UNTOLD ARSENAL » Blog Archive » One defeat changes nothing

Here’s a simple fact – we’re two points behind the leaders, with a goal difference that is only one worse than the leaders.

Here’s another fact – our children’s team looked a dream and a half on tuesday.

Or another fact – even if Manchester Bankrupt win their game in hand we are still above them in the league.

Or another – when Manchester B screwed up earlier this season – or indeed at the start of last season – I don’t recall anyone saying, “that’s it, all over, that’s the end, Man B are dead in the water…”   Of course not.  Everyone takes it that their manager knows a thing or two about football, and has just had a bit of a bad run.

I’m just another supporter, and, for what its worth, what I feel at the moment is…

a) there is nothing written in the laws of the universe that says Arsenal have to be one of the top teams – after all for many years of my life the club has very obviously not been one of the top teams.

b) I have never in all these years of watching the club seen football as exciting and stunning as in the Wenger era.

c) The football I am seeing now is not worse than during the 2 Wenger double seasons – it is in fact better.

d) The only period at all in all the years I have been watching Arsenal in which the team exceeded what is being offered now was the unbeaten season – but

e) The prelude to the unbeaten season was a dreadful awful terrible dispiriting defeat at home to Leeds which lost us the league

f) The aftermath of the 49 was a dreadful run where we couldn’t have beaten our own children’s team

I don’t think this is a disaster at all – because I am not going to measure everything against out ability to win every single game.

I loved the game against Sheffield U, I am not going to give up on this season after just a handful of games, I am certainly not going to start criticising Wenger just because we have lost two games this season by the odd goal, I am going to the game against Porto full of enthusiasm, the world did not end on saturday evening, and most important of all…

If I was coming to this country from Brazil, with no knowledge of English football, but as an incomer was looking for a team to support, I would look for an attractive, attack minded team that could make a serious challenge to win the league.   That would reduce the field to two – Manchester B and Arsenal.  I would choose Arsenal because of the tradition, the ownership, and above all the pure style and quality of the club.

One defeat by one goal changes nothing.