From Jim Johnson :
Hi Myles
On Friday I took my AFC football-mad six-year-old to the Emirates stadium tour.
Yesterday me and a mate stood behind the goal at Anfield.
On Friday during the tour, I listened to Bob Wilson narrate the story of the Emirates. Raymond Blanc restaurants, state-of-the-art plunge pools and busts of Ken Friar, Peter and Denis Hill Wood alongside Herbert Chapman and AW in the directors entrance.
Everywhere on the tour, Bob’s voice reinforcing the myth that Arsenal hardly existed before 2006 let alone 1996 and certainly hardly before David Danskin collected the first subs in 1886.
The club have truly backed themselves into a corner of their own building to allow such sycophancy to the cult of Wenger that enables his name to go above the credits of what should now be the biggest club in Europe.
Onto Sunday and to hear first hand the full extent of the Arsenal faithful’s anger at what Wenger represents is pretty chilling. But what really saddens me is their vitriol is now so far removed from the rarified atmosphere of the stadium tour and the Club Level seats in a place that barely mentions the fans. These people care. They commit their wallets and their nervous systems to this larceny.
Watch how the Liverpool fans pull out the scarves when ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ comes on. How they sing ‘Poetry in Motion, We Are Liverpool’ to the tune of ‘Brown Girl in the ring’ right round the stadium, with one voice. That’s ‘Victory Through Harmony’ right there.
Liverpool is still a bigger brand than Arsenal will ever be because it’s owners understand that LFC is of the people.
It’s of Dalglish, Paisley, Shankly etc. Outsiders who made the place their home.
Clubs are built on the backs of fans.
And what’s happening at Arsenal is very, very sad.
Myles says:
John W.Henry and FSG are decent guys.
But Kroenke and his son are hated.
There can be no way forward while King Wenger remains on his throne.