By Walter Broeckx
When we look outside then we see a dark world. War everywhere. Killing of people going on everywhere. Terrorists using and misusing every word in any book to justify their evil acts. Pointing at they began to make sure that it will never stop.
I know that as we grow up we have a phase in which we cannot yet put forward any sensible argument and thus we cry as kids to our parents or to whoever had us under their guidance: “but it was him who did it first.”
For the moment it seems that the whole world is stuck in that infantile status. I have never harmed a person in a physical way and don’t intend ever to do so, so I am hoping you can leave me alone, and keep me away from your childish but oh so deadly behaviour.
With all that is going on in the world, one would think that people will look at football and put it where it supposed to be: in the more fun part of our daily life. It is a sport in which young man who are paid way too much show their skills. I enjoy the skill, the movement on the pitch, the dribbles, the passing of the ball through the tiniest of spaces,…. And I enjoy that as much as I dislike the cheating, diving, kicking and shoving that is against the laws of the game. And yes I can get worked up about those activities, but most of the time I just love the beautiful game.
The beautiful game is something that has kept me in awe for the last 50 years or so (my god that long….) and it still is my favourite sport. Despite Fifa, Uefa, and other crooks whose name have the letters FA in it in English. A magical touch from one of the star players and I forget about all that hangs around football.
So for me it is about enjoyment and also about learning about life. At my age I know I will not get everything I ever dreamed off. A big castle-like house (my ordinary house is my castle though), a big fancy sport car, …. No it will remain a dream. But that is how things go for most people. We all have our dreams but we all also have our disappointments as things don’t work out as we thought they would.
And that is where I think that football is so important in learning that lesson. When I played (apart from one year where we won the championship and I was the top scorer of my team – and I did that that twice in fact) I very quickly got used to losing matches. My father told me that losing is part of life and I had better get used to it. First learn how to lose and then learn how to win is what he told me. My wise father.
So I learned how to lose. In football and in my own career. But also as a supporter. I supported my local club the third biggest club in the city of Antwerp and blimey by doing so I learned how defeat tastes. A club that once played at the top in Belgium but got relegated through four divisions plus one division for not balancing the books. I learned how to swallow it all. It tasted like shit but so can life. Just swallow and get on with it. Not much I can and could do about it.
So when in 1979 I became an Arsenal supporter from afar I didn’t know what to expect. I quickly found out that losing is part of the game too at Arsenal. But not as bad as it was with my local team. So in a way supporting Arsenal was easier than supporting my local team. Apart from some gruesome seasons where we avoided relegation a few weeks before the end of the season it was golden seasons followed by some mediocre seasons.
Then came the Wenger era. And since then… well I think some of us forgot to learn that things don’t always go as you want them to go. Not even for Arsenal.
Yes I would have loved us to win a few more titles in the last few seasons. But I would give my arm for the finishes that Arsenal had in the last 12 years if my local team had been able to produce the same results. So from my personal point of view I can easily see the difference between having nice results and having very mediocre results. I would have given my other arm for my local team to finish second last season. But alas it was somewhere mid-table. Wining against the champions and taking four out of six points and then get humiliated by the team sitting at the bottom of the league the next week.
Maybe because of all this I don’t feel entitled to anything when it comes to Arsenal. I hope we will win every competition we start in but then again… losing is part of football and only one team can win it in the end.
Mind you I feel gutted when we lose a match or go out of a competition. But that is something that belongs to sport in general. You feel down for a few minutes/hours/days and then you realise: life goes on. Tomorrow is another day. Next season is already waiting.
But when you see the hate pouring out I really cannot fathom it. I really cannot understand it. Have they lost all sense of perspective? Wishing people to die?? Really??? Yes they do. In today’s sad world where too many people all over the world are being killed….
Arsenal losing a match of football is not the end of the world. There are worse things out there that are really bad. I swallow it and hope for the next match to be better.
As I hope that maybe one day all people will grow up and realise that nothing in the world is worth killing another person for. Or wishing him harm. Not his colour, not his religion, not his job status, not his… whatever. And certainly not football.
It is time for us to wake up out of this craziness we are seeing. Time to become human again and act like humans. Good humans. The thing that is hidden inside everyone of us. But alas some don’t want to let that part overtake. It’s a shame really because in the end we will all die and once that moment is there we might regret that we have wasted our lives on moaning and wishing for all those bad things to happen to other persons.
And as long as that moment hasn’t arrived for me (and I hope it will stay away for a long, long time) I will just do what I love to do: support my clubs and enjoy every win and take each defeat on the chin and move on. I just want to enjoy whatever life brings to me.
- Why are the media so critical of Arsenal? How the habit developed over time.
- Arsenal Youngsters in South Africa for the under 19 International Tournament
- Are Arsenal treated differently from other clubs by the national media and the bloggettas? An analysis of reports.
Well said we have to see things in the round.
A R S E N A L
This is serious but with a little bit of a cheat! If you understand that in English kn is pronounced as N not k.
A rsene’s
R esolve
S uits
E very
N own
A rsenal
L over.
I agree.Thanks Walter.
Very well put, Walter, – but I suspect it will fall on deaf ears – sadly there are none so deaf as those who do not wish to hear.
Good stuff, Walter.
I watched about 1 minute of the news showing the dreadful situation in Syria yesterday. As always happens when I really look at something like that, it’s apparent that for most of my life I choose not to look at it.
Anyway, only one thing can rescue me from living obscenely in ignoring such things and instead focusing on far less important ones : Syria and the other horror shows are beyond my control.
Still, though, still, even if only occasionally you reaffirm that true perspective on things, it should have some impact on your day-to-day, minute-to-minute behaviour.
Think it does for me, mostly and just about.
Walter, what a lovely article, thank you.
This post was removed as it broke several of Untold’s comment regulations by bringing in a political commentary that was not part of the original article, and also making serious allegations against a member of Arsenal FC without any evidence.
Walter:
We know that the mindset of a person dictates their actions in ALL aspects of their life, so it is no wonder when it all overflows into football too, after all if those with the mindset of killing, thieving and that sort of stuff now end up in football, they bring their evil ways with them.
And that surely goes for supporters too.
I learnt long ago that there are two types of people, those who love and respect the variations of humanity and those who do not give a damm about anything other than their own interests, even if it means doing horrible things to said humanity.
The differences in people make it so that people react in different degrees of pain when Arsenal lose, and it just takes longer to get over it. Like getting over a bereavement, some take much longer than others.
Of course their actions are dictated(again) by what’s in their mind and so we get some pretty serious reactions from some.
This comment was deleted as it made serious accusations against a member of Arsenal FC without any evidence.
Minstrel, I try not to publish commentaries which say, this article is about the wrong subject, and then go on to write about something else. I know some slip through, because we don’t have enough volunteers to make everything on the site hunky dory, but we try.
The rules of the site have always been the same: if commentating please comment on the article. If you feel the article is on the wrong topic, then submit an article for consideration.
But I must add that your concept of “critical analysis” is quite different from mine. Tony
Excellent article Walter.
I like coming to this site and reading positive things. However every now and then, I see comments that makes me want to throttle the author, but heyho freedom of speech after all..
Long live the arsenal.
Great read Walter, at the moment, just about everything is being blown out of proportion.
As for the comment about America, I am certainly no apologist for some of their…and our foreign policies, but a lot of the problems in these countries have been going on well before US intervention….Sadam was gassing His own people, the Iran Iraq war…..unrealistic borders set up after WW2, let alone the role of Saudi Arabia. Basically, some people just don’t get on. The problems in Syria extend far beyond any recent U.S. Influence.
As for Arsenal, I think people just need to calm down a bit and see what Wenger does. I would be absolutely amazed if he is not looking hard for some sort of attacking player., and probably a defender as well….he says as much. Say what you will about Stan Wenger, Ivan etc, but the club have already spent forty million on transfers in 2016, and a reported twenty million on infrastructure.
Ivan’s words have been massively misconstrued…and have upset many.as Wenger himself seemed to pick up on, I think he is just saying we need to be do some things, scouting, academy, maybe even fitness better. I would add management of referees to that. one of the main reasons we lost out last year was losing too many key players close together, which massively affected the team. In a world where the donkey that is Hulk has moved for 47 million, and Graziano Pelle has become one of the top five earners in football. Who can disagree with Ivan’s words? Many are upset we missed out on Suarez at Liverpool….but hope the club are saying….lets get the Suarez types of this world before they get to Liverpool. We used to be very good at that sort of thing.
Linking supporters who question the ambitions of the club with terrorists is quite a stretch. Is this what you’re really implying? Don’t you think that shows a lack of respect towards those who hold a different opinion to yourself?
@GoonerDave
I’m struggling to follow your line of reasoning here. When you say Kronke has made a “billion in profit” out of Arsenal how did you arrive at that? Increase in share holder value? Or money taken out of the club in dividends?
Are you suggesting that Arsenal doesn’t pay it’s debts as soon as practically possible and that that Arsenal exceeds its income with its spending?
I’m genuinely interested to know.
As far as I’m aware Arsenal still has substantial debt.
It is I believe in Arsenal’s accounts that Mr Kronke has taken £6 million out of Arsenal and other than ‘for services provided’ it is not known why.
Me and friends like very much Walter but what is They pointing at it began at the beginning. Hard to read rest as we wonder what this means. We hope to come to game soon when Stan buys Messi cheap. Tony maybe look over Walter’s shoulder sometime. Go Arsene Go!
I think the issue of terrorism activities that is reigning mayhem incessantly across the World now is a fundermental problem that was originally caused by the ancient Israelites and latter encouraged by the Western European nations and the US who has enhanced the reincarnation of the Islamic agenda of Jihad which a Fench King had halted the all conquering Jihadist Army from taking over all of Europe.
What can one do to change the fundermental belief of a group of people in the World whose religious text books has it written in white and black that you either accept Islam or accept the sword to fall on you. Can’t we see this emblem symbol on the Saudi Arabia’s Coat of Arms? Let’s stop deceiving ourselves, Saudi Arabia has been the main brain that is sponsoring Jihad by proxy across the World and pretending to be anti-terrorism. Can we imagine? I live among the aged converts of Saudi Arabia’s Islam in my country for many years and I know their beliefs and thoughts very very well.
If only the ancient Israelites had obeyed the Satutes, Commandments and Ordinances of the Almighty God handed over to them through Prophet Moses, the issue terrorism in the World wouldn’t have arisen. The evidence is the Holy Bible. I read the King James version.
Oga Tony, I hadn’t been strong as I was seriously down with malaria attack, hence I couldn’t browse for some days. I have only just started to recover but not yet fully. I’ve been trying on 8 occasions to login to the Arsenal Android Application Portal on my Android phones but it isn’t opening. Kindly reported the problem for me to Arsenal to please look into it since you are very close in communication with them.
Thanks.
Thanks Walter , for this fine piece , and to the regulars for their mostly positive comments. I do believe for the most part true Arsenal fans are aware that the club is going their best to keep up and move forward as best as can be done. There is much that they may not be able to share with us, and I accept that .
As I avoid and ignore crowds , the media , and negative people , I am not really exposed to the stupidity and ignorance that seems to be so rampant . As a majority of one , I choose only to see the good and try my best to refrain from lowering my standards by not retaliating . Neither aggressively confronting or challenging others .
Except on this site! As it is probably the last steadfast and firm pro AW and Arsenal site. But then again I only use humour as my weapon .
Up the Gunners !
Less I forget, Arsenal should please be very very careful not to mistakenly recruit an Islamic State disguised player into the club during their current summer transfer.
Walter.great article but once again permit me to say that people who share a different opinion from you about the club, and how it approaches being competitive do not deserve to be stigmatized.
Psychology tells us that there are phlegmatics, cholerics,melancholics and sanguines. Each were created differently. I believe Wenger cannot take us any further.but u think not….fair enough.
Let me tell u how I see things this season. We need a senior CB and CF.Wenger would have done his bit if he gets 2 bodies in. If the season doesnt pan out well,then it doesnt. But if he doesnt and the season pans out badly? It will be hard to convince me that the season would have panned out badly even if he bought the 2 Xtra bodies needed. This is what I think most apprehensive fans want. Do what u can and leave the rest to God and fate. Don’t start from a disadvantaged position. Is that really too much to ask? Or do u sincerely believe we are good to go without an extra CB and cf as long as Wenger says so?
Very good article, Walter.
For myself, I get angry and sad about the important things in the world that deserve it and do my tiny little bit to try to change them.
But why on earth should I get angry and sad about Arsenal (except when they’re treated unfairly, of course)?
Watching Arsenal play, reading about the players on the Arsenal web site, the experience of a match at the stadium – these are all nice things in life. Things to be enjoyed.
It seems to me some people take out all their frustration about everything else on Arsenal. Maybe if they turned some of that anger against the right targets and tried to do something about them, we might have a better world. And STILL be able to enjoy Arsenal.