Sunday 19 February 2012

Would You Still SUPPORT Arsenal If We Were Relegated To League 2?

You could describe Arsenal's campaign so far in one word: Pony.

If you really wanted too, I suppose, some would feel you could probably drop the 'C' bomb on the season too.

Now I won't drop that word onto the club because I can't physically say the 'C' word and Arsenal in the same sentence but I know plenty of people who can.

The season has been horrible to watch as it unfolds but there is still a Champions League tie (albeit a slimmer than Victoria Beckham chance) to turn round and a top four race to win.

Of course I don't expect AC Milan to turn into Blackburn Rovers overnight, and I know finishing fourth isn't exactly a huge deal to brag about but, unfortunately,  its the hand we've been dealt with.

Because of the way the season has panned out there seems to be a band-wagon forming that Arsene Wenger's time at the club is up. 

Frustrations amongst some of the Gooner community is at boiling point and could almost be as hot as Rihanna in lacy underwear.

I don't like this band-wagon because, in my opinion, Arsene Wenger deserves a lot more respect than being hounded out of the club after what he has done for us.

If you feel the final nail should be blasted into his Arsenal coffin then that is your opinion. But don't start calling him names and ridiculing the man because he is worth more than that.

Admittedly the last few years have been testing as an Arsenal supporter. Being trophy-less for so long has been a grind and Wenger has been a reason for that.

But, we have been spoilt by the Wenger years when we won trophies and now things have changed, and we aren't winning things, people are spitting their dummies out.

Arsenal have no divine right to win anything. Most of the time we can't even win the Emirates Cup, a cup we invented.

And of course its nice to be challenging for silverware, and I have no doubt Wenger could have done things better to do so, but at the moment we aren't, and at the first sign of a truly bad season under the Frenchman, people want him out.

I'm not naive and I know that this feeling towards Arsene has been building up over the years but who's to say sacking him is the right idea?

It may very well be. We could get rid of him and be rejuvenated like Sunderland have been under Martin O'Neill, a new boss, but at the same time it could backfire and be the worst thing we've ever done.

My money is on it being the worst thing.

As I've said these years have been testing but for me, and I might be wrong, it is showing the supporters of Arsenal and the fans of the club.

I support Arsenal through thick and thin. I'm as frustrated as the next Gooner about the way things at the moment but even if we were relegated through the divisions to League 2 I would still love the club.

I wonder if some Gooners out there could say the same?

Many of the Arsenal fans out there become fans of the club because of Arsene Wenger, when we were constantly winnings things and challenging for honours. Now there is a tough and lean spell at the club they don't like it. 

I am not tarring all Arsenal supporters with the same brush. There is probably a lot of Gooners who have supported Arsenal for a long time who may feel the same. 

But they would support the club, like they have before, through these difficult moments.

The way some Gooners talk about Arsenal and Arsene Wenger can get my back up. I admit Wenger isn't blameless for the barren spell we are having. He could actually take most of the blame.

But its during times like this we see the Gooners who make us proud. 

Part and parcel of supporting a football is taking the rough with the smooth. Being there through the good times and the bad. Its like a marriage. For better or worse.

All the ridiculing, the name calling, saying the club is terrible, all it does is make me love Arsenal even more and want to defend it. Like a wife.

And I'd defend it all the way to League 2 and beyond. 

Would you?

Follow me on Twitter @_Wrighty7

Keep It Goonerish............

38 comments:

Terry norman said...

Many good comments but as I said in another posting, the arsenal have currently lost both it's way and soul. I don't think anyone is calling the arsenal shit but the way it's being managed, the football we play, our tactics and defensive organisation are exactly that, shit!

shrek said...

Good post.AW deserves a chance because he took the club from merely English class to world class.
I am not from England. I started watching Arsenal when they were winning things under the Wenger era. At times part of the reason some fans support clubs is because their favorite player plays for that club. Strangely enough,my favorite player was the Brazilian Ronaldo. I had no particular favorites when it came to Arsenal. The football was such a joy to watch in that English league.

As a fellow Arsenal fan said to me: AW is a victim of having such good early success feeding us caviar when now we're having pretty expensive store bought sausages.

As 7amkickoff aptly put it in his terrific blogpost a couple of days back,part of the reason we approved the Emirates move was because of our love for AW. It's our turn to back him and more importantly the club when they need us the most.

Anonymous said...

ARSENAL 4 EVER AND ANYWHERE!!!
a cipriot gunner

Anonymous said...

Even under previous managers every 3 years we had reason to cheer. I brought my kids up the arsenal way, both being under 8 they haven't seen a cup lifted. I feel a little embarrassed for them. The worst thing to happen in football is the champions league. It puts all other trophies to shit, uefa cup used to be a good trophy. Remember the cup winners cup? I would take them over 4th spot any day. Champions league should be top 2 maximum. Passion back into the game. Coyg

shrek said...

I think the reason AW invested in ball playing players rather than midfield bulldozers was because he probably felt Europe was the next step for Arsenal.He felt we had enough of the domestic cups. Most of the midfielders he has bought post 2005 are meant for winning in Europe. He took a risk in doing so by assuming that if we are capable of doing it in Europe with the best clubs from other countries ,England *should* be relatively easier. In that way his strategy backfired IMHO.

Anonymous said...

When you say the wenger years i assume you mean the period 2002 - 2005? cos u surely cannot mean 1999-2001 the first barren spell of his tenure. people seem to forget that wenger has actually led us through 11 trophyless seasons out of 16. obviously it is not these statistics that people rave about no they celebrate the.5 seasons when he.actually won something.

Wrighty7 said...

Yeah Shrek I see what you are saying.

In Europe you need more technical players than you do in the EPL.

shrek said...

@Anonymous 19:49
I never watched football properly before 2002 because where I come from, cricket rules. Now as to your comment regarding 1999-2001, let's see what AW did apart from not winning the league.

1999-2000: we came 2nd in league,lost in the UEFA cup final
2000-2001: 2nd in league,lost in the FA cup final

Essentially we were still competing.

Terry norman said...

Could not agree more! Coming 4th isn't success in my book ie unless your a banker gathering money from mediocrity!

Anonymous said...

I have been supporting Arsenal since 1972. In that time they've fought relegation in the 70's and seen spells of mere mediocrity both in the eighties and again in two of the three final years of George Graham. Those periods did not cause me as much anxiety because the problems were not ones that were in our power to easily solve.
In the years between May 2004 - 2007 Wenger dismantled an incredible side seldom bringing in replacements of similar capability. OK, we were short of cash and at first his myopias in areas like centre back and goalkeeper (no established keeper in the three years before Sczezny) were just eccentricities to be forgiven. Dein left and they grew into far more than that. The club became a revolving door with no investment or spirit on the pitch accompanied by year after year of unexplained injuries and a single mouthpiece spouting maxims and catchprases.
By this time in August our last established world class player will almost certainly be preparing for a new season elsewhere and our ability to replace him will be at an alltime low but I see not one shred of evidence from the last few years that a quality replacement replacement will be sought.
To dismiss the manager alone would not solve the current malaise. The problems are now far too deep. Kroenke has no love for this club and will not take it forward. Gazidis is an utter digrace. The whole of Europe can see the pattern. But to say give Wenger a chance? Respect his past at all times but how long do we wait while the same old coaching staff remain year after year? The same medical staff? The same poor tactics, the same penny pinching, the low commitment of players and the sky high ticket prices. Ten years? Twenty?
For God's sake wake up.

Anonymous said...

Wrighty,
You are off your rocker
Consider this... Players used to come to arsenal because of Wenger, now they leave because of him. Next to go will be RVP who like all of us is tired of Wenger's empty words and promises
The team is getting worse by the year. Whose fault is that? Have guess mate

Anonymous said...

arsenal is relegation team already with situation at hand.what i need at emirate now is change in board chairman

Anonymous said...

Til I die

Roachy said...

Wrighty...My family is Arsenal through and through and has been for decades. I can see what wenger has tried to do since the club decided to move from Highbury to the Emirates stadium. This investment in the clubs long term sustainability is the main reason for the clubs fall from the apex.

Their strategy from 2004 onwards was to build and pay for a state of the art 60,000 seat stadium.

Its what Wenger recently refered to when asked about the club finances. The strategic plan requires at least 20m pounds every financial year to ensure the debt of the stadium is reduced as planned and the club meets the long term strategic targets.

This strategic plan was hatched many years ago to ensure the club can continue to compete with the big clubs. It takes into account changes to fifa rules about fair play and sustainable club financial models.

This plan could not never have beeen achieved by managers like Mancini, Rednap, SAF or Gardiola with these financial constraints and remain in the top 4.

The strictly tight financial plan
meant Arsene had to assemble a side that could compete for things within a very tight budget.

But we also witnessed Wenger make some last minute buying primarily because we lost Cesc, Clichy, Nasri and Wilshere. The last two were not so expected and this has cost Arsenal dearly. Add the loss of 4 defenders for a fair part of the season and you can see where it fell apart.

A few days ago (after the loss at Sunderland) I read an article where Wenger attacked the media and say... "At the moment I get many lessons from people who have managed zero clubs and zero games. We have played 15 years at the top level in the top 4 with remarkable constistency and one day, when you manage a club you will see it is not easy"

Buidling a team that can compete using a tight budget model is not easy and requires precise planning and bit of luck!

Anonymous said...

I'll forever stand by the phrase " in arsene we trust"

Anonymous said...

i'll support wherever Arsenal go..
#gooner4life

Goonerdhanesh said...

You are right. Every club has its own good days and bad days. The club will have to face all these and its not fair to blame all these things happen because of Arsene Wenger. Don't forget that its under his management that Arsenal were also called the Invincibles. Surely now things are not looking great for the gunners. This doesn't mean that the club is doing nothing to get a trophy. They are having a try with their current strength which is outclassed by many who are more mightier than them. If you are a true gunner fan you need to stay with the club no matter what happens here. I swear I will be a true gunner for ever in my life.

Anonymous said...

I would still support arsenal if we became a conference side. But that doesn't mean I have to support Wenger in dragging us down

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