Be afraid

By Chris Toronyi

I've missed the last three weeks of Mad Men because of travels and the inability to catch-up during the week, but the one show that I've made sure to keep up with is Game of Thrones. I'm sure I'll get some slack from the passionate viewers of The Wire, but not since The Sopranos have I made sure to keep up-to-date with a show, not matter my schedule. There's something about the power struggle, the fight, the politics of it all that makes Game of Thrones appointment viewing. I don't want to fall behind. I mean do I really want to have to ignore everyone's GoT tweets and recaps? I think not. 

 Believe it or not, this does relate to The Arsenal.

There's something missing, and I'm definitely not the first to comment on it. We are missing that edge to kill off games. The fight, the desire to do the Club and supporters proud. I wrote some emotional pleas on Twitter after the game, calling for us to put fear into teams. I just don't see it. And sadly I was reminded of this "Arsenal void" while watching Game of Thrones on Sunday. 

Everyone one of the Houses (teams) wants to own the crown and slowly, but surely they are each becoming more ruthless, calculated in their ways. They are each becoming this creature that is made up of: fights, anger, passion and do it whatever is necessary to win, trounce. The want to make others fear  them, and to think twice before being the aggressor. 

I want that thought of fear back at our Club. I want teams to second guess their attacking strategy, or better yet build their strategy around our attack. I don't want them to feel comfortable, nor do I want to them think they can push us around. I'm all for aggressive play, but come on, we must stand-up and let them know we are The Arsenal. 

Be a Lannister. Be a Stark. Yes, they each have their faults, but they know what they want. They'll fight for it, but not in a reckless way. It's a calculated execution that requires patience and right people leading the charge.

I miss the fight. I don't want it go missing like my Mad Men viewing. All I really want is some fight. I want focus. I want us to be calculated. I want us to be strong. And most of all I want us to be passionate about the Club's need to achieve. 

Thanks for reading and thanks for listening to the Arsenal America Podcast. This week we look back at the ManU game and look forward to this weekend against QPR with John Cross of The Mirror, @NorthbankLower and @EastLower. Please don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and you can also grab the RSS Feed. 

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Chris Toronyi is a longtime Arsenal supporter and the host of The Arsenal America podcast, available every week at ArsenalAmerica.com and on iTunes at "Arsenal America Podcast." You can read more of Chris' thoughts on Twitter. 

The views expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect those of Arsenal Football Club or Arsenal Media Group.