Winning Is Everything: The Curse Of Success…


Is Winning A Curse?

Last night I dug out an Arsenal DVD and watched with immense pleasure – it was a nostalgic experience. Winning the league at White Hart Lane, going through a Premiership season unbeaten and witnessing some of the best football I have ever seen.

But this of course was only 2 years ago.

As I watched the title celebrations we would see Vieira, Campbell, Bergkamp, Pires, Cole, Reyes, Parlour, Kanu and the other players who have left (and will soon depart) and you can see that as long as your winning there are no problems.

When things are great, everything is perfect.

But unless you can keep up this level of success then you will find cracks appearing. How the hell can you top an unbeaten Premiership season?

And it only took one season of not winning the league for the real personalities of our players to come through.

Cole went and talked to Chelski, Vieira ‘didn’t feel loved anymore’, Reyes got hoaxed by a Spanish Radio Station and Pires wanted a two-year deal but didn’t get one.

Even Henry needed a season to decide whether his future was with Arsenal.

But now Arsene has assembled a new squad with young, hungry players that have something to prove and will want to build on the success in the Champions League.

Cesc looks like he has improved on last season, Hleb & Adebayor will be better for having a season under their belts, Rosicky will add to our team and Titi will have a clearer mind now he has committed his future with Arsenal.

Manchester United have suffered after their success in the 90’s and Liverpool finally look like top-level contenders after dominating the 80’s. Chelski are having the best of it at the moment but let’s hope that Arsenal don’t wait ten years before getting back on top!

I wonder if Chelsea will see any cracks appearing this season…

 

12 thoughts on “Winning Is Everything: The Curse Of Success…

  1. good article, its like a fresh beggining completely this year , new stadium , new shirt numbers and a young hungry team…

     
  2. strangely i dont think chelsea will win the league.

    i mind in 2000/01 utd won the league by 18 points then spent near £40m on 2 players. everyone thought it was a waste of time, one horse race…

    winning the title 3 yrs in a row is mentally difficult, hard to get as motivated/hungary as u were

    liverpool actually have an excellent squad, there my tip this yr
    tho arsenal arent far behind tho r depending to much on the youth, but they could surprise me
    man utd will sign hargreaves & r only lacking a forward tho rossi could blossim

    shevvy & ballack r just big names with big price tags, good, but are getting on a bit. i dont fear them as much as everyone seems to, & if they play with 2 up front their defense will be more exposed…drogba wont sit on the bench without causing a stink.

    arsenal should be able to win 9/10 of their first games which should give them confidence, & hopefully not let chelsea run away with it from the start like last season

     
  3. I think that’s partly why the nucleus of that squad has been disbanded, the hunger kind of went in 04/05 and we looked happy with second place, much like United today. But I really think we’re taking long term steps to usurp Chelski again. I only hope that they get ‘Brazil’ syndrome. i.e that everyone is telling them they’re gonna sweep the board so they get too arrogant to prepare properly (Brazil played one WC warm up game against a club side).

     
  4. Cashley Cole’s days are numbered… Just heard from a valuable source at Arsenal HQ that an offer has been accepted from Real of £21.5M. This will come as a big shock to Mr Reyes who believedd Real’s big wigs were in town to thrash out a deal for him. Also two new players on the way by the end of the month, but no names as yet.

     
  5. if I had a pound for every time I read a valuable source’s dead cert i’d be sunning myself on the cote d’azur right now. truth is most of them are bullsh*t. I read today that Madrid wont pay ‘a euro more’ than what they have offered. sounds familiar. perhaps Dein should get down off his high horse and stop over valuing all our players. Let reyes go, I cant stand the thought of having some unhappy spaniard on our books all season. he was bad enough when he was happy. same goes for Cole, just flog him.
    cant see cole going abroad though. hasn’t he just bought a house in London with tweedy? surely he has to want to sign with madrid – its not all about us deciding to flog him to them.

     
  6. ally the monkey, r u sure this is correct, has this ‘source’ ever been wrong before??

    i would actually be happy with this (£21.5GBP?)

     
  7. Cracks already at Chelski and more to follow. Roman dictating what players come to the club (Sheva and Ballack) Players wanting to leave (Duff, Gallas) ego clashes with Lamps and Ballack over positon in team, penalty taker etc. Team balance wrong. Jose M’s last season at the club if they win/buy champs league or not. ha ha ha ha ha ha ha :’O)

     
  8. Very reliable source regarding Ca$hley Cole £21.5M Transfer to REAL, My Sisters friend works in the PR department at the Emirates. Soon as I hear more I will let you guys Know!

    Monkey Signing Off!!

     
  9. Just read Real presidents attempts at putting pressure on the Arsenal to seal Reyes.

    “Reyes will only come if Arsenal agree to our terms,” he told Real`s official website, http://www.realmadrid.com. “I’m not going to pay one euro (more). I’m sorry for the kid if the deal doesn’t go through, but we don’t have any agreement to sign Reyes. Arsenal have the last word.”

    Damn straight we have the last word. You pay his worth or piss of and tell the rag of a paper you use to unsettle players to piss right off too. Tosser.

     
  10. i hope reyes stays cos we have no experienced alternative for rosicky, cole is def going but im not concerned as we have a lot of players that can play there – i’ll be glad to get the £20m.

    i also think that ghanian boy is the perfect choice, a world cup player who will settle for being 4th choice – no point spending £10m+ on a def who will hamper the progress of djourou & we still have cygan there who isnt really all that bad!

    our squad depth isnt as experienced as chelsea or liverpool, but that doesnt mean that when called upon they wont be as good if not better. eboue is the perfect example, a no-name youngster used to cover the injured lauren – now lauren may not get back in the squad!!

    we havent bought this or that – there is no point buying big names just cos there big names. chelsea buy ballack & shevvy, everybody shits themselves, they have at most 2 seasons left in them & i question their hunger

    we bought merida & walcott – almost sure to be world superstars with 15 yrs in them.

    come the end of the season i bet were all talking about other great prospects

    i have complete trust in AW, why would anybody not??

     

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