Every year Arsenal fans take great pleasure in St Totteringham’s Day nd this year has been no different. We also all know the famous chants that Jack Wilshere used in the FA Cup Parade from the top of the Open-Top Bus and most of them have been sung by ourselves when we are out with our mates (or even with Tottenham fans!)
My particular favourite is “My Old Man Said Be a Tottenham Fan…..” and I remember giggling all the way home when I first heard it at a match. It may be schoolboy humour but it is still a laugh! Obviously the media always jump on their high horse at the first sign of public swearing and try to blow things out of proportion, but I would LOVE to meet a journalist that didn’t smoke, drink, swear and has never taken drugs if such a thing exists. Perhaps then I would bow to a little criticism from the media, but the fact is that even normal people like that are very few and far between.
So I am totally in agreement with the Arsenal Independent Supporters’ spokesperson Lois Langton who has tried to put things back into perspective. “There has been far too much sanctimonious comment from certain sections of the media following Jack Wilshere’s singalong at the Emirates yesterday,” she said.
“Much is often made of the so-called disconnect between modern-day players and supporters. It is hardly surprising that players are cautious about wearing their hearts on their sleeves if the reaction to Jack Wilshere is anything to go by.
“No doubt Arsenal will be obliged to remind him of his duties when representing the club in public, but Jack Wilshere showed yesterday that he totally understands what it is to be an Arsenal supporter.
“He has been with us since he was nine years of age and, for him, winning with Arsenal means celebrating with supporters.
“Jack simply reflected what is sung on the terraces up and down the country, week in and week out – the Spurs supporters have exactly the same songs for us.”
There is the rub. It is simply light-hearted banter that goes on between footy fans all over the world, and should (and usually is) taken in the good humour that it is meant to be. Tottenham fans would soon punish us with them (if they could lol – not likely for anytime soon!)
Langton went on to make a very good point about our Jack: “Look at Jack’s personal life and the wonderful charity work he does, especially with young people. He goes above and beyond what he needs to do, that should be the benchmark for measuring his role model status.
“In view of the real atrocities taking place around the world, it seems remarkable that Jack Wilshere leaning over a railing singing songs containing some expletives should generate such an outcry.
“Let’s get back instead to focusing on Arsenal’s superb team performance on Saturday to secure back-to-back FA Cup wins.”
And so say all of us!
One thing that pleased me was that the Tottenham Supporters club refused to make a statement in response to the press questioning. Real football supporters wouldn’t have given it a second thought…..