Arsenal: Haters gonna hate, and nobody actually cares

Arsenal are already falling under a wave of criticism from cotton-mouthed haters. But that’s just what they do, and we shouldn’t care about it.

Who saw this coming? One match into the season and there is a line of people lodging formal complaints against Arsenal and everything that Unai Emery is doing with his brand new charge.

Did you hear me say “one match”? Of course you did. Because it’s been one fricking match after 22 years under the same manager, with a cut budget from not making the Champions League, but hold the phone! Because Tony Adams and Gary Neville and Paul Merson all think that Emery is doing everything wrong. Absolutely everything wrong. From the color of socks he chose down to his choice of breakfast cereal.

I don’t know why I thought this hideous part of the Arsenal social-sphere would change, but I guess some part of me hoped that there was some kernel of sense embedded in these haters, that literally thrive on mishaps because it gives them a chance to say things loudly and inflate their own sense of self worth.

How can educated people (I use that word liberally) lambast a manager after ninety minutes? How can they sit there and criticize his decision making like he’s gone and failed after three years of building a club?

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If you want to say “oh, well maybe he should have started Lacazette,” that’s fine. I said the same. But conversely, you have to accept that this is a work in progress. This is a long-term project and, if you’ve seen what’s been happening at United post-Fergie, you should know by now that it isn’t an easy project to master.

So to all you haters out there – shut up! Nobody cares about your agenda to elbow your way back into the irrelevant spotlight. The good, sensible fans trust the club and believe that change is around the corner – because it is.

Criticism is fine. Really, it is. Criticize whoever you like. But for the love of everything, let them make an actual case for themselves before you go throwing them to the wolves. This club is starting to rebuild from the ground up. That could take years to come to fruition.

Does that mean we are going to have years of the same spouting faucets yapping about how they know everything and Emery knows nothing? Probably. And that’s a shame. Maybe they’ll go hoarse after a few weeks or so. That would be convenient.