Do not let Twitter define you as a Gunner

Arsenal – A fan’s delight

Where do I start? I’m not a blogger so I’ve no idea where to begin. I always said I’d never do it but certain circumstances have prompted me to ponder exactly what it was that made me fall in love with the Arsenal and why I love going to games and the effect Twitter has had on those views.

I shall endeavour to be brief as to how I became an Arsenal fan, please bear with my inane ramblings. I was born in 1981 and my dad was a Spurs fan, yes, I know, but he’s not all that bad.

In 1987, Coventry completed a historic FA Cup shock by beating them in the final 3-2. I didn’t support anybody at that time but was taking more and more of an interest in football and I always loved playing. Soon after, I was whisked off to Highbury by none other than my dad to meet my Arsenal supporting grandfather and uncle.

We played Charlton on a bitterly cold but bright winter day, won 4-0 and I was instantly smitten. We got out of the ground and I turned to my dad (unaware of the rivalry at six years of age) and announced proudly that I didn’t like Tottenham and I wanted to support Arsenal.

My dad’s face told a story which I couldn’t possibly do justice with words here. My grandfather took me straight to the Junior Gunners Office and I was signed up instantly. We returned home, me proud as punch with my new scarf and kit and my sister incandescent with rage and jealousy.

If I was a Junior Gunner, damn it, she was going to be too. We then took another trip to the Junior Gunner Office with my grandfather, where, she was as proud as I was with her new Arsenal clobber, leaving my dad, well, not so proud.

So why did I make that decision that day? Because we won? Maybe, as a 4-0 win is always impressive. However for me, it was the whole experience. Despite having never attended a live game, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I heard the roar from the stadium walking down from Finsbury Park.

The hustle, the bustle, the cry of “PEAAAANNNNUUUUTS” from a man, with just a tray of them, but it was idyllic for some reason. The smell from the food stalls, the excited chatter. I should have been intimidated but I wasn’t. It caught my imagination like nothing had ever managed to do. I’ve never been academic or eager to do well at school or read books, it was football, and it was all I was interested in.

On entering the ground we squeezed in as far as we could, me on my dad’s shoulders for as long as he could stand, then my uncle’s and my grandfather’s. The surge from the East Stand, as we scored, was immense, but again, not frightening. I never felt in danger, I was just transfixed on what was happening on the pitch and around me.

Why is all of this relevant? Because despite growing old and cynical, I still get that feeling when I go. I still get the hairs on the back of my neck when I see the North Bank, old and new. I still love the disgustingly greasy smell of the burger vans and food stalls; I still love the buzz from the crowds.

I’m a child again, a time where I had no responsibility, no worries, and no concerns over my job, a simpler time. I’ve been attending games for over 20 years now, a few of them as a season ticket holder and until I joined Twitter, it was always the same principle as to why I love going.

A break from real life, have a laugh and a drink with your mates, forget about the sh*t week at work and rows with partners. Whatever else is going on does not matter for 90 minutes other than ‘The Arsenal.’ It’s you. 57,000 other Gooners and the 11 guys on the pitch giving everything to send you home happy.

Does Twitter change your priorities?

I can’t remember when I joined Twitter, maybe a couple of years ago now and I was skeptical about doing so. I quickly got used to it and found it far better than Facebook. I didn’t expect it to be purely about Arsenal but, as with everything else in my life, Arsenal took over.

It soon became apparent there was a divide in the fan base, it was quite fragmented, which was a new concept to me. Twitter is an excellent tool when used in the correct way but some Arsenal fans seem intent on showing up its negatives. Those of you that follow me will know I’m not usually that serious and this summer is the only one I have had doubts over the manager.

I was also being dragged into the divide, I was frustrated, and I was losing sight of why I became an Arsenal fan, why it was always so exciting every time I went, does not matter if they won, lose or draw.

After attending the Aston Villa game, my first back as a season ticket holder for four years, I was down, incredibly frustrated and wondering if Arsene could take us any further. I was tweeting seriously and getting into the ins and outs of the club from the board to Arsene, to Stan, trying to find answers as to where they had gone wrong, not realising that maybe I had lost perspective as to why I support my great club.

I still feel I was right to ask questions, I didn’t insult and it was always with a heavy heart. It came to a head over a Twitter discussion which left me wondering how I’d been sucked into such a debate. Why am I questioning some things I know nothing about and where am I going to go for a break from real life if I’m now worrying about Arsenal as well.

Supporting Arsenal shouldn’t be such hard work, why is it feeling that way? It never did before. I then realised how Twitter was skewing my opinion and feelings as to my support of the club. Dragging me into areas I know nothing about.

I’ll be honest, I don’t know about tactics, who should play where or what formation we should have. I don’t need to know to enjoy it. I took a step back and tweeted away with a load of garbled, nostalgic nonsense that will mean as much to you as the mad ramblings above, if you’ve indeed made it this far, but they mean the world to me.

So my point in all this? Twitter is fantastic, it has given me the opportunity to make new friends, meet some fantastic, genuine, like-minded people and hear new, fresh ideas and opinions, but don’t lose sight as to what it is that made you support our great club.

Bear in mind, it is a simple game, one which we can’t always win and life is too short to be so serious about it. It’s not all about statistics, tactics, pivots, double-pivots, triple-pivots, whatever; it’s about the whole experience. We’re all fans; we all have the same objectives and aims. We have different opinions so have debates but keep perspective and don’t insult. We are not acronyms, we are not on opposite sides, we are the Arsenal and we are better than that.

A certain prick who headed north had a little boy in him who told him to up sticks. When I start my walk from Finsbury Park to the stadium I revert back to the child on that bitterly cold day in 1987-88 and I’m sorry Robin, but he’s every bit as excited about seeing Arsenal as he ever was and always will be.

I love the whole experience of going to Arsenal, everything. It is just that, an experience, every time, the whole day. Every fan has their pre-match traditions, rituals and superstitions they repeat week after week whether you’re watching live, on TV or in another country and that is why I love Arsenal.

Are we perfect? Absolutely not, but we’re as close to it as you’re likely to get. It is a fantastic club to support, it is the only club to support for me and it is our club. We should feel privileged about that.

One last thing to finish on, after that Charlton game and breaking that news to my dad, we played Tottenham the week after and defeated them 2-1. If that wasn’t a sign, I don’t know what is.