It’s ridiculous really. How is it that a bunch of men who are not in any way related to us, whom we will most likely never meet and who don’t even have one Irish player among them, can provoke such unbridled joy?Long gone are the days when four Irish boys were photographed arriving at Highbury. Three of them – David O’Leary, Liam Brady and Frank Stapleton – would go on to become Arsenal legends and even though Johnny Murphy returned home, he went on to play full-back for the Ireland rugby team. At least the exciting Shamrock Rovers player Victor Ozhianvuna will be joining Arsenal in January 2027, but it was those signings in 1973 that sparked this infatuation.John Murphy, Dave O’Leary, Frank Stapleton and Liam Brady in 1973 after signing for Arsenal This love affair only intensified in the Arsène Wenger years, although, after the Invincibles in 2003-04, little did we think it would be 22 years before the Gooners could celebrate winning the Premier League again. Living in a country where the majority support Liverpool or Man Utd made the ensuing decline worse. When Bayern Munich beat us 5-1 at the Emirates (and 10-2 on aggregate) in 2017, I suggested to an English Gooner next to me that it could be a long time before Arsenal were competing in the Champions League again. He agreed, but countered: “Arsène changed the way I thought about football.”Supporters enjoy when a former player becomes manager and maybe it was no bad thing that Mikel Arteta’s appointment was delayed by the Unai Emery reign until December 2019. Many Arsenal mates doubted him, but I’ve never wanted him out for a second. The club has only had seven full-time managers in the last 60 years. That would represent a settled decade for the likes of Chelsea and Spurs. Now Arsenal have been rewarded for their patience.The dislike, or worse, for Arteta is puzzling. Maybe it’s just that we live in an increasingly rage-fuelled world. But Gooners love his passion, dedication and inspiration, as was manifest in the All or Nothing documentary.The organic outpouring of emotion around Islington on Tuesday night was inspired by the frustration of three successive runners-up finishes, disappointments that had of late made the stadium a torture chamber. Those memorable scenes around the Emirates were moving, as was seeing Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Jurriën Timber and Eberechi Eze emerging from the stadium in the wee small hours. It made you pine for being there. But being made to appreciate what a truly fine side Bournemouth are in Crowe’s pub in Ballsbridge, where Sam is another Gooner, was an increasingly giddy alternative, especially after Adrien Truffert’s superb goal.Before the fraught endgame, my good buddy Ronan, a fellow Gooner who was with me that night against Bayern and for several other low points, had left a business dinner in town to arrive just in time for the celebrations. Chatting with my son Evan, who’s become an even more knowledgeable and passionate Gooner, was emotional. So too was receiving a text from my oldest boy, Dylan, more of a rugby and F1 fan who probably regards our Arsenal obsession as silly. But the devotion has grown stronger over the years. Reading the book Black Arsenal, with the magnificent Ian Wright on the cover, made me proud to support the club. When the camera pans across supporters celebrating after a goal you appreciate that Arsenal are London’s most multicultural and diverse club.It’s funny how supporting a club becomes part of your identity. When the phone unexpectedly lit up on full-time it was full of goodwill messages from fellow Arsenal fans and others – nearly all of them Leeds or Liverpool fans. Like Arsenal, proper clubs.The dislike for Arsenal is also puzzling. They are not an oil-fuelled, nation state plaything. They have the fifth-highest wage bill in the Premier League, and ninth-highest in Europe. They have now emulated Liverpool in being the only clubs to have finished above Manchester City under Pep Guardiola. The Holy Grail has been reached. Arsenal are now in bonus territory, when taking on another sportswashing project in PSG, a club that has the highest wage bill in Europe. PSG have won 12 of the last 14 Ligue 1 titles under their Qatar ownership. Not even their glorious football and that game against Bayern can mask their huge advantage, not to mention Qatar’s human rights record and treatment of migrant workers. By comparison, Arsenal are the good guys.COYG.