Tuesday, 22 May 2012
Home / Arsenal News / How do we recover from this?

How do we recover from this?

By 2011/05/24 7 Comments

Share

Author:

crest_outside_emirates

While I’d be tempted to say this season couldn’t end soon enough, I genuinely worry that the illusion of a ‘fresh start’ in a couple of months won’t be enough time for these players to recover from what happened to them this season.

I look at how things are handled at Chelsea and I laugh to myself; Ancelotti wins them the double in his first season, finishes 2nd this year, and gets sacked. It’s a sad state of affairs, not so much for the fans, who will be happy as long as the team is successful, but for the game – the once beautiful game, now controlled by power-mad billionaire owners.

And yet, while I don’t condone how things are done at Stamford Bridge, it hasn’t exactly stopped them winning things, has it? Avram Grant came close to winning the league, and even closer to winning the Champions League, Hiddink won the FA Cup in only six months in charge, and Ancelotti delivered success in his first season. While they could perhaps benefit from more stability, the message is clear: win, or you’re out.

And I think while we pride ourselves at the stability at Arsenal, it has slowly become more and more of a hinderance. The club has adopted a losing mentality. Wenger says he wants to win trophies, but then calls 3rd place the equivalent of a trophy. Then he finishes 4th. He keeps moving the goalposts and making excuses, justifying the team’s lack of silverware by saying we were never expected to win anything by anyone. That might be the case, but if he expected it, as he was saying earlier in the season, then he shouldn’t make excuses for his players when it doesn’t happen.

We have stability at Arsenal, but that’s all we have right now. As long as we have Champions League football, nothing will change. The club should change its motto to ‘it’s taking part the counts’.

Wenger can (and will) put it any way he likes, but the players and fans are different. For the players, it used to be that losing would be a lesson on what not to do next time, but the more it keeps happening, the more one feels it will become habit; playing at Arsenal from a young age, at a club where losing is okay, what else will they know?

As for the fans, the feeling I’m getting from blogs and forums everywhere is that this has been a very tiring season. Most of us are just glad it’s over. The more I think about it, how much are we even looking forward to it all starting again? Reliving the same disappointments every season?

I fear this might be the final straw. After a season that promised so much ended up delivering nothing once again, with the players’ and fan’s belief wrecked, how do we recover? 

{jcomments on}

GD Star Rating
loading...

Mark Brus

I'm 23-years-old and currently living in Bristol, studying to be a journalist. I've been hooked on Arsenal since I was about 10, and as much as I sometimes wish I could stop, I can't give them up. Favourite player of all time would have to be Patrick Vieira for the sheer passion with which he played the game.

More Posts - Twitter

Categories: Arsenal News

Related Arsenal Stuff

  • Hamy

    Hi Mark,
    Good article, unfortunatley we can never figure out how to recover if we have the “it’s ok to lose” mentality. Players coming into this club MUST expect to win and not play poorly knowing at the end of the day the manager will support you, these players must expect that the fans who in the future will be their childhood heroes must live up to the expectation and not simply figure out that they will play excellent so that another big club can come calling and these players must learn loyalty, respect and appreciation. So far more than 90% of the players feel they should give back to the fans almost NOTHING in return. We fans travel the world to see them, pay to see them and cheer them on. These players only see us as decoration for the stadium…AW says he doesn’t expect to pay a lot…I said it before and I’ll say it again if he doesn’t buy playerS who are good enough to win the title next season..then AW will have not just the players to worry about, or the “future” owner Stan..but the fans..we all woke up to reality..and it sucks we know..sadly AW still lives in his “Barcelona-Oriented style” pass..pass..pass..pass…in front of goal?? pass…pass…pass..pass…passs..defence? ignore just attack..corners and free kicks? why bother put a wall where it rarely goes in..I don’t want to go get a water or to the bathroom whenever Arsenal get a corner or a free kick knowing nothing will come of it..or if Arsenal concede a corner I feel like changing the channel or just putting the game on mute till I see the ball wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy outside the goal area..I hate feeling like this…and it will only continue if AW doesnt buy quality players..you know what..screw quality players..least bring in players who LOVE playing for Arsenal who are LOYAL to the club and players who RESPECT their manager and fans..

    Bring us those players AW..and you will see trophies..

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
  • Ionized

    suck a dick ball jockey

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
  • Jekyll

    Wenger should feel bloody embarrassed. The world and his wife told him this would happen if he didn’t strengthen properly… he didn’t… he was proved wrong and those of us who haven’t worked ‘half a day’ in football were proved right. Simple as that. To everyone except Wenger.

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
  • passionandpride

    Hey Mark, if i am not too mistaken, i have read you writing in Arse…mania. You sing paens for AW there, dont you? Well, i will be happy if i am mistaken. I have quit AM because of AW lackeys who write there. This ‘ok to lose’ is being encouraged by authors on Arsenalmania and similar websites.

    It is simply IMPOSSIBLE to avoid seeing another similar(or worse) season unfold unless the club management wants it. Club Mngt doesn’t care much for what the fans take home. They are taking the millions home…thats what matters to them.

    TIRED of losing. Tired of drawing. Tired. Tired. Tired. Ashamed!!! The sheikhs, the Abramovichs, the tycoons of the world who like Arsenal…ARE YOU LISTENING???

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
  • Domhuaille

    What a sad bunch of moaners , groaners, gloomers and doomers some of our supporters have become. Bobody is happy with 4th….including all the players, Wenger, the Board and Kroenke.
    The issues, like the solutions are complex…and predicting doom is far easier than finding real options for the Arsenal.
    Stick to Fantasy Football manager games you fickle fanboys.

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
  • Manx Gooner

    Call me cynical, but i think the club doesn’t want to do better than finish 4th.

    The gate receipts from the Champions League qualifying round exceeds the extra prize money for finishing 2nd or 3rd.

    Also, what if we actually win a trophy? The club will have to pay out massive bonuses to the players, which I’m sure the directors would rather avoid.

    Finally, I don’t expect to see any major players brought in until after the Champions League qualifying rounds. These players won’t want to come to Arsenal if we haven’t got a place in the Champions League group stage.

    GD Star Rating
    loading...
  • DD in LA

    Great points.

    Seems likr we are more likely to concede a goal from our own corners when opponents break. I also bugger off for a pee when we win a set piece.

    When WAS the last time we banged one direct from a free kick? it has to be years….

    GD Star Rating
    loading...