A letter from an Arsene Devotee

Dear Arsene Wenger,

This love-affair between a 12-year old boy and a North London football club started during your glory years. Like most kids, you start liking a club because of winning. I wasn't any different.

Coming from a nation, where sports is generally a religion, it was no surprise that this love-affair slowly grew into a devotion. But the difference was that the devotion was towards its manager and his ideals and not just for the trophy cabinet or the club's superstars.

The day when Ramsey put the 3rd goal past Hull City, most grown-ups cried, not only because their beloved Arsenal had at last won a trophy, but also because they saw a man, whose dedication and commitment had finally paid off. They were more happy for you than for the club. And am in that minority!

If the current day Arsenal is associated with a sense of classiness and idealism, it was because of you. No one, not Pep, not Mourinho, heck not even the mighty Sir Alex can come close to creating an impact on one club that you had.

You have had a say in everything, everything from the design of the stadium to minor details such as the grass height. The club was your life. The club may never have another person so committed to it as you’ve been. Not many would’ve been this loyal to one club.

Yet, you’ve been pilloried by a section of the fan-base and even by some of your own ex-players. That should definitely have hurt. You received abuse, were called names. Yet you struck by your professionalism. You never retorted, even after success. That’s Class!! That’s one thing money can’t buy. Thank you, Arsene!

There are others that go by names like Special One, Chosen One, etc., But you were “the Loyal one”.

Not many Special ones would’ve stayed if the Real Madrids and other mighty clubs had come calling. But you stayed, that too when you were expected to compete against those mighty giants with one-tenth of their budget. You knew you were fighting a losing battle.

Yet, you fought. Maybe, you should’ve left then, when the big clubs came calling and when the Arsenal management asked you to play with 17 and 18-year-olds. Maybe you wouldn’t have been labeled a ‘specialist in failure’ had you left.

There would not have been an Arsenal Fan TV (and for that reason, the world would’ve been a better place). And Arsenal would’ve been a mid-table team. You believed that you could create another group of Invincibles. But, sadly though, your players were never as firm believers as you were.

Your belief in players and loyalty to them were never reciprocated. No top-flight coach would’ve had faith in Diaby for as long as you did. Persie, Wilshere, Nasri, the list goes on. These people would never have survived in the other top clubs with their injury records.

Yet, you believed in them and continue to do so. Your belief in certain players did pay fruit, but not always for Arsenal. Persie leaving would have hurt. Yet, you allowed him to leave. Primarily, because you saw players as individuals first, and professionals later.This sets you apart, your humane approach to management.

You could’ve bought in a midfield general to replace Vieira, but you believed in Fabregas. You believed in Song, when pundits said he couldn’t kick a ball. The same player later went on to provide that pass for Van Persie and play for Barcelona.

What do those pundits know! You truly were a visionary! Henry left, Van Persie left, Fabregas left, Nasri left, you stayed. United had Giggs and Scholes, Liverpool had Gerrard, Chelsea had Lampard. WE HAD YOU! Thank you Arsene!

Arsene on youngster's development

I've grown up idolizing idealists & romantics, the types this world generally considers to be fools, and you are on top of that list. Or was it because of you, that I started idolizing such people, I might never know. I’m deeply indebted to you for that. Thanks for teaching me that the end doesn’t always justify the means, that winning is never the ultimate goal.

Your philosophy of winning may have lost you some trophies, but you gained respect and a cult following. The world expects and hopes an idealist to fail. That a purist like you, would’ve survived and achieved so much success in this ultra-competitive field, is difficult for some to fathom and therein lies your success.

Gary Neville may call you naïve, but you were pure, maybe too pure for this world. You took in all this suffering, still never wavered from your ideals. Willingness to suffer is a sign of faith. They say you’ve lost your touch, but you never lost your values or ideals. Thank you, Arsene!

I’ve been inspired,by people … who just did not want to win for themselves but wanted to win with a certain style. [If a fan] wakes up in the morning and thinks, ‘Oh! Today Arsenal play, I have a chance to have a great experience today,’ I’ve done my job. If we win the game – I’ve done a very good job. But at least I have to try to give people that level – that emotionally they will experience something beautiful.” - Wenger

The idea of a romantic in this uber-capitalistic world of football seems absurd. When everyone saw football in terms of numbers, you saw an art. Not that you ignored the statistical part completely, Billy Beane can stand testament to that. But you valued the artistic aspect of the game more.

Even last year in an interview, your quote “My perpetual struggle in this business is to get out what is beautiful in man. There is magic when men unite their energies to express a common idea” shows your burning desire in bringing out the artist in a footballer. That you could do this with someone as set in his ways as Tony Adams shows the determination you have.

Your obsession with such beautiful football may have cost Arsenal sometimes, but have also produced the most beautiful moments. That defense-splitting pass from Ozil, that backheel pass from Bergkamp, that flick from Giroud, that pirouette from Ramsey! You taught me to appreciate the artist in the athlete. Thank you for making me fall in love with Rosicky, with Santi, with Pires!

Yes, we may not have won as many trophies as our rivals, who were happy being ‘pragmatic’. But, two or three decades later, we still remember the Dutch team led by Cryuff that lost the 74' finals, not the German team that won it.

Similarly, 20 years down the line, the Invincibles will be remembered, not only because they went through the season unbeaten, but because they were majestic. We never always won, but we entertained. The means do justify the ends and definitely not the other way around. Thank you, Arsene!

A true romantic

Yes, there have been mistakes. You believed that ticket sales would form the bulk of revenue, one big mistake. But no one did foresee the riches that the current day English clubs receive from the likes of Sky and BT.

Moving to a new ground, especially with foreign oil money coming in was a big blow. But if not for the fiscal prudence shown by you during that period, we would definitely have been the next Leeds United. Thank you, Arsene!

Thank you, Arsene for 22 years of your life. Thank you for making Arsenal great! Thank you for the stadium. Thank you for making Arsenal one of the World’s richest club, thank you for the Invincibles, thank you for the 3 league titles, thank you for the 7 FA cups and most importantly the Football. Thank you for that Wilshere goal, that Rosicky goal, that Barcelona match, and the innumerous moments and goals which other fans in England can only dream of producing! Thank you for expecting nothing in return.

But still, you deserved better! You deserved to have a better send-off for you should’ve been given the right to leave on your own terms. You deserved better, from Kroenke, from the management, from the pundits, from the players and most of all you deserved better, from our fans.

In the present day world, Wenger may not go down as a great football manager, but he never strove to be one. As Corey Miller, in his brilliant piece, puts

"Except – he’ll never be just a manager. He’ll always be a Catholic, always insist on valuing something other than results. And so he’ll remain stubborn, remain only modestly interested in his defence, but also remain as fascinating and divisive as the church itself – to the wishers for virtue less a coach than a crusading saint, and to the desperate to win a despicable relic. Either way, judgments on Arsène say far more about the judges than they do about him – about our comfort with the idea that sport, or football, or life itself, can be worth our while even if it doesn’t end in victory. That to be beautiful, or to be decent, to improve ourselves or leave something for the future, might be as or more important than the trophy case!”

You were more than just a top-flight manager, you were an inspiration, a role model not only for the players but also fans. Thank you, Wenger, for teaching me to stick to certain ideals and follow it, for not caring about results, and most importantly for making me fall in love with the beautiful game!!

With love,

Your fan/devotee