Some clarification (part two)
28 July 2010
For our next instalment of points to clarify, we're going to look at comments we've received on our love of the colour yellow, and our view on what makes a 'JCL'.
Our away colours
Yes we feel our traditional away colours should be yellow and blue. Much like the crest and cannon issue featured previously, we've come under fire because yellow and blue wasn't our original change strip; we've been informed (because apparently we didn't know) that the club wore a white away kit before yellow.
It's quite simple really. We love a yellow away strip because it's the one which has been worn the most during Arsenal's history (27 yellow, 15 white, 12 blue) and it's one we associate with successful, happy times. Remember Charlie George in 1971 winning us the double, remember Alan Sunderland scoring the winner in the 1979 cup final, remember Michael Thomas 'charging through the midfield' in 1989, remember Sylvain Wiltord scoring at Old Trafford to win us the league in 2002 (okay that last one was a gold-ish yellow shirt, but it was still based on the famous Arsenal yellow)? Probably not a lot of people will remember this one, but Reg Lewis scored both goals to win us the 1950 FA Cup wearing a yellow shirt.
Yes we've worn a white away kit and it came before yellow, but do you really associate Arsenal with the colour white? And more to the point, do you associate a successful Arsenal with the colour white? The same with blue.
So yes, we feel that Arsenal's traditional away colours should be yellow and blue because it's most commonly associated with our club, and it's the colour scheme which features in a lot of our happy Arsenal related memories.
What is a JCL?
There have been remarks from some that we're a bunch of moany old men who want everything to be the way it used to be in the 70s and that we don't welcome newcomers, branding them as 'Johnny Come Lately' supporters, or 'JCLs'.
Let's face facts, we were all new Arsenal fans at some point so it could be said we were all JCLs once upon a time. However we consider actual JCLs to be fans who have jumped on the success of Arsenal but don't like all that comes with it. It's like someone turning up to a party that's in full swing and forcing the host change the music and put out a different spread of food.
At Arsenal, our sustained period of success under Arsene Wenger (with foundations laid by George Graham before him) has seen many of this type arrive at our club. They'll have little idea about the history and traditions of Arsenal and don't really care. They couldn't tell you who the bust represented in the Marble Halls at Highbury, but they'll turn up at an Arsenal game, spend a fortune in the club shop and frown upon any banter or singing at the match. This isn't like the theatre, oh no. Let's complain and get that scoundrel thrown out.
Of course we realise that support like this is fickle and that eventually it will drift away, but it absolutely ruins the matchday experience for many hardcore supporters (young and old). Thing is, these people are spending money which the club absolutely craves, and in an attempt at being considered modern and politically correct, it will listen to the views of a JCL and ensure that they're taken care of. Keep them sweet and they'll keep spending money at matches (even though it's going to be a short-term thing).
Hopefully that gives a clearer indication of what we consider to be a JCL, and why we feel they're spoiling the matchday experience for true football supporters. We don't want this kind of supporter getting the club's ear and calling the shots. It's not the best way forward.
For our next instalment of points to clarify, we're going to look at comments we've received on our love of the colour yellow, and our view on what makes a 'JCL'.
Our away colours
Yes we feel our traditional away colours should be yellow and blue. Much like the crest and cannon issue featured previously, we've come under fire because yellow and blue wasn't our original change strip; we've been informed (because apparently we didn't know) that the club wore a white away kit before yellow.
It's quite simple really. We love a yellow away strip because it's the one which has been worn the most during Arsenal's history (27 yellow, 15 white, 12 blue) and it's one we associate with successful, happy times. Remember Charlie George in 1971 winning us the double, remember Alan Sunderland scoring the winner in the 1979 cup final, remember Michael Thomas 'charging through the midfield' in 1989, remember Sylvain Wiltord scoring at Old Trafford to win us the league in 2002 (okay that last one was a gold-ish yellow shirt, but it was still based on the famous Arsenal yellow)? Probably not a lot of people will remember this one, but Reg Lewis scored both goals to win us the 1950 FA Cup wearing a yellow shirt.
Yes we've worn a white away kit and it came before yellow, but do you really associate Arsenal with the colour white? And more to the point, do you associate a successful Arsenal with the colour white? The same with blue.
So yes, we feel that Arsenal's traditional away colours should be yellow and blue because it's most commonly associated with our club, and it's the colour scheme which features in a lot of our happy Arsenal related memories.
What is a JCL?
There have been remarks from some that we're a bunch of moany old men who want everything to be the way it used to be in the 70s and that we don't welcome newcomers, branding them as 'Johnny Come Lately' supporters, or 'JCLs'.
Let's face facts, we were all new Arsenal fans at some point so it could be said we were all JCLs once upon a time. However we consider actual JCLs to be fans who have jumped on the success of Arsenal but don't like all that comes with it. It's like someone turning up to a party that's in full swing and forcing the host change the music and put out a different spread of food.
At Arsenal, our sustained period of success under Arsene Wenger (with foundations laid by George Graham before him) has seen many of this type arrive at our club. They'll have little idea about the history and traditions of Arsenal and don't really care. They couldn't tell you who the bust represented in the Marble Halls at Highbury, but they'll turn up at an Arsenal game, spend a fortune in the club shop and frown upon any banter or singing at the match. This isn't like the theatre, oh no. Let's complain and get that scoundrel thrown out.
Of course we realise that support like this is fickle and that eventually it will drift away, but it absolutely ruins the matchday experience for many hardcore supporters (young and old). Thing is, these people are spending money which the club absolutely craves, and in an attempt at being considered modern and politically correct, it will listen to the views of a JCL and ensure that they're taken care of. Keep them sweet and they'll keep spending money at matches (even though it's going to be a short-term thing).
Hopefully that gives a clearer indication of what we consider to be a JCL, and why we feel they're spoiling the matchday experience for true football supporters. We don't want this kind of supporter getting the club's ear and calling the shots. It's not the best way forward.