Mike Court
Ed’s note – International breaks are times when I dig deep in my email inbox to check for articles that have not been used. This one was submitted just before the beginning of the season, but rather than let it collect cyberdust, I am running it now. Treat it as a mid-August snapshot of one fan’s feelings about the season ahead, which will hopefully be proved correct.
As I sat at my computer, desperately trying to crowbar all of the players that I wanted into my fantasy football team, I was suddenly filled with a sense of tremendous pride at the prospect of our boys lining up again this season.
I have thought about it and believe that I understand why I feel this way. Despite the vastly improved inbound summer transfer business, we have still been somewhat up against it this summer. Van Persie’s ‘update for the fans’ and eventual messy departure to Manchester United, the unseemly behaviour from our major shareholders, the uncertainty of Theo Walcott’s protracted contract negotiations, and Alex Song’s flirtation with Barcelona, have all contributed to another unsettling pre-season. Notwithstanding all of that, one still feels that we have come out of this summer stronger in terms of squad depth and attitude.
Do fans of other clubs endure these same issues? I am heavily biased. However, one senses that the media (mainstream and social) have a subconscious desire to run with, fuel, and even fabricate ‘ARSENAL IN CRISIS’ stories. Why this is a more desirable journalistic agenda for the Arsenal than for other clubs one cannot be sure. However, it is probably a combination of our perceived fall from grace in terms of success (measured in trophies), and the fact that for many years (under George Graham) we were a very unpopular team. The people who now write for newspapers and decide upon the media’s themes were probably growing up or just starting their careers during that unpopular period and therefore still have the entrenched dislike of Arsenal that was characteristic of the late 1980s and pre-Wenger 1990s. One should, at this juncture, highlight the fact that there are a handful of fine pro-Arsenal journalists out there – hats off to all of them.
Against this backdrop of continual snide put-downs in the media, and despite our star players leaving virtually every summer since we moved into the new stadium, we defy our critics every season. It’s true, we have failed to win a trophy for years, and that hurts, but the Arsenal have the best stadium and training facilities in the country and throughout this strategic evolution of the club have maintained competitiveness to such a high level that we take Champions League football for granted. It is an astonishing achievement, particularly when one considers the efforts other clubs have expended trying and failing to reach our level. Tottenham and Liverpool have spent fantastic amounts to boost their squads to no avail, and even ludicrously cash-rich Chelsea dropped out of the Champions League positions in the League last season (before winning the final to break Tottenham hearts).
This summer, we have dictated the terms of our transfer business and consequently we enter the season stronger, more experienced and better balanced. When the Arsenal line up this season we will do so with a team full of players that are fully committed to the shirt and are led by a manager of staggering ability. I see that the majority of pundits have pencilled us in as finishing fourth. They are learning, but not quickly enough. I suspect that Mr Wenger has aimed his sights higher than that. Why was I suddenly filled with a tremendous sense of pride? Because we are The Arsenal.
