We mustn’t fall into a negative spiral. Especially considering the exciting and brilliant first half of the season. Albeit, that excitement has rapidly diminished and has once again morphed into hatred. It’s like a cycle with Arsenal fans: love, hate, (buys a world-class striker) and then love again. Similar to the regular Arsenal season, the consistency in our support is a negative one.
Admittedly, when your team get’s annihilated by horrible children like Mourinho, followed up by a tragically beautiful 90th minute own goal at home to Swansea City, and then showing anger is surely appropriate. But there’s a fine line between being angry, and hating everything to do with your team. Abusing Arteta on his birthday? That’s bound to make him run faster and tackle harder. Don’t be ridiculous. These fans aren’t the majority, but they shouldn’t even be a minority. It defies the very meaning of a fan. And protesting at your club’s semi final is plain idiocy. Don’t do it. Don’t stoop to such low levels. You can criticise Giroud. You can criticise Cazorla. You can criticise Arteta. Because quite simply they haven’t been performing to the standards that we have come to expect from them. And for Arsenal Football Club that isn’t acceptable. But don’t crucify and bring them down at every given opportunity. I’d cut my arm off to have the privilege to regularly go to the Emirates. If you go with the intention to boo, please stay at home and shout at the tele.
People too quickly seem to forget the context surrounding this season. I’ve mentioned this before, but it now seems more apt than ever. The heart of this Arsenal team has been ripped to shreds through injury. No Walcott. No Ozil. No Ramsey. No Wilshere. That’s City with no Aguero, no Silva, and no Toure. That’s Liverpool with no Suarez, no Sturridge, and no Gerrard. That’s Chelsea with no Hazard, no Oscar, and no Ramires. Missing three or four of your best players, the ones who win you games, get 20+ goals a season, and drive the team forward, missing them would severely hamper any team. But whether through poor planning or a bold vision to keep a tightly knit group of players, these injuries have resulted in an entire team collapse. We have a thin and close group of players. That’s hurt us this season, but next year when we add two or three pieces of quality, we won’t implode in the same way. City could still probably cope due to their absurdly big squad, but they’d be nowhere near as effective, not even close. You take Liverpool’s three away and they’d be scraping it out with the bottom nine. It’s painfully obvious, yet nobody seems to show Arsenal or Arsene the curtsy of acknowledging it.
We were top at December for a very clear reason: our best players were there for the journey. People in the game talk about how Arsenal don’t have power, pace, or leadership. Well we do. Ramsey and Walcott. For a long time Walcott has been the driving force of this team. We’ve missed him horribly. This season Ramsey picked up the mantle. And now we’re stuttering on without them. That’s why we are struggling. That’s why everything seems so dark. We were never going to challenge for the title with such key players missing. No team would.
There’s a hole in this team at the moment, and getting rid of Arsene and the players won’t fill it. Time will.
[divider]
Photo via Ronnie Macdonald – http://www.flickr.com/photos/ronmacphotos/