Does The EPL Destination Signal The Crossroads For Arsenal?
ByThe title to this article sounds like some of the hyperbole regularly spewed by football nonsense talkers ala pundits, exaggerated opinion used to rack up hits and views.
Yet as this season conjures up twist after turn, surprise after surprise, and reprisal after failure, I find myself increasingly feeling like whoever comes out of this title race on top could be influencing more than the colours of the ribbons on the trophy.
That sounds pretty dramatic, and even as I write, I do so more in hope that it is us rather than conviction that I somehow know what the future holds.
I just feel that for each team in the title pursuit, and that definitely includes Arsenal, the line between success and failure could not be thinner with far reaching consequences dependant on where we land.
Following the Champions League exit I declined to read or watch any media related to Arsenal until April 8th, two days later. Part of this was the hurt at being eliminated with such clinical conviction by Barcelona and, in particular, Lionel Messi.
Another part was accidentally, catching Sky Sports News out of the corner of my eye and seeing a collage of post match interviews of Arsenal players followed by a clip of Messi giving Eboue and Vermaelen the run-around before slotting the ball in between Almunia’s legs.
Mostly though, the procrastination on my part to indulge in my daily routine of sitting on NewsNow was due to past experience. Past experience being the reaction to the defeats against Chelsea and Manchester United earlier in the season, where the Arsenal Blogosphere seemed to turn against Wenger more vociferously than before.
Personally, I hated this. I dislike the cries for the team to need a major overhaul, ignoring the financial purity with which we proudly run our club and the financial recklessness that has allowed our rivals to stay that little bit ahead of us.
The argument about whether Wenger should go or not is an entirely different debate, and one that will rage harder than any other football related discussion at the end of this season. That is, however, should we fail to win the league.
On the other hand, should the title end up nestling in a cabinet at the Home of Football then we could just see the beginning of a glorious future for Arsenal.
Just imagine what a title could do for our club?
The fans would unite behind Wenger, as even the most boisterous of anti-Wenger followers would have to begrudgingly admit that he is the right man for the job.
There would be a heightened sense of atmosphere at our home ground, songs of how we are the Champions of England bellowing out to the minions who step onto the hallowed turf.
Most importantly, it would give this squad that little bit of self belief and swagger that is needed as part of the arsenal of a great team.
Yes we have been beaten by the best this season, but no-one remembers that in the annuls of history. All that people will remember is that the season 2009/10 champions were Arsenal.
It will be the making of this squad, the end of the United dominance of our domestic league, and two-fingers up to Chelsea’s wasted millions.
Of course, the flip side, is that we fail in our bid to become Champions, falling just short. It will hurt, and a post-mortem will be carried out by every Arsenal fan both privately and publically.
I am not going to dwell on the negative as I still have hope in my always trusting heart that Arsenal can achieve success this season.
What I will say is this. Should we fail to win the Premier League this season it will not be because we are so bad that we need a huge overhaul of our playing squad or manager.
A sense of perspective is needed from fans, many of whom have bought too easily into the “I want it now” disease that has engulfed football worse than the Plague did to London centuries ago.
Were the good times good because you saw the club that you loved achieving success, playing beautiful football and spending within its limits? Or were the good times so good because you could waltz into work or school the next day and brag about just how good the Arsenal were?
If it was the latter, and I suspect for some that it was, then you are not a supporter. You are a customer. A customer who bought into a package that no longer does what it says on the tin.
If this is the case, then it’s not Wenger who should leave. It’s not Wenger who should plunge our club into financial deformity.
It’s you who should think twice about which team you support or buy into.
A little about the author:
Nyasha is an economics student who clearly has too much time on his hands, but luckily spends most of it on Arsenal. When he’s not writing for SCA, you can find him pontificating at Nashis Arsenal.
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Tue 13th September 2011; 19:45, Dortmund
Brilliant article, goes to show that some journos do think. The English media and the washed up players who sit on sky studios and spew their venom towards our great club are and until the begin to think, very dumb. Brilliant article once gain.
I agree. I often believe its not Arsneal winning but giving it the big one about Arsenal winning that is driving the voice behind this selfish movement.
If anything Barca proved Wenger to be doing the right thing. Barca have 15 20 years on us in terms of developing players. Once we get a team or two through with this football ethos then it will be ingrained in the club.
And we will always watch good exciting Arsenal teams.
What more do people want?
Great Article. Lots of fans don’t understand is that success depends a great deal on luck. The Lottery Machine will hand the big prize to the luckiest team at the end of the season.
Fans over-analysed and they like to pull out comments and say whoever is a genius and whoever is a fool.
Arsene Wenger had constantly put us in a position where we can fight for the league title. This is quite an achievement and we should appreciate. We have to realise, in life, nothing is guarantee and a winning formula just does not exist.
Darius slacking is he? thanks for the article, nyasha. Whatever this season is going to be remembered for, i tell and will keep telling anyone who will listen that it will be the one that sees the club turn the financial corner and start to give back to fans and see us financially secure for the next century.SO KEEP KOOL CATS, we cannot afford to have this derailed for useless trinkets, who the fuck cares for the FA cup , Carling cup, even the premiership i suspect is just a stepping stone to better competitions all we need to do for now is stay competitive on a budget for now, i think people need to understand just how significant the word CUSTODIANSHIP is when it appears. the dreams and the ambition of the wenger’s of this world is too pure and too grand (the world club championship, the champions league are the only two trophies that we can covet) to be sullied by the red top and the cheap and tawdry usmanov brigade. we need to organize an effective counter campaign this against these this summer. there is only one reason why every idiot is writing the same drole shite about what should be the greatest team the …….. . and it is b’se there are’nt enough people sending the other message. so fuck all the cups in the world i would rather be led by sober and principled people in an exciting project that is so clearly going to plan. as an economist i am sure you might be able to knock up a model of sorts to show that we are progressing ahead of schedule, you know, some sort of complicated trophy achievement instrument… no one will understand it but they’ll buy, legalize and i’ll advertize, eh. till tomorrow
Ugandangoon..Banange! What do you mean I’m slacking…LOL!
I’m just acknowledging that there’s a hell of a lot of excellent writers out there who love the Arsenal as much as I do.
I’ll tell you something though…this summer we’re going to have to fight tirelessly to water down the venomous noises of descent up in this blogosphere – there’s going to be too many folks wishing to throw the baby, the bath water and the entire bathroom down Holloway road.
Like Nyasha, I am wary of that first 24-48 hrs after any defeat or draw. those with forked tongues are notorius for coming out of the woodwork then.
Welcome aboard Nyasha.
Compliments on a fine post. Look forward to more.
I think this has been a great year for us. Im sure the scousers would swap our position for theirs even if they won the UEFA cup and we didn’t climb any higher in the league.
This is the sort of rubbish we deal with. I see Liverpool as the team we would or could have been if we reacted to every knee jerk response from supporters.
The big name signings, the focus on trophies rather than longevity, If Liverpool win the UEFA cup this year that will be two trophies for them in the time we have not won any.
I can imagine many supporters using it as a yard stick to beat the manager with. However, their future could not look bleaker, and although I’m sure someone will buy them or invest in them it will not change how well we are run and how fantastic a manager we have.
I think 2nd with our injuries and supposedly weaker squad than our all conquering rivals is a fantastic achievement. Lets not forget that should the teams stay the same next year, which is likely bar maybe Man City. Then we must be favourites to win the title. Chelsea need investment to keep up there what I see as a swan song. Man U need investment otherwise they will only win while Rooney is fit. And Arsenal will be stronger for the experienced gained and the return of RVP and Johan to the side. Both have virtually missed the season and add real quality where we arguably miss it.
COME ON THE GUNNERS
Good piece of in depth commentary, Nyasha.
I’ve come to think that those doing the criticizing fall into two camps:
1) individuals not married or married with no children, self indulged, and self-centered.
2) those that are married with children and by their own choice removed from their children’s activities, incapable of grasping the responsibility of parenthood.
Thank you for the feedback guys, really appreciated.
It’s really cool to see that the majority of Arsenal fans are behind the manager and don’t succumb to the knee-jerk reactionary nature that a lot of fans seem to favour these days.
@brdgunner the Liverpool point is a classic example. My friends taunted me the other day by claiming Portsmouth are a better side than we are, as are West Ham for reaching the Final of the FA Cup more recently than ourselves. No-one really mentions that Chelsea, for all their investment, have not won the league since 2006 and have only domestic cup trophies to show for all the squillions that they pour into the club.
Again thank you for the feedback,
Nyasha.