Arsènal by Alex Fynn

Author:Alex Fynn [Alex Fynn and Kevin Whitcher]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Vision Sports Publishing
Published: 2010-08-17T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

ACCESS NO AREAS

An hour and a half or so before matches at Highbury, Arsenal’s players used to disembark from their coach having consumed their pre-match meal at their Chelsea Harbour hotel and made the short journey across town. Parked up outside the main entrance on Avenell Road, their few steps between the coach and the marble hall were invariably witnessed by hordes of fans patiently waiting behind crash barriers. For young children especially, it was a thrill to be so close to their heroes. They could shout encouragement and receive nods and waves of acknowledgement in response. At the Emirates the team coach, with its blacked out windows, arrives at the entrance in Hornsey Road. On a dull day it may just be possible to make out the silhouettes of the passengers before the electronic gate opens to admit the vehicle into the bowels of the stadium. It stops directly outside the players’ entrance and the dressing room is reached without a supporter in sight. The ‘Unbeatables’ of 2004 have metamorphosised into the ‘Untouchables’ of today.

With the move to their new home, an estrangement has grown between the fans and the players. The physical distance between the two groups and the disparity between the outrageous sums paid to these athletes and the earnings of the working man ensure there is far less empathy with the personalities who pull on the shirts. The days when Charlie George – who supported the team as a kid from the North Bank – would proudly wear the Arsenal shirt, providing a tangible bond between crowd and performer, belong to a bygone age.

Sadly, Arsène Wenger prefers it this way, with any distraction on matchdays avoided. In his single-mindedness he has – whilst forging a new identity for Arsenal – allowed something of the bond that binds the supporters to the club to slacken. Wenger often reflects on the special atmosphere at English grounds. “The first time I arrived in the UK,” he recalls, “I saw a match at Anfield [Liverpool against Manchester United] and I got a terrible shock. I had no idea football could create such passion.” Yet he is unwittingly undermining the communal feeling between spectators and performers by maintaining a policy of protecting the squad from any diversion. Of course he is not intending to drive a wedge between the two parties but with his desire for total control when his players are on duty he has perhaps neglected the value of good PR. Perhaps while the fans continue to stream through the turnstiles, the consequences of a loosen ing of the chains of loyalty can be put aside for the moment.

Thursday 20th July 2006 saw what the club termed a Members’ Day at the Emirates. It was the second of the three scheduled trial runs ahead of the first competitive fixture. At no cost, although limited in numbers through advance booking, several thousand fans were invited to watch the players go through a training session on the virgin pitch. However,

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