In Arsene We Trust? (18/4)

[gooner.ed]

http://www.onlinegooner.com/exclusive/index.php?id=601

usual thread starter… interesting debate really. Would you rather be entertained by the football Arsenal play or sacrifice that pleasure for trophies. In fairness, when we were winning Cups under George, there were some regulars who were up in arms at the poverty of the football. Now, I guess they can live without the trophies…

[JJ Gooner]

1998 - Champions, FA Cup Winnners
1999 - 2nd
2000 - 2nd, UEFA Cup finalists
2001 - 2nd, FA Cup finalists
2002 - Champions, FA Cup Winners
2003 - 2nd, FA Cup Winners
2004 - Champions (Invincible all season)
2005 - 2nd, FA Cup Winners
2006 - 4th, Champions League finalists
2007 - 4th, League Cup finalists
2008 - TBD

That's 8 major finals (not including Mickey Mouse cup), and 7 major trophies in 10 years all achieved by teams playing brilliant football assembled with a fraction of the cost of our rivals and wannabe rivals. That'll do for me.

[Red Gunner]

Having patience and winning trophies by playing beautifully or playing boring and winning?

The former

Never winning and playing beautifully or winning and playing not-so attractively?

The latter

I hope the choice for us will be between the first situation, not the second one

[26may1989]

Like most of us, I want both great football and trophies. But as one who hated the football of Graham's psychotic post-1991 period, even with the silverware, I don't want trophies at any price.

[REB]

going to disagree with 26thmay in that i loved the gg years and the way everyone would hate us and the northbank would proudly stick 2 fingers up singing 1 nil to the arsenal
while its always nice to watch good football and as gooners we have been spoilt in the last 10 years but give me trophies over nice football any day of the week

[I Hate Hleb]

OTHERWISE WE MIGHT AS WELL CHANGE OUR NAME TO WEST HAM OR BECOME LIKE THE SPUDS FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF DECADES!!

[g88ner]

Like most of us, I want both great football and trophies. But as one who hated the football of Graham's psychotic post-1991 period, even with the silverware, I don't want trophies at any price.

I disagree I'm afraid.

Some of my favourite Arsenal memories were of the early 90's - we knew we weren't Real Madrid and we didn't care...we were a dogged cup team, with a great striker, and a tight defence.

The cup runs of 1993 - '95 were awesome!

I know many neutrals thought the 3 Arsenal v Sheff Wed cup finals of '93 were awful, but I was engrossed. They were just so tense...and the euphoria of winning both cups with last minute goals was just unbelievable!
- and of course beating Spurs 1-0 in the semi at Wembley!!

And the Cup Winners Cup runs were amazing too! the home game against Sampdoria and the final aginst Parma were just amazing!
- Parma were clearly the better team, yet we dug in and ground out a famous 1-0 win thanks to smudger

Great memories!

Dull football or not...I loved it

[flash gunner]

Have to agree with the 3 posts above. Give me winning football any day. I loved the GG years, loved the fact everyone hated us but we carried on winning trophies played better football in those days than we are given credit for too. Playing pretty football and winning fuck all has always been the sp*rs way, NOT FOR AFC thank you

[Peter Cavill]

I agree with posts above. Nice to win trophies playing brilliant football BUT I'd enjoy watching us win trophies however well we played.
You can never beat the feeling of seeing the Arsenal captain holding silverware up, especially if it's the league championship, because you know you're champions for the whole of the next season. "Champions...Champions " But any cup is great to win.
However I disagree with the argument that the spuds play pretty football and win fuck all. It's a myth put about by Spuds supporters that they play "the sp*rs way" trying to have a dig at us when we were winning all those trophies under GG. They only say it because they never win anything!!
Spuds don't play pretty football but they still win fuck all ! ( worthless cup excepted this season).

[dvbrisgooner1]

Good football is winning football. I remember a game in 1993, just before Christmas, against Sheffield Wednesday. Alan Milller played in goal for Arsenal, after Seaman had been sent off a West Ham a couple of weeks earlier, and made the only save of the game. In the 93rd minute Ian Wright kicked the ball for the only time in the match and scored the winner, 1-0 to The Arsenal and, my word, did the 25,000 celebrate!! The worst game I've ever watched, in pissing rain, but we won 1-0 and I'd had all the entertainment I wanter. Job done.