Arsenal protesters were drowned out by fans who back Arsene Wenger... the Emirates stadium regulars realise that their current 'crisis' is nothing to be sneered at

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After years of simmering dissatisfaction, months of social media barracking, and several weeks of high-profile banner-waving, Saturday was meant to be it. The revolution.

Twitter was awash with furious Arsenal fans announcing, somewhat gleefully, that the game against Norwich was the moment the backlash would really be felt. 'Time for Change', was the message. Arsene Wenger's days in charge were entering their final chapter.

In the end, it amounted to a few hundred pieces of A4 paper, a tiny bit of chanting, and a much, much louder counter-chant backing the Frenchman.

A few Arsenal fans hold up A4 signs calling for change, but they were met with a larger counter-protest

The banners at the game, and the noise on social media, had suggested that Wenger was deeply unpopular

For those people who live in the bubble of social media and who have conflict amplified for them on a daily basis, it came as quite a shock.

But, when it comes down to it, the majority of Arsenal fans - or at least the vast majority of those who actually attend games - are firmly behind their long-serving manager.

Again, for those who see the club only through the internet this might be surprising. The arguments against Wenger's leadership have been made repeatedly, even, some would say, conclusively.

But, when put into context, they simply don't hold for the majority of stadium-going fans - particularly those who remember the years before Wenger.

It would be wrong to say Arsenal, as a modern club, were built by the Frenchman. That is going too far. George Graham won two titles in the decade before Wenger arrived, and two major cups.  

Wenger took over one of the most successful, and one of the richest, teams in English football. 

But what he has achieved in the last 20 years not only eclipses the decades before he arrived, it also makes him, by far, the most successful manager in the history of the club. 

But supporters at the ground demonstrated on Saturday that Wenger still has the backing of a large majority

Arsenal fans showed their support for the manager who has been in charge of thier club for almost 20 years

He won two doubles. He reached a first European Cup final. He revolutionised the culture of the club. He even did the unthinkable, going a full league season unbeaten. Then he presided over a new stadium being built.

All the while, he turned down countless offers from other clubs, displaying loyalty and belief, even when he could have had greater resources - personally and for his team - elsewhere. 

For some Arsenal fans, all of the above is enough to ensure he should never be sacked. Certainly, it seems to be enough for the board to give him the job for as long as he wants it.

But that is not why the majority stood up and sang his name on Saturday. Past successes ensure he is respected by most, but is not really a reason for him to stay.

The reality is that most fans recognise that, while he may be panned in the press and slated online, Wenger, right now, is doing a reasonably good job. Not perfect, sure. But not bad.

Fans have become used to the mocking jokes about 'top four trophies', but ask Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho or Brendan Rodgers - Champions League qualification year after year is not easy.

It isn't enough to delight, few at the club celebrate wildly when it happens, but neither is maintaining a place in Europe's elite something to be sneered at. 

Wenger gesticulates on the touchline as his side beat Norwich to all but cement another top four finish

Wenger remains popular at the Emirates, not just for his past achievements but for his side's consistency

In the past decade Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United have thrown huge sums of money at title challenges - billions of pounds on transfer fees and wages coming out of budgets that are almost literally unlimited. 

Sometimes of works of course - if you have enough monkeys and typewriters, you will eventually get Shakespeare. But it's not a sensible way to go about writing poetry.

Wenger has had some money to play with, and has not always spent it wisely, but finishing in the top four every year when the clubs around you have such absurd resources cannot, by any standards, be considered underachieving. On Saturday, we learned that the majority of the Emirates crowd recognise this. 

They want more trophies, of course they do. There has been an aching sense of emotion around the ground this season as fans urge their team to win the title, without truly believing, for the most part, that they will. 

Wenger is the most successful manager, in terms of trophies won, in the history of Arsenal

But they also know that things could be a lot worse. 

Arsenal are enjoying the best two-decade period in their history, with more trophies even than the glory days of the 1930s. But take out the first 10 years of Wenger's time in charge, and only consider what some call the 'barren years'. It's still not that bad. 

Clubs enjoying sustained success often look to overspend, convinced the good times will never end. Leeds United did it, chasing glory. A huge club, with history and a massive fan-base, they even haven't been in the top flight for more than a decade, let alone challenging for a top-four place.

Newcastle, another massive club, were once regular challengers for titles, and pushing for Champions League football. They changed owners - as some Arsenal fans would like to do. Now they fight relegation on a yearly basis, sometimes more successfully than others.

For a long time, Aston Villa had a solid base, constantly challenging for European football. They changed owners, invested heavily, got it so badly wrong, and find themselves in the Championship next season. 

Fans crave success, but they know that, while their title challenge is over, things could be so much worse

The list goes on. It may not be 'sexy', or even much fun, but financial stability and moderate success is an achievement in the age of the modern super-club. Should Wenger have won the title in the last decade? Probably. But, by all rights, he should probably also have seen the club slip out of the upper echelons of the English game. And he hasn't.

That isn't enough for some, because a section of fans at every club will always demand instant gratification, and moan about anything that isn't total success every year. 

Luckily for Wenger, away from the echo chamber of social media, most are a little more understanding.