Loyalty is to the club.
theblues is right, their loyalty is to the club, rather than the players, but also, Wenger hasn't gone out and just bought established world stars for a ton of cash; he's actually developed his squad. Most of the foreign players he's brought in have risen to prominence while at Arsenal, so the fans get to see them grow and have affection grow alongside them. Henry was a diffident winger for Juve and a part-time attacker for a French team recognised as having no forwards, Vieira was in Milan's reserve squad, Bergkamp was a known name, but had been shocking at Inter, Anelka had his best times there and now the likes of Toure, Fabregas and Van Persie are blossoming in North London. I guess it makes a difference when you see a player come through. Regardless of what his passport says, it feels like he's "from" Arsenal.
I can understand that train of thought. I agree a lot of players have blossomed and taken their game to a new level while at Arsenal. They are definitely a lot of fun to watch. Since I am not Brittish I was just wondering, so thanks for the insight. I can see why they are loyal to the club, as they bring a high quality of play year after year. Wenger is a top notch coach and apparantly he has great respect from his players as well.
It's like Seinfeld says, "you root for the uniform." Those are excellent points that Mr Bismarck makes: Wenger finds very good players and turns them into world class ones with a team ethic. While I was sad to see Bergkamp go, as he was the last player to bridge to the Famous Back Four era (Tony Adams always my favorite player), I continue to support Arsenal, even though many of the current squad are still somewhat unknown to me. I do like what I see in Rosicky, Fabregas, Adebayor and van Persie, and they definitely play a much more international style of football than Chelsea, Liverpool or ManU, who despite their enormous international talent, still mostly play in the English style: (1) take a large physical forward and have him wreak havoc up front (2) have sharp shooting midfielders take shots from 20+ yards or (3) put long crosses into the box. Aresenal tend to try to create opportunities by building at midfield like a Spanish or Italian side. They still could be a little more adventurous up front, and they are not yet solid at the back, but they are starting to gel, and things are progressing nicely. Should be a great season!
