I’m out of step again. If supporting Arsenal was a dance I’d be treading on every toe in the room. It’s OK don’t feel sorry for me, I’m quite used to it. When we were playing in hugely entertaining games but coming out with honours shared in multi scoring draws or losing by the odd goal or as a result of hugely prejudicial refereeing decisions I often found myself in a minority of one. I stood like the little boy still waving his flag after the procession had passed saying to nobody “Wasn’t that a gay parade, colourful and exciting?” as everyone else in the street marched grumbling back into their houses angry, cheated, feeling the costumes were less flamboyant than in previous years, the music a little discordant, the majorettes skirts less high than they liked and the baton twirls not as extravagant as they might have been.
My final contribution, I genuinely believed it to be forever, to the world of Arsenal blogging was to ask, almost a year ago now and following a three three draw with Fulham, whether there was any other single person out there who could agree that the match had been entertaining and good to watch. Nobody could. I said that in that event I would keep my counsel. That I did until George and Adi inflated the enormous bouncy castle that is Positively Arsenal and enquired as to whether or not I might like to jump on and try a few somersaults. The rest is, to polish a very tired and already shining cliché, history. Or at least so I had assumed. Increasingly though I’m finding myself once more moving into a position of isolation. Remarks passed are missing my bulls eye by a fraction and the popular note is not, to my ear at least, always quite true.
Before you begin to berate me for a curmudgeonly, or as my Caledonian comrades would have it, a carnaptious outlook during this time of celebration and general rejoicing among the Arsenal cognoscenti, stay your sword hand, I beg, keep your powder dry, and hear me out. I am not miserable, nor am I deliberately dour simply in a spirit of perverse contradiction. I have been accused of such contrary instincts often enough in the past and so I must presume that there could be some truth in the accusation, one is put in mind of the old clench about a stopped clock being correct at least twice a day. However on this occasion I am certain I can defend my position against such a prosecution case.
In the first instance I believe I may meet with a favourable reception. I am hugely antagonised by the refusal of the media, exemplified by the apparatchiks at ЅҠЧ ЅРѺЯТЅ on Tuesday evening, to give simple unvarnished credit where it is manifestly due. Arsenal did not in fact play the most outstanding, beautiful efficient and yet inventive football imaginable. Instead Napoli were a disappointment. Napoli were poor. Napoli were sure to come out and show more in the second half. The script cannot be changed, Arsène cannot be given credit for what he has been building at the Emirates all these years because then the real power in football would have to admit they’d been wrong and force a different editorial line from the wooden lips of their ventriloqual dolls. I’m sure we were all as annoyed by the commentators search for excuses to prop up their tired arguments. Thank goodness for the French TV coverage I eventually secured. Where I differ from the rest of you perhaps is my reaction to the media circus where there is evidence or at least the suggestion of a change of heart. People are rejoicing that the papers are beginning to recognise that we are resurgent, that we have awoken and the bad or lean times are behind us. I hear folk talking with glee how this negative blog or that radio show are saying that from the depths of despair when we lost to Villa and inspired by our new Deutsche Wunderkind Arsenal are suddenly a different team. And this is one of things that really pisses me off.
The media are not saying “We got it wrong, we’re sorry for all the scurrilous nonsense we’ve talked about the great Monsieur Wenger and his long term plan” of course they aren’t and they never will. What they are actually saying is Arsenal were shit until Arsène finally caved in and spent some fackin’ money – just like they’d always told him to. I can’t celebrate that. I can’t celebrate when they propagate the nonsense that Mesut Özil inspired us to victory over Napoli as I heard this morning or that he was ‘at the heart of everything good about Arsenal” as I read. Apart from the fact that by any sensible measure no one stood out in what was the consummate team performance (except possibly Aaron Ramsey who was the best man on the pitch in the first half and by quite a long way) the comments are at best lazy –
Arsenal spend a lot of money on a player ergo he must be the best player at the club
or self serving –
we always said Arsenal would never do anything until they spent some fackin’ money so now we will ignore the facts and thus prove ourselves correct.
So don’t expect me to cheer when these lying scumbags appear to be blowing smoke up our kilts. They will turn on us at the first bad result and won’t ever give credit for the fact that this team was already in the midst of an incredible run, which has continued and to which Özil is merely one contributing factor. The real story is the platform Arsène has assembled upon which the likes of Mesut can strut their stuff.
Another area where I find myself out of step with many of my friends is this mood of vindication, this feeling that the results have proved us to be right and yar boo sucks to anyone who doubted our positive support in the past. I’m reading Roy Jenkins huge and hugely enjoyable biography of Churchill at the moment and it has given me pause on this subject on more than one occasion. The old warhorse was very fond of saying “In war, resolution; in defeat, defiance; in victory, magnanimity” and a little bit of that magnanimity wouldn’t go amiss right now. Apart from anything else I don’t think it is the results or current form that proves us to have been right for standing defiant by the manager in recent times. Churchill was furious at Chamberlain’s betrayal of Czechoslovakia in 1938 and ’39 and made many dire predictions about the calamitous outcome of a continued policy of appeasement. My argument is he wasn’t proven right by the carnage that ensued in the following years, he was right to be appalled at the perfidious treachery shown by the Western allies to the Czech people regardless of the outcome. Even if Hitler had stopped there and Europe had enjoyed decades of peaceful prosperity it wouldn’t alter the fact that allowing the fascist annexation of another country would have been wrong. Full stop. Wrong because it was wrong by any moral measurement not wrong because of the way things turned out. In our perhaps less cataclysmic area of concern, we would have been right to support our manager and players irrespective of the results they went on to achieve. We are supporters and we could clearly see what Arsène was trying to achieve and how he was going about it. It was right and proper to support him in that quest. If we’d lost a few more games this season than we have that position would still have remained the correct one. We supported him simply because it was the right thing to do and this good run of results is not relevant. ‘I told you so’ has no place for me.
I know what you’re thinking – lighten up Stew and let us have our moment for goodness sake. Fine go ahead I don’t blame you and I too am revelling in the football and the results. I’m happy for players like Aaron and Tomas after their personal tribulations and I’m delighted for Arsène to be where he deserves to be, I am a little bit in love with Per Mertesacker and if it means the team is winning I’m content to be proven right. I just don’t buy the media line and don’t think it healthy for anyone else so to do, oh and I prefer magnanimity to gloating any day of the week. The former is sun kissed and virtuous residing upon lofty moral high ground, the latter lives in a squalid detritus choked gutter of self regard. Having said all that I’m not immune to the instinct to poke out my tongue at my detractors. To that end I have one delicious quotation to share with you from Jenkins’ weighty tome. Churchill was adept at putting people in their place with a pithy or elegantly turned phrase, in fact this remains one of the things for which he is most famous. However he was, unsurprisingly perhaps, occasionally on the receiving end of some pretty stiff stuff. When I consider some of the awful accusations levelled at us Positivistas, that we were living in the past, that events had left us behind and we were clinging to the promise of false hope based on Arsène’s achievements from a sadly bygone age, the words of the Marquess of Linlithgow from a written exchange with WSC in 1932 spring instantly to mind. “Forgive me then if I say that it is not, it seems to me, so much I who am mouthing the bland platitudes of an age that has passed away … but rather you who are hanging hairy from a branch while you splutter the atavistic shibboleths destined by some to retreat into the forgotten past”.
Now that is a put down.
Positively Arsenal 
Poor Old Henry – he never really got over the “How many Arsenal players would get in a combined North London 11 ? ” ( to which his answer was 1 with the other 10 from THFC) just before the NLD at the Grove in 2012.
I still quite like him, one of the ones I read
Be gentle with him
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Steww is mostly right on this one. We don’t want to descend into another mean, antagonistic blog, no matter the obvious temptation. I don’t think that was George and Adi’s intention.
Magnamity, humility in victory. Firmness in our convictions.
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I really was wondering where i missed something.
By all means Ozil has added great value to the team as AW always said he was looking to sign a super super player which many even skeptically wondered at the possibility, but lets not now ignore the fact that the team was on a run before his arrival interrupted only by ref Alan Taylor in the villa game!
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Aha!!! I see @Bootoomee has put things more eloquently than myself. Good
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team spirit,
Thanks for the complement. For those of us who have been consistent in our faith in and support for the team, reading many of the over the top praise of Ozil is just freaking annoying. Plus, every team that we have dominated and beaten, we only did because they were poor, never because we are great. I recall some moronic pundits stating that Swansea would be the litmus test. Now, they are quiet about it after our victory.
Arsenal and Arsene can never win against these idiots. It’s better to just ignore them.
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FunGunner,
I think I said I would not forbid it,I have also ASKED him not to do it.
To be clear.I dont like it.It annoys me and it can create an atmosphere that is uncomfortable for some.
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Like rabbis and psychiatrists if you put a group of football fans together they will find something to argue about and vehemently, with no quarter given Fun
Its in our DNA
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here is an interesting piece from the Independent.
to be fair to the Journo – he has not gone on the Ozil is the saviour bandwagon.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/is-this-arsenal-midfield-the-best-of-the-arsene-wenger-era-8854726.html
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Andrew: “For my part, I find the whole gloating, crowing, ‘told you so’ mindset unedifying and unnecessary. Apart from anything else, one runs the risk of being hostage to fortune.”
I think my Schaden has Freuded enough that I don’t even care about all the doomers and fence sitters we’ve had to put up with for the past few seasons. All I care about is enjoying the shit out of this squad and watching Arsene make the likes of Mourinho look like the untalented hacks they are.
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arsenalvision.co.uk/my-vision/4409-wenger-snubs-psg-and-is-set-to-sign-extension-at-arsenal.html … #Arsenal #Wenger
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@ PG
Please would you delete my comment at 2:03pm? I’ve cocked up one of the paragraphs and want to repost. Thanks.
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I think professionals in the media are fair game – they are and were one of the main causes of the poison infecting the support for the past few years.
There has been a lot of steam let off around here for the past few weeks – I can understand that, considering it’s been so long since we had the chance to be proved right in our support of Arsene, the Team and the Club.
But In the spirit of magnanimity and politeness, and as a courtesy to many of our fellow Positivas, I agree we can turn it down now a few notches – the team do the talking for us.
I have no problem with Hunter or anyone else going into attack-dog mode now and again, the discussion last week here was ‘colourful’.
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Re-post – more accurate reflection of what I was trying to say in my earlier comment, which I hope PG has deleted.
****
Beautifully written, steww. I’ve been irritated by the same narratives since Ozil arrived.
However, something bothers me about your final point and the gloss given by AA.
I know you know that gloating can be fun, but I would say that it doesn’t become less fun if the gloatees are Arsenal fans. We positivistas were right to have perspective, as you say, to realise that success is cyclical and that the tough times (such as they were) wouldn’t last for ever; that our manager was working under severe constraints in a challenging climate as opposed to being a senile, out-of-touch dictator; that our board had a financial strategy as opposed to being thieves and liars… I could go on. Unlike Andrew, I don’t think that feeling smug about that makes us a hostage to fortune, because those sorts of points have been proved correct.
I am now probably going to make myself unpopular with a lot of regulars. Many of you have called out the press or other boggers on having underestimated Giroud, or on pushing the Ozil-as-saviour narrative, or fair weather praise in the media now that we are doing well – and these are just examples from the last couple of days. What is the conceptual difference between that and what Hunter does? The subject and the people you are calling out might be different, but – phantom arguments apart – I can only see a difference of degree and frequency. H13 is monomanic. (So though I agree with much of what he says, I also scroll past much of it because it is repetitive. No offence, I hope, Hunter.)
On forgiveness, I absolutely agree with you that it is better to let go of resentments which are warping your life or obsessing you. Case in point, RVP. But if it’s nothing more than an irritation, if you’re just having a good laugh at stupidity, I would say, snigger away.
When Ivan or Arsene call for unity, they are calling for fans to be united behind the club. Fans will never be united amongst themselves, it’s just not possible for millions of people to agree on everything.
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@ anicoll5 October 3, 2013 at 2:19 pm
Exactly
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Steww
“I am hugely antagonised by the refusal of the media, exemplified by the apparatchiks at …….{insert any TV station} ……..on Tuesday evening, to give simple unvarnished credit where it is manifestly due.”
Yup, some us still want to retaliate.
We can leave the amateurs out of the crossfire.
The media is still constantly saying that most, if not all Arsenal fans turned their back on Arsene and were on the ‘spend the fack’n money’ bandwagon.
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Hunter: “I am not telling the stupid that I was right,I am reminding them that they were stupid and vindictively cruel. I am reminding them that next time to keep there miserable views under their hat.Because their stupidity is now proven.”
That’s not going to happen. For most of these people, dooming is not a bug, it’s a feature. Trust me, my dear father is a doomer. He’s the type who will complain about the Miami Heat not beating all of their opponents by at least twenty points. Just this morning I went to my parent’s house to give him a kiss for his birthday and he was complaining that the sports section in October is dominated by NFL and college football. He was genuinely bothered by this.
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The “Is this AFC’s best ever midfield” ? is quite a question DC
Clearly 7 weeks into the seasons comparing our current set, bearing in mind we do not even now who the starting midfield would be or will be because of injuries, with past Arsene engine rooms is very difficult.
One think is noticeable though, never have we had a set of midfield players who are constantly all over the pitch, chasing the ball down when we are not in possession.
7-8 years ago teams just did not play like that
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Bootoomee, people who are pushing this Ozil as “Arsenal’s Savior” narrative are the types who would turn down an invitation to a three Michelin starred restaurant because they don’t serve chips. There is absolutely nothing you can do to make these trophy obsessed idiots appreciate the beauty they are offered week in and week out. Just remember, these are the same people who wanted Wenger out in favor of Mourinho or Ancelotti.
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I think if we look at all the mf players, assuming everyone was fit (I know, I know!) it is the best midfield I have known in terms of depth of quality. Admittedly my knowledge only goes back to 1998. And of course we play in a different way nowadays, but still.
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Gainsbourg69
October 3, 2013 at 3:07 pm
lol..haha no i was agreeing with george….
anyway knowing myself i think i will go chase cars….i will nto upset steww or andrew or anicoll anymore tis nto right…
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Positively Arsenal is getting at least a hundred comments a day now.
WE ARE TOP OF THE LEAGUE, WE ARE TOP OF THE LEAGUE.
Hahahahahahaha
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Personally I have only ever had a problem with people that abused or disrespected the players or the manager,not people that thought Arsene’s time was up,but look folks..imagine how daft those that behaved appallingly feel now? The manager and the team have answered em for us…. I love Hunters posts & passion by the way.
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@G69
I was thinking this morning about our run since March, and saying to myself, Moyes, Mourinho, even Sir Red Nose would have been content with that – hard work, discipline and efficiency with the odd purple streak thrown in bringing excellent results. But Arsene and Arsenal being who and what they are, we went for more. And that was the Napoli game.
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@ PG
Thanks for deleting the earlier post.
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No problem FunGunner.
I also answered your points
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I read a comment this morning about us being a few injuries away from having the whole house of cards fall down. Thankfully, others had already reminded this person that we were in the midst of an injury crisis and were top of both the league and the CL’s group of death.
Fun, I would much rather compare our team to what’s supposed to be the best out there at the moment. When I look around the prem, there isn’t a better midfield than ours. Look at how Man City is struggling without Silva. Look at United’s struggles even with Fellaini in there. Chelsea may have as much talent as we have in the middle, but they don’t have a coach who can exploit it.
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WE ARE TOP OF THE LEAGUE, WE ARE TOP OF THE LEAGUE.
REDARMYREDARMYREDARMYREDARMYREDARMYREDARMYREDARMY
REDARMYREDARMYREDARMYREDARMYREDARMYREDARMYREDARMY
REDARMYREDARMYREDARMYREDARMYREDARMYREDARMYREDARMY
REDARMYREDARMYREDARMYREDARMYREDARMYREDARMYREDARMY
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@ Gainsbourg69 October 3, 2013 at 3:44 pm
hard to disagree with that!
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dc@12.11
Haha. It’s awkward when your specs get steamed up.
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I was reading through Arseblog blog night.
A happy place. for instance:
‘In Wenger we trust’
206 thumbs up : 0 thumbs down.
That’s seems to be the mood of all but the most fucked-up Gooners these days.
Mind you sites like that one go a bit bi-polar as soon as we loose a game.
I’ve been reading blogs for years, but I only felt the need to get involved and state the way I want to support Wenger and the team since you guys started. The posts have kept us going, even when the days were at their darkest.
As Steww says “we would have been right to support our manager and players irrespective of the results they went on to achieve. We are supporters and we could clearly see what Arsène was trying to achieve and how he was going about it. It was right and proper to support him in that quest. If we’d lost a few more games this season than we have that position would still have remained the correct one. We supported him simply because it was the right thing to do and this good run of results is not relevant”.
Sorry Steww if I’m not big enough not to fee a little bit smug right now. I know it’s not pretty.
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rantetta
I got some funny looks in the Pub.
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From arsenal.com
“Arsène Wenger has announced the following team news ahead of the West Bromwich Albion game:
on the team news..
The only uncertainty we have could be Bacary Sagna who had a little hamstring problem. He has a scan today [Thursday] and from then on we will assess his situation. Everybody else came out of the Napoli game without a major problem so they should all be available.
on Santi Cazorla (ankle)…
He is not in contention. But he could be not far after the international break.
on Yaya Sanogo…
He is on a good way after his back problem. He will be the same, after the international break.”
Big shame about Sagna. But a big chance for Jenks.
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I wonder if that italics thingy works?
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And there’s my answer.
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Please Arsene,
don’t declare Santi fit until after the Internationals.
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I’m not so sure that those who have had a malicious campaign against the manager, spreading idiotic lies over this mental health for example (for years) will feel any remorse.
It is sad that some chose to get splinters up there arses defending these kanutes but it is what it is. Calling people out for spreading manufactured rubbish is considered to be impolite in some quarters.
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Conversely, as described so well by Passenal and others, the atmosphere in the ground was amazing on Tuesday. Arteta’s comments need no further comment!
Hopefully there will be more nights like that.
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the atmosphere in the ground was amazing on Tuesday
still some way to go …napoli fans were louder…. much louder…
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from the official site…
“We play better in positive environment’
Arsène Wenger has called for “perspective” amid Arsenal’s strong start to the season – but he admits his players are thriving in the feelgood factor around the Club.
The Gunners have reeled off 10 straight
Who would have thought the players respond to a positive environment and encouragement and support?… hmm…
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Beautiful and thoughtful words in response to Steww’s fine post, AA, as usual.
What made the Napoli victory so joyous for me was the team performance in every aspect of the game and the variety of play we showed ourselves capable of. I think AW deserves huge accolades for the canny tactical decision to play Flamini and Arteta together. What a platform it was for the attacking players and it completely stifled the dangerous counterattack. Flamini played a very disciplined role of stopping Hamsik. Whereas in the past, there has been talk that AW doesn’t prepare or change specifically for the opposition, this shows that within the broader concept of how we want to play–and that was a big joy as well to see us playing genuine Wengerball at a high level again after a couple years of a much less aesthetic style–all sorts of subtle tactical adjustments are possible in his set up. Happily, now he has a settled squad with some key additions that allow him greater flexibility and confidence than I can recall recently to employ his ideas. It is even such a mature and experienced team with leadership that they can make decisions on the pitch to hold the ball and just suffocate Napoli rather than chase a third goal too aggressively.
The other joy, echoing Evil yesterday, is seeing the happiness in AW. His celebration for the first quick and technically beautiful Ozil goal (how about Giroud’s chested control and canny touch to flick the ball on along the line for Ramsey’s run, how about the speed of that run behind the defenders and precision of the cross, how about Rosicky’s run to create the wide open space for Ozil, and how about that confident side foot of the ball into the corner from 18 yards!) was so wonderful. I watched the pre and post match conferences and he was glowing like I haven’t seen for several seasons. I am very hopeful that this means he is really excited to take this team to the top. Maybe we won’t win this year but it is clear we are on the upswing and I feel if he stays for another few years and has the resources to make the decisions he wants that we’ll be seeing some glorious football and some major achievements in the league and in Europe.
If we take four points or more points from Dortmund, defeat Liverpool and ManU, I think the skeptical pundits that keep talking about our thin squad (despite the injury returnees becoming available in the next month or so) as a basis for discounting the possibility that we’ll be real challengers will have he knives out and we’ll have to be wary of destabilization efforts waged through the media and by folks like Mourinho. Right now it is too early for them to get too worried. It will be interesting to see what gambits there will be. I think we are experienced and mentally tough to deal with the challenges of a long season as we have the most experienced, happy manager–keeping Sagna, adding Flamini, the likes of Arteta, Kos, Merts, and Giroud are experienced and confident in this league. Ramsey and Jack are tough minded characters. Lots of strength in this side..
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as someone said elsewhere…
buying Ozil cemented the recovery.
No, I can’t agree with that.
It was some recovery before that, wasn’t it?
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While Stews high standard of post has been maintained the comments and debate has been excellent today.
George is right about keeping the discussion on here while using other forums for the baiting etc.
As far as Churchill is concerned he was a hero for his leadership during a crisis however had a dubious record as a mp and changed sides during his career.
Much like most people the media person and the historic person are very different.
This has relevance to this site because I think this is the reason we have a different opinion to many. We are prepared to look behind the headlines and seek the truth not accept what the media tell us. If only everyone did this in all aspects of life the world would be a better place.
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You are right LSG – there were times on Tuesday when Arsene looked ten years younger, almost relaxed
Is it just me or is here lot more TV coverage of managers in the course of games nowadays ? It may be because they all spend their time in the technical area waving their arms and squeeking like nutcases which I suppose is fair game for the TV director. Even so the recent pictures of Martin Jol for example, looking as though he was in agony, was like intruding on private grief.
Are these men allowed no dignity – no corner to hide in when it all goes wrong ?
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Phil McNulty the Everton Fan on BBC website
‘Napoli were desperately poor’
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24360872
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I love Steww’s posts, even when I feel humbly thick in comparison.
I love nearly all of Hunters comments. (they can go on and on).
It’s Yin and Yang.
Both are great reasons to be here.
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Hunter @ 4:22 pm
You need to get to some away games mate, the away fans are superb.
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Marvellous Stew. Trust me, your are certainly not alone
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I’m with Steww. Victoria…
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Steww:
http://www.blog.woolwicharsenal.co.uk/archives/143
Tony Atwood’s header is suitably cheeky: “Winston Churchill’s direct involvement in Arsenal nearly led to the end of the club”. heh. The full story is in his book.
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ÖÖÖh! TÖ Be A GÖÖNER @OToBeAGooner 2m
Ramsey rated 8.8 for European Team of the Month for September just behind Messi. Wow. That’s an achievement. pic.twitter.com/V8hUT1Qred
Wow indeed
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