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As a long-time fan, everything that concerns me about current culture at Arsenal Football Club was encapsulated by the celebrations of its players on Sunday.
Fulltime in the final round was blown and Arsenal scored a dour 1-0 away win at Tyneside. Arsenal had seen off a spirited but unthreatening Newcastle side that this season looked a very pale shade of the group that lit up the EPL early in 2011-12.
Walcott shook his fists in elation, Koscielny and Giroud jumped around like ecstatic madmen and Wenger strode boldly out onto the pitch like a man vindicated.
You could be forgiven for thinking that Arsenal had clinched the title. Instead, they’d just managed to hold off the Welsh Wizard to cling to fourth position by a solitary point.
I can understand an outpouring of relief from the players, a shot at Champions League football is crucial to the club’s financial plans, and I have no doubt that many – if not all – of the squad have Champions League financial incentives built into their contracts.
How much can a club’s culture change in eight years? Clearly it can change dramatically.
Proven winners like Adams, Henry, Parlour and Vieira would never countenanced celebrations of this ilk under the same circumstances.
Vieira and Adams would most likely skulked off the pitch irritable and unapproachable that they had been unable to put this mediocre, low on confidence Newcastle line-up to the sword in trademark swashbuckling Arsenal fashion.
Some readers will be spluttering at these words. They will be pointing to this current Arsenal team’s late season resilience and consistency: unbeaten in their last 10 games of the season with eight wins during that run.
It is a winning run worthy of respect (just like late last season), but not worthy of jubilation. Manchester United’s players earned the right to be jubilant – three weeks ago.
The reaction of the Arsenal playing group was at the most merely misguided, and at the least forgivable.
What is not so forgivable is the culture that Arsenal’s once magnificently successful manager has encouraged in the recent years. It is a culture of excuse making: ‘We can’t be great now, but we will be once FIFA comes to the party with the Financial Fair Play.’
How many times have we heard that tired, hopelessly optimistic refrain from Wenger in recent seasons? Should Gooners around the world hold their breath?
It is a culture that does not fight to keep its brightest stars: Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri, Robin Van Persie. Who knows how long this season’s standout Santi Cazorla will put up with this culture of Arsenal mediocrity.
His form and effort have been remarkable in his first EPL season, but I am not optimistic that he will continue to be motivated by a club that happily settles for fourth place.
Wenger’s past deeds have commanded worship from Gooners over the course of his 17 years marshalling the troops. Eleven titles certainly deserves strong faith.
I have happily placed myself among those ranks of Wenger faithful.
I am certain he is still an insightful and masterful tactician, a good judge of character and a charismatic presence.
But for goodness sake Mr Wenger, please spend some of the Emirates bullion on three players of real, world-class quality this summer; players of the same standard that Cazorla demonstrates on a weekly basis.
Do it for the faithful, do it for the club, and perhaps most importantly, do it for yourself: before your once brilliant legacy becomes irredeemably tarnished.
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