Are you listening Persie?

The 2006 world cup was on the cards. The world was looking forward to a whole new footballing spectacle as was I. As a 12 year old, I, like many, knew football by Brazil and Brazil by football. I did not know a single thing about the beautiful game before, but was looking forward to seeing the mighty Brazilians play. And then, the much anticipated tournament started.

After seeing Brazil through to the quarters, I was fairly happy and satisfied with my ‘adopted’ nation’s performance. Brazil had to play a much less fancied French side in the quarters, who were deemed as not more than a small obstacle for the defending champs. But to my surprise and disappointment, against all odds, France sent Brazil packing out of the cup. And the goal scorer was none other than ‘Thierry Henry‘. The Arsenal forward who was little known those days to me. I, being a neutral supporter, soon forgot Brazil and started admiring Zidane and Co. After seeing my team through to the finals, my heart was broken again as the Les Bleus lost to Cannavaro’s Italy in the finals.

The WC memories soon faded away, but one name was still in my thoughts, ‘Thierry Henry’. I just couldn’t forget this name. I had fallen in love with Henry and his footballing skills. And this was the turning point in my life. I started loving football more than anything else. I can proudly say that it was Henry who made me love football.

I had heard of the English Premier League, but did not follow it. For the sake of knowing Henry’s club, I just googled the words “Thierry Henry’s club”, and the name I found was “Arsenal FC”. What is Arsenal, I wondered. So I found the club’s site, and gazed through it, but couldn’t get anything. So I turned on my TV, ran through some sports channels, and, to my pleasant surprise, saw Henry playing in a red-white t-shirt with O2 written on it. Suddenly it clicked in my mind, it was Arsenal in action. Again, I was introduced to Arsenal, through Henry. And yes, as a proud follower of Henry, I started watching Arsenal games.

The first time I saw him play

The club, with its silky passing and wonderful goals, attracted me a lot and I quickly became a fan of the gunners. Months passed by and during those months, I managed to watch each and every Arsenal game. I, now, loved Arsenal as much as Henry. As time went by, I fell deeper in love with the club. I, by now, knew everything; from the club’s rich heritage to its current squad, from the Emirates stadium to Highbury, from the invincibles to their FA Cup triumphs. And I started admiring the Arsene Wenger philosophy. His philosophy was simple, and I quote, ” We, at Arsenal do not buy superstars, We make them “.

I knew the club inside out by the time the season ended. It came as a shock to me when I heard the news of my hero Henry moving to Barcelona. I had to choose between Henry and Arsenal, and I chose to be with Arsene and Co. simply because the club was more than just a player. As the new season came, I knew the Fabregases, the Lehmanns, the Gallases (all of them to be short). This, sadly, was the start of the drought at the Emirates. Arsenal, as its philosophy says, kept on making superstars and losing them to bigger clubs as seasons went by, but Wenger’s team kept on being competitive despite having no household names in the team. I, as many other Arsenal loyalists, kept on supporting my club despite the trophy-less seasons, simply because I loved and admired the club for its style of play and philosophy, not trophies.

Results were not very good but the club was going into a new direction. A young Arsenal side slowly matured, and the team was converting into a strong unit. Young lads continued to flow into the Emirates as Samir Nasri, Thomas Vermaelen, Koscielny, Walcott and Song all came into the club. The team was very young but extremely competitive. The fans patiently held on, and dreamt of their budding heroes lifting the trophy on day. But the dream was smashed as Fabregas (captain and already a legend at Arsenal) chose to move to his childhood club, Barcelona. Samir Nasri & Gayle Clichy (integral part of Arsenal) chose money over loyalty as they left the club for the cash rich Manchester City. But who cares if we win a trophy or not, I love the club as much as I loved it before.

Wenger had to buy some experienced players (out of his philosophy) to fill in the void left by the players who went. Arteta, Benayoun, Santos, Park Chu Yung & Gervinho were all bought at the closing end of the transfer window. The side, after an early slip, became stable as the league progressed, and were able to finish 3rd, most importantly, above arch rivals Tottenham.

As the new season awaits us, rumors are that our club captain, Robin Van Persie, is on the verge of quitting Arsenal. The initial meetings for his contract extension have failed. In order to ‘convince’ him to stay at the Emirates, he has demanded new quality signings to win trophies. Well, I say, if he had no trust in Wenger and his policies then why did he not say it to the manager in the past 8 years? Just because the ball is in his court, and the team desperately needs him, he is ‘demanding’ things.

Captain leading by example?

To ‘assure’ our captain, Arsenal have already signed two good footballers in Lukas Podolski and Olvier Giroud, again against the Wenger policy. This, only to convince our captain to stay at the club. Personally, I don’t like the way we have splashed money to convince someone who still ‘demands meetings’ with the manager. A player, whom Arsenal ‘tolerated’ for 8 long years ( he remained injured for lengthy spells) now wants to leave the club when he has delivered, in his 9th year.

The point is, Arsenal are more than RVP! We love the club, because it has its own unique way of functioning. We love the club for its silky accurate passing, its style of play, it’s amazing transfer policies and for it’s manager. We are sacrificing everything that we are famous for, only to convince our captain. While many readers would claim that going out of our philosophy for Persie is right, then what’s the difference between other clubs and Arsenal if we sell and buy players every time the markets open? We always do things our way, the Arsenal way. Why should we sacrifice that?

If RVP stays, I would be more than happy, but if he leaves, Arsenal would be the same as it has been over the years. It will only be a matter of time before we develop a replacement for our captain. I started loving the club through Henry, superstars went by, years went by, but my love for the club only grew. No matter how many seasons go trophy-less for Arsenal, I will continue to support the red and white! The cannon will start firing someday, keep believing! Gunner for life!