My story is from the Community Shield in 2002 against Liverpool, the match of course was held in Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium. Gilberto Silva scored on his debut that day to give us a 1-0 win.
Before the game myself and a friend entered a pub, there were hundreds of people in the place and I’d say there was about a 50-50 mix of Arsenal and Liverpool fans. Both sets of fans were singing but the Liverpool fans were out doing the Gooners, I wasn’t happy about that.
I needed the loo which was upstairs, on the way up I noticed a poster in a steel frame, it was a promotion for Bacardi, you could get a double Bacardi for an extra pound. What caught my eye was the caption at the bottom of the poster, it read:
“Make mine a double”
Arsenal of course had done the league and FA Cup double the previous season.
Excellent I thought, so on the way back from the loo I opened the steel frame, took out the poster and folded it very carefully so that all that was showing was the caption. As I was doing this the Liverpool fans were still singing loudly downstairs and very much winning the chant war.
I took my newly folded poster and held it aloft above my head and very slowly made my way down the stairs. The Arsenal fans realised what I was at and almost immediately every Gooner in the place piped up and started singing. The Liverpool fans didn’t know what hit them, they all just fell silent.
There was such a huge swing in the atmosphere and the Arsenal fans took full advantage, barraging the Liverpool fans with all sorts of chants. It was epic. Every Arsenal fan in the place came over to me and either shook my hand or clapped me on the back.
“That shut those Scousers up, fair play mate” was said to me a dozen times and as we finished up our drinks and walked out the pub I got a standing ovation to chants of “Gooner, Gooner, Gooner…..”
For 20 minutes I felt like a king. I’ll always remember that day, the day I won the singing war for The Arsenal in Cardiff!
“Make mine a double” – Don’t mind if I do!
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She Wore A Yellow Ribbon 