Zippy wrote:First of all mikey, top post. That was a quality read. That's what I'd love to see more of on here, passion for The Arsenal chanelled in a (generally) positive way, rather than all the incessant moaning.
For the record, I am a few months shy of 30 and went to my first game in 88. I am a ST holder and haven't missed a home game since September 2003 (Pires dive v Pompey), but am now going away only a handful of times a season. Might get back on it at some point soon, new job permitting. In terms of what you said about contempt for the players and manager, to some degree I agree with you. I have never really felt less for a group of Arsenal players as over the past 2 or 3 years, but that's for a variety of reasons really not coz 'they don't give a shit'. And also my "contempt" doesn't boil over into hating them or slagging them off and what not.
I also sympathise somewhat with the view that Wenger "rewards failure", altho again I wouldn't go quite that far. There's a lot of old skool views knocking about Arsenal just at the moment about how this player and that players should be dropped for not pulling his weight and Wenger's too nice to them and should have them in suits on the team bus and whatever else, and I wonder if it's not something to do with the fact that a large amount of our support are "sons of George", brought up on Arsenal under Graham which was the antithesis of Wenger's style of management. You don't have to agree with Wenger's way, but I do think people should perhaps be a little bit more accepting and tolerant of it sometimes. It has brought the club success in the past and there's an even chance it will do again in the not too distant future. Bottom line is: he's World Coach of The Decade, and none of us are, so who's likely to know better??
I loved your little rant about having a kid with a somalian girlfriend and a job in the cinema by the way. Fucking brilliant! It's funny that you describe me as being so 'positive' coz amongst my mates that I go with and sit around, i've got the reputation for always being the doomsayer. Best example, 2-0 up against spers and half time was a bit of a party in block 6, I was saying "don't start all that yet, you know they'll definitely score one and i've got a bad feeling". 45 minutes later a good mate apologised to me for being so optimistic and putting the mockers on it!
My view is, as someone also involved with REDaction quite a bit, that football should be a laugh - win, lose or draw. I come on a Saturday to meet my mates, have a drink, enjoy the day, get behind the team, and if we win then brilliant it's a bonus to a good day out. If not, then fuck it, there's always the next game or next season and we might do better then. It sounds like it should be me buying you the beer to be perfectly honest! Which i'd be more than happy to do (Saturday if you're about?), altho you might have to come in The Rocket for it
and I know how popular that place is amongst you regulars on here.
There seems to be an attitude in football now, and it's not just at Arsenal, that if you're team haven't won you can't enjoy it. But that's bollocks frankly. 6 years ago we had one of the finest teams of players ever assembled in the history of world football. To do what they did was astonishing and I went here, there and everywhere lording it up at every ground for 45 of those 49 games. "We Are Unbeatable". And then a European Cup Final. It was always gonna be a step down from that, always. And every time I get frustrated or upset at another silly goal we let in, I just think back to 4-1 away at Norwich in the sun, or that afternoon before the game in Paris and think *at least we had that, and it's ten times more than most football fans will EVER get. So at least we had it*.
We're The Arsenal. And that young team and that manager, who's still the same manager and just as "clued up" as he ever was, but in slightly different circumstances, need us and our support now more than they have done for fucking ages. Shouting and swearing at them won't make them more likely to win something. But getting behind them and actually supporting them might.
Victory Through Harmony.
EIE
excellent.
)
