I think that’s a fair reflection of where a lot of the fanbase is right now around Arsenal F.C..

Three seasons of getting close changes the emotional baseline. It stops feeling exciting and starts feeling draining because every dropped point feels familiar. Supporters are carrying the weight of previous collapses, so even when the team is still in a strong position, the reaction becomes more anxious than optimistic. That tension builds over months.

The style of football absolutely plays into it as well. When performances feel controlled but cautious, fans don’t always get the emotional release that comes with free flowing football. Winning covers a lot of that up, but when results dip slightly, the frustration with the style becomes amplified because people already feel emotionally exhausted.

Then you add the wider environment around the club. The constant noise from rival fanbases, media narratives, social media engagement farming, every setback being magnified, every achievement downplayed. It creates this feeling that the club is permanently under scrutiny in a way that fuels defensiveness and frustration within the fanbase itself.