Ahead of the home game for Arsenal against Swansea City this evening, Arsene Wenger has been speaking about how important it is for everyone connected to the club to stick together through thick and thin, clearly accepting that it is mostly thin at the moment.
After the painful Old Trafford reverse against Manchester United made it just two wins from the last seven Premier League games and just three from 10 in all competitions it is vital for the Gunners to get back to winning ways at the Emirates tonight.
So I understand why the boss wants the home crowd to get behind the players tonight and give them a lift, as an Arsenal.com report explains. The Frenchman suggested that the level of support from the different groups of fans could have an influence on which of the title chasing clubs will end up with the Premier League trophy at the end of the season.
He said, ““What you want from your fans is to fight together until the last game of the season. What we have learnt from the league is that it is very tight, that everybody can drop points, and the teams – and the fans – who can show togetherness and solidarity until the end, might come out of it in a positive way.
“That’s what we want, to fight together until the last game of the season and not give up when you have a bad game or a bad result. That’s what fans and players and teams and clubs are about.”
Maybe so, but the players from Leicester and Tottenham have been showing a lot of fight and giving their fans plenty to cheer about. Perhaps if the Arsenal side was showing the same sort of fight rather than just talking about it the manager would not have to act for backing.
We all want a great atmosphere at the matches and if the Gunners show that they are up for it against Swansea tonight, with fill effort and commitment if nothing else, then we fans will get behind them. But it is a reciprocal thing Arsene and I do not think you should be suggesting that a lack of support is the reason your team has been so bad recently.
Does he even realise how much we suffer?