Alex Steine
In the briefest of exchanges with our esteemed leader (Gooner Editor Kevin, not Arsène Wenger), a casual remark gave the kernel of an idea for this article. So, with the acceptance that from tiny acorns….. (I should perhaps leave the fruit of trees to the botanists), here is the article all the same.
Has being an Arsenal fan shaped my character? I believe it has. I think in certain areas of each individual's psyche, tiny modulations take place as a result of the support we give, and these are the changes I speak of. It's true that every experience has a slight impact and can change anyone's characteristics - every experience is potentially personality-changing - so football-supporting can not only add to the altering, but can possibly redirect. I will offer this as a personal observation in the form of a question - has anyone ever come across a well-balanced, affable and pleasant Tottenham fan? A bit of a general enquiry of course, but many I meet are a little on their guard and an eeny weeny bit 'sour'. I may be imposing my own interpretations, but many seem slightly envious of my badge, intent on just being a little spiteful, mildly vinegary in their outlook. I find it doesn't take much to remove their masks, which usually puts them more on the defensive, at this point any 'Hyde' characteristics show through the 'Jekyll' veneer. Do you not experience the same? Of course, the key to answering the question is whether these traits are carried over into an everyday existence. The fortunes of their club, the frustrations brought about by those poor fortunes, our near proximity serving as a constant reminder of what could be, all go into the mix. Perhaps the answer might be that with some, by small measure they are.
So the club - any club, its history, tradition, status and standing in the eyes of the general public and the media - all have an input on the individual's perceptions. Many years ago I went to Griffin Park semi-regularly over a couple of seasons, when the Arsenal were away and I couldn't travel. Every time the ball was skied into the roof of the stands (and that particular skill was oft employed in the old fourth division) the regulars would duck their heads and pull collars up as the rust, dislodged by the ball, would rain down on them. They treated it as a big giggle. Some perhaps just went for this innocent, fortnightly event. It generated a sense of togetherness, and displayed the plucky little effect of fans recognising how low down the evolutionary scale, in terms of status, their wonderful and homely little club was. Their 'Bees Social Club' was a delightful place, where that kind of attitude flowed, along with the local Fullers ales.
All circumstances of existence, like the aforementioned, can bring forth a number of automatic reactions depending on the individual's situation and personality traits. If you are a miserable and moaning type, then it's a certainty that, when a club’s form dips, the supporter will go into grumpy overdrive. If you are a head-in-the-clouds type, then most things, including a run of poor form of your chosen club, will slip by almost unnoticed. In fact, every trait is likely to influence everything, and probably manifests itself in a variety of ways. We, of course, remain inherently who we are, but are there insidious amendments taking place, and some perhaps stemming from a childhood linked to our support, which have a bearing on our character? Probably, or maybe just possibly.
A football-supporting life can be a real life in microcosm; if a situation occurs which is painful, and reoccurs, then surely over time we adjust and the pain diminishes? We deal with it in an adult fashion, as with pretty much all circumstances which present themselves, though it's true some cannot, or will not adjust. There is an irony in that last statement. Fans who are anti-Wenger voice the saying 'the definition of insanity is repeating the same thing and expecting a different outcome', and they themselves repeat and repeat, getting the exact same outcome. Some character traits are amusing in their contradictions. Is this real life, or just football-fantasy life?
Our society is going through monumental changes, and will continue to do so, probably at an ever-faster rate. Our politics are treated like a visit to the supermarket. 'I don't like what this lot are doing for me/giving me, so I'll give this other lot a try.' We appear to believe that getting the correct political organisation is akin to ordering something on Amazon. How else could you ever explain the popularity of UKIP? So is it any wonder that our approach to the running of a football club follows the same direction? My experience is that most in this country know more about football than politics anyway, so that may be why the general comprehension of Machiavellian chicanery in politics causes such a disengagement.
As football, especially at the Arsenal, is moving into another realm, cloaked in secrecy, and seemingly-underhanded manoeuvring prevails, all linked to a financial dog-eat-dog situation, is it any wonder that people are confused, leading to a disenchantment? Be very sure to move with the times; this is now, and those wailing on the side-lines for those headier days will soon become dinosaurs. However unpalatable today's football scene appears, it is what it is. Football mirrors life, and if the mirror is distorted then the reflection will be too. Then it could be suggested that the advent of supermarkets and Amazon have perhaps, partially at least, influenced our view and considerations of Arsenal Football Club. This is a reverse-case scenario of outside influences moulding our character, which impacts in a fashion on the individual's view of their football club. Every step we take, every judgement made, is inexorably linked to our views and beliefs (that is a given) as are prior footsteps trodden, but do the shape, style and behaviour of a football club influence any route we have taken, or will take, in life and the manner we employ? I believe in small part it does.
Each of us joined this football-supporting merry-go-round at different junctures. We were victims of the era we lived in, and the morals of society's accepted practices came with us; those lionhearts who represented our club became our gods. I had a dormant Charlie George-type characteristic within; it flourished with his bursting onto the scene. I idolised Big Raddy and his wholehearted and honest endeavours on the pitch. Being an older brother, Raddy showed me there was a certain honour in the way he shielded and protected Ray Kennedy on the pitch as the younger player developed under his tutelage, especially in that first season together. As the oldest brother I was often thrust into the firing line as reluctant leader, then I witnessed Frank McLintock, and every day since I have tried to be a skipper. These are fragments of my personal story, and others with a different personality might have experienced exactly the same but responded quite differently. As I stated earlier, we are who we are, but those little nudges perhaps redirect some, if not all, of us.
With today's social networking we have a new rogue ingredient - a threatening new-kid-on-the-block. Using the adage that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, we find someone extolling a certain attitude and that disembodied voice attracts followers whether it be by Twitter or any of the seemingly unnatural lines of communication (unnatural to an old greybeard anyway). Ulterior motives, secret agendas, an approach laced with generalisations, inflated egos, and a bombastic approach in telling it as it is, impresses some; then the bandwagon begins to roll, and a herd can morph into a mob. Isn't this a display of football fan-share mentality? Put another way, isn't this another example of being a fan and having your character moulded?
If this concept is established as being real, along with all the chaotic and confounding ramifications of what life throws at us, should we try to adjust our thinking of the football club in question? To ignore the weight of change happening all around is to bury one's head. To hanker for yesterday is both unhealthy and fruitless. Harking back to days, players and styles by comparison sometimes leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. Act like a dinosaur and perish - metaphorical asteroids are crashing to earth daily.
By recognising the loyalty, and therefore the hold, that a football club has over any us, knowing our personal strengths and weaknesses character-wise, the realistic acceptance of the climate we are now operating in, and what it all means, is a move in the right direction. It is an adult understanding at least, despite its being perhaps an unasked-for conclusion; in itself that offers yet one more moulding. With the sham and deceptive manoeuvrings of FIFA, the pigs-in-a-trough mentality of the elite orchestrating matters, there is a general acceptance of the clamour for more goodies, which we consider a right for ourselves, and therefore we perhaps do not baulk at others who are moving around on the same board playing that particular game. It offers a convoluted set of circumstances. Football is a simple game, but Greaves' regular comment 'it's a funny old game, Saint’ still resonates.
