
Last night was horrible. We hoped for better and it didn’t happen. What do we hope for now? Where do we go from here? Just how deep a hole are we in and who is to blame?
More and more fans are beginning to understand the depth of the hole we are in. The idea that a new coach, and I mean ANY new coach, can bring about a quick fix is frankly ridiculous. Perhaps a slight improvement immediately, and a gradual improvement over the rest of the season is possible, but that’s it and even that is a long shot.
So why do I think we are destined to years of mediocrity? I don’t mean the 3 Fa cups in 4 years type of mediocrity that people thought was mediocrity, I mean proper midtable stuff, no cups and likely no decent cup runs even.
The ownership model of self sustaining means there will be no massive injection of fund to buy our way back into a seat at the top table. We know this. So that’s out! Personally I think that is how every club should run in principal, but if Stan wants the club to have a seat, he would have to put his hand into his back pocket. But let me reiterate, that isn’t going to happen.
In order to have a long term successful plan we need someone with a good plan to be in charge, have a vision and the conviction to see it through,and Stan has to stick by him. The problem is finding that man, the likes of Arsene Wenger doesn’t grow on trees, he was a once in a several lifetimes manager and his like will never be seen again, not least because other clubs would have first dibs.
At present the man with the vision is Don Raul, and it’s not 20/20 vision he has, it’s Mister Magoo vision, he can’t see past his contacts book. I can’t think of a single thing he has done that hasn’t knocked us back at least one step. Seriously, he couldn’t even see that the football brand had to be maintained, simply the most basic and important ethos of the club. Can you imagine any new fan choosing Arsenal now? Other clubs will be building their fan bases and we will be hemorrhaging ours. Tv companies will stop picking Arsenal games, revenue will fall, fans will stop watching and attending if the style of football doesn’t meet their requirements. Now, I can hear people screaming “plastic fans“, but that is the reality of the modern game. Especially if that’s what you started following the club to see , or that is your priority when choosing to support a club. The old “Arsenal ’till I die” fans might not like it, but that is how it works for a club that wants to be a global force.
A rebuild will require patience, Loooooooooooooooooooool, 6 days into Freddie’s term and “patience” has already run out in many quarters. Because of the “we deserve” element in the fanbase, coaches and players will not be given the support necessary to develop and build.
So what can we do about it? The answer is very little, all we can do is be supportive of the coach and players if they are trying to play the right way and doing all they can , I believe Freddie and the majority of our players are. It’s going to be a long hard road back, we must not make the journey more difficult for those tasked with carrying us, while prompting those in charge to make the changes that will give the players a fighting chance.