As Ancient Greek Playright Euripides once stated "Those whom the gods seek to destroy they first make mad". Also, it's a feature of madness to believe that when you are at odds with conventional wisdom, it is everyone else who lack the capacity for rational thinking in contrast to your quite obvious sanity. As a certain empire in North London seemingly falls further into decay its faults are there for all to see, except of course for the emperor who continues to expresses his full confidence in the quality of his recent expenditure on clothing. And as Football's Rome continues to fall, what started out two years ago as a whisper has continued to incrementality rise in volume ever since - that despite the increase in the quality of Football, the season as unbeaten champions, the two doubles, the only ever European Cup Final, the shiny impressive new colleseum and the seemingly perpetual safety of champions league qualification what exactly has Rome ever done for us?
The deficiency in quality is clearly there, when faced with an irresistable force like a Drogba, a Rooney or a Messi one cries out for an immoval object like an Adams or a Bould. One is also reminded when looking at Almunia and Fabianski this season how two decades earlier a previous emperor George Graham had removed John Lukic in favour of David Seamen, recognising that though the former can do a job in the top flight a team contending for supremacy needs a supreme keeper who with an extra 4 clean sheets a season could gain a further 10-15 points that's makes the difference between title contenders and mere pretenders as it had done 12 months later.
That said though, those who through the internet forums often deride Wenger loyalists without any hint of irony as 'rose tinters' need to assess their own grasp on reality in not recognising that the club since it's move to Ashburton Grove has been working within financial restrictions from the debts incurred due to the third of a billion pounds required to acquire such a large amount of space so close to Central London and building a huge stadium on the site of it. Many such fans are advocating that in an era of global economic downturn in which banks are less inclined lend money and the inland revenue more inclined to pursue football clubs for what is owed to them, that the Arsenal Football Club proceeds on the basis of spending beyond its means.
Some sections of our fans are also bemoaning Wenger's lack of trophies in recent years, however since winning our last trophy in 2005 two sides which have won a domestic trophy include Portsmouth and Liverpool. Pompey fans by their own admission would happily swap our Premiership status and solvency for their 2008 triumph and upcoming date at the world's most overrated stadium in order to win a trophy which is now universally recognised as less valuable than it once was. As for Liverpool, they can only look on in envy that we now have the new stadium that they have been crying to acquire in order to match our level of match day revenue. They will also envy that the debts we have occurrd incurred are both practical in that we acquired something that would generate income and servicable seeing that in all likelihood we shall be in the Champions League next season.
It's also worth noting how the free spending days may also be numbered for the two sides who's shadow we have been living in since 2005 in regard to the Premiership title. Manchester United's debt stands at £716.5 million, they only broke even last season through the sale of Ronaldo without which they would have slipped £30 million into the red due to the £41 million interest payment on this debt. There are indeed only so many players you can sell for £80 million each season. Also, being the arch Blairite that he is don't be surprised if Fergie takes a leaf from Tony's book and retires before his own impending credit crunch can hurt his legacy, leaving the whole detritus to his unfortunate successor. In Chelsea's case Abramovich had reportedly lost three quarters of his wealth due to the credit crunch. Abramovich's break even target for the club of 2010 has also been spectacularly missed. The fact that they are considering selling the naming rights of Stamford Bridge shows that they are being brought back down into our orbit in a financial sense. At same point they too will also need to expand their match day revenue to the same as ours and United's by moving to a bigger stadium, the complications which are involved with that Arsenal can obviously testify.
However financial insolvancy is all well and good, but what about five trophyless seasons, can that be acceptable even from your clubs greatest ever manager? Well if Bill Shankly could go seven trophyless seasons from 1966-73 with Liverpool, why not? Liverpool could have sacked Shanks after Arsenal defeated his young inexperienced squad in the 1971 Cup Final, a squad roughly the same age as the current Arsenal squad. Liverpool's squad circa 1971 had included Toshack, Clemence, Heighway and Keegan. The aforementioned were not exciting big name signings but bargains from footballing outposts like Scunthorpe, Cardiff and Skelmersdale United (!). This squad was formed to replace, and by the start of the 1970s had very much been in the shadow of, Liverpool's successful 60s outfit which included Ian St. John, Ron Yeats, Tommy Lawrence and Roger Hunt. Shanks had never had Wenger's record of 13 consecutive top 4 finishes either.
By Shanks's retirement in 1974 Liverpool had won the title back and had the foundations of a side that would dominate the game for two decades. Whether Liverpool would still have achieved this by sacking Shanks in 1971 is a matter of debate, as too is whether Wenger could possibly get near matching anything like this kind of legacy for Arsenal over the coming years. However it's a clear testiment to what patience with 'Jam Tomorrow' Promises may bring. And those who continue to ask what Rome has ever done for us may wish to ponder the fact that when Rome fell around 500 AD a long dark winter that lasted an entire millenium had past before the renaissance came along around 1500 AD, so moral of the tale is be careful what you wish for.
