For a few weeks there, it looked like we were not only pursuing perfection; it was starting to feel like we’d achieve it—or, if not perfection itself, something close it. However, we have to be perfect if we were to win the Prem. Sadly, of course, we’re not. Villa reminded us of that. So did Bayern. Now, apparently, our season lies in ruins. That’s the sense you’d get if you talk to enough Gooners.
We revisited the fallout of our ostensible failures just the other day. Regular readers know me to be almost Panglossian in my optimism at times, but I hope I can at least back that attitude up with logic and clear-minded thinking. We’re not good enough. Maybe we were never as good as we led ourselves to believe that eight-match winning streak that saw us outscore four opponents, including Liverpool, by a combined 24-2 scoreline. Maybe we never good enough to win the Prem despite Man City’s own less-than-customary dominance.
By the same token, we may not be as bad as certain sections of our fanbase (nevermind our opponents), who are already convinced that our season is over, that we’ve bottled it, that we’re doomed to set new records for most time spent in first place without ever winning the Prem ever again. That seems to be the mood, at least among those certain sections, some of which consist of members who are only happy when they have something to complain about.
This might come across as trite, but I can’t resist. Dennis Berkamp, my candidate for this club’s best-ever player, is on record having said the following:
𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘣, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳, 𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦; 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨.
Now, of course, having crashed out of the Champions League so hot on the heels of losing at home to Villa, we’re bound to feel disappointed that trophies are out of reach—however, quite a few of us out there are allowing that disappointment to ossify into something darker, obstinate, and dour. I’ll admit that it looks highly unlikely that we can still win the Prem. We’ll have to be perfect while also hoping that Man City drop at least two points. Idealists are frequently painted as fools; realists frequently paint themselves as seers. None of us knows what the next month will bring.
Shrug off the cynicism. Enjoy the journey…even if it doesn’t lead to the destination we all so fervently hope for.
Bang on. Denis was the best of the best. He also understand football support. I follow Arsenal because I do. Because my father did and his father before him.
I have stood in the rain, sun and snow on the Highbury terraces . For the first time in 1970.
I have seen glory and a lot more mediocrity. As my old Dad used to say, “When people talk of the good old days. Tell ‘em Bert, these are the good old days”
Good enough for me.
well-said, cb. most of the time, our good old days are awarded retroactively as we can rarely appreciate them in the moment. These however do feel like they’ll be awarded in the moment.
Jon
How sad that you have moved from the world of Candide, Mary Poppins, or even Mary Tyler Moore and Dick van Dyke, to that of Doc Martin, Broadchurch, CB Strike, Unforgotten, Annika, or others.
Personally, I never expected a CL trophy (too many obstacles) although I did expect City to reach the final, if not win.
As to PL, I did hold out the hope of winning although having three teams in the hunt made it seem harder. When Liverpool stumbled last weekend, as they have been for several matches before and since, hopes rose even though a glance at the schedule was disheartening. Thus, the loss to AV, where even a draw might have proven fatal, seems a final blow to the season.
All our weaknesses have been exposed in these two matches, whether we want to admit to them or not. You can only go with smoke and mirrors for so long or hide behind a curtain as Oz found out.
Maybe extreme hubris on the part of City may still do them in, but it now requires having them lose rather than draw, while Arsenal must win every match. That seems to require divine intervention rather than just good play.
“Maybe extreme hubris on the part of City may still do them in, but it now requires having them lose rather than draw, while Arsenal must win every match. That seems to require divine intervention rather than just good play” –
You might want to check the league table again mate.
heck, if City drop just two points (that’s one draw for those whose maths are dodgy), we’re back on top, assuming we can take care of our own business.
well said CB, i first went to Highbury in 1949 as a 3yr old and it became my home, i have seen the good times and the not so good times, home and away. you either support Arsenal or you dont. Berkamp is spot on on.
Thanks for stopping in, Philios! I think there’s a large segment of the younger fanbase that found out about Arsenal due to Bergkamp, Henry, and the Invincibles, became fans, and assumed that we’d always at at that level. Their frustration at how we’ve stagnated is probably fueling their at-times irrational criticism of Arteta.