Premier League Nonsense

Then he comes home from work one day saying guess what, I got a letter from Bertie Mee. If you don't know who he is you're reading the wrong blog! I was excited with all the excitement a seven year old can muster about his latest hobby.

After dinner I was shown the letter itself. Written on Arsenal headed paper. I had never seen anything like it. The Arsenal badge at the top was slightly bumpy as if extra ink had been used to highlight the sender.

The letter went on to wish me happy birthday, I think, and told me about a few enclosures. Like an Arsenal pennent, an Arsenal rosette and a piece of paper, again with the Arsenal heading, featuring the names and signatures of our first team squad.

To say I was made up was an understatement. That somebody in North London, a place I still called home, had cared enough to scribble off a few lines, pop some souvenirs into an envelope and mail it overseas had me feeling so bloody important. Wow, my name had been spoken in the marble halls...

It was a small touch but an oh so vital one.

Now of course, football has changed beyond recognistion and as you can probably guess from the title of my drivel here I am not the biggest fan of the changes. I guess most of us get more conservative as we age; the olden days we grew up in were the best because it shaped our lives and developed our own personal culture.

Football is now a global industry where players of varying ability parley themselves obscene salaries more than matching captains of industry and the celebrity world. To pander to players clubs need to be more innovative when it comes to raising money to pay these people. One of the ways they do this in England of course is through merchandising, catering and out and out prostitution where anything has its price...like putting your name on your seat?!

I'm fine with that. If clubs are daft enough to fork out stupid money then that's their look out though they need to remember they are just custodians of something far older than them. If fans are happy to fork out on two or three new club shirts per season, plus ones for family members, then bully for them. Never underestimate people's capacity for self delusion, witness American Idol, The Apprentice and queuing to buy an I Pad 2 despite having only just bought the I Pad 1.

But like in any business it is important not to turn your backs on your customer. To take them for granted. To treat them like shit.

Last night I was at the 8th anniversary of the Arsenal Supporters' Club in Indonesia and a big night was planned at their headquarters in leafy Blok M. Special guests were lined up, a special video put together, an amazing cake shaped like the new stadium. A whole heap of work had gone into making the night a special one for the fans of the Arsenal.

All that was missing was any acknowledgement from the club at the heart of the festivities. Despite being told by various officials their anniversary was coming up, despite the fact the the club has a dedicated department overseeing supporters clubs around the world. Despite the fact that Arsene Wenger sends out a personal email each week highlighting his latest excuses for ref bashing, despite the fact that several Arsenal players have Twitter accounts, nobody could be bothered to reply or send a small momento.

How sick is that? That not one person at the Arsenal headquarters saw fit to say congrats, to send a little something says volumes about the game today and their attitude to the people who pay the bills.

Basically the club said 'we don't give a toss. By the way don't forget to buy the new club shirts when they come out.

Arsenal won, 1-0 and the fans celebrated as if they were in the Plimsoll or Gunners, but the fact that there was nothing from the club left a sour taste in manys mouths.

It seems a shame that no one there last night will ever feel the delight I did almost 40 years ago when I got that letter from Bertie Mee. Back then we didn't have so many alternatives for hobbies. Today, people play computer games, they collect hand phones and hand bags, there are many more attractions for their cash. Arsenal, and English football, need to wake up to this fact because an aging fan base, average age of fans is mid 40s and the number of teenagers on the terraces is tiny, is not a good business model despite the current flush of executive boxes and high end catering.

Big clubs are basically saying just shut up and give us your cash.