From Navin : Greetings from Malaysia !!!
Dear MP,
Some quick updates on our team’s training session yesterday (Tuesday).
Excellent crowd of about 30,000, I think.
The stadium looked empty especially behind the goalposts but that’s understandable because the Bukit Jalil National Stadium can house more than 80,000 fans.
One thing I noticed very clearly was that the Malaysian crowd loves TW14 (yeah, I have no idea why too!!!)
He duly acknowledged the fans with his trademark sprints down the flanks and horrendous crossing of the ball.
Another crowd favourite was RvP. It’s as if he’s the new DB10 or TH14, although he has not done enough to be in the same bracket as DB and TH. Funny thing was that after crossing two continents, RvP still showed his fine skills of hitting the crossbar !!!
The crowd started chanting “Wenger !!!, Wenger !!!”.
Huge roar when they introduced Pat Rice, Vermaelen, Arshavin and Szczesny. The atmosphere was fantastic. More than 80% of the fans were wearing Arsenal jerseys. My 2-year old daughter was with my wife and I, and she loved it when the Gunnersaurus made an appearance.
It was such an uplifting session because after all the negativity in the past few months, 30,000-odd fans were in one voice screaming and supporting for our beloved team.
On a sad note, when they introduced the players coming out of the tunnel one by one, the entire crowd boo-ed Denilson.
Personally, I hate the guy.
He cost us so many points with his inept passing, lack of cover for our defense etc, but at that moment, when he turned and waved at us and we boo-ed him, there was a lump in my throat. I mean, This is a guy (for better or for worse) that is currently wearing OUR jersey. He travelled with OUR team and came to OUR training session. He is an Arsenal family member.
And then I realised that maybe this is what football is all about. It’s not about the number of trophies that we win, it’s about belonging to something that means so much to millions of people around the world.
WE are a part of something great here. This is OUR team, not Stan Kroenke’s, not partially owned by Usmanov.
This is OUR Arsenal. And if we have a bad game, or a bad season, or 5-6 bad seasons, we don’t ditch the coach or turn on the fans, we get behind them. We show them that WE still support them.
WE supported Arsenal when they weren’t in the top 4, WE were there when Arsene Wenger arrived and changed the English game forever. WE were there when Adams scored in the ’98 Double-winning season against Everton in the last game, WE were there when Adams and Vieira carried the Premier League trophy together in 2002, the Invincibles, the new stadium etc etc etc…
WE, the fans are the heart and soul of Arsenal.
And we cannot turn our backs on OUR team. There may be more trophy-less seasons, players may leave, new ones may join but one thing remains the same. The romantic relationship the fans share with our beloved team.
After all, in this crazy, hectic world, what else do we have to cling on to, other than the unique sense of belonging and togetherness we share as members of the Arsenal family?!
Myles says:
Thanks a lot, Navin.
Will Malaysian Gooners please let ANR know what you think of today’s game and I’ll edit and post later this week. Enjoy !