Arsenal in Season 2011/12, End of an era?
If you’re pressing the trigger and the gun just won’t go off, it could mean two things; you’ve either got the safety on, or you’ve just run out of bullets.
So when Arsenal tried to fire back after that abysmal start to the season, and their guns just didn’t go off, of course they just ignored it. Worse, they decided to somehow pretend that everything was okay, while they were taking bullet after bullet right
to their completely undefended chest. Every now and then, they’d dodge a bullet and gloat about it, shining a smile at their fans; who seemed just as impervious to the fact that their favourite team was lacking teeth.
Arsenal was once, albeit arguably, the best football team in the world. Having won the league unbeaten is a feat unmatched by any of today’s top-flight clubs. In fact, the only other team to have won a league unbeaten played only 22 matches (Preston North
End), so that doesn’t count. The Gooners have won the league 13 times; a number which has turned out to be slightly worse than unlucky for them.
They’ve achieved the league and FA Cup “double” a record 6 times. And although they haven’t really ever won the Champions League, they have qualified 14 times in a row, and finished runner ups once. All in all, if you had seen them playing 4 years ago, you
would’ve fallen in love with the crisp movement and finishing that bordered on burlesque. But then again, a gun without bullets is just about as effective as a fire extinguisher that sprays out a note that says: ‘.. please go away, fire’.
When http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Arsenal-c38429 lost Henry, critics thought the club would never fully recover ; and what do you know, they were right. Fabregas did come in and tried to hold the team together, to regain what had been lost, but eventually, even you would tire of holding up
a really fat old man who’s determined to fall down a cliff. Fabregas left, and now the club is tumbling down a really steep staircase.
Frankly, yes: It is the end of an era. Arsenal is never going to find another Henry or Fabregas. Or Lehmann. Or Drake. Or Bergkamp. It’s understandable why Arsene Wenger is so keen to bring up young players into the first team, but you have to have a stepping
stone. It’s almost like asking your grandson to replace your son. It’s just very awkward, what Mr. Wenger is going for.
It’s about time for these youngsters to live up to their name though. It’s the end of an era, yes. But maybe it’s time to start a new one. They have the guns, they just need bullets. 50 calibres would do.
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