Malina Birch 
Loyal Gooners Malina and Nick Birch were honoured with two special letters from Arsenal, one being sent to congratulate them on their wedding and the other to welcome their newborn daughter, who they hope will continue a family tradition of supporting The Kings of London.
Such a classy gesture from the club shows that we the fans, are important and during the pandemic suporters aren’t forgotten.
Backing Mikel Arteta and his squad isn’t just cheering them on a match day.
It’s very much living by the words of Herbert Chapman but also remembering daily “who we are, what we are and who we represent”.
Read on for Malina's powerful piece: 'We are The Arsenal'
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“A club should be like a great big family with all the members of it sticking and pulling together in the same direction.“
Those wise words, a truly remarkable quote from Herbert Chapman, should be engraved on every Arsenal supporter's heart.
The moment any of us forgets the true meaning of it is the moment we let a seed of doubt start growing and ultimately our eyes become blurred, often missing a target.
I found the recent months, even years, to be a real test for many Arsenal fans, especially those ‘glory hunters’ who aren’t capable of accepting the process that started the minute Arsene Wenger left the club.
Many people would associate the success of the club with just one man, but as much as I respect Le Professeur and am grateful for his outstanding achievements, I still remember Arsenal history and traditions that were set long before he started his almost 22 years long journey with The Gunners.
Just as the hard times will always reveal who your true friends are in real life, it doesn’t take long to see who the most loyal supporters are, in the world of football.
The above mentioned ‘test’ has been also challenging for those who seek a refuge in sports while there are bad things happening around the world.
Football to many is like a safe zone that offers an escape from negativity yet during the ongoing pandemic even that form of ‘filter' has been taken away from us. So how do Champan’s words relate?
When we look at The Arsenal the way he wanted us to see them, we should see the family members who we care about and cooperate with in order to maintain peaceful and respectful relations.
Just like you stay loyal to your partner even when you’re temporary angry at them, just like you unconditionally love your children even when they make you feel like running away after a few months of home-schooling (!) that’s how you should see your support towards our beloved Arsenal.
Through thick and thin, pulling together in the same direction – so often so many forget about it these days when they ridiculously start anti-Arteta campaigns or awfully abuse the players and manager on social media.
Is this really what the Club’s tradition is being about? Is this the class it represents?
In our history, is it what we’re proud of? Not at all! We’re meant to act like a big family yet at regular intervals I read things that make me question the knowledge of people who call themselves Arsenal supporters. The knowledge of club’s virtues and rich history.
When I say in public, I’m a member of The Arsenal family, I genuinely feel proud and recognised.
Quite recently my husband and I were honoured with two special letters from Arsenal, one being sent to congratulate us on our wedding and the other to welcome our newborn daughter, who we hope will continue a family tradition of supporting The Kings of London.
Such a classy gesture from the club shows that we are important and during the pandemic fans aren’t forgotten.
Supporting Mikel Arteta and his squad isn’t just cheering them on, on a match day.
It’s very much living by the words of Herbert Chapman but also remembering daily “who we are, what we are and who we represent”.
Malina Birch
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