What an odd weekend!
For as long as anyone can remember football’s talking heads have sat scratching their chins, philosophising about the psychological aspect of the game and how much confidence affects a result.
As an Arsenal fan I cringe when we lose and an ex-player or sympathetic pundit puts a clumsy defeat down to ‘a lack of confidence’.
I mean for chrissakes. These are athletes who are the best of the best of the best. Of the hundreds of millions of young men who play football week in week out, they are in the top 500 bracket.
Confidence shouldn’t even be a factor anymore; if you get that far and still don’t believe in yourself, there’s something very wrong with you.
Well at least, that’s what I thought until I witnessed Chelsea’s self belief crumble, as their previously watertight defence conceded nine goals in three games.
A side so bullishly self-assured choked in an unlikely sequence of fixtures: embarrassed by Blackburn, defeated by vulnerable Man City, frustrated by lowly Apoel Nicosia and stumped by struggling Everton.
It’s difficult to put such dips in form down to tactical error or lapses in concentration when your team is topping the league, undefeated in Europe. A poor result can be carried by the mightiest club like a wound, a chink in the armour exploited.
Or it can be shrugged off, as Manchester United have historically done so astutely, and accepted as a brief lapse before full focus it placed on victory in the next game, an immediate return to glory.
Perhaps it is testament to how long United’s players have spent together that they possess such resilience. Who would bet against them putting Wolves to the sword midweek, quenching the frustration of defeat by raining goals on the away end?
Chelsea’s squad is certainly very familiar with itself, but they have a new manager now and are still learning how to be Ancellotti’s Chelsea, diamonds and all.
Arsenal has suffered from continuous transition in recent years and seem to be settling into themselves finally.
Any step backwards has been followed by two steps forwards, and the team’s response to Wenger’s half time dressing-down at Anfield confirms the emergence of that elusive backbone so long sought after.
Meanwhile, despite having a huge squad and a midfield to die for, Spurs still don’t actually believe that they really could challenge for the title (they really could) and followed their astonishing obliteration of Wigan with two draws and a defeat.
On the basis of quality alone Chelsea will win the league, but on the balance of quality and self-belief then it will be United.
If the other contenders can tip the scales in their favour we could have a very interesting title run-in, in a league which is wide open like never before.
Enjoy the mid-week games.
AP
Monday, December 14, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Defeat - Introspection - Improvement - Success
ON SUNDAY afternoon, Didier Drogba dispatched a perfectly flighted free kick into the corner of Almunia’s net and sealed a victory which brought Arsenal’s latest weakness into cold focus.
Before the game, I’d been preparing a blog entry centred on the Gunner’s physical shortcomings. I was going to make a detailed comparison between the stature of the Invincibles squad 03/04 and the current team, and point out why this meant we lose matches like the game against Sunderland the previous weekend (which I didn’t even watch!) and why we’d struggle against Chelsea.
But having observed our defeat against the Blues I realised I’d got it wrong…or more accurately, only got it 15% right.
We did very little wrong in terms of our performance. We passed well, kept possession convincingly and physically held our own. Song looks increasingly like a Mascherano figure, an excellent ball-winner with superb distributional skills. Fabregas, Nasri, Denilson and Arshavin are all fighters and put paid to the flimsy argument that we are a soft team.
All three of the goals scored against us were undeniably unstoppable, and the Gallas/Vermaelen partnership continues to improve. This wasn’t a defensive issue either by the way.
No, our shortcomings came from the most unlikely source. Despite a large goal haul this season our multi-pronged attack was completely impotent. As a result of the loss of a single player, Robin Van Persie, the ability to convert the many openings we created into goals, or even shots, escaped us.
Van Persie is a menace. He thrives on tricking and tormenting defenders, getting in their face, twisting and turning and using his brain as well as his feet to combine telepathically with the equally cerebral Fabregas. This is why everyone apart from Arsenal fans cannot stand him.
Eduardo has brains and talent too, but is non-confrontational and bounced off the brick wall Chelsea presented us with like a tennis ball.
Bendtner, who has been looking more and more capable recently of providing a similar service to RVP, was injured and unavailable. Premier League winning teams don’t become useless because two of their strikers are crocked.
OK that’s a little harsh. We will come up against defences as well organised once in a blue moon. But those blue moons will rise again this season.
Wenger had his beady eye on Bordeaux’s Marouane Chamakh in the summer. Judging by his Champions League performances this season he would have proved useful during this difficult period.
At the same time, the gaffer refuses to bury his squad beneath new signings, giving everyone in the first team breathing space, and with six strikers on the books, he was justified in not bringing the Moroccan to the Emirates.
So in reality, no WRONG decisions have been made here, but Chelsea have brought to attention a chink in the armour which must be repaired.
Wenger says:
"I didn't feel we were in the need to buy anybody but we will be out on the market that is for sure now.”
After being accused of being too proud for his own good on various occasions it looks like this time he’s managed to swallow it, representing an ambition for success that matches the fan’s hunger for silverware.
So we keep the trust, and move onwards and upwards.
Happy advent.
AP
Before the game, I’d been preparing a blog entry centred on the Gunner’s physical shortcomings. I was going to make a detailed comparison between the stature of the Invincibles squad 03/04 and the current team, and point out why this meant we lose matches like the game against Sunderland the previous weekend (which I didn’t even watch!) and why we’d struggle against Chelsea.
But having observed our defeat against the Blues I realised I’d got it wrong…or more accurately, only got it 15% right.
We did very little wrong in terms of our performance. We passed well, kept possession convincingly and physically held our own. Song looks increasingly like a Mascherano figure, an excellent ball-winner with superb distributional skills. Fabregas, Nasri, Denilson and Arshavin are all fighters and put paid to the flimsy argument that we are a soft team.
All three of the goals scored against us were undeniably unstoppable, and the Gallas/Vermaelen partnership continues to improve. This wasn’t a defensive issue either by the way.
No, our shortcomings came from the most unlikely source. Despite a large goal haul this season our multi-pronged attack was completely impotent. As a result of the loss of a single player, Robin Van Persie, the ability to convert the many openings we created into goals, or even shots, escaped us.
Van Persie is a menace. He thrives on tricking and tormenting defenders, getting in their face, twisting and turning and using his brain as well as his feet to combine telepathically with the equally cerebral Fabregas. This is why everyone apart from Arsenal fans cannot stand him.
Eduardo has brains and talent too, but is non-confrontational and bounced off the brick wall Chelsea presented us with like a tennis ball.
Bendtner, who has been looking more and more capable recently of providing a similar service to RVP, was injured and unavailable. Premier League winning teams don’t become useless because two of their strikers are crocked.
OK that’s a little harsh. We will come up against defences as well organised once in a blue moon. But those blue moons will rise again this season.
Wenger had his beady eye on Bordeaux’s Marouane Chamakh in the summer. Judging by his Champions League performances this season he would have proved useful during this difficult period.
At the same time, the gaffer refuses to bury his squad beneath new signings, giving everyone in the first team breathing space, and with six strikers on the books, he was justified in not bringing the Moroccan to the Emirates.
So in reality, no WRONG decisions have been made here, but Chelsea have brought to attention a chink in the armour which must be repaired.
Wenger says:
"I didn't feel we were in the need to buy anybody but we will be out on the market that is for sure now.”
After being accused of being too proud for his own good on various occasions it looks like this time he’s managed to swallow it, representing an ambition for success that matches the fan’s hunger for silverware.
So we keep the trust, and move onwards and upwards.
Happy advent.
AP
Monday, November 30, 2009
The Enemy - Live at Manchester Apollo (for Manchester Evening News)
Here's my most recent review for the Manchester Evening News. This time The Enemy play Manchester Apollo.
http://www.citylife.co.uk/music/reviews/17435_swaggering_charm_from_the_enemy
Sure.
AP
http://www.citylife.co.uk/music/reviews/17435_swaggering_charm_from_the_enemy
Sure.
AP
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Alberta Cross - Taking Control (single, reviewed for Citylifers.co.uk)
Treacherous band Alberta Cross hails from London but jumped our sinking island to go to New York and get famous.
It seems to be working out for them as ‘Taking Control’, first single from debut album Broken Side of Time, is a bit of a treat.
It’s bluesy, gushing indie squirting from the vein of Kings of Leon, but their shimmering, crashing chord sound and pounding drums betray their Englishness.
There’s a lot of promise here and we’d do well to stake our claim to these guys before the yanks call dibs.
It seems to be working out for them as ‘Taking Control’, first single from debut album Broken Side of Time, is a bit of a treat.
It’s bluesy, gushing indie squirting from the vein of Kings of Leon, but their shimmering, crashing chord sound and pounding drums betray their Englishness.
There’s a lot of promise here and we’d do well to stake our claim to these guys before the yanks call dibs.
Eamon McGrath - 13 Songs of Whiskey and Light (review for Citylifers)
As Eamon slurs through smoke-shredded throat, “Well I got myself a drinking problem now, but I blame it on the town,” during the jagged and shadowy ‘Desperation, Alberta’, you’ll get butterflies and register that this album is superb.
This Canadian fella has only just hit his twenties, that’s the scary thing. He sounds like he has the burden of an entire lifetime on his shoulders, and damn he knows how to make you feel every tear of it.
After easing you in with the piano-lead ‘Welcome to the Heart’, he catches you off guard with ‘Machine Gun Cowboy’ and its sneering folk-punk sensibilities. He growls moodily, “I’m going up to heaven soon,” and Cobain is up there somewhere listening thinking that maybe things weren’t so bad.
The psychedelia of ‘Last Man Standing’ flows into drinking song ’Cadillac Rosetown’, past the majestic sway of ‘Holy Roller’ and into that first song I mentioned.
Bonus points are added for the song title ‘Darby Crash and Burn Guitars’ before the album draws to an increasingly sombre close.
It begins to feel momentarily like the whole thing is in danger of fizzling out, before the absolutely sublime ‘Ecstasy Railings’ drags you helplessly into a blissful coked up coma, a serene drug-ballad that book-ends the release perfectly.
13 Songs of Whiskey and Light is in fact merely a compilation of old material released in anticipation of Eamon’s first album proper, to be titled Peace Maker. You have every right to be excited.
This Canadian fella has only just hit his twenties, that’s the scary thing. He sounds like he has the burden of an entire lifetime on his shoulders, and damn he knows how to make you feel every tear of it.
After easing you in with the piano-lead ‘Welcome to the Heart’, he catches you off guard with ‘Machine Gun Cowboy’ and its sneering folk-punk sensibilities. He growls moodily, “I’m going up to heaven soon,” and Cobain is up there somewhere listening thinking that maybe things weren’t so bad.
The psychedelia of ‘Last Man Standing’ flows into drinking song ’Cadillac Rosetown’, past the majestic sway of ‘Holy Roller’ and into that first song I mentioned.
Bonus points are added for the song title ‘Darby Crash and Burn Guitars’ before the album draws to an increasingly sombre close.
It begins to feel momentarily like the whole thing is in danger of fizzling out, before the absolutely sublime ‘Ecstasy Railings’ drags you helplessly into a blissful coked up coma, a serene drug-ballad that book-ends the release perfectly.
13 Songs of Whiskey and Light is in fact merely a compilation of old material released in anticipation of Eamon’s first album proper, to be titled Peace Maker. You have every right to be excited.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Metronomy re-release debut album (written for Citylifers.co.uk)
Metronomy - Pip Paine (Pay the £5000 You Owe)
Music that sounds like a computer going insane is a bit of a hard sell.
When my computer goes potty and starts emitting unearthly forlorn bleeps it makes me want to kick the ridiculous contraption to pieces, whilst laughing maniacally.
Kudos to Metronomy then for managing to change a very similar sound from an object of annoyance into a very cool object, an object that could turn up uninvited to an exclusive party in a city penthouse and be mysterious and make girls swoon.
This is in fact a re-release of the Devon duo’s first full length, this time including four bonus tracks lumped onto the end as an incentive for the dubious.
Each of Pip Paine’s eerie offerings of cascading electro has its own weird theme; Danger Song sounds like an 80s computer game trying to hypnotise you.
Black Eye/Burnt Thumb, meanwhile, sounds like a demented digital fairground ride, while The 3rd is R2-D2 having a mental breakdown.
Then again the funereal feel of final album track New Toy betrays the fact that Metronomy isn’t just a weird object, but a sensitive one, making it naturally even more appealing to women.
Top prize goes to bonus song Hear to Wear though, an anthem composed from what sounds like monophonic ringtones, and reminds me of some nightmarish, cheap advert on late night TV, but is in fact wonderful.
It’s a right old fish full of kettles this one, but fascinating and strangely stirring. On second thoughts don’t take it to a party, just sit in your room, listen, and be seduced
Music that sounds like a computer going insane is a bit of a hard sell.
When my computer goes potty and starts emitting unearthly forlorn bleeps it makes me want to kick the ridiculous contraption to pieces, whilst laughing maniacally.
Kudos to Metronomy then for managing to change a very similar sound from an object of annoyance into a very cool object, an object that could turn up uninvited to an exclusive party in a city penthouse and be mysterious and make girls swoon.
This is in fact a re-release of the Devon duo’s first full length, this time including four bonus tracks lumped onto the end as an incentive for the dubious.
Each of Pip Paine’s eerie offerings of cascading electro has its own weird theme; Danger Song sounds like an 80s computer game trying to hypnotise you.
Black Eye/Burnt Thumb, meanwhile, sounds like a demented digital fairground ride, while The 3rd is R2-D2 having a mental breakdown.
Then again the funereal feel of final album track New Toy betrays the fact that Metronomy isn’t just a weird object, but a sensitive one, making it naturally even more appealing to women.
Top prize goes to bonus song Hear to Wear though, an anthem composed from what sounds like monophonic ringtones, and reminds me of some nightmarish, cheap advert on late night TV, but is in fact wonderful.
It’s a right old fish full of kettles this one, but fascinating and strangely stirring. On second thoughts don’t take it to a party, just sit in your room, listen, and be seduced
Rise Against review for Manchester Evening News
I'm a music journalist as well would you believe!
Here's my review of hardcore punk act Rise Against's gig at Manchester's Apollo, written for the Manchester Evening News.
http://www.citylife.co.uk/music/reviews/17399_rise_against_present_a_political_struggle
AP
Here's my review of hardcore punk act Rise Against's gig at Manchester's Apollo, written for the Manchester Evening News.
http://www.citylife.co.uk/music/reviews/17399_rise_against_present_a_political_struggle
AP
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