AKB: the deluded railroading of debate

I wrote briefly on the 'AKB' tag the other day and this was largely inspired by some pretty slack jawed stuff that had been trotted out elsewhere in recent weeks. There were a number of excellent and eloquent responses from readers, certainly others who had been as angered as myself at the way in which some lazily trot out the 'AKB' tag in order to avoid ever listening to the opinions of others or thinking with their grey cells. This response summed it all up well:

"I am afraid that these 'empty vessels' who pamper to the vocal minority in search of greater visibility, will inevitably drown the voices of those among us who care for the club and wish to contribute with constructive argument and debate."

Quite right. Strangely the whole issue was neatly summarised when someone who seems to be unable to say anything without using the AKB tag emerged from the pond to try to explain his 'logic', if one can call it that. According to this intellectual powerhouse all Arsenal fans must divide themselves up into two camps, we must either be AKBs and think Arsene is a supernatural deity or be utterly opposed to these silly AKBs, thus want Arsene sacked and the playing squad completely dismantled.

Apparently it is courageous to 'make a stand' like this and call for the manager's head in the most vitriolic, angry and disrespectful of manners. Anyone who doesn't agree with sacking Arsene is then written off as a 'fence sitter' who is catalysing the process of stagnation at the club, what flawless logic.

The saddest thing about all this is that a small minority of Arsenal 'fans' is trying to divide and conquer, they are creating a rift in order to further their own rather polarised 'beliefs'. The greatest irony of all this is the way in which the AKB tag was coined, it was created by this vocal minority as they simply couldn't be bothered to engage with their fellow supporters, they just lazily and arrogantly wrote off a large section of their fellow support without even bothering to listen to their views. It was not something to be proud of.

The world is not black and white, we are not all either communists or fascists, this polarised view of events is neither helpful, intelligent or productive. In fact forcing people into two camps at opposite ends of the spectrum is immensely counter productive, and those who do the forcing have shown their true colours, their arguments on their own do not cut the mustard, so they have fallen back to bullying others into their way of 'thinking' or not 'thinking' as the case may be.

In conclusion this piece is not intended to divide, its intention is to draw attention to the unacceptable way in which a small angry vocal minority is treating its fellow Arsenal supporters. If you don't agree with someone, why not listen to their point of view, discuss things and then you can always agree to disagree like adults. It is not big or clever to polarise the debate, tag people with an oversimplified label and then just try to force your opinion down their throats while holding your fingers in your ears whenever they dare express their own opinion.

Mediocre Manu humbled and pathetic AKB piffle

It was the better result for football in the end, the better footballing side convincingly dispatched their opponents, a justice of sorts on the football field. It was even strange to see Barca play with some integrity, there wasn't anything like the same level of gamesmanship that we have seen in recent games.

It seemed to me that Ferguson blundered with his team selection. Although United started well for the first ten minutes or so, the absence of Nani baffled, Carrick and Giggs were rather anonymous in the middle of the park. If it wasn't for some excellent last ditch defending and goalkeeping then it could have been far more than the three goals conceded, the goal Manu scored was also a clear yard offside. Valencia should also have been sent off, guilty of four particularly crude or cynical tackles, in the end he escaped with just the one yellow.

Still however United had approached the game they probably would have lost, they simply aren't that great a side, they are deeply average in many areas of their side, particularly in the centre of their midfield. Barca played some great stuff, Messi was electric, Xavi and Iniesta instrumental, but for me it was their phenomenal work rate and fitness that stood out. Their work ethic and pressing game takes some commitment. They also produce in game in game out, it is pretty damn rare that this Barca side fails to turn up.

Some of the current Arsenal squad need to take a long hard look at themselves in the mirror, they should look at the work rate and effort that Barca players put in week in week out and realise that no matter of one's name, reputation or ego, it is simply not good enough to only turn up to games sporadically and expect to win the easier fixtures without trying hard. Song has openly spoken of this issue and well done to him for having the courage to do this. Everyone in our squad needs to work harder, even certain big names who some seem to think are immune from all criticism.

Finally onto a lot of rather lazy and unconstructive stuff that has been put out there in the last few days. It is not often that I single out a site for criticism but in this case I make an exception, the OnlineGooner has covered itself in turd of late. It started with this 'Dear AKB' post, it summed up so much that is wrong in the way that some idiots reason and rationalise the 'debate'. The AKB tag is a useless and stupid term that serves no productive purpose, it is used lazily by morons to polarise the debate so that they don't have to listen to the opinion of others and therefore have a proper debate. The 'with us or against us' argument is nonsensical and dumb, seeing Arsene Wenger has a God or an idiot is just plain foolish, the truth is somewhere in the middle, so labelling people as one extreme or the other is unconstructive, stupid and patronising in the extreme.

The OnlineGooner has followed up its weak AKB piece with another limp effort, this time it's apparently a tongue in cheek effort to mock those silly AKBs (note sarcasm here). The fact that a lot of people didn't realise it was meant to be 'funny' says it all really, it isn't funny, it's just a sad attempt to polarise the debate and insult anyone who dares disagree with your opinion, rather than bothering to listen and engage in a reasonable debate. The author 'Raskolnikov Enahoro' seems to think he knows it all, he wants Arsene sacked, he has openly stated how useless he thinks Arsene is and he has made it clear that he is unwilling to listen to anyone who would dare disagree with his mighty opinion.

Anyways I'm rambling, the point I'm trying to make in a rather laboured fashion is that the 'AKB' tag is completely useless and invariably used by rather aggressive reactionaries who have nothing constructive or productive to say. It is amusing that these reactionaries are so often incapable of suggesting any realistic managerial replacements for Arsene, they are all too happy to list players we should sign, however when they sign for someone else and turn out to be utter turnips then this is completely forgotten. Arsene deserves criticism, I'm not saying otherwise, but it should be reasonable, proportional and fair, and certainly a lot of dross written slagging him off in a rather disrespectful and vitriolic manner deserves nothing more than a wastepaper bin. Generally if you have to use the 'AKB' tag to make a point then your argument is probably about as solid as Ryan Giggs' superinjunction.

Night of the gruesome twosome and other news

Well the hype surrounding tonight's Champions League final has been going full blast for hours now and I have a certain feeling nagging inside me concerning the injustice dished out to us by Barcelona and their referee in that tightly contested tie earlier on this season. We were robbed, although I feel Arsene got his tactics wrong in the second leg, Rosicky was poor and Arshavin should have started, some of the refereeing decisions were completely incomprehensible, especially the RVP sending off. In fact since that red card I have noticed even more that players shoot as RVP did, after the whistle had gone, rather routinely and never get punished for it.

Still, although Barca are a bunch of cheating, diving, arrogant tosspots, it is hard to even come close to backing the side that comes from the grim hole in the north, Manchester. They have so many unpleasant malignant sorts in their team and their manager is the most deplorable of the lot. They are also a distinctly average side, the fact that we so comprehensively outplayed them as we beat them 1-0 at the Emirates showed this. Their fans are also such obnoxious arrogant numpties in the most part. The fact is that Manchester United have got a great record of winning things when they haven't been that great a side, beating Munich in that final a few years back was the best example of this, distinctly second best for the whole game, one of the most undeserved triumphs in footballing history in most objective people's book.

The role that Ferguson's bullying and intimidation of officials plays cannot be underestimated in my opinion. His comments earlier this season relating to Martin Atkinson's impartiality summed this up. The strangest thing was then that Atkinson didn't get given any more Manchester United games for the rest of the season. The Italian refereeing scandal of a few years back got a lot of attentions and resulted in huge punishments for the clubs concerned, yet in England the way in which officials are given certain games is still conducted in the most hidden and subjective of manners. To me it looks like there is far too much room for manipulation here, in the context of Manchester United's narrow title success, small changes from this kind of systemic manipulation may be rather key in their success. Anyway tonight it's a hard choice for me, and frankly I won't lose any sleep over it either way. If I had to lean either way it would be towards Barca simply because they are far better in footballing terms than this distinctly average United side.

Transfer wise I refuse to get too excited about all the gossip, we have been linked with dozens of players already and most of it will turn out to be utter horseshite, let's just wait until deals are done and then make comment. The most important thing for me is getting rid of those who have not performed and who are not 100% committed, whoever they may be, big name or otherwise. Almunia, Squillaci, Denilson, Vela are just a few of the names we could do without, while they are certain young players who are clearly not going to cut it at the highest level. Good to see Aaron Ramsey confirm his recovery with a cracker for Wales last night. The goings on at FIFA are also rather welcome, let's just hope this can be the beginning of some real change for the better.

Family man Giggs lets photo do the talking

Alex Ferguson: a disgrace of a human being

I challenge even the biggest Manchester United supporter to defend the above. One has to give credit where credit is due and no one can doubt Fergsuson's incredibly achievements and record as United manager.

However as a human he is not someone I have much respect for and his behaviour above is a perfect example of what a deeply unpleasant character the man is. He is a cowardly bully, a man who has consistently and routinely used his position and power to force his own way on others. He is not a man who listens to others, he is not a man who can be reasoned with, he is a man who no other way than to aggressively force his way on everyone else.

The journalist was merely asking a question and Ferguson couldn't handle that. He had to react by vindictively trying to ban the journalist from future press conferences, truly the cowards way out. This is the latest in a long line of incidents in which Ferguson has been caught trying to bully the media. Shame on him. He will always be remembered as a great manager, but also as a malignant bullying thug.

Disastrous end complete and a tribute to Blackpool

So I think I can say that our end to the season has been an unmitigated disaster, there have been so few good performances, so many average ones, so many defensive errors and so many poor shows, it is not a surprise that we have picked up only two wins from twelve, a truly terrible record by anyone's standards. Our points total of 68 points puts us on a par with 2005-6 (67) and 2006-7 (68) and it does show that no progress has been made. I won't bore with you my deranged ramblings about where these changes should come, I will save that for a later day, but what has been abundantly obvious in recent weeks is that significant changes in terms of both personnel and thinking are required.

The big talking points from today will not be the football. The absence of our club captain will be hyped up by some and played down by others, but I cannot help but feel that despite being injured, he would have shown more commitment by travelling with the squad to the game at Fulham. Maybe I am on my own with this one, but I feel we would be better off without Cesc if he is not completely committed to the club. The absence of Song was also slightly baffling, Bendtner's failure to make the bench may also be a hint of what is to come.

I would say congratulations to Manu if they were an outstanding side and their squad wasn't riddled with such filthy human specimens, but as things stand they are one of the most mediocre league champions I have seen in my lifetime. Chelsea have gone backwards too, the only team that has made progress is City and it's not hard when you have millions to blow, this is no reference to Imogen Thomas and Ryan Giggs, I would like to make that 100% clear.

Blackpool have been a breath of fresh air in the Premiership all season long. Their work ethic, commitment and team play is quite something, the fact that they have played such lovely football in the process makes things even more remarkable, their manager is also a legend, his unique brand of humour and dignity in defeat have been a credit to both him and his club. I was truly sad to see them relegated today, they put up a typically brave fight at Old Trafford, in the end they just didn't quite have enough in their locker but they played some scintillating football in the process, their second goal was a great example of their lovely passing game. Bravo Blackpool and Ian Holloway, my manager and team of the season.

If you haven't got anything good to say then don't say anything, so when I move on to Birmingham City FC and their relegation, I will leave it there, the championship awaits.

Denilson off, more dead wood must follow

So the deeply average Denilson, frankly I can't be arsed with his full Brazilian name, is to leave us and shock horror, he is not going to be joining Chelsea or Manchester United. He has spoken to the Sun and said a few rather silly things, he has also shown us that he is verging on the delusional.

Apparently Denilson is a 'winner' in his own words, how he has worked this out is not mentioned, several years distinctly average displays do not a winner make in my opinion. He is not useless, I do not intend to insult the lad, the problem is that he is simply not that good at anything. He is not very quick, he is poor in the air, he is very weak defensively, lethargic even, his passing is ok, his long range shot is decent, he is no dribbler. He just hasn't developed as many of us would have hoped, putting in bluntly Denilson just isn't good enough for Arsenal Football Club.

Chelsea and Manchester United, and even Spurs, would not want to touch Denilson with a proverbial barge pole, he is just not up to it and this has been clear for some time. The final straw appeared to be his half time withdrawal away at West Brom, but the signs had been there long before that, many of us wanted him shipped out well before that. There is no doubt that after 153 appearances for us he should be doing a lot more in games, he is consistently a weak link, opposition players walk past him as if he wasn't there, defending and attacking are not his strengths.

I hope this is the start of a proper spring clean at the club. There are several other players at the club who need to be sent packing. The whole squad need a kick up the arse, the complacency that we have seen at times this season needs to be stamped out ruthlessly and clearing the dead wood is a great way to start this process off. Farewell Denilson, I wish you well wherever you end up but fear that you will drift down the food chain from here, because frankly you aren't really that good.