Siddy Shivdasani
One of my bugbears over the last five or six years is fans of other teams telling us we’ve got it made under Arsene Wenger. I suppose this is kind of aimed at them. Admittedly, I figure that not many read the onlinegooner!
I get the argument. We have qualified for the Champions League for a record number of seasons, we’ve picked up two (welcome) FA Cups in recent years and we’ve got a couple of world class players. I get it. I get it. I get it.
But there are a few cautionary tales about the demise of giants: Those of Liverpool and, god forbid, Aston Villa. And if, as many of us suspect, Arsenal is now just a cash cow for the owners, things could go pear-shaped for them sooner than they think. Talk about killing the goose that laid the golden egg…
Remember, Liverpool have never won the Premier League. Not many of us would have anticipated that when they secured their last top flight title in 1990. They were the dominant force for over a decade before that. I fear we are going down the same path right now. As for Aston Villa, enough said.
I’ve wanted AW out for quite a while but I recall supporters of other clubs telling me I was mad (I am, but that’s another story) for thinking that as the movement against him started to get some real momentum among Arsenal supporters a few years ago.
Things will finally come to a head this summer, whatever happens. Assuming we don’t win the PL or CL and Wenger still gets another contract, I anticipate a toxic atmosphere at the Emirates the likes of which we’ve never seen. If he goes, then the big question is: “What and who now?”
I fully accept that it would be a leap into the unknown. We could go backwards fast if the board gets it wrong… and I don’t have a lot of faith in them. Whoever they appoint, it will be controversial. I’m not going to name contenders, that’s not the point of this article.
The point is, are those (like me) who want Wenger out, greedy and spoilt?
In many ways, the club is well run. We’re in reasonable financial shape, we’re not fighting relegation and we have a pretty good squad. On our day, we can compete with the best (not enough of those days, though).
So fans of perpetual relegation strugglers/yo-yo clubs such as Sunderland and Newcastle think we are whingers. But in a perverse kind of way, life is more interesting for them. It’s like in India, life is cheap, which somehow makes me feel more alive when I’m out there. The pain of relegation and the joy of promotion. That’s real. Real experiences.
Supporting Arsenal is kind of sterile and repetitive these days, as is the atmosphere at the Emirates, which is one of the reasons I gave up my season ticket. Now it’s all about television rights, selling merchandise in the Far East and sky-high matchday prices. But the real killer is knowing we aren’t going to ever win the league again with our current manager. I don’t advocate being reckless but look at Chelsea’s policy of firing gaffers who fall short, it’s proved to be effective.
I have supported Arsenal since the 1979 FA Cup triumph. That success (and drama) was part of what drew this south Londoner to Highbury a few months later aged seven. I was instantly hooked, though I had no inkling then that we would have to wait until 1987 to win silverware again.
But even pre-George Graham, and even though we were always three players short of challenging for the title and never adequately replaced Liam Brady, I still enjoyed some of what was on offer. In no particular order: Champagne Charlie’s moments of magic, occasionally getting one over the mighty Liverpool, the green and blue away kit, the emergence of Stewart Robson, Woodcock’s five-goal haul against Villa, the seriously underrated Steve Williams’s relentless charm offensive and (apparently) nearly signing Maradona in 1984 (rumour had it that we were prepared to pay him a £7,500 a week salary but a £1,500 per goal bonus was the sticking point).
So, as also rans, what exactly is the point of being a (fleeced) Arsenal fan these days? It’s a genuine question. I’m sure I’m gonna get a whole heap of abuse from those who question my commitment now that I’m merely an armchair fan. But in my defence, remember that I was fully committed during the wilderness years when we were, at times, drawing crowds of only 17,000 to Highbury.
We are relatively successful these days… compared to then and everybody below us now. But as my favourite philosopher (Krishnamurti) once said: “There’s no truth in comparison.”
Arsenal are one of the biggest footballing institutions in the world. We have a rich, glorious history, so our expectations as fans are high and almost everything is in place to move forward. If we don’t, I fear we can’t remain stagnant much longer, which means we will inevitably go backwards.
So, in answer to my own question, are we greedy and spoilt? I don’t think so. Surely, most of us just want to see progress. Just like the Toon Army and the Mackems…
