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.
cjones
Guest
HCP, Your final 2 paragraphs hit the nail on the head.
Disco
Roar Guru
Actually, I recall that I started editing before I saw your comment. But I stand by my opinion that I don't see Wenger doing it ever ever again; you can't teach an old dog new tricks, let alone one who is a dictator.
AZ_RBB
Guest
the two teams directly above them (and not by much mind you) have a much bigger wage bill and spending budget than Arsenal. the team in first place is the biggest sporting club in the world and took their best player. 4th is what Arsenal are expected to come. is it disappointing to not exceed expectations? hardly. but to only just meet expectations for so many seasons in a row is a bit disappointing. even with strong acquisitions in the off season they won't have a team which is title winning quality on paper. but for the sake of the competition i hope they put up a better fight.
Joel Tiller
Roar Rookie
I don't disagree with you Roges. But the proof will be in the pudding - we will see whether Wenger adds more genuine quality to the squad aka players like Jovetic, Higuain, Isco.. another quality fullback if Sagna goes, maybe another quality fullback anyway.
Joel Tiller
Roar Rookie
I would be one of those people you refer to sitting happily in the middle in life Ed. But for the powerhouse clubs in the world's richest, most keenly watched professional competition - participation is not an end in itself. For them, the EPL is all about winning. Arsenal are so close to being a genuine title threat. It just seems that Wenger's frugalness is holding them back. I just pray he loosens his .... a tad & spends the dosh needed to give the team that little bit more quality that is required to go from being a mediocre student to an A level acheiver. He certainly has the cash at his finger tips. But no more Gervinhos.. no more Santos's.. sometimes you get what you pay for.
Sky Blue
Guest
I think you meant ever again, before you edited your post. Ah the joys of replying early.
Disco
Roar Guru
Arsenal have actually spent less on transfers (net) than more or less every Premier League club in the past decade or so. The high wage bill, that's another story, and is inflated by mediocre and/or unsaleable players (Diaby, Bendtner, Scillachi, Denilson, Arshavin, Djourou, Chamakh etc) on undeservedly good money thanks to Wenger's 'even' approach to player salaries at a club where the manager himself is the only one allowed to be paid the big, big money.
Disco
Roar Guru
I think he's too stubborn to change his 'sustainable' approach - that would be a concession that he has made a mistake these past seven years.
Sky Blue
Guest
Ever you say?
Disco
Roar Guru
Fourth place is not a trophy but clinching fourth place (and hence a chance at Champions League qualification) after securing 26 of the past 30 points on offer *is* something worth celebrating. Of course, Arsenal need to spend proper money on 4 or 5 world-class players in order to have a tilt at the title, and I don't see Wenger ever doing that - not whilst the overpaid manager, an out-of-touch board and the profit-hungry, mostly absent owner enjoy such a cozy co-existence. The club is in avery strong position off the field and the money is there to invest in the squad, but a change of manager is needed in order for Arsenal to get back to the good times of 1998-2006.
Ed
Guest
I'm glad I'm not your son because i could not cope with your disappointment when i celebrate a B in my school report; an achievement you cannot comprehend because to you there's only winners and loosers but the world my friend has millions of people happily sitting in the middle
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
That's the way I saw it jimmy, a celebration of relief. Not that different from Newcastle a week ago when then won at QPR and secured their spot in next season's EPL. Teams start the season with goals, then things happen and when you are mid-table at the beginning of the year, I think you have every right to celebrate a 4th spot that qualifies you to the UCL. There are 3 relegated teams crying today and 13 who hoped they would have done better. Wenger had the cattle to fight for a 3-8 spot with the Likes of Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool And maybe Newcastle or Everton who had ambitions at the beginning of the season. Nothing to be ashamed of a 4th spot.
roges
Roar Rookie
Hopefully by now Joel, you've pulled yourself out of the doldrums. As Jimmy (above) mentioned, these were celebrations of not only relief but of joy of achievement against the odds. Most media pundits in the know had written us off to qualify for the CL. Personally I think things are moving in the right direction. The new players we brought in (ie Cazorla, Podolski, Giroud and lesser extent Monreal) began to gel with the rest of the squad in the second half of the season. And with reports that Arsene has the green light to spend big this summer, I think the club could be on the verge of silverware (touch wood).
HardcorePrawn
Roar Guru
I've said for a while that Arsenal fans are in danger of becoming like Liverpool supporters - constantly believing they have a right to win the title just because they used to do it a fair bit 'back in the day'. With Arsenal's transfer budget nowhere near what has been spent by the likes of the two Manchester clubs and Chelsea (or Liverpool for that matter) it is some feat for them to consistently get into the Champions League, and to do so with some style. On the last day of the season the only thing left to play for was the final CL spot, I'm sure that Arsenal's fans and players had already had their moment of angst and grieving at seeing United win the title a few weeks ago. Sunday's celebrations were all about getting fourth, and no doubt depriving their hated rivals of taking the same, thereby sending them into the Europa League next season instead. Had Tony Adams been playing on Sunday I have no doubt that he would have been punching the air at the thought of a tearful crowd at White Hart Lane.
wisey_9
Roar Guru
These could also be seen as the years where Arsenal's solid economic foundation was built, paving the way for a sustained period of success? Time will tell. As a fan of a rival club, I can only look at Arsenal with envy. Envy of their stability, of their style, of their culture and of their potential. If Arsenal were to sack Wenger, you could almost guarantee that the majority of clubs/countries around the world would be chasing his signature. That says to me that he is probably worth keeping...
Sky Blue
Guest
It's a step in the right direction and they have every right to be happy about it, after years of being much worse than they actually should be, 4th place has got to be seen as something to celebrate. I remember celebrating when Chelsea finished 6th for the second time in a row, granted there wasn't as much expectation on us back then but it was a big thing. If they're celebrating they have a right to and I think Arsenal will be stronger next year.
Nick
Roar Guru
Sack Arsene Venger. With a club and playing list that Arsenal has had for the past decade, you should be making a more serious attempt at winning the league. Arsenal have been a triumph of conservatism. It appears the only measure of success to them is to make the second round or the quarter finals of the champions league each year. When Arsenal release a new edition of their anthology the 2004-2013 chapter will be titled "the years of glorious....financial consolidation"
Jimmy
Guest
Yawn. Jumping on the media bandwagon of how "shameful" it is that Arsenal celebrated the way they did. If it were Spurs, you'd have seen the same thing and the same vitriol aimed at their rival fans at how Arsenal lost out. The celebrations (of relief) are warranted. 10 games to go, we were cast adrift and looked no-hopers at making the fourth spot. Through a change in tactics, Arsenal turned their form around, scored 26 points from a possible 30, and defied all media critics to snatch it away and even could have gotten third were it not for Chelsea's crucial win over Man U. Had they failed to do that, the media's knives would have been out either way. All this Tony Adams talk is a lot of rot given he was in Arsenal sides that finished outside the top 10. These were celebrations of relief, more than anything else. New kit deal, new Emirates deal and new TV deal means Arsenal can finally splash some cash after years of austerity. Here's hoping, anyway.