Crisis, SAD, and Campbell to go on free?

By Boris Mellor
November 6 2004

Suddenly a team that has the best start ever to Premiership season has become a basket case. Also the old story that Campbell will walk at the end of the season is being re run. Meanwhile Henry the Premiership's leading scorer is also under attack, they don't like his goal celebrations.

Until the game with Man U the Arsenal had the record for the best start ever for a Premiership season (well they still have until it is beaten), but the loss of one match and a draw is allegedly the sign of a crisis. The attempt at creating a crisis is never ending - with Sky Sport News running rumour that Sol will walk.(No doubt agent talk, to squeeze more money, to be taken with a pinch of salt)

As Arsene puts it this is surreal - a team that in the last three seasons has gone twice unbeaten away and a whole season and more unbeaten becomes crap on the basis of one defeat. And that was not even a poor performance, nor was Southampton a poor performance, true they should have won, but two errors at dead balls saw victory slip away.

There are also those who are trying to knock Henry, apparently he is also crap, this is the player that won the European Golden Shoe and the Golden Boot last season. He is the leading scorer in the Premiership this season, and scored in his last two European outings. But no he is crap - it is disgraceful.

This rubbish is not football analysis it is the rabid rantings of those who  have sold their souls for a slight edge in the circulation war. Their rantings will have been used as cat litter, and long rotted to dust when Henry and Arsenal are still remembered  in the hall of fame.

That doesn't mean that we cant have some serious analysis of what is happening to the team.

But lets remember, first and foremost, that form is temporary, class is permanent, however whenever Arsenal take a dip in form it is in late October-early November. Is Arsenal suffering from SAD (Seasonal Adjustment Disorder) Arsene has said that the team has dropped in physical stamina. Paddy said on Sky tonight that they were aware that they often dropped in November, last season was the only one when we didnt have a slump in November.

As Arsene works so hard at the fitness level of players why does this drop in stamina occur at this time. Arsene and Paddy have raised the issue but neither have hinted at the solution.

It may be that it is beyond Wenger's control, we have more players involved in the International weeks that lead up to November than any other team. Some of them travel the furthest distances, jet lag, missed training and too many matches take their toll. Many of our players have picked up injuries in the summer that are niggling on into November. It may be that our players are suffering a delayed reaction to the International programme and Euro 2004.

Whatever the cause they will recover and get back to winning, besides you can't win every game, no team has ever won every game in a season, or a striker scored a goal in every match. It just can't be done, no team or striker ever has done it at the top level - so why single Arsenal out for the treatment.

How about a bit of respect of for the Arsenal team and their achievements. But that wouldn't sell newspapers would it cat litter men? But Arsene is not fickle lkie the cat litter men, he will stick to his principles, they haven't got any - thats why they are tomorrows chip paper. it is far too early to decide who will win the Premiership, at Xmas last year Man U were 4 points clear and we remember how that ended.