WELCOME to Thursday, it is a BIG day for The Arsenal, but before we jump into partido de futbol, let’s talk about CORPORATE table banging e-mails, because you KNOW I love to nerd out about business.
Peloton has been the darling stock of the pandemic. If you don’t know about the company, they basically took the idea of community, excercise, tech connectedness… and combined it into a suite of exercise tools for rich people.
Genius.
The product they created was sexy, it had massive margins, the brand they built reeked of eliteness, and the instructors they use to guide your fat arse through a spin class were sexy (and rich, earning $500k a year).
Well, turned out that the good vibes and the mega stock valuations were all a bit of a mirage. Their CEO had run them into the ground. He wasn’t paying attention to the financials, he ignored safety issues involving pets and children, they fucked up their inventory, and they didn’t prepare for a post-pandemic world.
Their CEO is OUT of the door this week and they’ve put in a new guy who is like CFO royalty in the tech industry.
Are we keeping up with this boring run of events?
So the new guy penned an e-mail to the his new team and I thought the parallels to where Arsenal are were very pertinent. Take a read of the e-mail below.
New Peloton CEO emails employees
February 8, 2022 pic.twitter.com/qnwoSQUgjK
— Internal Tech Emails (@TechEmails) February 10, 2022
Similarities:
- Peloton has an incredible brand and devoted followers (2.8m members)
- Arsenal, as Arteta said yesterday is MASSIVE. Fan loyalty is a good base to start from.
- The Peloton brand had overreached trying to achieve dominance with a leader everyone knew wasn’t up to the task
- Arsenal fans believed in Wenger and assumed money in his hands would take us back to the top, instead, it started the ball rolling for decline
- We then let a bad leader take us to hell in a job he wasn’t qualified for
- Peloton had NOT been honest about its place in the world
- Arsenal tried to shortcut top 4 by spending lavishly on average players, hiring average execs, and bringing in managers that looked like they had the special sauce. They did not. Now we are cleaning the decks.
- They needed to make painful cuts to staff
- RIP Gunnersauraus
- They needed to rethink the strategy and start again
- Arsenal restarted a new reality last January
Peloton are trying to get back to the top by building out a high performance culture that puts accountability at core. I don’t know what goes on with Vinai and co, but it does seem like Arteta is trying to do this because we see the actions on the regular.
These principles of leadership are interesting, because when people hear about it from a football manager, they don’t believe in it, or throw shade at it.
- Be stubborn on vision, flexible on details
- Fast is as slow as we go
- Talent density is foundational
- Get real
I’m not really sure I understand the other principles, they’re a bit inside baseball, but the above feel close to where we’re going.
Arsenal leadership was stubborn on vision in January, I’m not talking Arteta here, I’m talking about the people who controlled the flow of cash. Arteta said yesterday, ‘we only want to sign players that take us to the next level, where we need guarantees.’ How many people with Pep G avatars were saying we should sign £75m Isaak? All of them. But that player is not a guarantee and make no mistake, if that deal went wrong, everyone would be talking about naiveté.
Fast is as slow as we go is a great principle. People might point at the three year plan for the title as being slow, I’d say that is just the reality of building back from 8th. The speed you should point to is the rebuilding of an entirely new backroom team. New scouts, new coaches, new academy lead, new data people. Then look at the player churn. We’ve binned an entire squad of players in two years. It’s been ruthless, but no one can say it’s been slow, even though people keep making the mistake of thinking Arteta has been here for 3 years.
Talent density is foundational. That has come from Netflix. They believe that in the corporate world, the best people do the job of three average folk. I don’t know about you, but I believe that 100%, I am not one of those people, but I admire those that are and try to hire them. In football, it’s not quite the same, but the parallel I’d draw here is that bodies for bodies sake is not the way to go. Ainsley dropping into midfield doesn’t impact our top 4 fight, Chambers is not a good right back, Kolasinac for 5 games is a death blow… all of them were training ground filler. Average talent brings everyone else down, you are better to have a small lean squad where everyone has a role, than a bloated squad of players that don’t hit the mark.
Final point is Get Real. The fans in the stadium? They get it. Online, not so much. The reality of the project we’re undertaking is it’s hard. Wenger was fighting for top 4 when there were only 4 decent clubs in the league. The league is way, way richer, the players are better across the board, the managerial competition has never been fiercer in the history of them game. Those are all facts. We’re attempting a rebirth with the youngest team in the league, with the youngest manager, and we’re absolutely competing for the top 4 which is would be deemed ‘ahead of schedule.’
But people have to get real, if we don’t make it this season, that isn’t a sackable offense. Getting real is accepting the only strategy for getting back to the top that would give us a sustainable longterm future at the top is this one. That means we’ll have to feel a bit more pain. We’ll have down days. We’ll lose games we should have won. But the upside is unlimited.
So where is the race for top 4? Well, it just got a little sexier.
Unai Conte’s Spurs luck train ran out last night as they fell to the MIGHTY Southampton. They were battered. They conceded 23 shots, only managed 3 on target, and they had a goal disallowed at the end of the game. What has shocked me is the pearl-clutching Arsenal fans that complained about Arteta getting shirty with Klopp are very quiet on the meltdown Conte had on the sideline. Anyway, Spurs lost, United drew, Arsenal have the chance to get the Top 4 steering wheel under control
This is the sort of game we’ve been blowing all season. The pressure is on, expectations are high, and you just sense that we’re going to blow it.
… but that is negative talk from a battered Arsenal fan.
We are hard to beat. We have shown ruthless consistency most of the season. There is no reason we can’t go to Wolves and avenge what happened in the same fixture last season.
Arteta was fiery in the pre-match presser, he basically laid to rest all teh concerns we had about the window.
- We didn’t sign anyone because no one match the talent level we’re looking for.
- Arteta reckons he is pretty accommodating with players, but if the squad rejects bad behavior, he moves on the person pissing everyone off
- He is happy with the players he has and he trust them
- Everyone wants to come to Arsenal, he has no fears about signing players this summer (which says to me the players we’re targeting know about it)
He was positive, the body language was good, now he has to show us what this group of talent can deliver.
Huge game, podcast later, big love x
Pepe needs to get game time now, he can at least find the net
Not sure Pepe will come into the XI , Arteta will go with ESR Ødegaard and Saka . Maybe impact from the bench.
“Surely there a referee out there that loves cats.”Well they are a bunch of pussies
AFCF
Can you hear that? No? Really?
It’s a bit of virtual tumbleweed blowing across the blogosphere. Some of your stuff that you posted last night was distinctly underwhelming. Less is more gueyvon – especially in your case. Up your game – ‘forever’ please.!
Pepe will probably be on the left as esr seems to be struggling with an injury. Laca should be benched after that miss then again u don’t bench your captain for something like that I guess. But overall good performance I’m just concerned about the long breaks as we seem to be switched off after one.
Bob Wotcha! Great (or maybe pedantic?) minds think alike eh? We’re both out here bravely battling on the blogosphere and putting the Arsenal world to rights. Only problem is you’ve got on the wrong hobby horse. 🦄 I think Tom was talking sense and attempting to be objective. People should always ask themselves, how would I react if this was happening to Spurs (Manure, Liverpool name your poison). I’m enjoying reading about the Martinelli case but they were 2 snidey, cynical challenges and his actions may have prevented a goal. Oliver is becoming one of those pouting, solipsistic refs a… Read more »
Hi Tony How’s it going mate? Good result last night. Echoes of those games in the 80s and 90s where sheer determination got us over the line in an away game. I loved the comments on here about it being reminiscent of peak GG and even early Wenger (with GG’s back 4 of course). Hope all is good in Siam – I’ve been having a full on business winter and have enjoyed getting the better of a couple of irredeemable, piss poor capitalists in my local Manor. Great fun. Any music recommendations? – I’m painting one of my places and… Read more »
Great result.
Crazy sending off.
Nerve wracking last 25 minutes.
3 points and Spurs getting beat is all I’m taking from the game.
“I’ve played at a good level, coached and been involved in football for 50 odd years.”
AFC Superbam has been a student of the game for longer than Darianford.
Embarrassing carry on.
Graham
Properly insane wasn’t it? My bum was making so many squeaking noises, I started getting psychedelic feedback through my hearing aid!
Martinelli’s two fouls in isolation were bookable. Individually it is yellow for each incident. But it doesn’t make sense to book a player in the same phase of play unless what he did was dangerous. May be the rule book says he needs to be shown a yellow. But common sense says it isn’t. I am still in cloud 9 after last night’s result. Our defense is impregnable at times. Top 4 is ours to lose if we go to every game with the mentality of winning at all costs like last night. Our away form is going to be… Read more »
Kroenke, Tom pretty much always has a valid point but he always seems to take the opposing view to the slightly biased Arsenal fan perspective which grates me. It would of course be boring if everybody had the same view but all the same the consistency of his contrariness triggers me. If this was a general football site, it would be easier to accept but it’s not. I know he’d get the p*ss taken out of him by my Arsenal supporting friends if he was maintaining this position sitting in a pub for example. I’ll try my best to ignore… Read more »
Great summing up Graham.
Being an Arsenal supporter goes from joy, to pain, to anxiety back to relief and happiness in the space of an hour or so! Enjoyable looking at the table this morning though.
Looking at artetas presser. The gaffer did well. Didn’t get drawn into the what players should and shouldn’t do.
Praised the team, supported martinelli and questioned the bizarre decision indirectly. Well done.
I hope we don’t rush back ESR like we did with tomiyasu and end up injuring him for a longer period of time
Unless they’ve changed the rules you can’t appeal yellow cards, even if it’s a second yellow. You can only appeal a straight red.
Great backs to the wall win though in the manner of a GG team or early Wenger when we also used to pick red cards on a regular basis.
We will play Chelsea, Tottenham, Watford, Westham, Palace, Villa, Newcastle, Brighton and Southampton.
This is why its crucial we have Tavares, lonkonga and pepe integrated into the team again. Not thrown in the deep end when someone is injured but given crucial minutes on the pitch, so players aren’t in the red and they are ready to step in when needed
Bob
Nice one. Its just becoming a lazy trope on here for the Arteta devotees (don’t worry, I know you’re agnostic on the small man with even smaller eyebrows) to say anyone, but especially Tom for some bizarre reason, is not a real fan because they’re questioning the status quo. All that Pedro inspired nonsense about Leicester comes to mind. I read Tom’s stuff because it’s intelligent, funny and honest. Oh, and I’m in no doubt about his strong goonerdom. That’s some pretty convincing criteria , n’est-ce pas?
Kroenkephobe 07.24
‘Son of Mr Green Genes’ on a loop – you will finish your painting in no time.
Martinelli getting sent off was a bit like losing your driving licence from speeding on one jurney and getting done 4 times. Seems hugely unfair but the player should also reflect as both offences were crazy behaviour by him.
That said, magnificent response by the team and great tactical switch by Arteta. Top 4 is still a bit of a misty dream but who knows? Xhaka still looks a liability to me
That was absolute torture last night. So stressful but a HUGE 3 points. Wolves are a good team and could have gone above us last night. That’s how tight things currently are. Moments like yesterday are chances Lacazette HAS to put away. i would have been devastated and furious had that miss cost us a win. He has been magnificent in stepping up and being a true leader amongst our young boys but his nose for a goal seems to have deserted him. We simply must get a faster more clinical version of Lacazette in the summer. There was one… Read more »
Fed up seeing Eddie come on and do nothing and he is leaving in a few months.
Why not give that game time to Pepe who can always get you a goal and create something out of nothing.
Cant understand why he is treating Pepe like that.
He would surely contribute more that Eddie.
*than
Kroenke, I’m not suggestive that Tom is anything but a devoted Arsenal fan, that clearly understands football, it’s just that he’s always pointing out that his glass is half empty!
Agree David, release the Pepe!
Three points in the bag so celebrate . It was a very very hard earned victory but deserved As for the sending off. I can’t see why there is any debate. Martinelli was out of control The first yellow came about because he tried to delay a restart but at the same time he failed to respect the required distance when play was restarted from a throw-in. So that’s a yellow The second was the real problem because it stopped a promising attack and that unfortunately is an offence that is one of those that in the laws is defined… Read more »
Martinelli didn’t push the wolves player in the face when he took the throw in, Martinelli put his hand around the arm pit area with little force and the wolves player made a wildly exaggerated fall…..embarrassing, the sort of wildly exaggerated fall that Tierney would do in similar circumstances, equally embarrassing. As much as this red was a joke decision , i feel that Arteta should shoulder some blame for the amounts of red we are receiving. Was it not Martinelli who was pushed onto the pitch recently when he had an injury but laid off the pitch and Arteta… Read more »
So please we won but why have with this time wasting mentality with the whole 2nd half remaining, I find it very embarrassing we even do it at Home, I was at the Watford game and the last 20mins we were hanging on- just invites pressure.
Done himself no favours here-
Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves says Arsenal celebrated their win over them like they had “won the league”.
But Pierre, look at the fouls Burnley make, professional, cynical and downright dirty, and look at when they were last handed a red card in the league,, going back 2-3 years, and ask why we are treated differently from Burnley of all teams? Without even going into what the likes of Liverpool and others consistently get away with. Something isn’t right , Arteta needs his proposed conversation with these “ officials” Laws are being interpreted one way against our players, and other ways against certain other teams.. The media are part of this, a red card offence by Ashley Westwood… Read more »
David d
“Fed up seeing Eddie come on and do nothing and he is leaving in a few months.”
Agree, he didn’t do a lot did he , very difficult when it is one attacker v 4 wolves defenders, although what i will say is smith rowe was equally ineffective in the time he was on the pitch and if we are being honest, Martinelli, apart from the opening 10 minutes was ineffective for over an hour , in fact i was surprised that smith rowe didn’t cone on for Martinelli instead of Odegaard.
Pierre, do you not accept that we haven’t in the past done enough ‘shithousery’. – tactical fouls etc. Gabriel and Martinelli should get wiser and learn- Xhaka of course is a different story! ‘Fear of Arteta castigating him’ -bullsh*t. He miscontrolled the ball conceded the throw and in the midst of his frustration and annoyance with himself made a couple of injudicious fouls. To think that Arteta’s coaching was in his head is fanciful at best, agenda driven at worst. Most people would agree that common sense was not used when Oliver pedantically gave him two yellows.If he’d given him… Read more »
Terraloon
Sorry but there is no respected space in a throw in. Only during corners and free kicks must players stay a certain distance away. In a throw in a player can stand on the by line because it makes no difference since the person throwing the ball and throw over the persons head.
Martibelli got a yellow for putting his hand on the throwers face. The second yellow would not have occurred If play was stopped so it was a silly yellow
David smith
“Laws are being interpreted one way against our players, and other ways against certain other teams..”
I have been saying this for years ..
You can argue that his miscontrol is due to the same wolves player kicking him. And that was the one he chased down and fouled.
Martibelli got a yellow for putting his hand on the throwers face
He doesn’t touch the players face. He literally pushes his armpit.
Bob
“‘Fear of Arteta castigating him’ -bullsh*t. He miscontrolled the ball conceded the throw and in the midst of his frustration and annoyance with himself made a couple of injudicious fouls. To think that Arteta’s coaching was in his head is fanciful at best, agenda driven at worst.”
This behaviour is actively encouraged by Arteta, that is obvious.
Whereas this behaviour was discouraged by wenger,..
Arteta should encourage the team to play football for 90 mins instead of resorting to spoiling tactics
Question: The ball was out of play for the throw in. Aren’t you suppose to restart the throw in and give a yellow card straight away? How can you give an advantage? Have you ever seen an advantage given for a throw in or a free kick where the opposing player stands in the way etc? No! They get booked and free kick is retaken.
I don’t know the rulebook, but surely the ref made a mistake here. Both incidents were isolated yellows no doubt, but the second shouldn’t been allowed to happen if the ref did his job.
Pierre, just find it amazing, four reds, more than 75% ish of clubs get in a year, we have had that in just over a month. The numbers , the fact this is not a dirty team, and comparisons with how other teams are treated suggest either 1/bias in officials or those who manage them . 2/ officials are operating under orders to some sort of quota 3/ officials are poor, which they are, but why are this team punished selectively if so? 4/ media influence. 5/ trying to get another in the top 4 at AFCs expense. 6/ matchfixing/corruption… Read more »
Gonsterous
Sorry but there is no respected space in a throw in. Only during corners and free kicks must players stay a certain distance away. In a throw in a player can stand on the by line because it makes no difference since the person throwing the ball and throw over the persons head.
That used to be the case but the law changed over a decade ago
H
Here’s the rule
https://www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/lawsandrules/laws/football-11-11/law-15—the-throw-in
NORG
Cheers man. It’s going to be emulsional…
Great result for Arsenal. Top 4 is there for the taking with United and Spurs struggling. We aren’t playing great football ourselves but I think we are still better than them. Error prone Xhaka and goal shy Laca are my only two real worries. We probably can’t do much about Xhaka but about time we replaced Laca with Gabi in the striker role and play ESR, Saka and Ode behind him. And yes about time Arteta flagged biased refereeing against Arsenal with some ferocity. His mealy mouthed comments criticising them are not going to change things. Klopp made a lot… Read more »
Arsenal may be conceding too many red cards in recent games but the fact is that we have
conceded only three this season in the EPL and two were against Man City.
Martinelli’s red card was actually the first in EPL against any other opponent. I agree with Pedro that it was a little harsh to give him two yellow cards after the second offence in what
was the same event. Personally I think that it will be highly unlikely that the EPL will reverse the decision.
It’s funny Tony I was just about to ask of you and China1,cos it’s been awhile I saw your post….been on the field alot these days. I hope he’s not been binned as I always like his takes on issues
Result – Brilliant. A vital three points if we are to get European football next season. Huge smile from me that we got an away win against a possible challenger for top 6. Always a nice glow the next morning when Arsenal win. Performance – Didn’t set the world on fire. I’m sure I’m not alone in being frustrated by this apparent habit of trying to sit on a 1-0 lead with half an hour to go. We won ugly against a team that matches up quite well to us. But it could have been very different and taking the… Read more »
Inside Right Well said!! Infuriating the way he is treating Pepe. There is a real player in there and there is a reason we splashed out 72m on him. Cajole him. Put your arm round him. Give him some faith and some minutes. I know he can sometimes look flaky but he hasnt been given a proper run of games and is clearly a confidence player. I think he would be absolutely superb if Klopp was his manager He is in and out and recently very much out. Give him a chance!! Eddie is not committed and doesnt want to… Read more »