When I first joined twitter just over a year ago you could have described me as a doomer. I spent my days moaning at no one and everyone for Arsene Wenger to ‘spend some f@!?ing money’. I’d criticise team selections and substitutes despite never having been in the position to have to make one myself. I’d write off supposed players Arsene was interested in, the assumption that they weren’t any good because he’d recently made the odd duff signing. I’d criticise the tactics we adopted like I was some kind of top-flight football manager despite not even managing a junior team. I thought I knew best and that my opinion was the only one that counted.
What a difference a year makes! After many a squabble on twitter with various people I used to automatically label AKB’s for daring to have a different opinion to mine, I came to realise that my opinion wasn’t based on any kind of fact. It was based merely on a series of assumptions. I looked around at some of the various blogs I’d read and conversations I’d had to see how I came to those conclusions and found that it was mostly based upon someone else’s opinions or others who claimed to have well placed sources who just happened to know everything about the way the club was run, rather than my own.
I decided I didn’t want to be a moody doom merchant who always looked for a negative in a room full of positives. I wanted to know actual facts and not some random bloke’s (who I’d never met) opinion. What I found was a bit of an eye-opener. Most of the things I was passing off to others as fact was merely someone else’s opinion and there was no proof to back up the majority of what I read on twitter either. I realised that by trying to convince others of what I’d mistakenly believed I was merely spreading their agenda.
It wasn’t until recently that it all clicked for me. Ivan Gazidis, in just a few short sentences shattered around 80% of the majority of people’s opinions (passed off as facts) of Arsene Wenger’s last few years. Until then I hadn’t really thought to look at the bigger picture, at what’s been achieved over the years since it was announced we were leaving Highbury for a new stadium. Granted there’s been things I might not have done if I was the boss, things I haven’t always agreed with – but really, who did I think I was? Did I really think I could have done better in the same situation and under the same conditions? No of course not.
Arsene has been under some incredibly tight financial restrictions which has meant we couldn’t strengthen the team with what was needed to keep pace with the big spenders of the EPL. With that then came players who weren’t happy at the prospect of not winning titles and instead of trying to defy the odds and pull of a miracle decided they’d rather go play somewhere else. Others went for money, and some went because of loyalties to another club, a couple were sold despite the manager wanting to keep them. What’s clear though is that Arsene had done an incredible job just keeping us in the top 4, all the while shouldering the brunt of fan frustration and expectation. Credit where credit’s due – that’s pretty amazeballs. He might not make the right decisions 100% of the time but if anyone deserves to lead us to success – or at least to try to – now we’re more financially able to compete after the last few years of struggle it’s Arsene Wenger.
Johnny Greenwood
@Johnny_G86
Positively Arsenal 
A good account of how an individual can have the strength of character to alter how they formulate their opinions. Well done and thanks Johnny.
What you describe is the problem I’ve had with dealing with the doomers. They could never substantiate their opinions. I had lengthy debates on the ‘other’ site with certain repeat offenders. Eventually I was disparaging enough to get banned!
Only yesterday I read another common accusation made at AFC…”that we missed out on Juan Mata because we were haggling over a pittance”. I would dearly love to see the evidence for this…..
LikeLike
One more voice of reason.
LikeLike
Good to see the mighty and relentless weight our manager has carried season after season
And all done without a complaint or murmur of self pity
LikeLike
Well said mate. It’s all too easy to get swept along with the prevailing tide of negative online opinion. But good for you to have the balls to step back from the trees and see the wood.
Just one thing; ‘amazeballs’? What is this word please? I like it and want to drop it into conversation.
LikeLike
Wenger’s years are the best years this club has ever experienced in its lifetime and it saddens me that we have fans in our ranks who consider the clubs biggest ever transition -where caution was an absolute priority – as an appropriate time to moan about not winning titles and castigating managers and players for not delivering trophies.
We have spent a good part of the past decade tolerating a bunch of negative fans and posers who sit on the internet all day insulting reputations, achievements, work ethics and above all the intelligence and dignity of a manager who once gone will have left behind him a kind of legacy ( infrastructure, academies, squads for years, money) other clubs need a century to get.
No more..No more. Yes we could have won titles in this transitional period..even in such financial restraints, even with such limited budgets, even with such young players and no experience, even with them injuries,even with the whole system against us,,,even in those conditions we showed we could have won it. With 450m stadiums over our heads and the russian mob and opec in town plus a giant with american backing operating on gigantic debt. Instead of praising this, some chose to belittle it holding the position that we SHOULD have won titles of them, thus attacking the young players who didnt make it or the manager who didnt do what they think/thought was necessary to win titles.
Hmm what bothers me more? That vieira bergkamp henry ..practically the best team weve ever had, couldnt beat chelsea in 04 champions league q-final at home in an era when arsenal was the dominant force in the country? Or that a team of youngsters with no experience, assembled to get arsenal through a transitional period and meant to need 3-4 years of gelling growing and development couldnt win the title of teams with four and five times our budget? Hmmm indeed…
What bothers me more? That young schezney cocked the cc final or that the big dave with the moustache got lobbed from 50- meters in the dying minute of the uefa final? Hmmm lets see now….
What bothers me more? That world class Henry and the rest lost the b2b in 2003 from bolton and viduka? Or denilson? Hmmmm….
What bothers me more? A manager taking money under the table? Or a manager refusing to spent silly money ?
LikeLike
If I was in Wenger’s position, I would have ranted and raged at the imbeciles and the cunning bastards a long time ago and so much that I would have been certified as a lunatic. Wenger keeps his calm (God knows how!), dignity and good sense and he still gets called senile by the very own he does all this for.
If we had listened to all the people who thought they knew best, we would have ended up with Christoper Samba, Scotty Parker, Matt Jarvis, etc.Where are all those players now? and why is there a deafening silence from all those who criticised Wenger for not buying them?
LikeLike
Good article Johnny, thanks. What puts so much into perspective is the final minute or so from Gary Neville who from “&*^&$%” to analyst produces so much good sense. The first 6 minutes or so are just to be treasured in the memory banks” Neville’s comments to be listened to…carefully.
LikeLike
http://po.st/rg9tnY Sorry…find the memories/Neville here.
LikeLike
Very nice piece Johnny, I do love a Danascene conversion.
LikeLike
…i guess an engineer and economist tasked to make the most out of football trading commodities (players) would opt to engineer/develop youngsters who have an increasing asset value as opposed to aging players ( ???) such a dumb idea i know… after all you are there to win trophies if not, go home….
but Arsenal, such a big club…8 years trophyless blah blah….unacceptable…
” if the plan has been to get to 4th all along with as little spent as possible then yes i agree that wenger has done a fantastic job and deserves our respect, but if thats the case then why did they lie to us , why not tell us from the beginning that we aint aiming for the league or titles, would have saved me spending for a season ticket”
such fantastic fans …..
oh yes that was the plan…no ifs about it…and you didnt need to be told of the obvious…some things we figure out ourselves. cant expect the organisation to shoot itslef on its foot and say “forget titles..its denilson from now and for another 7-ten years”….you wouldnt buy a ticket would you? well who is going to pay for the 60,000 seater if not the fan ? who? the other teams fans? some billionaire? no no no…its ours.
so the organisation after making a 450 million commitment opted for a long term plan where the focus would be on developing world class youngsters thus having 11 players with increasing asset value and either sell or keep ( depending on other unpredictable factors) and assist the club in the period of repayment. Regardless of the financial benefits of this scheme perhaps the development of youngsters within the club also creates the nucleus or a soul for a generation to go on and do great things. Not a bad idea. Some would claim it in the making, what with the jacks aarons theos kierrans alex etc. The low wage policy makes sense and the option to sign older players on expensive contracts though manageable is completely undesirable and understandably so. The focus is money at this point, not titles. This might hurt the naive fan since he is used to doubles and european triumphs all his life (ha), but its the reality he/she couldnt accept and in the midst of fury and frustration turned against us. every obstacle is for a good purpose, this period helped us separate the men from the boys among fans.
LikeLike
and the women from the girls… 🙂
LikeLike
Well done Johny, the facts are there but people like Le twat & Payton continue to ignore them and the magnificent job arsene has done,Gary Neville was right,as right as right can be.
LikeLike
Thank you george for posting my story and thank you guys for your comments.
LikeLike
Up to a point, Mel.
There is still a long term bond to pay back, at £20m a year and it looks like the board are still tieing one of Wengers hands behind his back.
It seems he has to clearout to squad and ring fence wages before he can buy. (Yet again, sigh. Seems the old fashioned board’s parsimony is still alive and strong).
I know the official transfer season only opens on Monday but I’m getting anxious we may get gazumped by City or Chavski on out targets.
Those clubs must save a fortune on scouting, they just have to follow our coat tails.
If we are only going for 3 or 4 first team players (as normal) plus a few academy promotions, then it seems the only question is whether we are looking for a RB or CH, personally I would leave the Defensive group intact, they will get even better as a unit next season. The new CF is definitely mr xxxxxx, so Theo is going to stay a winger whether he likes it or not.
The final player seems to be every midfielder in France, can’t say I’ve seen much of any of them to give my ‘expert’ opinion on.reminded himself
Anyway, onwards to Japan!
I’ve heard Arsene Wenger has written a book on his football tactic theories but its only published in Japanese, anyone know more about this?
LikeLike
Nice one Johnny… great to read. Well done sir!
Stew > Amazeballs, leave it exactly where it is. Look further and you’ll be saying ‘totes amazeballs’, watching sickeningly benal trash TV where such words thrive, and you’ll have an inside knowledge of who’s shagging who in Essex .
LikeLike
Mel
I’ll be entering the Emirates through turnstile A at the West Stand on both days. Would love to meet even if briefly….
LikeLike
Nice one Johnny – takes courage to admit to mistakes but it what sets decent people apart from the mob, in my opinion.
Double Cannister – I imagine ALL clubs are under pressure to move on players for which no longer term future is envisaged. Financial Fair Play doesn’t exactly encourage clubs to sit on cost so it’s hardly likely to be unique to Arsenal.
I don’t see any evidence for the ‘board tieing Arsene’s hands’ – why do you suggest this may be so? If AW doesn’t add to the squad is it necessarily down to the board or due to him not finding the right players at the right price?
Am I missing something here? Arsene, of all people, simply won’t buy for the sake of it.
LikeLike
Nice one Johnny.
It’s always refreshing to see someone have the humility to admit that they may have got it wrong.
LikeLike
That was a good read Johnny, it’s good to know at least one ‘doomer’ was able to be swayed back by the facts.
I imagine it can be quite easy to be taken in to this very negative, critical way of thinking when a fan wanders into the online Arsenal world of twitter and blogs, with the sheer volume of propaganda out there designed to recruit more and more into that mindset. When you delve a little deeper, as you did, you see the whole Wenger Out movement is built on a house of cards. Lots of myths, assumptions, conspiracy theories, a careful omission of the facts, and a giant dollop of inferred wisdom on management, tactics, scouting and sports medicine.
LikeLike
From being a victim of impression management to being self aware. Throw off those shackles, your better and worth more than that.
Free thinkers are the danger for those wishing to gain power, and influence the masses.
They rely on perception management and de-individuation to enforce their agenda’s.
LikeLike
Welcome aboard Johnny. Spread the word…
LikeLike
HUNTER 13 @ 1015
well said mate….
LikeLike
The rag that is the sun has gone through the trouble of compiling a graphic on who was the best midfielder in the EPL last year. MIKEL comes up top in every category with AARON and SANTIAGO close behind. Yet this same rag has the audacity to praise Carrick as playing a vital role in winning the epl last year. WTF.. is it just me or is the sun completely off base and illogical in doing this. Or is it the case of nationality coming into play. F••••Ng media. I keep telling myself not to bother about their redemption and they keep proving me right.
LikeLike
Uruguay / Italy…. game on…
LikeLike
Goonerkam @4.57, see my previous post. Or research perception management.
LikeLike
Georgaki-as soon as my brother gets the paper tickets through I’ll let you know where we’re sitting-pretty sure we’re downstairs mate.
LikeLike
how is this website not featured on arsenal.com yet?
LikeLike
A23 – Blame George’s marketing team – they are rubbish.
George’s marketing team OUT.
LikeLike
AA they would be accused of spin if they did
LikeLike
Not a bad game this….
LikeLike
Spot on ADAM B.
even the most complementary article on ARSENAL and/or it players has underhanded sentiments behind it. I know AW knows about this biased tactic but I wonder if the players are aware of it. Makes you have Makes a different level of respect for them if they do and still remain faithful to the club and AW…
LikeLike
PG @ 614
SPOT ON
LikeLike
Glad to see you could admit the error of your ways Jonny, but I do have an issue with this “He might not make the right decisions 100% of the time”. I’m not sure why people feel the need to say this as though he is expected to make the right decisions all the time. Name me one human being who does? As far as I am concerned there is no need to say it.
LikeLike
There seems to be a growing number of the enlightened appearing on blogs and forums over the past few months. About 6 months ago I would of said the positives where few and far between, we were shot down with the usual “your an AKB” and had the eight years thrown in your face. There are still the ultra negatives out there, I had a long discussion with one on twitter the other day. It was like me talking to Adrian Durham with every negative and unfounded stat and quote thrown at me. I only got angry when he called me a lemming and was the type of fan who Stan loves and would follow him and the club over the cliff he is taken us too.
As you have found the “what the f*** do you do Ivan” and similar comments have no basis in fact and are just the easy spoutings of those who think they know better than you. Having thought about it I think that perhaps the negatives are the lemmings following media and ill informed opinions that perhaps have an agenda to them that is not in the interests of The Arsenal.
Welcome to the enlightened club
LikeLike
Spain are in trouble here, not coping with Brasil’s more physical approach.
Holy cow, Luiz with a wonder block. If Moe doesn’t rate him, ………
LikeLike
Well, maybe Moe was right about dropping Casillas.
The second one was hard to save though, but his distribution has put terrible pressure on his own defenders.
LikeLike
Very intense game indeed. Brazil not allowing Spain any time on the ball and pressuring all over the field. Spain rattled. 3-0 now.
Time to see what type of metal the world champions are made of…
LikeLike
DC
did you hear Ian drakes comments regarding ARSENAL & J. CESAR.??
LikeLike
3-0
Oh well, looks like an early night.
Spain could be at the recieving end of a mullering tonight.
Look away Santi. It’s not your fault, just get as much reast as you can for the next few weeks.
LikeLike
Ramos is such a boob.
So is Forlan by the way.. Buffon made monkeys of at least three Uruguayan players.
LikeLike
No ‘Kam, I didn’t. Who he? I just googled him, is he the commentator on ESPN America? The last time I was in the US I watched the football on the Hispanic stations, it sounded more atmospheric.
FFS, why would Ramos be let take a peno? I knew it wouldn’t go in.
LikeLike
It was very surprising to see Buffon get beaten on a free kick so far out, though.
The Penalty shoot out was nowhere near the high quality of the Italy-Spain game.
it looks like the Spanish are really suffering from playing on Thursday night. In a non Micky mouse tournament they would have been given a weeks rest for games in the playoff stage.
Blatters left the country, in case he got lynched.
LikeLike
Yah .he is doing the game with Robson I believe he just said it again. 3million fee agreed. I don’t effin believe this guy.
Agree that Ramos should not be taking the peno even though Navas went down too easy.
Now pique is red carded. Their asses are fried now.
LikeLike
I think the game against Uruguay took too much out of Spain.
LikeLike
I meant Italy…
LikeLike
No DC , mr. Full BLADDER is present in the stadium. Naymar almost made it 4.
LikeLike
nice save JC. CLUTCH.
LikeLike
Yap. It is that Robson f••••er…
LikeLike
Errrr…Italy.
Smile.
The papers over here are saying about £1.5m British pounds, and we are strongly linked. I don’t know what that will do for shezzy and flappy, but julio is 33 and won’t be hanging around forever.
Of course, if any of the above is true. I dunno.
LikeLike
Another great save by JC..
LikeLike