Stone Cold Friday: The Home Stretch Is Not For The Faint-Hearted

Even though he has been busy revamping his website with all sorts of bells and whistles (which you should have a look at by the way) Darius finds time to get this off his chest. Must be a big chest then…

When times are hard, adversity becomes a familiar bedfellow. It’s never easy to draw strength and inspiration. The last fortnight has been one to forget for players and fans alike but getting out from in between a rock and a hard place is easier said than done.

There’s a famous Chinese story that captures the moment for me. It’s the story about the 3 boiling pots over the fire:

In the first pot there was a carrot, in the second pot, an egg, and in the last one, tea leaves. They all faced the same adversity, boiling hot water. The carrot started out strong and hard, but became soft and mushy. The egg started out fragile, but became hard inside. The tea leaves affected the water rather than allowing it to be effected, by changing the colour and flavour of the water.

In the last week or so, it’s been open season on Wenger and the Arsenal players. Opinions have been abound from the football establishment to the association of stadium groundsmen, from despondent Arsenal ’customers’ masquerading as supporters to the kit man at Stoke City.

Everyone has had a say on what they think ails Arsenal, you’d be mistaken to think that they can actually do a better job than the current manager. Wenger confessed that the confidence of the players was severely battered in the last couple of weeks. You should not underestimate what it needed for the players to get back to winning ways. We sometimes forget how badly the player get affected by the losses on the pitch or by what is said in the media and the blogosphere.

I know for a fact that many Arsenal fans were so badly affected, they opted not to come out of their bunkers into the open until Arsenal’s next win. The last time Arsenal had a stretch this bad in the spring of 2009, one fan actually committed suicide.

I do not believe that players become average or useless overnight; something had to give. Taken in isolation, the response to recent losses to Chelsea and United has clouded the steady progress this team has made. Arguments have been made that the team can do better, that Wenger should have reinforced his squad in the January transfer window.

I believe that some of the criticism is right, especially on some of the tactical decisions taken, and on individual or collective mistakes that the team should have avoided. That criticism is part and parcel of the game. As professionals, the manager and players should have a skin thick enough to cope.

It is often simpler to take the easy option and focus on what we think is wrong with the team, rather than knuckle down to address the issues in front of you. It’s the kind of culture that suggests that the only solution to fix the problem of not having a trophy is to spend more money.

I am still of the opinion that Arsenal has the personnel to deal with the challenges ahead for the rest of the season, and moaning about new signings that could have…, would have… or should have… is an exercise in futility. That is what summers are for.

The story of the pot with the tea leaves has a lot to teach us, if only to acknowledge that the ability to influence the fortunes of this Arsenal team is something within our control.

The players showed mid-week that they were willing and able to make amends. It wasn’t just about getting the elusive positive result, their determination shone through the spirit, collective team effort and work rate that they employed.

Any team would have struggled with the fixture list that saw us face 4 really tough opponents consecutively. The key point here is that we’re now past this hurdle, and what didn’t kill us has only made us stronger.

Right here and now, the fight starts for each of the remaining 36 points. It’s inevitable that Chelsea and United will drop points, but we need to shy away from any good fortune fate will shine down our faces and focus on what we can influence.

The tragedy now will be if Arsenal doesn’t take advantage of any fortune elsewhere by failing to pick up points that we know we’re capable of picking up. It’s now a game of mathematical poker whose only constant is the fact that Arsenal can realistically win the rest of its games.

It’s not going to be an easy home stretch though, and that’s why I insist that it’s not for the light hearted. If there’s one thing this team needs now, it’s the unequivocal support of Arsenal fans around the world.

I’m often bemused by my observation that for a lot of the disgruntled supporters, the key issue is that they can’t cope with the humiliation of being given grief by their Chelsea or United supporting friends. If this is the primary reason why some folks go postal on the team whenever the team faces adversity, then it is indeed a selfish one.

There used to be a time when supporters were dependable and they would lift the spirits of the team, and in return, the team would show the supporters that the faith shown in them is not misplaced.

The Gooner nation now needs to get behind this team to help carry them through the home stretch. We’re in a dog fight that demands that we park the red herrings that are any grievances we carry for we can discuss and debate these in the summer.

As our old adversary from up north says, ”It’s squeaky bum time”. It’s not for the light hearted so get with the programme.

’til Tomorrow

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