Why rival fans are ‘duty bound to denigrate’ Arsenal and their ‘legendary season’ | OneFootball

Are rival fans simply ‘duty bound to denigrate’ Arsenal? Or does the constant sniping just underline how joy is being sucked out of the game?

The debate rages on over how this Gunners team should be properly assessed.

The asterisks were added

30 years of hurt never stopped us dreaming

Just woke up. Voice is absolutely gone. Smile still on my face. Walking into Villa Park last night I was both nervous and confident at the same time – it’s totally unexplainable but European nights at B6 are just a completely different beast. After the shambolic showing against Spurs we needed the players to show up and fight, to give us something to shout and chant and cheer for. My word, did they do that and then some!

To all the Forest fans giving it large after the first leg, singing “ISTANBUL” when the job was only half done, to the genius who decided to let off fireworks at the mid-way point in the game. It wouldn’t have mattered if you were a best XI made up of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich players last night – you never stood a chance when Villa Park is in that mood.

And to all the Palace fans who should have been in the competition themselves, I hope you enjoyed that half as much as we did.

In Unai we trust. Up the f**king Villa. Jeff G, West Brom Villan (That being said, I’m glad it wasn’t the bogey team Palace we were playing last night!) 

To the rest of the country, sorry about Sunday.

Also, not that sorry after that, tbh.

Schrodinger’s Arsenal

Currently Arsenal have neither won nor lost the two big trophies that they would have wanted at the start of the season.

They are getting bottle and boring shouts at every turn by oppo fans.

They are Schrodingers Arsenal

We all want to be them and we all want them to fail at the same time!

The thing that no fan ever (in the mailbox) seems to grasp is that, no team ever, has ever won anything by being the best team and having the hardest group and playing the best football.

Which opposition fan has ever given a winning team credit while on the journey? Its a very very rare thing indeed.

We all know England had an easy ride to the final, Liverpool had an easy ride to final, or covid caveat, or played Spurs.., or Chelsea spent every money, or manu bought all the refs and spent the money and had the highest wage bill, or Real cheated on Mo and had Ramos the red card cheat, Barca had Messi and Xavi Iniesta and Pep, Or city 115.. (we love you Leicester in one of the rare cases, apart from Forest fans who hated it)

Its it the job of opposition fans to belittle and wind up! and never give any credit for any win for any team that isnt their own.. Its what we all do.

Comon people of course we would be happy for England to win the World cup playing dull as f**k football. We would not give 2 tosses after the event (Rugby World Cup 2003 anyone?)

It does appear that possibly and weirdly after the years of p*sstake and Neymar Messi Mbappe attempt that we might actually give PSG some form of credit for being a good team with good football (although they only have to play a handful of real games a season coz farmers league, right oh and they have the biggest wage  – Allegedly lower than Arsenals player wages is an interesting one) even though they barely scraped in last year and struggled at the start of this.

But they are paying some wonderful stuff and we are all glad they arent in the prem right? but farmers league….. see you cant have it all..!

So all the raging arsenal loons responding to all of ‘us’ slagging you off, as yo have done to us all over the years.

Chill Winston!

Jees.  You are where we all want to be. but we will call you sh*te and totally undeserving until its too late, and then will make excuses for why you won it unfairly or boringly when / if you do and we will laugh at you if / when you dont.

Thats football fandom no?

Engage your senses of humour people and make the world a nicer place. Al – LFC – Hoping for the Chelsea that didnt turn up against Forest last week please and no more injuries please… 

Oh joy

​There have been a few mailboxes recently with plenty of back and forth between rival fans. It was ever thus. However, my question is, does anyone else feel that there is an almost constant drive to suck all of the joy out of football? It seems to me that people cannot take pleasure out of the game unless it’s at the expense of someone else.

Now, I’m not naive, I get that it’s a game that has winners and losers at the most basic level and so obviously some pleasure is derived from beating someone else. Nevertheless joy and celebration are being policed to such an extent that managers are criticising their players for being happy about avoiding relegation on the last day of the season. Something like that used to be absolute ‘scenes’ but now it feels like the pressure to win is so great that you just can’t be happy.

I see it all the time in this mailbox. Each victory is met with people deriding the other team’s fans for being insufferable, or the worst fans in the league. Now, again, I’m not naive, I get that this kind of discourse drives traffic to the site. I have no problem with that by the way. The site needs visitors and readers. The problem is, is that if you were to ask me which team has the most insufferable fans I’d say it’s all of you! Every clubs fans are an absolute pain.

As an Arsenal fan I’ve been asked what I’d prefer, Arsenal winning the league or Spurs being relegated. I can’t believe anyone would prefer the latter, but the fact that it’s even a question is baffling to me.

Which brings me back to my original point. Does the only joy in football now come from seeing others fail? If so then it’s no wonder I’m becoming increasingly jaded as a fan. If Arsenal do end up winning both the league and Champions League I’ll give serious thought to just retiring from watching on a high. Andrew

Fair play

As rival fans we are duty bound to denigrate any and all of Arsenal’s achievements in whatever way possible.

Boring football? Corner thuggery? A bellend manager? Massive net spend? A glorified carthorse up front? Promoted to the first division despite not finishing in a promotion spot over a century ago (at the expense of Spurs, LOL) giving an unfair advantage for said century? In the name of fandom we’re entitled to point out how all these things detract from any glory Arsenal fans get from their season. I know several people who have said Arsenal beating PSG would be the death of football. Twas ever thus.

But, bloody hell, they are probably winning the league and have a very good chance of doing a double. They’re having a legendary season aren’t they? When they win the champions league final thanks to Saliba kicking the keeper in the face causing him to drop the ball in the net, it somehow being missed by VAR, Arsenal fans are going to go absolutely ballistic. Insufferable? Maybe, but bloody hell will they deserve to be.

The problem I will have is that my team will have gone longer than both traditional rivals without winning either of the big two trophies.

So yeh f**k it, Arsenal are boring, if they win anything it will be the end of football. Ashmundo

Legacy

Interesting question from Jamie in the Mailbox, asking would we as England fans accept a trophy if it meant playing defensive football? Now for the record I have no issue with how Arsenal are playing – if it wins them the big prizes then fair enough as far as I’m concerned.

However, the bit that piqued my interest was around the examples of Greece and Portugal winning the Euros. I’m old enough (38) to remember both of them pretty clearly, and whenever I think of them, my next thought is always ‘yeah but rubbish to watch’. Is this something that older readers also feel about teams that won big prizes further back, but younger generations only know that they won, rather than how they won? Jack (I now find myself in the position of wanting Chelsea (FA Cup), Arsenal (League) and PSG (Champions League) to all win a trophy this season… can we just end the season now?) Manchester

Hallelujah for Jamie Bedwells refreshing but unpopular opinion on whether we as a nation would be bothered if England Arsenalled its way to winning a major championship.

I have sat arms folded (literally – you should see me – I’m not even sure how I’m typing this) since about when Capello was coach – being completely underwhelmed and frankly embarrassed by the standard of football England have played in tournaments compared to the rest of the world – many nations being so far behind us in resources but still matching us for technique and hunger. When we see what our players are capable for their clubs and then see it transferred to an England performance its just grim and a stark comparison.

But of course hardly anyone seems to agree with me – all I ever hear – and still do and will almost certainly hear again come the summer is as long as we win it it doesnt matter how. Well it bloody does – it really does. I have waited my whole life (a long one so far) to see us win a tournament – but the truth is when we have come close the last 2-3 times I have actually wanted us to lose as it would have been a travesty for us to have won it playing the way we did – especially at the last Euros. I was actually cheering on Spain because they were so superior to us that it would have been an embarrassment to have beaten them somehow.

If we one day do it I want it to be won with equal levels of application and passion. We have neither. And the rest of the world know that. We as a nation seem to want to ignore the fact that despite us still being the richest footballing nation – we do not come close to matching that power with actual ability and class. I’d hate us too if I was a Johnny F.

All those glorious failures of the 90’s and 2000’s – they hurt real bad at the time – but give me those over the tepid passionless robotic snoozefest that has been watching England in tournaments for the last 15 odd years. Imagine being an England and an Arsenal fan. Blimey. Bah. Shunt – the fun sponge (terrible defending by PSG last night btw wasnt it!? Should have parked the bus)        

In response to the question posed by Jamie Bedwell:  Yes, absolutely.

I’m 44 years old and been a football fan since I can remember.  I’ve watched England at every World Cup and Euro’s (Italia 90 the first I can genuinely remember) and in all that time I’ve seen England win…..sod all.

If we win the World Cup by ‘Arsenalling’ our way, fantastic.  We could win every knockout game 1-0 with an own goal in every game and I will still cheer my heart out when the trophy is lifted.  I wouldn’t given a stuff what the Brazilian and Spanish purists would say, I wouldn’t care 1 jot what pundits would say or what criticisms would be thrown our way.  I would remember lifting the trophy for the rest of my days.  That’s all there is to it.

Sure, playing like 70’s Brazil the whole tournament would be amazing but at the end of the day, it’s winning that counts.  We wont get an award for playing fancy football and losing.  We would get an actual trophy for playing rubbish football but still winning the thing.

So yes, let England ‘Arsenal’ their way to the Jules Rimet, I’m all for it. Clive, LFC (Hoping Arsenal win both the Prem and the Champions League)

Gathering some Gazprom thoughts

This PSG lot are quite good at football aren’t they? I think you could very easily argue they are the best team in Europe, without a huge amount of dissenting voices. Winning the Champions League and reaching the final the next year is incredibly difficult and very few have done it.

So Arsenal are bollixed then? Not a bit of it. Beyond PSG and Bayern, they’re as good as anyone in Europe this season. No one who gets to the final should be taken lightly.

Of course it’s not exactly a million years ago that Chelsea took PSG apart in the World Club Championship final. Who’d have guessed that? Most certainly Arsenal are leagues ahead of Chelsea.

The final won’t be great but to be fair it hardly ever is, Nerves usually conquer free flowing football. Arsenal may be underdogs but not by much.

Segueing slightly in the direction of Harry Kane, he reminded me in this semi of one Graeme Hick – for those old enough to remember.

Graeme was a county cricketer of some renown in the 80s/90s, but at international level – when it really, really mattered – he was found wanting. The archetypal flat track bully if you will.

And so it is with Mr Kane. Scoring over 50 goals is no small achievement, it really isn’t. But come this semi, he only scored a penalty and a strike when the tie was over. As with virtually every semi/final at club/international level.

Why? I’m not sure. Maybe when the quality is super really high , he’s just not quite good enough. The great names define these games, he’s diminished by them .

Certainly he shouldn’t be winning the Ballon D’or and nor will he. He’s still a top player even so. Just not a top, top player, James, Liverpool 

Manager search

Any big club looking for a new manager in the forthcoming season (Real Madrid, Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool?) should really be looking for someone who has had success winning a league title in one of the big 4 leagues – Premier League, La Liga, Serie A or Bundesliga. Preferably, they should also have won the Champions League as well.

We’ve seen how the big egos have responded (or not) to managers like Rangnick, Amorim, Rosenoir, Potter, Frank, Arbeloa, etc. who’ve lacked the big trophies on their CV to properly earn respect and not have their authority undermined.

Below are the winning managers from the past 15 years (2012-2026) that should really form the basis of their search:

SERIE A: ’26 (Chivu), ’25, ’21, ‘14, ’13 & ’12 (Conte), ’24 (Inzaghi), ’23 (Spaletti), ’22 (Pioli), ’20 (Sarri), ’19, ’18, ’17, ‘16 & ‘15 (Allegri)

BUNDESLIGA:  ’26 & ’25 (Kompany), ’24 (Alonso), ’23 (Tuchel), ’22 (Nagelsmann), ’21 & ’20 (Flick), ’19 (Kovac), ’18 & ’13 (Heynckes), ’17 (Ancelotti), ‘16, ’15 & ‘14 (Guardiola), ’12 (Klopp)

LA LIGA: ’26 & ’25 (Flick), ’24 & ‘22 (Ancelotti), ’23 (Xavi), ’21 & ‘14 (Simeone), ’20 & ’17 (Zidane), ’19 & ’18 (Valverde), ‘16 & ‘15 (Enrique), ’13 (Tito Vilanova), ’12 (Mourinho)

PREMIER LEAGUE: ’25 (Slot), ’24, ’23, ’22, ’21, ’19, ’18 (Guardiola), ’20 (Klopp), ’17 (Conte), ’16 (Ranieri), ’15 (Mourinho), ’14 (Pellegrini), ’13 (Fergusion), ’12 (Mancini)

Based on the above, we can split these managers into 4 categories:

BOTTOM TIER (one-time league winner): Chivu, Inzaghi, Spaletti, Pioli, Sarri, Alonso, Tuchel, Nagelsmann, Kovac, Xavi, Slot, Mancini, Pellegrini, Ranieri (retired), Fergusion (retired), Vilanova (deceased)

LOWER TIER (multi-time league winner): Conte, Allegri, Kompany, Valverde

MID TIER (multi-time league + European winner): Simeone (Europa), Mourinho (Europa & Conference)

TOP TIER (Multi-time league + Champions League winner): Flick, Guardiola, Ancelotti, Zidane, Enrique, Heynckes (retired), Klopp (retired?)

There’s no chance of Real Madrid getting either of Flick, Guardiola, or Enrique, what with their Barcelona ties, and probably no chance of Simeone as well as their long-time cross-town rival. With Zidane waiting for the France job and Ancelotti tied up with Brazil, it’s no wonder the rumours are abound regarding Mourinho as a serious choice, especially if they can’t tempt Klopp out of retirement. There’s no one else on this list who’d be able to seriously keep the likes of Vinicius, Mbappe and Bellingham in check.

If Man Utd don’t stick with Carrick, then they should be aiming for any one of Enrique, Flick, Simeone, Allegri or Valverde. That’s assuming they don’t want to deal with the combustible Conte, and Kompany would presumably be off the list due to his City ties.

As an aside, for those clubs outside the Big 6 looking for a new manager (Crystal Palace, Bournemouth), a name that’s not really been brought up by anyone but would actually be an intriguing choice would be Jose Luis Mendilibar. He’s worked his way up the Spanish system, and has won the Europa League with Sevilla in ’23, and then the Conference League with Olympiacos in ’24. He’s since claimed the Greek Super League, Football Cup and Super Cup, all in 2025, and would seem to be well placed to take the next step up in his managerial career.