Sometimes I wonder why I bother with this site. What porpose does it have? I have written dozens of articles and said nothing new, original or educational. The regulars in the comments section , on the whole, know more about football and Arsenal than I do. I cant write like any of the other authors that contribute, so why bother?
Then my friends I read some comments and think “that’s why”. These people are why ! These people are what makes it worth the effort.
From ianspace2014
“My point is I would rather achieve 4th place with OUR team than win the league with an eleven of other peoples players. There is nothing wrong with the Mesuts and Alexis of this world but each player coming in must feel like an ARSENAL player dedicated to us and combining with our youth players.”
Then I read Kelly (alabamagooner) , she had this to say.
“Finally. Someone is able to express things that Hunter{Ed. Hunter is a regular poster} makes me too mad to articulate. So, I’m going to give it another go, to try to explain to Hunter and to everyone else.
I don’t care if we never win another PL title. There. I said it. If I cared about that, I’d support Chelsea. I have no historical connection to either club, so who cares, right? Just pick Chelsea instead, right? Here’s why I don’t do that: Arsenal mean something to me. The club, and its way of doing things, MEAN something. And that something isn’t to be the biggest bullies in the league, to destroy everyone on sight in some sort of macho rutting contest. What means something to me is to see a group of men work hard to achieve something. To weather the ups and downs together. To clearly care about each other and about their leader. A leader, (I’ll remind Hunter, who to his immense credit may be AW’s biggest fan) who sets this tone as the way he wants his football team to operate. Do I want to Arsenal to win the league? Of course I do! But I want it for them. Not for me. And that’s where I differ from many.
Yes, of course Hunter you are right. There are certainly better players out there than we have. There are better players in every single position. I can’t possibly argue that point with you. But I don’t love them. Of course the pundits say Arsenal need x,y, z players. They don’t care whether we get them or not. They aren’t attached to the team. They aren’t rooting for the team we have to pull together and achieve the very best that they can. I am. That’s the emotion of sport. That’s why I care about it. I hurt for them when they lose, and rejoice for them when they win. It’s not about me. That’s why I never get angry when we lose. Only sad.
We’ll buy players in the summer. We’ll lose players in the summer. I will mourn those who leave, and embrace those who come. But you will never, ever hear me say we should ditch a player we have for a better, flashier model. That’s not the way I see things. If you do…well, ok, that’s your way. You’re a better competitor than me. It’s a good thing I don’t run the club. But I wonder if you enjoy it like I do. If one little passing move that comes off in the midst of a game where nothing is going right can make you cheer and clap your hands. If seeing players and manager smile in training after a horribly disappointing weekend makes you feel everything is ok again. Or if you just want to string them all up until they perform to your exacting standards.
There. I’ve bared my soul…and it’s 3:00 in the morning in England, so no one is even going to read it. A shout into the void.”
And that dear reader is why this site exists. Not as a vehicle for my ego. But for a place that lovers of Arsenal can come and express that love , free from the barracking of entitled fans that demand Arsenal provide them with bragging rights and buy them success and silverware.
We all have hopes and dreams for Arsenal, but when they become expectations and demands that is when we cross the line between real fans and entitled customers.
When we scream for new players, a different manager or demand different tactics, again we are leaving behind the fan aspect and turning into customers playing Football Manager.
Those that shout the loudest , know the least. Its the same in most walks of life. I find the fans that think they have the answers don’t even understand the questions.
Its very obvious that the people who thought we played badly against Swansea and Sunderland don’t understand football or sport at all. But, boy oh boy, can they SHOUT
Positively Arsenal 
What happened to all my comments from earlier PG? All my scintillating wit?
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@Kelly (alabamagooner)
If you see this. I love you just for the way you see the beautiful game and our beloved club! Victoria Concordia Crescit. Victory through Harmony. Not Victory at All Costs.
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I could see no porpoise in them.
I had to deleted that blog and re-post it with a slightly different title.Sorry.
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“We all have hopes and dreams for Arsenal, but when they become expectations and demands that is when we cross the line between real fans and entitled customers.”
This. ^^^^^^
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Fair ’nuff.
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To quote someone who taught many of us what it really means to be a fan of Arsene’s Arsenal “Kelly, you are a star.” As someone who fell in love with this club only a few years before you, you perfectly articulate my feelings and aspirations for this club.
George knows!
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Two very well written pieces about what it is to be an Arsenal fan – perhaps I should try writing at 3 a.m. ?
One minor point struck me on the ‘happy when we win/sad when we lose’ point.
I am only disappointed or sad nowadays when we don’t play well, when we let ourselves down, when we have the talent but don’t get it out of the box. The game at Swansea this season was a perfect example of that utter gut wrenching misery – “WHY?!?” I sobbed into the rug, “WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME ?!? “.
If we play a good team, and we play well and they play better then fair enough. Barcelona, Bayern, Citeh last season at the Etihad if you want another domestic example or even Spuds at the Lane this year, games on which on the day we were beaten by a better football team. Nothing to be sad or disappointed about.
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What’s happened to Frank by the way?
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I fear the worst Shotta
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First, ZimPaul and now, Frank. They were the best. But we have Kelly, IanSpace and more.
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I don’t think I have commented more than a couple of times on here – even though I regularly read(and greatly enjoy, I must add) the posts and comments, but this, especially the highlighted comment. -Kelly’s(?) – had me very close to tears…not kidding. All my years as a fan of Arsenal, albeit one that’s never watched any Arsenal team play live before, I have never been able to have as clear a picture as created by you of how I feel about the Arsenal teams, the manager and how the club is currently being run, and I am ever so grateful for that. Thank you.
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Happy Days!
Rumour says Rosicky has signed up for another year. Denied a few of the starts he was inked in for by minor niggles, his value since his rehabilitation has been as a player-coach.
The player who will probably benefit the most from him staying is the player he’s in most in competition with, apprentice Wilshere.
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Fins I told you not to worry (huge banned smiley face)
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George, one of the reasons you should continue this site is because you are providing a canvass for some wonderful artist. Some of the writers you have in your ARSENAL, if you excuse the pun, are quite brilliant. Even the ones we have lost have their prose permanently etched in the archives. Every organization needs a great chairman to carry the talent and you are certainly that.
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Well as usual they are those that more eloquently express what we actually feel…
To eb fair to hunter I don’t think he really wants us to buy for the sake of it… And am sure he does trust AW to take the right choices for the sale of the club…if he thinks he does not need to buy, well and good! it more like stating people he think we are better off with if we must buy
I do not even think we actually need to buy cos there are players like Walcott, Gabriel, Wellbeck, Rosicky, Ox, Chambers, Debuchy, even keepers WS and martinez, on the fringe of the team, coming back from injury or not making the squad just now… also with some younger and even older generation on loan and within – Gnarbry, Toral, Zelalen, Akom, Wellington, Jenks, Poldi, Myachi, Campblell, Poldi, Iwobi, Ajayi, the new youngster that his name starts with B,
Enough rotating options for team and squad without buying new except there ia a reus or Messi available! is Reus even better than ours? More experienced maybe but rather injury prone!
So there may actually be no purchases and we would not be worse for it! or else what was the purpose to these loan spells/ was it not to gather experience to be ready for the first team?
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Wow. Thanks, George, for giving my shout into the void some daytime sunlight. Thanks to all for your kind words. Especially to Ross and to Shogun, I appreciate your thoughts and I hope you visit us in the comments more often. George keeps a well guarded gate here, and you won’t be subject to the typical online commenter abuse. Some may think that’s restricting opinion, but I call it giving people a safe space to talk. I appreciate that more than you know, George. Not many places where I could say “I don’t care if we win another title” and survive the torrent of abuse such a comment would generate!
That being said, I feel I owe Hunter an apology. Out of the context of the original post to which my comments were a reply, it reads like I’m hammering him. I’m sorry, Hunter. That outpouring was as much a result of two glasses of wine and a Twitter timeline full of people suggesting we throw out half the team because we couldn’t destroy United as it was a response to anything you said. You and I see things differently, but I know you love the boys, too. You just take the tough love approach while I’m a more nurturing type. I think maybe you remind me of my uncle, who used to tell my favorite cousin when we were kids to suck it up, be a man, stop crying like a girl or I’ll give you something to cry about, etc. I hated being around him sometimes, he scared me. Maybe I’m having flashbacks. (banned smiley)
Anyway, truce, Hunter, at least for today. It’s hard for me to understand getting so angry with players when they don’t destroy the opposition, but emotion is a funny thing. It kind of has a mind of its own, and there’s only so much we can do to control it!
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A great post and some fantastic sentiments on show. Now, if we could just put the mutual love-in to one side for a moment, can someone let me know just what is the matter with Danny Welbeck, and whether I can look forward to seeing him ply his trade at the Ems next season.
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Yes you can Tim he only has bruising to the knew. Short term Knock.
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Does Kelly (alabamagooner) have a Twitter account? Would love to see that kind of positivity on my timeline.
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the Arsenal squad for this weekends U16 tournament.
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nice to see youngster Brad House who has left AFC to join WBA speak in praise of AFC
Brad House @Bradhousee · 6h 6 hours ago
Well it’s safe to say I am officially singing with @WBAFCofficial. I just want to take the time out to say thank you to everyone at Arsenal football club with all the help and commitment they’ve put in to help me be the player I am today. I wish all the boys all the best with their careers and where it’ll lead them! I’ll miss it a lot ❤️⚽️
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I went back to have a look at my cup final post, someone I went to the game with passed on and I couldn’t remember if I’d mentioned them.
Whilst reading the comments I came across some gems. To have had zimpaul write a comment upon an article I wrote, and not just any comment mind you, that’s worth more then gold. Or more then fifty two hour long podcasts after every game!*
Thanks George.
*Poz is still good, always, he’s almost my favourite honorary plundit alongside Adrian Clarke and Phil Tufnell!
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Almost forgot Holding from that list
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Thanks PG.
Honest, I wrote to Alabamagooner at about 03:30, but in my fug if forgot to push Send.
My problem with her comment is that it was exactly what I wanted to say, and that,is the “problem” with this damn fine site: most commentators can better express my love for Arsenal than I. (Or is it ‘me’?) (And does the question mark go inside or outside of the parentheses)?
My little problem with the whole ‘we should buy this an that’ is, whomever comes in will make little difference to the decisions meted out by our honest refs. How many times have our expensive Özil’s and Sanches’s been kicked and cheated? Not to mention everybody else? DW23 has come to us from a team whose ‘decisions for’ are the very antithesis of ours! (Is that a beautiful sentence, or typical ranty bolux?) Danny, like Mesut, Alexis and whomever other et-al’s – come to our party knowing (and then feeling) the chronic bias, which always goes to show me how wonderful a manager we have in Arsène Wenger, which in turn allows me to ooze with pride whenever I think about our team. (I was just as proud of our team when qualifying for CL in 2007, etc)
I love the fact that I’m protected from outsiders spouting bolux, even if I’m myself guilty, due to what you poor souls have to read from me, and I still won’t twatter.
I arrived at the Ems so late for the Sunlun match I was fighting to get to my seat – against people who were going off for their half time cuppa’s. There was an air of pissed-off-ness in block 6, which I visited for the first time. Ooooh to be among the Northbankers!
I asked the chap in front of me who’d been booked. He informed me it was Ramsey.
That last 10 mins. before half time weren’t entirely inspiring, and I still haven’t re watched the game so my perspective could be bent.
A chap in front sometimes turned and looked at me. He looked as though he’d had some strong beverage. Nothing threatening or even uncomfortable, just a glazed looking resignation. “That ref can’t make a decision”, he said.
“That’s Anthony Taylor”, I bleated, “he ain’t gonna give us anything”. I ranted away merrily, trying to think of the date Taylor stuffed us against Villa, before realising I was wasting my time. I do know it’s a waste of time for me to be giving ref history lessons during the heat of battle, whether my listeners are inebriated or not. It was good to be there, and there’s an outside chance I may get to go on Sunday, in which case I’ll rush to the front of the stands in order to shout my appreciation to the players, but especially to the Prof.
(I’ve just tried rereading to check for bad grammar, but I got bored. Tut).
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Hey Eduardo. I do have Twitter. It’s @kmwood02. I’d love to follow you as well.
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truce for what? i was never at war with anyone………
strange how some feel that wanting to see the club players manager fans get to the very top where they deserve and see the fruition of their work as the entitlement of a customer…..
wenger spoke last week how the team-sport of football ultimately ends up being about the individual….that momment of defiance/brilliance that turns a game…flair/talent and personality/ character to do what is necessary…but from what i remember in the discussions of the summer, personality and character is not valued here….
i just dont agree with absolutism..and some of you saying that wanting players to offer something different or that the last 3-4 games we havent played so well is the sign of people who dont know or understand football and sports, is very arrogant …..
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alabama I’m not signed up to twitter
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Lol. I know, Hunter. You never apologize, you never go to war, and you’re never arrogant. (banned smiley)
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Duh. Sorry, Eduardo. That note was meant for Edmund, who asked earlier. My tired old eyes should slow down and read more carefully.
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well at least ive kicked a football…and im never absolute or dismissive of others ideas…and i have set up my life to be close to arsenal…. but yeah maybe im just a customer who dont understand the game… 🙂
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Hunter me old mucker AW doesn’t rotate as much as some would desire for more or less the reasons which you give above.
That is understood here (IBSF)
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I’m going to guess that if anyone appreciates the value of what you describe above, of a maverick, then it’s going to be the manager who signed Alexis Sanchez. This post was written just for you hunter! I hope you read it!
http://www.7amkickoff.com/2015/alexis-is-arsenals-suarez-why-you-should-quit-complaining-about-him-losing-the-ball/
I’mnot teasing, well, I might be, but you have to admit that if you ignore the bites for transfers then your pal Luis is the more orthodox player, just about. Alexis is off the curve!
He’ll learn to pass better. Özil will learn to keep those volleys down, you’ve all noticed that he’s been trying to improve his finishing since his move. Fire and ice, players who came to the arsenal under AW to improve their game and be the best players they can be. Yes, we all noticed the individualism behind those decisions, and respected them for it! They came to improve themselves, they could of got more Wonga and stuff elsewhere.
It’s exciting. I don’t think anyone imagines the squad is complete, not least because there’ll be a need to train up and transition in some younger players, cbs etc. which is why the super cup victory was so promising. The key difference between Sanchez and Suarez was age. Sanchez is in the Wilshere, Özil, Gibbs etc. age group.
Just imagine them developing over the next few years together. Holy. Moly.
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WTF is that yellow blob? I’m going to find my spectacles now, and it better not be what I think it is.
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When Sanchez was at Barca I used to wonder why he ever got a game. Nothing I have seen since has made me change my mind.
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the idea of having a suarez was scorned at…spat at..shat upon..because he is a racist who bites defenders as the daily mail says…because defenders are nice guys and never look to upset or psyche out strikers with elbows, knees, trash talking etc….. a footballer who comes top scorer or joint top scorer or generally in the top places after missing 1/3 of the seasons ….. i guess its because we know football thats why we know how to judge strikers properly…..
i guess its better and more feasible to wait for the refs to give giroud the fouls than getting a killer who will make defenders shit themselves….. after all the f.as the uefas the media are waiting us with open arms …. always willing to treat us fairly…
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fins no im not talking about mavericks…lahm for example is not a maverick….lahm is a big player,a world class player and has the sporting ego/personality that when the game requires will perform to the best of his ability …
i understand full well why gifted talented players will remain on the pitch…its because they might turn a game in an instant…
i never complained about sanchez either but i do spot ozil shying away at times and i dont like to see that from someone who is supposed to change a game…. or the leader of the orchestra (?) ..
and why the comparison of suarez and sanchez? i dont get it..you always seem to word it that its one or the other…that both dont fit in a squad…off course they do…cesc too!!! heh….
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George. Behave yourself. You never heard or saw me describing that chubby chucker Arshavin as slightly overweight after that Taylor debacle (he hit the pies in despair), did you?
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Um. Because AFC didn’t sign one but did sign the other! They were kind of traded in exchange by proxy with BBB, it makes sense to compare them. Sanchez is looking good so far. Needs to improve that passing. Just like Özil has been improving, you’d have noticed if you were watching. Whilst improving he managed to sneak an FA cup under one arm and a World Cup winning medal as a key player (not a part time sub) under the other. He’s not bad.
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I’m also guessing that some people here who were at the match when Paul Davis was given a longer ban then your favourite player. When AFC were given a points deduction and still went on to win the league, people who still idolise Rocastle.
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but we know ozil is not bad ..what remains to be seen is if he can influence must win games..its the difference between a good player and a great. xavi is a great..he has spoken when the ball weighed tonnes…have you seen that from ozil? even in germany its muller and maybe schweini who are the personalities that win the games ..ozil is supporting cast…he knows tons of football but i have my reservations for his personality/ego as a sportsman..
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dont know what you think but in my opinion our best player is one Laurent Koscielny…not oxil not snahcez not ramsey…. he is the one who plays his position and role to perfection and has the right fearless attitude
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Hunter, you know that I’ve described Koscielny as playing like the player that I dreamed of being when younger? IBSF II
Ozil, like Koscielny took a season to improve his upper body strength but it was only obvious after his return from injury and return to full fitness after the summer.
Ignoring that the 2-0 uber efficient Ozil and Ramsey inspired and controlled games in the run to the top of table last term was a promising indicator.
But if we ignore what may happen in the future, for starters he helped to orchestrate the end of Terry’s England career. Heh.
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Schweiny and Muller won’t under appreciate what Ozil brought to their team. He was the link between that three man midfield and Muller, he allowed Muller to play as he did. Fire and ice, the two forwards formed a World Cup winning combination either side of an auxiliary forward (Klose/Guivarch).
It takes personality to reach such status in German football. Given his background. Don’t you agree?
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If he didn’t have a silly ego he’d have let Cazorla take that penalty as it was the right call to make at that moment, a no brainer. Don’t get me started…
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PG, if I may quote “the Messiah”!
“on the young players who could feature…
On Tuesday night you might see Hector Bellerin, Francis Coquelin and Isaac Hayden. In the squad we have Chuba Akpom and Semi Ajayi as well. These are the players that are the closest.”
IF, I may quote the BBC
“Charlton Athletic have signed Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin on loan until 1 December.”
and
“Charlton Athletic have extended the loan of Arsenal’s French midfielder Francis Coquelin until 30 December.”.
It would not appear to me, that Francis , was “in the shop window”!
again, you know who.
“I think if we lost the game tonight it’s not because of Hayden and it’s not because of Chambers. It’s not because of Coquelin. We have to be realistic.”
Surprising, how some forgot all about the centre-back – Hayden?
We need you, PG.
We need Alabama and ALL of her ILK! Hunter, is in a pod of his own, lol!
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Truth is that I need a bib when watching Koscielny play football.
Incredible player. Occasional red mist an’ all.
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Alabama Gooner, Kelly, I am proud to have broken bread with you…..
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no not entirely …..obviously there is a level of committment and dedication and professionalism to be part of the german squad etc but im talking about something deeper…im talking about zidanne scoring the winner in the leverkuzen final…that kind of attitude.. deciding big momments, games…surely you understand what i mean. if i were an opponent of ozil i would love it cause he is a bit soft and i would be able to intimidate him and psyche him out his game….not the case if i had to face iniesta and xavi and know that they will rape me with their football intelligence/ego/personality if i get near….
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another example of what i want to say …eto… remember the first barca – manu final in rome ?… he pulverised vidic….destroyed him…vidic… not cahill …
can we not see that thats the level of striker we need? ( if we wish to win all trophies and beat all enemies before us)
are we stupid who dont know football if we ask for an attacking outlet like that?
thats where i disagree..the absolutism shown in recent articles/comments.
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Speaking in 2014, he was praised by fellow German teammate Phillip Lahm, who said Özil will be “devastating” for Arsenal next season. Lahm told Goal; “anybody who has played with Mesut will tell you how intelligent he is as a player.” He continued, “His vision is probably the best I have ever seen and that is why it is so important to have the right striker ahead of him. He is a dream for strikers and you saw that with [Cristiano] Ronaldo and [Karim] Benzema when he was at Madrid. If Arsenal can find the right striker who is fast and makes intelligent runs – then Mesut will be devastating next season.”
heh…maybe philip dont know football either…haha
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so with respect…someone saying that to fully utilise ozil you need better wingers and strikers in sense like madrid had them …is probably right. However that person saying something like that in here would have been ridiculed for no reason when what he/she saying is absolutely logical. if giroud aint got the explosion in pace ( like danny and theo has for instance) he will never ‘grasp’ ozil’s passes….and if he cant finish then the whole plan goes to shit. so you deduce that you need someone who is faster and more clinical and if you have the money you get him. very simple things… for some reason though, this is taken as an insult to our current players…. very strange….
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