Author Archives: keenosafc

Arsenal not the only club with “Anti-fans”

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Yesterday I read a fantastic blog by a Liverpool fan.

I never read things by other clubs. I have no real interest. But the blog was recommended to me by a friend who commented “change everything to Arsenal and it sums up some of our online fan base”. So I had a read.

Before reading the rest of my blog, please go and take a look at the Liverpool blog. It is well worth your time and just keep thinking to yourself about Arsenal everytime the writer mentions Liverpool. The blog can be read here.

In recent weeks I have mentioned the rise of the “Anti-fan”. So called supporters who take a stance that everything at the club is negative in an attempt to “sound cool” and “stand out from the crowd”. These sort of fans are exactly the sort described in the blog above.

The author of the blog describes said Liverpool fans as people that “present themselves as liking football and Liverpool but have no joy in it”.

Arsenal has the exact same fans.

Fans who spend all day on social media talking about football, but always from a negative stand point. They do not enjoy the game.

The blog goes on to explain 3 characteristics these so called fans have – Obsessed by transfers, always arguing and constantly pessimistic And again they are spot on.

They think they are “running an online account” but actually their social media is a reflection of themselves in the “real world”.

How many followers they have, how many RTs they get becomes a personality trait. They never actually develop real world skills and are probably destined to a life living in bedsits screaming for attention from a car.

Whilst reading through the blog, you should be able to picture the tweets of those who it is describing.

If you do not follow many others on Twitter (I think I follow less than 30) it can seem like Arsenal are the only club with these type of fans. But we are not.

Liverpool have them, despite having won the league and Champions League in recent years. As do Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester City.

They feed off the negativity they spread and it defines them as a character.

The blog goes into detail much better than I ever could have describing these people, so please read it.

And ultimately remember that these sort of people are a minority. They are just very loud on Twitter. Most people do not actually care what they have to say.

Have a good Wednesday.

Keenos

Desire to let strangers know “I was there” stronger than living in the moment

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I am very much a “live in the  moment” guy.

When at a game, gig or event my phone stays in my pocket. I rarely take pictures. Never take videos.

I will never understand those that sit their recording a penalty, a corner kick or their favourite band playing their favourite song.

The argument is they want to “relive the moment” but I do that through my memory. Through sitting in the pub years down the line talking about the event with mates who were there. Living a shared experience.

On a basic level, the quality of your recording will be poor anyway, so what are you actually watching?

Say it is your favourite band. It will be a dark venue with bright lights that will mean you can barely see the stage through the camera.

If it is football, just record off Match of the Day. Their recordings will be much better than your own.

Recording the action takes away from your ability to live in the moment. You will be distracter. Trying to get your phone out.

I looked aghast on Saturday when Cristiano Ronaldo scored his goal. Every single person had a phone or a camera out instead of celebrating with whoever was round them.

Unfortunately recording events is part of modern society.

Life is all about RT’s, Likes and Followers, and what better way to get that online attention you crave than putting content up online.

Of course, some will say blogging is attention seeking. And it is. But I blog on the way to work, on my breaks. Not during the games.

It is more important these days to tell people you are at a game, gig or event rather than actually being there.

“Look at me I am at the football” they scream to everyone on social media in the hope of hitting treble figures on Likes.

There was a video floating around of some middle aged man going to their first game.

He had had a mate recording him whilst he also recorded the pitch and he was screaming like a 6 year old.

It was all very odd. Cringey. Staged.

The fella was clearly putting on a performance for the cameras in the hope he would go viral. And he got his wish as his video was picked up by Arsenal’s official twitter. He got his 5 minutes of fame.

And that sums it up.

Instead of being in the moment, enjoying it with those around you, people seem to have a need these days to record everything,

It is not just events this happens too but incidents as well.

A quick scroll through Twitter shows videos of people having fights, getting in accidents or worse.

Instead of trying to break up the incident, to help, you see people with their camera out recording. Hoping for that 5 minutes of fame.

We just live in a very shallow society these days where for many people, how many likes, RTs or followers they have is the most important thing.

To me, the most important things will always be family and friends.

I go to games with me mates, celebrate with them, get pissed with them, then go home.

We take the odd picture in the pub of ourselves as a group, but that is all. We are living in the moment. We do not need to share our experience with strangers on the internet as we are sharing the experience with each other.

I will never understand people that pay hundreds of pounds to fly across the pond , on hotels and match tickets, to then watch game through their mobile phone.

Put it in your pocket. Enjoy the game. Live in the moment.

Keenos

Performance deserved more than 1-nil to The Arsenal

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It might have finished 1-0 but another day it could have been 3 or 4.

30 shots was the most in the Premier League under Mikel Arteta as we created chance after chance.

Nicolas Pepe was stopped from opening the scoring due to a fantastic block by Brandon Williams prior to setting up Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s goal.

Aubameyang would shot straight at Tim Krul. He should have done better. Likewise Emile Smith Rowe, having shifted the ball to his stronger foot, should have finished his shot. Bukayo Saka hit the rebound wide.

It was a Norwich City side that had conceded 10 goals prior to Saturday and there will be tougher tests to come. But the green shoots of recovery were clear and obvious to everyone.

Arsenal looked energised, pressing from the front.

Aubameyang down the middle looked a new man. Closing dow the keeper and keeping the defenders honest.

Martin Odegaard in behind him showed why he was always Arsenal’s first choice as a 10.

Not only does he bring he bring quality on the ball but also a high work rate.

There is no point the striker pressing if those behind you do not.

With Odegaard and Bukayo Saka backing up Aubameyang the Norwich team were constantly under pressure in their own half. Time and again we won the ball off their midfield.

Arteta was also able to put out what was is his strongest defence.

Again it is only Norwich but the back 4 looked solid and composed.

Taking into account their age profiles, the defence will grow together as a unit the more they play together. Hopefully Arteta refrains from the chopping and changing of last year in the back 4.

Burnley next weekend will be a tougher test for the defence. Expect some high balls into the box to test Ben White and Gabriel.

Overall, it might have only been 1-nil to The Arsenal but there were a lot of positives to take out of the game.

Have a good Monday.

Keenos