Arsenal board baffled by fan anger? That just proves the club’s culture of mediocrity
Arsenal’s hierarchy are reportedly confused by the fan discontent after the Gunners’ loss to Watford on Tuesday. Success for the board clearly means something very different than success for the fans does.
Arsenal fans are really not asking for a lot. They pay their money, they do get entertainment, but at the end of it all, they’d quite like a Premier League title or two a some point. Or at least to see progression towards that goal.
But year on year now, the Gunners faithful see the same old story play out. The team are good, but they’re not quite god enough. The flaws? They’re the same each year too. A mentally weak team which lacks physicality in certain areas.
The Gunners shockingly lost at home to Watford on Tuesday. The game was deja vu for Arsenal fans. Every year the team are strong enough for a top four spot, but never quite strong enough to actually win the title. The same old weaknesses repeatedly come back to haunt their title ambitions.
However, the Arsenal board continue to improve the club’s finances. Which, as a business, is a positive. But the game is about glory at the end of the day. And the fans idea of glory and the board’s idea of glory are clearly two very different things.
The fans are ambitious. They’re upset because they want to win. They see Chelsea eight points clear heading into Tuesday. A win over Watford, and a draw for Chelsea against Liverpool, closes that gap.
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That obviously did not happen and the sense of deja vu was too much for some fans. The passion spilled out in the stadium as the fans displayed their displeasure. Reportedly, the Arsenal board were absolutely bewildered by the discontent. This bewilderment itself is bewildering.
Yet again, it looks like Arsenal are set to fight for a top four spot and no more. Really, after over a decade without a Premier League title, you should be content with that. Because hey, the finances look good! The books are balanced. The profit margin is growing.
But while the finances continue to improve, ticket prices remain high also. The team on the pitch remains flawed. These are the two biggest constants at Arsenal – alongside Arsene Wenger of course.
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Wenger is a legendary manager in the game and a legend at the club. But the last decade of the Frenchman’s tenure has been more about minimums than it has been reaching for the stars. The fans? They’re reaching. They want to dream. They’re not content with just finishing in the top four.
In fairness, that is an accomplishment in itself by Wenger. Just look at Liverpool and Manchester United in recent years. But how do you have the same flaws for around a decade? How does every season look the same?
If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, then Arsenal needed a doctor years ago. But the truth is that the club don’t expect anything different. They are content with finishing in the top four.
They expect the same results and anything else is just a bonus. It’s a mentality of mediocrity. In a sporting sense, at least. Financially, the club are to be admired. But there are no trophies for your prosperous financial accounts.
Having healthy finances is not success in itself. It is a means to go on and gain success. Arsenal have that opportunity, but the club are content where they are. Ultimately, that’s where it all starts.
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The culture starts in the boardroom, it trickles down through Wenger and then on to the players. A culture of mediocrity. It starts at the top. However, the fans are not underneath that same umbrella.
They’re on the outside looking in, and from their view, its easy to see that the club’s main goals are not necessarily the same as theirs.