Stuck in the middle? Arsenal are one of the richest, most commercially powerful clubs in world football. There’s no “middle” about it.
The reason people don’t want Arsenal to win isn’t because they think you’re too small. It’s because you’re a giant club with a fanbase full of people acting like they’ve just watched a fairy-tale underdog triumph.
If Charlton or Leyton Orient won the league it’d be a football miracle. Arsenal winning the league is just another member of the established elite winning the league.
That’s why all the “everyone hates us because we’re successful” stuff is a bit laughable. Most of the stick comes from Arsenal fans trying to paint themselves as football’s great victims while being backed by one of the biggest global fanbases in the sport.
And let’s be honest, every time Arsenal get successful again, thousands of people who couldn’t find Islington on a map suddenly discover they’re lifelong Gooners. Arsenal’s online fanbase is probably the most performative in football.... endless social media declarations, crying videos, “North London is red” posts, and people acting like supporting one of the biggest clubs on the planet is some kind of personality trait.
As for the Champions League final, I was delighted they lost on penalties. Not because Arsenal are some plucky underdog I dislike, but because losing a final like that hurts far more than getting knocked out earlier. The higher the expectations, the harder the fall. That’s the trade-off when you’re one of football’s superclubs and your fans spend months telling everyone how this is finally your year.
Really hope there's torrential rain in North London today.