The 11th of August marked a day I dread every year. Every year I try to not get emotionally involved, I try not to care and I try to now watch the events that occur during the following 9 months. Yet every year I sit and watch. Whatever day of the week it is and whatever I have going on there is a 90 % chance that I’ll be watching. It has been like this for a decade and a half. I am of course talking about the fact that this weekend marked the first games of The Premier League season, and on the 11th Arsenal FC played their first competitive game of the 2019/20 season.
As a 7 year old boy I had to move to England. My mother received a job offer that she couldn’t refuse. My parents tried to get me sold on the idea by buying me membership to an English football club, more specifically Arsenal FC. I had already been a fan of the club when living in Sweden, but becoming a member opened up new opportunities and because I lived in England we could actually go to games. My first season of support ended with Arsenal accomplishing something that hadn’t been done in over a hundred years, they went unbeaten throughout the entire league season and won: 26 wins, 12 draws, 0 losses. The second season they won the FA Cup. I don’t remember these days so well, but one would think that their success would continue, right?
From the age of 9 to the age of 18 I didn’t witness my club win a trophy. This might not sound bad to Americans, but there are some things to take into consideration with this statement. Arsenal were back in 2004 to 2006 seen as one of the worlds best and richest clubs and people thought it was a question of time until they won the biggest trophy of them all, The Champions League. Arsenal have 4 chances every year to win a trophy, that means they missed 35 chances until they got their next trophy, which was the FA Cup again. A good trophy which has been won 3 times in the last 6 seasons: 2014, 2015 and 2017. However, this isn’t even close to the stature of winning The Premier League or The Champions League. This would be fine if not there were so many painful memories from the last 15 years that have made me at times give up on this sport:
May 17th 2006, Barcelona 2-1 Arsenal: Arsenal lead in The Champions League Final with one player less most of the game until the last 15 minutes when Barcelona turned the game around due to one goal which was offside.
June 24th 2007, Henry is sold: Our greatest goal scorer and player ever, Thierry Henry, is sold. Where does he go? Barcelona. 2 years later he wins The Champions League.
February 23rd 2008, Birmingham 2-2 Arsenal: The game finishes in a draw due to a last minute mistake that leads to a penalty and our Henry replacement, Eduardo, suffers a horrible visible leg break. At the time Arsenal were leading the league, after 1 win from they find themselves in 3rd and stay there. One day later our greatest rivals, Tottenham, win a trophy.
February 27th 2011, Arsenal 1-2 Birmingham: Last minute massive mistake means Arsenal lose The League Cup Final. I hate Birmingham.
August 28th 2011, Manchester United 8-2 Arsenal: Yes this happened in a football game. Rivals the Brazil-Germany game as one of the worst team performances I’ve ever seen. The same summer Arsenal lost their two best players, including their captain, and this disgrace happens.
August 17th 2012, Judas leaves: The team captain forces a move to rivals Manchester United. There’s a reason his name isn’t included. He wins The Premier League in his first season at United.
March 22nd 2014, Chelsea 6-0 Arsenal: In a season that included a 6-3 loss and a 5-1 loss this was the worst one. The managers 1000th game and this happens. In consideration as worst team performance with the earlier mentioned Manchester United game.
May 17th 2014, Arsenal 3-2 Hull City: FINALLY!!! The FA Cup is won, but it was 120 minutes of nervousness and anger. 0-2 down in the first 10 minutes with another certain goal cleared off the line. The comeback was completed in overtime in the 109th minute, but before the game was over there was time for another shot cleared off the line.
February 25th 2015, Arsenal 1-3 Monaco: For the first time in 4 years Arsenal get an amazing draw and there is a good chance that they will make it to the quarterfinals of The Champions League. NOPE!
May 30th 2015, Arsenal 4-0 Aston Villa: Loved every minute of this FA Cup win. Need to get some positive stuff in there as well.
February 28th 2016, Manchester United 3-2 Arsenal: Arsenal are Premier League contenders and are looking like the favourites. Manchester United look the worst I’ve ever seen. An 18 year old scores two for United. Why do I never learn?
February 15th/March 7th 2017, Bayern Münich 5-1 Arsenal: Somehow Arsenal manage to lose 5-1 twice in The Champions League to the same team and lose on aggregate 10-2. This would mark the last time Arsenal played in The Champions League.
May 27th 2017, Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea: Only 90 minutes of nervousness this time, but it took its good time because the winning goal came with 10 minutes left.
25th of February 2018, Arsenal 0-3 Manchester City: Arsenal lose League Cup final against a better team, but at least put up a fight.
April 20th 2018, Wenger leaves: After 22 years of management Arsene Wenger has had enough. The only manager I’ve ever known Arsenal to have leaves.
February 11th 2019, Ramsey leaves: Aaron Ramsey, the player who scored the winning goals in the 2014 and 2017 FA Cup final, announces that he will go to Juventus at the end of the season.
May 29th 2019, Chelsea 4-1 Arsenal: Arsenal sit 3rd with 7 games to go in the season, but only win two of them and lose their top 4 spot which would mean a return to The Champions League. They do get a second chance though. If they win The Europa League Final, the little brother tournament to The CL, they’re back in. They don’t win, and are not even close. To make the situation worse the first Chelsea goal is scored by Olivier Giroud, the man who assisted Ramsey’s winning goals in the FA Cup finals.
So what effect have these results had on my support for the club? None at all. I still love everything about it and believe in the club no matter how much the past has hurt. It’s a club where a teenager making his debut against them always score. Where former player come back like an ex-girlfriend with their new sexy boyfriend who beats you up. One week the players look unstoppable and the next they can’t get in their own way. The club always makes fun of us fans in their own way, and this was proven in the first game of the season:
August 11th 2019, Newcastle 0-1 Arsenal: Last season Arsenal managed to let in 0 goals away from home in a game in The Premier League only once. They equalled that tally in the first game of the season. God bless Arsenal and God bless football, I’ll report back to you in May.
Across The Pond 