I have been a fan of Arsenal Football Club since 1999 and during this period the team has been one of the most successful clubs in the Premier League. In the early days the top four teams were Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool. The rest of the league were also rans.
Times have changed and so has the league. Instead of a top four, the pundits now speak of a top six. In addition to the above mentioned sides the group now includes Tottenham and Manchester City. Tottenham have improved significantly in recent years and have finished above Arsenal the last three seasons (prior to this Arsenal always finished higher than their North London rivals). Younger fans may not know that Manchester City once bounced between leagues and were the second team in Manchester. That all changed when Sheikh Mansour purchased the floundering team in 2008 and turned them in to a powerhouse team.
Arsenal are currently experiencing a rough patch. They have finished outside of the top four the last three seasons and have found life after 22 year manager Arsene Wenger difficult at best.
Wenger’s replacement, Unai Emery, was fired last week after 18 months in the job. Proving how stable Arsenal had been, this was the first time in my fandom witnessing the manager of my side get the ax. To get an idea of how rare this is, check out this article about the number of managers other Premier League sides have had over the years.
While watching the team you support underachieve is not fun (I am also a fan of the New York Mets and Jets so I am used to underachieving) seeing the negativity from so called supporters is deflating. The abuse and vitriol being stirred up by supposed fans is only making the situation more dispiriting.
I of course want to see the team get back to being a dominating side. However, to me being a supporter and a fan go hand in hand. Yes, fans have the right to voice their opinions, but if you’re a fan you should support your team through the bad times as well as the good times. There are no guarantees in being a fan. There will be highs and sadly there will be lows. If you’re a true fan, you’ll take the ride with your team and stay with them all the way.
