Forget the cup, Arsenal blew it

128 days Arsenal led in the Premier League, yet still they came nowhere near to winning it. They had the perfect chance as well. Chelsea, Manchester City and, of course, Manchester United, changed their managers, while Liverpool finished the season before in 7th place, 12 points behind the Gunners and 28 points off top.

Chelsea spent the entire season without a world-class striker and sold Juan Mata, their player of the years for the past two years, in January. City took four points from their first five away matches and were eighth after the first 11 games of the season.

United, well, there is nothing to say there that hasn't been pointed out all season.

Arsene Wenger had as long as he wanted to plan for this season. He didn't come in during the summer and have to find his feet under the table. He knew which players were good enough, which were not, and where he needed to strengthen. He did not have a new chief executive to work with.

Yet, while Manchester City moved quickly to secure their targets and have a settled squad, he waited until after an opening day defeat at home to Aston Villa to make his move and buy Mesut Ozil. For whatever reason (supposedly Real Madrid raising the cost) Arsenal did not sign Gonzalo Higuain and they did not follow through on trying to sign Luis Suarez, a world class player with Premier League pedigree who sounded unsettled at his club.

Ozil did, however, boost the side and lifted them to the top of the table. Going into the New Year, every team had played half their fixtures and Arsenal were top. Admittedly, they were only one point above City and two above Chelsea, but they were there and ready for a title challenge.

But that charge never came. It was common knowledge that they had a horror run of fixtures coming up in February, with Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Liverpool in the FA Cup and several top six sides in the Premier League.

I know everyone thinks they could manage a football side, but there was a reason Wenger was urged to spend some money. He had one main striker in Olivier Giroud, who is good but not great, and very little else. Aaron Ramsey injured himself on Boxing Day against West Ham and was not set for an immediate return. But as is common at the Emirates, the cheque book stayed shut and only Kim Kallstrom came in on loan, before promptly injuring himself.

As expected, Arsenal floundered. In a run of 11 games starting away at Southampton on January 28 and ending at Everton on April 6, they won three and took just 13 points. They conceded four against Everton, five against Liverpool and six against Chelsea.

When the tough run ended, they won their final five matches to seal fourth place, but all that means is another nervy Champions League qualifier soon after the World Cup ends.

The FA Cup is a great competition and one which all clubs should target. Personally, I prefer it to the Champions League even though that puts in me a vast minority. Arsenal fans should celebrate their side's achievement and bask in Wembley success.

But a domestic cup win is not what sets Arsenal apart from the rest. It doesn't set them apart from Swansea and Birmingham in recent years. They are meant to be an elite club, winners of the Premier League and Champions League which differentiates the brilliant sides from those in the aspiring tier just below (think Tottenham and Everton) and of course all others below them in the football pyramid.

If Arsenal are part of the elite, then they need to start becoming realistic challenges for the top two prizes and not a side content with third/fourth in the league (where they have been in the last nine seasons) or last 16/quarter-finals of the Champions League (where they have been knocked out in the seven of the least eight seasons).

Wenger has seen Liverpool overtake his side. He has seen his gifts of moulding a winning outfit without recourse to heavy spending usurped by Jurgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund and Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid.

It shows that top dollar doesn't always need to be spent to become winners, but quality needs to be brought into the club. This summer will prove if Arsenal will do a City and use a cup win to propel them to league glory. It's hard to escape the feeling, though, that this year was their great chance and they have blown it.

Still, the FA Cup is a worthy prize and one to be savoured over the summer.


Cup never lost its magic

The suggestion that the FA Cup has lost/regained its magic is up there with Golden Generation and Special Relationship as one of the most frustrating catchphrases.

The cup never lost its magic in the first place. Sure, it is not the grand event it used to be when cup final day was a huge event with the build-up beginning in the morning. It's lost some lustre due to managers prioritising Premier League riches and the Champions League which is fine, as both provide rich entertainment.

But it still remains massively relevant to the supporters. Whether it's a non-league side taking on a vastly superior team on their boggy pitch with the fans practically on top of the players, third round day where upsets appear to be happening everywhere, or your side charging towards a date with Wembley, there is something special about it.

Some clubs will send out fringe players for the early rounds, and low-key matches will be poorly attended, but these can be ignored.

Every year brings great stories, memorable matches where both teams throw hell to leather, upsets, surprise runs, big clashes, and just occasionally you have a Havant and Waterlooville moment where they twice take the lead at Anfield.

Even stupid decisions like playing the semi-finals at Wembley and moving the kick-off to 5pm can't knock the FA Cup off its pedestal.

Roy's mistake

I know it was a one-off game - albeit a huge one - but Curtis Davies made the decision to take both Phil Jones and Chris Smalling to the World Cup seem a daft one. From what I've seen this season, which will not be as much as many others, both have been terrible. Every time I've seen Jones play, I wonder how this is the same player likened to Franco Baresi and Duncan Edwards, which is disappointing as he and Smalling were excellent in a central defensive partnership at the 2011 European Under-21 Championships.

I'm not saying Davies deserves to go instead, but to take both Jones and Smalling only confirms many people's thoughts that players from big clubs are automatically picked over better rivals. Let's hope if either features in the World Cup, they show their undoubted potential and leave their club form at home.

World Cup woes

The deadline for hosting the 2022 Commonwealth Games passed in March this year, and for a long time it appeared that there no city would put itself forward. In the end, Canadian city Edmonton and Durban in South Africa both registered late interest, but the episode proved a point.

With the cost of hosting any big global event now sky-rocketing, it's becoming less enticing for governments to put their countries forward.

They will see that the Sochi Winter Olympics this year cost $51 billion and wonder whether it was worth it.

The World Cup is threatening to go the same way as the Commonwealths, with nobody wanting to touch it. Fifa want to take it around the globe, but the need to spend heavy on new stadiums which will become desolate afterwards is not appealing.

Even a country like Brazil, which takes its football incredibly seriously, is protesting at the cost at a time when corruption and poor living standards are of far bigger concern. Legendary striker Romario, now a politician in his home country, has heavily criticised the cost of hosting the tournament with Brazil struggling to get its infrastructure in place for the opening kick-off.

Meanwhile, the controversy over Qatar hosting the 2022 version continues to rumble. Allegations of corruption have dogged the decision since it was made and there is anger at the late call to switch the World Cup from the summer to the winter.

The government, obviously seeking to boost Qatar's profile, must be dismayed at the negative publicity. The reports of shoddy labour laws in the country by The Guardian have even forced them to make a change, although the final result may not be much of an improvement.

With Fifa showing an aversion to the UK and other well-established sporting nations, they might find at some point that nobody will be willing to host the greatest sporting event on the planet.

Privacy should be respected

Richard Scudamore is under increasing pressure to step down as Premier League chief executive after emails were released which showed a number of derogatory terms used about women.

These emails were crude, but importantly, they were not meant for public consumption. In public, Scudamore has, as far as I'm aware, said nothing derogatory about the women's game. In fact, even in his emails there is no suggestion of female inferiority in football.

This is not to defend what Scudamore said, but I think in the majority of cases it is wrong to take someone's private conversations and use them against that person. Obviously, there are times where it is necessary. The News of the World's Fake Sheikh was the perfect example of investigative journalism, and Vince Cable's assertion that he had 'declared war' on Rupert Murdoch's attempted takeover of BSkyB was highly relevant to report as he was in charge of whether the decision could be approved or not.

This is not the same, though. People are completely different in private to what they show in public. Professionals have to portray a scandal-free image of themselves, which is why anything controversial written on social media gets leaped upon so quickly.

The context is important as well. What you say to your friends you wouldn't say to a stranger. Scudamore is the top man at the Premier League and as such has to be careful with everything he says and does. But that does not mean he cannot speak freely when away from his job, just like everyone else does. Most people's texts and private messages would probably reveal information which, if made public, would cause huge embarrassment. But they say these things anyway because they expect them to remain hidden.

The way things are going, we will soon live in a police state like in North Korea where any dissent from accepted comment makes you an enemy. So, unless Scudamore says something which directly contradicts his role within football, then his private comments should stay where they belong.

Complacent parties caught kipping

It continually feels like British politics is its very own Game of Thrones. Except without soldiers and war, we have pollsters and spin doctors.

Sometimes, though, it’s more like The Hunger Games, where the Westminster elite feast in excess while the rest of us are left to look on and despair.

Ok, that’s enough of my love of fantasy – of the film and TV variety that is, not whips and chains – but there was a point in there.

You only have to look at last week’s episode of Question Time to see the point. On the panel was Conservative party chairman Grant Shapps who I’m sure by accident carries an air of superiority over those around him.

Accompanying him was Labour’s shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna, a man who is baby-bottom smooth but also someone who appears to have no problem with allowing his Wikipedia page to be changed so that it compares him to Barack Obama.

These well-spoken Westminster politicians were fronted by an audience who live in the real world. For years they have been patronised by ministers and MPs who do not believe they can handle strong opinion or honest debate.

The centre ground is the safe ground where David Cameron and Tony Blair hid out. Anyone who dares to act outside this safe ground is deemed dangerous. Cuts, by their very nature, are automatically swingeing. It is often remarked that even Maggie Thatcher had never gone so far as this coalition government.

Commons’ debates descend into pissing contests and a stage to see which leader has the best gag writer. It’s cheap politics, full of gimmicks and petty points-scoring as both sides trade childish insults and triumphantly declare victory over their opposite numbers. In terms of relevance, these trade-offs must rank alongside the Anglo-Italian cup.

These are the same people, remember, who stole from us through expenses. Many of those at the top are the ones who play the Game of Thrones the best, sucking up to the party hierarchy to earn promotion and failing to offer any thought which does not feel like it has been vetted by legal minds in case it might somehow cause an unflattering headline.

You only have to read any political journalist to hear of the squabbling, back-stabbing, power struggles and leaks between rival factions to wonder how any policies ever get put forward.

Meanwhile, the rest of us get on with our lives. The hard-working poor suffer through inadequate wages and live in fear that bad health or legal difficulties could cripple them financially.

They suffer through the very real cost of living difficulties (not that Labour can say much with their record in government) and have to watch the rich and privileged Cameron and George Osborne triumphantly taunt their opposite numbers over the fact the economy isn’t quite as crap as it was a few months earlier.

So it’s no wonder that many turn to Ukip. A country which resisted turning to fascism or communism in the 30s, unlike many in Europe, is looking to stick the knife into the three main parties.

Ukip is a phenomenon, although whether it continues to be relevant will be a tough test of the leadership when it comes to writing its manifesto for next year’s general election.

Ukip is not some right-wing, anti-government party like the Tea Party in America. Defining Ukip is difficult, but one moment offers a clue as to why its popularity continues to grow.

A recent Guardian article was put up documenting 10 reasons not to vote Ukip. It was terrifically researched and I was sure the commenters would be joining the writer in abusing those hapless, out-of-touch racists.

But to my surprise they instead turned their ire on the writer. Back off Ukip was the cry, just as it was on the comments sections on the Mail, Express, Times and Independent websites.

One of its candidates wants Lenny Henry to leave the country. So what? Who cares? I’m voting Ukip anyway.

One of its candidates defends slavery. No matter, I’ll still vote Ukip.

The people are fed up. They are fed up of being treated as kids. They are at their teenage rebellion stage and they are enjoying watching the grown-up parties squirm.

Cameron in particular is feeling the heat. Handicapped by election boundaries and necessary cuts which extend Labour a huge advantage, he has been bullied into negotiating a tougher position on Europe and promising a referendum in 2017. Although since the chances of the Conservatives winning a majority is slim, he will either not be afforded the chance or will do little in terms of renegotiating the UK’s continued membership.

A week ago I put together an article on the EU, using conversations with Jackie Minor – the EU’s representative to the UK – and Gawain Towler, a Ukip MEP candidate and party spokesman.

Both were interesting for different reasons. Minor calmly and assuredly put forward many reasons why the UK benefitted from EU membership, including: increased trade, research funding and reduced roaming charges.

Towler, who had no idea of my name and had no inclination he would be meeting me, gave 30 minutes of impassioned, quote-worthy material before walking off and half-joking that he had probably said something really controversial.

He said he grew up in Germany, his parents lived in France and he liked Europe, but he wanted to be governed at home. He lambasted media coverage on Ukip. He talked enthusiastically of the differences in campaigning now compared to the same election five years ago. 

He laughed at mention of his party’s 2010 manifesto and said it should be kept as an historical monument to be enjoyed in many years’ time. He even candidly stated that now they were much more in the public spotlight, Ukip would engage more thoroughly in the policy-making process in Europe.

Towler was loving life. He was glad to see racists exposed and kicked-out, but he didn’t want his candidates censured. If the public don’t like that person then they won’t vote for him or her was his verdict.

Ukip might have the appearance of a working men’s club, but the unpopularity of the main parties means they have time to reform. Young and minority candidates are being integrated. The next general election manifesto is being taken deadly seriously with auditors brought in to make sure it adds up properly.

In the meantime, their European prospects continue to grow and the anti-establishment crowd loves it. They see broken promises, gimmicks like all-women shortlists or friends of the party leadership pushed into safe seats nowhere near where they live. Then they see Ukip and people who speak the same way as they do and without fear of political correctness.

The fact they seem to have fewer policies than racist members is not an issue. Just as long as they can vote for the party of Nigel Farage and not the one of Cameron or Ed Miliband whose every movements appear stage-managed to garner votes.

Farage is, remember, the man promising a referendum. Ever since I can remember we have been demanding a say on our EU membership, but politicians seem to think they know better. Sovereignty has ebbed away, budgets continually expanded and our borders thrown open, but we are always better in we are told. Westminster knows best after all.

An economic market has evolved into a super state where power lies in the unaccountable and expensive politicians. And it is only thanks to Ukip’s pressure that we are learning more about what EU membership means. It turns out that there are many benefits, but the effect of uncontrolled immigration brings many sets of problems.

Boris Johnson said that more than 42,000 homes need to be built in London every year for the next 20 years. Social housing waiting lists are long and the number of households living in temporary accommodation is rising.

The argument of foreigners coming in and taking our jobs – a line cynically taken by Ukip – is partly true, but most are skilled workers or taking jobs we would not do ourselves. Regardless, the strain on resources is not going to get better any time soon.

Europe is an extremely complex topic to get your head around and the exaggerated claims, overuse of statistics and misleading comments brought out in the debates between Farage and Nick Clegg does not help to clarify how it operates.

We will find out in a few weeks whether the Ukip bubble will burst or not. A win in the European polls, gains in local elections and a sitting MP in Newark are all goals and each would continue the momentum.

Stutter now, though, and the chance of causing Cameron a bloody nose in 12 months’ time looks unrealistic.

Nevertheless, Ukip’s rise has stirred something in the political ocean. It’s asked questions, focussed minds and made some raise their game. Farage may not deserve a full platform in next year’s debates, but he has earned his moment in the sun.

And, you know what, I know Ukip are a populist party with few policies and too many candidates holding questionable and at times awful views. I know they resemble a pub team who have suddenly had to play in the professional ranks and are not ready for their new, elevated level.

Yes, they are the laziest MEPs in the European Parliament.

I’m sure there are hundreds of other reasons people could throw at me for ignoring Ukip and in the time you've read this something else has kicked off. But I don’t care. I have no faith in the main parties and it’s only when facing intense media scrutiny that they tend to act on any wrong-doing.

I am suitably annoyed and fed up in the system we have now, and so unimpressed with what we are being offered, that I have no shame in admitting that I want to see what the alternative has to offer. When it comes to Europe, I will be voting Ukip.

I want a say on our relationship with Europe and if that makes me a fruitcake, loony or racist then so be it.

None of those would be the worst thing I’ve been called…