Arsenal’s Problem Is The Fans
I’ve done my fair share of digging out other fans for their opinions on this website, some ironically take umbrage with that, but I think it is part and parcel of being a supporter. We each have our own views and those contrary will undoubtedly receive some sort of scathing or ridicule – especially when the opposing view is so gosh darned ridiculous.
I don’t want this to be another WOB vs AKB post because a) I identify as neither and b) frankly, they’re boring now and have been for some time. That said, it’s almost impossible to discuss the subject I am writing about today without bringing it up.
As I said, I’ve not been shy in digging out other people’s opinions because, despite the remonstrations of those who are usually on the receiving end, as much as “we’re all allowed” an opinion, we are all allowed an opinion on someone else’s opinion. If I think someone is wrong or, more often than not, stupid then I’ll say something.
I don’t consider myself an AKB because the name itself suggests a blind faith in the erudition and infallibility of a single man. Similarly I don’t subscribe to the WOB views because I don’t want him sacked. Sadly that often means those who do want him sacked will attempt to ridicule and label me as AKB. Vice versa with AKBs when I criticise the manager or a player.
The most obstreperous supporters at Arsenal tend to be at either end of the spectrum and said spectrum’s acoustics means the noise coming from either end drowns out the vast majority of supporters somewhere in the middle (*puts fingers in ears in preparation for the catcalls of “SITTING ON THE FENCE”*).
I find similarly dumb arguments – mirror versions – within both camps. Of course another manager could be as successful, if not more so, than Wenger but would they be so with the immediacy the malcontent want? And of course Wenger is still a great manager – you only have to look at Dortmund to appreciate how well Wenger has done to keep Arsenal where they have been with a new stadium and all the financial restraints he has had but could he, or should he, have done more? Yes he could, and probably he should have.
Healthy debate is fine and amongst the throngs of the middle ground crowd such discussion is had on a regular basis. We disagree, we mock, we jeer, we agree, we nod, we applaud – what we don’t do is try to idiotically reduce the issues Arsenal have to a single cause, or more accurately reduce the impediments to solving our issues to a single blockade.
This morning I was stupid enough to listen to a clip from a radio phone in where a well-known match going supporter claimed – and not for the first time either – that fans with opposing opinions are the problem with Arsenal. Here’s the full quote
This is the problem with Arsenal, we’ve got too many fans like that. They can’t see what’s going on.
I think it is ridiculous to suggest or imply that Arsenal’s “problem” is overly positive fans. I listened to what the other fan said and I thought much of it was ridiculous. Yes, we had an off day and yes, it’s one of those things, however, it was entirely avoidable. Monaco didn’t dominate us, it was quite an even match, but our attitude and complacency gave them the advantage. Our stupidity gifted them the win and probably the tie. Giroud being completely off colour is one of those things. People will say he goes missing in big matches because it suits their narrative but there are plenty of examples to the contrary.
Olivier, not Oliver, has been in wonderful form since returning from injury so it’s just a coincidence his off match was that one. Alexis has been off colour for weeks – these things happen in football. Mertesacker being off colour is, in my opinion, a mixture of not being mentally right all season due to being rushed backed into the team (which is Wenger’s fault because we had a lack of options but I understand why – even if I don’t agree with it) and the whole defence foolishly playing a high-line.
Gibbs looked rusty, which is comprehensible given Monreal’s excellent form this year, and Bellerin looked naive, again comprehensible given his age. These aren’t excuses, these are observations. Even with those issues we should have won the game, we had the chances.
To coin a wobism, papering over the cracks with positive sound-bites doesn’t fix anything but then again fans have no ability to fix anything other than the dire atmosphere at the stadium. I am not a season ticket holder, I go when I can, but that does not exclude me from having the right to comment on the atmosphere.
In the face of that result the extreme positivity looks foolish. Admirable in some respects but foolish.
To suggest that such misguided positivity is the problem at Arsenal is base stupidity. Arsenal have, like every club in the land, a litany of problems. Injuries, squad depth, wage budget, richer rivals, inconsistency, tactical naivety in some games, overconfidence in others and too much rigidity in philosophical approach to each match.
Arsenal have been unfortunate with injuries and yes it is a problem we’ve had before but if there was an easy answer we would have found it. As Tim Stillman mentioned on the Goonersphere Podcast a month or so back, it’s not just one thing, it’s lots of little issues all coinciding to make one mammoth injury list.
Squad depth can be addressed but doing it all in one window could cause more issues than doing it over 2 or 3. Wages and richer rivals is an issue because it limits our options. We have money now but we still have vastly less than others – it is a factor, there is no hiding from it but it’s not the omega for Arsenal’s title hopes before the season has begun, we still managed to buy two of the world’s best players.
Inconsistency is influenced by injury. Tactical naivety is a squad AND management issue as is overconfidence. The philosophical approach is very much all on Wenger. It is his belief that we should approach each game in the same way that has held us back but there have been signs for a few season now, this more than any other, that he is adapting and changing.
There are lots of reasons why Arsenal aren’t going toe to toe with Chelsea or steamrollering Monaco. Reducing it to just the manager or “deluded fans” is just moronically simplistic. It’s just too easy to blame Wenger, or a player, or a group of fans. Anything that is so easily done can’t be true because the easiest options are the first to occur to paid professionals. It is solving the difficult problems that earns them their crust.
If dropping Mertesacker would drastically change our fortunes Wenger would do it. For a lot of 2002 he dropped Dennis Bergkamp in favour of Wiltord. He isn’t stupid and he isn’t afraid to make big decisions.
He dropped Szczesny because of his antics but also because I think he understand Woj gets too comfortable sometimes. I think he’ll be back in the team against Everton and we’ll be the stronger for it. His cocky complacency will have reverted back to good old confidence.
If replacing Wenger would propel us up the table then he would not have been offered a new contract. The most ridiculous Arsenal centric opinion out there is the club only want to finish fourth. That is the minimum objective. The club want to win titles because it makes them more attractive to sponsors and the higher we finish the more likely we are to secure Champions League football. Why finish 4th and enter the qualifiers when you can finish 1st, attract more sponsors, earn more prize money, and go straight into the group stages?
These aren’t easy decisions to make and no amount of delusionally contented and brainwashed fans will obscure the correct choice.
It is utterly bonkers to suggest other fans are the issue just because their opinion differs from yours. By all means tell them you think they are stupid but don’t be so stupid yourself as to state or imply they are stopping your dazzlingly brilliant solutions from being heard and acted upon.
I will caveat that after imputing his notional diametric he went on to praise Wenger’s past achievements and stated that everything comes to an end. I totally agree with him, Wenger’s time will come to an end and this will probably be his last contract, or even should be his last contract, but I don’t think sacking him is the answer.
The problems at Arsenal are wide, varying and ever-evolving, they cannot be reduced to something as banal as a single person or a group of people with different views from your own.
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An entirely rational and well reasoned post. We do have a fan base that expects more because we are always tantalisingly close to achieving more. It has been many seasons since supporters aspirations have been tempered by real failure.
“…but could he, or should he, have done more? Yes he could, and probably he should have.”
How much more could he or should he have won over the last 10 years or so – a league cup or two maybe? There is at least as much truth and maybe a great deal more truth that we could also have achieved much less – and maybe if supporter realism is an issue – we should have.
We were close to the title in 2009, CL in 2006, LC in 2007 & 2011 & possibly could have done more in the title last season. Should we have won them? No, we have no entitlement to trophies. Could we have? Yes, fine margins though.
That’s very well said!
I could not agree more with what you have written in your article.
Losing will always lead to the search for 1 (and only 1) person to blame.
Wednesday night was very frustrating, but hey, this is what Champions League is always about, right?
Who to blame then? AW made the choices he made, with the players he had. Some of these players let him down, let us down. But I won’t blame them for losing that game agains Monaco, this is what sport is all about, Losing/Winning.
We certainly do not want Arsenal to sack AW, not when we are in the top 4 in the premier league, not when we are playing the FA cup 1/4 finals.
Any football team is looking for consistency, stability. If they cannot find it on the pitch, then it is for us, the fans, to show the team that they can have it with us.
Confidence is the key.
Let’s keep showing them our support.
Have a good weekend lads,
E.
I agree that we could have won the title in 2009 and the CL in 2006 and LC’s in 2007 and 2011. The fact that we could have won those trophies in a period when many external factors in the game itself, financial distortion aided and abetted by changes in player contact law for example, while our own finances were limited is what feeds much of the supporter discontent now. Whether we could have done more to have won or should have won any other than the 2011 LC I’m not so sure. Had we never been in a position when we could or should have won things then maybe supporters expectations would be more aspirations. Perhaps in order to have a less frustrated fan base what we really needed in that period was not to have been in a position to win things but some nail biting relegation battles and frequent managerial changes. Maybe then we’d feel better about what we have and where we are now.
It’s hard to blame the manager though. He couldn’t control Koscielny’s leg in the 2011 final or Van Persie’s bad miss. With so few games to go in 2009 it’s also hard to blame the mental capitulation on him but I guess you could suggest he should have brought in some more experienced heads in January to help steady the ship.
2006 still stings because that was primarily down to a really poor refereeing performance of the like we suffer 2 weeks out of 5 these days.
Chelsea were just better than us in 2007 but there was an element of offside for their equaliser IIRC.
Enjoyable read, thank you.
Personally I find the piece is omitting a mention for the group of supporters into which I fall though. For about six
years I have been, and remain, adamant that a change in manager is essential for my club. By that statement I am now labelled on the WOB side of this insidious divide which now exists and my beloved Arsenal. I hate the label but it is as relevant as any other that could be pinned on me and have to accept it.
There are however, others like me that hold opinions and views that are not fuelled by knee jerk reactions or views held that only fit the ultimate ‘Wenger Out’ agenda. I perceive what I believe to be a manager who is doggedly holding on to a philosophy that I deem no longer valid or appropriate to the football of the era we find ourselves in now. What I think I see is man that holds an attitude resembling if you will a ‘my way is the only way’ approach and a refusal to adapt and evolve.
I naively allowed myself a glimmer of hope that an epiphany had taken place, not least after the performance and victory at the Etihad this season. Although I enjoy statistics I do not let them guide my perceptions and understanding too much but seeing the team win matches when not dominating the possession figures and seeing a different approach on the pitch overall in at least three fixtures, I allowed myself to be open to the possibility of believing again. Even before Wednesday’s defeat the brief moment had thankfully had passed and mentally slapped my wrist for allowing myself to be so gullible. The idea that you can challenge ALL opposition in all competitions using the same formation and tactic (if it is indeed a tactic), still seems ill-conceived to me and frankly from where I sit at the Emirates or elsewhere and indeed in front of my TV it seems to be a downfall all too often.
It should be noted that I have many other reasons for not believing in the manager than my opinion above but maybe they are for another time.
Despite my wish for Wenger to leave, I do not lay everything at his door after every defeat or whenever something goes wrong. Indeed after the Monaco match I found myself on social networks defending the boss. Partly because apart from one position on the pitch Wenger had picked the starting XI that I had announced to others would be my chosen line-up for the match (God forbid i should be seen as a hypocrite!) and partly because I genuinely believed that the blame lay fairly and squarely with the collective performance of the players and yes of course some obvious individual performances and mistakes. In that isolated incident I would go as far as to say that Wenger had every right to feel as let down as the supporters.
In conclusion, there are many of us that are rightfully tarred with the WOB brush and for ultimate belief in what has to happen but some of us feel that we are more measured in our approach to what we see as the problem. I have endured the Neill and Howe tenures, celebrated and at times been comatosed by the Graham era and was privileged to witness the innovation and revelation of the first eight years of Wenger’s journey. When I balance things in my head, regardless of the last discussion, exchange of views or abuse by those on the other side of the chasm, I always seem to come down on the ‘change is imperative side’. I don’t expect to sway those in the middle ground nor do think that I can persuade the enemy, the AKB’s to jump ship. Only the performances and results can do that.
So for anyone else reading this: Do I want Wenger Out? Yes I do. Am I agenda led and blind to the business side and the overall philosophy it seems the ownership and manager have? No. Am I extremist in my views? I don’t believe so. Therefore in relation to the extremely well written piece above: As a fan, am I the problem? I don’t believe I am and I hope I am not.
@martinwhittle19
In that sense Martin I would suggest you fall firmly into the middle ground because that is where all opinions bar the extreme are held.
Perish the thought Daniel!
Would you rather be considered a WOB? 😉
Well strictly speaking Daniel that is what I am. I am confident in my own and skin and have no problem having and sharing that opinion. I just get a little peeved with people assuming that all WOB’s are extremist, agenda fools who know nothing about football. Ultimately yes, I am a WOB.
But the nature of a WOB is the extreme view that everything is ultimately his fault, that only by sacking him can Arsenal truly move forward.
Feeling a change of manager is necessary doesn’t make someone a WOB.
If you are saying you want him gone no matter what then you are a WOB and by default quite extreme. If, however, you cannot see a situation where he can turn things around but would give him your support if he did then you are not a WOB.
Answer me this; if Wenger somehow managed to turn around the Monaco game, got Arsenal within 7 points of the eventual league winners (which is the same amount of points we finished behind the winners last season) baring in mind the severe injuries we’ve had (many of which occurred on the pitch as a result of bad tackles from opponents) and retained the FA Cup would you still be adamant that he has to go immediately?