So, would you prefer an Arsenal win or a defeat that proves you right?

To say it's been a difficult few months to be an Arsenal fan is like saying the sinking of the Titanic was a minor naval incident.

Last week I commented about a fellow Gooner tweeter who seemed to be so down in the dumps, so depressed about Arsenal, that I felt I had to say something, kindly meant, about cheering up or looking on the bright side - I mentioned 'getting a grip'. Thankfully he took it in the spirit in which it was meant and all was well.

Then on Saturday, during Arsenal's embarrassing 4-3 defeat to Blackburn Rovers he sent me a DM asking 'do you still think I need to get a grip - we're in deep shit etc etc'. It was almost as if he preferred the fact that Arsenal were being beaten, because it proved his point, rather than winning because that would undermine his negative outlook. When some fans are of a mind that they'd prefer a defeat so that it underlines or justifies their stance then something is going seriously wrong.

And don’t get me wrong here, I’m not criticising him. I can fully understand how he feels after months of frustration and, seemingly, mismanagement at The Emirates.

  

While I have continuously tweeted about Wenger being the best manager we've ever had and that he needs our backing now, more than ever, one can, I think, understand how some people might be beginning to see an increasing amount of evidence on the side of my depressed friend and that my own optimistic attitude is based more on hope than reality.

I have commented before that being an Arsenal fan does not come with an ‘unfollow’ button. It is a lifetime commitment and is non-negotiable. Many people have been tweeting about what it is to be a 'true fan' and supporting the club come what may and I completely agree with that.  However some people have also been saying that anyone who questions the team or the manager or the board is effectively a traitor to the cause and, therefore, an enemy who should be abused.

With all due respect, it’s not quite as simple as that.

I think that one can still be a fan and be able to point out some of the shortcomings of the club, particularly after what has happened at Arsenal in the last few months. This does not necessarily mean that they want Arsenal to lose any games or to have any bad luck – but just that they care about the ongoing success of the club – and I think that’s fair enough.

Surely if you cannot comment when your team looks like it has effectively retreated from being at the forefront of the European game* as well as being a serious contender in the ‘best league in the world’ (the Premiership), to being an ‘also ran’ in just a few short months, then when would these ‘real fans’ suggest is the appropriate time to comment? Or should one just walk away and not give a fuck?

It was obvious that last year’s Premiership was a ‘soft’ league in relative terms and that the big money clubs would be spending big this summer in order to revitalise their title hopes. It was also obvious that we would not be able to compete financially with Riyadh Rovers (Man City) or Chel$ki but that, therefore, we would need to have a good plan, be well organised, be ready to move quickly and be ready to make the necessary money available to make the plan work. Essentially, we would need to be smarter and better organised than our rivals (not all of whom have billionaire backers by the way) in order to be able to ‘push on’ in terms of the quality of the side and its ability to compete this year on all fronts.

However, looking from the outside, it seemed like there was no plan. Or if there was, the club has done an amazing job of making it look like there wasn’t.

It was also obvious that Cesc and Na$ri would go, causing a major problem in terms of quality, but their departure would bring in a considerable amount of money for replacements. Now here’s the thing: I know that they didn’t go until the end of the window but that doesn’t mean we couldn’t buy any replacements before they were sold. I’m sorry I don’t care what the club is saying about this. We are not a two-bit taxi company that has to put the last fare into the petrol tank in order to take on the next job. We are a £1.3 billion global sports brand. If we cannot forward finance a deal to buy a couple of £30 million plus, world class players in order to maintain our position at the top of the world game, then what the fuck are we doing and what is the level of our ambition?

Sadly the result of this inaction in the summer and the subsequent ‘trolley dash’ on deadline day is that we are now going from game to game, hoping to win but not really being confident because we simply do not have the ‘special’ quality that Arsenal have always had in recent years.  We have reached the ‘tipping point’ whereby every defeat convinces a few more fans that we are going in the wrong direction and adds to the manager’s problems in terms of criticism. When you’re playing great football and have fantastic players who are committed to the team and will die for the cause, the odd defeat is no big deal.

However, when you are struggling because you do not have the quality, when the (poor) performance is not about confidence or luck but about ability – then it’s a different matter. At that point it’s got to be about the quality of the team that has been assembled by the club, the board and the management. Sorry but I don’t think there is any getting away from this.

Like I say, I remain a committed fan of the club and I am not calling for anyone to go. I think we’d be mad to get rid of Wenger right now.

But I am struggling to see how the team can win enough games to keep the fans happy or how it can achieve the position in the league that the fans demand.  I personally will continue to support the team wherever it finishes in the league, but sadly, it is really starting to feel like we are only one or perhaps two embarrassing defeats away from the point where change will start to become inevitable. I am also looking on the forthcoming games we have against top sides with dread rather than excitement and optimism.

Wenger is clearly annoyed by the current situation where his performance is being questioned. This is the first time I can remember Arsenal having to wheel out the chief exec to support him. And hitting back at criticism in the media, after a win against Shrewsbury, rather than winning the league, is both unjustified and dangerous, since it gives them (the media) stored ammunition for future failures.

We have been spoiled at Arsenal over the years in comparison with most other clubs and Wenger has perhaps spoiled us the most. He is clearly a great manager, one of the most influential the game has ever seen. However, I’m increasingly doubtful that we’ll be spoiled by the current team.

I think Wenger has to change. Has to admit that he/they fucked up this summer, ask for our understanding and support and then get on with turning the situation around. He is loved by the vast majority of Arsenal fans and if he is honest, in this way, they will back him (mostly, not sure about my twitter friend!). However if he carries on being arrogant, carries on claiming to be right about everything and that he has never made any mistakes, then frankly, in my opinion, his days are numbered because he simply has not got the quality of players to ride out the storm this year by achieving positive results.

Maybe it’s me who needs to get a grip.

*(The only team to beat Barca in the CL last year and, at the time, closer than any other team in Europe to playing the ‘total football’ that the Catalans have made famous)