There seem to be more divisions amongst the Arsenal fans than ever before, especially regarding Arsene Wenger’s new contract. But if we all take a step back and appreciate the way the club is run on principles of style, loyalty and values. To emphasise this point and try to bring the opposing factions together, I have found this brilliant article from Jack Wilson in the Islington Gazette, which is the local paper in the area around the Emirates. Please read and listen to the very well-rxpressed sentiment of why we all love our club.
Many responded with joyful contentment that the club’s greatest ever manager would be at the helm for another two years, while others shook their head at what they believe will be another 24 months of same old.
But, rather than squabble on who should be occupying the Emirates dugout next season, perhaps both sides should begin to appreciate that the Arsenal approach in football’s changing times is what makes the club a special and unique entity.
Amid a game becoming increasingly plagued with artificial money and the destruction of tradition, Arsenal’s complete backing for their manager is a rare showcase of respect and class in what is a ruthless world.
Modern day football has become so wrapped up in winning at all costs that the importance of identity and principles have been cast aside to the game’s detriment.
Yes, some may win multiple trophies, however, they are using a blueprint which is unprincipled and blinded by quick success. Spending scandalous sums on transfer fees and wages, and drafting in a new manager whenever it goes wrong is their characterless plan.
Arsenal look at things through a different periscope and their focus is something to be proud of. The club are trying to conquer the game in a different way to everybody else, and with an identity that’s respected and appreciated across the world of football. The unwavering belief in Wenger is, undoubtedly, part of that.
Admittedly, there have been mistakes. None more so than the decision to rely on an injury prone 32-year-old- Santi Cazorla – to be your imposing midfielder. Meanwhile, the issues in central midfield and up front have been longstanding and need serious looking at this summer, as do the tactics in big away games which are often questionable to say the least.
However, there’s no denying that Wenger has some leeway on his side. When he arrived, he revolutionised English football from setting the standard with nutrition to introducing a scintillating style of play. The feast came in the first decade of his reign as he won the double in 1998, a second double in 2002 followed by the unbelievable unbeaten season two years later and a Champions League final in 2006.
Then came the famine as the club went nine years without a trophy, with the expense of the stadium resulting in the club’s best players being sold and qualifying for the top four became the main target.
The more recent years have seen increased investment in the team, with the likes of Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Petr Cech coming in, while three FA Cup triumphs and a top two finish in the League for the first time in over a decade, has constituted into small steps of improvement again.
The biggest hurdle – winning the Premier League – is one which multiple Arsenal squads have found extremely difficult to master. But should it be such a surprise? The burden from 13 years of a title drought must surely be still weighing heavy on the players’ shoulders and cannot be removed, simply, by loosening the purse strings again or changing the manager, as rivals Liverpool have found out during the past 30 years.
Damaging relations further with some sections of the support is a risk which Wenger has decided to take. He clearly still holds visions of elevating Arsenal back to the summit of English football and he is not going to be deterred by the fear of failure.
If the Frenchman and the players can finally rid themselves of the hindering seeds of disappointment and win the title in the next two years, then Arsenal would not only be champions of England, but champions of style, loyalty and values. And that would be a rarity in modern sport.
Jack Wilson
I love Arsenal and nothing/nobody will ever change that. 🙂
@ Arsenal_Girl
if someone gives u 1mil pound u will cheer for spurs
OT: Arsenal to offer £125 million for Mbappe?!
Two seasons ago, Arsenal should have lifted the Premier League Trophy with no pressure from the usual teams but Arsene and Arsenal bottled it as usual. We will manage the next two years and whatever remains of our infield standards, then hopefully Mr Arsene leave and a hungry and proficient manager comes in to steer the ship.
I love this club nothing and nobody is ever going to change that. I have the Club Emblem tatooed across my chest next to my heart. That doesn’t mean I cant express my opinion if i think the club is not being run right . The board have no balls, and are spineless twats to scared to hold the manager to account qnd make the changes needed behind the sceens to bring this club back to the top England .
LOVE THE TEAM . HATE THE REGIME
COYG
Utter moron. You have absolutely no clue how things are run at Arsenal, yet you talk as if you are an authority on the subject. The way you think things are run is nothing but a guess, so stop talking about it as if it’s fact. Ignorance through arrogance at its very best.
Arsenal should sign Fabregas again to replace Wilshere/Carzola. Back when Fabregas was available and Arsenal did not use the buyout clause, the argument to justify was “It would hinder the growth of the likes of Ramsey (had a good season) and wilshere (nobody doubted his quality only his fitness)”. Santi Carzola was brilliant and we had ozil.
Now, Carzola probably has 1 more season that he can play that role if he stays fit and Wilshere is still struggling. Ramsey seems on and off.
Although many fans would call him a traitor in sigining for Chelsea, It was Arsenal who did not sign him. Barca didn’t want him, not much clubs were interested and every player wants to play in a top competation to get into their national team. He did not have much choice.
We have suffered last two seasons due to the lack of any replacement of Carzola. Fabregas perfectly fits this role, he does not need a season to fit into Arsenal team. With all his skills, experience and him still being in form, I do not see any reason not to re-sign him back.
Why isn’t this happening? He will still be one of the best players in the Arsenal team.
Apparently Wenger is being irrational emotional fool with this thing. He is letting his heart do the work rather than his brain. It is such a shame, he would have brought that stability.
Why would Chelsea sell him to us..?
According to who? You have literally just made that up in your head, yet you believe it to be fact.
Jay
Who do you think you are , big man behind his phone. I have an opinion based on what i have seen transpire at the club in the last few years. What happened to the dip in forn last season being a catalyst for change, tell me what has changed , ni new DOF , no restructuring off the back room to make the transition from Wenger to another manager a smooth one. Who said this the CEO .
So shut up i will express my opinion as i see fit if you dint like it dont read it simpple as
Sorry to say but to me, this is a sad article trying to glorify why we have lost touch with the PL top.
Arsenal’s complete backing of their manager is not a rare showcase of respect but a blatant sign of a lack of ambition that is unrivaled in the modern game.
Talking about “artificial money” insinuates that the reason we are dropping down the PL table fast is because of money but that is not the case. We build the new stadium because of our greed for money and under the banner that it would allow us to compete at the top (financially), we charge the highest ticket prices in PL if I am not mistaken out of greed. Our owner who knows nothing about football and barely shows up charges a one million advisory fee. Ou club is owned by a man who very much prays to the god of money and not at all to the god of success.
Even our football has lost its identity and style and we are the laughing stock of world football.
Bayern can’t wait for us to get back to football elite.
This article is written by someone who lives in a different world sees the Wenger of 20 years ago.
I support the club (that lost its identity and is now rather spineless both on the pitch and in the transfer market). I don’t place unrealistic pressure like the writer who speaks about winning the PL title. I realize getting back to the top 4 will be (sadly) a successful season for this manager and these players.
I hope I live long enough to see the day that Wenger’s decides to go but I will be an Arsenal fan as long as I live but being a fan to me does not mean you close your eyes to a terrible owner and to the fact that the club has lost its identity and is now ran by a tyrant who doesn’t allow character in the people and players around him.
I have been a football fan for over 47 years and we all know we speak to each other, believe me, we are not the envy of the football world.
The title of this post is already wrong. Don’t go tell Arsenal fans what they should or should not appreciate. I leave Arsenal fans free to appreciate Wenger or Giroud or Walcott if they want, I don’t judge them for it. I love this club. In fact my love for this club is the only unique thing about it at the moment. In fact my love for this club is so unique that when my mates ask me why I love it so much I find it harder and harder to explain, even to myself, yet I love the club but not because of it “unique values and identity” because they are gone for me at the moment under this owner and manager.
I can’t wait to read all the Wenger apology letters in the coming years from the so many short sighted fans that created toxicity in Emirates stadium sucking our confidence from our players.. only supporting when we’re winning.. disgraceful.
Wenger will triumph.
No one said Arsenal should win the league or champions title all the time……..we just want it once in a while……..and this could have been done within the last two seasons…….but a stubborn and out of touch Wenger could not put the right ingredients together………at this point he is still struggling to retain his best players……..what does he get the £8milllion for?……….there are others who could have done better for less………..that’s what we want……….a frequent success on the field………and that he had failed to deliver…………
This is a decent article, yet the negatives from fans are still there, I would love to see arsenal like I did at the end of the 90’s and at the beggining of the 2nd millennium but it doesn’t mean in order to do so I would buy all the best players in world, I would get a rich owner to put his filthy money in, change the manager every 2 years to do so, there’s so much wrong in football nowadays that yes it’s still a sport but there’s more focus on the filthy amounts of money being spent on clubs and players that I think attracts more attention than the game itself, now that is wrong and it’s very wrong, even our owner though not like the arabs or Russians, yet the yank is clueless about the tradition of our game, it’s just sad, so the fact that Wenger has remained for this long through all these changes that have occurred whilst the money game has elvolved, it makes me happy that arsenal do not spend stupid amounts of money on players, we don’t try and buy the league, hell we even tight with wages and transfer fees, I’m glad it’s like that, though our season ticket is a rip off I still don’t mind it because at least we are not like the other supreme teams, there’s a bit of tradition left at our club, yet you go to man shitty or Chelski, there is no tradition, it’s all about buying ur way all the way to the top, on the other hand spuds don’t know what to make of them besides how the heck have they finished above us? I guess that’s a convo for another time. Point is this: football has changed for a lot of clubs but there’s still certain things alive at arsenal that does not exist at the other top clubs….I’m a very frustrated arsenal fan, but I’d rather be that than rely on dirty money for my club to spend and buy glory.
Ps why sign a player that left you in the first place?