas is not the leader of this club. He defintely is the club’s most talented (maybe) but he is not its leader. Jack Wilshere may be at some point but not right now. There is no established presence that reminds the players what a privelege it is to wear the badge of Arsenal. My friends over at LeGrove.co.uk had this great quote from David Rocastle that sums it up perfectly:

‘Remember who you are, what you are and who you represent’

It really is that simple.

Now, all that being said is that going to fix all our ills? No, there are defintiely wholesale changes to be made, primarily in the form of getting rid of dead weight. We’ve talked about it ad nauseum.  We are simply carrying too many players that don’t deserve to wear the kit. Wenger will do himself all the service inthe world by clearing out players who haven’t performed. If it happens I might actually believe he can change. I’m not too sure though.

Additionally, I want to see either a change in the CEO of the club or he actually grow a set. I don’t buy into the David Dein as saviour set. I don’t think he was anything more than a capable foil for Wenger to deal with the board. Something Gazidis has displayed he is not. Maybe Gazidis will help raise the marketing profile of the club but does it matter if the product is shite?

Finally, as I have said previously the manager departing is going to matter very little if the board is still establishing the same ground rules. And if Wenger leaves they are not going ot bring in someone who challenges their way of running the club. They will simply bring another yes man who can deliver a consistently competitive product that flatters to deceive and still brings money in. The first change has to be at the board level. If it doesn’t happen there it won’t happen ANYWHERE – mark my words.

Stay Goonerish!!!