This
post is about Arsenal so you have been warned.
I
was so angry, pissed, disappointed after the home defeat to Swansea that I questioned
if I should take a break from Arsenal. If this relationship should now cool
down, if I should stop now before I get my heart broken further. I woke up
yesterday morning still feeling pissing mad, hopping angry and seething. Went to
visit Mummy then went for a facial and massage where I thought things through.
And
I came to this conclusion: yes, it’s only natural for us to be angry, betrayed
and let down because we are true supporters and we have invested a lot into the
club. We invest time, money, effort, energy, passion, emotions and feelings
into it. Sometimes I arrange my travel plans according to matches. It’s become
so much a part of my life, maybe not a healthy part of it for Arsenal are known
to give us all heart ache and panic attacks, but yes, despite all that, I can’t
imagine going through the motions of life without it. And that is precisely why
we feel angry and affected - because we care. We care too much. We show and
shower our love, care and concern and expect our feelings to be reciprocated.
A
lot of people are angry at Wenger because he’s the convenient target. And yes,
he has a lot to answer for because he chose the players, bought them and train
them. He spends a lot of time, effort and energy developing them so he’ll be
the most disappointed when the players don’t perform. He has faith in them but
do they repay his faith? He’s one of the most loyal persons to Arsenal I know and
even players can’t say that – not unless you’re Carl Jenkinson or Jack Wilshere.
He has achieved so much for Arsenal, won us trophies and ensures we are in the
Champions League for 16 straight years. But does this mean he can’t make
mistakes? We all make mistakes anyway and we learn from them. Sometimes the
players he invested in just fall short of expectations or are not good enough
for Arsenal.
But
I thought about it: how different is Arsenal and its players than you and me? Think
about it further: if you were a parent/guardian/educator, wouldn’t you be
disappointed too if your child/student lets you down? Of course you would. But do
you give up on that child? Of course not! If you can’t relate to being a parent
or guardian, well, we are all children to our parents (and our parents will
still think such of us as long as we are their children) and on my part, I admit
I gave (and still give) my parents worry and heart ache a lot of the time. But I
never expected them to give up on me. Even if I didn’t ace my exam, I still
want them to love, encourage, motivate and support me. Yes, I’m disappointed
that Arsenal continually let me down and break my heart but should I just
easily give up on it? Do I walk away from this relationship at the first sign
of trouble? Am I a fair-weathered fan who only supports them when times are
good?
Let’s
look at it from Wenger’s point of view. If I have a subordinate who’s not performing,
who’s not pulling his weight, do I just give up and wash my hands off him? I would
still try to coach and develop him. But if an employee is a disinterested
learner, can’t be bothered, has an attitude or just downright lazy, despite the
effort spent to coach him, is it the manager’s fault? If a child who is educated,
brought up well and showered with love still chooses to be an obnoxious brat,
should we just blame the parents? There’s only so much a manager – or a parent
- can do. That’s why some workplaces have employee voluntary separation scheme
or mutual separation scheme. I’m not trying to make excuses for Wenger, I’m
just merely trying to understand his problems.
I’m
not saying Wenger is not irreplaceable or indispensible. It will be harder to
find a replacement for him because he’s too involved with Arsenal. A lot of
fans are calling for his head but can a new manager guarantee we will be
winning matches? A new manager will still have to operate within the
circumstances and limitations that Wenger currently is operating in. He would
still subject to the same budget limitations and working environment and be answerable
to the same shareholders and Board. I don’t care about Chelshit but I know they
are having problems of late too. Does changing manager necessarily help? NO. Sure,
they won trophies last year but the same guy who helped them win them was still
sacked.
A
lot of fans have issues with how money is spent. Well, I always believe we
should invest in quality. All the money in the Sheikh’s deep pocket can’t help
Man Shitty progress beyond the group stage of Champions League. And look at
Swansea: why, they play attractive football and dare I say it, somewhat reminiscent
of how we (used to) play and should play. I don’t think they have such huge
funds to invest in players and yet they can still win. Look at West Bromwich
Albion and other clubs. They don’t have rich major shareholders and are unable
to buy expensive players and yet they are still doing well. Better in fact than
Arsenal. That is not to say we don’t have to invest further, that our
investment is done. Buy shit quality and you get shit product. Our players have
quality, they are just under-performing. And the sad worrying fact is we don’t
have many options and quality available from the bench apart from the regular
first XI players. And even if we make purchases in January, we still need to
give time for the newcomers to settle in. Heck, Torres is still settling in and
he’s been playing at the Premier League for years now. We still have seven
matches until end of the year. Seven. The players are tired but they must fight
on, just like tennis players in grand slam tournaments where they play every
other day.
As
difficult as it is, this is the time when Wenger and the players need our
support the most. I’m not saying we can’t be critical but we have to stand together
and support the team. What’s the point of being a season ticket holder if you
can’t attend home matches? What’s the point of being a fan if you can’t support
them through bad times as well as good? Why can’t we be more like Rangers fans?
Whatever happened to Victoria Concordia Crescit? Has it been replaced to Victoria
Disconcordia Crescit instead? Why not support the team and manager? Why must
some of us yell abuse and in fact wish death on some players?
Aud
and I agree that we have to brace ourselves for more hurt. But we’ll ride it
together, Gooners. Keep calm because we’re all Gooners and we should be united
behind our team. We should be with them through thick and thin, through
sickness and health, through ups and downs, koy and misery, through the years. Remember,
it’s always darkest before the dawn. Have faith, believe. Forwards and upwards,
Arsenal!
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