I don’t even remember why or when I started watching football, but I remember why I started supporting Arsenal – Thierry Henry.
Henry was ruthless. He was direct. He made me want to be a striker and he made me love the Gunners.
As a child, my life quickly started to revolve around Arsenal. The first jersey I ever got was Henry 14. The Gunners were the only team I could play as on FIFA.
Everyone else at school seemed to support Manchester United, but Arsenal was always the side that I identified with.
Watching a full 90-minute match was rare. We didn’t have Foxtel and I was never allowed to stay up late to watch any games that may have been televised.
So, I had to anxiously wait for the Premier League highlights show on SBS to find out whether my beloved boys in red managed to gain all three points.
More often than not they would, and if they didn’t, it would ruin my week.
Fast-forward 16 years and I’m still the same obsessed fan. The only difference being that for the past eight or so years I’ve had access to the Premier League week in and week out.
For those seasons I’ve watched with the same blind faith that so many Arsenal fans have experienced.
When we signed the likes of Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and now Alexandre Lacazette, maybe things will be different we all thought.
It never is and until there is a change, there never will be.
My loyalty to Arsenal has never been in doubt. I will always love them, but it’s hard for me to watch them play. It has been for a long time.
(AP Photo/Jon Super)
Still, I never miss a game.
This week Arsenal got thrashed 4-nil by Liverpool.
Arsene Wenger left Saed Kolasinac, a left back who was part of the Bundesliga Team of the Year last season, on the bench, and put a right back in his position.
Wenger left Lacazette, a record-breaking signing who’s hungry for goals, on the bench and instead played an out-of-form Danny Welbeck.
Thierry Henry said he turned his chair and found the game “hard to watch.” No one, expert or fan, seemed to understand the tactics he’d employed.
Wenger himself can’t seem to justify the decisions he’s made, not just against Liverpool, but for the past 13 years.
Last season Arsenal finished fifth and missed out on Champions League football. It’s the first time under Wenger that they: (1) failed to qualify for top European competition, (2) finished outside the top four and (3) finished below bitter rivals Tottenham (that one hurts the most).
Still, Wenger has managed to grab himself another two years as manager, and a two-million pound pay rise taking him up to ten million a year.
The loss against Liverpool was the last straw for me.
All this time I have been firmly in the ‘Wenger In’ camp. Not just because I believed in him, but out of respect for what he was done for the Arsenal Football Club.
I believed it was owner Stan Kroenke that was the real problem. The only problem.
This is because Kroenke doesn’t love Arsenal. For him Arsenal is a business that happens to be a football club. He likes profit, and doesn’t care about results or the fans.
Yes, we may have broken our fee-record for Lacazette, but when you take into account all the players we have sold (and will probably sell), Kroenke is only four million away from a profit.
To put that into context, we have spent less than Huddersfield Town, who currently sit third on the Premier League table, unbeaten after three games.
The fans are kept in the dark about what happens behind the scenes, and when you consider that the Gunners are the most expensive team in Europe to watch, and Arsenal make more money on a matchday than any other European club, this is simply unacceptable.
(AFP, Ben Stansall).
When you take all the power away from the fans, you start to suck the life out of the club. The fans are the heart and soul of any team and that will never change.
It’s true that Kroenke and Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis are leaving Wenger out to dry. However, it’s the manager, not the owners, making the tactical decisions.
Arsenal are in a position where they have to make do with that they have, but they don’t lack talent, just a backbone.
That’s why it hurts so much. The squad is strong, but Wenger is not. Neither is the board. From top to bottom, Arsenal has become a weak club.
This is because they are comfortable. The owners know that Arsenal will continue to line their pockets. The manager knows that he will leave on his own terms. The players know that regardless of the result they’ll still get game time and be paid tens of thousands every week.
There’s no hunger. There’s no drive. It’s dead.
At any other club, Ozil would not have this divine right to start and play 90 minutes every game. At any other club Wenger would have been gone long ago.
The saddest part about Arsenal’s current state of affairs is the club they used to be.
The Gunners played beautiful football and other clubs, and their fans, feared us when it came time to play the mighty Arsenal Football Club, especially at home.
Now people look forward to facing Arsenal. It’s a very winnable game, and every fan of every team knows it.
The only ‘real’ thing that Arsenal have left are the support of the fans. The fans will never turn on them. Being ‘Wenger Out’ doesn’t make you a traitor. The club is called Arsenal FC, not ‘Arsene FC’.
Of course, should another manager sign tomorrow, things may not get better right away, but we have to take lessons from Manchester United and Liverpool, sometimes it has to get worse before it gets better.
Under Wenger it will never get better. That’s because Wenger is to the Premier League what Ronda Rousey was to the UFC. Their respective sports developed, but they didn’t evolve with it.
At least Rousey knew when to quit.
At this point all I’m hoping for is desire. I want to see Arsenal return the passion that millions of fans give them. It’s not about winning and losing right now. All I want to see the club I love try.
Me? I’ll always be Arsenal ’til I die.
steve
Guest
The thing that stood out most from their loss to Liverpool was that Arsenal, looked so un Arsenal. I think everyone has a clear picture of how Arsenal play, and how they have played over the last 10 - 20 years. There was simply none of that on Sunday night. The biggest mistake Arsenal have made was giving Wegner another two years in the job. It was just a crazy decision. And one they will be regretting already.
William
Guest
LOL. Sorry for being unclear. I am old, but not that old ;)
buddy
Guest
Damn...I thought you were about to hit on the George Graham era as a player, not a manager! Then they had Pat Rice, Peter Storey, Peter Simpson, George Armstrong, Eddie Kelly, Charlie George, et all! Now they were a tough side esp circa 1971 when they did the double!
william
Guest
The Arsenal that I remember is not the Arsenal that it has been in the past 10 years. It is not the Arsenal of the sublime passes and mesmerizing skills. It is the Arsenal where the defenders are defenders and the midfielders are made out of stamina, grit and determination - and nothing else. The Arsenal of George Graham era. That's the only reason why Wenger had so much success in his first few years. The Arsenal where men were men and they were not whining about their $180,000 per week or $300,000 per week contract, but play their hearts out. Week in, week out, for what seems to be chump change for today's players.
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
With that said, missing out on CL football may have be a blessing in disguise the way we are going.
Isaac Nowroozi
Roar Guru
There's a difference in expectation between certain clubs. Failure for Sunderland is relegation to the EFL. Failure for Arsenal (and many other big European clubs) is relegation to Europa League. Comparing the two would be a false equivalency.
Simon
Guest
Great article. If I failed at my job for a decade...I wouldn't have a job! Every year he says we're good enough to win the league and...every year he's WRONG! Get a manager that knows how to sign a World Class Centre Back! Jesus Wenger fails miserable every time he tries! KOS should move to Centre Mid to dominate, close down and win the frikin ball back. Welbeck - Never seen a striker air kick so much in my life. Useess.
Hamish Hutton
Roar Rookie
I seriously hope hat once Santi is back at full fitness that Arsene puts him in, he is a footballer who plays because of his love for the game. Having been out with injury for so long his is likely to work extremely hard for the team. As aforementioned that 4-3-3 formation should be returned to, Sead will play at left back and bellerin can play at right back. Cazorla can play in midfield with any of the other centre mids and Lacazette can head up the front three. I really dont care, aslong as he cans this wingback shit and puts holding on the bench.
HardcorePrawn
Roar Guru
"Last season Arsenal finished fifth and missed out on Champions League football" Oh, how my heart bleeds... Sunderland fan here, forgive me if I'm not too sympathetic to your plight.
j,binnie
Guest
Doc - When watching Arsenal it is necessary to analyse each player individually and assess their performances on what they are doing on the field. Lets take the players you mention. Are Wellbeck,Sanchez and new boy Lacazette ever going to "gel " as a trio?. Welbeck ,despite being an England footballer, is sadly lacking in the basics of ball skills and it shows as time after time he is "robbed" of the ball in dangerous areas. Sanchez is a brilliant footballer ,no doubt, but in this Arsenal team too often he is left to his own devices tending to act as a maker of goals rather than a taker of goals. If we move to midfield we find you mentioning Ozil and Ramsey. both international footballers and yet both have this inherent ability of disappearing during a game,a fatal consequence for the aforementioned front three. In defence Wenger has shown that "today" trend in trying to play with a back three and it is in this area player performance hits a new low. as, with players being swapped willy nilly across the width of the park ,the goals against stat is proving it to be an expensive exercise. So where has it all gone wrong for the gunners.? Despite all the big money signings made the one player who has never been replaced is the playmaker Carzola, who was the essential link between the front three and the attacking fullbacks in their old 4-3-3 system.The little Spaniard buzzed here there and everywhere ,popping up wherever he was needed and purveying an almost endless supply of through balls to the striking trio, whoever that may be on the given day. Arsenal today are like a car engine with cylinder problems,they are not all firing in unison and that unfortunately has the usual outcome,they suffer on the field. Cheers jb.
The Doc
Roar Guru
I argued to keep Wenger last season but probably got it wrong. I am a spurs supporter living in Arsenal so nothing gives me greater joy than watching arsenal suffer but I still think things will turn around. THe trio of lacazette/sanzhez/wellbeck with a few weeks together should be a fearsome front 3. Ozil and Ramsay should complement a brilliant back 5. In Eleny and Xhaka they have good DMF finally. The Ox looks to be in a breakout season (i didnt watch the entire match yesterday). We all have bad days but it is how you respond that is most critical. Another abject performance doesnt bode well for the players or wenger.
Fadida
Guest
Does it matter? They won't get relegated, nor will they make the top 4 so they get a free hit. Sanchez has had enough, the squad is full of archetypal Gunners players; pretty and great beating up smaller sides, cowardly and soft when meekly surrendering to the big boys. This is AW's doing. Kroenke's error was renewing a manager who's a busted flush. Twice. When it was clear the horse has bolted. It's groundhog day at the Emirates. For the 12th year in a row.
Buddy
Guest
I reckon the club has been developing a storyline for the next classic football movie for some years now. It is a mixture of mystery and intrigue as to the thinking in the boardroom at the club. For quite a few years it was quite a joy to watch the type of football being played. At times it was quite breathtaking and consistently provided far more entertainment than any of the teams that have been delivering championship trophies for their fans to crow over. However, there is only so much you can take as a supporter and ultimately fans make a choice between wanting high quality entertainment and silverware and no matter how grudginglyi it comes out, the answer in the end is silverware. Whilst there are many teams that are unlikely to win the EPL (although that used to encompass Leicester City) Arsenal are not one of those clubs and that is where this whole mystery and fascination or persistence with AW lies. There has been and still is some outstanding talent at the club and the last few seasons have looked as though the final few pieces in the jigsaw were being put in place - eg the acquisition of Petr Cech. Whoever is writing the scripts for Arsenal's part in the biggest soap opera in the UK just can't make up their minds what to do with their characters though and just like the old style soapies of Dallas and Dynasty, they like to leave the viewers on tenterhooks each week and each season. Ultimately the viewers will get fed up with not knowing where they stand and surely will demand one of those season ending finales where the hero/villain depending upon your point of view is finally killed off and there are giant explosions/fires whatever it takes to raise the place to the ground before the Arsenal Phoenix rises from the ashes under another incarnation and provides the long suffering fans with a different storyline. Fascinating though!
KP
Guest
Agree but who to replace with? my favorites were Pep or Klopp when they made noises coming to the EPL but they're taken now (and see how their clubs are faring)