Arsenal Debate- Do the players and managers love Arsenal as much as the fans?

Who loves Arsenal more? The owners? The players? The coach? Or the fans?

I woke up this morning with this question in my mind. Last night while watching our game, I got involved in a discussion, as usual, with a fellow passionate Arsenal fan and an argument ensued between us. To him, he felt the players and the coach didn’t love Arsenal as much as the fans do; but to me, I felt he was not totally right. Do you agree?

Now before I start, I would like to say here that I do appreciate that these footballers and coaches are professionals who earn a living by playing football. The boards of directors are also businessmen and they are basically at Arsenal to make a profit. But does this mean that they don’t care how things pan out at Arsenal, as long as the bucks keep rolling in? I don’t think so. These men also care about the club, but just like the fans; the fans invest emotions in the game, these men invest their talents in the game. Right?

When Arsenal plays, everybody equally feels the tension in the air; everybody goes “ooh’, when Arsenal misses the chance to score a goal, and everybody goes gaga when Arsenal wins a game. Everybody here includes the fans, the players and the management team. Nobody in Arsenal wants the team to lose and everybody will do anything to prevent the team from failing.

I quite understand my friend who feels those running Arsenal don’t love the club enough but I would rather say they do love the club but don’t know how to go about showing the love. Or should I just assume that they love the club, only as long as their bills can be paid? Whatever I say here might not be the true reflection of how or what they feel for the club, but I just want to assume that they love the club.

The players and the coaches are the ones saddled with the responsibility of winning games on the football pitch right? But when they lose, are they not entitled to their wages? Does being paid after losing mean they don’t care or love the club enough? My friend thinks so; he feels the players should be considerate enough to share their wages with the less privileged whenever they lose, as a way of showing how sorry they are for letting the fans down.

My friend walked out on me, when I asked him “if you were to be in their shoes, would you forfeit your salary just because you lost a game?” Am I wrong in asking him this? If the players were to show how crazy they love the club by letting go off their wages whenever Arsenal loses, how much do you think they will forfeit, if Arsenal loses more than 10 games in a season?

Sylvester (Lagos Gooner)

24 Comments

  1. Our players look too comfortable and not bothered at all on whats happening. Its the reason they stand around watching opponents pass balls around them expecting someone else to put a foot in or for Leno to pull another great save.

    We need to ship out most of the current stagnant crop starting this January, hire a manager who is hungry and wants to prove a point. We need to change some backroom stuff too some people on that bench look as though they cant wait for the game to be done and rush to there homes.

  2. Come on now, we have no management nor coach since Wenger left, what was hidden for some is now in our faces! A chaos at team and club level; poor management!

    Players love club and passionate but in such a mess, their spirit and football affected, matching management level!

    When fans kicked out Wenger, they showed how some were toxic to real fans and club who have values first.

    Today, even if some continue to ignore, this is Arsenal without Wenger, the effect and result of his sacking! A total mess in the team we never ever witnessed or could have imagined at Arsenal!

    No one but Wenger can walk in and fix the team at this stage of season!

    1. Wenger was a massive part of the problem, and certainly not the solution, given his utter contempt for the defensive side of the game. We haven’t become a shambles since his belated departure. We were a joke for about the last 8/10 years of his tenure. Of course, it’s not all of his fault, but he played a major role.

      The last thing we need right now is an attacking manager. How fans continue to ignore our main problem (defending) is baffling! I would bring in Allardyce for the rest of the season, because our performances over the last 20/25 games point to only one thing…relegation.

      1. Wenger started all this, he is probably the biggest culprit, like fergie, stayed yo long and left a poor team.

  3. Trust me guys, Arteta can do this. The guy is the brain box in Man City and he will turn our season round with his visionary formation. I have been saying this all season and nobody wants to listen. There are people who see what others cannot see and I am one of those who sees what’s going on with our team that many can’t see. The EPL this season is different from last season and previous seasons. It is played with energy, fight, grit, determination, stamina and pace by all the teams except Arsenal. If we keep playing the same formation with 7 defensive players and only 3 attacking players, we will be relegated mark my words. I mean, we could hardly string 5 passes together before getting dispossessed and by getting dispossessed, I mean we literally pass the ball back to the opposition. But there is a solution, we have a COMBINATION of players in the squad who can play the game with skill, energy, fight, grit, determination, stamina and pace with 70% success rate for starters. We should start using those players and work on them in training to play possession based, quick, one-touch football and drill them on pressing off the ball. Our current midfield is very slow and weak going forward . They can’t support the attack and they can’t help the defense either, and that has been our Achilles heel all season. . This is the team that would get us out of this mess in a 4-1-4-1 or 4-3-3 formation. The only person I see that can make this type of change is Arteta.

    4-1-4-1

    Lacazette and Martinelli drops deep to help Luiz in midfield and as soon as the ball is won, they can make forward dashing, penetrative runs through the spaces with their pace before releasing through balls to the on rushing Pepe or Saka/ozil on the wings to cut in and shoot or cross into the box. No need to hold on to the ball for too long and we don’t need more than 1 defensive midfielder in midfield.

    ———————–Leno———————-

    Bellerin——-Chambers—–Holding——-Tierney

    ———————–Luiz————————-

    Pepe———Lacazette——Martinelli—-Saka/Ozil

    ——————–Aubamayang———————-

    OR

    4-3-3

    We need 2 converted attacking midfielders in Pepe and Martinelli with skill and pace to flank Luiz in midfield. Let Lacazette play from the right wing and Saka or Ozil play from the left wing, and Aubamayang as striker, he is being wasted on the wings. Neat passing and one twos with quick feet will open the opposition defense. No need to hold on to the ball for too long and we don’t need more than 1 defensive midfielder in midfield.

    ———————Leno———————-

    Bellerin———Chambers——Holding———-Tierney

    Pepe—————–Luiz——————–Martinelli

    Lacazette———–Aubamayang—————Saka/Ozil

  4. Players are lost and won’t find way out with Freddie but support!

    Poor management is what kills Arsenal beyond coaching! They did not plan to sack Emery but Kroenke saw empty stadium; means no money! Or this would be planned ahead, as of 5th game and each game after!

    Management has no plan, hoped to see Eddie emulates Lampard who as opposed to Freddie had experience. Eddie has no coach diplomas, league okays 10 weeks in such situation, limit for a coach to be brought in.

    Anyway, management worked with Emery, Wenger used to do both jobs,!

    Today, only Wenger can bring team spirit back; biggest issue for any coach joining today! It will take too much time, not to Wenger, he is home and most players love & joined for him!

  5. Well Rodgers def out the running now as he has just signed a new contract with Leicester and I don’t blame him 1 bit avoid Arsenal like the plague very bad for your health!! No top manager would want to come within a million miles of this shambles of a club guarantee the job will got to a novice Arteta or Vieira comes to mind!!

    1. You should know by now contracts mean nothing these days with clauses…same with players just to increase the release clause,value of the plays,who knows Rodgers might have inverted the names of certains clubs for which he is allowed to leave,a higher release clause which is paid makes him free to do do so,do you think United would be bothered to pay poch the 12M he would have to give back to the spuds if he takes another job in the Pl this season!I don’t think!

  6. Mogunner Don’t live in the past there are excellent managers out there it is just Arsenal who are not willing to pay their wages they want

  7. They said Wenger was the problem,he was irrelevant as a manager today,we now are worse,they disrespected, his family,the man… well you deserve everything that’s happening at the moment at least FIFA know what kind of man and knowledge they have in him,I just hope now matter arsenal and some fans beg him that he’ll never return,22 years at our club and the things he’s done;if only they had backed him off financially,72M for Pepe and he had to beg few millions to get Laca,no wonder he had no money to fix the defense,it is beyond the joke and disrespect!you wanted Wenger out and you have him,I hope you’re happy! don’t say you weren’t told”beware of what you wish for! anyway he is better where is now and has the respect he deserves,finaly as usual many will deny!same with Emery , Freddie and the next one,thanks making this club a joke and the fans a disgrace!!🖕🖕🖕

    1. Siamois, who disrespected Wenger’s family? His wife left him, due to no influence of fans, but his own actions.

  8. Not the players we have now, no. They’re no Adams or Wright, with their love and passion for the club!
    It’s just a job to them, and a very well paid one too!
    Have we hit rock bottom yet??

  9. Do any sensible Arsenal fans really
    believe this current lot of average,
    criminally OVERPAID players will ever
    be bothered to “Play for the Shirt”
    or “Take Pride in the Badge” If you
    were part of this pampered lot,
    making millions of pounds to be
    BANG AVERAGE at your chosen vocation
    why would you pretend to aspire for
    something more than the ACCEPTED
    STATUS QUO?

    Ozil—£350K
    Xhaka—£100K
    Mustafi—£90K
    Socratis—£90K
    Bellerin–£110K
    Kola—£100K
    Luiz—£125K

    Nearly £1M of weekly wages on a cast
    of characters that shouldnt be
    anywhere near the starting 11 @ AFC.

    God Help Us

    1. Weekly, ….holy crap!

      They need to start earning it, I’m sorry if you guys are feeling a lot of pressure, but come on, it’s football, you lucky so and so’s.

    2. How many of that shower were signed by Wenger, their influence and ability in this squad is massive. Not one of them produce top performances week in week out.

      1. Wenger left a bunch of poor players, Emery somehow made them worse and Freddie (bless him) has failed to improve on either.

  10. The wages should be more tied to performance, like how when a team goes down they know the wages are cut for the most part, a large drop. Or you could say incentive related fees. I know they do get bonuses and what not but if a lot more of their money was tied to incentives/success, we’d see a lot more professionalism and extra effort on a regular basis, purposeful effort, in tandem rather than how it is now with some performing on one day then others on another day. We need more consistency from every player, even Auba, as lethal as he is the fact is defending is a team effort and when the front players are that first wall of defence, then you’ll likely be going places, and fairly soon enough.

    We look a long way off at the minute but we have some good makings here, young players who need proper coaching. Martinelli, Nelson, Saka, Rowe, Pepe, Torreira, Guendouzi, Holding, Tierney, Saliba, Leno, we need someone to get them on the right path before any major damage is done and bad habits begin to set in.

    As always however, it’s very easy to talk, it’s much easier than walking.

  11. It is completely pointless to have any discussion about where we would be with or without Wenger. It’s a waste of time and space, and the people who are calling for his return have extremely short memories of what has happened in the last 8 – 10 years of his reign, new stadium or not. Gnabry, Cazorla, Coquelin, and Carlos Vela etc etc were sold, rubbish and old hags were brought in and the defence was neglected, in spite of Steve Bould sitting next to Wenger week after week and who had been part of one of the beat defences this EPL has ever seen. Did Wenger ever bother to ask his opinion?

    Wenger started the slide, and Emery could not stop it. Hopefully Freddie will take some serious decisions re team selection soon, and the first thing he needs to do is drop Luiz from the squad completely.

    1. We were slipping down when wenger left and the trend has continued. Wenger was the cause. Who is going to be the answer?

  12. To coin a phrase, Sylvester, you cannot be serious! Virtually no player or manager or owner loves the club as much as we fans. Very few players anywhere truly love their club but they play for money first and silverware second; certainly if they play for top clubs. Players, these days, are almost entirely employees first and temporary fans while they wear the shirt, but of a distant fan kind, second, whatever they pretend to the contrary! Wenger was one of the exceptions who truly loved us once he started and grew to love us completely and very soon after too. Do you suppose Emery loves Arsenal? Of course he does not. He may retain a distant fondness and we are all fond of various things, but LOVE, REAL LOVE is of a completely different order and not given to many players in todays money mad world, if we are honest with ourselves. Of course certain naive fans choose to believe all the players love the club, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Twas ever this with foolish folk! Love true love, comes from the heart , not from th bank account! REALITY!

Comments are closed

Top Blog Sponsors