Acceptance

Denial
Anger
Bargaining
Depression
Acceptance

These are the five stages of death. Regardless of ywhat religion, race or country you are from, these are generally the stages one goes through when faced with death. Surprisingly enough, these very stages have typified the mood among Arsenal fans throughout summer.

We approach now what is perhaps the most defining week in the Wenger era. We find ourselves faced with so many questions - questions that must be answered after the 0-2 loss against Liverpool. Before I get into the game, I have a confession to make = I could not watch the game, although I did catch the MOTD highlights. The rest of my knowledge is a result of compulsively checking for Twitter updates every 10 seconds.

The big, big news before the match was that Samir Nasri was going to start. There was just one change to my line-up, which had been predicted before team news, and that makes me proud!

We defended brilliantly and played our hearts out, that much is clear and undebatable. The atmosphere in the stadium, amid the intense showers, was something else, I'm told. Then the inevitable happened. We lost Koscielny to back spasms. That makes it three out of three games we have had to make a forced substitution. Our confidence took a hit, and Liverpool started dominating possession. We did not give up. Miquel was assured, Frimpong and Vermalean immense. Theo and Arshavin were having an off day. Now considering the fact that we have 10 players playing on the wings at any given time, losing our two real ones to an “off day” dented our already dismal creativity.

It must be said that Nasri played his part in the chances we DID manage to create, a mazy run the pick of the lot. We found out what we were letting go off. Still, he is no Fabregas. The fans played their part too, and he was largely cheered on. Not sure I would have been able to do the same though! Ramsey, Nasri’s creative partner in central midfielder, was having a poor game himself, and did little to help Samir out.

For me, the turning points, not in the match, but in my thinking, were the 8th minute Frimpong yellow, and the Koscielny injury (Squillaci’s absence on the bench was very telling too). Those, to me, exemplify the problem at Arsenal. We have a brilliant player in Frimpong, but one who is obviously inexperienced. He was making his League debut against a team like Liverpool! And of course, our players are falling to injuries like toothpicks. Surely there is something wrong with the way we train? We have world class facilities, and the satellite tracking system introduced this season in training was supposed to help prevent injuries – whatever happened to that!

Looking at our line-up, who really gave us a chance? Yes, Frimpong was lion hearted in his efforts, and Miquel played the best he could, but the attack was nothing short of toothless, and there can be no excuses there.

In The Dumps

It is safe to say that Arsenal FC is in a state of some turmoil – not just within, but also outside, with the fans divided into distinct groups. If some fans aren’t yet in a state of panic, they are constantly at odds with others who are. The state of the club, the role of the manager, of the board, of the players themselves, is being questioned. No one truly knows what is going on, and there is confusion all around. The media is blamed for being against the club; the media is blamed for being biased towards the club. We have all possible permutations and combinations about our future being argued for or against.

Nothing escapes the vast reaches of the Internet. Hundreds of thousands of fans indulge in a discussion of one kind or another every day, be it through Facebook, or Twitter, or other great blogs. Needless to say, these discussions often get heated up, as fans of opposing views collide and each gets his support going. It’s straight up war out there!

These fans, it seems, are divided into a few sects. There is one that thinks the club must be defended at all costs, and this means the manager, the board and the players. There is one asking for the removal of the manager, one for the removal of the board. One is begging players like Nasri to stay at the club, another doesn’t want to see him put on the famous red and white again. Opinions on Cesc Fabregas are divided as well: some feel he should never have been sold, others that the timing of the sale wasn’t right, and some just worry that the money will never be reinvested. (Strangely, everyone seems to agree Denilson, Squillaci and Almunia are crap. Hmmmmm.).

Such a divided fan base cannot be a good thing for the club. It proves, as people have noticed, that the club’s PR base is very poor – there is no clear communication with the fans. The club has been accused of lying to the supporters and hiding facts.
Fans, in that situation, are bound to be confused, especially with the influx of information through the Internet. So the question for the exasperated fan is how he deals with this information (or misinformation) from and about the club. What constitutes a “real” fan?

This is a question that keeps popping up everywhere. It has been used as an argument in countless debates – a “real fan” would never say this, or oppose that. So how is one supposed to react when one hears, say, a rumor linking the club to a star player like Karim Benzema, or an unknown one like Joel Campbell (now a player at the club)? The trouble is two fold – one, there is often little truth these days to transfer rumors, or at least the extent to which they are hyped. Two, there is no “correct” way to react. The club’s need on the pitch, one must agree, must be left to the manager and board to analyze – they are infinitely more knowledgeable about the inner workings of the game and the transfer market. All we can argue about is whether they are actually making an effort to improve the squad on the pitch. It is hard to believe that someone as shrewd as Wenger does not know that our defense needs strengthening, and that Cesc and Nasri have to be replaced soon.

In that situation, it is indeed testing for the fans when all summer, the only real activity has been the addition of three kids and a speedy winger, while the club’s most influential, gifted player has left along with a few others, and another few are on their way out. The “We have got no players left, We have got no players left” chant is gaining a creepy, realistic aura.

According to Le Grove, an excellent blog about everything Arsenal, we have been outspent by every club in the Premier League since the league’s inception. The likes of Hull City and QPR have spent more (net) than we have. Looking at it neutrally, this brings our success in the Wenger era into startling perspective. It is nothing short of a miracle to continuously finish in the top four of the most competitive football league in the world with that kind of spending (or non-spending).