What did she wear?

We’re going to Wembley (again)! One more game against lesser opposition and we will have ended the trophy drought and Wenger can leave on a high (I am convinced he plans to hang up his sleeping-bag coat at the end of the season). Yet, the media have been on top form this morning trying to dampen any shred of joy we may have. Let’s face it, we were crap.

Until the 70th minute only Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ramsey and possibly Arteta really seemed interested in the game and when Kieran Gibbs finally injected a bit of pace and energy into the team it was so nearly too little too late, thank god for the BFG. So, a rubbish game and a worrying performance - we certainly won’t get away with that in the final. But, and here’s the important bit, we made it. So what’s wrong with celebrating after a tense game? Well, everything according to vast sections of the English media.

In a scathing and quite frankly unprofessional article in the ironically named ‘Independent’, Michael Calvin (who?) launched a personal attack on Wenger, writing:

“The bags beneath his eyes are more pronounced than ever. His facial skin is as pale and creased as ancient parchment. His jerky movements in moments of alarm of frustration gave an indication of the internal struggle.”

Is he trying to suggest Wenger is mentally ill? Suffering from tourettes? I couldn’t believe it had made it past the editor to be honest, but what’s really worrying is that this article is all too common.

He then goes on to write:

“The frantic celebration of their defeat by Arsenal's players was telling; even Championship opposition are intimidating these days.”

Err, it’s not like the game meant anything else of some significance is it? It’s not like a) we’d won on penalties which in any competition against any side always provokes raw emotion/relief and b) we’d reached the final of football’s oldest cup competition. The article can be found here: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/the-calvin-report-boos-show-fans-dont-trust-arsne-wenger-any-more-9256722.html 

Roy Keane as well was guilty of this ridiculous and laughable assumption that Arsenal players were simply celebrating a victory over Wigan. Interesting how he was as involved as any in the 2004 FA Cup final celebrations over Millwall who were by all accounts far weaker opposition than Wigan were yesterday. I could kind of sympathise with what he was saying when he said ‘they should celebrate after winning the final’ but to be honest, the celebrations weren’t even that bad. It is common football protocol to all stand on the halfway line watching penalties and then mob the final kick taker in the event of a victory, it happens in all rounds of every competition in world football, regardless of the opposition.

Following this, the players did a lap of the pitch thanking the fans and throwing their shirts to a lucky few. Perhaps the one slightly harrowing moment was Aaron Ramsey and Santi Cazorla taking another infamous selfie, but that’s harmless. I mean, Keane’s acting as if the final whistle went after a comfortable 3-0 victory in a league game and the fans proceeded to do a pitch invasion whilst Per Mertesacker collapsed on the Wembley turf with tears of joy. 

That aside, I thought it was a thoroughly enjoyable day at Wembley. The fans were fantastic and kept behind the team for the whole 120 minutes, even when the performance was drab. There was also a lot more integration between Gooners on the trains and tube I felt. Usually at the Emirates whilst travelling everyone keeps themselves to themselves, there may be a cursory nod between fans if they’re both travelling from a considerable distance but it’s rare. Yet, walking across the bridge from Wembley Stadium Station, there was a fantastic moment when a roar went up when one fan announced Tottenham were 3-0 down, before another bigger roar when she announced Adebayor had missed a penalty. Carry that into a few more home matches and the Emirates may start to feel a bit more like ‘home’.

I for one cannot wait for the final, and expect/pray that result will give our league campaign a much needed boost. Realistically we’re going to need five wins out of five to beat Everton to fourth which is absolutely crucial for our continued development as a club. With United coming back into the fray next season, the Europa League is not a burden we can be dealing with. The media will do all they can to spoil our party and turn everything into an opportunity to slag off Wenger, but hopefully the vast majority of our fans can see that - even if they’re sick of his methods - days like yesterday are not a fair or appropriate time to be voicing it.

You may, as I have, begun to tire of his stubbornness in the transfer markets and undying faith in players that are not delivering, but in an FA Cup semi final, accusing him of not sufficiently motivating his players is ridiculous. If any of the players walking out of that Wembley tunnel were ‘struggling for motivation’ then they need to take a long hard look at themselves and their footballing career. Wenger may have a lot of blame to shoulder for this season’s failings but yesterday is not one of them. Hell, we won didn’t we? You wouldn’t know it given some of the headlines flying about this morning. 

Onto the final now and the final five games of our league season where unusually it is Everton we are fighting for fourth with and not Tottenham, i.e. we cannot rely on a choke. At the end of the season will be the time to assess Wenger’s performance if he doesn’t step aside voluntarily - which I think he will. Please, just for once, would everyone get off the team’s back and actually take some enjoyment from reaching our first FA Cup final since 2005? We could win the thing and some would still turn it into a reason to slag him off. In fact, I can see the headlines now: ‘Arsenal end their trophy drought, but is it nine years too late for Wenger’s career?’ It’s bound to happen. I just hope - if we are to win it, and judging by yesterday it is by no means a fait accompli - that there’s enough rational, sane Arsenal fans out there to make sure they’re not able to spoil it, something the press and small sections of our fanbase would love nothing more than to do.

@natshaughnessy8Tell us what you think! If you agree, or have a different view, please leave a comment in the comments section or why not write a response or your own article on YouWrite?

Think you know Arsenal? Test your Arsenal knowledge on our trivia page and see if you can beat the top score.

Don't forget to like us on Facebook, add us to your G+ circle and follow us on Twitter.