The Arsenal Supporters’ Trust warns there could be up to 10,000 empty seats at Emirates Stadium for Saturday’s game against Hull City as “apathy” spreads throughout the club’s fanbase.
The Gunners have fallen 12 points behind leaders Chelsea after successive defeats to the Blues and Watford, with manager Arsene Wenger under mounting pressure to prove his team can compete at home and abroad.
Wenger yesterday called for unity among supporters — even urging to be more like Tottenham fans in getting behind their team — after one was pictured at Stamford Bridge with a banner declaring “Enough is enough — time to go”, calling for him to step down.
Last season, Arsenal fans organised a protest ahead of a home game against Norwich urging Wenger to resign but the crowd was divided with some holding up signs while others sang the Frenchman’s name in response.
The familiar sight of a title challenge turning into another scramble to finish in the top four combined with a daunting task against Bayern Munich in the Champions League knockout stage next week — when they will seek to avoid a last-16 exit for the seventh consecutive season — means many fans will vote with their feet, according to AST spokesman Tim Payton.
“With the composition of the fanbase these days, the most likely protest will be in the form of empty seats,” he told Standard Sport.
“Fans I talk to are extremely frustrated but there is no great desire for organised protest aimed directly at Arsene Wenger given all he has achieved at the club and the result is that many fans simply can’t face going every week. Add in the fact it is a lunchtime kick-off on a cold weekend at the start of half-term against modest opposition and the crowd could be 10,000 below capacity.”
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