Arsenal F.C. : Sustainable Development v/s Self Sufficiency

Morning all

The past few days have been as crazy as it gets if not crazier then when Cesc left. And with Robin coming out and saying if club is not fulfilling his ambition the nit is not going in the right direction. Quite a joke ain't it? Now with Robin coming out and saying such things gave a perfectly good opportunity to AU's Red and White to join him and saying all sorts of things and more. What has followed is just a real aftermath. I am a regular contributor to comments column of many of blogs, and what I have noticed is resurgence of the people who loves Arsenal F.C. and all they want is for us to win trophy. This trophy/ies need to be won by hook or crook. It doesn't matter what may be the aftermath of that trophy but we want a trophy. And why not? Trophies give bragging rights to fans. They let us feel proud etc. etc. 

What they think is one of the major reasons we have not won a major trophy or any trophy for that matter is our 'Self-Sufficiency' or 'self sustainable' model. For them first what is Self Sufficiency?

"Self Sufficiency is the state of not requiring any aid, support, or interaction, for survival; it is therefore a type of personal or collective autonomy".(Wikipedia).

For me it is What I earn is, what I spend. I don't care what others do. What they eat. What I care is I survive without the help of others.

Now, what is 'Self Sustainable'? 

A system is self-sustaining if it can maintain itself by independent effort. The system self-sustainability is:

1.  the degree at which the system can sustain itself without external support

2.  the fraction of time in which the system is self-sustaining(Wikipedia)

Self sustaining model is a model where we build based on our Earnings. In that case before spending we look at our expenses. Here, we tend to forget our potential earnings. What we could earn if we do get that extra bit of help from outside.

But such Self sustaining model can be disastrous if some unforeseen event strikes. Say in case of our club we miss out on CL and there by wiping off of huge chunk of our revenue. Now, in such a case we would have to start figuring out what could be our solution. That is where a Self sustaining model fails or gives you hiccups. It always scares you with 'What-if'.

The best solution to Self sustaining model is 'Sustainable development' model. A Sustainable development is just a little bit of modification of Self Sustaining model. It is a model wherethe ability to meet the needs of the present while contributing to the future generations(Wikipedia). 

But while fulfilling present needs in order to have a better future for next generations, sometimes present generation has to curb the consumption or sacrifice some of the present ambitions. This what Arsenal F.C. follows. Not just Self Sustaining model but Sustainable developing model. We are preparing for contingencies. We are through our youth and academy preparing for better future. The club's philosophy will ensure that there is future for Arsenal F.C. Even if Oil wells dry up or industrial development hits rock bottom, owners die, or even earth quake hit, we would survive, we would be there. 

But the real question for most of fans is 'Does just being there is enough?'

Arsene Wenger--The Road Not Taken

Hey,


Season is over. We came third. Better then last season. We are in CL and the usual summer starts. Will he, won't he.  It is like waiting for Harry Potter novel. Will he kill Voldemort or the chosen one will be killed. Publicity. Expectations. And we welcome Summer of 2012 with the same fragrance in the air.


To summarize everything:


Robin is not going to sign contract.
Juventus is chasing Robin.
Real are chasing Robin.
Manchester City are ready to bid for Robin.
Yann M'Villa is coming to Arsenal.
Chelsea to bid for Theo.
Manchester United want Robin.
Chelsea want Robin.
Juventus are out of race to sign RvP.
Yann M'Vila to decide his future after Euroes.


These all sound so fanatic, perspiring, tiring and above all boring. Every one wants to sell. Every one wants people to click on their sites. Every one wants to get comments but no one wants to be original. So every day we hear the same.


Today when I was visiting some blog and during that read few comments. That said Arsene this, Arsene that. Well, he is so much more than this or that. And I wondered to my self what will he be thinking about him and I remembered poem by one of my favorites, Robert Frost. The poem was 'The Road not taken'.


It went some thing like this:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

  I took the one less traveled by,

   And that has made all the difference.

May be every time Arsene might be looking at his trophy cabinet and say fuck all, why he cares so much about a club that I had to build them a new stadium, a grand stadium. A stadium where instead of just 20,000 fans booing him 60,000 boos him. And forget that, once he did that then he should have gone back and spent some money and then some more and some more to a level that club might need a Messiah to save it.


Why the fuck did he take a road less traveled and decided to give fans and world a new spectacle. Why did he decide to get some young chaps instead of old war horses. Why? Well, may be so they could stab him in the back? Hleb did it, Flamini did it and he thought they were just ignorant brats and others love and believe in him as much as he does in them. So he should stick to his policies. But these arrogant brats were still not done. Out came Adebayor and he was followed by Samir Nasri and Cesc the Fab.


But even after being broken, humiliated by his own fans, supporters and  half the England, the man still walks tall. He's bruised, wounded, tired but he's not beaten.He still works hardest. He still is a man with honor and dignity. He takes what fans give him, world give him and moves on. And over the period of time this man has come to become what legends are made of. 


All I hope is the warrior in him roars back and shows the world however difficult an untrodden way might be its the way of believers, its the way of warriors, its the way of people who don't give up, its the way of courage and in the end that way takes you to your destination.


Till next time..

The Enigma called Arshavin and Wenger for France or England?

Morning Gooners.

It has been a good weekend for all of us. Putting seven past Blackburn after not managing a single goal against Bolton was fantastic. Finally, I decided I want to watch the game, even though it may meant  i might have one more miserable weekend, but then Saturday was a festive season and we made it. The difference was finishing. We were clinical in front of goal and it showed on the score sheet. The plaudits went to RvP and the new kid on the block. Alex the 'Ox' Chamberlain. The kid was fantastic. He had pace, touch and skill to pass short and switch flank when we needed. And he deservedly scored 2goals.  He showed composure in front of goal that our bloody skillful Ivorian missed in the first half of the season. For all his trickery, pace and getting behind the defense things, he could not finish even if every fans' life depended on it. And that is what the 'Ox' has done at least in this game. 

But in the midst of all we forgot a player that played Left flank for us and that was Arshavin. Now Wenger said 'I love Arshavin and won't sell him.' So do I. I love Arshavin. I love when he has hunger to play. I love when he's head in the game. Arshavin is a genius. He can produce truly magical moments. Moments we can't and wouldn't forget ever. The four goals at Anfield will always be filmed in my memory. But then what has happened to him in past 1 n a half year? Well, he is enigma, ain't he? He seems to have the same problem that every genius has or ever had.
1. Arrogance
2. Laziness and
3. Most important he is not able to believe he has lost some of his major attributes.
Arshavin when came was bloody quick. Bloody bloody quick. But now he's getting old and over last year or so he has lost a yard or one and half yard of pace. Now, if you see him play you'll feel he still has the same pace. And he still has got that pace that helped him being direct and get through defenders. And that's where he is suffering.

The other important thing is while buying Wenger always says that he'll buy a certain player at a certain price only when that player adds value to the squad. Doesn't that apply to the current squad players? If you have player that adds nothing to the squad then wouldn't it be wise to cash them and get some one who would add some value to the squad? This defies logic. Doesn't it?  The only reason I can think of is he's a left winger and an Attacking mid. If in some condition we have to turn to 4-4-1-1 then he is the best option we have. Other than that he's being in the squad defies every logic.

Now, there was a rumor that France is looking at Arsene to take over after Euro. Wouldn't every one love that? But I'd rather see him managing England. He can teach them technical aspects of the game that no manger seems to be able to teach. What do you say?

Well then till next week...

Welcome back A,B,C..and Bye bye Villa..

Morning Gooners,

Finally, finally finally..we managed to win a game. And what a game that was. I will be honest with you, I stopped watching our games after Swansea game. My GF broke my heart once but Arsenal broke it 3 week in a row. And I wasn't up for another time cause I really didn't know what to expect. But as it turned out it was an epic epic epic match. This is what cups are about. This is what knockouts are meant to be. I saw the game afterwards in highlights and men oh men it was like i was on cloud9.

There have been all the match reports and I'd not do one. I'd just shed light on some of the points that many have missed. Yes, it was great to see Bac back, but what we missed was seeing Gibbs in the background. He was watching on nervously. Yes, he was not on the bench but, he was there among players and dug out can very well say, he might be back soon as well and lets hope he doesn't get injured again before our Samba boy returns. Man, I miss watching Santos on the field. That huffing and puffing just 10mins into the game. Those scary tackles and some what dodgy and shaky defending. But as soon as ball is at his feet, he looks like Matt Bomer in 'White Collar' not as handsome but just as skillful. More often than not I have seen that even if he's crowded by 3 opposition players, he'll be able to find the fellow team mate something that even best of our players haven't been able to do. Here it is to wish him quick recovery and for us to many flair games from him.

This season has been the season when some of our players have just come of age. One of them is Laurent Koscilney. Now when I saw him winning the penalty this game, it reminded me that he could have won us 2-3more if not refs were not blind. Remember when he struck the hand of Micah Richards? or Again in I guess against Fulham? Can be a very good contribution from a CB. He for me has been the Arsenal Player of the Season. I know every one will jump up and say its RvP, but I am one of those who love defenders who could tackle, head and intercept just as well. And he is bloody wall in our defense. What strikes me the most about him is his right leg. I swear many times I feel that he doesn't have any bone in that leg. And all this at what 20K a week. I guess last year I had read that he would earn something around 30K a week after bonuses. What a bargain!!! And what Chavs pay Cahill 120K a week?

Now tomorrow we're up against Trotters. I am very much hopeful with all of Le Coq, Bac and Arteta(Man, we missed him so much) back and fit. I think we should win this one. Here's to another victory. Oh, and my Blog on FFP will be next week. I hope to have enough time to write that. Till next week...