Hey folks, I’m taking a little break from the blog. Unless something big happens, like a new signing, I’m not going to write here until the day before the final.
I’ve been doing this for over 10 years now and this season has been grueling unlike almost any other. I feel less creative than before and like I have been over all of this material so many times that it’s not even possible to uncover a new angle.
The other reality is that I’m just getting older and it feels like it’s more difficult to be “on” the way I used to. And, if I’m brutally honest, I can’t remember things as well as I used to. I have forgotten most of the games this season and unless I either go back and read what I wrote or read what someone else wrote, I can guarantee that I have forgotten about the performances in those matches.
That’s a pretty big problem. I can’t be 100% certain about my “perspective”. You know? A football season isn’t a series of independent events. It flows like a raging river, splashing this way and that, cutting new paths, and sweeping away debris. How can I comment on the mouth of the river if I can’t remember discovering the source or why the river took a diversion at Öziltown?
Starting next season, I’m going to keep a little paper diary of each match. Something that I can flip back through as the season goes on to give me some perspective.
Right, well, that’s all I have today. Talk to you all in a few weeks.
“And, if I’m brutally honest, I can’t remember things as well as I used to. ”
Eh. That’s not necessarily brain cells. When you’re brutally honest, the discussion centers on the fact there hasn’t been that much memorable Arsenal football recently.
The last 2 seasons have been extremely difficult to watch. 🙁
It could be an Arsenal lethargy slipping in.
Enjoy, buddy. How’s the book going?
“Everybody needs a little time away…” 😉
Enjoy the break! Lord knows, if anyone even remotely connected to the Arsenal deserves some time off, it’s you.
Are we in a final?
Recharge those batteries buddy…a little pogey bait would do nicely. What was your favorite poison? Mine was Chick-o-Sticks – couldn’t get enough.
Find a beach.
“the final”…that would be next Sunday nights GoT I suppose.
I will say, as frustrating as it could be, Arsenal’s season was worlds better than GoT’s. And I’ll call that before either finale.
….this Sunday nights GoT
And then we all stop worrying about who sits on the iron throne.
Wait, there’s a throne? Made of iron, you say?
Awfc signed Manuela Zinsberger from Bayern.
Although i’ll admit women’s football isn’t that high on my relatability scale either.
Thanks for the heads up. I’ll miss you but now I know not to check for updates/new blogs. I hope we ALL come back from the Europa final with lots of great things to talk about. If not, I hope we’ll still talk, whine, complain, etc.
All the best,
1 Nil
Well done Tim. I think aging is a good thing. It makes you fond of the memories you can actually remember.
I really enjoy your nickname Imothyt. It sounds like an organic compound in chemistry. Very weird, but proper in my opinion.
What I like most about this blog is the insightful side discussions. As long as the comments are open, you can rest easy. Or you can wait until Mustafi leaves and he is replaced before you write another blog.
Cheers.
Lari03
Mate, I’m not even an Arsenal fan and I got turned onto this blog and I read it often. You’re a writer.
Is that you Faith?
Ha!
Some lovely, lovely news that at the age of 34 Santi has been recalled to the Spain squad
Since Tim’s taking a break from writing, I’l put in another shameless plug for something I wrote about Arsenal’s possible approaches to this transfer window.
https://positivelyarsenal.com/2019/05/16/arsenals-transfer-strategy-with-wings/
Tim, you’re an inspiration. Weird as that may sound to you, it’s true. You have a gift, and you’ve cultivated the craft. Write whenever and whatever you please. I’ll be around to read it.
Love your writing. Have a good one
Watching the FA Cup. Rooting against City, while also enjoying watching Troy Deeney get kicked and making a meal of it.
You will be missed, mate. Always really look forward to reading your posts. But you defo deserve some “you” time. Enjoy
Go, Tim. It’s a good thing.
Spend the time instead with your growing girl. Shard and I are far less appealing company 🙂
We’re spoiled by having the best Arsenal blog out there, and although it’s a labour of love, love doesn’t put eggs on the table.
(It had to be you, Shard)
Haha, cheers Claude. I took it as a compliment.
Hm. Can’t figure out why Juventus sacked Allegri. Probably Ronaldo asked them to do it.
Wonder if the job would interest Wenger.
I’ve never been too sure about Wenger handling big egos, actually. A lot of the players who succeeded under him tended to come in and get “made” by him. As exciting as it was when we began signing the likes of Ozil and Sanchez, I had my doubts because of this – the feeling that we might have signed players who felt bigger than the club. We eventually got there with Sanchez, and maybe you can read some of that into Ozil’s contract negotiations too. And that’s before you consider that the latter years at Arsenal ruined Wenger’s reputation (especially in Juventus’ Holy Grail, the one competition they’ve not won since the year Arsenal appointed Wenger).
It was coming for a while. I don’t think you’ll see a lot of juve fans shed tears for Allegri, which is a strange thing to say about such a winning coach. But he was frustrating fans with his weird lineups and substitutions, and frustrating play. Juventus, honestly, are boring.
Not Ronaldo. I think it’s a case of the board choosing between him and Dybala, since their relationship broke down. They made the right choice.
Wenger at Juventus would be interesting, but probably not going to happen. Would be great to see him reunited with Ramsey though, and to see him have a legitimate chance at the CL, his one true desire that he gave up to stay with Arsenal.
Some tidbits before the Chelsea game:
Arsenal and Chelsea are each returning 3000 of their 6000 ticket allotments because going to Baku is too expensive and will take too long to travel to (cheapest flight is $400 RT and will take 23h 23m, shortest flight is 7h 55m and cost $1,649)) Even East Bum F**k Egypt is closer and cheaper than Baku.
Chelsea played the NE Revolution 3 days after the season ended to raise funds to fight anti-Semitism. This match was a pet project for Abramovich. Sarri expressed disappointment with the timing of this match and did not participate in any media events surrounding including not touring the New England Holocaust Memorial (reportedly he was ill). There is a rumor that he may replace Gattuso at AC Milan.
Ruben Loftus-Cheeks (10 g, 6a in all competitions) ruptured his Achilles tendon after coming on as a 2nd half sub in the New England match. Sarri was seen throwing his jacket onto the ground after the injury. Loftus-Cheeks now joins Hudson-Odoi with ruptured Achilles tendon injuries.
Kante is expected to return in time for the final from a hamstring injury.
So we face a Chelsea team with hopefully an unsettled manager, missing a couple of their dynamic playmakers and coming off a transatlantic trip. We have a shot at this game. They will still have Hazard perhaps looking to depart with a bang.
This heartened me.
Until I put it the other way around. They face an Arsenal team whose run-in was a complete disaster, with no discernible game plan beyond “let’s hope our two strikers can make something out of nothing,” no Ramsey, no right-back, a defense that has been in self-destruct mode for over a decade, and a keeper who has been in rapid decline for three years.
I don’t know. Both teams are facing pretty significant problems right now. Can’t call it, but never underestimate Arsenal’s ability to Arsenal themselves.
Playing that game at that time was an unbelievable decision.
Still, I remain terrified about Giroud writing the headlines.
enjoy your breaks, tim. if you could, just don’t allow the comments to close before you post again; you know i’ve always got some bullish*t to say, lol.
Tim- take care.
are you guys done mutually masturbating each other?
Who the fuck are you?