Why does nobody like Arsenal?

[go49oner]

Its this sort of statement that puzzles me and I only hear it from either man utd,tottenham and more recently chelseas fans. Obviously you come across the odd unninteligible fan who says the above mentioned but has no back up to what he is saying..you know the ones i mean and I can only put it down to jealously!
I am an Arsenal fan but I consider myself fair when it comes to other teams and what goes on and I can take critisism of arsenal as long as its backed up by a good explanation of what people mean.
What I really don't understand is when people say "nobody likes arsenal". Well from my experience and the people I talk to, mainly people like myself who have a decent view on the game, is that neutrals like Arsenal. They like the way we play football, the way it is meant to be played. They don't care that we have a team of foreign players, its a club not a country and if the best players are foreign then thats that. They like the way the club is structured, that we try to balance the books, that we wont be held to ransom by players or other clubs looking to sell the best british prospects for hugely inflated prices!. They accept that although we have limited resourses (compared to some clubs who have spent 10's of millions) over the yrs we have had huge success, and we have done all this by playing beautiful exquisite football.

Personally it has been a joy to watch a team as talented as Arsenal over the years but none so more as Wed night when although we did not score we played some of the best football over 90 mins that i have ever seen by any side over the yrs.

Arsenal are a team hugely admired by fans across the world regardless of who they support. I have witnessed standing ovations from away fans on a number of occasions and was even witness to Pompey fans singing Thierry Henry's name for over twenty minutes at a game!

 

[jester]

For one, as we witnessed today, we're never gracious in defeat. We want to moan and blame the ref, the away manager, the weather, the pitch and everything else apart from ourselves.
Look at Henry after the final last year, and look at wenger today, it was embarrasing, and I've never been embarrassed of wenger before.
Against Everton all we did after was moan about teams playing defensively. We seem to expect the opposition to roll over against us and hand us the 3 points.

 

[tactica442]

I think the team and Wenger were frank when losing to ManCity. Talkin about manager's bitterness Wenger is not on the top of the list.

I have seen Coleman intending to square up with refs several times. Wenger can't be worse than that.

 

[stuart]

For one, as we witnessed today, we're never gracious in defeat. We want to moan and blame the ref, the away manager, the weather, the pitch and everything else apart from ourselves.
Look at Henry after the final last year, and look at wenger today, it was embarrasing, and I've never been embarrassed of wenger before.
Against Everton all we did after was moan about teams playing defensively. We seem to expect the opposition to roll over against us and hand us the 3 points.

jester tou have a point there, the way we react to some defeats is inexcuseable and frankly embarrassing but go49oner i get your point to, i was on a west ham forum before the game and they all seemed to hate arsenal! i asked why and didn't get an answer, i like you have no problem in admitting that manure can play good football and chelski are a good side etc but it's the ones who cant admit things like this, my manure mate has never once admitted that arsenal (when on form) play the best football around and it winds me up! i think that after today wenger will come under alot of criticism unless he comes out and apologises or else we learn that pardrew has said something awful (quite a possibility)

 

[BigBoss]

For one, as we witnessed today, we're never gracious in defeat. We want to moan and blame the ref, the away manager, the weather, the pitch and everything else apart from ourselves.
Look at Henry after the final last year, and look at wenger today, it was embarrasing, and I've never been embarrassed of wenger before.
Against Everton all we did after was moan about teams playing defensively. We seem to expect the opposition to roll over against us and hand us the 3 points.

Totally agree with that...We should accept defeat even when it is not fair....We can say it was unfair etc but moaning is irritating...It would have been better to work over a solution rather than just blaming others and then making the same mistakes in the next matches. Also by saying how the opponent frustrated us by not playing good football etc we encourage other teams to frustrate us as well and this isn't very wise is it?

 

[awooga83]

For one, as we witnessed today, we're never gracious in defeat. We want to moan and blame the ref, the away manager, the weather, the pitch and everything else apart from ourselves.
Look at Henry after the final last year, and look at wenger today, it was embarrasing, and I've never been embarrassed of wenger before.
Against Everton all we did after was moan about teams playing defensively. We seem to expect the opposition to roll over against us and hand us the 3 points.

Again agree here we say how bad other people our but we often our quite bad losers and today was shameful, i hope Wenger sees what he's done and apologises or shows regret because everyone lover it when Mourinho was being a bad sportsman and was quick to condemn.

 

[RammiXP]

For one, as we witnessed today, we're never gracious in defeat. We want to moan and blame the ref, the away manager, the weather, the pitch and everything else apart from ourselves.
Look at Henry after the final last year, and look at wenger today, it was embarrasing, and I've never been embarrassed of wenger before.
Against Everton all we did after was moan about teams playing defensively. We seem to expect the opposition to roll over against us and hand us the 3 points.

here here jester, you know im 100% with you as explained in the match thread. we are a joke at times.

 

[celestis]

I don't think it matters if no one likes . What is more important is that we are gracious in defeat and give others their due.

Having said that I think you will find that Pardew was a bit of naughty boy, He has apologised for his actions in the press , so he must have done something.

 

[Linson]

Excuse my ignorance but I really don't have a clue what Wenger has said.
What I can say is that I believe people think our players can be somewhat arrogant when we play our best football.
Lets face it - when we play well boy do we play well and don't we (the players included / especially) know it! I'm not talking about over-inflated egos, I'm talking about what people never want to hear - the TRUTH.
The truth being that we can be one of the most beautiful, flowing, attacking teams.

 

[>YounGunner<]

We are the team everyone wants to beat. Strange really because the Champions should have that.

Mabe its because out of the top four teams everyone feels they have a chance against us.

 

[Clrnc]

why is aliadere not on the bench instead of flamini is a clear howler for me. nobody would be gracious of a defeat when we clearly had injustice. i actually quite agree with what henry said after final and why wenger is so angry today.

actually you cant say nobody likes arsenal. we have actually managed to attract lotsa people with our superb football. much more than before. my father used to tell me arsenal is a cheating team and therefore he does not like them. he says vieira is always red carded, keown bergkamp always very rough and pires is a diver. of course i disagree with him. but these are maybe some reasons.

btw my dad is a man utd fan.

 

[liridon]

guys i think we have to ask now our players whom to blame?!!!
Did west ham played defensive?!!! i doubt
Did ref made too many mistakes?!!! i doubt, even if he did we dont have to depend in one chance.
Does van persie and adebayor deserve to be first team players?!! i doubt, we need one more class stricker.
Do we miss to many wonderful chances?!! defenetely we do.

guys i am very frustrated.
Best wishes to the team and let them win a following match for FANS

 

[Lukazan]

For one, as we witnessed today, we're never gracious in defeat. We want to moan and blame the ref, the away manager, the weather, the pitch and everything else apart from ourselves.
Look at Henry after the final last year, and look at wenger today, it was embarrasing, and I've never been embarrassed of wenger before.
Against Everton all we did after was moan about teams playing defensively. We seem to expect the opposition to roll over against us and hand us the 3 points.

I think you're spot on.

Arsenal biased aside, we are quite a bitter side when things don't go our way. Our players often react violently or petulantly and Wenger is never gracious in defeat. He'll sometimes admit a team played well but there will always be more to add from him, usually an excuse for why we didn't win. Also if we lose or draw he never gives anything more than a quick handshake (or not even that, as in today's game), where as I've seen Ferguson and Mourinho quite often congratulate the opposing manager and have a few words with them.. Mourinho with Jol today for example.

I also don't think our team being filled with Foreigners goes down well with many.

 

[>YounGunner<]

Hleb and Toure are the only players who have class in our team. Never complain or sulk. Look at Hleb reaction to that blatent penalty just got up with no fuss.

Refs still a prick.

 

[tactica442]

Funny to see how quick turns on Wenger's occasional misbehaviour. And, Ferguson never once be not a bad loser? You'd be joking. Better to Kkeep your magnifier in the desk drawer.

 

[Captain]

It was exactly the same with George Graham too. After a couple of decades of the same attitude people are going to stop liking you.

There is also the case where we are very secretive on many things and that may again work against us as a club.

Honestly, I don't give a **** about anyone else's opinions.

 

[tactica442]

When Manur lost to us in the FA Cup final, did anyone see Fergie came up the stage and took his medal? I still remember watching Fergie so upset about the loss and said sizzling words (can quess by reading his lips) with Keane like Vieira should be f**** sentoff. Was Fergie that gracious in defeat as some of you may think? Apparently not so. Why some people compare Wenger's post CL Final behavious with Fergie's is beyond me.

I know today the team has a bad performance and Wenger reacted in a moment of heat. But let's not stretch this incident too far. Just let Pardew and Wenger sort this out themselves.

 

[awooga83]

Just because Fergie or Mourinho or anyone else does it doesn't mean Wenger should do it, i thought he was above that type of reaction. We have to learn to not be such bitter losers at least in public . I don't dispute Fergie can be a bad loser and moroniho but Wenger shouldn't do what they do.

 

[go49oner]

But how hypicritical are West Ham fans. Only weeks ago they boo'd and insulted Glenn Roeder for over celebrating.

 

[tristan]

From a non-Arsenal standpoint, part of it has to do with the rivalry between your club and mine (Chelsea) but we're rivals with everyone these days it seems, but I don't actively dislike them.

Arsenal just have an air of arrogance about them. No one seems to want to accept defeat, if Arsenal lose it's always something like the pitch, the style of play, the referee, etc etc. Sure you guys are a great team to watch but defensive play is also part of the game. Just because you attack a lot doesn't mean you deserve the title and everything else.

A lot of the fans get me too. I'm willing to point to faults in my team, but few Arsenal fans are willing to admit when their beloved stars play badly. I've seen many posts that say Arsenal have the best back four in Europe, which is a bit of a stretch. Quick to condemn others for bad actions but when your team does it it's funny or deserved (Henry in the WC with his play-acting, or a couple years ago with Lauren's lunge with arms out against Utd. Everyone talks about Terry's handballs but that's never mentioned.

It's mainly the arrogance though.