That above image sums up how I feel every time I enter an argument with any Arsenal fan. You support a decision made by the club, then you are an AKB else you are a WOB. I always felt Arsenal were just one big family club. Maybe I was wrong.
It's come to a stage where fans of all other clubs laugh at us. More than the manager they laugh at us. This is supposed to be one of the biggest clubs in the world. No doubt we have disappointed off late, but so have other big clubs.
We as fans were people who struck together hand in hand waiting 9 years for a trophy. Celebrated it together as one. Now we are all looking at excuses, blaming someone or the other. What has happened to this great club?
I know many of you reading this instantly think, well off all the years trophyless and struggle and loss of prestige of the club there was only one man common. Arsene Wenger. Now I know it is easy to blame him for all our problems. But is the hate for the man a bit over the top? I mean he is the most successful manager of all time for the club.
It's come to a stage where fans of all other clubs laugh at us. More than the manager they laugh at us. This is supposed to be one of the biggest clubs in the world. No doubt we have disappointed off late, but so have other big clubs.
We as fans were people who struck together hand in hand waiting 9 years for a trophy. Celebrated it together as one. Now we are all looking at excuses, blaming someone or the other. What has happened to this great club?
I know many of you reading this instantly think, well off all the years trophyless and struggle and loss of prestige of the club there was only one man common. Arsene Wenger. Now I know it is easy to blame him for all our problems. But is the hate for the man a bit over the top? I mean he is the most successful manager of all time for the club.
Obviously that type of hate is terrible for anyone. It's cheap that people once who loved him unconditionally now resort to this type of hate. Anyways this article is not about these fans or any other fans. Firstly I would love to make a set of points for reasons to not hate Wenger and reasons to irritated regarding him, mind no abuses.
Reasons to dislike:
Reasons to not get angry with him:
Reasons to dislike:
- Ineffectual in the transfer market for most obvious positions. Recent examples obviously a centre forward and in older cases a DM till we signed Elneny and Xhaka.
- Dithering in the window, prime examples the Suarez and Higuain sagas.
- Playing players out of positions. This has proved successful for some cases which I will add in the next section. But boy Arshavin! He was one of the most naturally gifted Number 10s in the world. Dominated the Euros before he joined and had a stunning vision. He was the epitome of what we needed when Fabregas left. Yet how on earth was he never played there! I remember him playing one game there in one of the cups and he got 2 assists! Nicklas Bendtner on the wings. That felt for me like a joke to make everyone laugh. Ridiculous anyway you see it.
- His bizarre sense of loyalty. Example of Diaby comes to mind. No doubt a player who could have been world class, but after so many years in the sideline you should look for alternatives!
- Not dithering with tactics even if the world around is changing. No matter what the scoreline we continue to play the same way. Though it has changed in the past 2 seasons.
- Incapability to beat Mourinho, though you have to add Ferguson beat Mourinho just once in all his attempts. Only Guardiola seems to be able to get the better of him.
- Not giving deserving players chances to play. Best example I can think of right now from the squad is Joel Campbell.
- Losing out on Zlatan and Cristiano among the countless others for some very stupid reasons.
- Not being able to predict the financial gain of the League. If we now built the Emirates we could recoup the money in less than half the time we wasted.
Reasons to not get angry with him:
- His contract. That is unfortunately not in our hands and that is something the board has offered him and not him forcing the board.
- THE HENRY INCIDENT!!
- The Arteta incident (Arteta does not deserve hate also!). After learning what he deemed enough from Wenger, Mikel has gone to learn something different from one of the best coaches in the world. So why blame anyone? I do feel he is a future manager for us.
- Playing players out of position! The Ramsey of 2013/14 happened after he was made to play a majority of the 2012/13 season on the wing and Nacho has become such an amazing LB after playing CB for quiet a few games.
- Not dithering over wages for players. Imagine a player like Alexis Sanchez or Ozil earning 130k a week, when players like Ashley Young earn 120k. He has built a harmony in the club with that. Any new world class player we sign would demand much more (One of the reasons we did not try for Zlatan and failed for Mkhitaryan).
- The fact he has Mr Arsenal, Tony Adams in the staff should me much more appreciated as well. When the Henry news came out the Twitter celebrities were first to point it all at Wenger. They have been happy for Adams to be here, but no credit to Wenger for that?
- Saying he has lost his pull to bring players is stupid. He has signed 4 excellent players in the last 4 windows, who on separate occasions have hailed him as a major influence for them signing. Even recently Ozil in an interview with German media continued to say that Wenger is a reason for him to sign, probably the biggest.
Whether you love him or loathe him it is not in our hands to push him off the club. He has certainly not built the club on his own. The club has been firmly established from 1886, much before Wenger was born. He has certainly elevated the club to a great extent. Now it has almost become stagnant. But that isn't to say he is not trying.
I was once his biggest fan despite his obvious flaws, however no one is bigger than the club. But that does not mean we send vile abuses in his direction. I'm sure if he does not win the league, this is his last season. So I beg all of Arsenal twitter and it's celebrities to stop their respective divides. Support the club, not the man. Just one last season before he leaves. Bring together all sets of fans and stop picking on him or the players. For every Henry there will be a Sanogo.
I am no AKB or WOB. I hate those 2 terms. I'm just a normal supporter of what I believe to be the biggest club in the world.
Remember Arsenal existed before Wenger and will continue to exist even after.