The world's going to end for Arsenal: Part Two

 

If you haven't read part one please do before ruining your breakfast

Let's look at who will probably be in Arsenal's path to domestic success. Tottenham have one of the best midfields around in Bale, Lennon, Modric, Huddlestone, Sandro and VdV and plenty of good players elsewhere. Tottenham being at the top end isn't a surprise anymore and Redknapp needs to progress with the squad this season, use it effectively and not hide how talented it really is. Redknapp really wants the England job after Euro 2012, is the clear favourite for it but knows a poor season may harm his chances. They just need a couple of players and Redknapp will do his best to impress the wise old FA. As long as he has better luck with the courts than Ryan Giggs had then he should get the gig performance permitting.

The world's going to end for Arsenal: Part One

If anyone was listening to a well-known radio station in England on Friday, their ears would have absorbed an indictment of Arsene Wenger and the state of affairs at Arsenal. Arsenal are in crisis. No really they are. Didn't you know? I didn't. Maybe it was because I was out of the loop. It wasn't the mid-season crisis when they lost the in Carling Cup final to now relegated Birmingham or the fact that Arsenal managed to finish 4th in what seemed to be a two horse race. It was the early transfer window crisis. Their crime? Well it's not something Arsenal did but it's what they didn't do. They didn't sign Jordan Henderson and Phil Jones. Maybe one but preferably both. Liverpool and Manchester United did, wisely stocking their central defensive and midfield positions respectively. Yet not all is as it appears.

Why Liverpool need Leighton Baines

So, the silly season has begun. The top six teams in the Barclays Premier League are all on the lookout for players and it will be an exciting summer trailing newspaper websites, newsnow and twitter in search for transfer updates. It is rumoured that Kenny Dalglish will look to acquire a left back already playing in Britain which brings Leighton Baines, Emilio Izaguirre and Jose Enrique into strong consideration. Liverpool need a starting left back and as Jonathan Wilson has discussed, full backs are key positions in the modern game:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2009/mar/25/the-question-full-backs-football

Media reporting in football

Ok, I'm not someone who is a fully paid up member of the Wayne Rooney fan club but I do realise that he is a quality footballer who has been around for a while now. I even thought that when he was bagging all those goals in the 2009/2010 season, he was not fulfilling his original promise as a creator and finisher. However, now he is being deployed in a deep-lying striker role, he's looking like a truly world class player. I completely appreciated his relaxed and amiable appearance on Talksport. Talksport has its critics but I miss Richard Keys and Andy Gray on Sky Sports so I'm glad they've got a spot on Talksport. Reproach me if you will but feelings aren't always logical. Just ask Andy. Even though I'm not a Sky Sports subscriber, I miss the fact that there previously was an option to see the duo whenever I popped round to the home of a friendly Sky customer. Nostalgia aside, when Wayne Rooney joined the duo for the last hour or so of their show, a solitary eyebrow was raised at his appearance. I thought, "What is Wayne doing? So soon after a Champions League final defeat? Sir Alex must know..." As I pondered the potential unsavoury consequences of such a decision, I realised that it was Keys and Gray. My mind stopped wondering.

Keep it simple

I'm a Liverpool supporter but I have always tried to be objective about the quality of other sides. I'm not completely neutral but taking an online definition (my Oxford dictionary is not currently at hand), neutral is defined in its adjective form as follows:

–adjective

1.

not taking part or giving assistance in a dispute or warbetween others: a neutral nation during world War II.

2.

not aligned with or supporting any side or position in acontroversy: The arbitrator was absolutely neutral.

3.

of or belonging to a neutral state or party: neutral territory.

I'm a football supporter and a passionate one at that. I am a Liverpool supporter but I'm a supporter of football first. I'm just going to write about whatever takes my fancy in football. Is there such thing as "the football neutral"? I don't think so but it will be interesting to find out...