Shortening the Fuse

Welcome to the new decade! I know it’s been going for a month now (or not going at all, depending on how calendrically pedantic you choose to be), but for the first part of the month, I was on vacation, ignoring the internet and the world (at least the world above the surface of the water) for a little bit. It has been glorious, and I’ve spent the last couple weeks getting back into the grind of life, so it feels like I’m a couple weeks behind overall. And I like that feeling.

As one does when presented with some time to think and a milestone around which to think those thinks, I’ve done me some thinkin’. And I think the time is right at this point for me to step away from running The Short Fuse.

In addition to the new decade, Arsenal of course have a new manager, and (hopefully) a new way of approaching the challenge of getting back to the top four. And I think TSF also needs a new set of perspectives as well. I’ve been doing this for a long time now - I’ve been a writer here for about, what, eight years? Nine? And I’ve been lucky enough to have the keys to the store for the last four years or so.

In that time, we’ve covered a lot of ground - from FA Cup wins to the end of the top four streak, to the end of Arsene Wenger’s time at Arsenal and through Unai Emery’s stint as boss. Now, with Mikel Arteta running the show at the Emirates, I think someone else needs to start covering that particular ground at TSF.

I can’t go any further with this without first thanking Ted Harwood, who gave me a writing gig at TSF, which he founded, way back in the day. I appreciate everything Ted did for me, and all the help he gave me as I was getting into the rhythms of being a daily blog writer, and it’s no exaggeration to say I wouldn’t be here today without him. I also want to thank Thomas Wachtel, from whom I took over this fantastic place after his time as Blog Overlord. I hope I didn’t screw it up too badly.

Another person/place I want to thank is Dustin and the crew at Cartilage Free Captain. I know we’re supposed to hate Spurs and everything associated with them, because ARSENAL DNA, but it’s been a ton of fun bantering with y’all over the years, and it’s an eternal strike against my leadership of TSF that we couldn’t beat you at a Charity Challenge. But at least I got a bitchin’ tattoo out of one of those challenges.

Lastly, but absolutely not leastly, I want to thank you. Yes, you. Whether you were a regular reader who never spoke up in the comments, or a commenter - new or long-time - you all make TSF (hopefully) one of the most sane, interesting, and fun places on the Internet to discuss Arsenal. You’ve all given me new perspectives, different ways of looking at things, and every single one of you, whether you read my stuff because you liked it or whether you hate-read it to find and poke holes in my arguments, has meant the world to me throughout my time at the helm here.

I leave you in the care of a familiar name - Aaron Lerner is taking over day-to-day management of the site. He’s been around a while, and the fact that that he’s in charge means the blog is absolutely in good hands going forward.

I’ll still be around as a reader and a commenter, so you won’t be rid of me that easily. But for now, as a writer and somewhat-guy-in-charge, this is so long and, once again, thanks to all of you for everything you’ve given me.