I've Decided Not to Panic

I have come to the realization that the last five seasons or so of The Arsenal coming close to winning the league only to implode has left scars.  The mistrust of Wenger's decisions to let youth play without experience has left doubt in the back of my mind.  The crazy travails of the summer and early defeats of the season leave a shadow lurking in the recesses of my subconscious.  So when our squad, who has practically played their hearts out every game and shown team unity that has been lacking in recent seasons, begins to show fatigue, I can feel the onset of dread. When we realize that their is NO backup for Robin VanTastic, when certain players show some inconsistencies, it is easy for me to indulge in that doubt and that darkness.  When signing 34 year-old Thierry Henry in the January transfer window seems to be the only business conducted by Wenger, panic at not claiming the Top Four spot can ensue.  But here's the thing...I have made a conscious decision to stay cool.  I am going to purposefully engage in not giving up hope.  Because not only do I truly love how hard the team is working, I think - for the most part - the league positions are up for grabs.

Arsenal are not the only team that is facing trials.  Arsenal suffers because we have a thin squad and injuries, or players are leaving for a month long tournament on another continent. Other clubs are failing because of similar and dissimilar issues.  There are suspensions and a lack of motivation for many.  Manchester Untied lost tonight to Newcastle 3-0.  Three to zero.  Liverpool lost to Manchester City 3-0.  In the last weeks, mid-table and lower table teams have upset the big boys on a regular basis.  In other words, we will not be the only team to drop points at inopportune moments or to seemingly lesser teams.  And talk about staying cool?  Here's Ferguson's reaction to being shut out by the Magpies:

"The story of the game was they had two fantastic strikes which put them in the driving seat. The second one was a killer for us, it was a marvellous strike.

"But we didn't make enough of our possession of the ball anyway. It was one of those nights."


See?  Calm and cool.  Don't think I enjoy quoting Fergie - but I like his attitude here and want to emulate it.  We have an a little over three weeks before the transfer window closes (mostly likely sans Podolski).  Chamakh has a chance to play regular football for a few weeks and could return to London with the same confidence he displayed in the beginning of last season.  Arshavin, in Gervinho's absence, could get a good run of games and rediscover that magic that gave him four goals against Liverpool in his first season and  the winining goal against Barcelona last year.  And his teammates could get used to his style of thinking and playing again, which can be unpredictable but dazzling. 

I also think that Theo will return to form after recovering the weight loss suffered in his illness and getting some more rest.  The Ox can be slowly blooded now that we have missing, exhausted midfielders and have FA Cup and Champion League games on the horizon.  And don't forget.

Jack Wilshere is coming back.

Nope.  I'm not going to give into the negativism just yet.  It lingers on the periphery just waiting to pounce.  I just see too many good things that coming our way in the near future.  Do we need the teams above and below us to continue assisting us?  Absolutely.  But this season, the upsets are more common than not.  And I think when we play the big teams in our stadium, it will be our turn to upset them.

I just have a feeling.

I guess that's it for today.  Tomorrow I'll try and have some team news, or transfer speculation for you.  Right now I just wanted to share some optimism.  I want to encourage you to try and push back the panic. Stem the tide.  Keep your chin up.  Cheer on the boys.  You know - be a fan.

Have a good one Gooners.