It really irritates me that for as long as i can remember we have been the club everyone loves to hate. The media have never really been our friends and I do not believe I am being paranoid. But as a supporter of this great club I find it appalling that we have a group of our own so called fans, who deliberately spin and create negativity.
Every injury is the clubs fault. Our medical team are insulted, our coaches are insulted, our scouts are insulted, our manager is insulted and I have seen people wish ill health and worse on him.
Our players are insulted, Giroud gets it by the bucket load and fellow fans who defend the club and offer an alternative opinion get called abusive names. It is very sad because Arsenal is a great club and what we have built with our own money should be celebrated. instead we get the 9 years thrown down our throats. These idiots seem unable to recognise just what a great achievement we made.
The stadium and renewed sponsorship deals have capitulated us into mega club status, which ensures long term competitiveness. The Fifa list of clubs that have abused FFP may provide further proof of just how we have created a monster. Whenever I ask a stadium denier how they think we paid for the stadium and the Highbury redevelopment, they cannot answer. When I ask how many of the 9 years they think we had money to spend, they cannot answer. They use income received from player sales, as meaning we had money to spend. They are clueless.
I watched a football finance show a couple of years back where Cristain Purslow of Liverpool and David Gold of West ham were talking about Wenger and the stadium. Purslow described the stadium move and regular champions league qualification as a miracle. Gold agreed. These are guys who know what they are talking about, not some marketing bloke that writes a blog or Adrian Durham. These are professionals that know how business finance and football works.They understood the problems we faced, the Granada issue, the delays, the fact we not only had to finance the Emirates but also the redevelopment of Highbury. The sponsorship deals that were negotiated on the basis that we were beggars at the time. And the arrival of the oil men. The fact we had a manager that bought into the plan and did not leave because of an over inflated ego that dictated he needed success on the field, like a Mourinho. These problems were being sorted out right smack in the middle of an economic collapse. For an Arsenal supporter to drool over cheque book managers like Ancelotti and Mourinho is truly embarrassing.Wenger and Arsenal were a match made in heaven and we got lucky. The history books will show that.
I am proud of being an Arsenal fan and the way the club conducts itself. I am proud of the fact that we have done things properly and without the aid of a foreign national that has no real interest in the sport, other than the egotistical rewards it provides. I despise the way Chelsea has conducted itself over the years, pretty appalling stuff. Even Maureen gets an easy ride. I just wish Arsenal fans would stick together and put two fingers up to the hacks, ex players and blog writers that seem intent to abuse our great club and anyone displaying what I consider to be true support.
As you can see I am passionate about this subject and the defence of our club. Better get some work done now and a nice cup of tea.
This was a comment by proudkev that I felt deserved its own space. *
*And a little addition for Gainsbourgh69
Positively Arsenal 
Certainly did deserve the prominence of a blog post on its own. Bravo, proudkev.
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Great post
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Can we lock @legrove in a cabinet and make him read this piece 900 times?
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Yes sir, shout this from the rooftops!
What a debut from Proudkev and garnish from Gainsborough69.
Well done lads!
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Well said!
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the above is reality.
what the haters and doomers say is not reality ..but pure fantasy.
there is nothing wrong with Arsenal, there is everything wrong with the morgans and his orphans.
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At last, common sense gets a place. Adrian Durham claimed that Walcott was better than Bale because he sacrifices for the team and not personal glory like Bale. On that stance, Wenger is better than Ferguson as he too has sacrificed personal glory for the long term good of the club. I will always carry a sense of privilege to have been witness to a modern day Herbert Chapman, Wenger knows, now more than ever.
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Good post George
Can I just preface my following comments with, I’m proud to be a gooner too!
Going back in time… late 60’s/early 70’s. No internet. I don’t recall Arsenal fans fighting amongst themselves. I don’t remember arguements about whether the manager should stay or go. I don’t remember the abuse of players. Back then, if we lost then our anger was alleviated by leaving the ground and taking it out on the opposition supporters. Then going to the pub and getting fucking drunk and looking forward to the next game. I had about twenty mates and we went to all home and away games together. They were my only option for debating the issues and we were generally in agreement.
Fast forward to the 21st century. The internet, now every Gooner on the planet has a soapbox to air their views. So all of a sudden, we are inundated with negative viewpoints and the opposing positive viewpoints. But we do have a choice, we don’t have to read the blogs which we don’t agree with. OK you get the occasional troll but they don’t cause me any real damage or harm.
The only thing from you summary George, the constant, is that we are the club that everyone loves to hate. Why that has been so I’ve got no idea. At the end of the day I love my club, I love the Arsenal and will continue to do so till the day I fucking die.
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Hey northbank, in principle i do agree to have a different opinion, but when that opinion is clearly wrong and creates disruption and paints a wrong picture and INSULTS the work and efforts of our manager then it has to be called out, isolated mocked and ridiculed.
It is beyond comprehension that Arsenal fans who havent got a clue of what it means to be a big club think of themselves as entitled to critisise as harshly.
If you break it down it is far more reasonable and closer to actual reality that Arsenal had to wait and grind it out than the offending comments of Wenger not knowing what he is doing. Or the extremely ridiculous viewpoint that he was given money to bring messi villa and pirlo but said “no ill play with wilshere and gervinho”
I also agree in what you say about the Internet, but thats no excuse for the insultive manners of amateur commentators passing definitive judgment/verdict on managers and players abilities.
Those with dignity and after ending with egg yolk in their faces on Ramsey have still not learned to keep their mouth shut. They think that by saying “sorry i got it wrong” it washes away the betrayal. No, it does not. If i open my mouth on something and get it totally wrong i dont talk again……..Arsenal fans have no dignity. They move the goal-posts and are constantly looking for something to beat the club with. I can bet you right now there are fellow fans of ours who are wishing we drop from top4 and lose the f.a cup to get wenger out. Are these fans thinking of the club or only themselves and to verify their ego and opinions?
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Also northbank
On one hand i have a club that spends 200 million on ready and established world class players with sole purpose to go and win the top prizes in football.
On the other hand i have a club that has built its stadium and is forced to wait and spend next to nothing and obviously the top prizes are not the objective.
I would be really stupid to put both above clubs in the same basket and knock one of them down for not winning the top prizes, would i not?
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Hello Northbank
I must have been great fun back in the 70’s supporting the Arsenal – Terraces, a real connection to the players & Charlie George! (and a bit of argie bargie too).
I can only really remember Terry Neil’s time onwards.
I’m sure though some fans turned on Bertie Mee in the later years as Arsenal declined in the league, sadly ’tis always the way.
Social media nowadays gives every smartarse with a grudge a voice.
Great work ProudKev.
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Hunter
Are you arguing with Northbank?
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Thanks proudkev, George and Gains too. Worth re-reading with a nice cup of tea.
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I don’t know what to say. Thanks for using my comments George and for the support of my feelings from fellow Gooners.
Restored my faith after my previous blogging experience so many thanks boys.
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And a propos of nothing that has been written today, but purely because I like to be accurate, I would like to withdraw my remark about passive aggression and replace it with one about “guilt tripping”. Passive aggression has a totally different meaning.
I won’t be offended if you have skipped. (banned smiley face)
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Diaby’s leg scars.
That man has suffered.
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He is like Jesus DC, he suffered for us.
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For those like me who couldn’t watch the U21 game yesterday a quick trawl found this pitchside review. It’s not much…
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Tremendous piece ProudKev – The contemptuous bile of the meeja just a symptom of the short term, instant gratification, know-nothing, think-less, instant celebrity world we live in.
Good points NB – the other point about the pre www digital/phone in age is that not only was there no global soapbox to clamber on, with the disgruntled at worst able to bore their mates to death on the subject before being told to stfu, but there were far, far fewer season tickets.
When I started going the only season ticket holders where men over 50, wearing sheepskin three quarter length coats, driving gloves and checked caps. The first one I ever spoke to managed a shoe shop in Cheapside. I have no idea what season ticket holders thought because they never said and no one asked them
The disgruntled never had season tickets – when results were going badly they just said “fuck it, I’m off” and they would stay away for a few months til things picked up.
Now possession of a season ticket confers among many of the holders not just the opportunity to watch the team every week, but the “right” to have an opinion and a “responsibility” in their own minds to abuse, to castigate, belittle and generally undermine the players, the manager, the coaches, the club when results are not going as they wish.
They are locked in, money has changed hands, they have no means of escape.
Personally I wish they would just fuck off down B&Q on Saturday and leave me to it.
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double canister
April 23, 2014 at 11:02 am
No no no…i even agree with in principle, im just shocked at the allowance of opinions that truly offend the manager and arsenal being passed on as “democracy”
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Now possession of a season ticket confers among many of the holders not just the opportunity to watch the team every week, but the “right” to have an opinion and a “responsibility” in their own minds to abuse, to castigate, belittle and generally undermine the players, the manager, the coaches, the club when results are not going as they wish.
They are locked in, money has changed hands, they have no means of escape.
Personally I wish they would just fuck off down B&Q on Saturday and leave me to it.
word.
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Top work Proud Kev: really enjoyed all you had to say. Keep writing!
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http://www.blog.woolwicharsenal.co.uk/archives/10147
I liked this post over at Untold & I agree with the concluding paragraphs. In stadium support has been enjoyable this year. The Expert Groaners exposed themselves with allegations that the Ozil signing was a fluke but, surprise surprise, most Arsenal fans do not appear to be so bitter or demented. For me the big giveaway this season was the realisation that all five or six members of Redaction have, for years, received no support from the vocal self-appointed spokesmen on behalf of all Arsenal fans. This tells us everything we need to know.
As the season draws down it appears that the Untold/refwatch site has been hacked/attacked, so this post is up on their history site.
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Disgraceful what’s been happening to Untold’s site.
The Begrudegers say their voice is entitled to be heard and their half baked opinions should be listened too, alas people like us who believe in a reasonable and fair long term assessment of the Manager and Club are apparently not entitled to our viewpoint at all.
I’d imagine attacks on the scale Untold have suffered over the years cost serious money and time. Now then who has the means, motive and opportunity to do that?
An evil international criminal on the scale of Jabba the Hutt would be my guess. (youknowwho).
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PG
And he will arise again to forgive us of our sins and lead us to paradise.
Except the fecking haters – they can burn.
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Double Canister said at 11:01am
I’m sure though some fans turned on Bertie Mee in the later years as Arsenal declined in the league, sadly ’tis always the way.
They did on occasion but I don’t remember it being no where near as bad as it is now.
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Yet in spite of years of the above it is PA that is like the Gestapo or not the Spanish Inquisition. Did I forget Stalinesque? Er.
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ha fins! well put! remind me again what happens when you offer a realistic positive opinion on aclf? oooops you get banned….but jojo malakas and killbill plus C unt can talk shit all day long……
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jojo malakas….is he a rap artist?
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no not rap..such geniuses compete with mozart and the likes only….such culture …
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It, as in the atmosphere, was worse last season. Much better now here in N5. This year Arsenal were top for a long time. Unlike some self-appointed desperate demagougues most fans are not stupid and unsurprisingly in spite of the media mantra of spend spend spend (with the help of a Wonga loan?) most football fans understand the concept of team building as opposed to oligarchical laundering. Ozil in, and it’s clear that another of that level might be required to complete the process of rebuilding the team that included the F Word & Van Stapleton. Of course the two who left were Great players, but the current squad has the potential with stars like Koscielny and now Ozil and the emerging Ramsey. Those who are a level above the village idiots try to allege the club do not know this, when all know they bid for Suarez.
The idealised model has always been to buy in top top players and mix them in with the players brought through. That means taking no punts on shite like Jo (£30M?) Carroll (£30M!) because unlike say, Liverpool, Arsenal football club have not been in a position to take an easy +£20M loss on transfers (don’t forget Downing!) so quickly. Watching a bit of the Gazprom game last night hands up who though Willian was worth what Jose gave to his agent? What about the icon the Groaners were holding up as their ideal on the 31st August 2013, the visionary who knew what he was doing as opposed to the incompetent Arsenal football club (never mind the legendary humilation of Levy as he sat in the Arsenal Press Room awaiting his big announcement following the defeat of Tottenham whilst Arsenal were busy signing Ozil) and that Levy or Baldini’s(hehe) vision to spend a rather large amount of money on agents fees for dross: what the hell happened to Lamela? Was he kidnapped? Hello Soldado? And to have had stadium plans for the last five odd years which no builder had (been paid) to look at, hence the amusingly late revelation that they might need to rent if they build a new stadium (“erm…it might get a bit dusty on match days boss. And might, just might mind you, it might slow down the build. Which will of course raise my fee!…”).
The efforts taken to not discuss the horror of Tottenham’s transfer idiocy by the Tottenham fans who work on fleet street and at the Bleeb are hilarious.
And most fans of football who follow the Arsenal can see this.
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Good post, fins.
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Great stuff kev, well worth a re-read.
Harj, he will be vindicated by history and many will retort to revisionism.
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FG
I might be wrong but overall I feel it’s been the best atmosphere since the move this season? The chants of “Red Army” against West Ham last week were very loud! Good fun too.
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I haven’t been since before Christmas so I couldn’t judge. But I’ll take your word for it and I’m glad.
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well said mate,i’v faced alot of stick while defend’n d club here in nigeria,Wenger has done a great job and rightly deserve 2 reap d dividence of his hard work.all we need now is a lethal striker 2 aid Giroud and pray 2 God 4 an injury free season 2 all our players then they can judge,gonner till death.
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Probably the atmosphere was little bit better when the better players were available, playing & the team were top! The last minute equaliser for Swansea was not fun but then that is football: If you love a late winner like I do then you’ve got to be able to handle a late ricochet that equalises for an opponent!
Overall I’ve had the impression that there has been an improvement.
–
If you’ve been listening to the hacks with your ears wide open then you will have heard the narrative on the cup final being prepared by those who so admired Levy last Summer…I don’t think I need to add anything more there! Same old bollocks.
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yes the crowd is not too bad…far more supportive than what blogs and internet would have you beleive…obviously lots of room to improve….i suggest arsenal’s finest take a trip around europe specifically athens gate 13 panathinakos and take lessons ….. i mostly go out of respect to wenger really, cant say the atmosphere does it for me but then im a bit of a cannibal and used to a completely different ideology of what support means…. for 90 mins we are there to make life a living hell for opponents and lift our players spirits and psychology…here they wait for the team to give the crowd something to cheer about….
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Lol. I’m not even trying to be funny here:
Gnabry & Sanogo/Akpom > Lamela & Soldado (coming in at a cool £50M!!!!)
–
Alan ‘I am on T.V.’ Sugar. Someone who actually has run a football club:
“Wenger knows the market.”
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Hang on, my bad: Lamela & Soldado came in closer to £60M *wipes a tear*
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I have never come across any problems with the noise or the energy of the crowd at the Ems when we are up against serious opposition or for a local derby. Backs to the wall we are good.
Where the atmosphere is lacking is when we play teams that we are “supposed” to beat and we are not 3-0 up by half time. Even if we are in control of the game the groaning starts, the tutting, the head-shaking, if we slip up and concede then the frustration boils over into booing and jeering.
and Gawd help the player who makes an error, or two errors – might as well have a target on his chest.
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I forget the details, but I remember reading something relatively recently about the way The Arsenal’s style of play doesn’t help in generating massive crowd excitement. It wasn’t critical of the way we play, but just observed that after the nth pass the crowd that was ready to erupt settled back into a kind of hypnotised apathy. I don’t know about that but it kind of made sense. If it were up to me I would ensure that our fantastic away-supporters were grouped together: half behind the goal at each end. But I sense that the tide is gently beginning to turn with regard to support, both in the stadium and beyond. Although in fairness this could just be because I have got rid of very nearly all negative voices on my twitter-line.
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Great piece, I think the biggest protest our fans ever made was the sit down outside the stadium at the end of Billy wrights reign, our lowest recorded home crowd I believe, as supporters didn’t enter the stadium. Even the bin liners have not had the courage of there convictions to do that.
It seems to very strange when fans are up and when they are quiet and very hard to predict. It seems that when many tickets are resold the atmosphere is better this is also backed up by the quietness of Wembley when you would imagine season ticket holders would have been there.
The other worrying thing is the link between us being top and a better atmosphere this season, if we have to be top to keep the supporters singing then they need to be reported under the trade descriptions act
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foreverheady
April 23, 2014 at 3:31 pm
in a stadium full of 60k people…there are those who go there to see a spectacle like in a theatre, sport oriented people who go there to watch football, and then there are those who go there and dont care about the spectacle or the game or the passes or the goals but are there to support unconditionally win lose or draw with constant chanting ala kop/gate13 style…we dont have that yet. only in away games we have that.
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anicoll5,
That’s a fair summary.
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If you watch a big ‘continental’ game you’ll notice the crowd groaning less at a misplaced pass then sometimes at the new Arsenal Stadium. And cheering loudly when one of their players pull off the kind of skills that Carzola shows many times in most games.
If some people prefer their old skool footy and want to see blood and thunder up and under rugby league then why are they moaning at misplaced passses? I don’t get that.
I have noticed that many of the people who like me will loudly applaud a crunching challenge from Koscielny will also rise to applaud some outrageousness from Carzola.
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100 % percent behind this article and the positive comments. Let’s not let the negative folks be the loudest cause then we’ll be f*****.
Taking into consideration that we have lost about 5 points of the top of my head (the villa game and penalty in chelsea,+more) to refereeing errors, and the injuries to ramsay and walcott (which was just as important as ramsay almost in my view when he played this season) – I say – this season has been amazing!
My only complaint is possibly about fabianski not being nr.1 however, cheszey has a lot of potential and Im glad wenger trusts his players to learn and improve which is sadly becoming harder and harder as fans want instant gratification. There is no area in life where you learn without making mistakes (in my view).
Keep up the positive vibes!
Marc. from Norway
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Nice post by Northbank in my far-away opinion. I wasn’t there, but I followed avidly and distantly, a young football player then in 70/71 who for some strange reason supported an almost “unknown” team (in my bit of the world) called Arsenal. People who watch football, rather than only football results, can easily see what happens when the cream of Arsenal play, what it has meant when too many are unavailable. I think the rational amongst us, the majority, do have a clue that Arsenal is much stronger; some are swayed by media madness that negates anything Arsenal, not unlike propaganda.
Everton remain breathing down our necks, we must be careful. Well done to Everton, really excellent season. Three to go. We’re on the up again, but concentration needed to the end. But few could be surprised if we snatched a higher position anyway. If Chelsea can conjure up a loss, not unlikely, we could be just 2 points adrift of them.
Wenger seems much more his old assured self again, good to see; it’s been nerve-wracking, some of your best players and playmakers injured, and that after earlier injuries, a couple more on tired legs, another couple not quite at the level, and a team off-balance for 4 or 5 difficult weeks. Many of those injuries coincided with “season defining” stretches of games. One or two come back, and Arsenal get straight back into gear. The relative importance of some players can be accurately assessed by the way the other players react with them on the field. I know the feeling. Confidence.
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Fins 1:39pm
Very good point about the atmosphere this season at the Ems.
May be many reasons, but I think positive fans have been fed up with the boo boys and contrarians ruining it for the majority. Nerves silence many – not often you can see an Arsenal team done and dusted in a game very often at home.
Getting behind the team and players (all of them) during the match is all that matters, and It is much much better now. Even the players have noticed it and commented on it.
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It would be nice for Chelsea to collapse spectacularly and give 3rd and 4th places to us and Everton.
Unfortunately the gods of football (Ramsey’s parents) are a bit more fickle than that.
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