- 4th place is not a trophy
Let’s face it, we’ve all been there. Ever since Arsene Wenger indicated, in a season that had gone horribly wrong, that even finishing 4th would be like winning a trophy, rival fans have picked up on it, and, expectedly, made a meal out of a whole lot of nothing. While rival fans and sensationalist newspapers will completely ignore the rest of what he said, you, as an Arsenal fan, are not allowed to.
When Arsene Wenger uttered those words in the AGM, he did not in any way imply that finishing 4th was the maximum that the club aimed for. If you read the rest of the quotes, all he meant was that it was important to finish in the Top 4 more than winning the FA Cup or the League Cup as talented players would want to play in the Champions League and not really care about you if you pitch to them that you are the FA Cup winner.
Ideally, as a big club, you should be competing for the league and all the trophies, but when you have a bad start to the season, and have to decide what is more important, league position becomes more important than the domestic cups. Just ask a Liverpool buddy of yours how much help the League Cup was to their team and you’ll know what I am talking about.4. Cesc Fabregas is not an Arsenal player. Get over him already!
When Cesc Fabregas debuted at the age of 16, everyone knew he was a special talent. As seasons passed by, he only grew in stature, finally taking over the captaincy from Gallas. He has put in extraordinary performances, especially in partnership with Hleb and Rosicky. And then Barca came calling, and little Cesc wanted to run back home. And so he did.
It’s been two seasons already, and people still talk about Cesc. They want him back, in spite of the awesome job that Wilshere, Cazorla and Rosicky (whenever he has played) have done. I see many comments from Cesc fan boys (ironically) talking about how much they miss him and that nobody in the present team is worth walking on the same ground that he has. Agreed, these people may have been supporting the club only after Cesc became the linchpin of the side, but at some point, they have to understand that the club is always bigger than any individual. Heck, I don’t think people might have cried this much even when Liam Brady left the club. And believe me, that was a much bigger thing!
We’ve had important players leaving us in the past, we will have important players leaving us in the future. The important thing to remember is that it is important to support the club and the present team, and not talk about what might have been. It’s the present set of players who need your support, not the ones who betrayed us and left; and not the ones that may come in the future.
- Time to splash the cash. Literally.
‘Wenger does not spend. What does Wenger do with all that money? Arsene should stop being a miser and open his purse strings.’
I am sick and tired of these comments. First of all, you have to give it to the man credit for steering Arsenal through one of its toughest times without sinking it. Only a man who is confident of his abilities and convinced of his philosophies would have the courage to do so. If the board had not believed in his abilities, then we would never have had the Emirates Stadium and the resulting revenues. Look at how Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea are all struggling to find a place and the money for a new stadium.
Having said that, with all the multiple deals that have been made and the revenue streams all set, it is time to take a punt on one or two established stars. I am not going to speculate on who should and who should not come, because Wenger and his staff are better placed than me to understand what is needed to improve the team. All I am saying is that the time to search for bargain deals and betting on potential is over. Now is the time when we are best-placed to make a killing in terms of trophies, and one or two signings of intent would go a long way in instilling belief in the squad, and in the fans as well.
For one season at least, we should spend ‘irresponsibly’ to take advantage of the prevailing conditions in the football economy.2. Arsene Wenger is still the best man for the job
If you suggest that it is time for Arsene to leave the club, then I would put you in the category of people that have no hope of developing a brain anytime soon.
Yes, there are some quirks about him that irritate even the most passionate of his supporters. For example, his very irritating habit of substituting players at exactly the 70th minute is beyond comprehension. Even worse, you would even know who he was going to bring on. If I, sitting in the office and not even paying close attention to the game, can predict which players are going to go off and which ones are going to come on, then I can only assume the managers in the opposite dugout have already made plans even before the game for that particular eventuality.
But this does not imply that we should get rid of Arsene. Wenger has always believed that if we play well enough and to the best of our abilities, then it shouldn’t matter what the opposition does for us to win the match. More often than not, this particular philosophy is what has brought all the success that Wenger has achieved.
What Wenger tries to do is to improve the overall game of the player. And while many of them are a success, whether here or in other clubs, there will be some failures as well. What happens in training may not always be replicated in the match itself. And this is where I feel that the team has suffered the most. It is not that the manager is not good at what he’s doing; it’s just that the players are unable to replicate it on match day. And so, we go back once again to the fact that a couple of really good players are the need of the hour.
Look at the alternative. Most managers in present-day football are more concerned with their short-term success than the long-term health of football. If you were to replace Wenger, the in-coming manager, unless he is an exception like Klopp, would change personnel to suit his temporary needs without an eye on what would happen if he were to leave the club. A couple of trophies on your CV will always look better than a statement saying that you were responsible for a certain player’s improvement. What Wenger has been trying to do is ensure that the club has a steady stream of promising youngsters coming through the academy ingrained with, for want of a better description, Arsenal DNA.
- Above all else, finish above Tottenham
It is really frustrating to see people talk about not celebrating the 4th place finish this season. Let’s leave aside the fact that we have secured Champions League football for another season; what is more important is that we’ve finished above Tottenham, again.
If I have to explain to you why it is important that we need to finish above Tottenham, then you are not an Arsenal fan. Period. For good measure, you can read about it here.
Every Arsenal fan should know that Tottenham are the scum of the earth and every opportunity we get to laugh at them should be grabbed with both hands and done with sadistic pleasure. And then rub it in their faces even more.
I especially laugh at their claims every season about a power shift, and when they talk of a gap; makes St.Totteringham’s day that much more enjoyable!
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