The Arsenal and Me – Warren’s Story

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A look back at my favourite moment as a gooner.

The 26 May will always be our day. The Mancs would later try and claim it following winning some cheap European bauble but the 26 May 1989 will live forever in Arsenal folklore. The day George Graham’s young Arsenal came of age in the most exciting finish to a season ever despite later claims from Sky. 

The day started with a trip to the high street (Waltham Cross if you’re interested) to stock up on newspapers for the coach trip. Now I had my Arsenal shirt on so expected some banter so was not surprised to recive abuse from a Spurs supporter. The fact he stopped his job of bin emptying to do it gave me a chuckle. 

Papers in hand it was off to the bus station to get the 279 bus to Manor House. Severe traffic (was to be a theme of the day) meant I had to jump off at Seven Sisters and get the underground. I arrived at Highbury with 10 minutes to spare and found an empty seat on coach number 5. It’s at this point I should mention I was travelling alone. The rest of my usual gang had decided to give it miss following the postponement of the original game. But I was soon chatting to those around me. There was a distinct camaraderie amongst those making the trip.

The coaches pulled out and all went well until the mother of all traffic jams on the M1. It was a perfect storm, bank holiday, rail strike, Friday and me desperate to get to a game.

Despite the best efforts our coach driver we pulled into the outskirts of the Liverpool five minutes before the 8:00pm kick off. It was at this point we were joined by a member of the local constabulary. He assured us that due to the traffic problems the kick off had been delayed.

 As we got off the coach at about ten past eight the noises coming from inside Anfield made it obvious the game was in full flow. Cue mass rush to get through the turnstiles. Now given the reason this game had been postponed the fact kick off was not delayed was criminal. The plod who lied on the coach showed the disdain football supporters were held in at the time. We arrived on our corner of the terrace just in time see Uncle Bouldy’s first half header cleared off the line.

You all know how the game panned out so I won’t go over the details again but just give you a few memories that are still strong today.

  •  The chorus of ‘we’re proud of you’ that continued throughout half time. We out sung the Kop all night.
  • Smudger’s header to put us one up.
  • Liverpool players protesting. Thankfully David Hutchinson was calm and strong enough to make the correct decision.
  • Steve McMahon and his one minute shenanigans.
  •  Time seemingly suspended as Mickey Thomas clipped the ball over Grobbelaar.
  • The explosion of joy and relief amongst the travelling Gooners.
  • The relief at the final whistle.
  • Liverpool supporters generously staying behind to acknowledge the new champions.

Now this is the point the night went a bit wrong for me. Thomas scored, I leapt in the air and my glasses launched themselves high into the night sky never to be seen again. Without my glasses (I now wear contacts) I can barely see my hand at the end my arm.

So after watching some blurry objects cavort around the pitch with the league trophy, or so I’m told, I made my way back to coach 5. The trip back was long but happy. I’m told the players coach passed us at one point, but I couldn’t see.

After getting off the coach I made my way to Manor House to get the bus home. At this point I realised I had a problem. Yes I could see the busses but I really couldn’t see the numbers on the front. So a call to Dad at 3:00 in the morning. Fortunately I have a great dad who is a gooner to boot. Once he finished laughing at my predicament he was more than happy to come and get me. And thus ended my greatest day as a Gooner.

Footnote: Many Gooners believe the Press have it in for Arsenal. It’s someting I agree with to an extent and I think it goes back to the 26 May 1989. This was the day Kenny Dalglish’s all conquering side would complete an emotional double having already seen off Everton in the FA Cup final. Unfortunately George and his players had not read the script. And there are many Liverpool based media still bitter about this. Yes Alan Hansen I’m looking at you! Liverpool would win one more title but 26 May 1989 was the beginning of the end of their domination.

Warren

Warren writes a blog for www.notanotherarsenalblog.wordpress.com

Jack Wilshere – Stop being a Chav and grow up

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So Jack Wilshere is facing a one match ban after giving Manchester City fans the bird during Arsenal’s 6-3 defeat on Saturday. My only thought on this was “Jack, you silly little boy.”

Just over 2 months ago, I wrote how Wilshere needed to learn from Ramsey, after he was pictured outside a night club with a cigarette flirting with a pretty blonde. It seems that what ever words the club had with him after that picture went straight in one ear and out the other, as the little chav arose from within once more.

His loss of self control, his needless act, will rob the club of his services for one game. Likely to be the home game against Chelsea next week. There is precedence for the 1 game ban after Luis Suarez was banned for 1 game after making a similar gesture against Fulham.

I was at the Manchester City v Arsenal, and in all honesty, I did not hear much abuse towards Jack Wilshere. The majority of City fans abuse was aimed at Theo Walcott, with songs questioning who the father of his unborn child is. Theo Walcott responded to his abuse with 2 goals and a decent all round display.

Jack Wilshere, meanwhile, responded by sticking his middle finger up at the City fans, before running around trying hard, but ultimately not doing much. He lost control of himself.

The worry is, Jack Wilshere’s immaturity, his petulance, is something which does not seem to be going away. He seems to be a very cocky young man who clearly thinks his shit does not stink. Were he not a footballer, you could imagine him getting in fights every Saturday night in his local, and getting smashed up by bigger lads due to him being too cocky. He certainly suffers from a bit of little man syndrome.

He is already a long way down the list for next Arsenal captain and it is him who misses out in arsenal’s strongest 11. He needs to grow up and starting acting more like Aaron Ramsey and Theo Walcott, rather than reverting to type and acting like a spoilt chav. He needs to realise the talent he has, and where he can go. If he does not buck up soon, he will soon find himself with the likes of Frimpong, Bentley, Pennant and Bothroyd, all of whom had a bigger opinion of themselves than the talent they had in their feet.

Jack, grow up you chav.

Keenos

 

Mansour’s millions the difference for Manchester City

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Looking at this mornings league table, Arsenal still sit top of the league. 2 points ahead of Chelsea, 3 points ahead of Manchester City. There is still plenty of reasons to be optimistic about our title chances.

Yes, we might have conceded 6 against Manchester City, but it was one of those freak games where every shot on target went in. There were 13 shots on target in the entire game, and 9 goals. City had a converted 6 of their 7 shots on target. It was a freak result.

City deserved to run out winners, despite Arsenal having 2 goals chalked off incorrectly and being denied a blatant penalty. To point to those 3 referring decision as the reason Arsenal lost would be in denial of the overall performance. City seemingly being able to go forward and score highlights why they are averaging over 4 goals a game at home and have now scored in 58 consecutive games at the Etihad Stadium. Their home form in the league this season reads: Played 8, Won 8, Scored 35, Conceded 5. That last one was Conceded 2 before yesterday. With home form like that, City have to be everyone’s favourites for the title.

The difference between the two sides could be seen on the substitutes bench. £129m worth of talent on the bench. Arsenal’s starting line up cost just £97m and cost of their entire match day squad £140. When you take into account that £42.5m of those totals was Mesut Ozil, it shows just how far behind we are in City. Yes, we have money to spend, and should be spending more than it, but City, with their now settled side and spending money like it is going out of fashion, we should not be too downhearted.

When it comes to finance, what Manchester City spend is staggering. They have a wage bill £60m more than Arsenal’s. The majority of their squad is on £100k+ a week. Arsenal meanwhile have just 3 players over this figure. With Arsenal having a reported £100m sitting in the bank, were we to try to compete with Manchester City in terms of wages and transfer fees, this money would not go very far at all. Last year, we made a profit of just £6.7m. A £60m blackhole in wages would see us start to run up massive losses. Manchester City, remember, lost £97m in 2011/12.

Last summer, having finished 2nd to Manchester United in the league, and having made horrendous losses, Manchester City went out and spent £90m. They spent more on defensive midfielder’s than we did on Mesut Ozil. It highlights the financial strength they have that they were able to go out and buy long-term Arsenal target Stevan Jovetic for £22m without really needing him. It was perhaps and example of them signing a player who they do not need just to ensure other Premier League sides signing him.

Now I do not have an issue with Manchester City’s grotesque spending. If a man has billions of plans, who are we to tell him how to spend it. Remember, we did not moan in the late 1990’s when Danny Fiszman was bank rolling us – albeit on a smaller scale – enabling us to build the 1998, and eventually the invincible sides. What the financial difference does show is how much of a challenge winning the Premier League is for Arsenal. With both Manchester City and Chelsea having an endless pot of gold. Arsenal could go and spend the £100m they have sitting their, but Chelsea and Manchester City would then respond by spending £150m. Do we keep chasing them? Do we spend the most we can and still finish 2nd/3rd and say ‘at least we tried’ or do we spend sensibly, on the right players, and hope things, at one point, will become fairer?

The last option is we Alisher Usmanov. He is supposedly willing to put in similar amounts of money into the club as Sheikh Mansour and Roman Abramovich. Do we move to demanding to be bank rolled by an oligarch, with a questionable background, or do we say ‘We are Arsenal, we do things in the right way’. Having a sole owner leaves us in a precarious position. Yes, they could be and Abaramovich or Mansour, but they could also change the name of the club, change the club’s colours, or do anything they want…People have differing opinions, both are valid.

A few final points, Per Mertesacker showing he is the real captain of the side bollocking Mesut Ozil. It is a none story and as Wenger was quoted as saying;

“That is the Germans, they will sort that out between themselves.”

They are probably sitting around Per’s house this morning sharing a bratwurst. The second point is the laughable banner in the Manchester City ground ‘Manchester thanks you Sheikh Mansour’. A sign, perhaps, of a club who’s fans have sold out to modern football.

After 3 games in 6 days, travelling to both Naples and Manchester, Arsenal now have a 9 day break before the Chelsea game. It is time to rest the legs, re group and ensure we come out fighting once more. A defeat to Chelsea could see us truly enter a downward spiral, and if Spurs win their next two games, the gap that looked so large just a few games ago will be down to just 2. Let’s back the time.

Keenos