A Message For Arsenal Fans: Blind To You Haters

Having been a lifelong Arsenal fan of 25 years, I have experienced many highs and lows following my beloved Gooners.

My earliest happy memory of Arsenal was watching them beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 on a rainy Thursday evening to lift the F.A Cup in 1993. I’ll never forget the utter joy of watching Andy Linighan rising highest to head beyond Chris Woods in the last minute of extra time.

For the first time in my life Arsenal lifted the “jug-eared” trophy. I was so happy, I can still recall the jigs of delight I did up the stairs whilst my mum’s orders to get to bed echoed round the hallway. That’s it. As a 9-year-old kid I’d been sucked into everything Arsenal.

Coincidently, the last time Arsenal picked up any silverware; it was that very same trophy.

I was in a pub with my best friend and my future wife watching that game in a pub full of Manchester United and Tottenham fans. I’ll never forget how sweet it was to roar at the top of my lungs as Patrick Vieira slotted the ball past Roy Carroll from 12 yards.

Unfortunately times haven’t been so sweet in recent seasons.

Arsenal find themselves four years without a trophy (as many pundits and rival fans love to remind us of this fact), and I am finding some fellow Arsenal fans losing the faith.

Losing belief in a man that is Arsenal’s most influential and successful manager of all time.

The man that has brought to the Arsenal a style of play that Gooners could only dream about during the days of George Graham.

In the last 13 years, Arsene has won us not only trophies but has brought back to the club a respect that hadn’t been seen since the 1930s. Arsene swept into the club in 1996 and reminded all true Arsenal fans of why it is that we support Arsenal.

We support this club because it always carries itself with a sense of decorum. You will never see the manager commenting on transfer speculation, unsettling other team’s players. The same could not be said of the apparent heirs to our top four place, Manchester City.

We support this club because of its ability to churn out talented players, on a budget that ensures that the club is self sustaining. You will never see the club going out and spending £25-£35 million on a player at the mere click of some rich oligarch’s chequebook pen, unlike our “illustrious” London rivals Chelsea.

Do Arsenal fans really want that?

I fear that too many current Arsenal fans have forgotten where we have come from and what the club stands for.

I fear that too many fans are living in a kind off computer game world where spending lots of players on the World’s best players make’s a team’s problems going away.

The same people that rely on the media’s views to form what is apparently their own opinion. Probably the same fans that go to our home games and grumble every time Bendtner has a bad touch.

How about getting behind your team?

Arsenal, whilst not getting too carried away, have started the season very brightly and, without a doubt in my mind, will be challenging for the title this year. If we can just get a bit of luck with injuries this season there is no reason to lack any belief in the squad that Arsene has built.

Arsene also appears to have pulled a masterstroke in changing the formation to a 4-3-3.

Song and Denilson appear to be tailor made for the supporting roles behind Fabregas providing the base for the rest of the attacking force to get forward. The formation also allows us to be more fluid when going forward in terms of player positioning and suits the way we like to pass the ball.

Arsene knows what he’s doing, so Arsenal fans have a little faith.