All the ‘news’ dominated by Theirry Henry, to the extent that even the Government has an opinion on it. Gordon Brown reportedly told Sports Journalists that he believes Henry will stay at Arsenal, having met Le Captain at some function or other. Meanwhile, Johan Djourou hits the nail smack, firmly and squarely on the head,

It must be a worrying time for the fans because you never know what is going to happen this summer. Thierry has said before that he wants to stay. Now I don’t know if he is sure or not. We will see soon but I hope he decides quickly.

He is a great player and you could see we missed him, especially as he is captain as well. But the team has come on quite a bit and next season I think our team will be very good. I think this coming season is the one where we have to win something. This is going to be a big year for us

It’s an interesting choice of words – we have to win something – that at once puts pressure on themselves and raises expectations, perhaps unneccessarily. We all want Arsenal to win something but surely there is more to being a supporter than seeing your team lift trophies? I think it was Passenal who asked why we have to put up with the media speculation about players leaving the club every summer, as opposed to signing’s dominating the back pages.

Currently, that is the reality (or perception) that we are skint, the money cupboard is bare when Old Mother Wenger goes to raid it. Plus with Le Boss reportedly not back ‘into the office’ until Monday, there is not much the media can do to get a quote. Sir Bufton Tufton? Ken Friar? Keith Edelman? Who out of those three actually has anything to say of substance? Arsene copped some flack yesterday for not responding to the ‘Henry Crisis’, another stick with which he is being beaten unfairly. As far as some people are concerned, it seems he can do no right. Take a holiday because he needs to recharge his batteries? No, not a chance. Be available for the press at all times seems to be their belief. These are the same people who if their bosses phoned them on holiday would ‘cop the arse’ to a serious level. Trust me, I’ve been there when you have to be contactable whilst you are away. It isn’t nice for your children to see their father talking about work on a beach somewhere for an hour when they should be getting your undivided attention. My message to those who believe he should have nailed the Henry story on the head – back off and let the AW have a break. You want one when you go on holiday so don’t be so f***ing hypocritical.

However, back to the point. Media driven perceptions are king at the moment and have been since Sky took over broadcasting the Premiership. I have no issue with their coverage, aside from messing the kick off times about, and to be honest, they have raised the bar as far as live football is concerned, taking it to people who would not otherwise be able to see a match. But there is a downside in the hype surrounding the Game increasing to unsustainable levels, sanity-wise. With the advent of the Champions League, the perception of football is skewed. Arsenal are perceived in this country as a ‘big’ club yet is it that way worldwide and if it is, on what basis?

Firstly, in terms of England, we are historically a big club. Trophies in the cabinet sustain that view yet the reality is that it is only the last ten years that have brought sustained success since the 1930’s. A huge gap. However, other clubs bear the same comparison. Liverpool’s reputation as a big club is based on the 1970’s & 1980’s; no argument there, they were the dominant force in English football. Manchester United’s is on their fanbase, their history similar to that of Arsenal and Liverpool, successful years and barren as well. Chelsea’s is based on current wealth and two back to back titles, otherwise they were known as a ‘cup’ team, never seriously on board as a ‘big’ club until this decade.

However on a European scale, Arsenal are not a big club. We rarely deliver at the top level in terms of trophies. When compared with those teams we consider to be our peers, we fall short. The Fairs Cup and Cup Winners Cup are the only two to have been won, defeats in finals in the three major tournaments (as it was) on four occasions. We cannot even begin to compare that with Milan, Internazionale, Bayern, Real, Barcelona, even our peers in this country have outshone us. Teams we consider ourselves to be ’superior’ to have better records – Ajax, Benfica spring immediately to mind – so we need to bear that in mind when we have great players such as Henry and Vieira, the media speculation based on their desire to win Europe’s biggest trophy.

 

So we should not be surprised when our best players are coveted by others. In my time, regularly going to Highbury and now The Emirates, we have always had good players who were wanted by others and some left of their own accord with best wishes – Brady – others not so well thought of – Stapleton – but it happens. But whatever the events are, Arsenal will survive. The Club will continue and the ’silent’ majority will continue to support them through good times and bad. Others may drop by the wayside and that is their choice, we should not judge them for that. If it is their desire to just follow ‘fashion’ then so be it. But we need a reality check people. We do not have an inalienable right to win a trophy every season. We have the right to demand that the team give their all in an effort to do so. Players will come and go, the Club will always be there.