Before you stop reading, thinking this is another moan about the club and how expensive our tickets are, please calm yourself down. Yes, this is a moan about ticket prices, but a moan with a difference.

So often the club is dug out by the press and opposing clubs for having the highest tickets in the land. Now before I move in, I agree, our prices are too high. £1000 for a season ticket is too much. £2000 for one is crazy money. And charging away fans £64 is ludicrous. But that is not the point of this blog.

When the recent proposal on capping away tickets at £30 was rejected, it was highlighted that “Greedy Arsenal – with the most expensive away tickets – led the argument against”.

What was ignored however is that when it comes to away tickets, Arsenal are not the greedy ones.

When you actually look at what Arsenal charge away fans already, in comparison to other clubs, we are actually quote reasonable.

I did a comparison this morning, and what it shows is that Arsenal fans get charged more at 13 grounds up and down the country, than Arsenal charges fans of those clubs.

Only the 5 Category A games (Spurs, Man U, Man City, Chelsea & Liverpool) and Watford (a difference of 50p) charge Arsenal fans less.

In fact, over the 19 away games, an Arsenal fan will be charged between  £833 – £850 (due to some ground having lower & upper tier), whilst in total, Arsenal only charge the away fan £648.50. A difference of around £200

It is the biggest con in football. Categories. Clubs being charged more for having a good away following. Clubs fleecing opposing fans just because they support a popular club. Arsenal are greedy, yes, but almost every other side is equally as greedy.

The Premier League proposal was to cap away tickets at £30. Arsenal currently offer 5 tickets below this. Yet Arsenal away fans are do not get any tickets below £30.

When you take it to under £40, it is even worse. Every Arsenal game, bar the 5 Cat A games, are under £40. This season, a loyal Arsenal travelling fan will only get charged under £40 in 4 games.

When the BBC’s “Price of Football” comes out, clubs who have cheaper season tickets often have a go at Arsenal for their ticket price. And rightly so, however what they fail to remember is that every time Arsenal go to their ground, the side they praise for offering cheap season tickets come over with the greedy green eyes and hyke of the ticket prices.

And it is not just at home where Arsenal fans are getting mugged off.

A lot is made about how cheap football is abroad. Everyone always go’s on about how Barcelona do a season ticket for just over £100. So when we travel abroad to watch The Arsenal, we should expect cheap tickets, correct?

Of course, a club like Barcelona would never dream of upcharging fans depending on the appointment would they.

Yet for tickets at the Nou Camp, Arsenal fans are being charged £64. The exact same cost that we were up in arms about (and Barcelona plan to protest about) Arsenal charging.

So it seems again, the greed of Arsenal is continually highlighted, yet the greed of other sides is swept under the carpet.

There is clearly current issues with ticket prices over land and sea. Every club is greedy. Whilst I do not defend Arsenal, it is time the British media gave the situation a fair discussion. Do not just dig out Arsenal, dig out every Premier League side, and those in Europe, who dramatically increase the ticket prices just because of who they are playing.

Fans of Arsenal, Man U, Chelsea, spurs, Man City & Liverpool get ripped off everywhere they go, just because of who they support.

Keenos
Follow @KeenosAFC

The Arsenal are in the title race.

Third in the league, playing the league leaders next week, we could be sitting here a week today just 2 points off top.

Recently, it has felt a bit shit to be an Arsenal fan.

Before yesterday, we had won just one Premier League game in 2016. After being the form team of 2015, our title challenge was collapsing around us.

On the field we have been in disarray in 2016.

Off the field it has been no better.

Yet another transfer window where we have kept our powder dry followed up with 3 days later that disgraceful email from the club about Barcelona being Cat A a surcharge set to be added to our season ticket costs at the end of the season.

I have never known Arsenal fans to be at such a low eb, both online and in the pubs. There was nothing to be positive about.

Then we have Bournemouth.

A proper old fashioned away  at tiny stadium in a backwards part of the country. A small allocation made the atmosphere feel a little bit older, a bit more mature, a bit more old school. No beer throwing. A few old songs sang. NO BEER THROWING.

And we win. 2-0. With 2 quick goals. Something to keep us warm for the half hour trek back to the station in the wind and rain.

The Bournemouth victory certainly does not paper over the cracks of the last month, and does not hide the fact that the greedy head of our club has reared itself once more, but what it should do is remind us that there is a league title to be fighting for.

I often see a lot of people make two statements.

Love The Arsenal, hate those running it
It’s Arsenal FC, not Arsene FC

I completely agree with both statements. And it is important therefore that over the next few weeks, Arsenal FC, the 11 men out on the pitch, get our full backing.

You might hate Wenger, but do not let this hatred for the man allow you to continually get on the back of the team.

You might be disgusted by the way the men running the club are currently running the club, but do not let this hatred for the board allow you to continually get on the back of the team.

Yes, protests are planned. Against ticket pricing. Against kick off times. Against Sky. Against everything there is to hate, to despise about the modern game. And these protests are justifiable. They are needed.

But at the end of the day, it is the XI men on the pitch we turn up to cheer on. They are the ones going to win us the league title this year. They are the ones we need to be backing.

So remember, back the team through thick and thin, no matter if you are not currently backing those running it.

Keenos
Follow @KeenosAFC