Yearly Archives: 2015

The Arsenal and Me – Bob’s Story

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I was born in Islington in 1947 and my dad took me to my first game at Highbury in 1954 aged 7. From that day on I was a Gooner. He took me to more and more games until in my teenage years I was going to every home game and many away. I was at Highbury for the last game the Busby Babes played before the tragic Munich air disaster in 1958 and had to suffer watching Spurs do the double in 1961. I used to wait outside Highbury for many hours to get players autographs and thought all the players were heroes.

As history will tell you my teenage years were barren as regards Arsenal winning trophies. Every new season I lived in hope but no trophies came for 17 years (So the last 8 years doesn’t seem so bad to me). However thanks to my dad I did have one spectacular football moment. He got us tickets for every game England played in the 1966 World Cup including the final. It was one of the greatest days of my life. I still have the ticket stubs for the final and a couple of the other games. The ticket price for the final was ten shillings (50p in new money). How times have changed!

As my teenage years ended suddenly Arsenal’s fortunes started to change but I still had to wait a little longer to see Arsenal win a trophy. My 21st birthday came and the day before it I went to Wembley for my first ever Arsenal final. It was 2nd March 1968 unfortunately we lost 1-0 to Leeds in the League Cup Final. Some 21st birthday present! Still the following year Arsenal reached the League Cup Final to face Swindon who were two divisions below. At long last I was going to see Arsenal win a trophy. What happened? A guy called Don Rogers and a very muddy pitch caused Arsenal all sorts of problems and we lost 3-1.

I began to despair of ever seeing Arsenal win a trophy but in 1970 it happened. We won the European Fairs Cup at Highbury by beating Anderlecht 3-0 and winning the cup 4-3 on aggregate. I think that was one of the loudest crowds I ever heard at Highbury. The following year every Arsenal fans dream came true. We won the double. I went to nearly every game home and away that year and was lucky enough to get in at White Hart lane to see us win the league. One of my friends was on the pitch before the game finished and I can honestly say “I danced on the pitch at White Hart Lane”. The days following that game are a blur of drunken celebration culminating at Wembley to see us beat Liverpool for the double.

However half way through the 1970/71 season I promised my then girlfriend I would marry her if Arsenal won the double. She kept me to it and the following year on 11th November 1972 (Yes Armistice Day which means I never forget our anniversary) we got married. I laid down one rule “I would go to football whenever and wherever I want and don’t ever query it”. To my wife’s credit she has kept her side of the bargain to this day.

However I have to own up to doing something on my wedding day which I very much doubt any other Arsenal fan has done. I went to watch Spurs play at White Hart Lane. Let me explain. The wedding took place at Finsbury Town Hall in the morning and after everyone went to my wife’s parent’s house for drinks etc. Trouble was everyone was starting to get drunk and we had a big function in the evening so we had to stop. We said what can we do for the afternoon and someone said let the men go to football. As my wife’s family were Spurs fans and they were at home that’s where we ended up. About 15 blokes and one bottle of whisky went off to the game. Spurs however did not let me down. They drew 1-1 with West Brom (Arsenal one away at Wolves that day 3-1).

From 1971 onwards Arsenal’s fortunes were up and down. I watched them lose to Leeds, Ipswich and West Ham and beat Manchester United in the FA Cup final. My wife and I had three children, two boys and a girl who are now all grown up and who are of course all fanatical arsenal fans. Their teenage years were so much different to mine as Arsenal had an unprecedented period of success. We could not get tickets to Anfield in 1989 but were at Old Trafford when Wiltord scored to win the league and my son was at Spurs when we won the league there for a second time. I also took the boys to Copenhagen when we defeated Palma and they still say that those three days were some of the best of their lives. The boys went again to Copenhagen without me when we played Galatasery and thankfully came back unscathed.

Then came the Arsene Wenger era and of course my family and I have enjoyed the success he has brought the club. Myself, my sons and daughter, and my wife (Yes she has taken the view if you cannot beat them join them) have season tickets in the lower tier of the East Stand sitting with friends of mine who were at that game at Spurs on my wedding day. My sons still go to some away games but I don’t anymore except for one game each year, Fulham away (I love having those beers by the river). I now have two grandsons who are very young but my son is making sure they are brought up the right way as Arsenal fans.

Hope you have enjoyed my story. I could go on for ages but have tried to keep it brief. Do I ever regret the day my dad took me to Highbury all those years ago? No I have enjoyed every minute even the bad moments. I always believe that you have to suffer the bad times to truly enjoy the good.

Bob

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The Arsenal and Me – Harry’s Story

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My first ever visit to Highbury was a home game against the meanest and most cynical team in the first Division,but the best team Leeds United.

The date was 12th April 1969.I was seven yrs old,dad had been going for years,and had told me much of his visits to Highbury,and finally it was my time to see for myself.

But horror of horrors I had no scarf,they weren’t so easy to get then,anyway mum went everywhere to get,but couldn’t get one,I was gutted and upset, that I couldn’t wear the red and white around my shoulders.

But mum came to my rescue, she bought red& white wool,and sat up all night bless her knitting me one, just so I was dressed properly for my first visit.

We sat off by tube,and it wasn’t until we got to Kings Cross,that I finally saw other fans going to the ground.

It was at this point I knew this was my club,and always will be.We were herded on as was usual dad gripping my coat firmly,it was tough being smaller then most on the train as you were struggling for air.

Finally we arrived at Arsenal station, and steadily slogged our way up the never ending slope to the entrance,finally stepping out into the light.

It was then that I was hit by a wall of noise,and colour,fans everywhere,laughing,swearing and talking.Some fella selling Percy Dalton’s as was usual,and the to become familiar smell of onions.

Dad bought me some badges from a fella hawking them by the entrance to the North Bank.i still have that first badge,and wear it on all jackets I’m wearing. Dad got a program and we ambled around to the East Stand,that’s where we sat for the only time.He still had hold of my jacket with a vice like grip.

I looked up at the spectacular East Stand facade,and it hit home,what a building even though young seeing the cannon, on the wall above the entrance was brilliant.

We then went in to the ground the familiar rattle of the turnstiles filling my ears.

We walked up the steps,and on finally seeing the pitch, it held me spellbound,after all dads stories here I was finally in his second home.

It was to become my second home.

I watched the old bill band marching up and down, hoping the mace would hit the turf,it didn’t.
Some on the North Bank were questioning the parentage of the old bill, I couldn’t understand what dad was laughing at,I soon found out,and often questioned them myself years later.

The teams emerged,and finally I was seeing my team the brilliant red standing out against the green background, the light making it appear bright.

And there was the most hated team in the country.

The game itself wasn’t very good the highlight Gary Sprake,Leeds Keeper knocking Bobby Gould out with a crisp hook to the jaw,screams of dirty bastards went up and send him off,but he survived,you had to kill an opponent to get sent off back then.

The game just ambled on, with Leeds winning 1-2.

Although disappointed I knew it fired my passion,and I knew I would see many victories in the future.

And success wasn’t far away,but that’s another story.

Harry

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Where will the new TV money end up?

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Yesterday, I touched partially on the rumours that the Premier League were set to announce a record TV deal with Sky and BT Sport. At the time, the rumours were that the deal would be for £4.4bn. In fact, this, was an underestimate. The true figures of the deal were announced as a mammoth £5.136bn. And how this song and dance announcement is another nail in the coffin of our game.

As detailed in yesterdays blog, at the lower figures, Premier League clubs could reduce there ticket prices by around £25 a ticket, and still maintain their current reviews. That would be a season ticked reduction, based on Arsenal’s 26 game season ticket, of £666.

The announcement of the new TV deal led to numerous former players (most of whom are now earning their money from TV) to add their support to the reduction of ticket prices and the Twenty’s Plenty Campaign.

https://twitter.com/IanWright0/status/565287641714016256

All have been vocal on the matter, which can only be good news. Obviously the cynic might say that they all earn their money for football, and would any of them dare wear a ‘Twenty’s Plenty” t-shirt on their relative show or air their views and bring further publicity, whilst given the air time by their pay masters.

The more publicity a fair deal for fans, away AND home get in the media can only be a good thing. What must now happen is the fans stand together. Rather than mocking a rival club for having high prices, we must all stand together in disgust of high prices across the board.

Yes, it is very easy to moan online. Many Arsenal fans will point to how many people complained on Social Media when the last lot of price rises were announce, in comparison to how many actually turned up to the protest. It was not good enough. We as fans let ourselves down.

The new TV deal should ensure not only that we see no price rises over the next 5 years +, but see prices drop.

Sadly, whilst the heart says this should happen, the head knows full well it should not. You only have to look at the trend of wages against TV revenue to have an understanding as to where all new income go’s.

Wages v TV Money

TV revenue and players wages have risen over the years at a similar pace. The first thing that would have happened this morning at Old Trafford would be Wayne Rooney’s agent knocking on the managers door, demanding a wage increase for 2015. His clients slice of the TV money pie. Every agent worth his salt will be doing this.

Now I do not mind paying top dollar for the top players. Sanchez, give him what he wants. Messi for £500,000 a week? Worth it. But it is the lower end. Your Emmanuel Frimpong’s getting £30,000 a week. That will now become £50,000. Yaya Sanogo on £20,000, that will become £40,000.

Now I full well understand that this is what market forces dictate.

Chelsea, for example, signed Ruben Loftus-Cheek to a £35,000 a week deal when he was 17 and had not featured in a Premier League game. He has since played once in the League for Chelsea in the 18 months since he signed the deal. A total of £2.55m paid to a now 19 year old how has not contributed to a thing. I remember the fuss made when Dennis Bergkamp became the first player to earn £30,000 a week at Arsenal, and he was one of the best players in the World.

Unfortunately, it is a case of ‘Keeping up with the Jones'”. If you want to keep your top young players, you need to offer them what they could get next door. If you want to keep your low end squad players happy, you need to make sure they are getting the equivalent at other clubs.

John Obi Mikel, very much a bit part, squad player at Chelsea, is on £80,000 a week. Scott Sinclair was signed to Manchester City on £45,000 a week, they gave Jack Rodwell £55,000. These are astronomical wage, and the new TV deal will only result in them going up.

You will see all the top players at clubs earning northwards of £200,000, and the top, top players above £300,000. The rest of the starting 11 will all be demanding £100,000 wages. And a squad player will start to earn above £80,000.

Wage bills will go up £40,000,000 a year, eating up all of the new revenue for clubs. This would leave fans stuck where they are now. Paying high ticket prices for the same product.

It is not any one clubs fault, it is a collective. They all strive for the best players. Whether it is best starters, best youth, best squad players, they want them, and will pay a premium to get them. Until there is a collective agreement to limit wages – which there will never be – things will never change.

The TV revenue will not benefit fans. It will just go to making rich, young, average footballers, richer. And it is not right.

Hopefully the exposure to the plight of match going fans bought to the forefront by the likes of Ian Wright might see some change. But what it will probably see is the current away fans subsidy of £2.50 be increased to £2.51. It will not be good enough.

Greed is killing our game.

Keenos