One of the toughest jobs in the world is to be an Arsenal fan. The ups and downs of supporting the Gunners can give any football fan a headache. To add to the misery, Stan Kroenke and co. have not really been the best owners the world has seen either. Whether it is the legal side of things that is the reason or a “stubborn idiot” who can see nothing but RAMS, the situation of the team has degraded from Champions League status to no Europe, in just a few years.
There are a lot of individuals and factors to blame for this degradation but the fact of the matter remains that Arsenal is no longer a well-run club. Many would argue that it comes down to the manager. Others may say, it is more to do with the attitude and lack of “giving an F” from the side of the management.
Whatever be the reason, at the end of the day, the Arsenal fan suffers. They spend their money to watch Arsenal play and give something more precious than PURE GOLD, their time and emotions. And what do they get in return? In recent years, not a lot.
Arsenal Fans Have A High Value Now And There Is A Constant Narrative Shift
Well, the reason is quite simple. People on Social Media platforms want to be right all the time. Not denying that I too love nothing more than being RIGHT about most things. However, when wrong, there is no shame in admitting it. Yet, some people just can never do the small and simple things in life, like SAY SORRY, I MESSED UP!!
At the end of the day, fans on Twitter or YouTube just want to be out there expressing views without contradiction. Contradiction to their opinions and debating and being proven wrong. It’s funny how fans even on the same side of a narrative don’t get along many times.
The results in the last two decades (in the Emirates era) have not really done justice to the stature of the club. What was planned and promised versus the execution has not been up to the mark!! This sparked off a new MANAGER IN vs MANAGER OUT revolution.
With that being said, Arsenal fans have to fend off a MANAGER OUT community, different opinions within the MANAGER IN community and then the RIVAL FANS on a day-to-day basis. When you have such a huge following of the same football club, things can go out of hand at times. It becomes too much to handle at times and for a fan who lives under a rock, the fights just don’t seem to end.
Every time a player does something wrong or misbehaves, it becomes the MANAGER vs the player. It doesn’t even matter whether the fans like that player or not, all of a sudden, they tend to do now. It is funny how the criticism for weeks and months, turns into a river of endless love for that star!! (Ozil and Aubameyang say Hi!!)
During the second half of the Wenger era (the Emirates era), every Arsenal fan wanted more discipline, commitment and a culture of no tolerance with regards to misbehaviour and undermining authority. Now, Arteta has actually brought that back to the club. And some fans ignore it like it means nothing!!
I Don’t Despise The Manager Out Fans Anymore; I Pity Them
So why pity the #ArtetaOut fans? Ever played FPL? Fantasy Premier League. What happens when you have a player of a RIVAL TEAM? You want the team to lose but the player to do well. Ain’t that ironic? There is always a conflict of interest in some corner of the mind, whether it is openly expressed or not and there is no running away from it.
Well, similar is the situation of a MANAGER OUT or in this case #ArtetaOut fan. Let me explain how-
The only way for Arteta to get sacked is if the team fails miserably. For that to happen, Arsenal has to go on a losing spree and drop lots of points. To achieve this goal, the team has to play really bad football and the youngsters have to fail, week-in and week-out.
So, wanting these things to happen, while supporting your own team (whom ideally you should want to do well and win, which is the whole point of watching football and supporting a club) is a paradox. To add to that, making excuses on why the manager is not doing well or is SH*T when he has already gone way beyond the expectations set by the same fans prior to the campaign, is funny in itself.
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It takes a lot of talent, time and effort to come up with reasons why the MANAGER/BOSS should be gone in the middle of a campaign in which he is doing BETTER than most others. Also, the names that were mentioned as a potential alternative to him back in the day are failing and this is like the icing to the cake (Brendan Rodgers says Hi).
To add to that, wanting the team to do poorly, just to see the manager gone. Come out loudly every time there is a loss and talk trash about the players, calling them names. Wanting the manager to fail more, than wanting the team to succeed. All these traits are a sign.
A sign of a FOOTBALL FAN who never had the patience to achieve something substantial in LIFE. SUCCESS doesn’t come INSTANTLY. Arteta is not Wenger, so don’t blame him for what preceded him. A Tweet or a Trend does not define the long-term goals that have been set up by the man-in-charge. Rome wasn’t built in a day and so wasn’t Arsenal. The Arsenal that we all love and it surely needs REBUILDING.
Treat To Arsenal Fans; Elneny And Arteta After The Win Against Manchester United
Arteta and Elneny after the game ❤️❤️#AFC | @ElNennY
— KingFut.com (@King_Fut) April 23, 2022
The PROCESS or PROGRESS has already started. Not because Edu or Arteta says it. But because it is clearly visible and it is up to the genuine Arsenal fans to at least back these young teens who are giving their all to make it count. Remember the time when fans knew that a lot of players weren’t playing for the badge anymore under Wenger? That’s one reason less to complain right now!!
There is no need to spread rumours after a tiff that doesn’t exist. Or that Mikel Arteta has lost the dressing room. The team needs encouragement and support, rather than false propaganda to just support one’s personal agenda!!
In no way is Arteta perfect and a balanced Arsenal fan has to accept this. There is still a long way to go. We are just getting back to fighting for a place in Europe, the Champions League ideally. However, every big step upward is a WIN!! Take it as a win, with regards to the long-term goal to win more, rather than calling the FA Cup win a fluke (when the better manager, Vieira failed).
Lastly, one piece of advice to the Arteta Out fanbase. You can live in this paradox of love and hate or you can open your heart to the people fighting to uplift the club that you say you love- ARSENAL!!
