Reality Check

"Thierry Henry Dreamland", the magical place us Gunners spent the last few days, has disappeared, and a huge realty snap woken us all up to witness yet another devastating performance from the team; déjà vu. Another week in a row where we take the lead, get our hopes up, and then bottle it all. Even the most patient Gunners, counting me, were probably fuming when Danny Graham returned the lead for Swans seconds after Theo Walcott's equaliser. Will we ask again, for God knows what time, how much longer?

How much longer will we have to look at the same deadwood that is hampering our club for months/years now? How much longer will we see teams from the bottom half of the table being overconfident and attacking us from all directions? How much longer before we maintain some real tactic and formation? How much longer before we see signs of ambition, signs of hunger? 

We have come to the point where Tottenham are more realistic title contenders than we are, and more than a half season has passed. That isn't a purple patch anymore it’s something called ambition.

Has Arsene Wenger's stubbornness become so hard that he won't give up them even when the club is facing one of its worst season since he took charge? In the 08/09 season, when the 5th place was under threat by high-flying Martin O'Neill's Aston Villa, at least he surprised us all with the acquisition of Andrei Arshavin. The Russian, who's now, to be honest, just a shadow of the player he was when he came, has kept us in the CL almost alone that season. I'm afraid that the Frenchman won't pull a similar move this winter. 

I hope that I'm wrong, but I think he has complete belief that the injured players like Jack Wilshere, Bacary Sagna, Kieran Gibbs, Thomas Vermaelen and co. will give immediate boost to squad when they return, and eventually stay in the top flight. I believe it won't be enough. What is needed is a massive, state of intent signing who would help us not to become a laughing stock of Premier League. We have the cash reserves, which I heard we're keeping in case we don't get into ECL. Is that called ambition? It's like you get a good job in another country, and you don't want to buy a good house and settle in the area cause you're afraid you're soon be getting fired, so instead you live on the street. Instead of spending that money for quality players who would surely fit into the system and return us to the top, we're saving it because we think we won't get into Champions League. That, my fellow Gunners, is the major sign of not having ambition to be the best.

Old man Harry Redknapp bought some good players, actually strengthened the club where it needed to be strengthened, spent some money and there they are, just 3 points off the first place. Sure, he took a huge financial gamble, cause if they fail to qualify to CL, they could be just another club Harry financially destroyed, but, admit it, you only dream that they drop in form. Judging by any rational point of view, they will hardly slip drastically, and they are playing us in two weeks. If we show the same balls we did the last few EPL matches we met them, not to mention the same balls we have shown in the last few EPL matches this season, I'm afraid St. Totteringham's day will be delayed for next season. Even that’s a big 'IF'.

You say Wenger is afraid to buy big signings because he's afraid of failure? He doesn't buy stars, he makes them? For every Fabregas and Wilshere you have 10 Denilsons, Diabys and Bendtners. With the transfer money and wages he spent on Diaby (who for 7 years in Arsenal has maybe 2 seasons of actually playing), Denilson, Bendtner, Squillaci, Chamakh, Walcott, etc., he could've got 2-3 players of absolute quality. He's afraid of spending money on a quality player, but he's not afraid to award Denilson a nice, hefty contract for doing literally nothing? You see, that's a bit absurd. That is unexplainable and I can't really get along with that. 

I'm losing patience faster every passing game and a strange decision by Wenger and Arsenal, and sooner rather than later I think many of us will burst. This is reality. We are nowhere near a top, ambitious, hungry club anymore. Robin Van Persie, our joint top scorer, will be the first to leave the club in the summer if nothing is done soon, and he won't be alone.

I know the post today is a little bit pell-mell, but after today's game, my head is full of thoughts and I'm just writing everything that comes to mind. Soon I will post something more useful, but anyway, I know most of you agree with me.

And It's Arsenal, Arsenal FC....

Written by Dalibor Vasic

Follow him on Twitter @shadiarh1

Link to original article: http://sgunner.blogspot.com/2012/01/reality-check.html

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