Arsenal fans stunned by critics

Let me get this straight, I don't enjoy criticising Arsene Wenger - and I very much doubt that any of the shareholders who criticised the manager at last weeks' AGM enjoyed doing so.

This has been my first season as a blog writer, and, for many reasons, it also happens to be Wenger's worst season of his 13-year management of Arsenal. Being truthful, my blog has had to reflect that, and an accumulation of seasons where the club has not only lacked success, but seemingly remains as far away from achieving success as it did four years ago, has naturally strained the patience of supporters, including myself.

I believe this would happen at ANY club. Football is a game, a sport. Sport is about winning, and if you cannot win then gradual improvement is a minimal requirement.

Every club has its own standards and expectations. At some clubs an almost indefinite patience is required, at others, their wealth and history demands a lot more. In Arsenal's case the board, manager and players are paid incredible sums of money to deliver in proportion to that pressure, and the supporters are charged incredible sums of money to view their team in proportion to those expectations and what the club claims it can deliver.

Personally, I feel dismayed that the Arsenal board and Arsene Wenger cannot, or refuse to understand, this simple premise. They seem to think that the people who pay their wages, i.e. us, should just sit down and shut up no matter what happens at our club, and no matter how high those expectations and claims of impending success are communicated between the two.

Sometimes supporters go over the top (in my opinion) such as in Arsenal's case where they've asked for the manager's head. Sometimes the custodians of the club go over the top, like they have been this week in attacking Arsenal supporters who dare to criticise.

There is pulling and pushing on both sides and as a supporter you can hold vehement opinions on one side or the other, or you can sit on the fence. However, when it comes to proportionality, based on what supporters are expected to stump up to watch this club and how much the manager and players are paid of our money, I happen to believe the Arsenal board and Wenger are wrong to try and forceably suppress dissenting views in the way they have been.

First of all, you have to ask yourself, are they forgetting who pays their wages? Are they so arrogant that they think the club is their actual physical property and the supporters are only there to be manipulated and used as a cash cow?

It seems to me that in the past few days a majority of supporters are being attacked for holding perfectly valid opinions, and I find this troubling.

Chairman Peter Hill-Wood is threatening to remove the shareholders right to communicate with the manager at forthcoming AGMs simply because the board only appears to tolerate safe and sanitary communication between the supporters and the manager.

That's not communicating, thats subjegating.

Subtracting Arsenal's current domestic plight, or whether or not you feel Arsene Wenger is doing a good enough job at present, do you think this is appropriate behaviour from the board, of whom its members are merely custodians of the club?

Arsenal supporters have been patient with Arsene Wenger, very patient, yet much of the criticism aimed at Wenger has been fuelled by this lack of communication, lack of transparency between the club and its fans.

Let me take an example. On the one hand the club maintains that Wenger has never been refused money to purchase a player, whereas Wenger insists he is working on a budget ten times less than that of his opponents. A clear contradiction that confuses supporters and often has them at each others throats.

Yet simultaneaously Wenger has never refuted the notion he has money to spend should he require it - and the £16m signing of Andrei Asrahvin seems to prove the boards theory that he has never been denied funds for a player.

Wenger wanted a player, he was expensive, and the board clearly backed him 100% with funding.

It feels to me that Wenger is playing the supporters here. When things go badly he blames the budget and looks for the sympathy vote. However, even if he is operating on an extremely tight budget, there is still room for some searching questions about his management - it's not ALL about money.

But sticking to the subject of money, if Wenger is so hamstrung by available funds, why did he spend £16m on an attacking midfielder when Arsenal's defence is in such obvious and dire requirement of funding? Surely, it would have been more sensible to save that £16m and use it to acquire a centre-back and/or a defensive midfielder?

If Wenger is so skint, why did he allow Flamini to wander off on a free transfer (merely stating, "I didn't expect him to leave"), why did he waste £4.8m on Aaron Ramsey - a player who can't get anywhere near a first team that is overloaded with central midfielders?

Manchester United bought Vidic for £6m, Chelsea bought Alex for £2m. Why is the perenially-skint Wenger throwing £4.8m at a teenager for the long-distant future? 

Are these reallly the actions of a manager who needs to count every single penny? Who supposedly now only has a €13m transfer budget? That story seems planted to me to get the fans off Wenger's back and doesn't make the manager immune from criticism.

Arsenal supporters need to be strong here and stand up for their rights as supporters to make their feelings known and not be afraid to question where questions need to be asked.

It is only a very small minority asking for Wenger's head - a tiny minority - but in order to protect Wenger, and themselves, the board has used the media to insinuate that a large majority of supporters want him gone. Yet after four trophyless years, all the shareholders did is have the temerity to question the manager at an AGM.

Never mind Wenger, now the supporters are being made to look as though they've "killed someone".

Yet the difference is clear, as supporters, it's our club! Our money funds everything. If anyone has the right to criticise the manager or the board it's the supporters. If anything, the paid employees have less right to criticise the supporters.

Put into context, the supporter discontent is relatively mild, and if the board is going to block supporters from questioning Wenger at the AGM this will only further strain the relationship between club and fan and will result in even more anger and frustration on the terraces that will only affect the team negatively. I would urge the board not to take that route, the supporters need a voice, and the AGM is an important instrument.

All the shareholders did at the AGM was give Wenger a prod, a poke. Remind him of the standards expected. I'm not for one minute suggesting Wenger does not work incredibly hard at his job, we know he does - and I have a certain sympathy for him if he feels a little underappreciated right now, but by the same token, Wenger and the club have to allow room for criticism, both now and in the long-distant future.

And I'd also like to put in on the record - as quite a few supporters have suggested that this blog is anti-Wenger and also wants him out. I do not want Wenger out and I have never said I want him out.

Far from it, I want the manager to get back to his best and make Arsenal competitive again. That's all I'm asking for. This club is no longer competitive.

If Arsenal are in the same place this time next year - that does not necessarily mean trophyless - but still far from competing and still bogged down with the same problems that we are currently witnessing, as supporters then I do concede that I will have to ask very searching questions about whether Wenger is still the right man for the job, but it's far too simplistic to predict I will be calling for his head.

However, if I did call for his sacking, that's my right, my perogative and I won't shy away from that. But I hope it doesn't happen - in all honesty, I don't expect it to happen. I WANT Wenger to succeed, but I also want Wenger to know that as a supporter I am dissatissfied. I also want to represent supporters that want to be represented, in my own small way. My blog alone will not change anything, but as part of a sea of opinion, it can change something - it is changing something.

The mood at Arsenal is very different at present. The manager is a little clearer on what is expected from him, how passionate the fans feel at this perceived underachievment.

It's quite obviously hurtful to him, but the supporters are hurt too - they care as much as Wenger about their club of course.

In this respect, a strong statement has been made by the supporters, and perhaps it's now time to back off the manager a little and see what happens in respect of new signings.

The dissenters (including me) have had their moan and groan, we just have to hope it's been taken on board. The manager is intelligent enough to understand that, surely. Surely the club is? Now let's clear a line in the sand and get back behind the boss. It's what I want to do as I have not enjoyed writing the blog much this season, and have seriously thought about quitting it after one year as it seems like an awful lot of hard work to just be negative about everything all the time, even though when I am compelled to speak I am incapable of doing anything but report MY truth, as I see it.