Being a fan can bring endless joy to one’s life but it can also give you gray hairs and numerous heartbreaks. There’s always those teams that seem to do no wrong like the Patriots or the post-2015 Warriors. Then there’s also teams like the Cleveland Browns and the Sacramento Kings that bring zero joy to the fans year after year. However, none of them come close to the heartbreaks, tears and false illusions that Arsenal causes their fans. I truly believe that Arsenal is the hardest team to support.
Expectations
The difference between Arsenal and teams like the Browns is the fact that Arsenal CAN be competing for titles…. But they find a way to lose. You see, if you’re a fan of the Browns or any other embarrassingly bad team, you know that your team is god awful. You go into the season hoping they won’t be AS bad. There’s never a point in the season where you have title aspirations. Arsenal on the other hand does give their fans false illusions. How many times have we seen Arsenal hang in the top three until their yearly collapse in February?
So many of those teams had the team to win the title… but they didn’t. The funny thing about that is that every year, Arsenal seem to beat at least one of the league’s top teams. Just so they can drop points against some relegation side. Everyone knows that Arsenal are capable of beating some of the best teams and competing for titles. But embarrassing defeats and lack of concentration during key moments prevent that. Having high expectations for your team then having your heart broken because your team forgets somehow forgot how to play has to feel worse than knowing your team is trash and not expect anything.
Taste of Glory
If you support a mid-table team, chances are you’ve never seen your team win any form of title. Arsenal on the other hand, has won titles in recent years. Nothing worthy of respect since their league title in 2004, but alas, they’re still titles. Therefore, fans have tasted glory. It may just be the FA Cup but it’s still silverware and a reason for the fans to celebrate. They know what winning feels like and they fell in love with it but deep down, they still want to see what it feels like to win something worthy of mentioning. Even something like a league title. However, year after year they see their team failing to win anything important and have to settle yet again for an FA Cup.
No Change
As an Arsenal fan, you see some of the biggest teams in the World fire their managers who fail to meet the club’s insanely high standards. Meanwhile, you have a manager who could’ve managed Jesus himself. A manager that hasn’t won a league title since 2004 and who hasn’t developed a World class talent in years. Brings the same results year after year but no one at the club seems to realize that’s a bad pattern. You even get to the point where you think “there’s no way Wenger doesn’t get fired after this” and surprise surprise. Guess who got offered a new two year deal?
What needs to happen for the club to finally realize that change is urgent? Failing to qualify for Champions League? Seeing your best player leave because he’s tired of playing with lazy bums who don’t seem interested in winning? Why is it that Real Madrid can fire Ancelotti a year after winning la Decima just because the team finished second in league and lost in the Champions League semi final but Wenger can be mediocre for almost 10 years and gets nothing but contract extensions?
Not A Lack of Stars
Most of the notoriously bad franchises cannot afford to bring in a star player for several reasons. Of course, the two biggest reasons are a lack of money and a lack of attraction. However, Arsenal has both. And they do bring some World class players…. But what happens after that? Nothing. One thing is losing because all your players are awful and you know that. Another is to have some fantastic players like Ozil, Aubameyang and formerly Alexis Sanchez and STILL not winning anything. That’s like having all the parts to a luxurious car but not having the key.
For some strange reason, there are still amazing players that willingly come (not Thomas Lemar of course) but poor management and a delusional board prevents the team from bringing in the final pieces of the puzzle. Imagine if Arsenal would’ve spent money on a center back, holding mid and left back. Just imagine where’d they be at this point of the season. Alexis would’ve stayed. The team could be competing. But they’re not. Remember, the longer the team goes without being able to compete, the more players will leave leaving the club unable to replace them.
I truly admire Arsenal fans. I don’t think I am emotionally strong enough to keep supporting a team that consistently lets me down in the most heartbreaking fashion. I’m not that strong. Watching Barcelona finish second in the league and reaching the Champions League quarterfinals is, in my eyes, a terrible season. Meanwhile, Arsenal fans have to watch their team get embarrassed in the Round of 16 in the Champions league, scraping to finish in 4th place, and lose to no-name teams. All while knowing that the team is capable of greatness. Much respect to any Arsenal fans. You have the toughest job in sports. While I’m waiting for star signings and titles, you’ll be waiting for the day Arsene Wenger leaves and celebrating FA Cups. I admire your dedication…. But I would never want to be in your shoes.
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