The New Murrey and Blue blog

We all know that ‘Loyaulté me lie’ was Richard’s motto, that it means ‘Loyalty binds me’. I often think of it regarding aspects of Richard’s life: loyalty to his brother, to his wife, to the country, to York, to the memory of his father, but is there any similar loyalty that people manifest today?

Well, I was born in Islington and lived so close to the Arsenal stadium that we could hear the crowd cheer when a goal had been scored. I remember them winning the League and Cup double and I was one of the crowd cheering then as they ride their double decker bus around Islington in the seventies.

After having a family, my husband took my sons to the home matches and so my sons also became fans. They remember ‘The Invincibles’, the team that went unbeaten for a whole season.

And just recently they won the Premiership again for the first time in 22 years and came agonisingly close to winning the Champions League too. Other supporters hate Arsenal. They love it when they lose and delighted in their penalty shoot-out defeat in the Champions League final against Paris St Gemain, when the Arsenal player, Gabriel, missed.

The day after that disappointment, Arsenal had a parade in their double decker. Some people thought there wouldn’t be that many fans turn up, since they’d just lost. They were wrong. Around a million and a half were there to cheer them, more than any other such gathering. Also, that day the shirt that was sold more than any other was Gabriel’s, to show him the penalty miss was less important than all his skill over the whole season.

They aren’t the most successful team when it comes to trophies, but their fans are loyal. And when Arsenal do win something it’s even more precious. We’re loyal when they fail, when they play badly, when their unlucky.

I’ve often thought that football matches are (luckily) the nearest thing to a battle that most of us will experience. The fans are loyal to their side and if anyone changes allegiance, they are viewed as a traitor. They have their colours that they proudly wear as the opposing sides battle it out on the pitch. They sing their ‘battle songs’ to urge their side on.  Families are usually on the same side.  The fans support each other in defeat. Can you see any other similarities?