Once upon a time, the guys in red ruled the world; times change …

I want to look at some of the statements that supposedly ‘realist’ malcontents make and try to see why they think they are valid.

“We should be competing for the title”

So I simply ask: Why?

Why should we have an entitlement to challenge for the title?

Imagine you are a hard working person. You live within your means. Earn an above average wage. Save prudently and plan for the future of your family.  You might own a nice house and drive a decent car.

What happens if your spendthrift neighbour suddenly wins the jackpot on the Euro lottery?

All of a sudden this lucky bastard has built an extension onto his house that makes it twice the size of yours. His clapped out old Volvo is replaced by a brand spanking new Bentley. He is holidaying in his new villa in the Bahamas.

How do you compete with that?

Do you declare: “We are the Smiths, we should be on the same financial level as him”

No? Because that would be stupid.

Yet our fans say: “We are Arsenal. We used to win stuff.”

So what?

I am British, we used to rule the World. We were bigger and more powerful than the USA.  Therefore we still should be.  I don’t care if the world is different – I demand to still rule it!

And if we should use the “We are Arsenal” argument, then are Liverpool not entitled to do the same.  Except with better reason?  I mean they have won 18 titles and 6 European cups.  So they should always win more than us. Right?

“Oh no!”,  you say!

Why not?  Perhaps because the world changed and we passed them by?  Or maybe because we have a bigger and better stadium?  Well consider how we came to be in this position?

Is the answer: “The manager and board”?

It might be you know.

If you look back past the emergence of Roman and Mansour, then you are ignoring the fact that it’s a new world.

In other words, you are an idiot living in the past.

I can hear the idiots now shouting:  “But United have!”

That’s right, they have.  For now.

But United are perhaps the biggest sporting brand in the world. And they have had to – and for now been able to – match the spending of the Nouveau money.  But even they, last year, had to arrange a share issue in order to fund the £75 million or so it will have cost them to buy Judas.

Their owners are milking United to keep their other businesses afloat.  They are not spending to win stuff for the fans.  Or for the good of the club.  No, they are doing it to keep the share value above the levels of debt that they are running up.

It would be madness for us to try and keep pace with their spending.  Despite our recent improved financial position, when the very top players become available, we still can not compete with the big three in any auction situation that might emerge.

So that means we have to do it in other ways.

Build a team.  Have a better understanding between the players we have.  Create a bond.

But again, this is not possible if rivals keep dismantling our teams before they reach their potential.

And for as long as they have such a great financial advantage we can’t easily stop them.  Or can we?  Looking at the way the team is coming together, perhaps we can.

But if it is to happen, it will be because of the groundwork that our manager and recent boards of directors have done.

No matter what you think of them, they have put us in a much stronger position than we have been in since the world changed.

And quite possibly in a position to finally ask:

“Go on then, why not?”