Supporting Arsenal has to be one of the most distressing things you can do in the world right now. You just don't know what's coming your way.
One day, you might win 3-0 against Chelsea, and think you're going to win the league, Champions League, League Cup, X-Factor, Olympics, and the World Cup to boot. A few matches later, you realise that the hopes of winning major silverware is akin to spotting an oasis in the desert - an illusion at best.
For the Gooners who started supporting the club after the 2004/05 season, it has been anything but a peaceful time. The club has chronically underachieved having won just two trophies in this time and the Gunners never really seem to challenge for any other honours towards the end of the season.
And yet this season the club seems determined to sink to new depths. Here are some reasons why:
#5 - End of an era
Arsene Wenger's long and ultimately tumultuous reign at Arsenal might be finally coming to an end. The manager is out of contract this summer, and most reports suggest that he is bound to leave.
Even if he does stay, it would only be for one more season. The era is indeed coming to an abrupt and bitter end. The Premier League title is out of reach, got humiliated in the Champions League, and the only hope of silverware is the FA Cup - where they face Manchester City in the semi-final!
The manager has given his heart and soul for the club, and it may seem to some that no one is worthy of replacing him. Even if a manager with a better record and tactics takes over, he's never going to be connected with the club like Wenger.
#4 - Arsenal might finish outside the Top 4
"For me, there are five trophies every season: Premier League, Champions League, the third is to qualify for the Champions League, the fourth is the FA Cup and then the League Cup." - Arsene Wenger
Wenger meant that finishing in the top 4 was like winning a trophy. One thing Arsenal have done every single season under the Frenchman is finish in the Top 4. But, that might not be the case this season.
With 11 games to go, Arsenal are currently 6th in the table with 50 points. Of the 11 games left, the Gunners have some very tough fixtures. They welcome Manchester City and Manchester United while a visit to Tottenham is also on the cards.
It's going to be tough run for Arsenal, especially when you compare their fixtures to the others clubs challenging for the Top 4. The mighty Gunners may be without Champions League football for the first time in 21 years next season!
#3 - Tottenham will finish above Arsenal
Not winning trophies for several seasons is disturbing in itself. But what has always consoled the Gunners was the fact that they finished above arch-rivals, Tottenham Hotspur in every single season under Wenger.
‘Who came 3rd in a two horse race? Tottenham Hotspur!’ is a common chant around the Emirates and one that is like a balm on the wounds.
This seasons, things might be different. Spurs are 9 points ahead of the Gunners and are on a good run of form. They are showing no signs of slipping up while Arsenal are dropping points and are inconsistent against the lower half teams.
Last season seemed like the one when the jinx would finally be broken, but the White Hart Lane side somehow managed to ensure that they remain in Arsenal's shadows for one more season. This year things look very different indeed and Gooners everywhere may have to swallow their pride and prepare for the worst. As things stand, there will be no St. Totteringham’s Day this year. Arsenal fans should also prepare for multiple viewings of the DVD, ‘North London is White.’
#2 - Star players are bound to leave
The contracts of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil expire in the summer of 2018, and they are far far away from agreeing a new one at the club. They will be sold by the club this summer if they do not find an agreement to avoid the chances of them walking away for free.
The sale of these two world class players would affect the Gunners in an outrageous manner. The duo would be hard to replace and to spend an enormous amount of money in the transfer window to replace departing stars is something Arsenal have never been historically comfortable with.
The Gunners face the chance of becoming a team comprising entirely of average, plateauing and mediocre players should the duo leave. This would make it doubly impossible for the club to challenge for the title and if Wenger also leaves, the club is going to be in a very sorry state.
#1 - The fans are divided like never before
#WengerIN vs #WengerOUT - The Gooners fall into two huge groups. One set of fans want the manager replaced as soon as possible while the other set want him to receive the farewell he deserves and depart the club on his own terms.
Both have valid arguments from their point of view. While the ‘Wenger Out’ brigade argue that the club is not progressing in any manner, the ‘Wenger In’ unit claims that they are ever so consistent only because of the manager.
The bickering among the two factions has reached new heights (literally!) when both sides decided to fly banners above The Hawthorns where Arsenal were taking on West Bromwich Albion. Two planes flew above the stadium in a matter of minutes as the Gunners lost 3-1.
The fans who want the manager out flew a banner that read "No contract #WengerOUT" minutes before the manager's supporters had "In Arsene we trust #RespectAW" flying around
