Keep the "Faith"

I am 21 and I am a GUNNER.
I have been an Arsenal fan since  2002, and will be for many years to come.
in fact , lets cut the bullshit here, its widely understood that “once a gooner, always a gooner”.

PRESENT SCENARIO:

The club now lies in what, 14 or 15^th pos ? Sagna, vermaleon and wilshere injured, lack of team chemistry, gaping holes in midfield and defence, our woes are unending.  A fierce and vocal fan myself, being a gooner has its own demerits nowadays. People who are new to the footballing world, sneer when they hear me chanting, or crack jokes about the team. END RESULT- spurts of blood, broken tooth and lots and lots of swearing.
When serious fellas ask me , “why do you follow such a team, which gets defeated every third match?”
ONCE A GOONER, ALWAYS A GOONER.
“If you haven’t got that yet, you will probably never understand. No need to rattle your grey matter.”

This blog is not about the success of the club, nor its player’s charisma or the magical aura enclircling the Football club. Its about why we, the fans, should never loose faith.

The Green

The green of the grass. Every time. It’s greener at Arsenal than anywhere else. The only time I can remember it being as green somewhere else is the first time I saw Arsenal play live. It was some time in the 2002 season, in a league game againstWBA, destroying them peacefully, 5-2.
Cygan and world cup winner Gilberto were the new additions, and Viera had been newly appointed as “The captain”
Arsenal FC boasts of one of the best football grounds in Europe. I guess thats something.

The Red (and white)

I love our kit. Red shirt, white sleeves. It’s timeless, classic and simple. Which is why it’s annoying when Nike get it so wrong sometimes.

My favourite kit is the one we wore in the Farewell season at Highbury though. Maybe it’s because it was the first time I had watched the entire season. It’s timeless, classic and simple.

And if I could find a pair of them, anywhere here, I would grab them INSTANTLY.

The Fans

As difficult as things are at the moment, and as depressing as I find it that people speak to each other online in the ill-mannered, pig-ignorant way they seem to think is acceptable, in real life the Arsenal fans I have met, and meet, are brilliant.

Generous, funny, passionate and intelligent. The first time I ever did that weird thing of ‘meeting people off the internet’ was for the Arsenal v Juventus Champions League game at Highbury. I was over at a friends’ and  it was  just fantastic. I’m still in touch with some of those people. Cheers Rahul and Avinash ! guys , remember when cesc scored and we literally broke the couch ?? Good old times.

Through Facebook, and other bolgging sites, I have met hundreds more, many of whom I would consider my friends, and those friendships are borne out of one thing and one thing only, Arsenal Football Club.

Highbury

Football moves on and business more than ever calls the shots but there’s no place like home. I’ve always loved city centre stadia. One minute you’re walking down a residential street, you turn a corner and there’s a gigantic football stadium.

Highbury might not compare to the Grove in terms of facilities, ease of access (maybe we should make it more difficult for people to get out) and the rest, but it has all the character. It’s always worth a walk past, to see that amazing East stand facade, and a touch depressing to see the apartments and gardens where so much Arsenal history took place.
I have never visited Highbury, but so I have heard. True, I think.

But who will ever forget it?

The Cannon

I’ve never been one for tattoos but I always said if I got one it would be the old cannon. What a symbol of a club. It’s not a cock perching on a ball, nor any other kind of bird or wild animal of varying ferocity. I’ll see your wild animal and raise you a cannonball in the face. I think you’ll find there’ll only be one winner.
I am about to become a graduate soon, and as soon as I am gonna sit for my interviews, I am gonna get it done. Me and my dad have worked out a deal !

The “The”

Not the band. The fact that we have a The in front of our name and nobody else does. There’s no The Chelsea. Certainly not a The Liverpool and definitely not a The Sp*rs.

There is, however, The Arsenal. It’s ubiquitous and unique. It is ours. Sometimes you hear a pundit refer to us as ‘The Arsenal’ on the telly and even if that pundit is one who you would like to smear with meat paste then chuck into a pit with a pack of starving jackals it’s still nice to hear.

Maybe it’s a small thing, maybe completely insignificant, maybe you could say we don’t even a need a ‘the’ but the fact is we have a ‘the’ and nobody else does.

We are The Arsenal.

The Badge

From woolwich till today, our crest depicts strength and power.
I just love the cannons. Well, whats there to hate ?

The Players

I know, in this day and age where all our players are shit and useless and should be sold/killed/minced up and fed to cats etc, people’s affinity with players isn’t what it was.

Yet under no other circumstances could I blindly worship another man the way I have with Arsenal players. The list goes back as long as I can remember. Bacary Sagna’s off the line clearance against Aston Villa 2 seasons back. He won my heart, then and there.

Bergkamp, Pires, Lujnberg, henry and Cesc were all obvious. But why, along the way, did I have soft spots just as big for Hleb, Edu, nasri, Philippe Senderos, Clichy and more? Players of varying quality who meant as much to me as the bone fide geniuses. I guess that’s the beauty of it.

I’m sure there are loads more if I stopped to think about it for longer, or if I had more time. But sometimes it’s worth stepping back and realising that Arsenal is something that you should cherish. It is, for all intents and purposes, a marriage, a lifelong relationship and committment. Following Arsenal has been an education, more of a love affair really.
I had even kept a fast before the semifinals against Juventus, for us to win !!

For richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, and all that. We’re a bit sick at the moment and if you, like some columns I’ve read lately, want to leave your poorly partner because it’s all too much of a chore to lift him/her onto the toilet and then do the wiping, that’s entirely up to you. I’m sure you’ll be back once we’re on the mend though; when the good times return, which they will.

We can all be concerned and worried about where we are and where we’re going but we’ve been here before and we’ll be here again. This is nothing new in the life cycle of this football club.

I offer no solution today though, and present this simply as something to counter-balance the bile, hatred and invective that has become far too large a part of supporting … wrong word … following the Arsenal at this moment in time.

“Up the arse.” (Inspired by Arseblog ! :))

The Magic

I cannot really describe it, but I can recall a few to give you goosebumps.
Arshavin’s winner against Barcelona, last year.
Nasri’s 2 goals gunning down Manutd, 2 seasons back.
Cesc against Viera in the champions league semifinal.(Ars 2- 0 Juv)
Regular bust-ups between Roy Keane and Patrick Viera.
A dramatic 10 man, comeback against bolton in 2007-08, winning 2-3.

THESE ARE SOME MEMOIRS TO CHEER YOU UP. 

                                   Notice the audacity of henry to celebrate a goal in front of the Spuds ! Some even showing him the finger. Sad fellas…

                    Anyone who saw this match, can know the ecstasy and emotion of Cesc.
2-0 down at half time, one red card, it seemed gone. BUT ! ……

I could go on and on, but sadly, this isn’t a photoshoot, but you can google them anywhere. Right?
Keep following and Keep the Faith.   LOVE YOU ARSENALADDICTS !!