Why moaning Arsenal fans should be grateful for what they've got

By Ian Holloway

Published 23:00 28/01/12

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Being a football fan isn’t just about cheering your team’s successes.

To be a genuine supporter you have to get behind your club when times are tough as well. That’s why I was sickened to hear Arsene Wenger getting grief at the Emirates when they lost at home to Man United.

Wenger has built one top team after another. He should be bulletproof even if it is now almost seven years since he last won a trophy. There are some Gunners supporters out there who need a ­reality check.

Perhaps they should take a trip to Fratton Park and ask Portsmouth fans whether they would swap their club’s FA Cup ­success for a bit of what Wenger has brought to Arsenal.

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Mario Balotelli's agent has said that his client may be forced to quit English ­football because he is being victimised by referees.

Does he think that Balotelli will be allowed to stamp on heads in Italy or Spain?

Before I am accused of jumping on the anti-Mario bandwagon, please let me say that I like the fella.

I don’t want robots playing our game. I love characters, maverick personalities. They enrich football.

Some of his antics off the pitch – setting off fireworks, giving money to homeless people – have been pure gold. And the finish he produced to open the scoring in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford was genius.

But I was sickened to see him stamp on Tottenham’s Scott Parker last week. Stamping on the head of a ­fellow professional doesn’t make someone a character. It makes them a thug.

I see Lionel Messi get kicked up and down, week-in week-out, and all he does is get up, brush himself down and make the defenders who have tried to hurt him look like mugs. We all saw Pepe deliberately stand on Messi’s hand when Barcelona played Real Madrid the other day.

But there was only one man hurting at the final whistle – and it wasn’t the little ­Argentine genius.

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I went to the funeral of former Bristol Rovers chairman Dennis Dunford this week.

Dennis was an old-fashioned gentleman whose word was his bond. He will be saldy missed by everyone who knew him.

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