For the last couple of years, Arsenal fans have been debating whether it’s time to relieve Arsene Wenger of his duties as Arsenal manager.

We all know the various factions and personalities that have aligned themselves with one side of the argument or the other.

A million arguments have been made, both for and against his sacking.

Every conceivable angle has been covered or written about.

Except one.

What if everyone is wrong?

Before the summer, Wenger’s last contract extension was signed in 2010. Was there one event during the four seasons between then and now that justified either his sacking or a long-term extension? Was there even a succession of good or bad decisions that made it crystal clear as to whether he is still a top-level manager or not? Every accomplishment that Arsenal made in that period can be countered with an awful stat or performance, and vice versa.

We won a cup and got to another final; We can’t get past the first knockout round in the Champions League.

We bought Ozil and Alexis; we sold Cesc and van Persie.

We develop Ramsey into a fantastic midfielder; We invest too much time into hoping Diaby (and maybe Wilshere) can get fit and stay fit.

We build a fantastic stadium and help pay off a large chunk of debt whilst staying in the top four in the league; we charge fans an exorbitant amount of money to watch games and are no closer to winning the league now than we were in 2010. 

We have a great array of attacking talent at the club; We have two centre-backs, three if you count our attempt to convert Chambers into a CB.

And so on, and so on, and so on.

We’ve got so caught up in trying to win the argument, that we’ve lost track of what we’re arguing over in the first place.

There isn’t a single fan who is completely satisfied with the way the club has been managed over the last few years, but to turn an issue as important as who should manage the club, into a contest over who is on the right side and who isn’t, is pointless. It solves nothing. All we can do is watch the games, hope we win them, and if not, try to work out why.

Why is arguing over the past pointless?

Well, here’s a hypothetical for you. What if a player became available that would solve all our problems? What if, after buying this one player, we become the best team in the world? That would solve everything, right? Every weekend would a stress-free affair, our only worry would be how to keep coming up with new and original material for laughing at Tottenham.

We would be, by far the greatest team, the world has ever seen.

You can have that player, the answer to your dreams, an easy-fix, an end to the argument. There’s just one, minor, tiny catch; he has all the baggage of Ched Evans. Do you still want him? Is the result at the end of a game the only important part about supporting your club? Of course it isn’t. We all desperately want to see Arsenal win, but would you feel comfortable in cheering your success when it’s all down to the signing of a convicted rapist who’s shown little in the way of contrition since his release from prison and is still under licence?

I certainly wouldn’t. And I bet you wouldn’t either.

That’s why this argument over whether you’re an WOB or an AKB is irrelevant, because even if I provide a solution, that solution can still start its own argument. So what’s the point in having an argument that can’t be resolved? Both sides have valid points to make, both sides have fatal flaws. Football is one constant argument in itself, one that renews itself every August. There’s no need to make any more.

You know that feeling when you’re going about normal day, and you see a total stranger in Arsenal colours? That immediate sense of “Oh, another person who has seen sense in their lives. Excellent.” Lately, that’s been replaced by one of either “Oh, another Arsenal fan. I do hope he doesn’t rant about Arsene needing the sack!”, or “Oh, another Arsenal fan. I do hope he doesn’t rattle on about how Wenger is amazing!”, depending on your point of view.

That’s not right.

Beauty and the beast

That’s always been the beauty of being an Arsenal fan; that no matter who you were, where you lived or how much you were worth, we’re all one and the same. Even Piers Morgan. The more time spent arguing among ourselves means there’s less time available to deal with the important issues at hand, such as laughing at Spurs, sacrificing animals in order to prevent Alexis getting injured, and laughing at Spurs.

It’s time to stop the infighting.

Just because a fellow Arsenal fan may disagree with your assessment of the club at large, that doesn’t mean they deserve abuse. We rant, because we care. We despair at times, because we care. And it’s highly likely that a random fan cares just as much as you do. So don’t just dismiss them with a curse or an acronym.

We’re Arsenal fans.

Frankly, we’re better than that.

stephen