Mental strength across the squad: Page 3 - The Arsenal discussion community: One More in the Tolly

Mental strength across the squad

Tam

Qwiss there’s different aspects to this though, isn’t there. Is Xhaka a model professional that young players would do well to imitate and learn from in training? Most evidence would suggest so. Can he be a hot head in the pitch that you’d caution young players away from imitating? Absolutely no doubt.

Qwiss

Tam yeah thats a good point. There are different ways to lead and different areas where leaders can be a good or bad influence.

Burnwinter

RocktheCasbah Sorry if you thought it was a dig.

😂 These prawns are so raw it's like they've been negatively cooked on some sort of antimatter barbecue.

RocktheCasbah Burnwinter excellent use of "raw prawn" by the way 😁

When the cap fits … nah, fair play mate. I am never going to love Xhaka the way some like you seem to—to me he's a loud-mouth who's more likely to let us down under pressure than rise to the occasion. But he's had a good season and a half after Arteta rescued his Arsenal career by adapting his responsibilities.

It's not a great moment to support Arsenal today, given how close we're getting to this league title while apparently fluffing it. But I'm proud the team's turned itself around and recorded a couple more wins and, well, you never know.

RocktheCasbah

Burnwinter interesting how perspectives can differ, isn't it? I don't see it like that in regards to how it feels right now. That's not to say I won't one day look back on this season - particularly the month past - with some regret, but here and now, I couldn't be prouder of the team and the manager. It's been a brilliant season and I'm looking forward to seeing what's next for us.

As regards Xhaka, I'm not going to pretend your position on him is incomprehensible, but I do think he is a victim of his own reputation and that the good work he does is somewhat obscured by it. Would I like someone else in his position next season? Absolutely, yes.

By the way, my missus also called me a raw prawn last night, so maybe I just am... It's not intentional, I promise!

Gurgen

Burnwinter As James said it's a matter of perspective. If we win our next 3 games we have 90 points. For me that means it's the greatest moment to support Arsenal since 2004.

Burnwinter

Qwiss Exactly. It's something that happens all the time, it actually happens a bit less in football than in regular life if anything.

Burnwinter

Gurgen For me that means it's the greatest moment to support Arsenal since 2004.

It's dialectic though, isn't it … it's a difficult moment to support Arsenal because it's a great moment to support Arsenal.

I've found it hard at times not to feel bitterly disappointed because we've done so well and look like finishing empty-handed, and this thread tends to remind me of that disappointment for all the reasons I've talked about up the page.

But at the very least, it's been an enthralling season of football with lots of cinematic triumphs … and we're still the greatest football club eh …

Pepe LeFrits

Today raw prawn is most often heard in the idiom to come the raw prawn, meaning 'to attempt to deceive, or treat like a fool; to misrepresent a situation'. It is typically used in negative constructions, especially as don't come the raw prawn with me ('don't try to treat me like a fool'). It is first recorded in 1942.

You learn something new every day.

Burnwinter

It implies disingenuousness to me, the "raw prawn" is a person who's trying to get one over on you by pretending to be benevolent, unworldly and inexperienced. Much as @RocktheCasbah is regularly doing round our way, damn him ...

RocktheCasbah

Burnwinter I've said it before, but it's probably because I spend a lot of time talking and watching football with James. And we're not in the habit of getting carried away when things go wrong. Whereas if my uncle posted on here, he'd have a very different take on things (much like yours in fact).

Also, six years as a line manager has led me to understand that you won't always get what you want out of people - and if you stress about it too much, you'll never sleep. So I try not to, people who they are and they do what they do... I can promise you it's not an act. 😁

Gurgen

It's disappointing but at the same time somewhat out of our hands. Football is now a game in which various oil states and Real Madrid compete against each other. As a truly competitive sport it's dying and it has been for years. Clubs like Arsenal can fluke their way to a trophy or two but realistically there's not much to take. So we might as well enjoy the little joy we have.

Burnwinter

Gurgen So we might as well enjoy the little joy we have.

I see now … I was zoomed in comparing the joy of winning a title to the disappointment of narrowly missing out, whereas you were zoomed out comparing the pleasure of a momentary and unlikely success for the club you support to an overall worldview in which everything is completely fucked and will be forever … it all tracks now.

Can't say I disagree with you if I think about these questions soberly, but I'm glad I'm not yet as blackpilled about football as I am about everything else that exists.

Cannon

Arsene's final years at the club turned me off football and I blame him for some part of it. I actually did not watch almost any football after the initial few months of Emery. However once the news of us doin well this season got to me I was back and hence my 'active again 'status on the forum. So in a way I am with Gurgen as I am just happy to be back, happy to rediscover my joy for watching Arsenal and football in general. Strangely I have been watching a lot of non arsenal football last couple of months which rarely happened before and I am quite enjoying it. So yeah not much disappointment personally if we miss out on the title but I can see how it may feel to Arteta and the team (all of us have been there - hello disappointing 2010's) and I can empathize.

flobaba

Heh. You'll get there soon enough Burnsy. 🙂

Gurgen

I'm more blackpilled about football than most other things. I guess I only watch it because I support Arsenal, as a spectacle it doesn't appeal much to me. You'll say I'm crazy but I honestly think chess is more exciting to watch 😂

Burnwinter

Gurgen You'll say I'm crazy but I honestly think chess is more exciting to watch

To be honest I find people being fascinated by chess so odd when go's right there.

FEBravo

Gurgen In fairness while the quality of play in the Ding-Nepo match was one of the lowest, the entertainment value was quite something. Never saw so many twists and turns.

Coombs

Gurgen this exactly. I literally watch more chess than football these days.

goon

I've absolutely loved this season whatever happens. Huge disappointment in April for sure, but even that has fed the soul to an extent and countered the numbness towards football and Arsenal that have developed over the last decade.

Next season will be different, expectations will be higher, angst will be higher, tolerance will be lower. The destination will play a much bigger role in how we feel about the journey.

Gurgen

Burnwinter Cultural thing, us Soviets grew up playing chess.

QuincyAbeyie

FEBravo We'll have to wait for Haaland to fuck off the same way Ding had to wait for Carlsen to.

Coombs

FEBravo it was great fun. Magnus can make things so painfully boring.

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