My Favorite Disappointment

About two weeks ago, I was with a group of friends at a viewing center watching the Tottenham Vs Arsenal match and at halftime, Tottenham was leading Arsenal by two goals scored apiece by Son Heung-min and Harry Kane. At halftime, we were discussing the team's awkward performance and some possible changes that could lead to an improved performance from the boys in the second half. Then, out of the blue, a guy asked a question that I’m still pondering.

“Why una still dey support this mumu club, Arsenal?”

Meaning; why do we still support such a disappointing club?

Then we all looked around the viewing hall, first at him, then at each other. We get mocked a lot by fans of other top clubs. But the guy was definitely a Chelsea fan, there has been a great rivalry between Nigerian based Chelsea and Arsenal fans. Many of them pay to enter the viewing hall, not just to watch the match, but to support the opponent team and enjoy mocking us, the Arsenal fans when our team is on the receiving end.

Finally, I said, “What else should we do?”

Since then, I’ve been pondering: Well, why do we cheer for our favorite teams, even after years of disappointing performance?

Why do I cheer for Arsenal FC?

It's hard not to like football in a country where football is the favorite sport and you are surrounded by football-loving family and friends. I have never been to the stadium to watch live football, but thanks to television, I can follow my favorite team live. I'm a huge football fan and I play for fun whenever I can, though I'm not great at it. I follow the premier league for the most part, and I also enjoy watching European competitions - Champions League and Europa League, as well as rivalry matches in other top leagues like the El Classico in La Liga.

When I was a teen, I had a friend who was a huge Arsenal fan. According to him, he started cheering the club after they won the Premier League in the 2003-04 campaign. He used to talk so much about the club, its superstar player, Thierry Henry, (Henry was his favorite football player at the time), and their outstanding performance in that season. We also played the soccer video game and he always played with Arsenal and he wins most of his matches, he was among the best player. I learned to play from him (with Arsenal) and It was the time I had just started watching football on TV. It was the year 2006 and I knew little about clubs and players.

I'll admit: his passion for Arsenal really influenced me into choosing them as my favorite. I’m a huge Arsenal FC fan. It’s not just related to my friend's passion or that I learned soccer video game playing for Arsenal. I remember the day I became a fan as if it were yesterday. I was watching the 2006 UEFA Champions League final game. I was fascinated by the bravery, artistry, and youthful endeavor of the Arsenal team. They displayed great qualities but, with the trophy within their grasp, found their path blocked by a mighty Barcelona side. No thanks to the red card. They played with 10 men for 72 minutes after Jens Lehmann was sent off in the early stages. Even with 10 men, Arsenal took the lead eight minutes before the break when Sol Campbell nodded home a free-kick. Though in the end, Barcelona won 2 - 1, I was mostly impressed by Arsenal's performance and the fighting spirit.  I consoled myself with the thought that Arsenal winning it was just not to be.

I was hooked.

At that moment, I fell in love with Arsenal Fc. That was the day I became a fan.

Arsenals Performance so far

Arsenal last won the Premier League in the 2003-04 season. That means fans have been waiting over 15 years for league success. They've won a few other pieces of silverware like the FA Cup and Community Shield since then. Arsenal have stayed too long in the shadows of Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City, and even their bitter rivals Tottenham have seemingly moved ahead.

In the current campaign, 2020/21 Premier League season, Arsenal's performance has been disastrous. As at the time of writing this post, Arsenal are in the bottom half of the premier league table, 15th to be precise, after 13 games. They have gone 6 consecutive matches in the league without a win and seem to be having a goal drought at the moment. They have managed only nine goals in their first nine league matches - their worst run for more than 30 years.

They have played 13 games so far, won 4, drew 2, and lost 7. A very poor start for a top team.

Last time out

Arsenal ended their recent run of home defeats with a battling 1-1 draw against Southampton on Wednesday evening. Southampton took the lead in the first half, through Theo Walcot's goal, a former Arsenal winger. The Gunners responded in the second half when Eddie Nketiah slid Aubameyang in to score, but Gabriel was shown a second yellow card, and the Gunners were forced to end a second straight match with 10-men. The match ended 1-1. More points lost.

Closing thoughts

Over the years Arsenal's performance has not been impressive, and they leave doubts and questions in the hearts of fans. This season has been the worst start since I started cheering them. Just 4 wins in 13 matches and seven of those were losses, drawing lots of blank, lingering in the bottom half of the table, winless in 6 matches, and losing four consecutive home matches - that's a lot to take in for a fan who has great expectations from his darling team.

I'm a huge Arsenal fan and cheer them a lot but their recent failures leave a bitter taste in my mouth. When you’re a true fan, you stick with the team through the high and low times.

Come rain or shine, I remain an Arsenal fan.