Arsenal - Starting from Zero. On the decline? Or still a top team?

When I think about Arsenal and our successes and the exciting teams I’ve been privileged to watch at Highbury and the Emirates, I always start at 1996. The beginning of the Wenger era.

It’s for me a natural association. Arsène’s the current manager. The squad is entirely his and any recent success has been down his coaching staff and to his Arsenal team.

I still remember the George Graham teams. One nil to the Arsenal an all that. More recently, I watched the CL final where Chelsea ground out a result. Has there ever been a worse advert for EPL football? I’m sure every single Chelsea fan out there would disagree because they won, but I know what I’d rather watch. Free flowing attacking football.

In the EPL alone, it’s twenty teams competing for only four trophies. Not a lot to go around really when you think about it. And considering only four teams can compete in the CL that only leaves three trophies which are realistically open to all others.

If you add in to the lower leagues playing in the two cup competitions, then there really isn’t that much to go around. Yet we’re “supposed” to win something every year. Because we’re The Arsenal?

I know it’s been seven years now since we won a trophy. I know it hurts but who else has won the silverware?

Since 1996:

In the last sixteen years, the league has only been won by four different teams:

• Man. U. 9 times.
• Arsenal. 3 times.
• Chelsea. 3 times.
• Man. City. Once.

So out of twenty teams, all competing for the Holy Grail, in reality, there are only a handful of teams who realistically are in with a real chance of regularly winning the league. I know any team can win it but I’m talking about winning on a regular basis.

Last season, City won it on goal difference with the last kick of the ball, deep into overtime. It was that close. Money well spent? I’d disagree. If I’d spent close to a $1 billion on my team. I’d like a guarantee that we’d win everything. As we know, there are no certainties in football.

(It is also interesting that in the French League, Paris St Germain, who are in fact the richest club in the world now – even richer than Man C potentially, failed to win the French league last year – although everyone expects them to get it right this year, next year and forever).

In the CL, having to finish top four to even be allowed to be in the competition makes it even more difficult for a team normally in the bottom half of the league even to think about competing in it. Not to say that couldn’t happen but realistically, the chances of say Swansea finishing top four then going on to win the CL would be nothing short of a miracle. The most they can hope for is the same as Liverpool at the moment – a good year and a place in the Europa.

Champions league winners

• Man. U. 2.
• Chelsea. 1.
• Liverpool 1.

That’s it over the period. And in the FA Cup, it’s basically the same story. Mainly won by one of the top six, although obviously in a cup competition all the other teams have a fair chance of an upset and progressing further. Winning the final none the less normally goes with form.

FA Cup:

• Chelsea 6
• Arsenal 4
• Man. U. 2
• Liverpool 2
• Man. City 1
• Portsmouth 1

The best chance for a team outside the top six is definitely the League Cup. Over the last sixteen years it has been won by nine different teams with only a couple of teams winning it more than once.

So where’s Arsenal in terms of still pushing hard for a share of the honours?

We’ve won the league three times and finished in the top four every single year since Arsène joined us – an experience only equaled by Real Madrid and Man United. Forget Barcelona, Milan, Inter – the consistency of the Champions League is down to three teams.

We’ve been in the FA Cup final five times and won it four times. We’ve been in the CL final once and the league Cup final twice.

If you look at how that compares to the other nineteen teams that we compete against in the league, I think we’re very consistent. We are without a doubt, a top four team. At the start of every season we have as good a chance as the other teams that have won the league recently, and every year we have a reasonable run in the CL and have as good a chance as any of the top four of going all the way in all of the cup competitions.

And yet I read a comment recently that said “we’re on the decline”. Not compared with the years before Arsène we are not…

• 1996 – 5th (Rioch)
• 1995 – 12th (Graham – who was sacked but we were not much better off when he left)*
• 1994 – 4th
• 1993 – 10th*
• 1992 – 4th
• 1991 – 1st
• 1990 – 4th*

(As a side in the * years, Tottenham finished ahead of us, just to rub the salt in).

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I’m sure there are tons of fans who are only interested in us winning trophies. They are important after all. Isn’t that why we all support Arsenal? To see them beat everybody and win all the trophies?

Maybe I’m just plain old fashioned, or maybe I’m just old, but I still just enjoy watching Arsenal playing good attacking football. Football with flair. I love the games and both from watching the games and looking at the history, I can’t see how we are in decline.

In fact I actually believe we’re on the up. The new signings this summer, I think, will add strength and depth to the squad. If RVP goes, then so be it. Someone else will have to step up and take his place. Just like every other time, one of our best players leave or retires.

The new season is almost up on us, and like every other one I’ve experienced in the last twenty two years. I start it with the same optimism as always.

On the first day of the season, we all start at zero.