Hated. Adored. Welcome to life at the top
A long look at whether Arsenal are being unfairly criticised
“Hated, Adored, Never Ignored”. So reads the Manchester United fans’ banner. Some Arsenal supporters currently bridle at widespread criticism of them but all teams at the top have triggered jealousy. The denigration of Arsenal is partly stylistic, partly due to antipathy of Mikel Arteta’s technical area behaviour, but also down to the simple truism about traditional critiquing of champions or aspiring champions. It’s particularly compounded in Arsenal’s case, a point widely missed, by the reality that everyone now has a platform to expound their frustration, fury or critique in the social media age.
Winners have always been targeted. The first ever title winners, Preston North End, were criticised for playing players. Goes. With. The. Territory. Criticism flowing Arsenal’s way is a compliment in a way. It’s just that such abuse is now more visible and voluminous. Go online after games and comments ranging from valid appraisal to toxic abuse are everywhere. Throw in the VAR fall-out at the London Stadium on Sunday and the river of rage turns into a thunderous waterfall. As social media grows and grows, and society seems an angrier place at the moment anyway, ambitious Arsenal were always going to get both barrels.
When United were dominating the country under Sir Alex Ferguson, they were “hated” as their fans gleefully acknowledged but most of that venom from opponents was voiced in chants, on phone-ins and in letters to the Press. I have kept some of the more spectacularly splenetic missives that I received during 21 years at the Telegraph, much of it coinciding with the Ferguson era. Daring to praise a Ferguson side guaranteed a fusillade. Some of the suggestions of what I should do to myself for lauding Ferguson’s team after another trophy United defied anatomical feasibility. I received one letter addressed to “Henry Winter The Idiot”. The Telegraph post-room made sure it found its way to me. Inside was another diatribe against Ferguson after another title.