Defensive Pessimism: The Strategy Perfected By Arsenal Doom & Gloom Merchants
ByNaval gazing sometimes blinds you to the reality that you don’t hold the monopoly on some things in life. Take the effect of the latter day fickle, fair weather, ’Johnny come lately’ plastic Arsenal fan.
You’ll find them all over the message boards and blogs for they were handed the freedom of the web by Arsenal’s 3-1 defeat on Sunday. I guess it’s healthy to occasionally let the doom and gloom merchants out for a bit of fresh air.
You’d think that it’s bad enough that the media and footballing establishment outside the Arsenal are defecating on the club and its supporters from a very high ground. Well, it’s apparently not – and the doom and gloom brigade make you wonder what Arsenal football club did in a previous life to deserve these kinds of fans.
Let’s get one thing out of the way. I’m not talking about committed supporters who like me, were thoroughly disappointed by the manner in which we lost the game. It wasn’t so much that we lost the game, it was how we actually lost the game.
I’m not talking about committed fans that are rightfully venting their frustration about Arsenal’s tactical naivety and lack of fight. In fact I’d hazard a guess that this sort of supporter could live with losing such a match if the team fought till the death and sweated blood and thunder.
I’m talking about the gutless and spineless doom and gloom merchant who has perfected the art of defensive pessimism. A couple of weeks ago, I suggested 6 ways Arsenal fans can survive the season in my regular Stone Cold Friday column on ACLF.
Axis, A regular contributor on the column, introduced the angle of defensive pessimism in a way that I hadn’t even thought about. It’s surreal to actually watch it play out right in front of us.
Definition:
Defensive pessimism is a motivated cognitive strategy that helps people manage their anxiety and pursue their goals. Individuals who use defensive pessimism set low expectations, and play through extensive mental simulations of possible negative outcomes as they prepare for goal-relevant situations.
I wouldn’t be the least surprised if a Google or Bing search for ’Arsenal supporters’ returned the following results:
- It’s the same old story
- We have too many injuries
- We’re just a light-weight team
- Wenger has taken this team as far as he can and he has to go
- Arsenal must splash the cash
- Like always we had possession but did nothing with it
- We can’t beat the top sides
You catch my drift…
To tell you the truth, the fallacy that you need to beat the so called big teams to win the league is bandied about too much and it’s entirely without merit. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a damn good feeling tonking Chelsea, Man United or Liverpool, but the win is much more of a psychological advantage than a title decider.
If I tried hard enough, I’d find the statistics to illustrate that for example, in the last 3 years, if you consider the top 4 in their own mini league, Man United actually performed very badly against the other top 4 sides. Yet, on 3 occasions, they won the league.
It’s not that I like losing to the big teams – my point is that suggesting that this is Arsenal’s biggest problem is a red herring. Pressing the red self destruct button every time Arsenal face a challenge is self defeatist.
My take is that a lot of the doom and gloom merchants are projecting their own insecurities and self esteem issues when they kick into the defensive pessimism mode. I dread to think what such folks would do each time their child doesn’t make the grade in school.
It’s one thing analysing and critiquing tactical matters on the pitch and it’s healthy to do it regularly. However, it’s a whole new ball game with the Arsenal Armageddon nonsense every time the team loses or draws a game. A modicum of perspective wouldn’t go amiss here.
Dean, my Liverpool loving friend is somewhat bemused as he wonders what all the fuss is about. “Arsenal has the brightest and most equipped team to cope for the future and your fans just keep bitching. Try being a Liverpool fan and see what it’s like not winning the league for 20 years”.
We both agree on one thing though – it’s only a matter of time before this Arsenal team takes what is rightfully theirs in title glory. The last mile is the hardest but what chance does Arsenal have if certain fans go into self destruct every time an obstacle is placed in front of the team.
After the defeat to Chelsea on November 29th 2009, no one gave this Arsenal team a chance to recover. Imagine what this team can do if supported properly instead of the fair weather joke of a following that sometimes bears its ugly teeth.
Tue 13th September 2011; 19:45, Dortmund
im so proud to hav a fellow gunner supporter like u… not like some who just wanna see arsenal win wif ‘hot’ football all the f**kin time… the team CAN win all their matches if these dumb fans stop moaning n critizing… a authentic supporter will support the team no matter what happened… not once i hav doubted arsene, the players n the management… they all r still there 4 a reason… tht is to conquer the premiership for the next decades and so… my dear dumb**s supporters, i wont like to see ur pathetic face when arsene romped arsenal to glory one day…
Michael. Great to have you on board and keep the faith.
Arsenal doesn’t need fair weathers who just want to be around when its champagne football time. Unfortunately, many don’t understand that their support is needed more during the difficult times.
Darius, I am afraid true support is dying, just as true chivalry is dead. Fans or Supporters (whatever they want to be called) do not really understand what it means to be a fan or a supporter any more, but for a few.
It used to be that a Supporter will support win, lose or draw; irrespective of any attendant heartache or joy. A fan is short for a Fanatic; one who believes irrespective of obstacle or assistance, negative or positive vibes.
What we now have, as you rightly pointed out, are fair weather fans, who only seek braging rights; and glory hunters who only seek silverware at any cost.
Hard work is no longer enough. Mistakes are not in the least welcome or acceptable. Perfection is what they seek. But do we detect any modicum of intelligence in these so called ‘fans or supporters’? Very debatable my friend.
“it’s only a matter of time before this Arsenal team takes what is rightfully theirs in title glory”
If the team think that then it won’t happen. It takes more than pure talent.
I think you know that I love the way this squad has been assembled in a new football world, whilst sticking very much to Arsenal traditions. I really think we have the strongest, in terms of depth, squad in my time (50+ years).
However it is not “just a matter of time” but more of how determined are they to be succesfull & will they develop the strength of caracter to start winning the big games, which are in my opinion very important because if you do you must get a different level of confidence. Also will the best players remain patient, against a backdrop of those you describe, who have absolutely none.
These “plastics” are a real danger. Who would want to play for or celebrate with them?
Flint.
I constantly admire your supporting spirit and hope that when I clock 50 years of support like you have, this blog will still be going strong.
Yes – I acknowledge your point about the arrogance and complaicency of trying to walk it – I’d want to qualify that comment with suggesting that I’m making an assumption that the hard work and determination to do the job is a given.
I have faith in the team and truly believe that the mental strength is the missing ingredient. I sometimes despair at the support. People don’t realise what positive impact the full support of the crowds and on the blogosphere can have on the team.
Can you imagine even the simple difference a thunderous crowd at the Emirates will make to this team even with 10 minutes to go? We can score a handful of goals in that time if the supporters scream and shout to suck the ball into the net.
Instead, we have a bunch of plastics who’d rather walk out of the stadium and catch the early train….What motivation can the team have when they see hoards of fans streaming out of the stadium instead of giving them a mighty heave at the point they need it most.
LRV – do you think it came with the .com era? Only suport your team when they’re winning. I agree with you in that there’s a lot of support that is based on bragging rights and is the root of this fair weather nonsense.
Once again, a very deep perspective. I have never understood why these “fans” always think the heavens are falling every time we lose a match. You got it right-the way we lost last sunday match was the galling aspect. I watched it again, and cannot believe the way Rooney ran past 4 of our players to position himself to slot home the second goal! You summerised it well though.
It is true Darius that the test of loyalty is adversity.
It, on the other hand, is also true that loyalty is a two way street.
While I don’t entirely endorse the Armaggedon announcements doing the rounds, and like Flint, you, and the other regulars on the board, I think we have at hand, for the most part, an excellent collection of talent, I think the time has come for this squad, Wenger down, to earn some of the loyalty with their deeds.
Clawing back the deficit to Chelsea after that defeat is an excellent start to laying fresh claim to loyalty. The next two games are another excellent opportunity. We’ll get to the rest of the season once we’re past these markers.
Arsene embarked on this project with an enormous amount of entirely justified goodwill. Few managers can pull of consistent Champions’ League spot finishes while balancing the books on the back of an enormous outlay for stadium development. His footballing ideals, ofcourse, were the icing on this cake. But, over the last couple of seasons I have found myself wondering if pressing inadequacies in our personnel and performance are being addressed at all. Draw up a list of the things you think plagued Arsenal over the past three seasons, and the list will read almost like a photocopy year after year. The question isn’t one of competence or capability, mind. It is of evidence that consistent and significant progress, on average, is being made, at a justifiable pace, over time.
I’m not suggesting we haven’t improved at all; but have we done enough and have we done so at a respectable pace? Alas, the answer, to me, isn’t unequivocally affirmative. One step forward, two steps back seems to be the recurring theme. Our persistent injury woes, of course, are a cruel icing on this sad cake.
As to my specific grievances, we’ve talked about them often over the course of this season, so I’ll desist from again going into them.
Be that as it may, as Flint rightly points out, a sense of entitlement isn’t going to get us anywhere. We have to earn every honour we aspire to. The talent, for the most part, is there. Training and character are the undecided factors as things stand.
I want this team, for starters, to make us proud, regardless of the outcomes, in the coming two games. We’ll take it from there.
Must add that I have no illusions about these things being easy to achieve. It is hard, demanding, and, often, a thankless job.
But that, precisely, is why these guys are paid well.
“I’m not suggesting we haven’t improved at all; but have we done enough and have we done so at a respectable pace?”
Maybe we are still expecting a little too much, still too soon. We have to remember that Chelsea & Man U have been dominating the big names of Europe as well. Let’s face it but for a pretty poor referee at Stamford Bridge it would have been those clubs in the CL final 2 years running. They are & will remain a “hard nut to crack” for a while yet. They will always be “up for it” when they play us as they respect us more than some of our supporters. Man U have said it was their best performance of the season, so perhaps that gives a bit more perspective to Sunday. They were at the top of our game, we were at the bottom.
They & Chelsea are us circa 2004, while we are Chelsea/Man U of the same time. If we get the body & mind right the graph lines will cross again before too long. From my experience of watching Arsenal’s developing sides of the past it has never been a straight up process, there have always been disappointments before reaching the summit.
Great post as usual Darius. Great to see that there are some (like yourself) who still believe in the Arsenal and put a very true perspective on all things Arsenal.
What a lot of people forget is that this team is still going through a transitional phase from the invincibles. The current crop is close though.
As talented as they are, these players are only human. A drop in form is natural, but in saying that there are other players on the bench that can be called upon to fill in. Bringing in such players, like Ramsey, when needed will do us fine.
Getting ourselves mentally prepared for Chelsea will be crucial, as we all know a trip to Stamford Bridge will not be easy.
Flint; Yes Chelsea and ManU are formidable sides. But my views have little to do with head-to-heads with the top four alone, or indeed, the defeat to ManU.We have, season after season, let ourselves badly down against some of the lesser sides in the league too.
Yes every team will experience the off day at work, or the bad patch, at some point in the season. But being a champion side demands restricting these episodes to the bare minimum, and minimising the damage from these episodes by going hell for leather everywhere else. There’s precious little margin for error if you aspire to championships, and one has, by definition, to be up for it more than every one else.
We, in my view, haven’t been doing either, consistently enough over the past few seasons.
‘Am I impatient? Perhaps. But, in my defence, I have been a steadfast believer in this experiment since its days of inception, a good five years. Barring Eduardo’s unfortunate accident, we started this experiment out very well. From there it has been a bit too much of a slippery slope both in terms of organization and attitude. I’m disappointed with our persistent frailties, and not just against the big sides. I think Arsene, and, for the most part, the lads at the club, can, should do, and be held to, better. Mind you Flint, I say this in the full knowledge of, and with great respect to, your 5 decades of following Arsenal. Your perspective, by definition, puts time periods better into context. I only can, and do, speak from my own experience.
While I dismiss the extreme negativism of a section of the fans as utterly lacking in perspective, I think a few walk outs and boos are just the cold showers these lads need to become men. Few other clubs, management and fans included, could have provided the nurturing atmosphere these kids have enjoyed for 5 seasons now. Time now to hold them up to their responsibilities.
I rate Arsenal’s fan following, on average, as among the best the League has to offer. I hope they’ll be mature enough to reward the lads with ovations and vocal support for top notch effort, regardless of outcome; and, equally, be unambiguous in making their disappointment clear at their lesser displays.
You’re disappointed we walked out? Come right out and show us our judgement was unfair, if not downright stupid. That’s my message to the team.
They can start, right away, with Chelsea. I don’t care if they lose every single game between now and the end of the season. But I never want to be able to fault the effort or discipline. No Nasris, for instance, going AWOL when your Full Back is being raped, and no allowing the Rooneys of this world the space to run around unchecked. And oh, no more Arshavins being relentlessly selfish up in the opposition box too I might add. Mistakes yes, but not entire catalogues in every game.