From Tom Hardy: Agree completely with Ben’s email
Have been thinking recently how much we have missed Dein in the last 5 or so years.
We just seem so stagnant without him. I gave up my season ticket 2 seasons ago, best thing I have done, least I am not pissed off every weekend.
I had my season ticket for 13 years before that at Highbury, it was so much better then, even when we were shit at the end of GG’s reign.
I’ve completely lost my passion for this team over the last few years and I don’t really care now if we win or lose. In previous years it would have hurt like hell. I’m almost used to the disappointment now.
The players don’t give a shit, so I don’t!
Wenger’s vision with the kids hasn’t worked, he either needs to change his philosophy or fuck off.
Monaco didn’t put up with it, so why should we?
From Kinggooner : Article on 7/3/11
Like the writer of the artcle, I don’t always agree with you, Myles.
But he is spot on & thousands of gooners are changing their opinion on Wenger every day. Its becoming an exodus. What does he do with his press conf?
Instead of keeping his head down & stating the current situation is not good enough, he defends second place as our aim, admits we should accept it as if we’re lucky to be there.
WELL, WE ARE NOT & NEVER WILL BE.
This is from a fan who used to defend him to the hilt.
From Paul Ridgewell : Great article fella
You feel exactly as I do. I could forgive the state of affairs on the pitch if we were not paying extortionate prices to sit amongst the types who I’ve sat next to recently.
People who have jumped on the bandwagon over the past couple of years and have no interest or passion whatsoever.
What has happened to our once great club??
From Tom : Last article by Ben
Succinct and well written.
Basically summing up in one piece what all of your readers posts have been saying all season.
From Alan Still : Americanised Arsenal doesn’t do it for me
Myles, I have been meaning to write something over the last few months to echo my disillusionment with the way things are (have been) at Arsenal.
Thank you, Ben Porter, for writing what I have been thinking, but unable to put down in words in a succinct enough manner to post!!
On the point of the fans, well, when I lived in Ireland I would make my way over once or twice a year and it felt like a little treat. Then Imoved over to London 3 years ago (already a Red level member 2 years), boasting to my friends that it won’t be long till I get a season ticket, which was a dream of mine since I was a kid!
I regularly attended matches, 5-8 a year until this season, when the penny finally dropped…. Why on earth should I care so much and pay so much for a club that won’t pay an extra million for a keeper!!!!
Now, I wasn’t a huge fan of Schwarzer, but, IMHO, I think he would have been a great stopgap waiting for Chesney to develop into a ‘top top’. It would also give the young lad someone to look up to and admire.
Seriously, how can Almunia do that? He’s a laughing stock. Its not his fault he gets picked! If I were playing Sunday league for an amazing team and I was getting picked I wouldn’t say a word!!!! Anyways Myles, thank God for Ben Portner, otherwise my attempt at structure in prose would probably have added another few years to you.
As is often re-iterated on the comments you post, I don’t always agree with you, but I like that. Its what good conversation is all about really.
Keep up the excellent work.
In Arsene we Rust???
From Ron : Agree with it all
I’ve been an Arsenal fan for nearly 30 years, so have seen their good times as well as their crap ones.
Arsenal nowadays just frustrate the hell out of me, they play with no pace, no invention & half their squad either aren’t good enough or couldn’t care less about the club.
Almunia is a goner anyway, I think Szczesny IS the future in goal & i don’t believe an experienced one is the answer.
But some of the deadwood is just a joke.
Seriously, how can any Arsenal fan really admit that the likes of Rosicky, Arshavin, Eboue, Bendtner, Song, Clichy, Diaby or Denilson are players they want to see playing for their beloved team week in, week out, believing that they can seriously push this team forward. It’s just not true.
We pin our hopes & dreams on Wilshere, a youngster who outshines everybody already. A few more years of dross & he won’t re-sign a contract & fair play to him. Time to act Arsenal, new players, new owner & dare i say it, new manager?
From Louise : Well said !
All I can say to Mr Ben Portner is : thank you for putting his feelings so eloquently. I could not agree more.
From John Froud : Well said, Ben Porter.
I have being mulling over writing about my frustration with Arsenal for some time now and have not got around to it.
Lucky me, I’ve just read Ben’s mail and it sums up just about everything that makes me angry about the club at the moment.
I have also considered ditching my season ticket but the thought of having to beg tickets from mates, and not getting to the big games, still prevents me.
This situation cannot continue forever and although I don’t want the club to fall into foreign hands maybe it will be for the best.
The board has always been pompous and tight-fisted.
Just look at the way they broke up Bertie Mee’s double-winning squad, which resulted in eight years without a trophy rather than spend money on strengthining it and pushing for more silverware.
My philosophy in recent seasons has been to use the ticket exchange to sell around 50% of games so I don’t have to suffer the bulk of the rubbish we have witnessed this season.
Mind you, it still leaves a lot of mediocrity to watch in most of the others.
Thanks for your posts. They just about keep me going now days although, like most readers, I only agree with around half of what you say!
From Steve Marchant : Ben Porter’s email
Myles, Ben Porter’s email was spot on in so many ways. But for me, he captured something than no one else appears to have noticed.
Ben noticed our beloved Eboue hugging players after the 0-0 v Blackburn.
I saw the same thing after the 2-2 at West Brom.
After spending quite a lot of money and time to travel to the Hawthorns, then watch a load of dross for most of the game, I have to say that seeing Eboue exchanging high fives with players at the final whistle made me absolutley furious.
Who does this guy think he is? I still cannot believe fans cheer his name.
When he approached the away fans at West Brom dancing and smiling, I wasn’t the only gooner who shouted at him to eff off!