Arsenal fans, do you know the club you support?

By Baba Grumpy

I am sorry to disappoint you. I wasn’t born in N1 or anywhere near North London. 

I haven’t owned an Arsenal season ticket since the days of Herbert Chapman.

Sadly I wasn’t at Anfield with the 500,000 Arsenal fans that were present when we famously won the League at The Mersey.

However, I have read a few things about Arsenal and I believe not many supporters understand what they have signed up to as Arsenal fans.

By way of background, I came across this advert (on Social Media as you do) published by Arsenal in their search for a manager in 1925. Please see what appears to be a copy of the advert itself here http://thearsenalhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/1925-05-11-Athletic-News-manager-advert.jpg

“Arsenal Football Club is open to receive applications for the position of TEAM MANAGER. He must be experienced and possess the highest qualifications for the post, both as to ability and personal character. Gentlemen whose sole ability to build up a good side depends on the payment of heavy and exorbitant transfer fees need not apply.”

As you can see in the advert, Jose Mourinho will be immediately disqualified from applying for or getting this job.

So when you ask Arsenal to spend loads of money – Think Again!

You might think that advert was in 1925 and Arsenal has since changed. YOU WILL BE WRONG. You can read this and thank me later http://www.cityam.com/246004/arsenal-chief-executive-ivan-gazidis-says-spending-big

The club believes in a self-funding model and even if that is to change, will the 2 billionaires owners contribute proportionally to enable Arsenal go on a spending splurge like the drunkards at Everton? Or the Spendthrifts at Manchester United? While I sort of feel sorry for Usmanov for owning almost a 3^rd of an organization and not even having a token seat on the board, I understand Kroenke not putting a dime of his money into the club while someone else enjoys a 3^rd of the reward.

If you feel really strongly about this spending money stuff, ask Usmanov to sell his shares to Kroenke. And maybe just maybe Stan might feel more inclined to spend on the club.

On a similar note, I read an interview by Petr Cech during the last international break. Now, if you know Petr very well, you know he doesn’t fit into the ‘dumb footballer’ mold. He is a very smart cookie. If you want to read the interview, please see it here. https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/arsene-wenger-is-not-obsessed-with-winning-like-jose-mourinho-says-arsenals-petr-cech-a3629411.html

Key words here are:

‘ARSENAL ARE NOT A WIN AT ALL COSTS CLUB’

‘THE FOOTBALL PHILOSOPHY IS PASSED FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION’

‘IT IS NOW PART OF THE DNA OF THE CLUB’

So if you are a fan and you are advocating for win at all costs mentality, do you truly understand or appreciate what you are supporting?

If you think that’s just a player mouthing off, here is Wenger in his own words http://www.espn.co.uk/football/arsenal/story/3198234/arsenals-arsene-wenger-winning-ugly-is-wrong-approach-as-proven-by-england

I bet that sent a rocket up the arse of the English media & their punditry circus.

To be fair, Wenger has adapted. Notably that famous win at the Etihad. I have also attended many matches where we played pragmatically after heavy defeats. He can adapt if he wants but seeing as he is the manager of Arsenal Football Club, he alongside his team decides the technical approach to every match. I am afraid your job as a fan is to SUPPORT. It is up to you to support or not. If you decide not to support, can you truly be referred to as a fan?

Wenger has been very constant on his desire to play beautiful football. What we admirers refer to as Wengerball. The beautiful passes, the breathtaking team goals. There was one passage of play against Cologne last Thursday that should surely have been rewarded with a goal of the season contender but for some brilliant goalkeeping. If you genuinely love football, you must love Wengerball.

Wenger also recently said during the International break that he won’t exchange any of his 3 EPL titles for One Champions League trophy. You can accuse him of cynicism. That’s up to you. But he is on record as saying it and I believe him. So please stop taking paracetamol for Wenger’s headache. And while you are chuckling at the back, try to take his Golden EPL Trophy away.

Manager’s philosophy or style of play matters to the truly great sides and great managers. Pep will die on the altar of his style. It has yielded him the square root of zero in England and with Otamendi and Stones in his backline, I expect him to end up with zero again this season. Yet you want the man who outthought him in the FA Cup semi finals to change his style. Take a ticket and wait; you will be served soon or never.

I want to believe Stan Kroenke buys into Wenger’s philosophy and the club’s approach to spending. Kroenke is a billionaire and a capitalist. They do nothing out of gratitude. If it’s not working for them they do something about it. It will cost him nothing to erect a statute outside The Emirates Stadium for Wenger or name a stand after him, appoint him honorary Life President etc. and still get rid.

He had a chance to do all of this last May, as there would have been no pay off to Wenger. He could have appointed a cheaper pliable young man making his way in the trade who will give his right arm to have Arsenal on his CV. But Kroenke did none of these & reappointed Wenger. But I see you have more sense than Kroenke.

None of those moaning including Usmanov & the Nigerian billionaire who wants to buy Arsenal in a few years time feel the financial impact of negative results & poor outcomes more than Kroenke. If Arsenal’s value depreciates by 1%, that is approximately $12m out of Kroenke’s pocket. Yet you think the club is in shambles and is about to collapse potentially resulting in a $1.2b loss to Kroenke and he will do nothing.

Be patient if you are unhappy at the moment, only 2 possibly 4 seasons left till Wenger retires. You can save yourself the heartache by not supporting till Arsene leaves or you can adapt fully & SUPPORT THE CLUB.

Four years is a short period in the life of anybody or institution. Once Arsene leaves the good old days you yearn for or the new brighter days that are around the corner with the next rumored Arsene sacking will be here.

Stop your insanity of asking for Arsene’s departure over and over again as you keep getting the same result. Arsenal FC comprises of the real financial owner with the largest financial stake (Kroenke), the administrative management (Gazidis et al) the football management (Wenger et al) the football players and us the fans.

In terms of decision-making hierarchy, we the fans are on the lowest ladder. Everybody should play his or her part. As fans that will be cheering the boys to the rafters like the Cologne fans showed us on Thursday even when their boys were 3-1 down.

Yes it is difficult to cheer the recent performance at Anfield but like the majority of the stadium going fans at the Bournemouth & Cologne games a few days ago, we put the Anfield performance behind us and cheer whether it be the Carabao Cup or the Europa cup.

Ahead of the Chelsea game, don’t forget there can only be 3 results if the match goes ahead and is concluded. A win for Arsenal, a draw or a loss. None of these results will mean the world has ended.

Baba Grumpy works in financial services in the United Kingdom. He blogs mostly about football at http://babagrumpy.blogspot.co.uk. His Twitter handle is @BabaGrumpy