Arsenal: Defining “crisis” for a fanbase that’s never had one

Arsenal fans are calling the current situation a “crisis,” but for a fanbase that has never experienced one, what do they really know?

Earlier this month, I was criticized for being an Arsenal fan “content with mediocrity.” To which I said that that fan doesn’t exist. There is no fan out there content with mediocrity. We all want to win. We all want to get promoted. We all want shiny things in the trophy cabinet.

That said, there is a certain logic to the ‘patience’ argument that Unai Emery makes, whether you like it or not. And even in the current state of the club, ripping out the entire foundation of the last 18 months seems… rash. I won’t say it’s ‘wrong,’ because it may turn out to be the spark that lights the fuse, but it’s rash.

Fans have been calling the situation at the club a “crisis” for over half a decade, tracing back to Arsene Wenger’s days. It’s asinine really. A crisis is what Aston Villa are going through. A crisis is what happened to Fulham… remember them?

Crises involve a complete collapse akin to a wildfire that you can’t put out. What’s happening at Arsenal is a dumpster fire. Sure, it’s ugly, and it may get worse before it gets better, but here in the moment, this is not a crisis.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

With players like we have, and with a capable manager like Emery is, it likely won’t ever be a crisis. There’s too much talent and leadership in play to make this situation get to threat level midnight.

Now, let me elaborate on that, because I can hear blood pressure spiking and X’s being clicked. I’m not saying that we wait and see if this will become a crisis before we do anything. That would be silly. You want to stomp out the fire before it can spread into that aforementioned crisis. But knowing what this club can do, and knowing the rich history that we have, let me again reiterate that the likelihood that we ever reach a crisis level is incredibly slim.

But then again, this is a fanbase who has never really had to experience a crisis. Never relegated, Champions League for 20 years. Of course 8th place in November is going to feel like a hell we’re not accustomed to. I hate it too. I’m not content to be here. I just have this wild and potential committable belief that Emery really hasn’t had enough time, and that things will turn good if he’s given more of a chance. So sue me.

If you fire Emery, fine. You throw a bucket of water on the dumpster fire and let the next guy try to put it out for good. I just wish fans would chill out and accept that not everything in this sport is immediate. In fact, nothing really is.