ARSENAL fans all over the world must be shaking their heads in disbelief as the Gunners (Arsenal’s nickname) stay on top of the English Premier League with a few weeks to go.
The past few seasons Arsenal have been crawling their way out of relegation battles and that has left their faithful fans disheartened.
But not anymore. Mind you, they’re now serious challengers to finish the season in a top spot.
More magic comes with the prospect of playing in Europe next season. It is also jaw-dropping and when it happens, it will probably be one of the best things to happen this century in an extraordinary change of form.
Yet for the average Arsenal fan, from England to Australia and Singapore, it’s definitely a dream-come-true with a top four finish in real sight. While it would be overachieving on account of the general consensus pre-season, it would now be a major disappointment were it not to be clinched.
I support another London club, Tottenham Hotspur but I must confess that Arsenal have managed to plunge supporters down to the very depths just as they’ve united the club closer than they’ve been in years.
Much as I’m a die-hard rival, I can feel that the Arsenal fans are seriously with the players every step of the way and whatever the table looks like come the end of May, the future is simply brighter, if they maintain the form.
BRIGHT SPARKLES
What were some of those surprises, then? There have been plenty, with four in particular standing out. Starting right back at the beginning, any fans who felt the top four was beyond the Gunners’ reach were firmly in that camp just three matches into the season.
It was bleak, and perhaps even bleaker than anticipated. Three games in and the table read three matches played, three defeats, zero goals scored and, crucially, zero points. The worst start to a league season in 67 years was as low as a large contingent of the fanbase that had ever sunk.
Having ended the previous season strongly with five consecutive wins, these were new depths.
Now, even former manager Arsene Wenger has spoken about his former side’s chances of lifting their first league title in 19 years, admitting this season is the perfect time to compete.
He said: “You win it when you can win it and you don’t care too much about the rest you take the title and let the rest talk about it. I agree the conditions next season won’t be as favourable as they are now so lets not miss this opportunity.”
HUGE SURPRISE IN FORM
Speaking to Arsenal fans in Singapore, I must say that while the top is still going to require a monumental effort to secure, the fact Arsenal are even in the conversation at all is quite remarkable. Nobody saw this coming. Only the truest believers in the Gunners’ camp could have foreseen anything of the sort.
I must confess, even biting my tongue as a rival London club-fan, that it’s been a huge surprise. A most welcome one indeed as the Premier League title staying in the English capital matters a lot.
In my mind, football is a wonderful sport, but it does have the capacity to toy with your emotions negatively, once in a while.
But give deserving credit to Arsenal. I salute their title-starved fans as the past few seasons they have been crawling their way out of relegation battles.
But not anymore. Let me repeat, they’re now serious challengers to finish the season in a top spot.
* Suresh Nair is an award-winning sports journalist who is also a qualified international coach and international referee instructor