Trophic Cascade

In 1995 they decided to re-introduce Wolves after a 70 year absence to the Yellowstone national forest.  The poor guys, who were once quite close to humans, had been hunted away to protect livestock and their population was reduced significantly. The last grey wolves in Yellowstone were killed in 1926.  With no natural predator beyond the inbred hunters tasked with population control, the deer had essentially grazed the land to death, dead trees, bare meadows and hillsides, dry river beds, before 1995 Yellowstone looked like the back of the fridge. Enter 14 grey wolves.  They were captured in Canada and transported to Wyoming where they were first allotted an acre pen.  They were then introduced to each other and formed new packs and families and slowly deer population growth began to slow down, then stop and eventually plateau.  With less deer, the grass was allowed to grow and up popped wild flowers and in came the bees and the mice and the voles and the chip monks, which attracted the foxes and the weasels and the Badgers.  Trees came back to life and grew taller than ever before and in came the birds and the berries.  Bears ate the berries and badgers and the chip monks and their population grew.  And with song birds and thriving trees in came the Beavers and they built damns which gave a home to 1000s of animals and insects and more importantly changed the flow of water in the river and the fish population increased, feeding yet more animals.  With a thriving river full of fish, growing trees full of birds and berries, expansive meadows full of grass and flowers and a natural order in the animal population Yellowstone became the stunning sight that it is today and it all started with 14 wolves.  This effect is known as a Trophic Cascade.  

We've had a few Trophic cascade catalysts over the years at the Arsenal.  The first modern example being Dennis Bergkamp.  Then Veiera, Henry, Sol Campbell, Jens Lehman and the mother of all Trophic cascade induction: Arsene Wenger himself.  Not only has he transformed Arsenal, so easily forgotten during our trophy drought and even now, but he transformed football more than anybody in the sport today.  

There's no denying that we're not quite what we used to be.  An expensive stadium move, the failure of project youth, the influx of cash investment by oligarchs and now the outrageous new television contracts have all changed the landscape significantly and we're no longer one of the undisputed top two teams in England.  As fans and classic sufferers of the post modern social disease known as Hero Worship, we look to the horizon for that quiet badass slowly making his way towards Seven Sisters Road, gun hidden under his poncho, ready to shoot down the gang of corporate executives with their filthy dirty Russian, Chinese and Arab blood money overrunning the premier league and restore the Arse to it's former, dignified glory.  Stand up Mesut Ozil. My feeling is we're seeing the beginnings of a new and better era at Arsenal and that Ozil goal is just the beginning. 

Not much else need be said about Tuesday night.   As for Sunday, we welcome the enemy at lunch time, or 4 am if you're within a 1000 mile radius of me. Bellerin, Nacho and Theo should be back, which is good.  Bells is the best right back in the league, Theo's value so far this season is obvious and after the absolute roasting Gibbs took on Tuesday (I fear it may be all over for him at the very top level) Nacho is a welcome return.  Santi might be out, which could be a major problem.  Wenger will have to chose between Xhaka, Elneny and Rambo to replace him, a testament to our depth in the middle but a worry because Cazorla has become so essential to the way we transition.  His insane ability in tight spaces and his nack for picking devastating passes from deep are sorely missed when he's gone and our record without him in our midfield is dismal.  

I don't see us losing this game and while they're only 3 points back my gut tells me that Tottenham will fall out of the top four this season, let's hope this game is the catalyst for an awful Trophic cascade that sees Spurs ultimately relegated from the football league and plunged into the Nando's 4a division south where their team of lobotomised beagle fuckers belongs.