Arsenal Comeback for the Ages

Arsenal's 3-2 come from behind victory on Sunday was a huge boost to a reeling club. Down 2-0 at halftime, with fans booing, it looked like yet another loss in a season that was sinking toward true mediocrity. And then a penalty was called and Van Persie scored. A few minutes later Walcott made a nice run down the right sideline and got a lucky rebound goal after a rather poor attempt at scoring. And a second penalty sent Arsenal ahead 3-2, the final score. It was an important victory for the club, particularly in the wake of the very disappointing loss to Man U at home after the bizarre Chamberlain substitution and with the Chelsea tie today, we can move 3 points from the final Champions League spot with a win over largely hapless Bolton tomorrow. Yet all the news out of the Gunners is not good.

To see the transfer window close with no real signings beside a young, promising German who already has had serious injury worries just reinforces the sense that Wenger (and Gazidis if we are to believe his comments last weekend) are dedicated to continuing Arsenal's collapse into profitable mediocrity. I understand the club cannot compete with the likes of Chelsea or Man City, but does that mean they can't spend 10 to 20 million every once in a while to bring in reinforcements we really need as we try to win the FA Cup (which is a real possibility) and secure fourth place? Can they bring in a few big names to make Van Persie happy and ensure that he stays with a club he clearly loves? Can they please unload useless tripe like Arshavin and Chamakh and replace them with at least decent players? The answer to all of these questions appears to be no and if this augurs our behavior next summer, I expect us to fall out of the top four and move toward a mediocre team until things change. Yes the Chamberlain signing paid off and yes they have cultivated a lot of young talent, but what is the use if that young talent then moves on to win trophies with other clubs? Are they really such penny pinchers that they can't get a decent left back on loan (which QPR somehow did) or a striker that can backup Van Persie? Or anyone halfway talented to bring in in the place of Arshavin? These are short term questions that could have long term ramifications and I must admit being disenchanted by the answers we are getting.

Wenger refuses to listen to anyone and the ownership and management at the club seems too inured to the idea that he can again catapult the club to past glory by finding diamonds in the rough. The truth is he still occasionally does, but also brings in a lot of flops who he stays with too long and the network of European scouts that once helped him locate talent like Henry that no one else knew about is now matched by all the top squads. The real question is how long will the club remain tone deaf to not only the voices of reason from analysts and the media but their own fans who are tired of hearing "we are still in four ... three .... two .... one competitions ... oh sorry, next year" over and over again. We had a real chance to beat Man City in the Carling Cup, but Wenger was more interested in ensuring the Top Four. And yet, when we had no full backs left, he refused to buy or even take one on on loan and we arguably lost two games we could easily have won (which would have put us even with Chelsea with a game in hand for those who can't count). We clearly need a backup striker and he brings in Henry, which is nice, but what happens in March, April and May when he's gone and we're stuck with Cha-schmuck as our backup "no impact" player? Do we really have to see the silly little Russian scamper onto the field like a lost rabbit yet again when we could have sold him and brought in some winger or middie in the hole to take his place? And why didn't we bid on a great centre back like Samba and just admit Mertesacker is a nice fella that is too slow for the EPL (which was the critique when we signed him)? Finally, as I have been saying for weeks, we need a creative midfielder and better holding midfielder to give more competition to Ramsey and Song -- particularly now that Wilshire appears set for a longer rehab. 

In any case, maybe that magical, though somewhat lucky, comeback will revitalize the squad and get them back into the top form that saw them win 7 of 8, but I worry that another second-half collapse could end our long run in the Champions League and see another year go by without a trophy. If both those occur, one hopes Wenger either steps down or is escorted toward the door with the respect and encomiums to past glory he deserves. Otherwise, I feel like I could soon find myself like a Everton fan, happy with the occasional big win and finishing in the top half of the table ...