HIGHER LOVE AT THE EMIRATES

Football, and the premier League in particular, is on something of a high, and by definition The Arsenal are on a high. I have been fortunate enough to get over to the Emirates this season (courtesy of 'Good friend Ticketmaster') and being there articulates something that is harder to get across via the on line fan base. It's not over egging the pudding to say that love is in the air, because it is. The overwhelming feeling of connection and positivity in and around the ground is palpable and it feels good, very good.

Yes the Arsenal are riding high and one would be naive to underestimate this as a factor but its more than that, it's like a new stadium and a new connectivity that you might expect from a club that has just been promoted to the big time, and that's how it feels; that we are taking steps back to the big time and the stadium feels like the right place at the right time.

I think it's fair to say that Arsenal supporters don't indulge in repulsive chants about Hillsborough or Munich. don't throw bananas at players, don't make female fans feel uncomfortable, don't do homophobic chanting, don't smash up team coaches or make the stadium uncomfortable for people of colour. I'm not saying we are perfect, no one is, and the chants associated with Tottenham Hotspur and Judaism feel outdated and offensive, but we haven't gone down the road of the recent revival of toxic masculinity.

Nowhere is that more evident than on-line. The Arsenal has the largest on-line presence of any club and this enable some high quality Blogs and Podcasts to thrive, however this also encourages click baiters (I'm thinking Talksport in particular) and opposition fans to give full reign to their innermost Bernard Manning. 

Unfortunately many clubs have Qwerty Cowboys and some of the things I've seen written to and about footballers, their families and the clubs they play for is downright immoral not to mention offensive. Hating your rivals is any easy phrase, and I'm pretty sure that when one reflects, it's not really hate in the truest sense, and its part and parcel of being a supporter but boundaries are boundaries and I am glad that we seem more boundaried at the Emirates.

Being the most historied club in the most cosmopolitan city in the country definitely helps with the ambience but that doesn't make us any less passionate than other team's supporters from hotbeds of the beautiful games. What it feels like from my point of view is that the passion and fervour is being channeled into a positivity that has been absent for too long. 

Our Replica shirts are everywhere, notably at the Notting Hill carnival, our Adidas clothing and kit looks great our stadium is sold out, our media is spot on, from the great programme covers to our support for local businesses campaigns, our ex players and fans in the business  are in fine voice across TV and Radio (Alex Scott,  Ian Wright, Amy Lawrence  and  Laura Woods wear their Arsenal hearts on their sleeves) and we even have a new anthem in Louie Dunsford's emotional and rousing North London Forever, which is belted out, along with individual players songs of striking originality by the self styled Ashburton Army, a group of younger fans who raise the roof of the Clock End each week. Our women's team is doing well and the stadium fills with support, which shows that the connectivity is there across the club, we also have gigs at the Stadium, with The Killers selling the place out, even Tony Adams is brightening up Saturday nights.

Confidence is high.

How to encapsulate all this, well  i'll quote the always excellent Clive Palmer; "it feels like the love is back"