What Is It About The Emirates?

Here I am in the cold light of The Day After, facing the obligation of writing a post-match report for the most gut-wrenching loss of the season. After going ahead 2-0 at halftime, we lost 2-3 in the end - at home to the Spuds. We lost at the Emirates for the third time this season. This is the first time we have endured one of these losses after going ahead. The West Brom defeat was a result of us never looking to be up for the game until the last 10 minutes, and the Newcastle game was a 0-1 loss to a team that was still riding high after squashing their previous opponent 5-1. These losses, in my eyes, have all been very different with only one common denominator...The Emirates.


Football fandom in England, from what I have read, has undergone a big transformation in the last 20 years. Once a game played and rooted by the working class, it has drawn the admiration and the money from the middle and upper classes. There are family sections at stadiums now where alcohol and "passionate" language are banned. These new stadiums costs dearly to erect, so prices and the amenities such as food and beverage are a bit extravagant. In other words, a different kind of fan is attending matches. And since we know that the fans are a team's 12th man, I'm left wondering if the change in fan culture has affected the 12th man's effectiveness?

Most of you who read my blog - my Faithful Five readers- know that I'm a Yank who has never stepped foot into England, so my experience of the home crowd comes from listening through the television and reading the blogs of writers who have been to the games. And my conclusion is that while there is still the contingent of zealous fans who cheer and try to uplift their team while verbally crushing the opponent, there is a larger, less ardent body of them who won't chant, leave early, and don't seem to take their job as a fan seriously. This group is in direct opposition to the fan who travels to away games. Their willingness to travel demonstrates their fervor. I think we have made progress in away games. Actually, we have one of the best away records in the league, and we've learned to hang onto leads away (Everton and Wolves), so why not at home? For me, it the answer, in part, lies with the fans and atmosphere of the home matches.

The official Arsenal USA site posted the writings of  an American Gooner who attended the Emirates for the Wolves game in last April. His intention was to compare the experience to other sporting events he's attended. Here's what he said about the atmosphere of the Emirates:


"But the major myth that was busted for me was that every English soccer match is full of singing and chanting from the opening whistle to final one. It was actually fairly quiet compared to what I was expecting. I once saw a match in Buenos Aires that was non-stop noise and excitement for about 120 minutes (20 minutes before kickoff, the entire first half, most of halftime, and the entire second half)... That said, for the majority of the contest, it was a fairly low level of noise and emotion compared to other soccer matches I’ve seen. It was certainly below Argentina and the World Cup matches I’ve been to. It was also a shade below the USA/Netherlands friendly I saw in the Amsterdam Arena in the early 2000s."



Just for the record, if the enthusiasm at the Emirates is comparable to anything the US squad are involved in, that speaks volumes. Let me be clear. I am not saying it is the fans' responsibility to win games. It is the players' and coaches'. And maybe something needs to change in those two categories. Our manager's strategic substitutions? Late as always, and therefore rendered somewhat useless. Tactically, Wenger allowed Twitchy to outmaneuver him. And permitting your most reviled rivals a win in your own house? Well, it does reflect a fragility in our team's mentality which has been dissected ad nauseum. I think we won't learn to win until we've won which is a worse puzzle than trying to figure out the chicken and egg question. But to help your team get over a hump...to lift their spirits in order to give them an edge...that is our job. And I have a feeling that no one really did their jobs yesterday. We hold the squad and the team leaders feet to the fire when they don't produce. Why should we fans be any different?

So, be cynical before a match, cuss out the television during the match, and by all means critique the team and manager after the match. But, if you have the privilege to be present at our stadium during a match? Hold your own feet to the fire. Chant, exhort, and push your team onto victory. In other words - do your job.  Because if you do that, maybe -just maybe - our boys will do their job a bit better.  And who couldn't do with that?

Try and have  a good one...