Complacency
Oct 1, 2008 Sports
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On Saturday, Arsenal played and lost to Hull City. Honestly, I’m not too surprised. You could almost sense that it was going to happen.
As an Arsenal fan, I’m really disappointed by the result. But I’m not going to make any excuses for the team. They played poorly. They weren’t up to their normal standards. They seemed to underestimate Hull City. They didn’t seem to want it as much as Hull City. And they deserved to lose.
On paper, Arsenal have the better team. Player-for-player, they are better. I don’t think anyone, not even Hull, will dispute that. But on the day, Hull wanted it more, and they were better.
It’s a great lesson in complacency. No matter how good you are, you can’t afford to sit back and expect things to happen for you. It won’t work.
The next question, one that I don’t yet have an answer to, is then this - how do you avoid complacency? How do you keep pushing yourself to give the maximum when you don’t think you’ll need to?
[?]Tags: ability, arsenal, complacency, Hull city
Treating Your Customers Right
Jun 14, 2008 Sports
Aaron Ramsey, the most sought after teenager in England, has signed for Arsenal. He was expected to sign for Manchester United, and to be honest, even I didn’t think Arsenal would get him. But in the end, he chose to come to Arsenal. Why? Because Arsenal treated him well.
Manchester United sent their captain, Gary Neville, to meet Ramsey and his family. Ramsey and his family had apparently wanted to speak to the management about his future, but didn’t get the chance. Arsenal, on the other hand, flew him first class on a private jet to Switzerland to meet Wenger (because Wenger was working there). Wenger talked to him, and answered any questions he and his family had, for over 2 hours, and convinced him that Arsenal was a better fit to his style.
Arsenal might not have won as much as Manchester United, the current champions of the Premier League and Champions League, in recent years. They might not have the fan base or financial strength of Manchester United. I hate to admit this as an Arsenal fan, but on paper, Arsenal may not be considered as good a club as Manchester United.
But they treated Aaron Ramsey better. They talked to him openly, addressed whatever questions he had honestly. And they proved that they were better for him. Arsenal might not be the better club, but they were the better club for him, and that’
There’s a great lesson in customer service here. Treat your customers (both prospective and current) as well as you can, no matter who they are. Talk to them openly and honestly, and listen. Provide what is best for them personally, make it as personalized and unique to them as possible.
Do that - treat your customers right - and they are more likely to come to you.
Are you providing first class service to your customers - are you treating your customers right?
Tags: Aaron Ramsey, arsenal, customer service, honesty, manchester united, personalization, soccer
Counter-attacking
Apr 30, 2008 Sports
Joël Che recently wrote an article on Arsenal Mania about what the current Arsenal team lacks. He compares the current squad to the ‘Invincibles’ squad of 2004 that went the whole season unbeaten. The main point of the article is that “Counter-attacking is by far the best and most lethal form of attacking.” and that the current squad has lost the speed of counter-attacks that the previous team had.
And I’ve got to agree with him. On both counts. But the one I want to emphasize more is his general point.
Counter-attacking is by far the best and most lethal form of attacking.
This is true in any sport, I think. I’d even go as far as saying it’s true in any venture. You might not be the most skillful, but if you can handle pressure and react quickly, you’ll go far.
How fast are you able to respond from being under pressure?
[?]Tags: arsenal, invincibles, pressure, response, speed
Speed of Recovery
Mar 22, 2008 Sports
I haven’t written about soccer or Arsenal in a while, and with the big match against Chelsea coming up, I thought I’d do so. One thing that’s been said a lot about Arsenal is the pace of the defense. Because Arsenal’s defenders are so fast (among the fastest in the league), the team is able to play higher up the pitch, putting more pressure on their opposition, and supporting the attack more. Basically, the speed of the defenders allow them to do a lot more going forward, knowing that even if they get caught out, they are likely to be able to chase back.
So the question I have for you today is, how fast can you respond to setbacks? If you’re able to respond and adapt quickly, the rewards will be great, in my opinion. It allows you to innovate more bravely, to try more things and take more risks.
A pretty obvious lesson, perhaps, but one that needs to be addressed. Are you able to adapt and respond to setbacks quickly? If not, how can you improve in that area?
[?]Tags: arsenal, defense, innovation, response, setbacks
Keeping calm
Feb 7, 2008 Sports
Emmanuel Adebayor is an Arsenal striker who has improved a lot this season.
The biggest area of his game which has improved - in my opinion, at least - is his composure in front of goal. He used to rush his shots. But now, he’s a lot more calm when under pressure.
Another prime example of being calm under pressure is Eduardo (another Arsenal striker). He’s a real natural finisher, and when presented with opportunities, he takes as much time as he needs. He’s never rushed, and keeps calm no matter how many other players are around him.
I could probably list more examples, but I think the point is kind of clear. You can have all the talent in the world, but the ability to keep calm under pressure is what will allow you to make the most of that talent.
How do you keep your calm when placed under pressure?
And on a side note, you’ve got 3 more days to win a copy of Seth Godin’s latest book - “Meatball Sundae”! Click here for the contest details, and also check out the other entries so far.
[?]Get on with it
Feb 4, 2008 Sports
Yesterday’s Arsenal - Manchester City match demonstrated a really good lesson. It was 2-1 to Arsenal, and Manchester City were pushing forward for the equalizer. On a quick counter attack late in the game, Arsenal scored a third, to seal the win. Adebayoor broke away, played the ball, and was brought down. Play went on because the ball went to Fabregas, who continued the move. Adebayoor just got up, and supported the move. The ball broke to him, and he scored.
He could have very well stayed down, and asked for the free kick, or feigned injury. It was a foul, after all. But he didn’t. He got up, got on with it, and scored.
I think that’s something we all can learn. Sometimes we get knocked down. Sometimes unfairly. We can stay down and complain about it. Or we can get up, and get on with it. If you do the latter, you’ll probably be rewarded for it.
It’s a tough thing to do, and something that I’m learning myself. But it’s a worthwhile lesson, I think.
How do you bring yourself to just get on with it when circumstances go against you?
[?]Tags: adebayor, arsenal, circumstance, determination, manchester city
