Why Arsenal fans are justified in demanding better
11 September 2012
By Matthew Bazell, author of 'Theatre Of Silence: The Lost Soul of Football'
A lot of accusations have been levelled towards Arsenal fans recently, in that we’re a spoilt bunch of ingrates who have no right demanding better from the team. We should be happy where we are because things could always be worse.
Now, I don’t go to games any more, partly because I think that modern day prices are a rip-off. But I put myself in the position of Arsenal season ticket holders and club members and I came to this conclusion: If I spent that kind of money just for admission, I too would be incredibly demanding. If I were to pay the highest ticket prices in world football then I to would expect something near to the highest standards in world football from my team.
After all, fans of clubs like Arsenal are told that if you want the best you have to pay for it. Would anyone classify this Arsenal team as being the best in England, let alone Europe? And yet the cheapest season ticket at Arsenal is around 7 times more expensive than the cheapest season ticket at Bayern Munich.
Instead of Arsenal fans being spoilt, you could counter argue that the club are the ones who are spoilt by underachieving year in year out, and yet still managing to sell out a highly priced stadium. Now let’s just say that it cost a whole lot less to follow Arsenal, would there be the same level of dissatisfaction? I don’t think there would be and I can back that up from recent history.
I’ve been following Arsenal since 1986, and the one team I’ve seen as bad as this current bunch was around the 1994-95 era. George Graham by this point had lost his magic touch; Arsenal had become mediocre and were going nowhere fast. Yes we wanted the team to be better, but I don’t recall anywhere near the same level of animosity and even hatred towards the club from its own fans. And I don’t use the word ‘hatred’ flippantly. There are Arsenal fans out there who hate much of what the club now stands for.
That’s a major change. Back in 1994-95 we were disgruntled to see John Jensen and Ian Selly feature in midfield, but there was no major bitterness towards the club; we just hoped and wanted for better. How could I have felt bitter towards the club who were affordable to all, and who played in a beautiful art deco stadium to a fan-base who I could relate to?
Since that time the club sold its soul down the river with commercial stadium branding, a priority of corporate hospitality and regular ticket prices that excluded those with the least. And that’s why I think that Arsenal supporters have every right to be demanding a better standard of team than the one they are currently watching; because the change of culture that came with the Emirates Stadium move was supposed to be the compromise for success (success in football terms of course, I imagine the board are pretty chuffed with the annual profit figures).
When the team isn’t successful it leaves the supporters feeling short changed and left to search for some sort of pride in following a club with an impersonal corporate identity that’s very expensive to follow. It’s not hard to imagine that resentment will then emanate from that kind of environment.
Modern day football culture has bred this monster in the stands, now they have to feed the beast what it demands.
And yes the monster has heads in many places. For example Wolves fans singing “You Don’t Know What You’re Doing” to Mick McCarthy. A manager who had got them promoted to the top division and kept them there for two seasons. Or Blackburn fans’ regular protests towards Steve Kean. One bad season outside the top four will be enough for Man Utd fans to call for Fergie’s head. A couple of defeats in February and there were Spurs fans on radio talk shows insisting that Harry wasn’t the man to move the club forward.
These same fans are told that football is now just a business. Well the business world can be fickle and unmerciful and if things don’t go to plan then heads will roll. Attending fans are the heavily burdened financial backers of the football business, and therefore feel justified in demanding certain standards from their high investment. I and many others find this sad, but do we feel sympathy to those on the end of such pressure, or is it just a case of reaping what you sow?
By Matthew Bazell, author of 'Theatre Of Silence: The Lost Soul of Football'
A lot of accusations have been levelled towards Arsenal fans recently, in that we’re a spoilt bunch of ingrates who have no right demanding better from the team. We should be happy where we are because things could always be worse.
Now, I don’t go to games any more, partly because I think that modern day prices are a rip-off. But I put myself in the position of Arsenal season ticket holders and club members and I came to this conclusion: If I spent that kind of money just for admission, I too would be incredibly demanding. If I were to pay the highest ticket prices in world football then I to would expect something near to the highest standards in world football from my team.
After all, fans of clubs like Arsenal are told that if you want the best you have to pay for it. Would anyone classify this Arsenal team as being the best in England, let alone Europe? And yet the cheapest season ticket at Arsenal is around 7 times more expensive than the cheapest season ticket at Bayern Munich.
Instead of Arsenal fans being spoilt, you could counter argue that the club are the ones who are spoilt by underachieving year in year out, and yet still managing to sell out a highly priced stadium. Now let’s just say that it cost a whole lot less to follow Arsenal, would there be the same level of dissatisfaction? I don’t think there would be and I can back that up from recent history.
I’ve been following Arsenal since 1986, and the one team I’ve seen as bad as this current bunch was around the 1994-95 era. George Graham by this point had lost his magic touch; Arsenal had become mediocre and were going nowhere fast. Yes we wanted the team to be better, but I don’t recall anywhere near the same level of animosity and even hatred towards the club from its own fans. And I don’t use the word ‘hatred’ flippantly. There are Arsenal fans out there who hate much of what the club now stands for.
That’s a major change. Back in 1994-95 we were disgruntled to see John Jensen and Ian Selly feature in midfield, but there was no major bitterness towards the club; we just hoped and wanted for better. How could I have felt bitter towards the club who were affordable to all, and who played in a beautiful art deco stadium to a fan-base who I could relate to?
Since that time the club sold its soul down the river with commercial stadium branding, a priority of corporate hospitality and regular ticket prices that excluded those with the least. And that’s why I think that Arsenal supporters have every right to be demanding a better standard of team than the one they are currently watching; because the change of culture that came with the Emirates Stadium move was supposed to be the compromise for success (success in football terms of course, I imagine the board are pretty chuffed with the annual profit figures).
When the team isn’t successful it leaves the supporters feeling short changed and left to search for some sort of pride in following a club with an impersonal corporate identity that’s very expensive to follow. It’s not hard to imagine that resentment will then emanate from that kind of environment.
Modern day football culture has bred this monster in the stands, now they have to feed the beast what it demands.
And yes the monster has heads in many places. For example Wolves fans singing “You Don’t Know What You’re Doing” to Mick McCarthy. A manager who had got them promoted to the top division and kept them there for two seasons. Or Blackburn fans’ regular protests towards Steve Kean. One bad season outside the top four will be enough for Man Utd fans to call for Fergie’s head. A couple of defeats in February and there were Spurs fans on radio talk shows insisting that Harry wasn’t the man to move the club forward.
These same fans are told that football is now just a business. Well the business world can be fickle and unmerciful and if things don’t go to plan then heads will roll. Attending fans are the heavily burdened financial backers of the football business, and therefore feel justified in demanding certain standards from their high investment. I and many others find this sad, but do we feel sympathy to those on the end of such pressure, or is it just a case of reaping what you sow?
