Let me start by admitting that this post is a very atypical
one from me. It is more of a rant than a proper thread and it has a much darker
tone to it than I normally would adopt. I don’t know if I’ve just grown into a
cynical person or if years of disappointment have instilled a crushing
melancholy in me that I can’t seem to shake as of late.

In 2004 the world was a very different place for an Arsenal
supporter. Things were great. We had a team of champions who dazzled the world
with some of the most beautiful football ever seen. Players queued up to sign
for us and we had a charismatic manager whose foresight changed the landscape
of modern football.  Our board members
followed suit by looking to the future. We were to build a new stadium that
would help generate much more income in order to compete with the financial
giants of Liverpool and Manchester United. We took the leap and in a few short
years we would be in such a strong position that we might very well cement
ourselves as a continuous dynasty. Then a zealous young Russian came to London
and changed the rules. His actions would prove to be the catalyst for the world
of football that we currently see spiraling ever out of control. His successes
have brought about a new philosophy of football and many imitators followed the
maverick’s lead. The idea which was supposed to launch Arsenal into a new era
became a means of keeping it barely up to pace. The club and its manager kept
faith with what worked for it in the past but things would never quite be the
same. Year after year the club would be forced into selling its top players
because it simply did not have the means to offer them the same wages as the
new barons of the football world. The allure of tripling ones salary proved too
strong and overcame the bond of old friendships and footballing purity. Of
course our manager could have followed suit and left for pastures green but
full credit to him, he stuck to his principles. He thought that despite the new
climate he would be able to sire a young team that would grow together into a
footballing juggernaut. The only problem is that each year, the ripest fruit
was plucked from his garden so that his dream of creating a football dynasty
became increasingly impossible.

Then one day when all looked bleak a knight in white armour
proclaimed that the barons would not have their way forever. There would be a
new set of laws that would allow for fair play and give hope to all fans. The
new system of justice would become known as Financial Fair Play. The gullible
board and Mr. Wenger trusted in the plan of the white knight – half willing
themselves to believe that this would be their saving grace. Unfortunately,
time showed that the new system of law, however great, would never become a
reality. The white knight had no real power at all and even the most optimistic
Mr. Wenger began to give up hope.

Still some of the fans grasped to the fact that new commercial
deals are on the horizon. Surely this would allow us to re-establish our
dominance? But what the bright-eyed fans failed to see is that even these new
benefactors would do little to bridge a financial gulf that has grown far too
wide. It is not a matter of offering players a ten or twenty thousand more per
week. No, we are talking about doubling or tripling salaries. Try as we might,
nothing short of surrendering ourselves over to the hands of a billionaire would
allows us to overcome such odds. But to do so would be to have undone all of
the work of the past 8 years and so we remain – stuck between choosing
integrity or competing for glory.

And so we watch as our team is gutted every year in an
endless pattern of torture, suffering the scoffs of others while holding onto a
blind hope… a hope that we ourselves barely believe but that is uniquely part
of being a Gunner… that this year will be different. That if we could just keep
our best players while buying new talents…  we could work towards success and that the
success and charisma of our manager would prove strong enough to ensure the
cycle continues. Ifs, only’s, when’s… this is the vocabulary of the Gunner
Army. One filled with hyperbole and false hope… with the promise of nothing
other than continuous heartache. If only we could finally convince ourselves of
the reality of the situation and accept that we are no longer a champion club
then we would ease our own sufferings. But to do so would be to concede defeat…
something a fan seems incapable of. And so we beat on, masochistically looking forward
to a news day whilst knowing in our heart or hearts it will not come.

✰✰✰ ✰✰✰ ✰✰✰ ✰✰✰ ✰✰ ✰✰✰ ✰✰✰ ✰✰✰ ✰✰✰ ✰✰✰✰✰ ✰✰✰ ✰✰✰ ✰✰✰ ✰✰✰✰✰

Yes, I believe it's time for the Gunners to accept the fact that they are now joined with the other underachieving and persistent clubs (West Brom, Fulham, Sunderland, Wigan, etc), hence, why I mentioned that Arsenal is reaching "a new era" in some other post I can't remember of being involved in. 

It's sad being alive to witness a strong club slowly crumbling ever since 7 years ago, but that's football.

Why the whole bullsh*t story? THIS IS FOOTBALL JUST ACCEPT IT THE WAY IT IS now STFU PLEASE! you Arsenal fans are annoying me lately.

@Galnaldo, I kind of had enough if your faggoty bitching in this site. You might not have read all of Foot's post coz your probably too fat, and don't have the mental stamina to read the whole thing, hence, why you whine so much.

If you can't read it, then gtfo. Simple as that. Stop spreading your butthurtness around other people's posts and gtfo coz no one really appreciates your presense here.

Oh wow !! who is speaking of getting annoyed - The Biggest Annoying Ass on FootyRoom .... 

And I know your reply - biggest glory hunter from India who supports Madrid .. blah blah blah .... yes I am,  so it would be appropriate for you to go buy some tickets as you always do and watch a match in San Siro ... why you watch highlights when you can watch every Inter Milan match live because you are their "real" and "die hard" fan and we all are stupid here sitting on laptops watching highlights??

Why waste time with us gloryhunters on this site when you watch a match in stadium with real fans ..... and you know what even Footyroom does not support any team (see their profile). You are in a wrong place "die hard and real" fan !!

If Inter plays away then im not going only if they r playing in SS. And why are you even reacting? your an asskissing indian cunt nanan or whatever ur name is and everybody knows that.

you write my name wrong and then yourself say that whatever the name is ....commonsense is not so common these days ,isnt it ??..... and by the way your reply is the same as I expected and mentioned above in my own comment . 

But I have a question .....why not you go in away matches .... "true" fans travel wherever their team travels every match ..anywhere in world..... we all members here are glory hunters so we dont waste time and money in going to stadium ..... you are the enlightened one - the die hard Inter fan.... you are the true fan ...............................................or wait you said you dont waste time on watching away matches .......... 

THAT MEANS...

^lol!

It's Obvious arsenal are going through a change.
But this is the true test.
Are you willing to stay with arsenal during this torturous era or are you going to give up on them?

Well brother... This is the darkest thread i've ever read, really sad that this recent years have made not only you, buta lot of fans to think that way, but you forgot to say something, what the players beleive too. There are players in our team and in the world that wants to play with Arsenal, because they believe in Wenger and this tram, Vermaelen is one of them, Wilshere or Giroud, i know that it's very common thing to heard a player saying "We will win something" but i really can sense that feeing that they're sying it as fans, not as players that are told to say it-
It won't be easy, it won't happen the next day, or the other, i know that modern football is demanding us to "show ourselves or retreat and become one of the other pile of clubs", we can't that happen, i think that we are still far fropm becoming and Everton or Sunderland, we are obviously far from becoming a Wigan or West Brom, so we only need time, time that is running out and one day, if you're lucky, you'll see, no, WE'll ALL see the rebirth of Arsenal, you can't tell a fan that his team is not going to be a big one, so let's just wait and trust, it's all we can do for now.

As a Valencia fan I completely understand how Arsenal fans feel. Everytine we have a top class player he is picked off our squad due to financial problems. The financial fair play should be improved to give other teams chances. It's sickening to see teams spend 100m a season.

Well emperor Roman for you! Expect more from him to since he just won a curt case! You guys should know though that one day the same will happen with Chelsea and maybe Arsenal will b the most dominant team in Europe. Only time wll tell right?

Excuse my bad typing I'm uing my phone.

@Ronaldo: If you read my piece you would've realized that's exactly what I'm saying... we have to just start to accept it

@man_utd: Are you kidding me? Success doesn't define my passion for Arsenal. My thoughts were just about how I think us fans still expect us to win the title every year when it's no longer a realistic target.

@raimondo: I understand. Forgive me if you disagree, but no club parallels Arsenal more than Valencia IMO.

@GunnerGo: You know me. I know you can't tell fans that their club isn't big anymore but perhaps it would make life a bit easier if we expected less. Anyway, I would never advocate going the sugar daddy route. Like @jim once said, I'd rather support a team that will never win again than one like City or PSG.

@trollman: You may be right but I can't see it happening soon.

Arsenal have had darker times. This is no different one solution is that the board needs a beatdown. The fans need to revolt and demand answers. Boycott and shit like that. Maybe then we may get an answer from Ivan the Terrible. Speaking of terrible...