Written by Wenger Boy on Thursday, 03 February 2011 15:51

Just a couple of quick points today (which have become a little longer since writing that).

I know it’s been talked to death, brought back to life, given a nice meal of its choosing and then talked to death again but I thought I would throw my tuppence into the ring for what it’s worth.

We all know by now about Fabregas’ heinous crime of, well, not actually doing much. And, of course, of the dirty Spaniard’s subsequent – and richly deserved – vilification in the English media. The whole affair is quite obviously a load of sloblocks and we can all just count ourselves lucky that Fabregas –as the embodiment of true evil - will be able to feed directly off the anger like a ravenous hellhound and use it spit fire from his foot, onto the ball, firing it off at a trillion miles per hour towards the goal while we all sit back and watch it scream....just...wide....of the near post (as has been happening for him recently).

This is why the witch hunt will never succeed. Burning him would only make his devilish mind even stronger. 

Anyway, for all Arsenal fans I am sure this entire ridiculous exaggeration rings more than a few bells. The Eduardo incident from last season progressed in a similar way (although he was a weaker target and so suffered more) and it’s hard to not feel like our players have been unfairly targeted and singled out by the media. 

Except that it’s not just our players, is it? It’s our foreign players.

For while this incident chimes beautifully with the Eduardo case, it sits a little uneasily with another from the not too distant past. I am referring, as you might have guessed, to Theo Walcott’s dive. 

English thoroughbred Theodore Carrington-Smythe Walcott came out in the press after the Leeds game and admitted to diving to try and win a penalty. There had been no mention of diving before he spoke up but speak up he did, telling the whole world that he was a cheat and that he had cheated in an honest game of football against an honest, hard-working English team. 

Of course after he admitted it there were campaigns in all the national newspapers to have him banned and the FA were able to do so quite easily, what with video evidence, a witness, a confession and...

Zip. Zilch. Nothing. Nada. 

So let’s offer that comparison in summary form (in the below diagram I will denote greasy foreign-types by the use of the letter ‘F’ and stand up British, empire-loving role models by the letter ‘B’):

Eduardo (F): Won penalty. Claims of diving. Massive witch hunt. Cleared by the ref. 

Verdict: Guilty

Fabregas (F): Aggrieved at ridiculous decision. Vented heat-of-the-moment anger. Claims of verbal abuse. Massive witch hunt. Cleared by the ref.

Verdict: Guilty

Walcott (B): Dived in an attempt to win a penalty. Admitted it. No witch hunt. Forgotten. 

Verdict: Innocent. 

Sweet. That’s fair then. And I haven’t even mentioned the Phil Brown incident, for which Fabregas was also cleared. Anyway...

The other small issue I wanted to bring up was our present injury crisis. That’s right, crisis. Because when we get a few injuries, no matter how big our squad is or how well we are coping, it is definitely and unequivocally a crisis. 

I have seen that headline a couple of times of News Now and it has made me laugh to be honest. Having Gallas, Fabregas and Arshavin break down during the Barca game after all just returning to the team. That’s on the way to a crisis. Playing Silvestre. That’s a crisis. Having one of three potential first-choice goalkeepers out, one of four international quality centre backs out (Koscielny having just been called up so congrats there), two of about ten midfielders out and no strikers out is not a crisis. A headache? Sure. But not a crisis. 

Song looks to be back very soon, Nasri isn’t too far away, Vermaelen is a little further and Fabianski is out for the season. I make that two, possibly three proper absences from a squad of 25. Injuries to Denilson, Diaby and Walcott seem to have cleared. Rosicky has just come back from illness and Squillaci is back in the squad too. If that’s a crisis then we’ve been fighting through an apocalypse for the past four-or-so seasons so we don’t have anything to worry about. 

Anyway, that just about wraps it up from me. And remember – if ever you don’t like someone foreign all you have to do is accuse them of something, whether they did it or not. That’s what makes them guilty. 

WB

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Comments (9)

• 03-Feb-2011 16:19 | | Askhat
  

  English media is shit!
  The only reason England did not get World Cup was the English media!

• 03-Feb-2011 16:19 | | johnny foreigner
  

  Great post my man!!

• 03-Feb-2011 16:26 | | kk
  

  I strongly belive we should go out and sign 3 refrees next tranfer window.
  
  Man U does this every season.

• 03-Feb-2011 16:31 | | Wenger Boy
  

  I don't think Wenger will sanction that to be fair.
  
  We are already training up several talented youth referees and he wouldn't want to hinder their progress.

• 03-Feb-2011 22:48 | | Northbanksy
  

  KK Signing referees...I like it. PMSL
  
  I'm sure the last 2 days of Cesc-gate bullsh1te will galvanize the team & fans. The sense of outrage at the Emirates after the dodgey "goal" decision, turned the normal sleepy majority, into a raging wounded beast of a crowd , which played a big part it's part in lifting the Arsenal.
  This incident will do the same.

• 04-Feb-2011 00:05 | | MeanLean
  

  Great stuff WB, great stuff.

• 04-Feb-2011 05:28 | | richie  - Nice one
  

  Good to have another positive contributer in Wenger Boy.
  ML, Talking of positives I'm sure I'm a dinosor and the last to know but I came across a blog Desi Gooner that had a fantastic read on it. If anyone wants to check it go to desi gooner tongue in cheek/ how bad have we really been this season. Its got some great stats.

• 04-Feb-2011 07:02 | | luis zelaya
  

  the media do this because they're nervous, we do not give in, and we just might win. they want to somehow destabilize the team, with all their cheating man u are having a tough time.
  and don't tell me they really came back from nil - two to win it 3-2 against blackpool, as that team was playing a perfectly efficient strategy the first half, holding back and looking for opportunities on a corner or free kick, and then at the second half and start playing completely differently, and to man u's strenghts. they stopped defending and started playing to the offside rule, and that's how they got beat, i mean, it was ridiculous. all 3 goals were that way. maybe i'm just cynical and bitter but i smelled a rat on that one.

• 04-Feb-2011 08:41 | | Eagleye
  

  The injuries in my opinion have come at a good time. Nasri being injured for the next couple of games is no big deal, with or without him against Barcelona is gonna be a struggle. As long as he's back for the final that'll give him a boost and set him on his way for the back end of the season.
  
  Remember when he got injured in September and he came back stronger? Thats what we need for the final run in of games.
  
  Vermaelen will come back with a point to prove to win his place back knowing how well Kos and Johann have done and i can see him giving us a lot of relief at the back in the final run in. Better to have injuries now than when the games pile up in March and April.

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