Graham Simons
Another season, and yet more wailing and gnashing of teeth from gooners, who are increasingly asking the question – am I a fan or a Muppet?
I think the reason why Mr van Persie has incurred such stick is he has acted like an employee of a business, and not as a player at a football club. In truth, I think if Thierry Henry was in the same position right now, he too would have faced the wrath of the Arsenal faithful. It all boils down to the fact that a lot of gooners are confused over whether we support a football club or a business.
We all like to think we support a football club. When I first started supporting Arsenal, it was the 1980s; tickets were as cheap as chips, there was none of that sitting down malarkey, and our captain turned up, signed his contract and went on his way (sometimes without reading it, from some accounts). In the mid-'90s, one of our directors dipped into his own pocket to finance the transfer of the most talented player I have ever seen grace the Highbury turf – that’s Dennis Bergkamp, by the way, not Chris Kiwomya.
These days, Arsène seems to run the club as a business, carefully managing the outgoings and incomings. He presides over a business that is financed purely by its fans, fans who are asked to pay the highest prices in the land but aren’t rewarded with any silverware. The club may sell the myth that we remain a football club and, in truth, the marketing department are quite good at it. Before every game at the Emirates these days, there’s a video leading up to kick-off featuring Highbury heroes of the past. Each new shirt is usually accompanied with some guff about how Herbert Chapman is glad you have parted with your hard-earned cash - never mind the fact that it’s redcurrant and not red, as if adding a redcurrant tint makes everything okay.
But the bottom line is we are not a football club anymore, we aren’t even fans – we are customers. Wenger woke up to the fact years ago, which is why he manages the club in the way he does. It’s not his fault; he’s got with the programme, and so should the customers.
And if we’re all customers, you can’t really throw a wobbly when one of the employees leaves.
Just pay your money in, like a good little Muppet.
