06 Apr 2018 09:24:40
Excellent performance and result last night. Still shameful to see so many empty seats that are paid for. I fail to comprehend why any Arsenal fan would pay for a seat and not attend.
06 Apr 2018 10:23:32
It's a mystery RG isn't it mate.
It's a bit like paying your TV licence or paying for Sky one and not watching it.
You might have a 12 month subscription that you bought in good faith of receiving a good product in return but if you suddenly realise you've been sold a pup you might decide to not to waste your time as well as your money I guess mate.
You not a fan of freedom of choice RG :-) .
06 Apr 2018 10:45:57
Your a poet and didn’t know it 😀.
06 Apr 2018 11:23:34
RG I think you should form your own press gang and round up all awol Arsenal fans an hour before a game and force them to look happy :-)
I can imagine it now people being dragged out of pubs supermarkets off allotments and out of work :-)
People sitting there in with overalls forks spades and shopping trollies :-)
06 Apr 2018 11:52:29
RG, you fail to comprehend, maybe if you look at the reasons properly, you might comprehend better. Just one reason is, they are forced into a season ticket scheme that, whatever is served up to them are forced to watch dross. They buy the ticket for entertainment and because they want to be entertained and get value for money. Plus they want change. I for one applaud them for making a stand. From what i understand, it is already becoming an issue for the board and they are really concerned. They will because of penance being paid, look deeply into the cause at the end of the season. Well done arsenal paying supporters, you have my respect. Time for change.
06 Apr 2018 12:30:40
Prehaps the club could install those safety bars they have on fairground rides that stop people leaving there seats while the rides in motion too :-)
Only on the refs final whistle would the bars come up realeseing people from thier seats allowing them to leave the ground, that would stop the blighters from leaving as and when they themselves saw fit.
06 Apr 2018 13:37:04
But it does work both ways Steve. Perhaps some people buy tickets to just show up and support the team. I don't understand why people don't show up but that's just my opinion and they have every right to do whatever they feel right.
06 Apr 2018 13:46:41
Totally agree 16 mate people are entitled to do as they wish either way and no one should have to justify their attending a game or not attending a game.
Supporting a football team isn't a duty or obligation it's a hobby and suppose to be a leisure activity, if your enjoying what your watching why stop.
06 Apr 2018 15:14:17
For me it’s very easy to comprehend . Me personally would not miss a game but each to their own. I can certainly understand.
06 Apr 2018 15:48:25
G62 - As a person who has admitted that he does not pay to watch Arsenal matches live, you clearly make your own decision and I have absolutely no problem with that.
I have never even heard of anyone buying a TV Licence or paying a Sky subscription and then not watching TV at all, so that is a senseless analogy.
I simple find it incomprehensible that Arsenal fans are paying large sums of hard earned cash for season tickets or purchase tickets for matches and simply fail to turn up. Against Stoke there were somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000 so-called fans that paid for tickets and failed to turn up.
I have had a season tickets since I was 13 years of age (£34.50 per season in the East Stand Lower Tier at Highbury! ) and my seat/ s have never been vacant for one match, even when I was unable to go, I would lend my seats to friends or relatives. My support for Arsenal is above any protest against the major shareholder, the manager or the standard of the team. Perhaps, fans that fail to attend or pass their tickets onto other supporters are simply part of the 'prawn sandwich' brigade.
As I mentioned previously and being a similar age to me, I recall supporting the club through some very lean times, finishing 17th in the old 1st Division, losing 1-4 at home to Ipswich that season, as part of gate of 23,000. when Highbury still had standing and held 60,000 (from memory, please correct me if the capacity was different) .
I understand people not buying tickets if the so wish, but shelling out and then not turning up is beyond me.
06 Apr 2018 16:50:36
It begs the question as to how far people would take it! If it gets worse and Wenger goes and it’s still sliding do they stop supporting arsenal? I’m a Yorkshireman and I would never part with money and not go. But it’s up to them I believe in supporting a club through thick and thin but that’s me. I bet if we get athletico in the semis then they will all come crawling back and if they do then their fair weather hypocrites. If your staying away because if Wenger then that’s fine and up to you but don’t come back before. See how many of them have the guts to see it through and if so fair play but I suspect that most of the deserters will change like the wind.
06 Apr 2018 17:27:12
I actually see where you are coming from to some degree Sanogo, you can't be on strike then pop back for the works party then go back on strike again :-)
I accept people's rights to attend no matter what and I accept people's rights to say No more of this for me thank you very much and I also respect people's right to have a change of opinion but you can't chop and change like the wind and be alk wenger out every time we get humiliated and then all wenger in every time we win a couple of games and expect anyone to take your opinions seriously.
06 Apr 2018 17:58:32
The biggest thing in all of this is that Wenger doesn’t believe it’s anything to do with fans being fed up with him.
There in lies the problem. Until the whole stadiums shouts “Wenger Out†I doubt he ever will accept it.
06 Apr 2018 18:02:38
I think its sad people have to refuse to attend because they think there is no accountability. The reason people watched through thick and thin and i include myself in that, is because people were accountable for under achieving. Many managers were sacked for failing to do the job expected. People just want accountability and to get from this club what is expected and that is at least a league challenge. The word challenge being the key.
06 Apr 2018 18:26:25
The consensus is after 21 years the fans want change, what do the fans do to show the board and wenger they are not happy. They get slagged off for not turning up, they gey slagged off for banners, they get slagged of for aeroplanes, they get slagged off for chanting. The truth is they are being ignored. This is in the very least the most split, the supporters have been from this club in my lifetime. The fans are trying to be digified in their protest and they deserve respect at least for that. They pay the money and they and only they have the right to go or not to go, whatever reason.
06 Apr 2018 19:30:15
I bumped into my mate and his missus a couple of weeks back who two years ago would never miss a second of any Arsenal game not matter what, whether a youth game pre season friendly or if Arsenal were playing the local boy scouts at chess they'd have watched it but now thier completely done and have 0 interest left in the club at all, our conversations used to be Arsenal dominated but this time it was 2 minutes of them explaining they just couldn't handle any more of the same from Arsene then we talked about the weather holidays and everything but Arsenal. After we parted I felt quite sad that these two former Arsenal fanatics had become so disconnected from and disinterested in the club.
People have been slowly drifting away for few years now but it took until last season for it to become really noticeable at the Emirates and this season it's become inescapable that people are turning their backs at an alarming pace, is this trend reversible? Yes for many fans it's still possible for the club to win them back but I do think for some really passionate ex Arsenal fans it's already too late as they have already found different ways of spending thier time and new interest they really enjoy.
I really don't believe the club can afford to go yet another season with Arsene without being prepared to lose an awful lot more fans forever.
For those who think no chance of that you might want to reflect that two years ago it was unthinkable that Arsenal wouldn't be able to fill Emirates when hosting the league leaders or for a European quater final game but here we are in 2018 and it's happening already and it's difficult to see how it won't be a lot lot worse this time next year if Arsene is allowed to continue.
06 Apr 2018 19:46:34
The thing is steve is that football gets put along side religion and for good reason! We follow undobtley and some people piss and moan good reason or not. There has to be belief and at some point we are going to get better. I believe that you should be there. G62 was straight in the defence when a fan of another team dare say bad against us. Look at liverpool fans the other night against city, not the nonsense before but how they blew the roof off in the game cheered when Liverpool had the ball booed when they didn’t . I applreciate fans using the power they undoubtedly have and I’m for the same result now. But until it happens If we can help not hinder them there lies the key. Like I say I appreciate how people go about bringing the future.
06 Apr 2018 20:01:50
Gunner the big question is, if wenger is in charge next season, what are the chances of it getting better. Are the fans going to be any more tolerant of wenger and are they going to give the team the support if it is like the last two seasons and nothing changes. i'm still trying to get my head round the wisdom of hia two year contract, it is a ludicrous situation that after one season, we could be heading into the uncertainty of last.
06 Apr 2018 21:07:02
How bad can things get under Arsene if he continues is now the debate that devides the Arsene in and Arsene out, very few argue any longer that Arsene is the man capable of taking us forward again it's now how much or how little harm there is in letting him chose when he goes himself.
Next to no one thinks Arsene is the best manager to get us back into contention for top 4 let alone titles but many still feel because of the past he's earned the right to do his best as long as he decides he wants to continue for.