So Arsenal fans that questioned Mikel Arteta’s first years are now labelled ‘Disloyal’ or ‘Blinkered’?

Disloyal or Blinkered? by Ken 1945

It seems that anyone who has ever questioned Mikel Arteta has become a negative supporter who should be ostracised from the club.

As a lifelong supporter, I have seen many managers come and go, and I still haven’t come across one who the fans didn’t question on a daily basis.
It seems that, now MA has finally got it together, we should have all trusted the process… as some say they have from day one!!
It must be great to have been part of this ever growing fanbase, who were never concerned about the decisions being made, as they knew all along it would end up as it has been this season.
So was I wrong in asking why Willian was being selected in front of Martinelli?
Why it took a string of injuries before ESR was given his chance?
Perhaps I misjudged the tactics that saw us plummet to the bottom of the table, ensuring our worst ever start in over two decades?
Should I have ignored the fact that our home record was the worst in living memory?
Now I hear the cry “Arteta inherited a load of dross players” yet those players never finished 8th at the end of the season twice in a row and, in fact, this load of dross, actually won MA his first trophy as manager, when we beat City and Chelsea to win the FA cup.
I also read what he did to clear out the overpaid and underperforming players such as Ozil, Aubameyang and Guendouzi.
The interesting thing about the first two players is that he selected Ozil right up until the coronavirus epidemic, and Aubameyang only started to underperform under MA’s time after his mega contract…. which Mikel sanctioned!!
Remember, we are talking about a Golden Boot winner here, who, in the space of six months, was allowed to leave, while not replacing with a like-for-like goalscorer.
Now, I was not obviously cute enough to realise that all the above was part of the unquestionable ending that would result in us being where we are today.
I should have known that Kroenke, maligned by so many, was going to back MA up to the tune of £350,000,000 and still rising…. and it seems no one else did, hence the daily negative articles and comments about him.
It’s even been suggested that he’s only backing MA, in order that he will be able to sell at a huge profit…forgetting that he has turned down two offers to do just that already!!
My final observation is that, suddenly, despite writing to the contrary, certain fans on JA actually always backed MA and never doubted him for a minute.
Well, while never calling for his sacking, I’m afraid that I did have concerns about his management and questioned his decision making, along with his style of play – a style that was boring (remember we ALL complained about sideways and backward passing?) inconsistent and easy to play against.
Then we signed two top class players and, FINALLY, introduced Saliba into the squad.
Saliba was a player that I had real trouble explaining to myself as to why he wasn’t able to even make our first team squad, but I guess I was wrong again!!
This season has been a revelation and the football is second to none.
The club is as one when the game is on and I compare it to AW’s finest time as our manager, such is the improvement this season.
But, of course, we have the fans who want to play silly “told you so” games, while the majority of said fans conveniently forget their own questioning of Mikel, who by the way, agreed that he, himself, made mistakes!!!
So, as I read these wonderful “in hindsight” comments about backing MA 100%, I’m proud that I questioned him and stand by every one of my questions.
The REAL beauty is that I can appreciate exactly what MA has changed in the last year, and pat myself on the back when I see him bringing in (for example) Saliba, Martinelli and ESR with such tremendous success.
I am 100% behind MA and, while I could take this opportunity to apologise to him and all you wonderful fans for doubting him until this season, I’m comforted by his own words that he made mistakes and could have done better.
In Mikel Arteta we trust (at last).
ken1945
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123 Comments

        1. Well the to believe that a squad that dropped out of the champions league under wenger and failed Emery was ever going to get back to the top. When they were in fact on a downward tangent in their careers. All I can think is that those players peaked far sooner than other players plus they treated arsenal like a retirement who taking their pound of flesh whilst not really caring abut the club

          1. So would you also give that tag to MA’s team, that dropped put of european football entirely and set new standards of mediocrity up and until this season?

        2. Ken, those who were banished by Mikel have gone into hiding and have never done something worthwhile for their new clubs. While Mr. Wenger had the best of players at his disposal when he joined us, he deliberately signed some of the worst players (attitude included) so that life would not be easy for the new gaffer when he would be eventually sacked. Some “fans” were backing Ozil! others Mustafi & Kolasinac! over the manager? Can any sane person be serious of his love for AFC? Well Mikel did a mistake in hiring Willian, but Willian was a utility player for CFC and he signed off from us without doing any drama unlike your pet drama princess! No point in writing more, we debated all these points and more before. Questioning the manager is not being “disloyal” supporting mischief makers at the cost of the manager is being disloyal. Good day pal.

            1. Perfect reply Ken. EVERY SINGLE COMMENT he makes praises Arteta as a “little magician” and hurls insults at Wenger. Never made sense to me either

    1. So questioning a manager who brought us our worst league position for over 30 years, and our worst home league for over 90 years is stupidity? Not all of us are that blinkered and judge our managers with a glass half full. Quite rightly so. Arteta was lucky not to get sacked, ESR and Saka literally saved his bacon. BUT, sometimes persevering with a manager is the right thing to do (anyone remember Fergie was nearly sacked in 1990?) the club has to take credit for that, and all or Nothing was a masterstroke in getting the fanbase on board with trusting the “process”.

  1. Fair enough.
    Personally, I would have been okay with Arteta being sacked early last season, when we started so poorly.
    But then it became clearer, that we actually did have a long term plan, which there is real unity behind; owner, manager, management.
    A plan which obviously is very ambitious and the first plan in 15 years, which look like it can make us compete for the PL title again.
    As such, I agree it was fair to question, what was going on. But the problem was the “anti Arteta crowd” not only questioned Arteta, but also questioned the ambition and support of those of us, who believed, Arteta should be given time.
    It was a lot of work, that needed to be done, and we are IMO seeing things, that are ahead of what could be expected at this stage.
    I now find it a bit pathetic, that some of those, who couldn’t even see it towards the end of last season still continue with the 8, 8, 5 criticism, and do their outmost to make it look like Arteta didn’t know what he was doing earlier, and now suddenly this year has seen the light.
    The plan is very well thought out, and luckily we see the determination to keep on following it.

    1. AndersS, but who are those fans who you call pathetic?
      I’ve seen nothing like that on JA, quite the opposite in fact.
      We should surely judge each person under the same criteria and when AW’s history is brought up (no problem with that by the way) why shouldn’t the 8th 8th and 5th be remembered also?

      Personally, I get a fantastic kick remembering how we were and how we are today.

      1. I find 2 things pathetic:
        1) Those who try to defend their criticism of Arteta even today by letting on he didn’t know what he was doing to begin with, when it is quite clear now there was and is a very well defined plan. It is also clear, that getting rid of players, who either weren’t good enough or couldn’t handle the new demands (like Auba), was neccessary and brave.
        Now the results are there to be seen by everybody, and almost all can see it

        2) Keep on talking about 8, 8, 5, when it obvious the plan which is now in place and has given us so much progress was indeed a long term plan, which never was going to be derailed by short term demands for Top 4. Those in charge quite clearly has been behind Arteta’s project all the time, because they thought it was the right plan, and included in the plan was acceptance of being outside top 4, as long the proper work, including cleaning out the above players was progressing.

        I think most fans now understand, that progress according to the plan, wasn’t measured in position in the league, but rather in doing the neccessary things first.
        But a few refuse to acknowledge this even today.
        Maybe pathetic, isn’t the right word, but it certainly seem stubborn to me to try and hold on to the criticism.

        I am sure, you know some of those, I am talking about, but what good does it do to name them?

    2. Very moot point, us more patient understanding who could see what utter turmoil the whole club was in, were chastised and abused by the Arteta out brigade. All for actually SUPPORTING the team and its manager and having a little bit of faith that the long term plan would eventually pan out

    3. @AndersS – nice saying.
      Arteta got a difficult task in a difficult time. It has gone much faster than I thought was possible. The most important thing our manager did was cleaning out the mess, absolutely necessary. Let’s enjoy our new era. COYG

  2. Ken
    i am not a person who who will ever says i told you so and for people who are feeling smug and say it to others on here should take a hard long look in the mirror before saying it.
    as i told you before i fully understand some of the reservations and caution shown towards our manager by some.
    my personal feeling when he was first appointed was OMG. not experienced enough for the job and we should have done better in the appointment.
    after the shock of MA being appointed i said the king is dead, long live the king and will support through thick and thin until such times MA moves on.
    the same was said of AW, UE but both i felt had hit a brick wall.
    there was many a time i questioned MA;s tactics. Xhaka at left back ect and my faith did get questioned on where we were going but never did i not support the manager and that is the difference
    certain players you mentioned in the post i believe had come to the end of the road with us. we never questioned there ability but we did question there desire to but our famous colours on., so i was more then happy to see them move on
    whilst we are sitting top of the league and playing some great football we still have a long way to go and when we do hit a sticky patch it will be interesting to see who is still behind MA and who has jumped ship.
    you hear pool supporters now calling up saying Klopp is done and he needs to move on. hopefully we are not as fickle as that as supporters and a club
    onwards and upwards

    1. AB, but what your saying, is the gist of my argument!!
      You had reservations and, I assume, voiced those reservations,as I did.

      Like you I never WANTED MA to fail and supported him every time I watched a game.

      But we have cynics on JA, who conveniently forget they had the same misgivings and now say how they knew, from the very beginning, it would work out the way it has.

      Such platitudes as I only faltered once, or I was prepared to give him time etc!!

      All complete BS and then they attack those of us who ACTUAL AGREED with MA, when he said he had made mistakes!!

      As you say, onwards and upwards.

      1. i think weather you supported MA from the off or didnt, we are at a stage now where we seem to have all moved on and agree we are moving in the right direction.
        pre to the start of this season i have to say it was pretty vile and toxic on here. some very unpleasant comments flying around. non constructive comments that seemed purely aimed at the person rather then what was going on. thank fully we seem to all got back to talking positive thoughts rather then negative thoughts.
        i look forward to the next 19 league games and if they as half as good as the last 19 then i will enjoy
        if they are better or on par with the last 19 then i will be jumping for joy come May.
        onwardward and upwards all

  3. Sometimes the patient needs more than plasters.

    From my point of view, Arteta has done most things right, but no one is infallible. The resources our owner has spent on new players is in line with the club’s ambitions, but is no more than what our competitors have been spending for a long time, and they have set the standard. Chelsea have probably spent the same amount in just two windows.

    If Arsenal are to compete at the top of the league, we must have a competitive squad and first eleven, similar to our opponents. I do not expect us to win the league this season, but we have a potential to even get better next season. COYG

    1. Well look at Chelsea this season alone, there’s rumours that they have offered 109m for a Benfica midfielder. That will take this seasons spend to almost 550m unfathomable tbh when we’ve spent 350m in what 6 windows

      1. I totally agree with you. If we want to be competitive we need to invest in better players, there’s no other way to the top of the PL nowadays.

        1. And I also think ots important to buy players that fit to you style of play and football ethics. We had the same issues as Chelsea lack of goals and conceding to many mainly soft goals. But we’ve bought better players who fit our style. Bohley has just spunked money away.

          If your not scoring or defending well and you have decent players it can be down to systematic failures. Not just because of the players OR if said players don’t fit the managers system. Chelsea spent 350m in the summer here did that get them, 22pts adrfit of us at the top of the league.

          It’s spending, but spending on what’s right for you and sometimes that can be a 20-30m player apposed to the 100m statement signing

  4. The reality is we were not in a a position to get a top manager at the time we hired Arteta. You all were calling for perrenial winger Conte hes doing superbly at spurs after spending a tone of cash. We hire Emery because he was so poor a PSG they sacked him even though he is a good but not great coach.

    Our squad under Emery and Arteta was old arrogant and some players were nowhere near the standard of what Arsenal FC should expect. That squad dropped out of the champions league, so yes those players were not good enough. You talking about a squad that had the likes of Mustafi, Socratis, Luiz, Kolainac, Mikhitarian, Pepe, Chambers, AMN, Auba and Ozil, we had a mid table squad.

    Additionally they were getting older, Ozil and Aubas form dropped of the edge of a cliff and that was nothing to do with Arteta. It was all to do with what Arteta expected of them, which obviously was too much even though the money the demanded from the club was never enough. Did Ozil work hard and play hard and lead by example like Odegaard does???? Did Auba support play, track back and work as hard a Nkethia or Jesus???? There’s your two answers right there the managers expectations of the players, you dont meet standards set your out. He has expectations of how players behave and how they play, is that a bad thing.

    On the Saliba scenario you were obviously wrong cause look at his performance now. The decisions made by Arsenal Emery and Arteta were spot on. He was not ready for the pressure and potential abuse certain sections of our fanbase would have put on him at the time. Imagine he played next to Luiz for 2 seasons, what would that have done for him. Or perhaps we should have made him sit on the bench play a bit part role for 2 seasons, as it’s too risky to play an 18 year old in an already shakey defence in the best league in the world alongside Luiz Chambers and (i dont want to play unless its midfield) AMN.

    We all knew what was wrong with the culture, style, players and the ethos around the club including the disconnect with the fans. But there were massive issues from an operational level not only commercially but in terms of the operational standards surrounding the 1st team squad more importantly.

    Thanks to all the work the Arteta, Edu (in some respects)Per and their respective teams have done behind the scenes we are admired again. Arteta had to change the culture remove the negativity in the squad eating away like a cancer before we saw better resluts. Sometimes you have to take 2 steps back so you can eventually take 3 steps forward, that probably best analyses Artetas first 3-4 seasons at the helm

    1. “On the Saliba scenario you were obviously wrong cause look at his performance now. The decisions made by Arsenal Emery and Arteta were spot on”
      You might be right, but just because he’s playing well now doesn’t mean he wouldn’t have played well a year earlier, or that an extra year’s experience in the PL wouldn’t have been better for him. We don’t really know. He could also still leave for nothing relatively soon (which might not have been the case if we’d integrated him sooner), so I’d wait until he’s signed a new contract before saying anyone got anything “obviously” right or wrong in this case.

      Some of the other parts of your comment are a bit hyperbolic (mid table squad?) but I agree with your points overall.

    2. Great points James
      Some of us have intermittently made these points over the last few years.
      Unfortunately, the blinkered crowd refused to budge and stuck rigidly to a very narrow set of views.
      Most of us would agree that Arteta has not got everything right. However, the relatively limited quality of the squad and the narrow margins within which he had to operate meant that a sensible balance was required when assessing his performance.
      Unfortunately, a number of contributors completely ignored this and embarked on an offensive to suggest he was a terrible manager. Now, that some of that bunch are increasingly seeing their positions discredited we are now seeing these “straw man” articles popping up.
      Some people are now talking about fans’ “caution” and “questioning”. This is quite frankly a dishonest portrayal of many of the posts on this site which were disgraceful.
      What I can see now is a gradual repositioning so that if we do continue on our current trajectory some of those who clearly had no time for Arteta will cynically try to claim some credit for our success.

      1. What “narrow margins” were they then David?
        The £350,000,000 plus supplied to buy new players?
        The complete backing of the owner?

        What, exactly, were the “narrow margins” you refer to?

  5. Arteta has continually evolved since he took charge, and thank goodness for him, the players, the club, and the fans.

    His early days were a stark contrast to what we are seeing now. Arteta himself has said he made mistakes; in tactics, with players, etc. Anyone saying they “knew” is a dubious claim, when Arteta himself was evolving and learning.

    It has been a team effort in reaching this point; Josh, Edu, Arteta, the board, Stan’s investment, the totality of these contributions have brought us to this point.

    Well done to Arteta, give him his flowers, but also remember Edu’s recruitment and ownership spending 350 million and counting to get us here.

  6. Great writeup. But you really goofed at the end by apologizing. Football is a game of results. And while all seems to be well now, I ask you this. Will you still be sorry for questioning him if by some miracle we become very terrible next season, maybe even finishing 8th or worse? It’s possible. Look at Klopp at Liverpool. I guess you won’t be sorry then. A manager is judged based on how he’s delivering in recent matches and not how he could become. Only players could be judged based on potential. Managers cannot. So I do not in any way apologize for doubting him. He will only retain the trust of the fans if he keeps delivering results

    1. I don’t think that is right.
      A manager keeps his job as long as there is belief in him being able to deliver what his employer wants going forward.
      He doesn’t keep his job because of past results. Past results are only history, which may give a successful manager a bit more time , when he is struggling.
      It is mostly about belief in the future, and the owners quite clearly believed in Arteta and his plan, even when he was “only” in the early stages of the plan and results in the table were nothing but goals in the future, whereas results in the cleaning out process were first priority.

      1. There is a reason why coaches, especially in the premiere league are sacked after a bad run of games. How many managers do you know have had the patience which Kroenke has shown with Arteta? Has Chelsea not been much more successful than us in recent years despite sacking managers once they start underperforming in a handful of games? Kroenke decided to stick to what he had and we’re all happy it turned out well. Again I ask, if our performances nosedive over a long period of time, will I not be right to start doubting his ability to return us to the top? Will I be a bad fan for doing that?

        1. I am merely pointing out, that I think a manager by his employer is primarily judged on whether he going forward can deliver, what the owner wants.
          In Arteta’s case, Kroenke has clearly believed thinks were progressing even, when we didn’t make top 4, and thank God for that.
          There is no attack on you in this.

    2. dgr8xt, my apology was tongue in cheek my friend.
      I agree 100% with MA himself when he says he made mistakes along the way.
      Will I regret saying sorry if MA fails?
      Of course I will, because that will mean The Arsenal have failed… Whether that would be down to MA is a hyperthetical question wouldn’t you say?

  7. You might have also mentioned Arteta’s poor showings in Europe, i.e., his getting bounced out in the round of 16 by Olympiakos and his losing to Emery and his much less expensive Villarreal side, which involved Arteta’s embarrassing failed experiment with ESR as a false 9.

    You might have also mentioned some of his bizarre, indeed inane, remarks during the first two years, e.g., (i) the 33 crosses against Wolves and “it’s maths, pure maths & it will happen” remark and (ii) “Last weekend, it was a 67 per cent chance of winning, any Premier League game in history, and a nine percent chance of losing, and you lose.” These remarks showed a man well out of his depth, and anyone who says otherwise is lying or dim.

    There were ample reasons to doubt Arteta during the first two years of his tenure. Anyone who says otherwise is not a reasonable person.

  8. For the people who claim that they could see what MA was trying to do from the start, how clear his strategy was.my question to these people is how?when even MA & Edu were not even sure themselves.you just have to look at their transfers strategy and the players signed at the start?were they going for youth? experience?for bargains?they got Wilian on a free ,bought Mari/Soares both were loans turned into signings.they also gave Auba a very lucrative contract.there was also letting players go for free or for peanuts, contracts bought out… let’s say they made some mistakes, that’s why I said MA was lucky,how many bosses would accept giving assets for free?or even make so many losses?then luckily,there was a change in the transfer strategy when they decided to go for youth.
    On the footballing side,did people see what style he wanted to play,when we had 30 crosses a game? aimless crosses might I add,which he called clear chances.what about when we became too predictable?when 80% of our attacks came from our left side and KT? I’m sure there were more strange decisions made tactically/selections (Xhaka at LB, ESR as a false 9),man management (trying to rush back an injured TP).now having said that, I’ll give him the credit for being a fast learner.

    1. Well said. There’s a lot of self righteous people on here claiming they could see what was happening all along which is simply a lie, a lie because a lot changed.

      The reality is after his first 12-18 months MA did a U-turn on a lot of his “strategies” and “tactics” while replacing them with better ones. So there was no consistent build up to where we find ourselves today. He changed a lot of his original ideas completely so that shows he changed everything so this rubbish of it was the same plan from day 1 is just bull!

      I give massive credit to MA and Edu for clearing out the deadwood and learning from his mistakes he made in the first 2 years. Mistakes like:

      – slow build up play
      – claiming his tactics were perfect even when losing
      – consistent crosses to absolutely no-one
      – playing Xhaka at DM
      – buying old players that are over the hill
      – rushing back injured players

      So it’s very clear, undeniably so, that he learnt a lot on the job and changed a lot of things that he was incorrectly doing. Hence what we see today cannot be the plan from day 1. He got the credit for winning the FA Cup in the early days with the old squad so he rightfully got the criticism too.

      Letting a rookie manager cut his teeth at a huge club like ours is a massive risk but has worked out with a lot of investment and time, but it could have easily gone the other way.

      1. Last thing I’ll add is that I am very happy that MA and Edu are doing so well now. THe first 2 years I had serious doubts that he was going to change and remain stubborn.

        Once he put his ego aside and learnt a bit more he really blossomed into a quality manager. I’m not sure how he would do with a minimal budget but all managers are different and flourish under different circumstances. I would ask the same question about Pep.

      2. So, if Arteta spent his first 18 months messing around and maybe even making our situation worse, he has used only another 18 months to take us from there to where we are now?
        He is obviously some kind og genius 😉

        1. Think of it this way:

          Whatever the job is: postman, engineer, nurse or football manager, whatever mistakes you make, you will make them in the beginning. That is part of any job really, its part of the human learning curve. When youve made your mistakes, you’ll learn from them so you will not repeat them. MA has certainly made mistakes but learned from them and that’s why Arsenal are on top.

          That’s what Ive said about MA since the beginning. I said “he could be great manager but to given Arsenal (huge job!) as his first job, can we endure his mistakes and us being his learning curve?”

          We missed out on CL, true.
          We’ve missed out on European ropean football, true.
          We’ve lost money on silly transfers, true.

          But we are here now because Arsenal has endured and MA has learned. Kudos to the owner Kroenke for sticking with and having the patience with him.

          1. I would expect any good manager to learn on his job all the time.
            But the theory, that the results we are seeing now, aren’t because of a generally well laid and well executed plan, which have taken more than 18 months seem pretty far fetched to me.
            I am sure nearly 100% of all fans would 3 years ago have estimated it to take “years”, before we would be able to compete for the title. That is how far we were behind.
            Suddenly, it should only be 18 months we were behind???
            Yes, we missed out on top 4, but it clearly wasn’t a huge thing for those in charge, as they could see, we were progressing according to the plan, which has included a comprehensive clear out, a mentally change and the development of the young player brought in and those from our own ranks.
            Surely, that takes more than 18 months 😉

                    1. So you think, we should be doing better, than we are now, or we should have reached this level earlier??

                    2. This comment illustrates the difference of opinion that many have had with regards to expectations. Some of us believe that the expectations of many other fans were unrealistic.
                      What has happened in the last few months is very welcome to all and somewhat unexpected. However it is what can happen if a good strategy is put in place and allowed to develop.
                      Anyone who understands traditional investing or other comparable endeavours would be able to see parallels similar to what Anders has pointed out.
                      The focus on rhetoric and sound bites is however far more attractive to certain fans.

                    3. I’m using MA’s own words to help you understand that he’s not where he thought / wanted to be…. simple as that.
                      It doesn’t matter what I thought – it matters what MA thought wouldn’t you say?

                    4. No, I don’t think it is important, what he may or may not have daid in a private conversation.
                      But even if he has said it, I see it as a good thing, that he came in with big ambitions and big belief. Otherwise, he could never have turned things around the way he has in his 3 years.
                      Maybe, maybe not he believed he could do it even faster, but I haven’t seen one other person, who has believed, it was possible.
                      The important thing is, he has done, what he has.

    2. Nah. Misunderstanding after misunderstanding.

      Aubameyang changed after the big contract award. It seems to happen with everyone who gets that, at every club. Sometimes a club has to make a statement “We’re not going to be outmuscled by Club X” (especially Arsenal after years of seeing big players walk off to PL rivals (Man Utd did the same with Rooney past his sell-by).

      Overall style and positions of individual players are often dictated by the squad you’ve got, not the one you wish you had. In simple terms – you can’t play a press with an Ozil, Aubameyang or a modern-day Ronaldo in your side. Before you can play the way you want, you need the squad make-up – and they only got close to being there this season.

      So the “How?” (did we see the potential)… is that what we saw was:

      (1) The scale of the problems faced.
      (2) The on-field limitations those enforced.
      (3) The sacle of the clear-out those problems required.
      (4) The direction of travel – the fact that they were getting on with doing the right things.

      Every club has transfers that don’t work out, highlighting a few of those doesn’t mean anything really.

      One thing I I did know for sure was that even if Arteta couldn’t do the future-build part, he was doing what was necessary in the clear-out phase and deserved some time to play “his” team his way before replacing him.

      1. Good points
        The problem is that these insights are often overlooked by many fans.
        Simply because they did not understand the plan or process they assume nobody else did.
        This probably explains why they were lashing out with insults and now they are becoming defensive.

  9. I can see that @Ken1945 and his like have been and still continue to be on the defensive so far this this season.

    I bet you that if things had turned out the other way for Arteta (how they hoped it would turn out) then Ken and his group would be here taking victory laps with “See? Told you so. We knew al along and were right that Arteta was not good enough for 2 seasons, hence why we have been overly consistently / negative and critical towards him”.

    But now that things seem to have worked out for Arteta so far this season, the same group is trying to have it both ways, by being slippery and claiming “We were just being objectively cautious”.
    Each way it turns out they were always right. If it had not worked out for Arteta they would be here celebrating “We told you so”. If it worked out they would be saying “But we were justified because we finished 8th, 8th and 5th. The guy over the top negativity, criticism was warranted”.
    That’s all corners covered.

    But most of us know it was more personal distaste/ dislike for Arteta for the way he conducted his affairs at Arsenal that rubbed a section of our fanbase the wrong way. And they all have made it very clear throughout. They can’t stand his guts.

    Lol

      1. @Dan Kit
        I know we don’t agree on much during this Arteta era.
        But I have more respect for you on this Arteta issue as you have been honest about your personal dislike for him since 2020. You have been consistent and never played political double talk on the issue like some.
        You have always been upfront about not rating, not liking and not respecting Arteta. Which is fine.
        And that’s your opinion, no one should be expected or forced to like or respect anyone that they don’t respect.

        1. Personal dislike !
          Nothing personal whatsoever on my part ,only dislike I had was his awful football .

    1. I could be mistaken but I believe that @Ken1945 is above the”I told you so”.anyway,once even twice is ok but the thing is that there are several people who are still (constantly) bringing it up,refusing to move on despite many of us having put our hands up.how many more times do we have to do it and for how long? because truth being told, it’s getting very childish at this stage.

      1. @Siamos
        Lets be honest. If it was the other way around and Arteta got sacked or he was struggling this season the likes of Ken, yourself, Dan Kit, Reggie etc would be doing the same thing to the Arteta fans and those like myself that always asked for him to be given more time.
        He had to clear out the deadwood left by Wenger and Emery. He had to build a brand new team in the space of 18 months after acknowledging that the deadweights he had inherited were not taking us anywhere.

        I was one of the people that consistently said that I am willing to wait for 2-4 years for any new manager to come in, demolish the whole sqaud and build a new team from scratch. That’s why i tried to stick out for Emery but the “I want it now monsters made it difficult. The mischief makers in the squad made it difficult. Then Emery gave into the pressure”.

        I did the same for Arteta. I liked that he came in, gave most players a chance to prove themselves worthy of pulling on an Arsenal shirt, earn their wages etc. He came into a house with a leaky roof, with many holes that he had to plug for that moment. Then he realised that he had to absolutely level the whole house and build it from the foundation.
        I was ready for it as that was what I wanted.
        It did not mattee who the manager was, I just wanted something new and fresh. I was done with the poor attitude that had been allowed to fester in the sqaud. The poor player culture at the club back then. I was ready for some fresh new ideas. I wanted a disciplinarian manager that was the opposite of the previous managers that let the poor players culture run rampant at the club.

    2. @goonster well said……. I also think its wrong for anyone to keep saying “I told u so” but d truth is some of this Arteta out brigade are non repentant, they are just waiting for one thing to go wrong to throw negativity again.

  10. I don’t think that the “Arteta is the worst thing that has ever happened to Arsenal crew” were disloyal. Having an opposing view point does not make one disloyal.

    What I do think is that those fans let their personal grudges, dislike and distaste for Arteta cloud their objectively/ judgement. I just feel like it became a mission for them to hound Arteta, his supporters and those that just wanted to give him more time due the the moments of brilliance he showed throughout even with the deadweight squad he had inherited from the 2 previous managers.

    I have always been one of those people that saw something in him, the way he carried himself, his disciplinarian type of attitute, the way he kept the squad right behind him even if some bad apples in the dressing room tried to cause disharmony and discontent.
    I always said that I wouldn’t mind if he was sacked because he would have left the club in a much better situation then he had found it. That the new manager would have a great foundation to build upon.
    But I always stressed that we should give him more time to finish what he had started.

    The lesson I have learnt in life is that making definitive statement about any ever changing situation is naive and myopic.
    The people that were on the extreme opposite sides of this saga should take note. No need to claim “He will be a success or He will not be a success”. We can’t tell the future.

    Just be objective, no need to draw lines when it comes to a fluid situation. Take your personal feelings / emotions from such situations and go with your rationality.

    1. @Goonster:”The lesson I have learnt in life is that making definitive statement about any ever changing situation is naive and myopic”
      -Hard to disagree with that!!

    2. Why on earth do you think ANY true Arsenal supporter wanted MA to fail?
      This is the most ridiculous claim I have ever read on JA!!

      What positive motive would I have in watching him take our club down?

      I have never wanted him to be a failure, or wished him any harm – I suggest you look at others before oming out with a statement that I wanted ANY Arsenal manager to fail.

      While MA was doing certain things correctly, he was ALSO making mistakes…. something he himself admitted.

      Those of us who agreed with him and pointed it out in a constructive way, can now sit back and enjoy MA’s undoubted success… but there is still room for improvement and we should keep discussing both the good and the bad.
      The article about not signing a top DM, is a classic example.

      1. Again Ken…

        Very well said! I have always believed that having an opinion, no matter how stupid or brilliant, should be welcomed and subjected to the path of pure reasoning. I believe you have always been a follower of this school of thought.

        Nice article, and it is good to revisit it now, but I don’t think it will matter in the long run as long as we fully support the efforts of the coaches and players.

        It is time to give credit where credit is due, and you have done so admirably!

        I hope to discuss any other thought-provoking ideas you may have!

        Remain blessed!

      2. “Why on earth do you think ANY true Arsenal supporter wanted MA to fail?”

        You are in the best position to answer that question..

      3. @Ken
        **Those of us who agreed with him and pointed it out in a constructive way, can now sit back and enjoy MA’s undoubted success…***

        Yeah right.
        🤣😂😂

        I just love your very sneaky politician-like way of pivoting. You were always right no matter what even if you were on here posting 90% arteta negativity since 2020. Many people kept saying that give the guy some time. He is raw and this is his first job. He inherited a poor deadweight squad with some toxic mayhem individuals in it. But you were not buying it. Always negative. Now you are weaselling trying to redefine your own history on this Arteta issue. 🫡

        I remember You and Mrs Sue disappeared last season when the team went on that 10 game unbeaten streak. But the moment we lost those 3 games against Palace, Brighton, Southampton you then suddenly came back and continued from where you had stopped with your Arteta negativity.

        Same as this season. Very active throughout the summer and start of the season, we go on a winning streak of games and you disappear again, only came back not so long ago.

        I sense a bit of a pattern here. When things are not going well you are very active on here. But then very muted when things are going somewhat better..

        Isn’t it @Ken?

        1. If you actually got your facts right, you would have noted that I wrote articles praising MA during his ten game winning streak, as it meant consistency, something you seem to have no idea about.

          I have never “disappeared” from JA – just another load of BS that you make up as you go along.

          AdminPat, would it be possible to note how many posts Goonster and I made during this time, just for clarity?

          You argument is so weak, it is laughable and your “sense of a pattern” makes no sense at all.

          But carry on with your opinion, I always want cheering up and love a good stand up comedian.

          Isn’t it @Goonster why not write an article explaining why any Arsenal supporter would want their manager to fail – I await with baited breath.

    3. Hi Goonster…

      Just wanted to say, “Wow, what a brilliant brilliant piece of opinion!” Very well said!!

      Thank you so much for such a lovely way to conclude Ken’s thought-provoking article!

      Cheers!

  11. Everyone is entitled to their views on Arteta’s ability but it was the manner in which those views were sometimes posted that still disgusts me because they were personal not just to Arteta but to those who backed him. It still lingers unfortunately.

    All the names of the could be managers that were listed were either never coming to Arsenal due to the difficult road ahead or were happy in top jobs abroad to take on a project because that is what it was.

    The fact that Arteta was so highly thought of by Wenger and Guardiola must have counted for something when he was interviewed and then hired.

    I’m not exactly surprised that it took a while to sort out the pieces. A shower of players on big money who had effectively got rid of an experienced manager, coupled with poor senior management – one of whom seemed to be overly friendly with some agents and a new and untested manager at the helm was never going to be straightforward – the whole club was learning the ropes – or so it seemed to me.

    This maybe why both Arsenal and to a greater extent ManU suffered after long term managers departed as the one man at the top hadn’t left a blueprint

    As far as being disloyal is concerned- why is thinking Arteta was not up to it disloyal? There has been so little “ I told you so” from anyone. Most of us are just aware that it could all go Pete Tong as super successful managers are a rare breed. Look at Liverpool and Chelsea’s fortunes to see how quickly things can change

    1. Well said Sue, I hope you were equally disgusted at the treatment of some of those that didn’t back Arteta and were also victims of personal attacks of which there were many for the sake of objectivity.

      1. Absolutely correct PJ-SA but some people just cannot see the hypocrisy and “egg on your face” is a prime example of just that.

    2. Well said. The culprits are now trying to cover their tracks by rewriting history.

      I wasn’t on this site in the early days, but last season there was a lot of guff posted by the anti-Arteta camp and most of what was coming back their way was reasoned argument not personal abuse.

      But still they seem to feel the need to justify themselves (on a regular basis, sigh).

    3. Good points
      What is really disappointing as some are pointing out is the attempt to re-write history. Many of the comments on our manager and other fans were downright disgraceful. Now they claim that they were simply “questioning” the manager.
      The fact is that some of us always felt that a significant overhaul was required. Arteta demonstrated early on that he was willing to stick to certain principles which is one of the reasons for the support he had. Even then there are no guarantees as other teams are also evolving.

  12. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a fan whose faith in MA hasn’t wavered at some point. There are those of us who focused on small improvements in play style, team sprit, culture, recruitment etc., and those who focused on league position. Given none of us can predict the future, and even as a loyal MA disciple myself, to criticise those who advocated for a replacement is pretty juvenile. None of us know anything about football compared to those in the industry and so a general spike in humility among us fans would go a long way.

    That said, in hindsight, the poor results could be down to the time it’s taken for MA’s tactics to take hold. They say you should adapt the style to the players at your disposal, but all the things we complained about – playing out from the back, positional rotation, the high press, waiting for the decisive pass – are the reasons we are now top of the pile. An interesting notion.

    1. Sean M…

      It is extremely difficult to ignore so many brilliant responses to Ken’s article, including yours!

      Essentially, the differences in opinion can be categorized into those who believed in the league position (output) only and those who believed more in the inputs and processes. Because the output (the league table) is the most important metric in the end, it is understandable that many people were disappointed with the 8,8,5 positions… However, for those who agreed with Mikel that the “process” was most important, it was envisaged that even if the results were concerning, as long as the process remained true, the outcomes would surely align in time.

      It is now a matter of remaining consistent with the process, and only time will tell whether it will continue to be supported or not.

      Cheers!

      1. Hi FIRE
        understandable that many people were disappointed with the 8,8,5 positions
        Correct..we all were

        “The Gunners were yearly title challengers and made the top four for 20 consecutive years” copied and pasted

        No team can be at the top 4 forever
        That’s the law of averages
        In a 30 year period if your team don’t make top 4 for 5 years that’s great
        There shouldn’t be any complaints
        Hopefully we make champions league consecutively for the next 20 years….😀

  13. An emotive subject Ken and always will be. At the end of the day we are where we are, and with a fair wind we might all agree to differ if our Manager delivers the Title.Like Sue P , it was not so much the differing points of view which at times dismayed me as an old man but the personal vitriol hurled at Arteta on a regular basis by certain contributors who have since been converted.I may add that you were not one to resort to such tacticts, and while you and I will probably continue to have differing views on certain issues concerning our great Club I will always respect your right to be heard and your wisdom gained over the years.

  14. World over, managers of all types of entities, be it football, banks, retail stores etc grow by taking criticism and praise as, equally, important. So to start with, those who criticised Arteta, and indeed any other manager were doing the right thing, for they love their club, and want to see Arsenal become a top club in the World in terms of winning titles and asset base. I’m among those who felt Arteta was getting it wrong in certain areas. From the time he was hired till now, he has had his strong and weak points. Even now as Arsenal sits on top of the table, there are certain decisions Arteta made especially at the middle of last season which cost Arsenal top 4 in the table. He sold Calum Chambers, gave out Maitland Niles, two dependable players when we were light at defense. When Tierney and Ben white got injured, we had no cover for those positions. Those who recall, the 3 consecutive loses Arsenal suffered happened during the absence of the above players. Those were poor tactful decisions which made Tottenham take the number 4 position from us. I can point to another 2 errors this season, still touching on players which weren’t well thought of.
    In a nutshell, Arteta is a fantastic manager, but like anyone else, is prone to mistakes. I would be the last person to refer to a fan as disloyal if he/she criticized the manager for certain decisions. I give praise and criticism in equal measure, where due.
    David K.

  15. I for one do not believe a single fan who says they saw clearly the plan and where it was heading. They should go into investing they will make billions.

    It was a mixture of intense dislike of Ozil and Guendouzi and the way they were treated (too bad Xhaka was spared), intense dislike of Wenger and just to be the ones who weren’t part of the crowd. The way I saw it, it was too personal and nothing to do with the process whatsoever.

    They can save their told you so because the only thing they will get in return is not enjoying our first title in 18 years.

    We had doubt about Mikel of course but we are going to celebrate that title the most. Because we love Arsenal and always will.

    1. Sensible people could see the plan, not necessarily the personnel.

      Arteta was doing the right things clearing out dead wood, the start of the rebuilding process – many clubs would sell their soul for 8,8,5 in rebuilding years.

      Whether he continued in the role once his squad was eventually assembled is another matter – but the plan would be the same.

      Many people make the mistake of assuming that the plan/ process is Arteta’s/Edu’s alone – it isn’t, it’s the club’s plan.

      And yes, some of us definitely could see it, your belief is not required.

  16. WHY APOLOGIZE FOR HAVING CONTRARY VIEWS? Come on, it’s a FREE WORLD! We are entitled to our opinions and if they can’t stand them… who cares?
    What disgusts me is that there’s still this childish debate about true and fake fans on JA. It’s the most idiotic argument I’ve read on this forum ’cause everyone on here had their doubts with Mikel at one time esp after that disgraceful defeat to Burnley and the type of football we played after that. Including the “real” fans who “stuck” by Arteta. We need to stop rn. Idiots are allowed to advance their “real” fans argument tho.

  17. I’m sure this is not a Russian channel where one gets jailed or poisoned with Novichok for having their own view. During ‘the catastrophic years’ I wanted Arteta out. Before the Prime Video serious All or Nothing, Arteta was lost and conflicting with many players. The series put Arteta into a much more careful mode as he was in the limelight, and to his credit getting rid of players like Ozil and Aubamayang helped him get the young core he so desperately wanted…..whom would buy into his methods. It’s clear watching his touchline antics that he is a bit of a control freak, who is very much the ultimate micro-manager. But somehow the players are always keeping shape and are being exceptionally creative. Credit to Arteta for keeping the players onside and credit to him that he has got the players respect now, and he has got the team playing beautiful football. Like everybody else I am wowed at where we are at, and anticipating every game. Exciting times.

  18. I dont agree that any TRUE fan at any club is ever “disloyal” One can be very critical of, for example, ones own familyas well as ones team, but that does not make one disloyal , so no, “disloyal ” is not a word for any TRUE fan at any club.
    As for “blinkered”, that is an emotive and prejudicial word that does not help fan cohesion.

    But I WOULD use “lack of foresight”and also “impatient” to describe a great many fans. Fans are, in general, FAR TOO IMPATIENT AND SHORT TERMISM FOLK.
    Many on JA fall into that category and so I think when Ken took umbrage at those two words, he was using the wrong language to describe what many fans really are.

  19. Imagine where we would be if every fan was happy with all of the tactical errors and poor form in MA’s first 2 years….with everyone agreeing with MA that his tactics were 100% even though we lost and looked horrible on the pitch. He would have been thinking that the whole club was happy with 5th.

    I’d personally like to thank every fan that wasn’t happy with mediocrity and in turned pushed MA to improve drastically…cheers!

    1. Imagine where we would be, if those in charge had as little courage and as little understanding of long term planning as some fans…

      1. Easy to hide behind a statement like this, when the reality is that the first 2 years had no successful plan but now, with a complete change, things are better.

        Was the plan to do a lot wrong and then decide to change and scrap all your former tactics for new, better ones? Strange long term plan right?

        Why is it so hard to just admit that the first 2 years were a complete stuff up and whatever was the plan simply didn’t work?

        1. Why is it so hard to admit to have seen Arteta all wrong?
          Do you really believe he was so wrong for 2 years, and then turned into a miracle manager, who took us from very meditere to the top in just 1 year?

  20. Cancelo to Bayern! Either Pep has other plans OR he’s slowly losing interest in EPL. “Cause Cancelo’s departure and anticipated sale in the summer leaves them short in that position. Hard to understand Pep at times.

  21. “Questioning” would (of course) be fine, but that’s not the issue.

    “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it” is an old saying and the problem many people had with some of the witch-hunt crowd is *how* they were saying it – it went beyond reasoned “questioning” (it was often utterly illogical too).

    In the early days after I started reading/posting here I seem to remember that you (Ken) and I had our disagreements, but for a long time I think we’ve seen eye to eye on just about every issue – I’ve come to see you as a reasoned, sensible person so I’m a little surprised and disappointed to find you defending a group of people who, to my mind… didn’t include your good self.

    1. But you see, IDKWIC, because I questioned MA, I have been included in that group of fans.

      Really sensible fans like Durand, Phil, Sue, DK etc etc were asking questions about some of MA’s decisions, long before this season began.

      When someone says to a fellow fan “egg on your face” it becomes personal, especially when that someone also questioned the manager himself.

      I’m old enough and ugly enough to respond in kind and will not let this kind of BS pass me by.

      Yes, we do agree on many things and I doubt very much that you would try to humiliate anyone like this.

      I may not agree with the vitoral that some use, but I have seen and read much worse from those fans with regard to AW, including the wish that said AW met with an accident!!!

      Hope that clears up my reason for writing the article and, HOPEFULLY, stop this ridiculous point scoring effort by one Gooner to another.

      1. Well, the reason I didn’t put you in with that group is precisely because you questioned in a reasonable manner (at least, from what I’ve seen, I can’t comment on the earlier years).

        Your list of sensible fans – in one notable case – I’d disagree with partly because he seems incapable of expressing himself in that way – heck, if he said “Good morning” he’d make it sound like an insult. That’s one major reason he’s definitely in that group to my mind.

        When we have to put up with endless articles by a regular article author constantly using the article to dig up the past and trying to justify himself… it keeps this going.

        What many people seem to feel is missing is that some of those who poured vitriol into the debate have yet to even acknowledge that they were clearly wrong about MA, let alone apologise for the way they expressed their view.

        So I suspect they’ll see more “told you so” at least until they eat some humble pie.

        Overall with Arsenal managers, when I look at the Arsenal Board over time, they’ve done a very good job of appointing great managers, many of them out of nowhere (think: “Arsene Who?”).

        Even Emery seemed a good appointment which could easily have worked out really well but his English seemed to be a major issue (I understand he’s now improved it since he left Arsenal so he should do well at Villa).

        So perhaps fans of the club should be more restrained and give the Board more credit. To my mind Arsenal has a very good history in appointing managers – and it’s the key position! 🙂

  22. I called him “Coach”and “On the job training coach” because to me, at the time, that’s exactly how he performed. I stand by that. He’s finally coming into his own and the lads are firing on all cylinders together. Looking good. But now comes the hard part of holding on and maintaining our position. So far so good though.

  23. Good read Ken
    I see you have hit a nerve with the usual suspects .
    Unfortunately this group of fans seem to not want to see us all to move forward in a positive manner when the club are in a good place ,strange really .
    Personally I couldn’t care less what was said about Arteta or what I said ,he was sh1t and our football was sh1t ,simple really .
    We have now moved on and that’s great .

    As for the personal abuse ,I think some fans recollection of events seem a little hazy ,maybe it’s their age ,because that’s far from the truth that’s for sure .

    1. Indeed DK and I really enjoyed your quotes recently.

      Let’s hope this nonsense now stops and we can ALL support the club manager, players and each other in a positive way… let’s wait and see!?!?

  24. Great and true article Ken. We are where we should be and im happy about that. BUT. IF we fall below the standards again, i will be showing my support for ARSENAL and saying where i think they are going wrong. BECAUSE I CARE. At least we are all happy again.

  25. It’s been interesting scrolling through the comments. The article clearly hit a chord.

    I think what you are experiencing now Ken is what others were feeling early on in Arteta’s reign. That is, feeling personally attacked for having an opinion.

    It was wrong when Arteta supporters were called fanboys, Arteta-sexuals, unambitious etc. Just as wrong as it is now when folks who had their doubts are called various names.

    I come on the site to share my thoughts and hear the thoughts of others. Would be a pretty boring echo chamber if we all thought the same.

    1. Voyageur, the name calling didn’t start with MA my friend – go back to AW and you will see exactly where it all started.

  26. Some fans support Arsenal no matter what, through thick and thin as they put it. That is what happened for the early birds, not some inner sight-fullness that gave them the ability to see it all at once. I myself have never asked for Arteta’s head or even suggested it, I was always willing to give him time to turn our fortune around. But I still questioned how long do we speak about the process before we can get to see the process bringing in results. Before this season kicked a ball ..I said that I am looking beyond fourth place as I am looking at us closing down the gap to the top team. Does that mean I saw this exceptional start to the season, heck no, I just knew that when everyone is healthy, and more so with new signings, that we defend very well as a team, I saw it last season before the injuries to certain players… I believed we’d improve defensively with new players. And I believed if we got a striker that Arteta wanted, we’d improve there too. So I imagined we’d be better than fourth place. How many of these early birds have actually used the words that support them knowing/believing of the great form up until now, before a ball was kicked did any of them say watch this space

  27. Ppl in favour and against Arteta had their own logical point of view. Some ppl are happy for club not competing for league at that time and some just want the team to be competitive everytime they take the field. But the point is everyone wanted what was best for Arsenal. We have finally got rid of toxicity in the club and looks like vast majority of club & fans are united so why try to bring back the divide with some of the comments I see. Let’s leave the toxic stuff out and just enjoy the ride.

  28. I’m in a strange place. I’ve mentioned before that I wanted Arteta in from the beginning as Arden’s replacement. It was a gut feeling I had based on how he struck me then as a keen student of the game and how he spent most of his time during his long injury break sitting on the bench near Wegner and discussing the game with him At that time I thought that Arsenal needed a young manager who could grow with the team and hopefully become our own Guardiola. Only my family members, also Arsenal fans will know how I felt when Emery was given the job. Obviously I was pleased when Arteta was finally given the nod, especially after the experience he had gained working with Pep. So things looked bright, an FA Cup win, Aubameyang on fire and young Saka ESR and Martinellii giving us hope for a new era. But, my faith was not to last. Whether it was the sidelining of Ozil, Guandouzi, Saliba, and Aubameyang , the preferential treatment given to the likes of Xhaka, Lacazet and Elneny along with the rubbish flat going nowhere football we were playing plus poor results etc, I definitely believed Arsenal were not heading in a good direction. Simply put, this time last year I had lost all faith in the process. Well what a difference a season makes. Here we are today, top of the table,,playing the best football and even our critics envious of our youngsters. Of course the likes of Angus, Goonster and Fox are entitled to say “I told you so”, and I will eat my humble pie, however as a fan/ supporter it’s great to be proven wrong and yes, of course I should have been patient. However it also important to be realistic and not see everything through rosy coloured glasses. So, how about this transfer window? Won’t we all be glad when it’s over tomorrow and for better or worse Arteta can make the best of the limited recourses he has available and perhaps even take his team over the line.

  29. Ken,

    I have no problem with anyone who criticised and questioned Arteta last season. I could understand why some people thought Arteta wasn’t the right manager and should be replaced even though I disagreed with them.

    There is a difference though between wishing for a manager to be replaced and hateful vicious bashing of your own team.

    It’s not only Arteta, Edu and the Kroenkes that got the stick last season but also any supporter trying to explain that Arsenal was heading the right direction and that the rebuilding process takes time and require patience.
    We were called “zero ambition” “low standard”, were mocked and ridiculed for seeing progress and defending our team and manager.

    I’m glad to see that most of Arteta’s fierce critics are now on board and feel it’s time to close the chapter and move on.

    At the end of the day we all want Arsenal to do well. These are happy days, we’ve got some bright few years ahead of us.

    1. Absolutely, so when one fan talks about having egg on your face to another, it is obvious that said fan is not moving on wouldn’t you say?
      If some fans overstepped the mark with their personal views, that’s an individual thing and the mockery was not just one way was it?

      I agree that we have great times ahead of us and it is down to, mainly, MA and the backing of him by the Kronkies.
      Let’s see if the fanbase agrees with what you and I say and we move on as one, but I have my doubts reading some of the comments aimed at me personally…. water off a ducks back of course.

      1. Talking about “egg on you face” or “I told you so” doesn’t help for sure and neither does “finishing 5th was not progress”.

        Both sides of the argument have to move on and I feel most fans in JA have. Most of last season Arteta’s harshest opponents here on JA are now writing very reasonable posts and I don’t see any reason why I couldn’t have a friendly discussion with them.

        The team is doing well, let’s enjoy it.

  30. I’m one of those who frown and think lowly of such complaining fans. I welcome questions, ideas, probable reasoning and beef of thoughts. However, freedom of speech is not the freedom of rant, insult or emotional meltdown. None of those based on facts and the reality of life. It’s pathetic and embarrassing really. Such article will only encourage more mediocre thinking. We are Arsenal fans. We are better than others. Instead of glorifying the victimhood of these fans, let’s glorify the victors. The victors who were smart and loyal enough to see the process and its enviable success. After all, our civil society is maintained by the hierarchy of merits, not feelings.

  31. Congrats to @Ken1845,this article is one of the most commented on.it shows that the subject was one which needed to be dealt with.👍👏

  32. I wouldn’t say they were blinkered or disloyal. Imo they were impatient, in not realising the job that Edu and Arteta had in changing things at The Arsenal.

  33. As a lifelong supporter, I have seen many managers come and go. Eleven managers in forty years I wouldn’t class that as many

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