Should Arsenal players interract with the home crowd more often?

Fan interaction is the key! (opinion)

Would it really be a negative if players and fans had more interactions at games and in general?

Anyone who attends the women’s matches will be aware that after most of the games, especially the wins, players mix with the crowd taking selfie’s and signing merchandise as and when they can.

Some people would argue that this can have both positive and negative outcomes but I’ve always believed that fan interaction is key for a club.

Players talk about wins being for fans and playing in front of fans is what they work for, but why does it have to stop there?

Why can’t the players at home games especially and of course after wins, embrace the crowd and take selfies or sign merchandise? Why can’t they get more involved with the fan base and not just over social media or by talking to the press, and acknowledging the fans verbally but physically as well.

In other leagues such as the Bundesliga, at times before and sometimes during the season you hear of open training sessions where players interact more with fans with autograph requests and pictures. This occurred a lot before Covid of course and now the “world seems to be getting back to some normality” would this really be such a bad thing for Arsenal to do as well?

I know Arsenal, before Covid used to have a select few players at times once a year, doing meet and greets in the Armoury and they would also host members day where fans would be treated to seeing the players train on the Emirates pitch and then take part in a Q and A. But wouldn’t it resonate more with fans if they can get autographs and pictures with their idols and heroes?

So, Arsenal if you are listening, why don’t you try some more open training sessions at the Emirates over the season and some more autograph and picture sessions with fans in the Armoury.

After all, fans are key to a club, they are passionate, loyal and the 12th man, and they pay anything to see their beloved team play week in week out and for some fans this sort of thing would be a once in a lifetime experience that would mean more than just trophies and winning games!
Gooners?

Shenel Osman
@sh3n3l_

16 Comments

    1. As someone who frequently went away this stereotype is not true to the degree it’s made out. It exists because Highbury rhymes with library. I’ve stood at multiple grounds that were not particularly lively 9 times out of ten. The groaning at the Emirates was particularly bad but everything else is nonsense (outside of the fact we are not Anfield on a European night and we should be, it’s in our control.)

  1. Once COVID issues will have passed us by, yes, players should definitely interact with the fans much more.
    We live in a time where fans are increasingly nothing more than a commodity for the owners to get money from or an afterthought once the TV money has been gathered.
    Anything that goes towards renewing ties with the club & players they love and support can only be a positive.

  2. They should interact with the home crowd through good performances on the field first and foremost.

    Anything else is just a bonus.

  3. Just follow Liverpool’s steps in building their huge fanbase. I foresee it will be the biggest football fanbase in the world

  4. Crowds up and down the country will react to what they see on the park.

    Noticed a definite upturn in the atmosphere since, and including, the Norwich game – although the Spuds game always takes care of itself at any time.

    The above also applies to our away support, and here I definitely like to see the layers get across to our support at the end of the game – regardless of the result.

    The crowd have been clearly willing the new signings to do well, and largely speaking have been not disappointed.

    The Palace game will be rocking, the team just have to do their bit !

    Also, circa 50,000 in for the Wimbledon Carabao cup game on a Wednesday night was excellent -and we can expect the same for the Leeds tie.

    A quick word about Highbury.

    Highbury library was a bit of a myth that stuck in my opinion.

    I think the “Library” tag stuck largely due to the Terry Neill / Don Howe early to mid 80’s era.

    Crowds were down ( sometimes well below 20,000 )and the football was at times dire.

    At times the place was completely devoid of atmosphere.

    What atmosphere there was at that time often varied between apathetic to being very toxic, culminating in crowd demo’s outside the dressing room window ( then on Avenall Road) chanting “Neill out.”

    But many long term Gooners on here will testify they have many great memories of the roof being lifted off at the old place.

    So not the first time, our lack of atmosphere, player interaction etc has been questioned.

    If we beat both Palace and Villa the Emirates will be “full on” !

    “Player interaction” a la Ramsdale will be welcomed with open arms.

    If the players do their bit, we’ll certainly do ours.

  5. I do believe Xhaka interacted with the crowd, giving as good as he got!!!

    With the homophobic, racist nutters around, why would any player put him/herself at risk?

    Gone are the days of chatting with the players before, during and after games – a sign of the world we live in today I’m afraid.

  6. Congrats to Shenel on her second interesting and worthwhile article today. I not only agree that players should mix with fans FAR MORE than most do and should do it directly and physically too(where Covid restrictions permit,of course).

    I am also convinced that to do so would make players and fans far happier, feel more worthwhile and it would reduce the misunderstanding that exists on both sides for the other.

    Simply put, IT IS the right thing to do.

  7. After the senseless stabbing of David Amess in Broad daylight, how could anyone ask or expect players to put themselves at risk to please the fans?

    1. Interesting point Ken, but should everyone hide themselves away in case of one nutter? Or live life to the full?

      1. Pat, I would suggest that Arsenal players can live life to the full, without taking the risk of coming across idiots that we have seen at the Emirates.
        Another example would be John Lennon, signing his autograph for a “fan”, who decided to shoot him… or even AW at the Cardiff train station, when our own fans decided to abuse him.

        In a perfect world, it would be great to meet and greet the players, but I’m looking at it from the players point of view.

        1. I understand your worries Ken, and footballers nowadays act like the film stars of our youth.

          But then again. I remember when you could walk into Downing Street and have a picture taken with the Copper outside. Try that now, e

          1. That only changed because of the knife attack. Coppers got complacent because nobody dared attack the institutions. They are doing a job and shouldn’t be willing to pose ever, they are on the clock. Fact they were is an example of that complacency. It’s a boring gig might as well pose with the tourists… Honestly anyone that goes to interfere with people like that on the job for a laugh or a photo makes it 10x harder for them to do their job properly regardless of day and age, leave them alone.

    2. 1st off an extremist like that isn’t targeting a footballer. As to the article premise. The woman aren’t famous largely because their skill level isn’t close (it’s getting better and I love to see it but it isn’t.) Players would get hurt just from all those that love them and want to push through to shake their hand. Standard crowd control. The women interact because few are desperate to interact many might be happy to but it’s no biggy. So no danger.

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