It's been a bumpy ride.
I've not followed arsenal for too long. Three years, to be precise. I've seen little of the 'Invincibles', or for that matter, I've seen little silverware. I've seen Cesc rise and prove to be the best in the league, I've seen Nasri develop his quick dancing feet, and I've seen Robin van Persie score 37 goals in one year, and I've seen the club's struggle to retain it's icons. I've seen the Arsenal-Barcelona Champions League love story, I've seen a four goal lead slip to one point and I've seen eight goals scored against Arsenal. I've come to hate the word 'injured', and I've put only too much faith in the words - 'He's recovering fast.'
Yes that, in a nutshell, is why supporting Arsenal has been an incredibly bumpy ride. But hang on. There's more.
Yes that, in a nutshell, is why supporting Arsenal has been an incredibly bumpy ride. But hang on. There's more.
The Champions League melodrama
The UCL matches aired at one in the night for me. So, on one momentous fine night, I watched the Gunners walk out against their utopian counterparts, F.C Barcelona to fight for progress in the Champions League on foreign turf. Name after name flashed on through the tunnel as the intimidating Blaugrana walked out, with the diminutive jersey of ‘Messi’ sending shivers down my spine. After the referee’s first whistle, I saw wave after wave of Barcelona attacks, only to miss by smaller and smaller margins each time.
The 2-2 draw at the Emirates looked too feeble to fight for, and yet, for one fleeting second that we got the ball, I fell in love with Arsenal, again. Bendtner was lurking around the half-line area, and Arsenal’s defence had the ball. One straight ball out to Nasri, and he tried to flick it past the entire Barcelona defence for Bendtner. That, is all I believe Arsenal F.C is. Dedication to a system of football, under the harshest of circumstances. A system that is out there for judgement, because no one dares follow it. It’s too risky for most unstable clubs; because their manager will end up getting sacked in a year or two (a certain blue jersey comes to mind... wonder why?). While some call this Arsenal’s lack of ambition, I see this as the highest ambition there is – dedication to your footballing ideals and systems. P.S : I nearly cried when Bendtner scored the opener. Unfortunately, had to keep crying as the night went on. Next year saw us inch agonizingly close to the dream, only for a red card to see the dream turn to a nightmare.
The 2-2 draw at the Emirates looked too feeble to fight for, and yet, for one fleeting second that we got the ball, I fell in love with Arsenal, again. Bendtner was lurking around the half-line area, and Arsenal’s defence had the ball. One straight ball out to Nasri, and he tried to flick it past the entire Barcelona defence for Bendtner. That, is all I believe Arsenal F.C is. Dedication to a system of football, under the harshest of circumstances. A system that is out there for judgement, because no one dares follow it. It’s too risky for most unstable clubs; because their manager will end up getting sacked in a year or two (a certain blue jersey comes to mind... wonder why?). While some call this Arsenal’s lack of ambition, I see this as the highest ambition there is – dedication to your footballing ideals and systems. P.S : I nearly cried when Bendtner scored the opener. Unfortunately, had to keep crying as the night went on. Next year saw us inch agonizingly close to the dream, only for a red card to see the dream turn to a nightmare.
Training ground or top tier club?
I’ve often been asked, why Arsenal? They never win anything! Through everything my answer remains the same – it’s their brand of football. The sheer joy of watching an Arsenal game, always on the edge of your seat, as those little passes string together – and then suddenly – a chip over the defence and we’re clear. That is something that is just a pleasure to watch. Ask any club's fan whose games are the most exciting to watch, and you'll get one answer. But people mock too. They jeer, as player after player, star after star, leaves Arsenal - the ‘training ground’, for greener pastures. Yet, arsenal hang on to the top-tier status, and instead of being counted amongst Feynoord and Porto, they stamp their place in the champions league with sheer quality.
The comeback conundrum.
The turnaround in the 11/12 season, is testament, to all that Arsenal stand for in today’s era – contract problems and the more than capable feet of the players still at Arsenal to fight them. You can leave, you can laugh, but you can’t write Arsenal down in ANY match. To quote Wenger – “You have a champion’s league final coming up, and there’s only one team in the world that’s beaten them both.”
Spain took years of fruitless commitment to reach their current godlike status. We’ve already seen results with Arsene Wenger in the past. How can we be impatient?
We’ll find our stride.
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