Jack Stelling
Never before have I experienced such an array of mixed emotions and torn loyalties as during the 2013/14 FA Cup final. The conclusion of the Wigan Tie in the previous round had left me feeling relieved more than elated with the prospect of a Wembley final. As I listened to Roy Keane’s predictably pessimistic portrayal of our performance, I remained ever hopeful that the final would be a starkly contrastive display and that Wenger would finally deliver on the success I had been promised throughout my adolescence. At the age of 21, my teenage years had been a plethora of ‘nearly-years’ and the infamous youth project which every summer, I naively reassured myself would materialise for the following season. The entire cup run had felt disappointingly cheap and unfulfilling right up to the final and I felt I had been robbed of the glorious second coming of Arsenal glory.
Sitting in my student bar surrounded by my jeering friends watching Hull wheel away in celebration for their second goal of the game, I found myself strangely detached from what I was witnessing. It was at this moment that I entertained the prospect of defeat and what that would mean for the future of our club before briefly remarking: ‘I really hope we lose this’. In hindsight the thought process was clearly clouded by frustration, but I can distinctly remember feeling a strong desire for Hull to win that game, because surely after such an upset, Wenger would have to go. As events transpired and Ramsey slotted home the winner, I like many other fellow Gooners, leapt to my feet in celebration, but as with the Wigan game, the atmosphere was laced more with the sense of relief than jubilation. It wasn’t a cup victory that I felt particularly proud of; we had won… but barely. After a season which had initially promised so much, to once again fade away and settle for the 4th place trophy left a bitter taste and a void which ultimately a fortuitous FA Cup did not fill.
I genuinely believe that if Wenger had lost that final, the pressure for him to vacate North London would’ve been insurmountable. As a consequence of the Frenchman’s first piece of silverware in almost a decade, I feel that Arsenal are set for another season of underwhelming stagnation, delivering just enough to still be placed in the title challenging category for the following year but without supplying any genuine ground for optimism. Based on what I have seen so far this campaign, I predict that Arsenal will finish 3rd this season but pose no significant threat to Chelsea or Manchester City. The Champions League will predictably conclude once Arsenal face a team of any formidable quality (likely to be in the first knock-out phase) and a similar tale will be noted for our defence of the FA Cup. For me, this does not satisfy my expectation of where Arsenal should be, yet a top 3 finish will serve to validate Wenger for another year of an almost identical blueprint.
Performances have been decisively sub-par this season and based on performance alone, rightfully Arsenal should not be anywhere near the summit of the table. The visit to the King Power stadium was a particularly soulless and empty display, 90 minutes of my life that I will never get back. We know of this patented phenomenon all too well now though, not since the days of the Invincibles can I remember an Arsenal team that has boasted an aura of consistency throughout a season. Start weak, finish strong or vice versa; the tried and tested top 4 formulas. Importantly despite poor performances, aside from Chelsea (who will win the league at a canter); we are not losing touch with those around us. Permitting the squad is not continually blighted by injury throughout the new year, if the formula is to be trusted, Arsenal should develop a run of form; dispatching sides that sit below us in the table.
I think my greatest concern is that 3rd will be generally considered, amongst those in positions of power within the club, as an adequate campaign despite never posing any serious threat to either of the genuine title contenders. I have begun to doubt that a trip to the Emirates still poses quite the formidable test that it used to. A journey to the Etihad guarantees you serious strife for success, whereas I worry that Arsenal away can now be categorised as a ‘potential slip up’ for sides of genuine quality. As much as I love to see the ‘Arsenal way’ of football in full flow, top managers and top sides that visit the Emirates are rarely susceptible to our increasingly predictably style, making it simplistic for opponents to construct outfits which serve to null the potency of our attack.
Often I feel that managerial overhauls are adopted as ‘procedure’ in modern football; if your team is playing poorly, change the manager, problem solved. We all know it’s not as simple as that. Sacking the manager need not be the solution, provided that new ideas and approaches are implemented to revitalise the side. As an example, look at the new squad, style of football and footballing ethos that Sam Allardyce has created at West Ham in contrast to last season. Why is it that we have grown not to expect something similar from Arsene Wenger, particularly given the means at his disposal? Stubbornness? Naivety?
I don’t think anyone wanted to see the manager who is so deeply embedded in Arsenal history bow out on a sour note, but realistically it’s gone past that point now. The majority of fans have long since lost sight of any vision Wenger has been instilling in the media, but similarly, have far too much respect for the man to emulate scenes of a Newcastle Utd, ‘Pardew Out’ nature; we’re better than that. But there’s only so much the fan base is willing to tolerate. Undoubtedly, there are set to be turbulent times ahead that will have a dramatic impact on the future of our club. In many respects, this predictably disappointing season will serve as the lull before the storm.
