Normally I wouldn’t bat an eyelid about this sort of comment. After all, opposition fans do like to use this stick to beat us with. But lately I have been having to respond to this jibe from some of my fellow Arsenal fans and that does resonate with me. So I thought it was time to dust off my keyboard and write down why we are the luckiest football fans in world football. And yes, I really do mean that.

I do understand why we are so obsessed about winning a trophy. That feeling of superiority, the realisation that we will have a wonderful memory to look back on for years to come and the fact that we feel untouchable in the face of fierce rivalries. I promise you that I get it. But here is a cold hard truth. Winning a trophy is like reaching the summit of Mount Everest. There is limited space at the top and it is so difficult that many, many teams will try but ultimately fail. The journey itself has provided some truly gripping stories.

Some teams such as Manchester United reached the summit with a formula of determination, skill and unexplainable luck. Others like the Real Madrid team of the 1950?s and the great Barcelona team of this era got there with such grace and technique that it appeared that, despite the hard work and training, they floated to the top.

For every success story though there are many more stories of woe. Portsmouth became so desperate to reach the summit that they sacrificed sure footing to do so. Immediately after reaching the highest peaks they fell so quickly that they now lie paralysed at the very bottom. Leeds United spent so much money on the flashiest resources that they lost their identity and as such forgot how to rise again after a fall. They didn’t even reach the summit.

The new challengers have not learned from these tragic tales. Teams are now influenced by impatient leaders and fans alike who believe that they can get to the summit in record speeds and with the least amount of effort. The media worship them and some of my fellow Arsenal fans look on enviously at the likes of Chelsea, Man City and PSG as they achieve this.

Now don’t get me wrong, these teams are not without merit, but I for one cannot stand back and admire teams that have taken a helicopter and flown to the top of Everest just so they can take pictures to show the world that they have been there. It all seems so empty and without meaning.

Which brings me to why I am so passionate in my defence of Arsenal. We did reach the summit and we did so with a team that had the near perfect combination of skill, grace, technique, luck and mental strength that we conquered every challenge that came our way. We were invincible and unique but times were changing and we were genuinely vulnerable to never reaching the summit again if we could not match the resources of the old financial superpowers (Manchester United, Bayern Munich) and the new financial threats (Abramovich, Abu Dhabi).

The team had a difficult decision to make. We could stay as we were and watch as other teams used their new-found power and resources to speed past us to the top. We could spend money we didn’t have to try and match our challengers resources but risk losing everything like others before us. Neither seemed desirable but there was a third option. To get to the summit we could take the path that no other challenger had before. It would be a path full of danger, challenges, failures, loss and difficult moments but it would be one full of reward at the end.

We decided to take the third option. Whilst others were using their helicopters and advanced equipment we rebuilt our base camp which is now the envy of most of our challengers. We invested in the foundations rather than the luxuries and we developed our principles and identity rather than belittle them. We have climbed to majestic heights only to fall (I note the Carling Cup final v Birmingham, the failed title challenges of 2007/08 and 2010/11 and the Champions League Final of 2006) but every time we have risen again.

We have come agonising close to great victories (within a goal of knocking Barcelona out in 2011, the near impossible comebacks v Milan and Bayern) and we have suffered agonising humiliation (8-2 v United, defeats to Bradford, Blackburn in the cups). The falls have been too great for some and the team members weak of mind left to get an instant hit of success elsewhere (you know who they are).

All of these things hurt us at a deep level because we all, no matter what our opinions about the right manager or players or philosophy, love this great club. But as much as these things have hurt us they have not killed us.

There are only a handful of teams in the world who would not want to be us at the moment. Here is the key thing. We are now getting closer and closer to reaching the summit again. We now have the finances to really challenge the old and new financial powers with, crucially, OUR money. Money that we have generated from sales of those who were not committed to the vision and from us the fans that pay the high ticket prices for the privilege to watch us fight for everything we believe in.

We have been top of the hardest league in the world for most of the season. We beat some big teams to get through the Champions League group of death and, yes whisper it, we have the stability of one of the greatest managers in the modern game. Perhaps more than anything else, we have experienced the journey and the lessons, resolve and strength that simply cannot be bought with all of the money in the world.

That is why we are the luckiest fans alive. It may not feel like it at the moment but when we do reach the summit again in the near future, and we will, you will feel a state of ecstasy and invincibility that few sets of fans have ever felt. Why? As Kenton Cool, someone who has actually climbed Everest, put it: “The joy wasn’t so much in being at the top but the knowledge that the challenges, struggles and preparation that made up the journey to get there were all worth it.” With that strength and belief, it will be a long time before anyone will remove our flag again.

  • Written by guest blogger Christopher Kerr (@CKerrJones)

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