Interview with DomBrown

Hello Mr Brown

-For the xperteleven cynics out there that believe that all you need is a top squad and no brains it must be a wake up call to see Arsenal UK bring home the coveted RM Invitational cup as well as finishing second in division 3 with a team that does not make the top 20 by measure of strength. You beat the strongest team West Brom Strollers not once but twice and it doesn’t take much more than a glance to see that, on paper, those games were in West Brom’s favour. But the game isn’t played on paper, it’s played with numerous 1’s and 0’s and directing them to make Arsenal win just about every single match they are put up to is you Mr Brown.

Q: You admitted it would be a hard game and even with the confidence from winning in division 3, not even you could expect such a magnificent result?

A: It was very tough to look at on paper, we were out skilled in every single area. I expected a heavy defeat to be honest with you, that was the general feeling in most my cup games as we were up against some top class teams. I’m still finding it hard to believe we won!

Q: In the first leg versus West Brom you conceded a goal after 3 minutes and then came back in the second half with three goals. That must have been an agonising first 45 minutes but how were your feelings in the second half?

A: Well, you can imagine how we felt conceding so early. “Here we go” was the general thought. I was expecting a 8-0 hammering or something along them lines. The lads did well to come back against such a strong team

Q: The second leg was an instant classic for Arsenal UK and you must have realised the cup was in your hands after two quick goals in the first half?

A: We took nothing for granted, the difference in strength between us meant that WBS could turnover any lead in a blink of an eye. We just stuck to our game plan and tried to play our game.

Q: You took over Arsenal as they had lost half of their four matches. You instantly lost 4-2 the day after being appointed. As the press releases are lost to history, what were your immediate feelings after accepting the squad met the players and then conceded 4 goals. Any discouragement? Or did you realise early on that you had a winning side in your palm?

A: Yeah it was a tough first game. Having only been managing here since May 2009 I was still a fresh faced and some what naïve manager but Robinmeeblind saw some potential in me as he recruited me for the job at Arsenal UK. I knew when I took over it would take a couple of games to get the team used to my style of play and we were hoping for a draw in the first game but I think it gave us all a kick and the team responded well to the loss. We never thought we’d get promoted. I set us a target of 4th or 5th in our first season so naturally, finishing 2nd was fantastic for us and more then we expected.

Q: Your squad has some definite stars, such as young Rosicky and the experienced bargain Sid Peyton. Both are doing their part to produce a midfield that can be compared to teams right up to the top-flight. You yourself seem to favour the midfield, often playing 5 players there with either two or a single striker up front in all of your teams. Do you feel like you would mold a team into your favoured formations, selling and buying players that would fit your idea of the game? Or have the players you manage been equally inclined to play these sort of formations?

A: I am a strong believer in a 5 man midfield, I feel it can give us more options going back and forward and allows us ot be more creative. I’ve tried to build a team around that formation, it is difficult with the lack of funds the club has at present and is making transfers very very limited.We have some cracking players though, as you said Rosicky is developing nicely and so is Nasri and Walcott. We decided we needed some more experience pretty early on last season and was lucky enough to pick up Peyton with a trade + money deal with one of our youth players that just came through the ranks. It proved to be a great deal for both clubs and has help us put together an impressive run.

Q: How are your feelings for the season? Do you have any positions that you would want to strengthen before the transfer season is over?

A: We are pretty confident for this season but we are also realistic, I think we really need to work on our defence a bit more but I am happy with my current squad, of course we would like promotion but I don’t think we can compete in division 1 week in week out as we currently are. We’d like to do well but remain in division 2 for at least one more season to allow us to get some money in for new players and develop the current squad a bit more. Mind you, we said the same thing last season…

Q: If you could name three teams that would keep you from promotion at the end of the season, which ones would they be?

A: Good question, I treat every team with the same respect as I feel anything can happen in the wonderful game of football. If I go by how it looks on paper I’d have to say the teams to watch are The Lone Wanderers, Splott Rovers, Belly Tubbies and fellow promotees Carthage FC. They are all very strong teams and will be tough to beat.

- I thank you for your time and we hope to see you in division 1 next season, Mr Brown

- No thank you, I’d like thank god…