Why I’m Negative by Dan Smith
I have been very fortunate on JustArsenal to have a lot of kind words regarding my articles. It has led to me having opportunities such as being invited onto YouTube Channels and taking part in a documentary.
My style of writing is to take relevant topics or rumours regarding Arsenal and give my thoughts. My one rule is I don’t engage with anyone who is personally disrespectful. I was taught that anyone who resorts to that is losing the argument.
So let me stress, I have zero problem recently with some readers commenting on me being ‘negative’.
I am writing this to save myself repeating myself daily in the comments but also, I would hate for anyone to think that I am deliberately trying to put a downer on things. If you are a Gooner who is positive at the moment and is looking forward to this season, then good on you. I have zero right to take that away from you, nor am I trying to.
To keep everyone happy, I could write that our club is the best in the world, we are going to win the Premiership and predict every week we will 3-0. That would guarantee me a certain amount of views and anyone reading would walk away quite happy. After all we love The Arsenal, so naturally we love to hear great things being said about what we adore.
There is also zero evidence that supports the idea that being positive makes you anymore committed or has any bearing on a result (yes that was suggested).
The problem I have Is I don’t see being called negative as an insult. Because …. I am negative.
Guess what? I think I should be. I think our fanbase should be. Or at the very least …. worried.
Again, my choice of writing is opinion pieces. So you take an issue and you can only be positive or negative, there is no in-between.
How can I be positive finishing 8th? How can I be positive finishing 43 points behind the Champions? How can I say everything is fine when we finish in our worst position in 25 years?
Whether it’s your family, your friends or any passions, you want the very best for them. You don’t accept mediocrity. If your best mate was married but being mistreated by their spouse, are you negative for wanting the best for them?
It’s been 16 years since we won the Prem. In the last campaign we were getting further away from winning it, not closer.
As I write this, City, Man United, Chelsea, Everton, Leeds and others have spent more than us. I guess the Pandemic only affects us. So when I read I’m negative I simply think, ‘why are you not as well?’
Long term readers such as Sue, Ken, Jon Fox, etc will testify that back in the days of people screaming ‘Arsene Out’ I defended Mr Wenger and was very positive about ‘only finishing 4th and winning the odd FA Cup.’
The irony being perhaps, that the same people who pushed out the greatest manager in our history are now mocking me for complaining about 8th and the FA Cup, when they were the ones who moaned about 4th and the FA Cup.
I was accused of being negative when Emery replaced him for no other reason then I felt it was a cheap option. I was called negative then. It’s funny how we pick and choose isn’t it. If I defend Ozil, no one says how positive Dan is being today lol. In fact it’s encouraged to be negative towards Ozil, but I can’t question how we are run?
I like Arteta. I really think we have someone who could take us to that next level if the owners just had some ambition. History shows they don’t, hence why I have a defeatist attitude when I read why we can win the League.
You see, I’m not overreacting to one bad year. It’s a decade. A decade of examples I can give where if the Kroenke Family just took that extra step, things could have been different.
We were promised leaving Highbury would see us compete with the likes of Bayern Munich. In 2020, a week after Bayern were lifting the Champions League, we were convincing ourselves that the Community Shield meant something. Yet some of you defend Silent Stan.
I’m sorry. In what other business, where a company makes a promise to its customers is the owner not held accountable if he fails to meet his targets?
Move to the Emirates and we compete with Bayern Munich? Has that happened? Is that close to happening? So again? How can I be positive?
I was called negative for writing that we wouldn’t sign Partey and Coutinho. I was told it’s a conspiracy theory to suggest they are holding off announcing Aubameyang’s contracts so when it’s announced we are so happy; we ignore the lack of activity compared to Stamford Bridge.
I was called names for pointing out that the only reason Ozil is being frozen out is to get him off the wage bill (which he’s confirmed). I’m not saying this to say I’m correct.
There is no right or wrong, it’s opinions.
Yet when you watch a product long enough, when you invest money into something, you learn how they operate.
I’m not asking us to win the European Cup. I’m not asking for us to fork out 100 million every summer.
In life you can only be the best version of yourself. That’s all I ask Arsenal to be, the best they can be.
I believe Arteta will tactically get that out of the resources he has, but ultimately will be undermined by his employer. Someone commented that the Kroenke Family shouldn’t be blamed as they don’t deal with the daily running of the club. First of all, if that’s the case why in the last five years have his company been paid 6 million for advisory services?
Just think how sick that is. He has the audacity to make 55 people redundant to save 2 million a year yet gets 6 million over 5 years to advise us what exactly? Again, how can you be positive about that?
Any of you who think those 55 sackings get mentioned too much, that’s a reflection on you. It’s a disgrace which I will shout to the rooftops.
Then ask; why?
Why is he the only owner in the entire Prem not to invest a single penny in his club? How can you be positive about that?
He’s a Billionaire. Do you think he’s doing his very best to make us the best we can be?
How come Roman Abramovich can spend his own money? Because a business strategy is to invest to make a team successful which makes them more of a worldwide brand and therefore increase their value.
If our owner doesn’t want to do that, he could have sold his shares to Usmanov, who is 6 billion pound richer than Abramovich.
He’s entitled to run the club as a self-financed model, but then you can’t on one hand defend him and yet predict we can challenge for the title. Football is a business where you can’t stand still. Sometimes you have to step in and give funds to help. Arsenal finishing 8th was that time. If he doesn’t care now, he won’t ever.
There’s the odd exception to the rule. Leicester City won the League, but we are Arsenal …. we shouldn’t be hoping to be the exception to the rule. History shows that the more money you put in, the more likely you are to win titles.
We finished 43 points behind Liverpool, Chelsea are spending over 200 million, but it’s okay we have an owner who hasn’t invested a single pound since he got here.
So yeah, I’m negative towards Stan Kroenke. Why are you not?
Dan Smith