Guest post by Arsenal Andrew (aka @luckietwit)
What a wonderful game we saw played in Brighton at the weekend by two teams equally deserving of much credit, sandwiched as it was between the thug-fest of the earlier kick-off in the semi-deserted Potteries and the passionless snore-fest at Old Trafford. Great calls by the local broadcasters, there, by the way.
That Arsenal’s Great Well of Potential is finally being recognised more widely is to be welcomed. That Arsene continues to attract more than a little doubt on a wider level continues to bemuse this observer, at least. That Arsene will likely only win back the doubters with significant trophy-based success over successive seasons (just to prove it’s not a one-off) is quite possibly the bottom line in all of this.
The last time I had a chance to write at any length was on A Cultured Left Foot just ahead of the opening of the Transfer Window. Much water has passed under the bridge and some old friends have departed in regrettable circumstances, at least from the pages of ACLF. But the two things that remain from my last ramble seem to be the need for at least two decent additions to the squad and there are grounds for optimism that in Diame, we may yet secure a beast of a cover for Diaby – all 6′ 1″ of him – and in A N Other, a back up for a Centre Forward berth that will require immense talent to dislodge the resident immense talent of our very own Olivier, coming good now in a way that delights the faithful and surprises the doubters.
That Arsenal’s support base can now be easily recognised as falling into two camps – the doubters and the delighted – is clearly a simplistic notion. But there is some merit in this construct although I’ve little doubt myself that the doubters are as delighted as the next fan with a good goal, an improved performance, and a win, be it scrappy or spectacular. But the temporal nature of these more positive vibes in the minds of the doubters can scarcely be disguised let alone denied. Until such victories turn into winning runs leading to trophies (plural, mind), one anticipates little chance of change, on this front at least.
In the overall scheme of things – so what? Does this even matter – supporters, we are often told, have always criticised their players and the team, critiqued the manager and his directors?
Well, I think it DOES matter.
I get that fans should in theory be free to support their chosen team as they see fit and I’m all for healthy debate – is player X being played out of position, should player W have passed or shot – this is the meat and drink of following football and I’ve never had a problem with it.
The problems emerge when the atmosphere around the club is such that banners become unfurled at games that lead to violence in the crowd.
The problems emerge when players can’t begin the difficult journey back from injury or loss of form without the accompanying castigation by a vocal sector, united in a refusal to recognise the challenging nature of that same journey.
The problems emerge when decent, honourable and faithful supporters are blocked from blogs having been so wound up by the provocation and sometimes baseless barbs of some of the doubters that they have veered over the line of acceptable debate, in the eyes of those who matter.
Until Arsenal win – and win well – these problems, which are reflected throughout ArsenalWorld, will remain.
And for this writer, the divisions within the support at large are as tragic as they are damaging.
Tragedy is not a word to be used lightly but it’s how the fragmentation of the Arsenal Tribe might currently be described. We are all fans of the club, but not of each other, it would seem.
I hope Arsene finds his men. Whether it’s one, two or even three players matters little to me. I’d love us to win a trophy though my support for the club is not contingent upon this. What I’d love more is for the doubters to rediscover their faith and get back behind the club and its players and staff 100%. Maybe we need a small miracle to help that happen?
The sight of fan fighting fan – with actions or words – is something I’d happily never again see. Healthy debate, for sure. But the crossing of the line into the abuse of players – and each other – is something I find intolerable regardless of perpetrator, regardless of victim.
I’m not blaming either side for this although I know which side of the supporting fence I stand. It’s a consequence of sky high expectations dashed on the rock of financial reality, in my opinion. What that ‘reality’ actually comprises will continue to be the subject of much future debate, I’ve little doubt.
It’s a bit late for New Year wishes I know, but maybe I’m just holding out for a small miracle here. If Arsene can get the team back together, who knows, maybe the rest of the tribe will follow.
Arsenal still have the potential to be the biggest club in the world. In my biased eyes, they already are the best. But the next time anyone thinks about knocking the club or their fellow supporters – regardless of which side of the fence they sit – it might be worth remembering this.
If we ARE to become the biggest AND the best, we will only do it as one. And with ALL our cannons in a row.
The responsibility for such unity rests with each of us. Passionate debate by all means. But the continuous running down of players and the club with ever-more diverse weapons of mass distraction are doing none of us any favours.
If we are ever to start to win our biggest battles as a club, then, one day, our fighting – as fans – has to come to an end.
And that’s one day that can’t come too soon, for this fan.
Positively Arsenal 
Now thats the spirit of this blog right there.
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Yeh Kori, I feel you on that. They did behave like a set of clowns.
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Funnily enough, I honestly can’t recall the last time I met a fan of any other club who thought Arsene Wenger should lose his job at Arsenal.
So, just some Arsenal fans and the odd ex-pro helping out the media headline hunters, desperate for circulation etc.
A motley bunch, at best.
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I know thats right!
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AA
i do know for one that liverpool fans, despite all their outward bravado of 5 european cups (or whatsoever) secretly envy us. they do. they are the first ones to come up to tell us that we have it good. and they should know.
pity some of our own fans have got no guts to see the truth.
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This place already feels like a warm blanket around my shoulders after a long time out in the wilderness! I just want to go back to enjoying watching and supporting my team, while occasionally shooting the breeze with fellow supporters without having to apologise for being 100% behind the club and all it’s players.
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And without people being snide and acting like smartypants?
Well this is the place for that .Welcome on board.
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Great start for this blog. Brilliantly written. Well done, Andrew. I agree with many comments which suggest that we’re on the brink of something special with this team. Personally, I’m enjoying the season and watching the team develop. Up the Arsenal!
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Well bless my old cotton socks. I see a few names from the past and some lovely red goggles.
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regarding the development of the team:
read an interesting article about newcastle, their GD last season, and their current position which suggested they overachieved last season. the hypothesis is basically that GD reflects the true quality of a team.
if you look at our GD this season, while it looks pretty decent, it could be attributed to some really big wins.
is this a sign of our team being good enough, just not being consistent enough because this is essentially a new team playing together for the first time this season?
interestingly, that blog/guy also pointed out that utd had won the most number of games by a single margin, suggesting that they are riding their luck/overachieving.
when you look at their defence, that guy/blog certainly has a point.
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Steww: You missed the key flashpoint for that hatred, Arsene Wenger. Stan and Ivan are just proxies. He not only refuses to spend all those millions lying around in bank but truly believes his squad is good enough to challenge (the best he will do is “one or two” new signings). How dare him to belief that not spending a boatload of money every transfer window can win you a title?
– Missed your positivity.
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Omar Chaudhuri @OmarChaudhuri
Currently have 11 wins by a single goal. Record in a PL season for any team was 16 – by Man United in 2008-09. Would exceed at current rate
his tweet on 17 jan, before the united-spud game.
just an interesting idea. personally, i feel that united might just have a spectacular collapse as their flaws get exposed once and for all.
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And I agree with Frank
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Love this sentiment. These are my people.
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And to look at it another way – Arsenal’s “low point” will be better than just about any other club’s low point. That is exactly what Wenger, the board and The Emirates has safeguarded us against, yet they receive too little credit.
What other managers have ensured that their club will be substantially better off after they leave the club compared to when they arrived?
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Great stuff Andrew and well done to George for setting up a new blog. Straight in my bookmark section.
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terrific post Jack
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I would like to thank Adi the Positivegooner for this site.I seem to be getting the plaudits when he did ALL of the spade work.
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George,
Why did he hand over the keys to the site?
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Who? Adi ? He didn’t ,he still has a set .Its a joint enterprise .We are sharing the load so as it gets more attention than one person can provide . .I have some more keys that will be distributed to contributors..
Was that what you meant?
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Exactly that.
I think it is a great idea and I look forward to the continuing content. *thumbs up*
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Yes, great job Adi! (Typical George, taking all the plaudits 😉 )
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Oh no, what have I done? The first smiley!!
Frank’s gonna kill me.
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Don’t forget Joel Campbell, Frankie. He starts for Betis and they currently sit in fourth place in La Liga.
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This should have happened a few years ago. Great to see the band back together.
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Thanks for replying George…I was just setting things up to connect my account to this, and now I can start getting involved in the comments too…great to see so many people active already and i hope it continues to grow
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It is so great to see so many positive thoughts in this comment section and so great to see everyone so active already, I hope we can continue to grow this as much as we can. Big kudos to George for the idea and for bringing everyone together 🙂
I’m Adi for those who do know me and for those who don’t, you might have heard of me as positivegunner on twitter.
Either way, I just wanted to say that if you have any suggestions or you’d like to contribute, just get in touch with me or george.
Also, I’d love to get feedback on how to keep improving the way some things work (to the extent that wordpress allows us) – and right now, is everyone happy with the way this comments section and commenting system works? Does anyone have any suggestions?
eg. Would you like to see more comments per page instead of having to track more pages? or would you like the comments to be organized differently so that the newest comments are on top and you don’t have to scroll down so much to stay active in the discussion? Whatever your suggestion, let me know and I’ll see what I can do about it and once again, welcome to Positively Arsenal
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This is an excellent post. Reflects my thoughts very much . What i would like to add is the fact that a vast majority of the Arsenal supporting fan base lack something which the Germans call ‘Weltschmerz’. It is a feeling that is experienced by people who can understand that physical realities can never satisfy the demands of the mind. If the majority could feel this, then i’m very certain that this divide wouldn’t exist among’st the supporters. Although i wouldn’t like to be dismissive of what the pessimists have to say. I don’t see any justifications to their points either, cause they are either simply uninformed or are completely ignorant of the realities.
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Hello Paul and Shotta – good to see you both. Hope you’re still enjoying your football. Since I stopped visiting the comments section and everyday stopped being a fight against the mediocrity of some of our supporters I’ve loved this season more than any I can remember in recent years. I’m just back to enjoying the game again like I used to when I was a kid.
The cup tie against Brighton was a perfect example. Instead of having to read how awful we are and endless picking over how Brighton managed to score I just sat on the edge of my seat gripped by a good old fashioned cup tie.
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Hey – Gainsy bloody great to see you too!
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Adi, you are the star of stars. I doff my cap to you. Lady Neena and Peter will be taught to bow to you whenever you pass and I will send you one of Capitalist Lackey Running Dog IVs bones if I can get it off him. Of course I mean his dinner bones, not his own body bones, that would be cruel.
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Now about these flipping winky things! Note I did not say fucking winky things…..oh bugger
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Oh and 200 gitanes on their way to Gainsbourg. Nice to see you free again, Gains.
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I quite like the arrows pointing the wrong way, its sort of alternative.
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I agree with Steww
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I’m not sure the reply thing helps and the back to front arrows are just surreal but it just means I have to read all the comments several times over to make sure I haven’t missed anything.
Special mention for Twitter which provided a way for the ex pats wandering in the wilderness to find each other. It’s also a great way to discover proper fans.
Follow them during a match.
Wait until we go a goal down or a playing returning from injury isn’t instantly playing like a cross between Cruyff and Beckenbauer.
See how they react.
Depending upon that reaction either tell them about this blog or unfollow and block them.
Simples.
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*player
(wish we could re edit after posting)
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..if you could re-edit, imagine the cacophony from clicking keyboards after a win when the misogs feverishly claw back their moanings
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Right now, the way its set up is that the latest few comments are on the first page, from old to new (top to bottom)…and to access older comments, the arrow at the bottom handles that…you can also have reply trees, so you could actually reply to a specific comment and keep the discussion on topic regarding the comment, instead of having a series of comments on the same topic that you have to jump around to keep track of
if this doesn’t work…then let me know…maybe we can try it for a few days
also…i’ll be setting up another page, with a list of twitter ids for all the people who usually contribute either posts or comments here…that way, anyone who wants to get on board, has more than one way of interacting with everyone here…what say?
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Haha…exactly, I think its good that we can’t edit
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good morning Campers .Hi De Hi
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Morning George.
You’ll get Frank swearing again with that kind of language.
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Hi de fucking hi?
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Morning, George,just got up or have you been pulling logs, thumping sand, that sort of thing? (If I believed in them or could do one I would put a winky thingy in now, suffice to say I am only joking)
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It’s one of the very few ways in which I’m envious of the younger generation; I look back over the decades at old friends that have slipped off the radar following house moves, job changes, emigration etc that might still be around had we had Twitter and all the rest.
The old Royal Mail never quite cut it in the same way.
Then again, curses and blessings, curses and blessings ….
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Adi – I am happy to suck it and see. if people like the set up then that’s great. It’s just the tree thingy can lead to comments being overlooked but at the end of the day that’s no biggy is it.
Is there a steering committee driving this thing? If so are there plans for as rota? I’d love to contribute a piece or two (however much you need) each week but it would work best if I knew which days and it was regular. A blog lives or dies by appearing on time every day and if we’re all performing a complex gentleman’s excuse me then days might go by without a post. My show is on Tuesdays so Monday Tuesday are very busy for me but Friday night and Wednesday night are relatively quiet for me. Let me know.
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Good morning potty-mouth Frank. Don’t you know you are only allowed two swear words per day? Ha, Ha, Ha.
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Morning Shotta
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Well, Well, Well. It is bloody good to see Gains, Muppet and Passenal again in one place. Now if FunGunner would stop and stop roaming all over the blogsphere like a nomad. We need a place where supporters can enjoy as our club proves all the doubters wrong. Good job Adi and George.
PS: Adi – the arrows at the bottom of the page to explore the comments section are confusing and not intuitive enough. Maybe you should add some text i.e. Old vs New.
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Morning all. Seems like the old days ! That was Passenal in here ? Wow. Excellent.
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