It was the summer of 2012, I was sitting with a group of strangers-turned-friends somewhere in Italy. We were just discussing random topics and suddenly the topic of EPL cropped up. Being an enthu cutlet, I was trying my best to impress other fellas with my shallow football knowledge. However, just after a brief discussion I figured out the person sitting next to me was a walking-talking football encyclopaedia, who could throw facts and figures at the drop of a hat. And he wasn’t good just with numbers but was emotionally attached to the club. He was an aficionado not a fence sitter.

When I asked him what club he supports, he said Arsenal.

Arsenal?

Not Manchester United?

Yes. I was hearing it right.

Unable to curb my curiosity, I asked him why he supports a club that has not won anything in the last seven years. I was blown away by his answer. His answer explained what sports fandom is all about. Real fans are not imposter fans. Sports fandom is being attached to the club not just for glossy attributes but for the club legacy, players who become a part of their life, manager who is seen like a father figure, rich culture and history of the club that keeps the fans glued to their beloved club at a very deep level. An attachment that makes you wring in your stomach when your team loses and makes you cry with happiness when your team wins. I could see that love in his eyes when he spoke so passionately about Arsenal and Arsene Wenger. He narrated how Arsene Wenger revolutionised the beautiful game of football in England. How Arsenal are not just any other football club. How it is different and unique.

Since then I have interacted with lot of club fans and have followed the premier league more closely. Most of the club fans are glory hunters. Out of all the club fans, Arsenal fans have impressed me the most. In spite of their club not winning for nine long years they still support their club whole heartedly and #InArseneWeTrust is not just a statement. It is a strong belief. It is their unflinching trust in their manager.

Arsene Wenger is Arsenal’s most successful manager and has brought lot of success to the club. But since 21st May 2005, Arsenal has not won any silverware. 2013-14 season brought both tears of happiness as well as pain for Arsenal fans. From being top of the table for 128 days to retaining the trophy of finishing fourth, Arsenal fans have seen it all. In fact, this year has been a relatively good year for them.

However, the biggest moment can be on 17th of May at Wembley Stadium when Arsenal defeats Hull City in the FA Cup final. All Arsenal fans are desperately waiting for this moment to arrive. It is their last hope to win a silverware this season. Winning FA Club final has become a case of life and death for the gunners for many reasons namely:

1. Nine years long itch: The wait has been quite long and painful. Though gunners are very passionate about their club and manager. But sometimes wait can get over you. Being branded as a club that doesn’t win trophies is a tag that they would love to do away with. Their patience is slowly waning away and they are eagerly waiting for a change to happen. Winning the FA Cup could be that tide of change.

FA_Cup_2759382b

Arsenal with the FA Cup in 2005 (img source: Telegraph UK)

2. Befitting reply to critics: Wenger has often been criticised for not trying hard to win trophies and for repeating his mistakes. He has been described as “Specialist in Failures” by Jose Mourinho, Paul Scholes has blatantly accused Arsenal’s players of having no character, leadership or discipline, and have questioned Wenger’s managerial tactics. Not just critics, even rival fans have not let go of any opportunity to bash Arsenal by trending demeaning hashtags like #SinceArsenalLastWonATrophy. If Arsene Wenger wins FA Cup then it will be the best reply to shut up the critics.

3. Carling Cup heartbreak: The sheer agony of losing the Carling cup final still gives nightmares to Gooners. They have still not forgotten that fateful night, when what should have been a simple collection for Wojciech Szczesny went horribly wrong, thanks to the awful intervention of Laurent Koscielny.  That time Arsenal were favourites to win the title but they came short in front of Birmingham’s defiance and determination. The burden of expectations proved too heavy for Arsenal. It was an unforgettable night where Birmingham played fearlessly and created the biggest upset at Wembley since Wimbledon beat Liverpool to the 1988 FA Cup. Gunners will be hoping history doesn’t repeat itself on 17th May and they are the ones smiling this time.

Arsenal-v-Birmingham-City-007

Arsenal shocked by Birmingham in 2011 (img source: Google)

4. Lacking Self Confidence. Arsenal is often labelled as a club that does well against the smaller clubs but falters against the biggies. One reason often cited in their defence is they lack match winners like Luis Suarez, Wayne Rooney, Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure, Vincent Kompany, and Eden Hazard. Also, somewhere Arsenal lacks the belief that they can beat the top four. But haven’t we heard about David vs Goliath? In fact, this years’ EPL season has sprung so many surprises where mid table/smaller teams have scripted amazing change stories (Liverpool from being 7th last season to almost winning the title this season, Southampton & Everton improving their standings), relegation battlers like Crystal Palace have pulled off miracles while bigger teams like Manchester United have struggled. Arsenal can take inspiration from them and start believing they are the best. Winning FA Cup final can be a small step in gaining that self-confidence. After all they didn’t reach the finals by defeating minnows. The road to Wembley was a difficult one where they defeated the mighty Liverpool and Spurs.

5. Not reaching the finishing line: Arsenal started the season in overdrive mode but somewhere lost the accelerated edge. It is observed over many seasons they take the burden of expectations way too seriously and start losing the focus. A win might catapult their fortune and help in keeping them focused on their target. After all it’s all about momentum. A win will have a cascading effect. It could lead Wenger to build a team around Mesut Ozil and sign the players of his choice. Sometimes signing a big player has a rub off effect on other players too. We all have seen how other Arsenal players started performing well after Ozil arrived at Emirates. A team that is hungry for trophies will keep everyone on its toes to reach the finish line before anyone else does.

6. Injuries plagued Arsenal’s chances: Arsenal had a dream start to their season but the absence of key players like Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott, Aaron Ramsey, Ozil, Koscielny, Kieron Gibbs, Nacho Monreal impacted their form and is one of the key reasons why Arsenal couldn’t maintain their challenge throughout the final weeks. Had all their players been fit then probably the picture would have been rosier. The injury crisis left Wenger short of creativity. Going forward Wenger might change his training methods or medication or adopt new strategies to protect his key players from injuries. A FA Cup win might help in forgetting the injury crisis that hit Arsenal so hard this season.

7. Self-sustaining business model has made life difficult: Arsenal is the only big club that doesn’t have Arab money, American money or Russian money. The Club operates effectively with a robust and self-sustaining business model. “Le Professeur” is a man of principles and is harbinger of change. Unlike his contemporaries, Wenger’s focus has always been long term – to build a legacy. A legacy that has strong pillars. Firstly, instead of spending millions on signing star players, he started strengthening the team in quality and not quantity by grooming home grown talent to become world-class players. Secondly, he revolutionised England football by bringing in new training methods, incorporating dietary changes and playing entertaining attacking style football. Thirdly, he wanted to give his fans a gift that they’ll cherish for generations after generations. Therefore he built the Emirates Stadium completely on its own. FA Cup win would be a small step in garnering more support for his style of Business Management. Also, it will be the first trophy in the Emirates Stadium.

arsene-wenger-emirates-stadium_2049234

Wenger has given Arsenal an identity (image source: redgunner.blogspot.com)

8. Perfect farewell gift to the Arsenal players going to Brazil: Though the world cup dream of Arsenal forward Theo Walcott shattered with his knee injury, but the other two key Arsenal players, Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, have reserved their seat in the English squad for Brazil. With less than a month to go for the biggest sporting spectacle to kick off, winning the FA Cup would be a perfect farewell gift for the Arsenal players to start their world cup mission on a high note. As they say nothing inspires more than a win.

The win at Wembley can affect Gunners in more than the ways listed above. If Arsenal beat Hull City in the FA Cup final, it will get the monkey off their back. And doing so could perhaps catapult the Gunners to greater heights.

HOPE this time the Arsenal fans are not disappointed.

HOPE this time Wembley doesn’t witness another upset.

HOPE this time the best team wins.

HOPE this time the best team is the team that has waited for nine years.

HOPE this time HOPE transforms itself into a reality.

PS: Special thanks to my friend Aditya who helped me in writing this article.

comments