I was not at the Emirates on Sunday, so readers on here can testify whether the reports are true or not, but if it is accurate that some players were booed off the pitch on Sunday, then that is a disgrace.
A Fragile Atmosphere at Home
Previewing the game, I asked for the atmosphere at our home to improve. It had gone back to the dark days of it not taking a lot for anxiety to creep around the stadium. In this instance, at the first sign of adversity, the environment seemed crippled by nerves.
I was not there because of the club’s shameless policy of my red membership subscription now only qualifying me to have my name put in a hat and picked out at random to give me the privilege of paying over the odds for a ticket.
For over a decade, my money was good enough, and the Gunners were not challenging, yet my loyalty means nothing. If my peers were jeering because they felt they were not getting value for money, then I kind of get it.
If you, like myself, have been burnt so many times and feel like you are seeing the start of a horror movie you have seen before, powerless to change the ending, then I feel your pain. Yet you have to be stronger than turning on your own players. It is counterproductive, and if you cannot handle the pressure now, what are you going to be like in May?
Arsenal fans
Arsenal fans
Perspective, Pressure and Support
The advantage of building up a 7-point lead in a title race is that you give yourself room for error, and in reality, if you get halfway through a campaign and this is the first home fixture you lose, it seems harsh on our players.
Name the greatest champions in history from any nation, and they had moments when things went wrong.
We have a manager and a young squad who continue to find that last step the hardest. They look to the crowd to give them confidence. The issue being those in the stands are equally terrified and are looking to those on the pitch for reassurance. It is a toxic loop.
You can observe Arsenal, debate their weaknesses and strengths, and report the reality that is in front of you.
You can question Odegaard’s suitability to be captain, whether Saka has been the same since injury, whether the manager’s tactics are too negative, etc.
Yet to boo?
Should that not be reserved for lack of effort or a poor attitude?
All I ever ask is that the club I love try to be the best version of itself.
If that is what they do, and it turns out they are not good enough for a trophy, then I can be disappointed, but can you ever truly give a person a hard time for their best not being enough?