They say football is a religion, and it a way it is. Like my lady once asked “Why are you so obsessed about Arsenal? Would you get a share of money when they win a trophy?”
Of course, she will never understand. And come to think of it, I will never understand either. Why? Good question.
But, that’s the way it is. Why Derby away fans bothered to travel knowing that their team is very likely to suffer yet another trashing. They would be lucky to even witnessing their team scoring a single goal, let alone a win. Nevertheless, it didn’t stop them traveling miles to show their support. When you consider some Arsenal fans would even moan about wasting their money and time watching an Arsenal match on TV (when we lost), now you get an idea where this term “plastic fans” coming from.
To me, like religion, supporting a football team is all about faith. Because if you don’t have it, your life as a “supporter” would be miserable.
We haven’t won a league for 3 years? Big deal. Consider this - Before George Graham guided us to a league title and started the Arsenal revival, Arsenal had not won the league for 18 years.
Man Utd, likewise, had waited 18 or 26 (no stats book besides me) to eventually regain the league title under Ferguson.
Liverpool have now waited 18 or 19 years, and still been waiting.
Chelsea waited half an century to win their 2nd title in their history.
While Spurs have now waited for 47 years and still counting.
Not to mention the rest of the clubs in England.
So fans, regardless which club they support, most of them have been through a same experience - waiting, believing, frustrating.
If you do not want to experience the frustration supporting a club could bring you, then go ahead and be a neutral.
If you want to be a “supporter”, then bloody hell act like one. Don’t take every setback as an opportunity to vent your frustration. Stop knocking down our club / players / manager with every chance you’ve got.
In my opinion, basically there is only one thing that keeps the supporters going - FAITH. If you want to analyze all the FACTS, and REALITY; being a “supporter” would become a pain in your backside in your life. Imagine if you would have to wait another 18 years for a league title, how you are going to get through all those trophy less years? Moan it all the way for 18 years?
32 Responses to “Believe”
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March 18th, 2008 at 9:54 am
Good article. I agree with your sentiments.
When the club is going through a mini slump it’s natural to try and find an explanation, but rarely as simple as it seems. One thing’s for sure, it’s rarely down to one player being off form - whether it’s a striker or not. You can pinpoint off form players but to lay the entire blame at their feet is preposterous.
People continually forget the unseen psychological factor, which is so crucial in sports. When a team is under pressure they behave differently, some players rise, some players fall - that collective attitude ensures whether a team rises or a team falls.
As everybody knows Arsenal has a fairly young team, it’s not usual for such a young team to win the title unless blessed with truly outrageous talent. Young players lack experience, they are learning all the time, how to win under pressure, how to play with consistency, when to exert yourself physically and when to conserve energy, how to keep focus and concentration. All of these factors can have an effect on how a player’s ability is adapted on the football pitch.
Taking several of these factors as negative, introduce them to five players and suddenly the machine is not functioning as smoothly, doubts creep in, the ball starts to roll downwards. Games become tight, the opposition senses opportunity, raises its game. Refereeing decisions become more spotlighted, every opportunity counts.
This is what Wenger has to contend with, it’s probably so baffling even he can’t figure it out. That’s why I’m surprised he gambled the entire season on that FA Cup match, a match we were obviously never going to win once he picked the team that he did. Why sow the seeds of initial doubt? He broke his toy that day and now he has to try and tighten every nut and bolt again.
I think you have to take all this into account, instead of blowing a particular player’s inadequacies out of proportion to find an easy scapegoat when there probably isn’t one.
In my opinion, the team is not mentally mature enough, it has over-achieved. However, there is still a lot of strength there and if they can hang on in there they might suddenly realise that actually they are good enough after all and just release themselves. They could still provide a shock to the system yet, but experience and history tells you that they are more likely to fall short.
March 18th, 2008 at 10:03 am
Off topic, but whatever Birmingham City chairman David Gold said slamming Fabregas has no sense. People murder or hurt others because of a split second of an anger and this simply causes a death or an injury. If we say, well this guy killed this guy because he was pissed off for one second, and if he wanted to kill him then he is not doing any good. yeaaa, but he did it. To limit such things we have laws against such murder. …
Same for horrible tackles. I am sure Taylor didn’t mean to sideline Eduardo for a year… but he wanted to take him out of the game or maybe give him a “whats up ” note. So in a different game, Taylor will go play say Liverpool, and he says i dont like Bable, so I am going to show him whats up. If I break his leg, then I will be out for 3 games (”oh well I can live with it”), but If not, then Bable will be out of the game and my team can win without him.. (Just an example).
No big LAW prevents him from trying such thing.
Its like an attempt to kill, or attempt to harm. You have to put rules against it to scare players from such tackles, to try to control their split second stupid anger they get.
We lost so many great players because of this, Marco Van Basten, Ronaldo, and the list goes on …
Suggestion: Ban the player the same period the other player is sidelined. Of course within reasons.
Beside this …look what happened to Arsenal since this injury !!!!!
This is disgrace.
March 18th, 2008 at 11:11 am
I don’t want to sound like a Gooner blasphemer but I hasten to remind you that the first commandment says “You shall have no other gods before Me.” I think that also means footy. It’s not like the starting eleven are apostles or anything either. I think we need to put believe into its proper perspective.
I think it’s more about passion than it is about religion. Think of it this way, I wouldn’t give a tinkers damn if Arsenal won the cup and I lost my soul in the end. I am not an overly religious person and I have never been here. That said I might make a statement that read like this “Yes there is a God because there is beer, whoops I mean there is footy.” I thank God everyday that humans can express themselves through sport and that footy is the beautiful game, then I salute God and footy with a beer. Cheers!
I believe in God, art, family, Arsenal and beer, in that order.
March 18th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Andez, whatever works for you.
However, if everyone in the crowd at matches or in general society resembled a bunch of spaced out hippies ala Woodstock 1969 and it was all ‘peace and love’ then the game would be devoid of the elements that make it the blood and thunder attraction it is. Players would also lose their competitive edge because there would be no fear of recriminations. The game would turn into a procession- a passionless procession.
Also, if everyone was like me- a sometimes hot-headed irrational analyst/wannabe- then it would be too an much of inflammatory and distasteful sport and culture for a neutral to warm to.
The mixture of different types of fans give it a spice and flavour that works when it is all thrown together and this concoction appeals to people worldwide.
If I ever go to an Arsenal match, I will usually sit there and quietly watch the first half. Depending on the game I either continue quietly or start getting a bit animated and often throw a few expletives around if certain players do not perform. Not in a traditional cockney ignorant way but usually muttered under my breath or the person next to me might hear. One thing I never do is boo. It’s the most moronic thing a person can do at a football match.
March 18th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
So what you’re saying is that for a lot of people sport is merely there as an outlet for their aggression or a much required boost to their sense of psychological inferiority.
Like the football hooligan, who isn’t interested in football at all but rather uses the sport as a medium to commit organised violence. That’s the peak of the scale, lower down are the people who go there to meet their mates, get drunk and act like arseholes for 24 hours. Then further down are those whose interest and over-enthusiasm largely acts as substitute to a rather tragic and uninspiring private life. Further down - I’d like to think the majority, are the purists - those who are psychologically sorted, could dump football tomorrow if they really want to and enjoy the game purely as a spectacle. The bottom rung is made up of mostly women, they pretend to understand the game to gain entry into the world of men, but don’t even understand the offside rule.
March 18th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Just to show my believe in the Arsenal I’d thought I’d share some visual communion with you all.
I am an professional artist, subsequently this has also required me to be a professional photographer. I’ve been taking image captures (photos) for over 30 years now and have had my work exhibited in many of the worlds largest museums.
I took this image the other day using a new Nikon D300 with a 18-70mm Nikkor lens. I liked it so much that I’m currently using it as my desktop wallpaper on my computer. I thought I’d share it with you fellow AA Gooners. For you other photographers out there this image is straight out of the camera with exception to sizing.
I’ve included two images, the first is sized at 1024 X 768 px which is the format I use on my machine.
http://www.gerardpas.com/download/arsenal768.jpg
The second will need to be sized by you to fit your own screen resolution (it’s big at 1.8mb
http://www.gerardpas.com/download/arsenal1024.jpg
I hope you enjoy the image as much as I do. Having the image greet me every time I come to my machine helps me to believe I hope it does you.
instructions: open an above link, then right click and save the image to your machine.
March 18th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
“So what you’re saying is that for a lot of people sport is merely there as an outlet for their aggression or a much required boost to their sense of psychological inferiority.”
No, you said that yourself.
Some people deal with things they are passionate about differently. By definition passion evokes all sorts of different emotions. Happiness, sadness, disappointment, anger, euphoria, the list goes on. Just look at someone like Thierry Henry and Ray Parlour. Henry could be a moody, sulking figure around the training ground when things were not going his way. Parlour, on the other hand, was happy-go-lucky Essex lad who never gave the impression of a guy who would spend weeks fretting about a game. People accepted Henry for what he was; a passionate man who cared. I don’t think people thought it was all about self-gratification with him, although undoubtedly he had a bit of an ego. All he wanted what was for the good of a team.
March 18th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Nice pictures SEH. It doesn make yearn for the old crest though.
March 18th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Neat SEH .. Finally now I can take that Arsenal - Slavia 7-0 picture off my desktop :).
Thats a very valid thread though Andez. For someone like me who started watching football the year Tony Adams lifted the trophy in 2002 I can do nothing but support the team. What have I ever contributed to Arsenal that gives me a right to moan that their policies are wrong? Who am I to say that AW sucks because he hasn’t won for 3 years? All I’ve ever done is watch Arsenal on TV from a different continent and go into a depression whenever we lose. Over time though I’ve learned to control it just a bit…just a bit mind you.
What do we watch football for? Because we love the damn game. Its only then does Arsenal come into the picture. if we didn’t love football we wouldn’t love Arsenal..its as simple as that. So after all of it..if we continued to scrap 1-0 wins for the next decade I’m not so sure I’d be really happy. I’d probably continue to support the team coz I’m too addicted to the high after an Arsenal win but I’d probably wish that the AW years remained all my life. Sitting in front of your TV eating chips…you have absolutely no right to complain. You were not promised that Arsenal would win trophies..you were not forced to watch Arsenal or buy its memorabilia…you have the choice to turn it off if you think it is bad or you cannot bear Arsenal losing.
The cribbing and the calling of players oafs, idiots and imbeciles after bad decisions, own goals or poor performances or tactics is what gets to me the most. They got it wrong damn it…no one said they wouldn’t make a mistake. They do not play for you — well yeah in a way they play for the people who buy their stuff and come to watch them. At the end of the day it is a job for them…a high profile job in which they are put to intense scrutiny every day they play. Days in which they are off form does not mean they are oafs and two games off does not mean they cannot play football. They’ve probably had lesser off days that you sitting in your cushy desk job. Yes they have a job to do and they had better do it well else they will not last — they and the club know that more than you..much more than the most accurate precise critic out here. We know nothing except what we read and see — nothing about team dynamics, player pressure, player attitudes, the training , the dressing room, their personal life…nothing. It makes no sense to moan without knowing the complete story — You’re not a fly on the wall at Ashburton Grove and hence any comment which looks and sounds logical to a fan cannot be proved and conclusively stated as true - no more conclusive than Alex Ferguson’s secret ManU society. Because we don’t know the facts — all the facts.
Ridiculous tabloids like the one on Alex Hleb are pulled out. However when its something about a player we like we ignore it and defend that player because we “know” he wouldn’t do something like that. Yes, just like Alex McLiesh knew Martin Taylor wouldn’t do something like that.
Yes being passionate is wonderful and different people do react differently but “passion without rationality” does not make sense. Thats probably another reason why England do not produce higher skilled(relatively) players. Criticize by all means but be rational about it and take into perspective everything before opening your mouth or keyboard to speak. Calling people oafs,garbage,trash,useless etc does not help and is ridiculously off the mark. The only people who are useless are people who do sponge off others physically or mentally and justify it.
I dont mean to sound like a headmaster and I apologize if it came out that way.
March 18th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
I believe (somewhat). My idiotic predictions: 3rd in EPL, but Champions League winners. No logic to it, of course.
March 18th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
The team is better than the early 80’s when we were so lame. Even if we don’t win anything, we were up there battling it out. I could wait another 80 years for a title or even a trophy, as long as we give it our all, that’s all I want.
March 18th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
Thanks Andez for the post a dose of perspective is often needed. We follow a fantastic club at a fantastic time in its history…..but following any club is about ebbs and flows.
For a lot of guys sport is a big passion. Nothing wrong with that in my view, you gotta get excited about life why not sport? Others get excited about cross-stitch and scrapbooking - to each their own.
But I’m with Gerrard (what with the name new???) on faith being another matter. Sport is about enjoyment but faith helps make sense of life in its entirety. Again - to each there own. Thanks for the pic Gerrard.
March 18th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
believe ….
well faith in RELIGION cannot be compared to that in a football team..
its more like a romantic affair
people love teams or start supporting teams due to several reasons… primarily proximity, relation with the players, them being fans of certain players, media hype and euphoria surrounding the team and players, recent successes or failures of the team, its playing style, etc.
gradually, as the fan matures, his relation with the club grows stronger, it no longer remains about the temporary factors, he is not concerned about his favorite player any longer, he does not care how much the style of play has changed, and as for the relations with the media he balloons on hearing positive opinion and rants at anything demeaning said about the club… this is because the club has become a symbol of his identity… a pseudo family member… and over the years the generally faithful fan does not care about the division of the team or its players, maybe the finances and the upcoming youth, the transfer rumors,… but he does not judge its performance to reconsider his association….as any lover wouldn’t …
as for me i love arsenal because of its playing style…. the CSKA game last season is one my all time favorites… along with the 5-3 against borrough in that unbeaten run of 49… i will love the team as long as we play the same fluid grounded fast attractive and creative football… if say wenger goes and we change to the sucking liverpool or chelsea way of long ball … i couldn’t care less about this team… and believe me that still you cannot brand me as not a “SUPPORTER” as i support the club for what it is… and if the soul changes then so can my preference..
like style of play is my parameter for defining fanship, others may have their own… but still.. i assume people would be rational enough to change the clubs they support if what they value most ceases to be identity of the club ( say youth and homegrown talent in case of SAF’s 99 batch ) instead of ignorantly defending it life over and fooling themselves..
time for some introspection… CHEERS!!
March 18th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
whoops….Gerrard I meant what’s with the new name?
March 18th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
Way off topic; can you believe Blackburn got Vogel on a free? I heard about a week or so ago that they actually made him try out. There are only a handful of players I’ve wanted to come to Arsenal just because I thought they would shine and help us win. Johann Vogel is one of them. Just so you know, I also wanted Andriy Shevchenko (in ‘98 when I thought he was still under the radar), Zvonimir Boban (before I knew how old he was), Sebastian Kehl, Hernan Crespo, a guy from Uruguay named Fabian O’Neil and believe it or not Fabian Barthez (when he was still at Monaco). Shows what I know about recruiting for Arsenal as I never imagined Henry, van Persie, Pires, or Hleb ever wearing an Arsenal jersey before they signed and I was well aware of their abilities. Vogel is a very intelligent player. We’ll see how he does in the BPL.
March 18th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
soccerfreak - The first thing to say is that there are no rules of fanship. So this is 100% opinion.
Although in saying that I find your relationship to Arsenal a bit academic. They play the way you want so you support them. If they don’t - you’ll stop. Sounds a bit like going to the supermarket and picking toothpaste.
It’s a bit like saying to your wife - you look the way I want so I’m staying with you. If you stop looking this nice I’m off.
For me fanship is a bit deeper than that. It involves a deeper level of commitment. It’s different than choosing which restaurant to go to for dinner. There is a sense in which you take the rough with the smooth - and in doing so you experience an incredible joy when there is success.
I think you hit the nail on the head when you said “its more like a romantic affair” - perhaps for you - but for many of us, probably most, it’s more like a marriage.
You do bring up an interesting point though and that is when (if ever) would we stop being fans. I had never contemplated this until recently and that was the potential change in ownership of the club to jabba the hut. I still don’t know whether that would break my love for the club, but the fact that it entered my headspace shows there is a line.
March 18th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
I always figured that the fan is the only thing that does not change in a club. The players might (and will) change clubs, the managers come and go, and the owners even leave sometimes, but we the true fans keep on wearing our clubs shirts and hats and whatever. We seem to be the only ones who stick around till the end(usually ours).
Thats my view on it
March 18th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
#12 Kiwi - Why Stoned Emirate Hooker? Well I’d be Stoned if I where a Hooker in the Emirates, be that as a profession or as an induced state of mind. I would not fit into Arsenals prime sponsors cultural milieu back in Dubai. Besides Stoned Ashburton Grove Hooker was taken - I mean too long
NO Kiwi.
I’m currently acting as a student consultant and teaching at a college where my boss is a Manc and a ManUre supporter. He’s a real decent person and we respect each other greatly. It’s wonderful to have someone else who knows something about footy to talk with but he remains a ManUre supporter as do I a Gunner. This guy was at the first match in Manchester with his dad after the terrible plane crash in 1958; a dyed in the wool red devil man. Being a professorial English type he reads vociferously and often on the web.
Out of respect to our friendship I don’t want him reading my railings and rancorous rants against ManUre. Thus SEH a name he can’t accidentally find in a search engine like he does my real name. Love thy neighbour sort of shit.
Gerard
March 18th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
actually i am quite a purist when it comes to football….so how arsenal plays is a major part in why i support them. however i have been following the arse since 97 which is 3/4 of my active soccer-watching career. i cant imagine not following arsenal even if we become a bit like newcastle.
however, if that fat criminal usmanov takes control, pillages the club, hires a new manager in the mourinho mold who plays defensive football and makes so much noise in the media and generally stinks up the whole place…..THEN i would seriously be de-motivated from football completely - not just arsenal.
as it is now arsenal football is the only kind i can watch right now. Man U play attacking football, but its just not the same…if i ever quit arsenal its because i quit soccer completely.
March 18th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
As a transplanted Jamaican living in the US since 1970, my formative years were spent worshiping Football, Cricket and Track & Field. Having played at the highest amateur level football was always my first love with Brazil being my “God” and England running a close second. This was mainly due to the limited TV exposure we had in Jamaica but we did get the BBC condensed sports feed and finite Newspaper coverage of the English league.
Being in Jamaica and having a Brazilian coach we were influenced by the many visits of the Brazilian Club teams like Santos with Pele at his prime. Due to my passage I am a purist and was attracted to Arsenal about eight years ago when we started to get regular football broadcasts in the US. Since then I live and die, drink and sleep with our ups and our downs, but the one constant is “Jugo Bonito”. Whatever may happen to Arsenal in the future they will always have a special place in my heart for providing unmatched entertainment.
I pride myself on not criticizing the team, but will make what I see to be objective commentaries on their strengths, weaknesses and needs. I do criticize Arsene on occasion mainly for what I perceive to be a lack of strategy in terms of selection and formation. With all that, Arsene is my man and someone whom I admire greatly for his passion, loyalty and integrity.
March 19th, 2008 at 12:21 am
i do not think supporting a club is like shopping in a supermarket…
rather its far more fundamental process of selecting a mate… still its true that you need to be attracted to some quality of the club ( or product or person) otherwise the process of selection itself is flawed… success you would have understood is not a criteria for me… ( still i would definitely be happier if we win tropihes… a vindication and remnant of our style !!)
even i cannot imagine supporting a different club, because 100% of my football watching career since sep 2001, i’ve been an arsenal fan… but if the club loses its soul, the reason i support it then i wouldn’t be able to justify my selection… there would be a hollow cause… till i like a new club, find the discover the same quality in another team, i may stay neutral… with some part of my heart still being at arsenal…
agreed my list is not exhaustive and emotions, also play a part…but there are definitely rules for fanship, especially in this globalized world… .. .and some clubs understand this better than others… ManU knows how to market themselves… RM, Barca, Milan… they do know how to attract fans… if we knew definitely we would have had the largest fan base …. but we are more unconcerned about that aspect… i.e why no glamorous American or Asian trips in off season… no big name signings…. etc.. and most purists currently love the team and management for this attitude apart from on field beauty of the movement…
fans usually support till the end due to a state of inertia and also that the club becomes a part of their ego and identity…
March 19th, 2008 at 12:24 am
The fans certainly need to have some faith and belief in the team. At the same time, the team needs to believe in themselves. I think that’s a little low at the moment.
Look at Cesc. He is a brilliant play maker. But when it comes to scoring goals, he is too much of a confidence player. If he is on song, he’ll score from long distances. If he is not, he will miss the easiest of chances. He need to believe in himself.
The Chelsea game is an interesting one. I don’t think we will lose, but the important question is whether we will win.
March 19th, 2008 at 12:31 am
Anybody thinks Spurs will be able to get anything against Chelsea tonight?
March 19th, 2008 at 1:06 am
My points in fact are not about trying to start a debate what supporting a club resemble to. More of urging the fans to keep believing in our team. There are already more than enough ppl keep trying to knock us down over the course of the season, rival fans, media, I don’t feel that they need any extra hands from an Arsenal supporter.
March 19th, 2008 at 1:38 am
Perhaps, Andez, but the discussions regarding the nature of their “fandom” are interesting.
March 19th, 2008 at 2:14 am
Very Good article, I agree with your sentiments too.
And I support do it for 32 years!
Hey! Let support our Gunners to be revive in Stamford Bridge Stadium and beat Chelsea again>>>>>>
March 19th, 2008 at 3:19 am
yup thompson, it’s surely something i didn’t expect when i wrote this piece!
to me, football can also be like a bit of the reality show “The Amazing Race”.
u know, sometimes when a team is leading, and looked odd on to win, out of the blue, there comes an unexpected obstacle and halt their progress. other times when a team look dead last and without a prayer, yet somehow somewhere an opportunity would arise to throw them a lifeline.
so u never know. from watching the show, i figured that there are two keys to win the race - (1) never give up (2) keep believing. As even when the going get tough, it does not necessary mean you are hopless and out. The only sure way for a team to get elimated is when they have given up.
March 19th, 2008 at 4:52 am
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/2008/03/19/arsenal-s-alexander-hleb-alleged-to-have-met-inter-milan-fixers-before-ac-milan-clash-89520-20355771/
Nice to see that Hleb likes to have “ice-cream” with his agent(s).
March 19th, 2008 at 4:53 am
I have to agree….the race is never over until it is mathematically impossible to regain the lead.
Take the case of Liverpool….some good results and all of a sudden they just might be back in the hunt…this when they were seemingly dead and buried a few weeks back. Just goes to show that football is a game of surprises. The mid-week fixtures will be interesting….if Bolton and Spurs can help us out a bit…..the Sunday matches will be really worth watching. Have a 4 day break starting tomm….so i can afford to stay up late today to watch Man U and Spurs
….never going to happen otherwise.
Speaking of which…..has anyone read the report in the Guadian about the alledged Hleb tap-up which happened prior to the Milan match…..seems Wenger has alreay gone ahead and made a complaint against Inter Milan…..it’s not over all the papers yet….but looks like it will soon be ……looks like the Ashley Cole Saga yet again…..with this time the agent claiming that Hleb had gone for an ‘ice cream’ and not a meeting …..this has to be one of the worst excuses ever. If this is true then I wonder what action Wenger will look to take…will have to be something very strong.
I hope it’s not true….because Hleb is one player i really like….but if this story is true and the guy wants away come the end of the season…it will really raise questions on his poor performances after the Milan match.
More here http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2266464,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=5
Cheers
March 19th, 2008 at 5:16 am
“I always figured that the fan is the only thing that does not change in a club. The players might (and will) change clubs, the managers come and go, and the owners even leave sometimes, but we the true fans keep on wearing our clubs shirts and hats and whatever. We seem to be the only ones who stick around till the end(usually ours).”
This statement is truer than any else. Stars have come and gone (Henry, Vieira, etc.), but we fans usually remain loyal. Even if we criticize our own players, our only intention is to improve the results. It’s never to put down the club. Tomorrow, Wenger may also leave, but I guess a lot of us will continue supporting the club (haven’t thought about it yet but I think so).
People have faith in the club, but when players themselves question belief, it can be natural for the fans to have a little less belief than usual. That doesn’t mean they aren’t fans anymore.
March 19th, 2008 at 5:23 am
Wenger recently claimed that Arsenal are the most fouled team in the league. I don’t know the stats but I am sure we are up there. Now imagine if we had a half decent taker of free kicks. How many more goals would we have scored?
Some more food for thought. Does the opposition foul us more than others simply because they know that there is not much danger from the resultant free kick?
March 19th, 2008 at 10:41 am
Well, Spurs are at home today, and we don’t need them to win. I think they can nip a point.