Richard Ansell
The fact that ‘there’s only one Arsène Wenger’ was being sung on Saturday was the final straw for me. It would have stuck in my throat if I had even wanted to join in, and I realised that the time had come for me to part company with Arsenal. ‘How can you?’, I hear some of you say. Well, I never would have thought it possible, but my anger and frustration with Wenger has now reached such a level that it has made the decision surprisingly easy.
It seems a very long time ago that I decided to support Arsenal; it must have been around November, 1970, as I distinctly remember loosely following Chelsea and enjoying their 1970 FA cup win over Leeds. Not for me, though, the bright lights of the Kings Road, Peter Osgood and co. I switched to boring old Arsenal and, after watching Charlie George secure the double in 1971, that was it: a Gooner for life.
I managed my first visit to Highbury at the tender age of 12 in 1973, and watched Liverpool beat us 2-0 and, although I was disappointed, it mattered not a jot. I was bowled over by the experience, much like Nick Hornby was in the film of ‘Fever Pitch’. Many games have followed, and I have witnessed some wonderful times, along with, of course, lots of disappointments too.
At one stage, Arsenal were all that mattered to me, and my weekend mood was completely dependent on how we had fared. I was either the life and soul of the party or in a black mood of despondency if we had lost. This probably peaked in the famous 1989 season with Mickey Thomas’s goal in the incredible 2-0 win at Anfield to clinch the title; something I never thought I would see happen again after such a long time since 1971. I thought to myself: it does not get any better than this, and gradually I brought my Arsenal support into some sort of perspective.
That is not to say that Arsenal had suddenly become unimportant to me, but I was able to function as a human being whether we won, drew or lost. Probably because of this, I am - thankfully - happily married, with a lovely wife and daughter who both hate football and cannot understand my passion for a football team. It is, though, a manageable passion now.
I come now to the ‘Wenger Years’. What can I say about 1998 to 2005? Those years probably saw some of the best football Arsenal have ever produced. I am not going to debate whether Wenger was lucky to inherit such a solid defence and keeper, although what we have witnessed post 2005 suggests that he probably was. All I will say is that Wenger gave us some wonderful times, whether he was lucky or not, and I thank him for that. I think this is why many of us have been so very patient with him up until now.
I realised after the Bolton game that I was not happy about us winning. This feeling intensified when I read about Wenger claiming we could still get back in to the title race and Gazidis coming out with the usual empty promises of money to spend in the next transfer window. On top of that, Wenger was also quoted as saying his top players may have to be sold as their contracts are running down. I wonder why the likes of RVP don’t want to commit pen to paper. Could it be that, like so many of us supporters, he has no faith anymore in the manager?
Such is my conviction that Wenger is bleeding our club dry of quality and experience, and such is my bafflement over so many decisions he has made, that I can no longer blindly support my team with him in charge. The Board, too, makes me sick to the stomach with their spineless, greedy behaviour and their blind worship of all things Wenger. Finally, as I said right at the beginning of my article, the fact that we still have fans chanting Wenger’s name was the final straw.
The only way Wenger will be sacked or will resign is for Arsenal to struggle badly this season and, for me, that is more important than Arsenal having another season of scraping home fourth. I want a short, sharp shock, Wenger out, and a huge wake-up call to the club in general that we are sleep-walking to mediocrity. Perhaps then we can start on the road to recovery and get some ambition back at the club (and a defence).
Because of this, I am ‘resigning’ from The Online Gooner as I do not feel that I can contribute anymore. You all know my feelings, and I thank everyone who has agreed with my sentiments. I sincerely hope for better times ahead for Arsenal, but it has to be with a new manager, as my trust and respect for Arsène Wenger has reached the point of no return. So I am now in the football wilderness with no club to support, but even that is better than swallowing any more of Wenger’s ridiculous comments and lies. I just hope it is not for too long, and I hope to be fully behind a new Arsenal manager ASAP. A new Board as well would be even better, but that would be pushing my luck too far, I think.
