To be a big club, Arsenal must start bringing home the silverware by Konstantin
Welcome lovely Arsenal people. I’ve seen a lot of debates recently about the manager, some of the players, the lack of rotation and so on, but I think it all boils down to one thing – winning trophies. It’s the goal of the game. It’s the sole purpose of the competition, to reward the best.
Now Arsenal haven’t won the league title in 20 years. We have never won the CL. A lot of Arsenal fans don’t see a problem with that, but I see a really big one.
Who are we as a football club? I watch a lot of Arsenal content and I see our fanbase hyping us up like we’re this massive team, but where are the trophies to back it up? In the last 5 years Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool have all won the Champions League. We used to be in the top 2 in England, us and Man Utd. We were huge, we were scary, we were revolutionaries, changed English football.
Nowadays kids wear Man City and Liverpool kits. Liverpool were considered a cup team for 30 years before Klopp finally delivered a league title for them. I hear all sort of abuse and cursing to ‘plastic` fans, because people like to support teams that win, which is the most natural thing in life. The other narrative that must be debunked instantly is that City just bought’ everything and they win only because they are rich.
We are trying to buy it ourselves. The problem is people have a narrative that we are underdogs and the world is unfair because big bad Pep has the keys to uncle Scrooges golden vault. Did we not spend 200+ million this year to bridge the gap to City? People forget we outbid them for Declan Rice by paying 105 million. Take Declan out of our side and put it into City’s, what would the table look like in that scenario?
We were promised we would compete with Bayern Munich when we moved to the Emirates. Those are not my words, the board said that to us. We sacrificed being a title winning side, but we didn’t do it to become like Tottenham. We boast how bigger we are than them, but they also have a new stadium and an exciting squad. Sure we’re higher in the league than them, but what separates us historically is the trophies. Young fans haven’t seen those trophies though. For a young fan there’s not much between us. That’s why we have to win. Real Madrid are the biggest football club in the world, because they win, not because they are entitled.
Mbappe will go to Madrid because he will almost certainly win a bunch of trophies there. That’s the standard there, only winning is good enough. Careers of players are short, Saka, Martinelli and Saliba will look at Kane and not want to replicate his achievement of being very good players that haven’t won anything. Winning trophies is important, we should never forget this or we will fade into mediocracy once again. If we are Arsenal fans, the wellbeing of the football club should be above the manager, or any player, regardless of how much we like them.
Please be respectful in the comments. This is a platform for discussions, calling people names, because you don’t like their opinion doesn’t do any good on you. Take care.
Konstantin
Agreed. I think that’s the final step.
If success would be a 10-step ladder, I’d say we are on the step 9 with the last one being winning trophies.
Right now we play very enjoyable football, we score a lot, we concede little, we can beat regularly the big boys, we don’t get embarrassed like we used to (no 6-0, 5-1, 6-3 scorelines against us).
Need that final push and show of mental strength because we have no easy matches left. Our most difficult home match tonight, followed up by the most difficult away match and we can’t make due with anything less than 6 points..
Looking at City’s and Pools remaining matches, I am fairly certain they won’t be winning all of their remaining matches. So the question is, how many points will we drop…
Maybe I’d correct myself saying we are on step 8.5, with still missing few quality players which can be trusted on.
Konstantin I see and feel your frustration but if I am correct you said once before you started supporting afc back In the mid 2000, so you you have never ever seen us lift a league title before.
19 years of pure frustration of what we had under AW and co to where we are now.
Ypu are right that the final piece is winning the league.
Question. Would you rather be us as in the mighty AFC in our position as a club or manure united who might win the FA Cup but going no where with dead wood playere all over the place on mega bucks , spent Kings ransom and has a no so good (IMO) manager at the helm.
With regards to the best players in the world going to Spain. It has almost been that they never come to our league when they are at the top of there game. Italy before, Spain and Germany for what every reasons.
They come the the prem for the bucks when they are on the slide.
can we do it, I do hope so for the sake of you, me ad the rest of our supporters. Tonight will tell us if we are still going to be in it.
Keep the faith
Onwards and upwards
I would argue that after 2004, our best title charge was in 08, the season when Eduardo got his leg broken..?
None of the other seasons I ever felt like we would actually be winning the title. Not the season when Ramsey was carrying us nor the season when Leicester won and we were 2nd.
Forgive my lack of memory
Was that the season when our rubbish of a captain Gallas sat down in protest and wouldn’t get up after we lost
Yes it was – he was a great defender imo, but never should have been captain.
Concur with that completely – the 07/08 team was the last one that played like champions and we haven’t been that good since. These past two seasons are the closest, though.
The manager has spent the whole campaign philosophising on the miracle that he would get by playing Havertz as 8. That’s what has destroyed the team. After he found out that he was better playing as a forward, he still went playing him there, with Partey who could give a better contribution clued to the bench.
When Partey and Rice play together, you feel movement in the team and our forwards are are more effective. We need to find a good combination in the midfield to achieve the dream of trophies. In fact, 2 midfielders are needed unless Jorginho were tot stay.
We also need to solve the puzzles of a striker and left back.
Firstly, when it is said that we are spending the same kind of money that city and chelsea are, there is one very important difference – we are doing it within the rules of the game.
Chelsea have already been found out and city have over 100 charges that they have to answer too.
The same goes for the spuds, who are being investigated and the likes of Everton and Forest have had points deducted.
I believe that, if city are found guilty, they should be stripped of any trophies awarded during the seasons where they are found guilty of breaking the rules.
It seems that we are squeeky clean and I rather like that feeling!!
On to the main point of winning trophies :
There are three domestic trophies up for grabs each season and the CL top four spot is also on the line.
Which of those would bring in the most revenue to see The Arsenal grow? Obviously the CL spot ie top four.
Now some regard this as not being a trophy and argue that we don’t have an open top bus to celebrate getting into the CL – I see it differently and we have witnessed just how hard it is to achieve these last few seasons.
It looks as if MA will do it two seasons in a row and that is a great achievement in my book.
Second to that, but obviously tied to it, is winning the PL and, if you take my point regarding city and it’s ongoing legal battles, if the powers to be had acted as quickly with them as they have with Everton and Forest, we would have won the PL title last year and that could possibly be the case this year.
We are VERY close to becoming a dominant force once again and, if we miss out on the PL this season, it makes absolute sense to keep investing the money from the CL participation (and the owners of course!!) for next season.
I don’t support The Arsenal for trophies, I support them for what they stand for, who they are and how they are viewed in the world of football.
Give the choice of city and chelsea’s reputation and trophies against ours, what would you choose?
Ken 1945 -beautiful reading. I respect Arsenal very much for their social responsibility too.
Wenger counted finishing in the top 4 as a trophy, which he wrote on the clubs website, ranking it above the two domestic Cups. If it was a trophy, then it would be on the band that runs above the boxes celebrating the real trophies.
Well Wenger and I AGREE then HD and it seems most of the top managers top priority is to qualify for the CL at the start of the season.
No one’s denying that in these money orientated days, CL is a priority for clubs, but qualifying for it by finishing 2nd, 3rd or 4th doesn’t earn a club a trophy.
Significant progress has been made, the Kroenke’s should have struck the rod hot and already extended the gaffer contract.
That’s how shrewd businessman operates
We all support Arsenal, that is what matters and what unites us.
That support is for a variety of reasons, who is arrogant enough to judge others or criticize their reasons to support Arsenal?
I enjoy the debates, the arguments, the discussions we have, long may it continue.
Let’s remember we are Arsenal, and we are together. Disagree and argue by all means, but don’t insult our own, have an open mind and try to convince with reason and logic, not hurl childish insults.
Well said sir
When all said and done, when we bleed we all bleed red and white
Onwards and upwards
All said, i am not happy with the lack of progress from homegrown players.Spending money on the likes of Raya, Harvetz, VIERA, LOKONGA,CEDRIC,and THAT Poruguees guide,or I mean Tavares is depressing if you remember how we had the likes of Wilshere AND others moving up the ladder.If MA improves on that we will spend money on quality and it will be worth it.
Its an obvious answer. If we see ourselves as a big club, we need to be in the CL, which we are. Challenging for cups, which we are not. Winning leagues and CLs, which so far, we are not. If we don’t win the league this season, Kronke needs to make a decision. Stick with what he has or win trophies. Arteta (waiting for this seasons league) has not yet proved he is able to build and produce a championship winning team.