Opposition View: A special Arsenal double!

For our last Opposition View before Christmas we have a bit of a treat for you. Michael had the privilege to speak to not one, but two Arsenal fans from Online Arsenal.

Peter Leeds answers will be in the usual white text, while Andy Gilfrin will be in blue!

Why and how long have you supported Arsenal?

Well, Since Birth in a way, as I was named after Peter Storey (and middle name Alan after Alan Ball!) Was born in 1972, but my earliest proper memory of being an Arsenal fan was losing the 78 FA Cup Final to Ipswich! Reason why, Well I was born and lived in the Highbury & Islington area for first 23 years of my life, and most of my Family were Arsenal Mad, so Family and location played its part.

Since 1979, I was 6 at the time and it was partly because we won the FA Cup that year. Although as I was 6 there were no doubt other reasons, liked the strip and lived a stones throw from the original home in Woolwich.

Arsenal had a very shaky start to the season but from the last 8 games you earned 22 points from a possible 24, a very impressive run to say the least! but my question is can this form be maintained into and beyond the new year?

I think we are well placed to stay on course for a top 4 finish again. We have Played Man Ure, Chavski and Scum Away already, and Loserpool at Home, and tomorrow we play Shitty Away too….thats a lot of tough games out the way already and its not even Xmas. So while I don’t think we will necessary maintain this unbeaten run, I do think the general form will continue and see us do OK.

Yes I think it can, while Wenger will rightly get the credit, all he has done is do what the fans have been asking for the club to do for the last 4 seasons. Purchase some experience in defence and midfield. Per Mertesacker has taken some stick from the fans but I think his experience has been vital at the back, as has Arteta in the middle, he’s not playing the sort of forward thinking role we expected but he has allowed Song and Ramsey to play a little further forward.

A couple of full backs should return from injury and Wilshere will add some need creativity.

Arsenal sold two of its best players in the summer with Fabregas going to Barca and Nasri heading to Man City, how much of an impact has this had on your team and how do you feel about their departures?

It had a large influence, but in some ways for the better. The Cesc situation was out of hand, every Summer was a struggle to keep him, and no-one blames him wanting to return to his Home club. But you cannot build anything upon a player that wants away, so better to let him go and then start again, and in Wilshire we have a Gunner through and through who could now really grow into that role.

Nasri (or as we now call him, The French lesbian) just went where the Money was, but again, he did that when he joined us anyway, so just another mercenary player….Gervinho could end up replacing him well enough if he could finish better!

I think it took a while to adjust, hence the terrible start. Cesc is one of those players who while at the club played so well that he was beyond criticism, now he has gone you can look back and realistically assess what he gave to the club. Ability wise he is one of the best players in the world, however I do think there are question marks over his temperament especially in light of him being captain. He was proud to be captain, but who wouldn’t be, they say he led by example but in all honesty when he went missing the team was rudderless, especially at the end of last season when we imploded.

As for Nasri, he had a very good 6 months spell at the start of last season, other than that he was like a lot of modern footballers. Plenty of ability but a lack of effort and a tendency to go missing, again at the end of last season.

Cesc will be missed by the fans and Arsenal are worse off with him gone, Nasri won’t be missed by the fans and I doubt he will be missed too much on the pitch either and that’s said having watched him for the last 3 years and not sour grapes.

Sami Nasri made some comments about the lack of passion from Arsenal fans since leaving Highbury, i find this strange since he never played there! what do you think of these comments?

Nonsense basically. Our Away fans are among the best in the land (but generally speaking, most clubs away support is more concentrated old school fans, more so than their home support) and anyone who was present against Barca, Man Ure, Chavski and the scum home games last season will see that its nonsense…..I accept the home support isn’t as good as it should be, but part of that is moving into a much larger stadium.

Yes very strange, he has half a point but I think there are a number of factors which make the new stadium less than ideal. Despite moans and groans on the “official” attendance figures we do sell out 90% of games so 60,000 people are at the ground for each game, many of those are not your traditional football supporter type. I personally have no issue with them but they don’t like to stand, don’t like to sing and much of the atmosphere is reduced. I also think the bowl shape means the fans in each section have less of an identity.

However, when you leave a club you need to do two things, thank the club you have left and say something nice about the one you have moved to. What you don’t do is slag off the club you just left and what you really don’t do is slag off the fans. I think on his recent trip back for the Carling Cup he got a taste of how good the fans were. Sometimes the atmosphere is sensational, for example when we played Barcelona last season, however Nasri won’t be able to see if it’s the same as that at Manchester City as they will be playing in the Europa League.

Robin Van Persie is in fine form at the moment and playing some of the best football of his career, but he has also put contract talks on hold till the end of the season! do you see this as a bad sign considering the rumours about Man City looking to sign him to replace Tevez?

See this as a massive worry, but I get the feeling that He is just strengthening his negotiating position rather than seeking a move.

I have always given Robin Van Persie a little more credit, it’s 50/50 on whether he stays or goes but I have a suspicion that he will stay. That will depend on us getting in a few star names or bug talents and I think the club genuinely want to do that. I just don’t think he is the sort to go to City, Real or Barcelona maybe.

Is it a bad sign, well I think he want’s to see what the club does in the two transfer windows and I wouldn’t begrudge him that.

Arsenal have drawn AC Milan in the last 16 of the Champions League, how do you think this will play out and how far can you go in the competition this season?

We have an excellent record against Italian teams in the KO stages of CL and the European Cup going back to the 70′s…Think we will scrape through. We will go as far as the Draw keeps us away from Real and Barca!

We have a brilliant record against Italian clubs and while Milan have improved since we knocked them out a few seasons ago I think we have improved also. As for how far we will go, who knows as it depends on the draw, although people seem to constantly forget we were the only team to beat Barcelona in the champions league last season so I would give us a punchers chance which I wouldn’t give to most clubs.

Arsene Wenger has come in for some stick for his apparent unwillingness to spend in the transfer market, this along with the lack of trophies in recent seasons has seen some call for him to step down or be replaced, what are your thoughts on this?

My feet are firmly in the ‘Arsene Knows’ camp. While I can see we are trophy-less for 6 seasons, I can also see that we have been competing while hampered by a financial structure that the other big clubs have not. I’m sure if any of them had spent (net) as little as AW, they would be in the same boat.

I’m on the fence to be honest and I’m also a realistic football fan. We simply cannot compete with the likes of City and Chelsea in the transfer market, I doubt many others could have achieved what Wenger has on the budget he has spent over the last 5 years. We have had 14 straight years in the Champions League which most fans wet their knickers over just for a half chance of playing in.

But I’m also of the opinion that we wouldn’t disappear without a trace if Wenger left. It’s a results business and at the moment Arsenal are still in the hunt, if we dropped out of the top 4 for a season or two then it might be time to call it a day.

Either way Wenger and the team get my and the fans backing all the way. The club has a little more class than most teams and that extends to the fans.

Mikel Arteta signed in the Summer from Everton and i think Arsenal got a great deal as long as he stays fit, how has he settled in at Arsenal?

Think he is very Gilberto like….very understated, very much doing the small cog role, but its that small cog that keeps things moving. He has fitted in very well, and gives space to other players to use well. Also has a knack for making the right passes at the right time that while maybe are not the defence splitting assist making passes, they are intelligent passes that take the pressure off and find players in space all the time. Some players when harried lay the ball off to another player who is also under pressure, but He seems to be able to always find the right ball (be it a simple pass or a long ball) that maintains easy possession.

Personally I think he has been brilliant. He has clearly been asked to do a job and he has the maturity to get on with it. I think he has been central to the run we have been on, not the star man getting the goals or delivering the killer pass but provides the foundation for those things to happen.

Aston Villa are fighting to balance wage v revenue and still remain competitive and many Villa Fans are unhappy with the Chairmans reluctance to spend the vast sums required to break into the now top 6, what do you think about Randy Lerner’s current approach to Aston Villa?

I don’t really know enough about the financial situation at Villa, but I have supported the Arsenal Boards stance on not over reaching while paying off the new stadium debt. As Leeds found out, it only takes 2 bad seasons and unprotected debts can suddenly sink your club. If that’s why the Villa Board are being cautious then it comes down to security over risk and would you rather reach for the stars and take the chance of either hitting the highs earlier, but run a quite significant risk of really hitting a massive low as well, or to play safer and slowly build?

As an outsider it’s difficult to tell, but from what I can see he backed O’Neil with plenty of money in the past and is entitled to expect the current manager to get on with it. You have lost a few players over the last couple of years but I think long term stability is preferable to throwing it away for short term glory.

What are your feelings about Aston Villa and our fans?

Been Villa Park a couple of times, it is my Favorite away ground. Had a lot of good Banter with Villa Fans in Lord Nelson Pub on Holloway Rd. a few seasons ago (when it was Away Fan Friendly, now Home only)

Feel Villa as a club are a traditional Top flight club, bit hard to imagine a Premiership without them as in my lifetime they always seem to have been in the top flight.

Villa are one of those clubs, like Arsenal and Everton who have a fair amount of class and history. They seem like a well run club and apart form the Manager I wouldn’t have a bad word to say about them. As for the fans they have always seemed excellent when they have visited, my season ticket seat is just next to the away section so you get a decent impression of the fans, Villa are up there in terms of the best in the premiership.

What do you think Villa can accomplish both this season and in the next few years?

Feel this season Villa will be Mid table and fall slightly short of Euro places. As for the future, feel this could continue to be the case unless some significant signings are made, Bent was a great signing, few more of those would help.

With McLeish in charge, not a lot as I really don’t rate him. But Villa are a big club and I think with a little ambition when picking the next manager the have the ability to go places. But with Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United all willing to spend the money I really fear for the likes of Villa, Europa league is about the best most teams can hope for these days and that is a poison chalice as it destroys your chances next season with a reward not large enough to fix the damage.

And finally, Match predictions?

With all respect, Feel Arsenal will be a little too strong….even with our make shift defence we are grinding out results right now. Predict 2-0 to Arsenal.

Depends how we do against City, if we can avoid a serious beating then confidence won’t be badly damaged. I actually think we will do well against City so I expect Arsenal to win 2-0. Sorry to say it but Villa Park isn’t the place that causes you to worry the way it did 2-3 years ago.
 

Interview by Michael Steede.