It is a time for a bit of perspective when it comes to the club we all love, the Arsenal. Yes, it looks as if super Cesc may be riding off into the Spanish sunset. Yes, his proposed move to Barcelona is a huge blow for us given the stage of his career he is at, his importance in our rhythm, and the negative noises his exit would send out about us as a club.
And, yes it further adds fuel to the fire of those amongst us who have grown weary of AW and his strident views and who want to burn him at the stake. But, you know what, I didn’t start supporting the Arsenal because of one player. I haven’t spent the past 38 years of my life watching the rip-roaring Reds over land and sea because of one player. If I can witness the departure of Liam Brady and live to tell the tale, you can do the same with Cesc.
By God (Dennis) I am not going to allow my support of the club waver because a young Spaniard with a Catalan calling is going to return home to his friends, family and the club he loves. Put yourself in his boots in reverse. Say you are, like me, Arsenal through and through (and if you are reading this one can assume you are) and you’re playing abroad be it at Barcelona or the Bernabeu — at some point, you would want to live the dream and play for ‘your’ club. Not a problem. It’s going to happen. End of.
So why are we surprised? Why are we gnashing our teeth, caterwauling and letting this episode, sorry as it may be, get us down? We’re supporters. We do just that, or at least are supposed to. Support. Yes, we are hugely deflated by Cesc’s supposed (and it is far from a done deal, remember) move. Who wouldn’t be? We have been treated to his rare talent and of course we feel privileged to have witnessed his journey from fresh-faced Spanish kid to, er, fresh-faced Spanish 23-year-old.
He has been an absolute joy to have at Arsenal. He is/was our leader. Our captain. Our talisman. The kind of player of whom fans of other teams would speak highly. “He’s a bit special,” they would say. And he is. But what is more special is the Arsenal Football Club. More special than super Cesc by a distance.
If he does leave it will, I concede, throw open the wider argument of AW’s reign and, by his standards, the lean period which we have been through. But there in lies the answer to all the negative questions that are bombarding our club. Even if and when AW is no longer part of the Arsenal, the club will still exude majesty. Still excite true fans by the merest mention of our name. The Arsenal. We’re not some fucking two-bob Johnny come-lately mob who get excited by finishing fourth in the league, for instance. We’ve got history. We are the Arsenal. Not just Arsenal. The ‘the’ is so important.
Who could ever see us surviving the devastating death of Herbert Chapman? What did our fans think when we went from 1953 to 1970 without bothering the silverware? They stuck with the Arsenal. Losing to Swindon in the League Cup in 1969. Undeterred they said, defiantly, ‘we’re the Arsenal’. Other traumas have come and gone during my support. Ipswich at Wembley in 78. I was 13 and thought the world had ended as I trudged out of the old Twin Towers with my old man. I was in Brussells 1980 when Denton nicked the Cup Winner’s Cup off Mario Kempes outside the ground after Valencia had beaten us on pens. I am still mentally scarred from that night. But we grow stronger because of it.
I was at York City when Keith Houchen scored from the spot to knock us out of the FA Cup. Disaster. But stronger. Wrexham was a similar story. Still, my love of our club grew stronger. Any goal conceded, let alone the unthinkable, a defeat, against the team that dare not mention its name, tears out our heart. Temporarily. Suffer the lows to enjoy the highs (in no order): A hat-trick of league titles. Doubles. Euro glory nights…Sampdoria away. Copenhagen. Milan. Madrid. Anfield 89. Title at Old Trafford. Two titles at WHL. Invincibles. Wembley 79. Chelsea in Cardiff…it’s only Romford Pele. Villareal. Lehmann saves. And on and on we go.
Arsenal remain. I am not saying for one minute we shouldn’t be critical of the current regime and how hampered we have been by the financial constraints imposed on us by the new stadium. Of course that will be open for debate. And losing super Cesc is sad (if he goes).
But I reiterate, let’s have some perspective. I’ll tell you one player far more important than Cesc Fabregas in the fabric of the Arsenal, as fabulous as Cesc is: David Rocastle. RIP. Think about it. We are the Arsenal. Always remember that.
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