This article is a submission for the Arsenal Latest writing competition; to participate, please read the details here.
Written by Richard Hall
It is not 1940, George Allison is not politely instructing Ted Drake from the side lines and the fate of the British Empire does not hang in the balance.
It is 2013 and the Empire is now the Emirates and the Germans are not across the channel, they are now in the squad. The threat is now a different one as agents in grey suits replace the grey uniforms of the Wermacht.
It may sound strange to hark back to a bye gone era, however, if we cast our minds back to 1996 that in itself seems like it is in the very distant past. Highbury is now a smart, city living area and a modern sports arena towers only yards away. Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas, Patrick Vieira and many more are etched into our memories as well as that season, The Invincibles. Even this, a more recent success, still now seems to many as distant as the memories of Cliff Bastin and Ted Drake.
Now there is a new mood in North London and it is dark, it is dank and it oozes pessimism. One could even argue, that even with the far greater horrors faced in 1940 there was much more togetherness. This maybe a lesson for today’s fans but it seems that this is a lecture they can easily do without. The camp is no longer split, in fact more and more of the faithful that swung the banners claiming ‘In Wenger we trust’ now heckle and boo from their plush new surroundings.
It is in moments like this that one draws on the past for examples and Winston Churchill in 1940 seems ever so apt. This man, even though from the old school was a visionary, even when all others thought him mad. He defended what he believed in with what he had and when his back was to the wall at Dunkirk or during that torrid summer of 1940 he prevailed against much stronger economic and aggressive foes. He then spent his time building something in his own mould and yes he made mistakes but in the end in that year ending in 4 and 5 he succeeded in total victory.
The main problem in all of this success was that it came at a huge cost and although his people had a brand new start it almost bankrupted the country. Just as he was about to put this right he was voted out and the rest as they say is history.
It is not for me to force my comparisons on any Arsenal fan and there is also no proof that had Churchill or if Wenger continues that either would have been or be a success. The purpose is to simply ask that when Arsenal are trailing at half or god forbid full time and you want to boo the stubborn and devastated Frenchman, just look around. Look around and realise that he built this, almost single-handedly.
The reason that Arsenal fans believe that we should be challenging at the top is because of history, Arsene Wenger has given you that. Arsene has said it before of Arsenal “Big club, big history, big tradition and big support’ Nobody can really say that they would be able to succeed at The Emirates better that this man. It is about trophies but is also about legacy.
So come the end of the window and if we are at bare bones, just believe and remember ‘Never was so much owed by so many to so few’
Latest:
Comments
Stop moaning and lets see how the new season, starts and end. Ok what happened to Chelsea last night still beaten by a team we trashed on there own turf..If Wenger goes would you like to take over or you want a manager that would come and destroy the values we have, I know we all want trophies but patience is the key k.
Then sadly you are blind, this man is now making our club a laughing stock with his pathetic comments, his arrogance and stubbiness is killing our club he need to be gone and should have been a few years ago. Wonga is living on past glory, he cannot compete the way he used to other teams are wise to us now and can shut us out. The transfer market is beyond his comprehension he is still giving out his bullsh1t about special players he really hasn't got a clue. The people he makes a lot of money for are happy to see him carry on, its the fans he is disrespecting with his blatant lies. The sooner he goes the better.
He did go a season unbeaten.
16 years of Champions years revenue certainly has help with the stadium and training ground costs.
and when he took over we were a club in steep decline... hillier! (google it fools)
So regardless of whether he should stay or go don't insult everyone's intelligence by suggesting he's done f all for this club
You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.
"We have the chance to become absolute monsters of European football over the next few years. Let's not throw that chance away."
How do you think we are going to do that ?
Like in business its about speculating to accumulate - you have to invest in players to make a successful team. With the investment that is being displayed by other teams you are simply NOT going to be able to compete with freebie signings like Flamini - Sorry but Wenger was able to compete when it was a level playing field and fell behind when, like you said Abramovich started spending but now he has money he still does nothing - Wenger is the issue and always has been....
Now the "gloves are off" financially, Real Mad with their ludicrous willingness to pay £86m for Bale, coupled with the new TV money coming into the premier league is skewing the market so that the much vaunted warchest of £70 is not going to get him all that much at the moment.
What is he supposed to do? Blow £70-£100m like the Tiny Tots have done (in a massive gamble when set against the required funding for their new stadium)or be patient, wait for things to settle down and not get caught up in the madness of the current transfer window...?
I know what I'd rather see him do, even if it is at the expense of short term feel good-ism.
We have the chance to become absolute monsters of European football over the next few years. Let's not throw that chance away.
Lots of clubs have built stadiums in the Sky era; Wigan, Sunderland, Bolton, Stoke, Southampton. The credit goes to Fiszman, Edelman and Friar, not Wenger.
The Churchill comparison is quite frankly an embarrassment and a disgrace, comparing a leader of men through a world war to a distinctly average, grossly over paid egotistical tosspot of a football manager. If Wenger wants to pay the stadium off quicker, perhaps he should give back £5m of his vastly exorbitant salary every year.
This was football of a different time, but what was interesting wax that during the commentary they mentioned how many times Arsenal had broken the British transfer record.
Good old Arsenal used to be front runners in the market, currently the lack of spending, shows retardation and with no sign of change I fear that 'The Arsenal' the team I have watched since the 70's have become 'all cars and curtains'. The current squad is embarrassingly thin...and all down to Wenger.
" Never has so much been owed by so few to so many "
He may have had a large hand in the stadium project but the ones that have stood by him and funded the lifestyle that he has grown accustomed to now deserve to see a team that appears to be trying to battle with all around . Incidentally by team I don't mean those in red and white but the ones that show no desire to continue the growth of the club on the pitch.
How much longer do we let him 'build'?