Arsenal FC: The Pride of London

Great stuff as always mate! Love the update, as they are deep words there! Great nomination the SoTM

2013-09-24 16:57#135760 Pauker : Great stuff as always mate! Love the update, as they are deep words there! Great nomination the SoTM

Cheers Jeremy! Nice to be nominated for the first time

2013-09-24 16:57#135759 wellsy1498 : Quality absolute quality

Cheers Matt

2013-09-24 16:57#135759 wellsy1498 : Quality absolute quality

what else can i say..

Thanks for all the support on this story guys!

Today is a very sad day for both myself, Arséne, thousands of Japanese fans and Nagoya Grampus the club. Arséne and I have been informed that the club is in serious debt and there is a good chance that the club will shut down. In case you don't know about the history myself and Arséne have with Nagoya, let me explain.

It was back in 1994 that the relationship between Nagoya and myself started. Before then I was playing in France, for Marseille but something attracted me to Japan. Can you guess what it was? It wasn't the beautiful ladies or the technology, it wasn't even the club or the money, but it was Arséne himself. I had seen what he was doing at the club while in France and in my mind, I was determined to be a part of his vision, to help him fulfill his vision. When I spoke to Wenger before boarding the plane, I knew I was making the right decision, a decision that would be life changing, and so it was. Where is the evidence of that? Well, I made 184 appearances for the club, scoring 57 goals. I worked under one of the best, if not the best manager in the world. I played alongside Gary Lineker, my very good friend. I retired as a player there in 2001 and from then on, the club found a place in my heart.

After some rough times in my life, seven years later I was re-united with the love of my life, Nagoya as I took over as the manager. We had our ups and downs but when we both look back at what we went through, what we achieved, and a legacy we created, we can be very proud. Now for Arséne, he will feel the same way as me. It was at Nagoya Grampus where his managerial career really kicked off. It was at Nagoya Grampus that Arsenal became interested in him. Without Nagoya, there would be no link whatsoever between Arsenal and Arséne. This means there would be no link between myself and Arsenal.

Nagoya going bust completely and shutting down would be a terrible thing for many. Players would be jobless, staff too. It will affect almost everyone who has a tiny link with the club, whether you're a stake holder or just a fan. For me personally, it will break my heart to see the club have to shut down, therefore Arséne, Gary and myself have come up with a plan. Each month, we send the club some money to try and improve their financial situation. We're hoping that by doing this, we can help the club stay alive. We will not ask for any donations as we believe that is an unprofessional thing to do, but we have urged the Nagoya fans and the whole of Japan to support the club and to try and save the club. We know that the economy these days are tough but we all must fight hard to survive.

I'm proud to announce that operation save Nagoya has begun!

Lets all help and save a great club.

£1 for Nagoya anyone

As usual great update

It's a conspiracy for a scam ;)!

Haha! Thanks guys for the comments and thanks for 5000 views

I must say Seni this story deserves so much. You have got a SOTM nomination but I doubt it will end there. This story is QUALITY and I believe it will be remembered as one of the greatest stories this site has seen. It may not have the amount of views some top stories have but that does not matter.

This is soo much better than your Thierry Henry one and well that was bloody brilliant but this well, THIS IS FRICKIN AWESOME. The fact I am an Arsenal fan makes me like it more but tbh if I was a S#rs fan I would love this.

Keep this going Seni and see out FM13 with this top notch story imo the best on the site atm. You have obliterated the competition and you truly deserve to win SOTM and I full expect to be handing over my title as August SOTM winner to you later on tonight. You deserve this so so much so I just pray that you win and well most of all the most important thing is that this story is remembered as a very very good one and trust me, it will

2013-09-30 19:55#136370 wellsy1498 : I must say Seni this story deserves so much. You have got a SOTM nomination but I doubt it will end there. This story is QUALITY and I believe it will be remembered as one of the greatest stories this site has seen. It may not have the amount of views some top stories have but that does not matter.

This is soo much better than your Thierry Henry one and well that was bloody brilliant but this well, THIS IS FRICKIN AWESOME. The fact I am an Arsenal fan makes me like it more but tbh if I was a S#rs fan I would love this.

Keep this going Seni and see out FM13 with this top notch story imo the best on the site atm. You have obliterated the competition and you truly deserve to win SOTM and I full expect to be handing over my title as August SOTM winner to you later on tonight. You deserve this so so much so I just pray that you win and well most of all the most important thing is that this story is remembered as a very very good one and trust me, it will

Wow.......simply wow! Thank you very much for that warm hearted comment Matt. After Henry, I've failed to write a story and actually stick with it. So now that I have finally stuck with one and its getting such recognition and praise, its extremely nice!

How much would you like me to donate lol

*words of Theo Walcott*

In previous years, its been really tough for the club. We've been under heavy criticism from everyone, even our own fans. Its like Arsenal were the number 1 public enemy. The club has been labelled a selling club because numerous key players were sold. Most of the fans turned their backs on us, but some remained loyal, some remained faithful, we want to pay those fans back.

You see, previously, finishing in the top 4 was our trophy, since we were disappointing in all other competitions, especially when it came to the FA Cup and Capital One Cup. Mentally as a player, those defeats were heart breaking. After the defeat to Blackburn, I felt my heart sink and collapse like the Titanic. At that current point, it was the one trophy that we could actually win but we blew it, we were poor, we disappointed our fans yet again.

Unfortunately, many do not realize that these defeats affect us players too, well most of us. Everyone thinks that we don't care because at the end of the week, we get payed our wages, whether we lose, win or draw. This is not the case at Arsenal Football Club, especially regarding myself and a few other players. Despite being players, we are fans too. Just like fans follow all the transfer news concerning the club, so do we. I during the transfer market, I was praying for Arsenal to get the Ozil deal done. Thankfully it happened and it just shows how much of a difference a world class player can make to a team.

The one person I felt for and still feel for the most is Arséne. When we performed badly and disappointed, we hardly got the blame but it was him. After all, in the changing rooms and on the touchline, he constantly encouraged us and tried to motivate us but in all honesty, we just weren't good enough. He was roasted by the media almost every single week. Even the fans were furious with him. That's when speculation about his future at the club began and sadly it lead to him departing the club as the manager. I'm glad I still get to see him around as I owe him a lot.

With the new gaffer, coaches and players, there is a sense of renewed hope around the camp. Everyone is determined to work hard and succeed for the good of the club. This year will be "the year", this year will be "our year", this year will be a year to remember for Arsenal Football Club.

2013-09-30 20:22#136381 Seni : This year will be "the year", this year will be "our year", this year will be a year to remember for Arsenal Football Club.

Starting to sound like a Liverpool fan now ;), anyway some great writing. Awesome story

Another great update. And I think what you said is true, too many people blamed Wenger. Keep it up.