RSSGoodplaya survey results: Readers are obsessives who want Eboue to behave
A WHILE ago Goodplaya readers responded en masse when I launched the first ever Goodplaya survey.
The results were interesting and I can only apologise for not getting round to publishing them until now.
The stand-out findings?
-65% of you reckon you care about Arsenal too much.
-43% of you write Arsenal games in your diary.
-Over 80% find Eboue’s behaviour unacceptable.
-Adebayor enjoys widespread backing.
So, without further ado, I’m just going to run through the questions in the order they appeared, starting with general ones and then going on to questions about the players. The rest of the survey will follow in a few days.
The General Ones
The majority of readers are either aged 21-30 (35%) or 31-40 (26%). 13% are aged 18-22, 16% 41-50 and 6% 51-60. There are a few older than 60 and a few younger than 18 too.
78% of you are working, 13 per cent at uni, and those at school, college and retired make up between 2 and 3% each. A more sensitive blogger probably would have included categories such as “unemployed” or “unable to work” or “carer” or just “other”. Apologies.
Now, an interesting one. I asked how old you were when you started supporting Arsenal. 10% said it was before you were four, 27% aged 5-8 (like me), 20% 9-12, 13% 13-16, 12% 17-20, 12% 21-30, 3% 30-40 and 2.5% of you over 40.
14% of you are season ticket-holders, 9% go to away games, 9% go to most home games, 8% to half of home games and 21% to a couple a season.
26% have never been to a game. 20% went to Highbury but have not been to the Emirates and 6% have been to the Emirates but not to Highbury.
13% went to the Champions League final, 6% to the UEFA Cup final in 2000, 7% went to one of the European Cup Winners Cup Finals and 3% went to Anfield in 1989.
Goodplaya readers know their Arsenal history. Just 11% have been supporting the club for under 5 years. 35% have followed the team for 6-15 years, 24% for 16-25 years, 22% for 26 to 40 years, 7% for over 40 years and 0.5% can even claim to be fans for over 60 years. I salute you.
One reader first saw Arsenal when George Allison was boss. He left the club in 1947, having replaced the great Herbert Chapman in 1934. That’s a long time ago.
16% of readers were born in north London, 12% in the rest of London, 16% in the rest of southern England, 12% in the rest of the UK, 9% in the rest of Europe, 12% in North America, 14% in Asia, 4% in both Africa and Australasia and just a couple in South America.
Around a third of those born in North London are now living elsewhere - mostly in the rest of the UK. Three quarters of you read the site at home and 57% at work. 5% read it on your mobile and just a few of you in an internet cafe.
A third of you check the site every morning (admirable given the infrequency of posts), while 6% only check it when you’re bored at work. Thanks. I take it that when you filled in the survey your boredom was verging on suicidal.
84% of you reckon Goodplaya is one of the better Arsenal blogs. Thanks. To most of you.
99% of you always know when we are playing, while 92% will check for updates during the game if you can’t watch it live. 88% of you will always know the score within half an hour of the final whistle, which makes little sense given the previous statement.
On the obsessiveness front, 43% of you write games into your diary to avoid clashes, while 65% of you reckon you sometimes care too much about Arsenal. I am not alone I see.
Half of you first went to a game with family, 31% with friends, 16% on your own and three of you on a corporate do.
The Players
When looking at the following responses, bear in mind responses were given around the 8th of November - shortly before the Reading game.
At the time, 63% thought Jens was an embarrassment who should be sold. Just 18% actively disagreed. But just 13% agreed Almunia would become a world class keeper. I wonder if that has changed.
89% agreed Gael Clichy was now as good as Ashley Cole. Just 5% disagreed (the rest neither agreed nor disagreed).
83% said Gallas had redeemed himself, with just 2% disagreeing. Fans were split on whether Senderos would be a star. 22% said yes, 36% said no, while 42% sat on the fence.
As many were unsure about Djourou. But 50% thought he would be a star, with just 9% actively disagreeing. Only 13% of you reckoned you thought Hleb should have been sold in the summer.
Just 8% of you share James Lawton’s distress over Cesc’s petulance, with 78% unfussed. At the time 41% thought Flamini would be a star, 37% were not sure either way and 21% said no he would not.
A vast majority of you agreed with the statement “Eboue’s behaviour is unacceptable”. In all 81% backed that statement, with 47% saying they “agree strongly”. I picked out that statement in the headline not because of my own views but because with the exception of the Gael Clichy one, it was the question that drew the starkest response.
Half of you did not think Gilberto had had his time, with 27% thinking he had and the rest unsure. Just 17% thought Diaby would never fit in, though 29% were unsure either way.
As many - 27% - thought Alex Song could play centre-back as those who thought he could not. The rest did not know. Just 12% backed him as a midfielder, 59% disagreeing. Two thirds of readers thought Diarra wasted at right-back.
Just 16% said Theo should be starting - 54% disagreed and the rest were unsure. Just 18% thought Adebayor was not good enough, with over three times as many 63% saying he was.
And that concludes the first set of results from the Goodplaya survey. More to follow soon.
3 January 2008 at 2:05 am
Well, it’s nice to know that I am not alone in the big wide world. The most interesting stat is that only 56% of your viewers are from the UK. If 12% of your readers (like me) are from North America, it really shows the reach that AFC has now.
Although I consider myself an obsessive, I am only a recent one. Like a lot foreign Arsenal fans, I was introduced to the team via Nick Hornby about seven years ago. After reading the book, I looked up the team on their web site and began paying attention more and more. Like the college student who is curious what drugs are like who eventually drops out of school and turns into a street junkie, this team has, to some degree, derailed a serious portion of my life.
Although Arsenal is still very much a North London team, its international reach is really underestimated by many of its English supporters. Thierry Henry (in the old O2 kits) appears in Gillette razor commercials during NBA games on TV, I see Cesc Fabregas on posters in the Fox Sports Building on Santa Monica Boulevard, and our satellite radio provider now broadcasts all the Arsenal games live. I know the team is reluctant to go on international tours, but I do think they would be shocked to see the reaction if they ever played in the States.
3 January 2008 at 2:35 am
[...] Here’s another interesting post I read today by Goodplaya - Another Arsenal Blog [...]
3 January 2008 at 2:49 am
I was born in north london but came to los angeles 20 years ago in my early 20’s. i went to paris 2 years ago and have been to the emirates. i would love the gooners come out here on tour. if chelski can come why cant the reds. they would be amazed at the crowd they would pull
up the arse
daz
3 January 2008 at 2:59 am
Eric, I guess I view the American Gooner contingent in mixed light. I’m from London, but I am now based in America for work commitments. When I go to sports bars to watch matches, it slightly disturbs me to be lumped in with all the other American Arsenal fans. We’re not on the same page in terms of passion for the club. I suppose it’s not a fair comparison, seeing that I grew up Red and White…
3 January 2008 at 3:02 am
Eboue is an actor no doubt but a humorous one, in addition to his good dribbling and 1-2 senses, i really can’t find any negatives about him. Perhaps a little more support could just turn his near misses into hits.
3 January 2008 at 3:10 am
[...] unknown wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptSo, without further ado, I’m just going to run through the questions in the order they appeared, starting with general ones and then going on to questions about the players. The rest of the survey will follow in a few days. … [...]
3 January 2008 at 3:27 am
I visit goodplaya frequently and I’m from Malaysia. Arsenal is awesome, in fact I believe there are a few others from AFCSM (Arsenal Football Club Supporters Malaysia) who visit your page frequently.
Good site, and thanks for the player ratings and stats.
3 January 2008 at 3:29 am
I only started following Arsenal seriously 7 years ago, since my family is divided by Pools and Mancs. I don’t know why I don’t have the interest in both of them. After that when I moved out to my own house and get my own satellite dish, I really got stuck with Arsenal. Here in Malaysia, Arsenal fans are growing in numbers especially from the younger generation. I’ve never been to Highbury nor Emirates, but I haven’t miss a televised match. Hopefully one day, I can get a chance to watch the game at the Emirates.
3 January 2008 at 4:13 am
Here’s one - my son was born in N4, moved to America age 4, just received his 4th Arsenal replica kit for Xmas from his Godparents who still live in Finsbury Park. (He thinks American Footballers smash into each other because their helmets obstruct their vision.) Will he grow up with a passion for the Arse here in America because Van Persie, Walcott or Bendtner will be in a Gillette advert some day? Will his obsessiveness (passion?) match that of the mates and cousins he left behind? Little chance of that I’d wager; he’s just not surrounded by it. But one never knows. He does mention on occassion that “Tottenham are rubbish.”
3 January 2008 at 4:46 am
Joe Gunner-
If your point is that the passion for a North London team is higher in North London than it is 5000 miles from North London….uh OK. You win that argument.
That being said, I would bet there will be more people in L.A. following the Arsenal Tottenham game next week than there will be in London following the UCLA/USC basketball game 10 days later.
3 January 2008 at 4:55 am
Eric, you say that your addiction for Arsenal grew little by little. For me it was something more akin to a religious conversion. One rainy autumn day shortly after I had moved to Europe I looked up at the television in a pub and understood what god intended when s/he invented football. Blame St. Arsene.
3 January 2008 at 5:38 am
Hard to say, Frankie. I guess it depends what else he’s into as he grows up. I know that here among the indie-rockers and college-age kids of Seattle, football (and Arsenal) is much cooler than any other sport- in fact, it’s probably not cool to be into other sports. But if he gets into “normal” American life, there may not be hope for him…
As for me, I went to London and came back an Arsenal fan. I also went to Berlin and came back a Hertha Berlin fan. Sometimes it turns out better than others…
3 January 2008 at 5:42 am
for me, eboue need to change the bad attitude.. or get him some boxing club… lol..
check this out..
http://the-gunners-1886.blogspot.com/
thanks and happy new year
3 January 2008 at 5:44 am
As one of the 0.5% at 60 years plus I’ve often wondered how many others spend too much time thinking about the Arsenal. 65%? It’s impossible to spend TOO much time. These days it’s certainly better than thinking about sex…yes, you’re right, at 65 maybe nobody should really be thinking about sex. :o(
3 January 2008 at 5:49 am
when Australia qualified for the world cup i became a crazy football fan, i always liked football but wasnt passionate about it. after the worldcup i looked at the primier league name sheet and picked arsenal becaus the name sounded cool since then i have been a crazy arsenal supporter.
3 January 2008 at 7:55 am
Well, I suppose everyone has to start somewhere. I’m from deepest darkest hertfordshire and started supporting Arsenal before I was 5 because my best mate at the time was an Arsenal fan. I’m now 28 and spend £3-4000 a year watching Arsenal home and away and all around Europe.
I’ve had some of the best (and worst) days of my life watching Arsenal and can’t wait for the next game so I get another fix.
As for the people who want to see Arsenal tour, Chelsea do it for the money, Arsenal go to Austria to get fit. I know what one I’d rather they do.
3 January 2008 at 10:13 am
Excellent stats. I love this kind of info.
My favourite stat is that 14% are from Asia, which is 2nd highest after 16% north London and 16% southern England.
This just proves what all the marketing companies and analysts have been saying about the importance of Asia in the business of sports!
3 January 2008 at 10:19 am
It’s also worth remembering that in England there are many other ways to follow Arsenal without relying on the internet - ie newspapers, just talking to friends, people at school, college etc…
3 January 2008 at 10:54 am
I am now 46 and started to support Arsenal on the FA Cup run in 1971. My support was permanently cemented the moment Charlie George hit that rocket in the top corner to win the double. My brother and I used to re-enact that goal, complete with Brian Moore’s commentary, on my mum and dad’s bed (me being Ray Clemence diving helplessly to my right). I still can’t watch that goal today without getting emotional. I probably need counselling…
3 January 2008 at 12:55 pm
exiled - was that goal not in the bottom corner?
3 January 2008 at 3:32 pm
Let’s say it dipped wickedly from top to bottom! It actually hit the net half way between ground and crossbar. Funny, I watched it again last year on DVD and it was closer in than I had imagined.
3 January 2008 at 3:49 pm
Nice to see that kind of info.
Btw I grew up in Dominica a country whose population would not fill the emirates.
At 7:50 every morning BBC sports roundup would be on the radio and I’d be listening for any Arsenal news.
That changed in 1993 the first time I saw an Arsenal game on TV vs Sheffield United.
Now I live 5 Minutes from the Emirates, still no season ticket yet, but I go to as many games I can get tickets for.
3 January 2008 at 5:20 pm
Gooner for 60 years,
I have just passed 60. Does that mean I have only got 5 more years to think about sex?
3 January 2008 at 10:04 pm
I’m 42. I was born in London and I live in London (admittedely grew up in Kent and went to Uni in Bristol) and I had my ‘Nick Hornby moment’ at my first visit to Highbury at an Arsenal v Leeds game in the 1970’s. We won 1-0 back in the days when boring boring Arsenal was definitely not ironic. I was a season ticket holder at Highbury and now I’m one at the Emirates. Sadly I have too many work and family commitments to go to away games (roughly translated that means I can push it only so far with my wife)
As far as I am concerned that just makes me one of the lucky ones. I think its brilliant that Arsenal have such a world wide fanbase. Its a tribute to the team(s) that Wenger has built and the style they play and its a monument to our proud history and tradition…so hello to all my extended family.
4 January 2008 at 12:13 am
I’d definitely prefer that Arsenal do their normal preseason tour to get ready for the season, rather than to make money, but that doesn’t mean somewhere in my selfish heart I didn’t hope that Arsenal would somehow end up in Denver when that partnership with the Rapids was announced. My parents live there. Who knows when else I’d get a chance to see them?
But yes, Austria’s a better idea…
4 January 2008 at 3:19 am
These are the facts, Arsenal:
• Has tradition
• Plays the most entertaining football in the EPL if not Europe
• Is set to become the top Football Club in the world when 2008 financial results are revealed
• Has one of the best football stadium in Europe which is filled to capacity week after week whether they play the number one team or the youth team
• Has a waiting list for season ticket of more than 15000
• Has the most astute/innovative/visionary team manager
Living half-way around the world, I am very envious of England based Arsenal supporters who can witness in the flesh this fantastic team and not having to watch live game at some god forsaken time (usually between 1 AM and 5 AM - not that it matters but my wife is threatening to divorce me …).
The good thing is that I am reaching retirement age and I will indulge (ten things before you die…) in my passion and be there with my fellow gooners for a year long support in Europe next year.
4 January 2008 at 3:55 am
duck from Malaysia (no.7), i will have to correct you on your views about “there are a few others from AFCSM (Arsenal Football Club Supporters Malaysia) who visit your page”. I believe there are a lot more (not a few)arsenal fans from malaysia frequent this blog, one of them is myself and I do forward the blog link to my other friends/colleagues who are also arsenal supporters and yes they read. We in fact discuss/exchange e-mails about our own views on articles written here.
Kudos to goodplaya for the blog and pls keep it up. i’m representing obsessed arsenal supporters from Malaysia who have arsenal heartbeat in us. p/s i remember anders limpar too well.
4 January 2008 at 6:14 am
Ros
:o) Just make sure it doesn’t get in the way of thinking about Arsenal!
4 January 2008 at 10:38 pm
Here we are after 21 games and only 2 points ahead of a very poor Man United team. If we had shown any interest and effort against Blackburn, Boro, Portsmouth and Newcastle, we would be cruising by now. But no… We’ve got key players like Alex Song going off to the ACN with NO backup, NO plan ‘B’ and NO youth coming through. All we get is has beens like David Beckham to train with us. We’re going to get shredded by Spurs in the Carling Cup and, with Ade Akimbiyi in their forward line, I don’t have a good feeling about Burnley away either. Stop this wanton destruction of the club I love. Wenger has got to go. Does he know ANYTHING about football? And sack the board who’ve wasted pots of money on that dreary stadium and fired David Dein, the soul of Arsenal. Honestly, this season is driving me to distraction.
4 January 2008 at 11:53 pm
Glass half empty…
Do so hope you are taking the piss. If not, obviously the previous two seasons drove you waaay past distraction.
5 January 2008 at 1:12 am
Great little analysis, some really great stuff in there. I particularly liked the fact that most people are grateful for Adebayor’s contribution. I spend a lot of time on my blog defending his efforts and it’s great to see so many people understanding his impact on the side.
Also great to see so many experienced supporters making their way onto this blog, Goodplaya. It’s full credit to your writing that most of the people on here are the cream of the crop, so to speak, of Arsenal supporters. In the end, that’s part of the reason why commenting on this blog is so enjoyable - 99% of the time you get tied up in a nice little debate.
All the best.
5 January 2008 at 9:05 am
GF60Y,
Yeah it was a tongue-in-cheek post. Some Gooners will never be happy…
5 January 2008 at 1:55 pm
Eric, it is informative to learn the interest in L.A. with respect to the Gunners. I don’t quite know how one goes about comparing passions relating to a sport. But, if following Arsenal on a daily basis constitutes passion, then I am seriously struck with the disease.
Like you I am an North American. A Canadian in fact. I lived and worked in England for a period of eight years where I picked up my interest in Arsenal among a bevy of Man U, Leeds, and Liverpool supporters. Few supported Arsenal in that neck of the woods. Among some of my dear English mates I kept my ‘passion’ for Arsenal hidden for fear of insulting them. If the truth were known I attended games at Old Trafford and Leeds with my mates never revealing the fact that I was a closet Arsenal supporter. It is very difficult to fein a cheer for a team that one does not in reality love.
Now, I am sixty-six years of age. I should know better but I cannot help myself. Not only am I a passionate Arsenal supporter but I also enjoy Hockey, Basketball, and Football. In the latter regard, Peyton Manning’s performances are rarely missed in my household. In addition, all the games of the Vancouver Canucks are viewed in my home.
I must add my association with a local Man U supporter with whom I frequently view matches and swig beer.
All of this sounds a bit like the confessions of a sports addict. Gads!
6 January 2008 at 10:15 pm
I grew up in Aubert Court, avenall road and my first crystal memory is May 1979, a dog wearing an arsenal shirt in memory of the mighty alan sunderland… we used to watch the games from the roof of the flats til they built the exec boxes, unfortunately for me, travel, work etc… has taken me away from the center of the world since the invincibles season and I have not made a match since then, much to my chagrin, the entire family are gooners despite living from hong kong to LA….one for the oldies….
Bertie Mee said to Bill Shankly have you heard of the North Bank Highbury and Bill said YES they’re the greatest and the best cause they all follow the ARSENAL - keep going goodplaya - arsenal til we die…..
27 March 2008 at 4:06 am
make money at home from taking surveys online…
Instead, put on your most comfortable shoes and take a walk. Even better, grab your dog’ s leash and take him with you. It has been proven that up to three times as many people stick with their walking program if they do it for their dog’ s well- b…