It looks like Arsenal aren’t going to sign anyone today. If they do, it will have been the stealthiest transfer since transfers began. Even Arsenal wouldn’t be able to keep a transfer this quiet.
Arsene Wenger is clearly happy with the squad he has, which may or may not be the right decision. But I trust him to know what’s right for Arsenal more than, say, most fans.
They owe you nothing
I’m going to be quite blunt here. The club owe you nothing. Genuinely nothing. Fair enough, you want Arsenal to win trophies. OK, fine. I want Arsenal to win trophies too. But I don’t EXPECT them to.
“But Arsenal are a big club, they’re supposed to win trophies, and they should keep their fans happy!”
Hey, buddy, if you only want to be an Arsenal fan when they win things I’d suggest you go and support someone else. Arsenal never used to have it so good. If you asked an early-eighties Arsenal fan if they’d take top four finishes for 16 years, I’m pretty sure they’d eat your entire arm. Ask them if they mind not winning something for a few years, after moving to a new stadium and then having to contend with the entrance of oligarchs into the world of football, I still think they’d be pleased.
Arsenal can’t win trophies all the time. They can try. At no point does Arsene Wenger say “Well, this season finishing fourth would be little bit good season”. It’s not because he’s “lying” to you, it’s because he genuinely thinks Arsenal can win the league, every time. In fact, Arsenal are probably more ambitious than the rest of the teams in the Premier League, as they go toe-to-toe with financial giants for silverware, despite not being able to match them in spending.
Ambition doesn’t mean money, by the way. It means wanting to succeed beyond your means.
Manchester City’s means are that of title-winners. Arsenal’s aren’t. Because they chose to finance a whole new stadium for you.
You owe them
Yes, a 60,000 seater beautiful stadium, so you fans could enjoy watching Arsenal in greater comfort. And you’ve enjoyed it, don’t lie. Arsenal have given you all number of great moments in the past seven years. They haven’t done anything, but they’ve come close. They’ve challenged.
If Arsenal owe you success, then you owe them support. You need to back them the whole way.
And a lot of the time, you don’t.
The players have to contend with half-time booing, banners demanding spending, and are judged on 10 minutes on the pitch. Not cool!
Look at poor Lukas Podolski. You come out onto the pitch, all excited. It’s his Arsenal debut! Finally, the chance at a big club he’s always wanted! But why aren’t they happy? Why are they booing? Oh, I’m not playing next to Yann M’Vila and Huntelaar? How’s that my fault?
Then he has to go onto Arsenal.com and defend himself after his “lacklustre” debut, where he had the audacity to FAIL TO SCORE. That doesn’t make you want to play well for Arsenal. It makes you terrified to put a foot wrong.
If you want Arsenal to change the way things are done, don’t ruin the player’s chances on the pitch by making them feel bad. Join the AST, make your opinions heard. They do listen. They cut ticket prices when the AST asked.
I got a little sidetracked, but my general point is, even if Arsenal don’t sign anyone, moaning and complaining and putting the team down won’t help. Support the team, and trust what Wenger is doing. He wants to win as much as you. He knows more than you about football. That’s why he’s a football manager, and you’re a fan.
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