Arsenal have moved quickly today with regards to season ticket prices for next season. The drop in to the Europa League has seen a reduction in renewal prices for 2017-18 and this is absolutely the right thing to do. At the end of a season that has been close to disastrous on the field, with only the FA Cup Final to add any gloss to it, I am relieved to see that someone at Arsenal has recognised the need to play a fair game with loyal supporters for a change. The one thing I would have liked them to do differently on this would have been to make the group stages of the Europa League a "League Cup" style arrangement, by which I mean it wouldn't have been included in season ticket costs at all until we reached any knockout stage. That move would have almost guaranteed a full-house of seats occupied, as opposed to sold, as plenty would have fancied some European football for £10 and £5 for concessions. Nonetheless, it's a laudable move from Arsenal.
The week we've just had as Arsenal fans has been interesting to say the least. On the pitch the players have produced the victories and played some better (but still not brilliant) football than we'd seen since Christmas. Ultimately it has all been too little, too late but I mentioned on Twitter the other day (and it seems to have been a theme picked up by many now) that our failure to finish ahead of Liverpool was sealed on the opening day of the season. We lost 4-3 at home to Klopp's side with a centre-half combination of Holding and Chambers - one youngster playing his first ever Premier League game and another who had been sent away within a fortnight as he isn't good enough. Wenger had chosen to give Koscielny and Giroud extended breaks after Euro 2016 and had not signed the experienced centre-back he clearly needed to. He told everyone after that game that Arsenal "were not ready" for that first game of the season. I said at the time it was totally unacceptable to be UIKeyInputDownArrowin that position. With a finish outside the Champions League places, and the promise of Thursday night football, we have seen those chickens come home to roost.
Yesterday was a nice way to finish in the Premier League, though I've seen only the Match Of The Day coverage as I was working. I'm told the referee had a real stormer of a match, even worse than the idiot we had against Sunderland in midweek. Koscielny's red card is probably a fair decision, but maybe some common sense could have been applied with Wembley for us next weekend - Koscielny might also have shown some common sense and not made the tackle in the first place, thus meaning he wouldn't be missing out on the honour of leading Arsenal out for an FA Cup Final as Captain. Welbeck gives us much more movement and pace up front, but his finishing is often totally and inexplicably woeful. Quite how he missed the chance that Bellerin finally put away I will never know. Nonetheless he has to play at Wembley as far as I'm concerned, and I will do a proper preview piece for the FA Cup on Friday.
Finally, the off the pitch headlines from Friday seem to have been nipped in the bud by Kroenke and his people. That's a shame. I don't necessarily want Alisher Usmanov (or anyone else) to be the sole owner of Arsenal FC. However, that is the way football has gone at the top level in England. We can't beat them, so we have to join them. Kroenke has actually allowed Wenger to spend big money in the last few years, but he is not interested in football success. Having said that, when he is turning down a bid that would more than double his investment in Arsenal I have to wonder exactly what it is he does want. I just find the whole thing bizarre.
Change is apparently afoot at Arsenal. None of us know what that change is. Wenger indicated yesterday that the confusion around his future has caused issues for the team, but he can't say he hasn't had ample opportunity to actually put that issue to bed one way or the other over the last three months. It is going to be a long and interesting, maybe painful, summer for Arsenal supporters. Let's hope we go in to it having put some silverware on the sideboard.
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