I'm not a bragger. I've watched too much shit football in shit circumstances to really want to phone up friends who support opposing teams and give it large. Karma and all that.
I've also worked in sport for a fair amount of my adult life, and become friendly with people who work at clubs, or who are we decent people who care passionately about their team. So bragging really isn't the done thing. You often know someone, somewhere. Yes, even Palace come under that bracket.
For me, bragging is rather obnoxious. Generally it is practised by those who like a wind up, and rarely from true lovers and students of the game. It's a boorish behaviour trait, and after all the struggles and fights we have been through, I'm just happy to enjoy the game and move on to the next one.
But today, I bragged. As soon as full time occurred, I was on to all my (many) Arsenal friends about how shit they were.Friends, colleagues, family - they all got it.
I potentially ruined an upcoming stag do by winding up an Arsenal supporter so very much that he called me a 'tinpot c**t'. I've never met this guy before.
So why moral backtracking? Was it because it was a top 6 club?
No, it was because it was Arsenal.
Now I don't hate Arsenal. In fact in our many years in the wilderness, I very much enjoyed watching them play - especially those early Wenger years.
We've also got great links with them. Not Chuba Akpom, but the great man himself, Liam Brady.
I know that Arsenal as a club were very supportive during our struggle. They should be commended.
But its what Arsenal, and only Arsenal, represent that wound me up today.
Whichever form of football media you choose to consume, a large section of each show will be about the same Arsenal related topics. Wenger in, Wenger out, back 3 midfield 5, shake it all about.
Irregardless of who they play, it's the same old shit, churned out week in, week out. Occasionally they play brilliantly, and we hear how great they are.
Often they play terribly, and it's a fair amount chat about the days of yore. This is so frequent, that these shows have become a bore.
The same can of course be levelled at all the top clubs. They dominate our press. But every other team doesn't have the desperation surrounding them that our friends from North London do.
Liverpool? Their supporters have been though enough to be anything other than appreciative.
United? Yes they don't hail from Manchester, but they tend to be respectful. Their fall from grace hasn't been accompanied with a worthier than thou attitude.
City, Spurs, Chelsea? Pretty harmless. Chelsea win regularly, City have been in the doldrums recently enough and Spurs at least have it all to play for and are on some sort of journey.
But Arsenal are just DESPERATE, and their fans take each setback to heart in a way that no other clubs fans do.
For them, their predicament is always the worst. They believe that they should be the best right now, ignoring all statistical and physical evidence that it's been 14 years since they have been.
They chose to ignore that other teams can play football and have long since worked them out.
If you come into Victoria station on a Southern train, you will see a big billboard poster telling the general public that they can tour the 'home of football' (the Emirates to you and me), and that audio guides are available in several languages.
Anyone who has been to a game there recently will see quite what tourist show it is there. A beautiful stadium to have a selfie at, preferably by a badly made statue of some legends.
Of course real Arsenal fans hate this (dis) franchisement of their team. They miss the old days too. Proper football and all that.
Unless they lose. In which case the club is in disarray (You're 6th, in a highly competitive league, you reached a cup final, and you're in Europe). You've never had to fight for the existence of your club. Granted, you do pay a lot for your football though.
Way before we were a PL team, I broached this subject with a few Gooners. Not in a willy waving way, but in a 'chill the **** out, life ain't so bad way’.
Despite the sympathy for our predicaments, it was ruled irrelevant. Arsenal being bad was anxiety destroying, and it doesn't matter about anyone else.
The reaction on Arsenal Fan TV today was to be expected. Hysterics about the manager, getting overworked up about a match. Its great watching for a neutral, those guys go deep, real deep. Characters one and all. But then the inevitable response came : 'who the **** are Brighton fam?'
Well, fam, we are one of 91 other professional teams in this country, and we have beaten you, Arsenal.
Arsenal who have lost 6 of their last 8. Arsenal who haven't been the best in the country for 14 years. Arsenal who should no longer hold the attention of the footballing community, but still do.
So today I shall brag. I shall enjoy their desperation. Because we won't be the last team to do it to them this season. Because we all know that result will be viewed through prism of Arsene Wenger’s job performance and not because of Chris Hughton’s change of tactics to a high press.and because, fam, Arsenal are shit innit.
I've also worked in sport for a fair amount of my adult life, and become friendly with people who work at clubs, or who are we decent people who care passionately about their team. So bragging really isn't the done thing. You often know someone, somewhere. Yes, even Palace come under that bracket.
For me, bragging is rather obnoxious. Generally it is practised by those who like a wind up, and rarely from true lovers and students of the game. It's a boorish behaviour trait, and after all the struggles and fights we have been through, I'm just happy to enjoy the game and move on to the next one.
But today, I bragged. As soon as full time occurred, I was on to all my (many) Arsenal friends about how shit they were.Friends, colleagues, family - they all got it.
I potentially ruined an upcoming stag do by winding up an Arsenal supporter so very much that he called me a 'tinpot c**t'. I've never met this guy before.
So why moral backtracking? Was it because it was a top 6 club?
No, it was because it was Arsenal.
Now I don't hate Arsenal. In fact in our many years in the wilderness, I very much enjoyed watching them play - especially those early Wenger years.
We've also got great links with them. Not Chuba Akpom, but the great man himself, Liam Brady.
I know that Arsenal as a club were very supportive during our struggle. They should be commended.
But its what Arsenal, and only Arsenal, represent that wound me up today.
Whichever form of football media you choose to consume, a large section of each show will be about the same Arsenal related topics. Wenger in, Wenger out, back 3 midfield 5, shake it all about.
Irregardless of who they play, it's the same old shit, churned out week in, week out. Occasionally they play brilliantly, and we hear how great they are.
Often they play terribly, and it's a fair amount chat about the days of yore. This is so frequent, that these shows have become a bore.
The same can of course be levelled at all the top clubs. They dominate our press. But every other team doesn't have the desperation surrounding them that our friends from North London do.
Liverpool? Their supporters have been though enough to be anything other than appreciative.
United? Yes they don't hail from Manchester, but they tend to be respectful. Their fall from grace hasn't been accompanied with a worthier than thou attitude.
City, Spurs, Chelsea? Pretty harmless. Chelsea win regularly, City have been in the doldrums recently enough and Spurs at least have it all to play for and are on some sort of journey.
But Arsenal are just DESPERATE, and their fans take each setback to heart in a way that no other clubs fans do.
For them, their predicament is always the worst. They believe that they should be the best right now, ignoring all statistical and physical evidence that it's been 14 years since they have been.
They chose to ignore that other teams can play football and have long since worked them out.
If you come into Victoria station on a Southern train, you will see a big billboard poster telling the general public that they can tour the 'home of football' (the Emirates to you and me), and that audio guides are available in several languages.
Anyone who has been to a game there recently will see quite what tourist show it is there. A beautiful stadium to have a selfie at, preferably by a badly made statue of some legends.
Of course real Arsenal fans hate this (dis) franchisement of their team. They miss the old days too. Proper football and all that.
Unless they lose. In which case the club is in disarray (You're 6th, in a highly competitive league, you reached a cup final, and you're in Europe). You've never had to fight for the existence of your club. Granted, you do pay a lot for your football though.
Way before we were a PL team, I broached this subject with a few Gooners. Not in a willy waving way, but in a 'chill the **** out, life ain't so bad way’.
Despite the sympathy for our predicaments, it was ruled irrelevant. Arsenal being bad was anxiety destroying, and it doesn't matter about anyone else.
The reaction on Arsenal Fan TV today was to be expected. Hysterics about the manager, getting overworked up about a match. Its great watching for a neutral, those guys go deep, real deep. Characters one and all. But then the inevitable response came : 'who the **** are Brighton fam?'
Well, fam, we are one of 91 other professional teams in this country, and we have beaten you, Arsenal.
Arsenal who have lost 6 of their last 8. Arsenal who haven't been the best in the country for 14 years. Arsenal who should no longer hold the attention of the footballing community, but still do.
So today I shall brag. I shall enjoy their desperation. Because we won't be the last team to do it to them this season. Because we all know that result will be viewed through prism of Arsene Wenger’s job performance and not because of Chris Hughton’s change of tactics to a high press.and because, fam, Arsenal are shit innit.
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