Clive P thoughts.....

Found it tough to write this week. Too nervous to make any sense.

I am so so wrapped up in the enormity of an away game at WBA. I cannot get this game out of my head. The whole weekend is ruined. Maybe that is part of the problem, the way we feel is the way the team feels. We are only human after all. The team is playing tense. I'm hoping the fancy dress atmosphere may release the tension at WBA.

Smart move - Wenger's cute mind reset this week, reminding us all that it's us who came from 10 points behind, it's us that had a disastrous start to the season, it's us that has shown the spirit required to be in this position that many of us would of signed up for in early February.

I know we are all looking for some form of comfort not sure I or anyone can help right now. I tend to pick on those inner daemons that we all have and bring them to the surface. Sorry!!

Why is this game so big. For me it's not just the CL, not just we have to stop THFC rubbing our collective noses in it if they come higher than us (although that is huge) for me its the thought that Wenger is finally seeing what has to be done and if we don't finish third he can delay again.

There is a huge subset of fans who feel conned, who feel we love this guy, we love the club we used to be. It seems Arsenal are hell bent on repairing that relationship. At times this season, City, Newcastle, Spurs - lets not forget how wonderful those days were. the relationship was repaired, the club was ONE.

If we end up say 5th Wenger can consolidate again and this time legitimately. That is my big fear. We can sing at CFC that they have no history, but as I have said before - in this SKY TV age you can develop a history in 5 years. They are as big if not bigger than us in Asia, a new market that knows nothing of Pat Rice but think football started with Jose ' the special one'

Keep laughing it's a real issue. We lost Mata and who can say as he prepares to line up in
Munich that he made the wrong choice.

How many CFC shirts did you used to see 5 years ago and how many today. I'm even seeing City shirts locally. People associate themselves with winners, people want to see teams regularly in big games competing. Fans are different today, fan bases are gown globally and Arsenal are waking up fast but sometimes I feel we are slow to realise our potential.

Slow to realise how big we are.

The sense we have of a new clarity in the global expansion of Arsenal is really encouraging. But the real trigger is what happens on the pitch and we seem to moving towards a new Arsenal with players of increasing sensible focus on winning. I know we haven't on in 4 games but at Stoke and v  Norwich some of the 9 match winning run energy and spark was re-appearing and v Norwich we were both lucky and unlucky.

Dug up this quote:

 "We had 500 passes, Tottenham had 222: we had 18 shots on goal, Tottenham had 12 and we had 64% of possession. That sums up the game."

Arsene Wenger after forgetting he score was 5-1 to Spurs in the League Cup Semi Final second leg 2008

This is the Arsenal we are close to getting away from - A stumble now and the positive future including a strike force of Theo Podolski and RVP a maturing Wilshire and OX and maybe even true Defensive Midfielder giving us the stability we need - So close.

My Team for WBA

Schez

Coquelin, Koz,TV, Santos

Song, Ox, Rosicky

Theo, RvP, Gervinho

I say go for it no fear. We are better than them and we hould go hard attack early as we don't do nerves well and then lock up the game. Don't give WBA something to play for or hang onto.

RVP you have so many of us hoping.

 

Think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts....

1. Henry v Sunderland

2. TV Newcastle at home

3. Arteta v City

4. RvP v Spurs

5. RvP Liverpool away

6. Koz/TV defending Everton away

7. Henry v Leeds

Clive P

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