Siddy Shivdasani
In the unlikely event that we do end up winning the PL or CL this season, it will be despite Arsene Wenger rather because of him.
I have given up predicting how games will go over the last six or seven years because it’s all been about which Arsenal turn up. The rarely spotted mighty Gunners would win the lot.
We have ridden our luck this season to somehow be second. I recently speculated about whether we were back in the title race. We’re not… yet.
The bookies, who can always be counted on to put their money where their mouths are, certainly don’t fancy us, 8-1 at the time of writing. Meanwhile, Chelsea are odds on. But hope springs eternal.
I made reference to our 1998 title win in that recent article, citing the way we did not look like potential champions until Overmars scored at Old Trafford to steal a dramatic 1-0 to The Arsenal and put us back in the hunt. The momentum swung. Could that happen again? Could things click? I’m not putting any money on it but…
I know the comparison between the ’98 team and the current one is offensive to many. But we will learn a lot in the next few weeks.
We host Watford (if we can’t beat them then it’s banner time) tomorrow evening while we will hope Liverpool can do us a favour and beat Chelsea at Anfield. If both things happen, then the lunchtime visit to Stamford Bridge at lunchtime on Saturday February 4 takes on huge significance.
I am well aware this is all ifs and buts and maybes but if everything comes together then we’d only be two points behind our west London buddies.
The difficult thing to comprehend for followers of other teams is that many Gooners actually don’t want to win the PL or CL, such is the desperation to get rid of AW. I understand that, I truly do. But there is little this part of me that wants to be proved wrong. If that ever dies in me then I will no longer be a true fan of my beloved Arsenal.
Maybe Wenger would feel like some sort of legacy would be intact if he went out on a high - the prospect of even another year of him fills many of us with horror. I’m actually glad he’s got a touchline ban, it might mix things up a bit having a real man like Bouldy barking out the orders.
Anyway, will WOBs like me admit they were wrong if AWFC does actually bring home the bacon this season?
NO… not after 13 f***ing years. NO.
How many times have you thought the writing was on the wall for AWFC? Prematurely letting Vieira go? Allowing “ambitious” Van Persie to waltz off to help a domestic rival win the PL? Letting Flamini’s contract run down just as he was bringing out the best in Fabregas? For that matter, allowing Fabregas to go? Getting walloped 8-2 at Old Trafford? Signing a long, long list of flops? Tamely surrendering the title to Leicester last season? Being thrashed 6-0 at The Bridge as AW marked his 1,000th game in charge? The last one sums it up. Feel free to add to the list.
All the while, the Spuds are creeping ever upwards and I think they actually have a better team than us, even if we have better individuals.
But indulge those Gooners who actually want to win the league, with or without Wenger. Before we play these games (and probably fail), let us dream. I think if we can sufficiently narrow the gap, Chelsea might get a little rattled (and let’s hope Costa does get distracted after all).
I mean, everyone has been impressed by Conte but he got off to an indifferent start and there were even rumblings that his position was under threat. How fickle fans and the media are these days. Whatever happened to three years to build a team?
The flip side is that 12 years is too much…
