In Arsene Wenger We Trust: Why Arsenal Will Contend for the Top Four

Boo. Booo. Boooooo.

The familiar chorus from the boo boys has greeted the final whistle at the last two Arsenal home games this season. The average football fan must have an attention span of about a quarter of a season as the fickleness fans demonstrate is disconcertingly capricious.

This is not a stinging attack on those loyal supporters who pay money week in week out to see sub-par performances from a bunch of (supposed) pampered and overpaid prima donnas, but instead a question as the rumblings from the majority of fans sound like an intention to serve divorce papers.

Wenger has brought the red section of North London more trophies than any manager in the history of Arsenal—fact. He is the longest-serving Arsenal manager ever—fact.

There is not one supporter who envisaged the imminent success that the wiry and bespectacled Wenger would bring all those years ago in 1996 when he took over under a backdrop of "Arsene who?". He revitalised a club shocked by bungs and scandal—a bland team who grinded out wins but whose average result culminated in that infamous chant of "1-0 to the Arsenal."

Wenger was different. He created a fast and exciting, free-flowing brand of football last seen many moons ago by the Dutch masters of the 1970s. "Total Football" if you will, a style that was lauded back then and brought to the forefront of the Premiership with trophy after trophy after trophy.

He has changed the way players look after themselves in terms of diet, training regimes and general conduct. The Italian and Spanish leagues used to be considered as the world's best, now the Premiership is viewed as the gateway to success.

In essence, Wenger has changed the face of the Premiership—fact.

The run in for both teams surely illustrate advantage Arsenal. With their next four games against Blackburn, Newcastle, Man City, and Wigan, only a speculative punter would bet against Arsenal picking up maximum points.

In contrast, Aston Villa play Tottenham (a team battling relegation who do possess quality players), Liverpool (at Anfield, still contesting the Premiership title), Manchester Utd (at Old Trafford, still fighting for the Premiership), and Everton.

If Arsenal manage to close the gap within the next four games the rest of the season will be elementary. Within the next two weeks Arsenal welcome back Adebayor, Eduardo, and Walcott—three players of quality that would arguably slot into any team in the Premiership.

The next month should also see Fabregas and Rosicky returning affording Arsene a fully fit squad of players for the season run-in. Supporters, it's time for a reconciliation.

With the erection of a majestic 60,000 seater stadium finances are clearly tight. Wenger is not your flash in the pan type manager in the same vein as a David O'Leary or a Kevin Keegan. He will not leave Arsenal in the lurch like others.

Financially, Arsenal are an extremely tightly run ship which appears to be paying dividends. They recorded pre-tax profits of £24.5 million for the six months ending November 30, 2008 and few other teams (in the world) can compete with these figures.

But what do you expect from the shrewdest manager in the Premiership whose bedtime reading consists of textbooks covering the pros and cons of Keynesian macroeconomic policies. For those living under a rock or simply still in denial it is now official. The world is currently in a global economic downturn, therefore the focus on finance is even more significant than it has ever been.

Football has reaped the benefits from increased revenue and profits just like the investment banks did, but in this current climate who can bet against a Tottenham or a Middlesbrough becoming the football version of Lehman Brothers

Optimists claim the downturn will not have a negative effect on football finances—fiction. Roman Abramovich has lost over $9 billion thus far and Chelsea have acted far more frugally in the transfer market ever since. Go figure.

But the success of a club is based more than just on results and expenditure. It's based on that old English adage of a "stiff upper lip." When your backs are against the wall, you're supposed to fight to the end.

It's not based on booing a team in the face of adversity, it's about more than that. It's about camaraderie and showing solidarity. As supporters we all took those vows. We promised to honour our team in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow.

We promised to love our team unconditionally, to honour and respect our team, to laugh and cry with our team, and to cherish our team for as long as we both shall live.

To those boo boys who doubt Monsieur Wenger, shame on you. "In Arsene We Trust" is the cry. I'm not ready for a divorce—are you?