THE LONG VIEW: FOOTBALL FANS ARE NOT FOOTBALL EXPERTS by Uche
As the aftermath of our loss to Chelsea continues to unfold, what began as a sympathetic reaction to fan’s frustration has gradually turned into disgust. I don’t know how else to be diplomatic about this but this is ridiculous. We are gradually becoming the sporting equivalent of extremists. Some are even going as far as calling for Arsene Wenger to be sacked. Really? The guy that got you to the top of the table with no money spent? Thank God football clubs are not managed by football fans. If they were, there will be no football left for us to watch. In fact there will not be a team left to play the games! Wenger would have been fired nine years ago or earlier and Arsenal Football club might possibly have gone the way of Leeds United or Aston Villa.
Football management is not for the sentimental and shortsighted and it is certainly not for the know-it-all pundit. Just ask Gary Neville. How many games has he won since he went to Valencia? One? I know it is not more than two. I don’t mean to come down too hard on fans but the sort of reactions I have been reading and watching have spiraled out of control. Fans are hurting. I get it. I am hurting too. But while nursing our pain (and it is not as if we got shot with a bazooka or something), the logical adult in us should enable us maintain a somewhat balanced view of all that is happening.
As at Saturday morning just three days ago, we were top of the league with many of our best players injured. We had spent the least amount of money during the summer transfer window and yet outperformed all the top teams so far. The club has been so impressed that rumours of a two year contract extension for our genius manager was all over the papers. We all felt he deserved it. Twenty four hours later, many want this same manager fired for losing a game he played with ten men. That makes sense. What are we? Real Madrid? This is ridiculous. Per screwed up by tackling Diego Costa like that. Sh*t happens. High pressure games do that to even the best players sometimes. And suddenly, Per should never come close to the first team again? Really? Same guy that has formed a rock solid defensive partnership with Koscielny touted as the best in the league? Per Mertesacker, the German World cup winner and two time FA cup champion? The same Per that has been an ever-present in this same team that has kept us top of the league all season? I agree that we might have been better off starting Gabriel due to Per’s lack of pace. Emphasis on might. I am not an expert. What if Wenger chose a stable defense over agility? What do I know? He has gone with Per all season and kept us at the top of the league. We beat Man United with Per. We beat Bayern Munich with Per. When the odds were stacked against us and the world predicted that we would be playing Europa league in a few weeks, we went to the home of the Greek Champions and won. That was mission impossible. We scored three goals and conceded non. Per was in defense.
Let me put it this way. If you want to grade a student to determine how good or terrible he or she is, you don’t base your judgement on that one test that they got 49% in. No. You put together the results of all the other tests they have taken (68%, 79%, 91%, 52%, 84% and that 49% amongst others) divide it and find your average. That is how we all got graded in school. That is how end of year results are determined and you will be surprised to find that the same student that had 49% once is actually an A student or B+ student. Get it? We need to pull ourselves together and be measured in our response because you know what? When they say the customer is always right, it does not apply to you the football fan who has stacks of season tickets and has bought every Arsenal Jersey and memorabilia produced in the last sixty years. Why? Because football fans are not football experts and should not even be allowed near the corridors of management. Yes your opinion counts in some quarters but if every manager and player were graded game by game the way fans do, there will be no teams left to watch. Everybody would have been gone by now. Ramsey would have gone three seasons ago. Ozil would have been sold after his first season. Peter Cech would have been benched after that disaster against West Ham and Cazorla and the rest of our players would have been got rid of at one time or the other. If you are a football fan, no matter how clearly you perceive the game unfolding in front of you, you are still not an expert and cannot manage squat. More experienced folks than you have tried management and failed. Jose Mourinho has won tons of trophies and is probably the most accomplished manager of his generation. He knows more than you and I and yet he couldn’t even save Chelsea. He is currently unemployed.
I could go on and on but the point is simple. We all need a lesson in humility and objectivity, even when we are angry and hurt. We need to realize that belting out what you believe to be the best tunes while bathing in your shower does not make you the next pop idol. We are football fans. We love and support our team and players. Our passion is unquestionable and our commitment is unrivalled. That is why we hurt so much when we lose. But that does not make us football experts and we don’t have all the answers. You win some and you lose some. That is the nature of sport. Burnley is next. Game face on. We have a match to play.
Peace.
Uche Edochie
Lagos – Nigeria
You’re genius Uche. every time a piece from you I feel inspiperd and happy. And may I add that you are a brilliant writer.
i respectfully disagree both with the article and your comment.
Firstly in my opinion the writing is terrible, repetitive and boring. If you can say it n two words why write twenty. Long and laborious does not make a good writer. Sorry Uche, I do not mean any disrespect with this.
Second, the article is a straw-men argument. No one is saying that fans should be managers, there is Football Manager for us fans where I am sure we all excel.
Third the premise of Wenger being right because he is a manager is also wrong. He has bought plenty and i mean plenty of duds in the transfer market, lost on a lot of expensive and inexpensive players due to his strict criteria and except the two FA cups he doesnt have much to show in the last decade.
The club is also not achieving the financila results that our peers achieve due to lack of trophies and exciting signings. Yes we are a rich club whose future is secure but we buy El nanny for 5 Million Bayern buys Vidal, Barca buys Turan, these are well run, respectable clubs as well, not oil money clubs but in the last decade their financial performance has been directly lonked to their trophies and now they are both much richer than Arsenal.
Finally, we all know this is the year, a year where Chelsea, MU, Liverpool have all stumbled and we really only have a mediocre City to deal with and we loose to Chelsea twice.
Shame.It is a crying shame.
No comment on the Article
Fact remains…… Players won’t always remain the same….. We all have to agree that ur once german world-cup winner is totally past it….same goes with flame and arteta
Even Ulloa can’t even manage 45mins of game time in a structured Leicester side these days……. And they are doing great per say
after all the services rendered, what’s the purpose of the word “retirement” ?
Fans have a right to be extremist, after being given false hope on transfers season after season, knowing we could improve our team with better players but the manager refusing to do so because he prefers mediocrity like Arteta and Flamini, or having to endure humiliating thrashings against Southampton, Liverpool, City and Chelsea over the past 3 seasons. When will you guys realize that no big club outside England will ever take Arsenal seriously until we start having a team worthy of challenging for the CL ?? When will you realize teams in England will never fear us unless we have players willing to play dirty and go physical and give in 110% each game ? There was a time Fergie’s United team feared us, nowadays even Swansea is hopeful of getting a result against us, that should sum up how far we’ve fallen despite the board trying to brainwash fans into believing we’re one of Europe’s best.
@Soopa,
you asked what Arsenal will benefit from loaning Debuchy in the previous article. Loan deals always include a healthy fee (which can be even few millions), plus the part of the wages will be paid by the club loaning the player.
Aaaand as it is Debuchy’s wish to play in the Euro’s, he will probably play quite well if he goes, which would increase his value in the summer.
So ~ million or so from the loan deal, wages off the payroll and sell him to a oil club like PSG in the summer with a healthy profit!
Well said Uche, puts it in perspective nicely.
admin that article I was telling you to post earlier is the truth the whole truth the plain truth the sad truth the bitter truth the categorical truth and nothing but the truth
Telling admin to post? Sorry but you ask. No doubt we will survive without an undoubtedly myopic, bizarre and negative perspective on how AFC have ruined players or wasted talent. I can surmise your truth without even seeing it is based on your view….that’s not truth. Someday you’ll learn that.
Uche, You have said it all. Impatience is the problem with some modern football fans and club owners.
Look at Barca, they let go if the youth players who aren’t good enough and bring in quality each season. Xavi retires ? Let me not rely on a 19 year old and bring in Rakitic instead, Busquets getting old ? Let me bring in Sergi Roberto as future replacement. Messi entering his prime ? Let me bring in the next Ballon D’or winner known as Neymar. Barca have patience but don’t solely rely on it because they know it’s unrealistic in modern football, they dip their hands in the transfer market season after season and always end up with world class quality which is the reason they win trophies each year. And that world class quality is what will also force the youth players to step their game up. Example : when we had Fabregas, young Wilshere did his best to play on Cesc’s level but then when he became a starter after the Spaniard’s departure he had no competition and turned average.
Uche its all right to be taught a lesson once or twice a season.But we are humiliated 7 or 8 times in half a season it is completely unacceptable
especially when the problems are crystal clear and wenger has enough resources to resolve the same problems.
Wengers stubbornness costs arsenal dearly.
He gambles a lot and does things in his own way even if that is not how it is supposed to be.
Arsenal lack a match winner a leader and a
true fighter.
Uche I like your articles and they always give me hope et make me feel better and above all after defeats. But on the other side I understand somme fans with their criticism but not the “Wenger out”. Wenger is a awesome manager but can still lear a thing or two and the fans are sometimes right.
Let’s support our team no matter what I saw the pics of today training when I saw coq and Alexis It gave me hope and we have welbeck and Rosicky back too. Who knows? we might end up winning the league with the right attitude from the players and the fans support.
Let’s be positive. ARSENAL ALL THE WAY. COYG
…somewhat exaggerated on every point, but guess that’s the objective to perpetuate negativity. But as Uches article implies and your comment confirms, you can clearly add…we lack fans that have humility, don’t think they know it all and are committed to the club, whatever the moment brings. Wtf does not doing it the way it’s supposed to be done mean???
Jeez I wish our away fans could be bottled and rolled out everywhere. They put you lot to shame. Rain or shine they’re there, actually supporting the club, the team and the players. Unconditional support.
patience has limits.
Waiting for like a million years for a title is not appropriate.Wenger has shown us that in the past 12 years the exact reason why monaco fired him.
It is time to move on.This is football.
We need to try other new ideas.Im sorry to say this but wenger is not the person to take us foward anymore.
Spoon feeding the board and the players is not what we want.
There are other young people out there with a more sound perception of football who can take us to even greater heights.
If his actuall mission was to drive us out from a financial breakdown then he has served his purpose at a much great cost.
@goonthinker
Get it right dude. He left Monaco because he didn’t want to do a George Graham…
Although it is easy to accuse teams like Chelsea and City of trying to buy success, I feel as though this model is exactly what many Arsenal fans are crying out for. Of course, the football economy is changing and transfer records are shattered left and right, but look only as far as Liverpool and Manchester United as to why Arsene doesnt splash teh cash There is a different superstar of the week every summer transfer window and I think it bothers fans how unphased Arsene Wenger is by the pressure and hype. Just remember one thing fickle fans, we have never placed out of Champions League in how many years, meaning we have nver dropped out of Europes elite (unlike many historic teams having the odd season or 2 or 3)
Arsene is by no means immune to criticism; wherther it be ineffective substititutions or overplaynig our best players, he has certainly screwed up many times. One area that really appears to directly hurt the team is his loyalty to players. However, whether right or wrong, this loyalty does not go unnoticed and we are starting to see players like Giroud and monreal shine thanks to confidence from the manager. Campbell and Coquelin would have been sold seasons ago by the majority of fans that say Wenger out.
Also, it is important to understand his philosophy. He doesnt bash opposition, he doesnt blame players, he is never disrespectful. Arsene respects and loves football more than most managers or fans, and that is exactly why he doesnt jump at transfer bait and risk tainting the crest and spending millions until he is positive a player has potential. Despite this, sometimes he is wrong (sanogo) but never does he do with spending an absurd amount of moeny like other teams (liverpool-carrol) This is also why he deoent try to win a title parking the bus or breaking legs. He attempts to play a style of football that very few in this world can emulate. Winning teh way Arsene wins is beautiful, and fickle fans love it when it works, but when it doesnt work, fans blame wenger. What people who never played teh game fail to undestand is that winning the way arsenal win is much more difficult compared to other styles. Total football is a risk he is willing to take due to his love for beautiful play, and if you dont appreciate that, i imagine it is diffuclt to support arsenal. “Total football” does not mean ignor defensive resonsiblities, but it does require more skill vision possession and chemistry.
comment over, I just have a profound respect for arsene wenger and the way he carries the club. we will win the league. cant wait for sanchez to get his tat !
I promised myself never to comment here anymore since after the Liverpool game. But haven’t read this post word-to-word, I am really very impressed. I am happy I have somebody who at least think differently. Very many of us follow @piersmorgan on twitter and are affected by his never ending criticism on Wenger.
We must be objective when we criticise. It is very painful to all of us when we loose especially to Chelski but sometimes it doesn’t come out as planned. We accept it and see positives in the defeat.
Suggest your mentality will improve further if you stop following @piersmorgan….he really has nothing of value to offer any AFC fan.
Too long, didn’t read :/
you made the SENSE!
Bla Bla Bla in that beautiful article..with all your respect for the writer.If you run a business, you search for the best manager and the manager is responsible for employing the best staff which job is to give the best customer service..best customer service means a customer who comes back and spend £15-20 pounds in your product a week (80-100 per months , 12000 pounds per year profit) and for this customer to become a regular you have to EXCEL..and in business we use CUSTOMER ALWAYS RIGHT even if most times they are WRONG. football is a business that only make profits if run properly and fans fill your pockets because they get VALUE FOR MONEY..means TROPHIES..you get the best players and have strong SQUAD DEPTH to compete in different fronts and you expect at least 2 trophies ( Not to get carried away ) by season..IF THAT PRODUCT IS NOT GOOD THEN first you complain to the company..manager..then if it does not improve.. I will not go back to that business..YOU LOSE PROFITS..YOU LOSE FANS FAITH..same happens with football teams..Fans become disillusioned, lose faith and become negative towards your own manager..then bounce to the players..then become hostile..then you express your feelings so 12 YEARS OF FAILURE when there was room to improve are unacceptable in any business..in any team just look around MADRID..and so ON..you can not run your business emotionally or football team with sentiments towards under performed layers…or move them or sell them and as customer I’m entitle to demand , I’m entitle to my opinion so many are and we have SUFFER LONG ENOUGH because what WE KNOW IS NEEDED TO IMPROVE OUR SQUAD HAS NOT BEEN DONE..we are not asking for entire squad..WE HAVE BEGGED FOR TOP ST AND TOP DM..Have we been heard? nope, pundits, ex managers, ex players, fans KNOW IT but someone have been reluctant FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER SO I’ve been supporting this team for 25 years..and It is killing me to know that after such drought ( avoidable ) and having this year an EPL for the taken..we have shown the same lack of ambition ever since.
awfully quiet about Morata to Arsenal.
There’s nothing new in this Article ?
It’s the same old, same old that has been doing the rounds for the past 8 -10 years! … And Still .. nothing changes!
All that, these kind of Article’s do, is cause bad feelings amongst our own fan’s.
The Author here, is basically bragging about himself,
On how educated he is, another blow your own trumpet fan,
who probably eat’s at the same place as the analyzer.
I bet you guys would moan like xxxx! Each time you were served up some cold rubbish food, at a restaurant, where you have been eating for years!
It does not make any difference if that Restaurant had chiefs that won awards in the past, because you are living for today, Right? and you want to be served up quality for your hard earned cash! ?
Well, it’s the same with the fan’s who pay good money,
to go and watch Arsenal play, but Only to be served up ? more often than not! ..
My point is… Let them vent their anger and frustrations,
As keeping it bottled up is more harmful, as any kind of stress is, I would rather a fan shout out his anger on here,
Rather than take it out on his wife and kids ?
I have noticed that most of these kind of article’s,
Are nothing but discrimination to fellow fan’s,
Basically, They are Calling the fan’s who don’t share their views… “stupid ” But where is the stupidity when history speaks for itself?
And what makes me laugh the most is that most of the writers have probably never been to an Arsenal game in their lifes!
Lmao why do so many fans on this website hate the analyzer xD I think him and Budd make good points although I have to agree giving excuses for losses against Chelsea and Southampton is unacceptable. It’s ok to make a mistake once but repeating the same mistakes is an act that deserves criticism regardless of how harsh it sounds.
good article, all we need is a strong response from now till season’s end. n with our injured contigent emptying up the physio room,we can dare to dream