Hi Myles,
I visit ANR in the same way that I watch Arsenal, more in hope (of a good article/performance) than in expectation.
But every now and again one does come along that makes it all worth it. I’ve been wanting to write to you for a while because the more that Arsene refuses to adapt or admit that he has weaknesses, so do the writers of the letters on ANR.
The problem is that the writers have two main targets: 1. Wenger himself, and 2. The Wenger knows best brigade.
The problem with this premise is that I don’t think the second category really exist.
This creates a sense of frustration with the other fans. When someone views an issue from an extreme position, that person would view a neutral opinion as a polar opposite.
The person is incapable if seeing the view as balanced, because their own view is so polar.
I’d view myself as a neutral fan, and we probably account for 50% of the fan base. (The other 50% are the Wenger out brigade).
The Wenger knows best don’t exist. Not anymore.
Personally I’d be happy if Wenger goes at the end of the season, assuming we get a decent replacement.
But I’d also have been happy with a number of the signings that Liverpool made two months ago, but I’m not so envious now.
Arsenal and Arsene Wenger aren’t as bad as everyone makes out in this site.
They’re definitely not as good as we’d like them to be and there are some glaringly obvious things we’d like to change if any of us were able to have a real say. But the extreme anti-Wenger ranting, and the criticism of the Wenger knows best fans, is almost as tedious as Wenger’s own stubbornness.
Myles says:
My own moans are tedious, I’ve admitted that for two years.
Although I’ve lowered my expectations, and urged others to do the same, I’m still disappointed by this Arsenal team.
Their style of play bores me. It’s not exciting to watch. It’s slow and predictable.
However, I’ve got ideas for 5 decent articles I’d love to write here. Maybe I can post one by the end of this month.
Or maybe I’ll just write about other teams, other stuff, when Arsenal lose.
As a musician I used to know once said, “Too much of one thing can drive you mad.”