"We Want Our Arsenal Back" campaign has gone beyond the battle of England based Arsenal fans....it has become a global battle for all die-hard Arsenal fans.

Below is the voice of a concerned fan. So touching and true... And i an sure most true Arsenal fan share the same view.


HOW TIMES HAVE CHANGED

I’ve been supporting The Arsenal, MY club, for 35 years. Through thick and thin I’ve remained loyal to my club, but nowadays are Arsenal showing lifelong fans the same courtesy? I’m sorry to say that hand on heart, I don’t think they are.
 
How times have changed.
 
Why Arsenal?
This was 1975. At the time it certainly wasn't down to us having a successful team – in fact we narrowly missed relegation. I'd meet my schoolmates at the station and we travelled down 20-handed for the game against Everton.
 
We stood at the very back of the North Bank behind the goal, and as a 14 year old we thought we were the bees knees. Some games we'd have 40 or more travel down, scarves on wrists, trousers rolled up to show our Doctor Martens boots… standard uniform for a teenage lad going to a game.
 
Travelling away was always an adrenalin pumping experience. It was on such days that lifetime friendships were forged. The camaraderie remains in the same way it does for old soldiers.
 
Fans choose their club for various reasons – normally handed down through family or the fact all your mates support the same club. Until recent times, I very much doubt there was the term 'glory-hunter'.
 
So what made Arsenal my club rather than, say, Derby County, Leeds or Liverpool, or any other London club? Well the first attraction I've already mentioned, my friends. But what kept me coming back when others stopped going, was the relationship between the club and the fans.
 
‘The Arsenal Family’ is a famous term but in these days of huge membership figures and commercialisation, it's very quickly becoming a lost phrase.
 
We knew the name of the club Chairman and club Secretary but other board members were not known. They went about the business of doing things 'The Arsenal way' in a quiet fashion. They were custodians of the heritage of the greatest club in the world.
 
Many a time the lads and I would take a trip down to The Arsenal on non-matchdays, just to hang around OUR club. We'd take a walk into the Marble Halls, the same walk our heroes made on matchday. You got the feeling we were all one – just they had the skill to walk that extra 20 yards out onto the pitch. The Commissionaire at the doors to the Marble Halls would touch his hat in a salute. We had class.
 
The backroom staff at the club were generally Arsenal fans that had answered an advert in the programme for a job. During the summer you'd see fans helping out around the ground, painting the terrace barriers in return for a season ticket. It was a club that didn't take its fans for granted.

How times have changed.

Arsene Wenger and the team
Arsene Wenger. Our most successful manager. This is the man who took over a club that was treading water, after failing to take advantage of our success under George Graham.
 
He brought in new players that gave a different dimension to our game, and revitalised the careers of arguably the most successful back four in football history. We had a seamless change of players. Someone left, someone better came in. We played breathtaking football and started bringing silverware back to the club. We won the club’s second double. We did it again. We then won the league by going the entire campaign unbeaten. This was Arsenal the way it should always be – leading the way, fulfilling the vision Herbert Chapman set out. Once at the pinnacle we should always look to remain there and not rest on our laurels.

Then came the period when we were told of the need for a new stadium. We had huge numbers of fans wanting tickets to matches and our beloved Highbury simply wasn’t big enough. The real bonus of a stadium move, we were told, would be that we’d get a lot more income – income which would let us compete with anyone in the transfer market, and income which would elevate us to (in the Board’s words) “European Super Club” status. We were told not to worry – that the new Holding company set up would take the strain financially, and that the playing side would not be affected in any way. Moving stadium would allow us to continue improving, and ensure we led the way in English football for the foreseeable future.
 
We moved stadium and since then the team has been on a downhill path. Punching above our weight to reach the 2006 Champions League final was all we have to show for moving ground. We’ve lost world class players and replaced them with promising kids. The balance of the team flipped completely and the manager set out on a project to prove that you don’t have to spend big to win things. To date it’s failed. 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 have been and gone with no trophies. We’ve been overtaken once again by Manchester United but even worse by Chelsea. We’re no longer London’s top club, let alone the country’s.

We were told moving stadium would allow us to buy top players. Compete with anyone in the transfer market. The financial burden of the move would not affect this. Yet since the move we’ve been on a mission to save money wherever possible in the transfer market. We’ve scrimped and scraped and despite Wenger trying to unearth the odd gem, we’ve ended up with players who are distinctly second rate compared to the ones before them. Good players, possibly – but certainly not good enough for The Arsenal.

Since Wenger took over, when a player left The Arsenal it was usually downhill for them from that point. Now the best players we have simply see The Arsenal as a stepping stone to something better. Balanced with this we have a number of players beset with complacency. Handsomely paid, lacking ambition (or is it just talent?) and happy to turn up, stroll around the pitch for 90 minutes and not care if they lose. They show no appreciation to the crowd supporting them, the people who contribute millions of pounds revenue every home game and in turn pay their wages. The fans who spend a lot of their very hard worked earnings to travel up and down the country to support their team. No ‘thank you’ after the game, nothing. Off they stroll, sometimes even smiling and joking with the opponents after being beaten.

Would George Graham tolerate behaviour like this? Would Bertie Mee? Would Herbert Chapman? This is THE Arsenal you are representing. Know what it means to pull on that red and white shirt. Know the history and what this club is about.

I have nothing in common with these mercenaries and feel nothing for them. In fact it saddens me to say that I openly despise some of them. Lack of ability is one thing but lack of pride, lack of passion and lack of humility is inexcusable.
 
While I would never expect Arsene Wenger to publicly criticise a player, I find his constant public support and whinging about decisions that go against us and teams that play 'rough' a total embarrassment at times. Act with decorum and class, and admit when you’re well beaten. The Arsenal way.

I want Arsene Wenger to show the FA Cup the same respect that the fans do. 9,000 fans travelled to Old Trafford a couple of seasons ago, and saw an Arsenal reserve side get murdered. We got to the semi final in 2009 where Chelsea were for the taking, but for some inexplicable reason dropped our two in-form players and lost. Then last season we took 5,500 to Stoke to watch the team fold yet again.
 
Mr Wenger, this young team need a trophy and the Carling Cup and FA Cup are their best chances. This is England, this is English football. Fans for the past 100 years have loved their team going to Wembley. Please show the competitions respect. We have a proud cup-winning history, let it continue. Yes a top four finish guarantees huge Champions League income but don’t talk rubbish – it is NOT as good as winning a trophy.

The Board
Well we only ever heard of the Chairman and Secretary, but since the days of David Dein we've had members of the Board who feel they deserve the 'celebrity' status of the players. Here’s a message to them – no you don't. You are there to do a job.

I don't want to see an outsider taking over with promises of huge investment. I don't want my club to be like Manchester United or Liverpool. I don't want the risk of closure like Crystal Palace or Portsmouth.
 
I don't want to win the league like Chelsea or possibly Manchester City. I want us to win on our own merit and with the respect that goes with it. The Arsenal way.
 
I want the board to use OUR money – the fans’ money – to invest in the team and disprove the lie that we moved to our new ground to compete with the European elite. To reiterate, we were told that repayments for building the new stadium would NOT affect the playing side. There’s one word to sum this promise up. Lie.

And I want the Board to realise we are a football club first and foremost. Our rivals are Manchester United, Tottenham, Chelsea. Not Wimpey, MacAlpine and Barratt Homes. We are a football club, not a speculative property developer.

The Fans
I want the Board to realise that the corporates punter and the tourist is NOT the future of Arsenal Football Club. These people are only interested in big names. Success. The departure of many big names and silverware has already seen this type of supporter start to drift away. The attendance rates are steadily dropping (despite false announcements of matchday attendances).

Even so, the corporate and the tourist are most definitely the Board’s supporter of choice. They spend big money on corporate packages, they spend big on general match tickets and they spend in the club shops. However, when they've disappeared down to King's Road or up to Manchester City, it'll be the die hards, the lifelong fans left behind to pick up the pieces. No doubt that will mean higher ticket prices to make up the shortfall, so as a club we can afford to pay the ridiculous wages of average players.
 
The huge danger is that the lifelong Arsenal fan that has been through thick and thin but eventually got priced out of the ground, they may never come back. It’s a big commitment to have followed The Arsenal for most of your life but when your club doesn’t care about you and is willing to let you go, in favour of a short-term more affluent supporter, that hurts. Although right now there’s a distinct feeling that the club doesn’t want the working class lifelong fan.
 
Let’s just go over it again… which do the club prefer? The family of four on their twice-a-season trip to see Arsenal, spending in The Armoury, drinks and hot dogs at extortionate prices in the stadium? Or the fan that turns up, cheers the team from first whistle to last, but doesn't spend outside of the price of their match ticket?
 
There are so many people attending our home matches that shouldn't really be there. It's not a theatre or cinema. It's a football match where fans show a passion for their team.

It's the responsibility of every fan to get behind the team not wait for groups like RedAction to start something and follow suit. However, the stewards seem to be hell bent on stopping us showing our support.

Where do these stewards come from? There was a time when stewards were Arsenal fans getting free entrance and a few quid to look after everyone. Now they appear to be an outside agency/company staffed by non-Arsenal, probably even non-football fans. Maybe they’re just following orders as laid out by the club, but it’s a case of ‘Sit down, be quiet, clap politely, and cheer a goal. Behave yourself or else’.
 
The Traditions
The Arsenal – famous for being innovators, but also for being traditionalists. We know our history and we know that certain things should never be messed around. Tradition with vision – it’s an easy enough mantra for any worthwhile marketeer at the club to recognise. Realise where this club has come from, realise what it means to people but move with the times ensuring you keep your traditional values in place.

Our famous shirt was unique, instantly recognisable. Brought in by the great innovator, Herbert Chapman. However a white stripe on a red sleeve is NOT The Arsenal. Let's get it back.

Iconic images of Charlie George lying flat on the Wembley turf, Alan Sunderland screaming obscenities as he wheeled away after scoring the last minute winner against Man United, and of course Michael Thomas “charging through the midfield”. All historic Arsenal images in yellow and blue. Not a blue away kit, not a white away kit.
 
“It’s all about the revenue” we’re told. Blue sells more than yellow is the line we’re given. Nike decide on market trends. Why do we constantly have to go with what Nike decide is best? “Sorry Your Majesty, but the Union Jack’s colours aren’t trendy at the moment. We suggest you change them because we’ll sell more merchandise”. Okay an over the top analogy, but The Arsenal is an English institution and a lot of the club’s values need to be maintained. Some would argue that we haven’t always worn yellow. We didn’t always wear red and white but a great manager at the time brought it in and made a statement – this is The Arsenal and these are our colours.

In Summary

The Board…
Listen to the fans, remember what made The Arsenal the greatest club in the world and why you want to be a part of it.

Yes it's admirable that you don't take dividends but don't sell our club to outside 'investors' or increase the value of YOUR shares by paying off the property debt as quickly as possible, to the detriment of our ability to compete in the transfer market. After all, a lacklustre team finishing mid-table is never going to fill a 60,000 stadium. We moved stadium to compete with any club in the world in the transfer market, and to become a “European Super Club”. If Arsene Wenger goes, is there another magician who can do what he’s done in trying to run a team on a shoestring budget? A top four finish each year does not constitute success.

Don't lay down to Nike or be held to ransom by the corporates. Remember who was there when times were bad. Stop trying to grasp every single penny you can from us.
 
Arsene…
You’ve done wonders at the club, but this experiment clearly isn't working. You’ve been trying to make it work for close to five years, and it’s broken. It doesn’t work.

You've shown loyalty to the players, beyond what some deserve. It's time to let some go. If the money is available, use it. Stop being so stubborn and please stop whinging when we lose . . . yes it hurts, but wipe your mouth and move on.
 
Treat the cup competitions with respect. Yes we want Champions League football, but we also want the FA Cup and the League Cup. To put it simply if we're in it, we’ve got to try to win it.
 
The Stadium…
It must be the most neutral home ground in the world. It's soulless and needs to get a proper identity. It's taken four years and finally we’re getting it branded in our colours. Why did it take so long and why has our famous Clock been stuck on the back of a scoreboard?

The stewards spoil the matchday experience for many. Are there any regulations about unreserved seating? If not, why not experiment for one season with it. Fans would have to get into the ground earlier but could sit with like-minded people and help create an intimidating atmosphere for the opposition team. It seems every team that visits us raises their game far more than they did at our beloved Highbury. They knew they were in a special place, a fortress. Now they come to a nice, generic stadium and play without fear.

Please stop the annoying PA man and his attempts to whip up the atmosphere with the players names. It was a blatant copy of a formula used by Bayern Munich, and it doesn’t work. Years down the line it STILL isn’t working, so give up. Don’t feel you have to keep going to try and disprove the fact you got it wrong.

Please stop playing ‘The Wonder of You’ when the team comes out. It has nothing to do with The Arsenal and did not win the fans' poll. It's just the choice of an ex-director held in contempt by genuine Arsenal fans for describing us as customers.
 
The Fans…
Far too many tourists and wannabes. Our traditional fan base is leaving in droves when it comes to home games. It's time to have a season ticket 'swap shop'. At Highbury if you wanted to watch the game a certain way you could choose where you wanted to be. E.g. if you wanted to watch silently, wrapped in a tartan rug with a flask of tea . . . it was the East Upper. If you fancied something more passionate it was the Clock End or North Bank. Now everyone seems to be mixed together and never the twain shall meet.
 
I would support a campaign for season ticket holders to swap seats. I would support a campaign for a return to safe terracing as experienced in Germany. Anything to improve the current matchday experience.

I believe I speak for the vast majority of true Arsenal fans when I say “We want OUR Arsenal back”.

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