Have been thinking about starting a blog for a long time now but my laziness has always overtaken that urge.  But I guess it was high time that I start penning my thoughts on Football and in particular Arsenal – my first love for the last 12 years.  One point that I would like to make before I start is that please ignore GRAMMATICAL mistakes!! I’m not writing for The TOI or The Guardian (even they have editors to correct these mistakes and they still make mistakes). J

 I have heard more jokes about Arsenal than on Rajnikanth and Chuck Norris combined in the last 2 days and well to be frank it was expected after the 8-2 drubbing.  Such a day comes once in every clubs history and it was just unfortunate that it came while I was alive.  After taking it all with a smile I decided to see which clubs fans are having the most fun.  It was quite obvious that everyone will be having a ball because for the last 12-14 years, Arsenal has completely changed the way football used to be played in England.  So other fans are just jealous of Arsenal, that's why we're treated the way we are, not that they'd admit it of course. So well here came the perfect opportunity for all of them to take that jealousy out.  So a big round of applause for all the Liverpool fans who have been singing about their 18 titles for the last 21 years now, even though they might be competing now in the Inter Toto Cup (I know this cup is no longer there but I’m sure the point is clear), a bigger round of applause for the Chelsea fans, the club which took 50 years and 500 million to win a title, and finally my beloved Manu fans – you guys can have a laugh because at least you have been winning regularly though from inside you guys know that it was more because other clubs lost the titles and not that you won.  Barcelona I guess showed them the difference between a world beater and an average English side (yes all other clubs have been below average in England).  One might wonder how come I did not take a dig at our North London rivals Tottenham, well those guys are still singing about Gareth Bale’s performance against Inter Milan last year, so one should let them enjoy it because that was the last time they would feature in the Champions League.  

Well now let’s have a closer look at what is going wrong at Arsenal because to be honest we are facing a decline.  The chant “In Arsene We Trust” that started in Highbury and moved on to Emirates is now changing to “In Arsene We Rust”.  So what has happened all of a sudden to Monsieur Wenger, club's longest serving manager and most successful one.  

The guy took the reins in 1996 and saw that the English football is all about being physical and chopping your opponent down, so he thought that it is time some French class is brought into English football.  Likes of Tony Adams and Martin Keown were told to leave the box and start coming forward.  But it is almost impossible to play attractive football with English footballers (sorry England fans but it is true). I’m not disrespecting English people or their players but the fact is that English academies are completely different than the Dutch or the French or the Spanish style of play.  So the next natural step for Wenger was to get players from Holland and France and that too when they are young and ready to take the English football by surprise.  Thus we saw the likes of Overmars, Pires, Veira, Anelka, Henry, Bergkamp and many others taking the field.  The football changed and the entire country watched in shock as the Gunners swept everyone in front of them.  The class, style, and arrogance everything was there (well the French are born with arrogance so no surprise there).  But amidst all this one forgot that there was the English backline which still stood firm along with the most ugly looking footballer produced by England i.e. Ray Parlour.   Those guys did not charm any ladies but they were as important as the others. 

Then came the season of 2003-04, the Invincibles as they were called went on to win the title without losing any game.  Martin Tyler and Andy Gray it seemed had some of their most memorable quotes that year, praising in awe the beautiful football produced by the Gunners.    

Soon came Roman Abrahmovic with his oil money from Russia – The Russian Revolution it was called.  Till then the Russians were only known for Vodka, Hot Women (Maria Sharapova is almost my age, if only I was born in Russia DAMN).  English football had never seen so much money before and Chelsea got the biggest break of their lives.  Money was flowing as freely as French wine in the Gunners dressing room and even an average player was valued at almost 15 million.  The rise was imminent and the 2 horse race for the title became a 3 horse race.  The Arsenal squad saw many departures with age taking over the famed Englsih backline of ours and the likes of Henry, Viera moving abroad for new challenges.  Immediate response would have been to spend money and buy some quality players but our youth system ensured that there was enough quality to replace those guys though no experience.  Soon United realized the importance of money and the Americans came dancing to England (These Americans should be banned just for calling Football by the name of Soccer).  Wenger saw the signs coming but as told earlier he is French which means arrogant, so he just can’t follow the others.  He decided to stick to the youth instead of paying Cristiano Ronaldo and the likes 1000 pounds for every hour.

Well such was luck that the youth exhibited great football and everyone thought that if not this year, they will win something next year.  This belief continued for years before the youth matured and decided to say “Merci Wenger”.  Money and fame can lure the best so why not them.  Steven Gerrard and Francesco Totti are the only two people in this world with a dictionary which has the word LOYAL, rest are just the same.

Now all our rivals are better off than the American economy and Wenger finds it impossible to believe that Money is the only thing that works in Football.  But yes Mr. Wenger it is true and it is time you also take out your locker keys and spend.  The term French Miser makes more sense with everyday. 

This season might be a hard one but if Wenger can take a lesson and invest next year, we can still be the side we used to be.  But if Wenger continues to be a true Frenchman then well it’s time to have a new manager. 

So Monsieur I still chant “In Arsene We Trust” but not sure for how long.  In the end no one is bigger than the Arsenal Football Club and that includes you.  

I think I have written more than what I had in my 3 years in college, so till next time Adieu.