Oh! to be a Gooner.....

Definition:
Gooner:-

	A supporter of the London based football team, Arsenal FC Diehard supporters of the best team in the Premiership and the pride of North London. Feared by other like Yids, Mancs and Scousers. Fan of the peoples champions. The winners of more League Titles than the rest of London put together. They don't need the money or the Russian mafia to bring success, they just ooze it.

Well, simply put - I'm an Arsenal fan. Have been one for over 8 years now. It was my school friends who introduced me to the EPL and since then I've been hooked. I still follow it here in LA, where I watch it online(No TV, Damn!). And though I might not have actually seen Arsenal live in action, I consider myself a Gooner, nonetheless.

But that's not what this post is about. I wish to talk a little(a wee bit, I promise) about the current state of affairs at the North London club. As we all know its been over 5 years since we won a trophy. Let me put it this way:

Arsene Wenger, according to me is the best football manager in the world, atleast for teams in the 'Arsenal mold' of things. That is because, no other manager can successfully keep a small(come to that in a minute) club regularly in the Champions League while still playing the attractive style of football that he has, I vouchsafe, 'invented'. In 'Arsene We Trust' is oft heard around the Emirates. The problem is that some people feel he is getting increasingly stubborn and narrow-minded. Its not the face that we haven't won anything for long, its that we have been regularly been outplayed by our rivals. And this culture of accepting defeat, and not being wholly competitive is what is pricking the loyal fans. But this is what I say - Arsenal were, until a few years back a small team compared to our rivals. We have grown exponentially in terms of finances, but we have never had the monetary prowess of Chelsea, Liverpool or Manchester United. God forbid we have a foreign investor who licks the club clean - ala the Glazers/Hicks and Gillette. so given the circumstances, and a very small transfer purse, Arsene Wenger has done a tremendous job of keeping Arsenal at the same level, despite other teams spending a boatload of money.

If you want instant success, look elsewhere because Arsenal's youth policy will pay dividends - in the long run. My only concern is that we need to make sure our current stars stay on board till then. Case in point - Hleb, Flamini and to an extent Henry.

And look where they are now - Hleb said 'he wished he had never left Arsenal' and Flamini is being played as a makeshift defender in a Milan team which is a shadow of its former self.
Yes, gone are the days of seeing a Pires cross being headed in, the sublime touch of the magician Bergkamp, the pace and finishing of Henry or the midfield enforcement of Vieira.
But we have gained a lot. Now is when people say, even Chelsea and Man Utd fans agree, that Arsenal play the most beautiful form of football. And all this is down to the genius that is Wenger.

As also his ability to unearth today's rough gems and polish them into the jewels of tomorrow. He has done his bit. Now we need to give him time - yes, more of it. The results will come. Until then, sit back and enjoy the show.

It is perilous to be a Gooner - uncertain, bemoaning, sad, even exasperating at times. But our day is near enough, and we do not want to falter at the end. So say it aloud with me - 'IN ARSENE WE TRUST'