Rocky the King
This is my first blog since taking a Trappist vow of silence on the affairs at Arsenal Football Club oh so many months ago. I decided that if I couldn't write positively about the club it was better to write nothing at all. So now I want to ask the question of how do you as a Gooner deal with the constant negativity that pervades the Gunnersphere? I got sick of writing negative blogs, I got bored with recounting humiliations and predicting doom and gloom. I got angry seeing the lack of passion from three quarters of the team on the field, when what we needed were 10 clones of Alexis Sanchez. Even my twitter feed on Arsenal and the state of the club reminded me of an alcoholic still not able to give up that last drink with #Wengerout trending on my hashtags.
Let's face it, life goes on and to coin a phrase, we have no divine right to win the Premier League. Yet despite all the years in the Champions League without the trophy success, I still have memories. The 5-1 win against Inter Milan and the beating of Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. I remember being in Paris in 2006 as we faced the mighty Barcelona. With only 10 men and Titi Henry missing a chance that I would have bet my mortgage on, not to come away with that honour hurts. I dreamed of our being the first club in London to lift the trophy. Before the advent of Abromovich's billions, I recall when we used to beat Chelsea for fun. Recall the Jose Antonio Reyes FA Cup screamer at Highbury in 2004 and Kanu's stoppage time wonder goal at Stamford Bridge in 1999? Absolute quality.
Henry's classics include of course "that" goal against the scum at Highbury followed by the iconic knee slide immortalised by his statue. His goal against Man Utd in the closing seconds of the first game at the Emirates was very special, a rare Henry header, but the adrenaline of that goal sent me home deliriously happy. Dennis Bergkamp's classics also cause hairs to stand on end on my neck. His goals against Leicester and Newcastle rank among his very best of sublime touches and incredible finishing. Dennis had the ability to slow down real time and score for fun. Being an Arsenal fan is a privilege but you have to be able to endure a rollercoaster of emotions.
I realise that I have been lucky enough to be present at many glorious times with my fellow Gooners for instance at the Gate Pub in Cardiff where we almost booked annual attendance passes, the drinking and fun at the Rocket and in various pubs around Highbury singing with the Away boys. There have been miserable times too, perhaps the semi-final of the Champions League when within 10 minutes Man Utd destroyed our hopes of another final ranks amongst the most painful ones. So I cope by rewinding the many happy memories that George Graham, Bruce Rioch and Arsène Wenger have given me. The problem now is those memories are fading, and if it wasn't for Youtube, I might not be able to relive many of those moments.
I cannot put into words how I have coped over these last two seasons with dark thoughts, going from wishing failure on the team that I love, to hoping that Stan Kroenke would walk away. I am able to cope again now as I see that many Gooners can see what I saw so long ago. The lack of tactics, the inconsistency, the failure to win back to back League titles. The humiliation on and off the field. I cope now as hope springs eternal that finally the curtain is about to come down on Arsène's twenty year reign. The games against Liverpool, Man City, the scum and Bayern Munich should seal his fate. Gooner 'til I die, and that is why I have to believe that whatever comes next, at least it will be a fresh start, with Gooners being able to unite once more and move on.
Twitter@RTKafc_insider
