Most of you at this point would probably be thinking, “Well, what’s the difference?” But there is. And I wouldn’t have pondered about it either if it weren’t for the rift amongst the great Arsenal following. Eight trophy-less years have taken its toll on the North London faithful and has divided the group into two.
First, you have the “Wenger Out” boo boys who call the axe on everyone from Arsene Wenger to the board and the coaching staff. These normally look up to the likes of Piers Morgan and are absolutely relentless in their ways when the team loses a match but are also quick to appreciate the team, and the team only, when we win. You can picture them as sugar-crazed, big-toothed, adrenaline-pumped babies who think whining will force a change, or prove their point, or whatever. I actually like to think of them as Spu*s fans in disguise because that’s exactly who they talk like. My closest friend is one of these boo boys and I remember the torment I had to go through when I watched the Villa game with him. The score-line was bad enough and his ridiculous claims made it even maddening. And yes, he does properly believe Piers Morgan is a sensible man.
“Sagna deserves to be playing in a league two club, not here,” he ranted. “And Jenkinson and Ramsey, somebody shoot them already. Walcott is useless, sell him, and as for the manager, he needs to go. He’s ruined our club!”
See what I mean? It’s as if they lack basic reasoning. I also happened to watch the Fulham game with the same friend and his comments seemed odd. They were positive. As mentioned before, they are quick to go from hating and abusing the team to worshipping them week in, week out. These are also the same people who, quite openly, declared they’d wanted us to lose the Fenerbahce draw just so AW gets the sack. Wanting your team to lose so that you could say “Told you so” is never acceptable.
Which brings me to the real reason for the topic: are these boo-boys fans of the Arsenal Football Club or supporters? See, supporters, when you picture them, are the types who go through the worst and best times without complaining. Believing, that soon, clear skies will encompass their clubs. But they aren’t to be mistaken for happy-go-lucky hippies either: like for instance, the need to get Kroenke out of the management and Usmanov in, is a common ground for both parties. If anybody’s ruined our club, it’s Stan, by turning it into a major money-flowing investment. And sadly, that’s the only common ground the two types share.
So what is the difference between a fan and a supporter?
Well a fan – an Arsenal fan in particular – joins the club following during the glory days and is desperate for them to return by any means necessary; even if that means sacking the person who brought the aforementioned prestige in the first place. A supporter, however, would see things a bit more clearly and suggest a boardroom makeover because they know, and realize what a great man in Arsene they have. He’s an asset that other clubs would pay millions to have if he’s let go today. A supporter wouldn’t whine, they wouldn’t uselessly rant and they definitely wouldn’t want our players let go because they lost one game. They’d stick behind the lads and chant their names and, more importantly, believe in them. Faith is what separates a fan from a supporter – faith that the club would pull out one day and regain their lost grandeur, faith that they can finish above Spu*s every year (yes, that was on purpose) and faith that the man we’ve got running the club knows what he’s doing.
It’s probably quite evident by now that I pride myself for being an Arsenal supporter. So are you?
DraytonArse 