Some fans want their club’s manager out, others want their club’s owner out, but Arsenal fans want both out. That was the message they committed to time-honored banner form and held aloft as they watched their team surrender a 2-0 lead to West Ham and finish with a 3-3 draw because they let Andy Carroll nearly double his goal tally for the season.
Two months after beating Leicester to pull within two points of the Premier League leaders, Arsenal have worked hard to close in on their ultimate goal of finishing fourth as they now sit third — 10 points behind Leicester and just two ahead of Man City.
After the draw with West Ham, Arsene Wenger said, “Third in the league, 59 points – that’s not where we want to be,” presumably implying that they’d rather be fourth right now in order to reduce internal tension as we near the end of the season. “You never know what can happen. You have to look behind us, clubs are chasing us and we have to be serious and focus [on finishing fourth,” he added.
The banners have made it clear, however, that it is too late for talk. Arsenal fans will not accept a second consecutive third-place finish. If Wenger can’t deliver fourth, he and Stan Kroenke will face even more sternly worded banners.
I think Arsenal supporters have been spoiled by having a good, if unfortunately inconsistent at all the wrong times, team over the years. Yeah, I want the league title as much as anyone else and am disappointed when the Gunners blow it yet again late in the season, but it’s not like we’ve had to suffer through a relegation battle or even a truly bad season like Chelsea’s current one. That said, Everyone Out Except Those Guys Who Are Doing Well! That should cover it.