Bard
Arsene Wenger has justifiably copped a lot of flak for our abject performances in the Champions League recently. Although we are currently perched at the top of the table only the eternally hopeful believe we have the wherewithal on and off the field to be in the mix come May. It is more likely that the age-old susceptibility to injuries, defensive disasters and lack of mental strength will ultimately be our undoing as they have been for several years. Wenger’s limitations, his genius, whichever way you see it, have been done to death. Some of the rancor felt towards him in some quarters is a direct result of a toxic lie at the heart of the club’s philosophy.
The club bang on about us belonging in the elite group when it is clear to all and sundry that we belong in the ‘the best of the rest’ group and show little intention of wanting to move out of it.
When we moved to the Emirates, the club made clear their objective short-term pain for long-term gain. Money is tight, prices will have to go up and we will have to sell our best players. It was painful but there was a clear sense of purpose shared by all. We played a lot of good football intermittently but we were always reassured by the fact that we couldn’t pay top wages for top players and in a sense could see ourselves as the underdogs. Fourth place was an achievement given the financial backdrop. The club told us that this move was necessary to secure our place amongst the game’s elite. It was something to be endured in the short term with the longer term in mind. Whether it was a con or not depends on your point of view but they at least had a coherent narrative that we could all buy into.
However in the last three years a chasm has opened up between what the club are telling us and the reality on the field. The club’s finances are secure, our revenue streams continue to grow but we are mired in mediocrity on the field.
They tell us we will soon be among the elite when it is clear we show neither the ambition nor the skill to be anywhere near that group. The club are acting like a dodgy second hand car salesman. It is obvious to anyone who watches football that we are in the ‘best of the rest’ group, we are not part of that elite group of clubs.
This disconnect was played out in the summer transfer window. It was left to Wenger to tell us that he (the club) couldn’t find added value in the transfer market and the squad was good enough. This was patently rubbish. What was true was that the market took a massive hike in fees and wages. As reluctant spenders, Arsenal may have gotten cold feet at the sums quoted. There was also the fact that Stan was relocating one of his US teams. Arsenal are part of a portfolio of investments for him and don’t operate independent of that portfolio. If these were relevant factors then why not say so?
Why is this disconnect so critical? James Kerr’s book ‘What the All Blacks can teach us about the business of life’ analyses what makes the All Blacks arguably the most successful sports team of all time. It has become something of a cult sports book. It makes for fascinating reading. What he makes clear is that for All Blacks the goals and values of the team, the aspiration of the fans and the legitimacy of the management have to align. There has to be coherent, transparent narrative understood by all if there is to be sustainable success. If there is a disconnect in any one of these areas the project will fail.
The club needs to front up and tell us what’s really happening. They need to make clear what their ambitions are and how they are going to achieve them. Currently the club use Wenger as the messenger and hide behind him, in many situations they hang him out to dry. Leaving him to make pathetic excuses for why we continue to fail is cowardice on the part of the club’s hierarchy. If we are only capable of being the ‘best of the rest’, if that is the limit of our ambition then so be it. At least we know the limit of our capabilities and can adjust our expectations. Villa fans (sorry to Villa fans it’s random) don’t stop supporting their club because they have no chance of ever winning the league or the Champions League.
The lie the club is perpetuating is eating away at the soul of the club and it needs dealing with.
