Why Arsenal are like Gondor

WEST BROMWICH, ENGLAND – MAY 13: Pat Rice of Arsenal is congratutaled by the team after the Barclays Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Arsenal at The Hawthorns on May 13, 2012 in West Bromwich, England.

Following my comparisons between Manchester City and Isengard, I now shift my eyes south to take a look at London. In particular, Arsenal.

When the Fellowship of the Ring debates in Rivendell on the best path to take to Mordor, the thought to go through Gondor is immediately rebuffed, on account of it being under continual attack by Sauron’s army. Boromir, who is the representative for that Kingdom of Men, does not agree with the rest of the Council of Elrond.

“Gondor wanes, you say. But Gondor stands, and even the end of its strength is still very strong,” says the elder son of Denethor.

Boromir was both right and wrong. Gondor was waning, but it no way was it near the end. Aragorn came with the Army of the Dead and with the One Ring destroyed, was able to restore the line of the Kings to the once-great Empire, which extended from the north reaches of Middle Earth to the outskirts of Mordor. Such was its wealth and splendour that men said “precious stones are pebbles in Gondor for children to play with”

When Arsene Wenger first came to Arsenal in 1996, he won the League and FA Cup Double in his second season. After their opening day loss to Blackburn Rovers (1-3), they made up a twelve-point deficit over Manchester United to clinch the title, securing it with two games to spare.

But like Gondor, who were constantly at war with the Easterlings, Arsenal often ceded the title to a club located Eastwards (up North). Manchester United have always been dominant in the Premier League, and the next season saw Arsenal fail to hold on to their title by a single point, while they were knocked out of the FA Cup Semi Finals courtesy that magical slalom by Ryan Giggs.

Arsenal went on to win several trophies in the next few years, including the Double in 2001-02 and another FA Cup in 2003. And then dawned the Golden Age of the Gunners. The Red and White Army wrote themselves into history with that 49-game unbeaten run, and all was well at Highbury.

But Sauron was rising again. From the West came a force clad in Blue that threatened to challenge the might of Arsenal. Minas Morgul - or White Hart Lane as die-hard Gooners know it – was firmly in the shadow of Highbury, but Roman Abramovich was pumping money into Chelsea, and they would go on to win the League title during the 2004-05 season. Some surmised that under an oligarch that controlled every aspect of his empire, akin to how Sauron controlled Mordor, Arsenal would wane.

Sadly that is what has happened, since winning the FA Cup that year and making it to the finals of the Champions League in 2006. Despite the presence of a King a la Thierry Henry, Arsenal’s move to the Emirates Stadium crippled them financially. The King departed in 2007, and with no one to carry on his lineage, the proletariat wondered as to how Arsenal would continue their campaigns.

They were confounded for nearly a season. Wenger had assembled new forces with which to take to the field alongside seasoned veterans of many a campaign. In came Eduardo da Silva, Bacary Sagna and Lassanna Diarra, the likes of Abou Diaby, Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie, Gael Clichy, Mathieu Flamini and Emmanuel Adebayor matured as players, and they took their place alongside Tomas Rosicky, Kolo Toure, William Gallas, Alexander Hleb, Jens Lehmann and Gilberto Silva.

LONDON – OCTOBER 23: Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger shakes hands with Aleksandr Hleb of Arsenal after he was substituted with team mate Mathieu Flamini during the UEFA Champions League Group H match between Arsenal and Slavia Prague at the Emirates Stadium on October 23, 2007 in London, England.

Until February of 2008, it looked like Arsenal would win the League title, defying all the odds in doing so. But on the 23rd of that month, disaster struck, as the Arsenal vanguard was struck with a blow which some would never recover from. Martin Taylor’s tackle on Eduardo at St. Andrews severed the Croatian’s leg in two. That injury was to have a massive emotional and psychological impact on the Gunners, and they finished third, four points behind eventual winners Manchester United. A situation like that would require a King to rally his troops, but all Arsenal had were stewards, who could not steady the tide on their own.

Several stewards came and went. Forces that were once clad in the sacred scarlet-and-white raiment of Arsenal proved to be mercenaries, or received honourable discharges for their loyalty. Hleb left, as did Flamini. Lehmann and Gilberto will be remembered for their years of service. Some, like Adebayor and Samir Nasri, were seduced by the Ring of gold, while, others, like Cesc Fabregas yearned to fight in other theatres. Still others thought their comrades to be rabble, which was why Toure was ousted from the Club by Gallas.

All this meant, that like Gondor ceding Osgiliath to Mordor, Arsenal were now being forced to battle harder than ever for a place in the top four. New forces were on the rise. Chelsea would go on to conquer England, winning three League titles, four FA Cups and two Carling Cups, before adding a European crown to that achievement.

Gondor’s southern reaches were invaded by the Easterlings, akin to how Manchester United would continue to dominate the English landscape. Sir Alex Ferguson’s men would go on to win four Premier League titles, two League Cup and another European title.

From the North also came the Premier League’s Isengard. Manchester City were now under the control of a man in a white robe and beard, and would begin a rapid ascent to the pinnacle of the English pyramid. The Citizens’ capture of the FA Cup in 2010 was augmented by the Premier League title last season. And their mercenaries seem to show no signs of slowing down.

It was clear Arsenal’s status as a club of reknown were hanging by a thread. One of their leaders yearned for the calling of his homeland, another swapped honour for money. That was only underlined when a depleted, piecemeal force was slaughtered at Old Trafford. It was a grim tale, of which loyalists 8-2 speak of even today. Gondor’s beacons were lit, and in their hour of need, reinforcements came. Ju Young Park, Per Mertesacker, Andre Santos, Mikel Arteta, and Yossi Benayoun were all unveiled as Arsenal players on the same day, and would add much steel to a depleted Arsenal side along with Gervinho, Carl Jenkinson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Slowly but surely as Robin van Persie led Arsenal into battle, the tide was turned back.

To quote what are now arguably Boromir’s most memorable lines in the LOTR saga, “One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its black gates are guarded by more than just orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep. The great eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire, ash, and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly”. But Wenger’s forces went to Stamford Bridge and came away with three points in what was one of the most memorable games of the season.

There were defeats along the way, casualties were suffered, but Arsenal fans were to be given a late Christmas present.

The Return of the King.

In a packed Emirates Stadium, Thierry Henry announced that he was back, with a succulent goal against Leeds United. Arsenal had failed to win a single game in all of January, due to a decimated rearguard, but their King had given them hope renewed. Despite suffering a 4-0 rout at the hands of AC Milan, the legacy of the King lived on, and though Arsenal fell short of progressing to the quarter-finals, they nearly got there, roaring to a 3-0 lead before tiring in the second half.

Arsenal finished the season in third, but had they picked up points in their last few games, the gap between themselves and the Manchester Clubs would’ve been lessened. They did stall towards the end of the season this time around as well, but it could’ve been much worse had these experienced players not been present.

Arsene’s army also beat another Orc detachment from Isengard, when they dared to foray into Minas Tirith.

But the victory which gave the forces of Arsenal most belief was their win against the Minas Morgul of the Premier League. Tottenham Hotspurs fans were jubilant about finishing the season on top of Arsenal, but a fantastic come from behind 5-2 win brought them sharply back to earth.

All this brings me to one point: our time will come. We had to make our chemistry pretty much on the go last season, and had we brought in these signings earlier, we could have achieved wonders. Thierry Henry has already stated that he is willing to return to Arsenal for a third stint if needed.

We’ve already signed Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski. Rumours claim that Yann M’Vila is in the pipeline, but nothing concrete has come to fruition so far. Should we build on this squad, we could challenge for trophies once again.

Gondor will rise once again.

NB: There is no willful attempt on my part to slander any Club here. Should you feel I have done the same, I do apologise, but it was not my intention to do so. It was all in keeping with the theme of the article.