Fed up of being the "overdog"

Arsenal 2 Wigan 1.

The scoreline doesn't even begin to tell the tale. But the last 24 hours have reminded me of the cross one has to bear by being a fan of a so-called "big team".

Here's the potted summary of the game. Arsenal created several gilt-edged chances in the first 30 minutes - and wasted them all. Denny Landzaat then scored a stunning long-range effort - great strike, no complaints - to put Wigan a goal up. In the second half, we had an Adebayor goal disallowed (wrongly) for offside; it happens. Then Wigan's Heskey was felled in the box by Mathieu Flamini: a clear penalty and a possible red card, but neither was given. To add insult to injury, Flamini later receives the ball in an offside position - the linesman's flag stays down - and he delivers a cross for the equaliser. A late Rosicky header completes a turnaround of, shall we say, questionable merit.

The final whistle blows: the debate begins, with fans on both sides trotting out the usual cliches. On the one hand, Wigan supporters claim referees always favour the big teams with big decisions. On the other, Arsenal fans roll out the old aphorism about luck evening out over the course of a season. And phone-in shows such as 606 fan the flames and steer the agenda in whichever direction fits the presenter's own views.

As an Arsenal fan, let me say this: Wigan were hard done by. It was a penalty, definitely; a red card, arguably. But equally, replays showed Adebayor's earlier effort should have made it 1-1, and there's no knowing what would have then happened. And yes, Flamini should have been flagged offside in the build-up to the equaliser, which means the linesman got one right and one wrong; it happens. Ultimately, there were a number of officiating errors; some benefitted us, some Wigan.

However, any objective post-match analysis is quickly overrun by a wave of symapthy for the underdog. Everyone is quick to point out the incidents which counted against the lesser team: the first half chance that Heskey missed (but no mention of Lehmann's fingertip save); the penalty that never was; the offside which was missed. Every story has two sides, but in instances like yesterday only one is ever told.

And God forbid the fans of the "lucky" big team, which has "robbed" the plucky underdog of a richly deserved result, having the temerity to voice their views. Dear, oh dear, no. It's like the Sheriff of Nottingham pointing out that Robin Hood, for all his altruistic intentions, was a thief. No one wants to hear the opinion of the "overdog" (I think I've just invented a word there); if they are heard, they are immediately made to sound like whingeing, or arrogance, or lacking a sense of perspective, or a combination of all three.

But I guess that's our lot in life. You support a big team, you have to learn to deal with the brickbats as well as the bouquets. I accept that, but it doesn't make it any easier to just stand there and take it. And experience has taught me there's no point trying to put forward a logical counter-argument detailing the times when decisions have gone against us, or when we've been denied wins we have "deserved". (After all, why let the facts spoil a good argument?)

So, here goes. All you Wigan fans and Arsenal bashers out there: yes, we won a game we really shouldn't have won. Sport - like life - is like that: deal with it.

And before anyone gets all holier than thou on me, consider this. The difference between a subjective view and a balanced one is this: to have a subjective view, you need to have a chip on your shoulder; to be balanced, you need a chip on both. (If you don't have a chip on your shoulder, you don't really have a view either way.)

Like I said, it's a hard life being the "overdog" when it seems like everyone else wants to gang up on you. A sensible and objective fan (I like to think I'm both) is able to turn the other cheek. But it still hurts when someone hits you just because they're feeling aggrieved.

Anyway, time to move on. Roll on Wednesday and our arch-nemesis, Bolton. I'm preparing my blinkered, one-eyed, chip-on-the-shoulder tirade already ...