Imagine if Twitter was around in 2003…

In Arsenal’s first pre-season friendly of the season they lost 1-0 to Peterborough, who were playing in the 3^rd tier of English football at the time.

Next up was a boring 0-0 draw against Barnet. Arsenal gave a trial to Kolo Toure’s younger brother. He was awful. Twitter would have gone mental had we signed him. Luckily we didn’t.

Then it was off to Austria.

Why are we hiding away in the hills of the alps rather than going to America, China or Singapore? Club is a disgrace not taking the club around the world so other fans can get to see us play.

First game in Austria was a 2-2 draw against a team called SC Ritzing. I am not even sure if they are professional.

2-0 down at half time and fans are beginning to question why we have not signed anyone yet. An 85^th minute Freddie Ljungberg penalty snatched a draw.

Following the bottling of the league the season before, Twitter is in uproar after 3 games without a win. #WengerOut is trending.

We finally get our first win of pre-season at the 4^th attempt as we struggle to a 2-0 victory over Austria Wein and followed this up with a 1-0 win against Besiktas.

Back to London for a game against St Albans and fans are in uproar online and in the stands. Wenger Out banners held aloft.

Despite a 3-1 win against the non-league side, Arsenal fans are furious. The club have made just one senior signing – German goal keeper Jens Lehmann who can not even get in the German squad.

A 1-1 draw against Celtic is followed up by a 2-2 draw against Belgium side Beveren. We can not even beat the side we send our African players to until they get their work permit.

ITS TIME TO GOOOOOOO.

By the time we beat Rangers – in our last pre season friendly, we have added 3 young defenders to the squad – 2 Swiss players called Phillipe Senderos and Johan Djourou and a French kid called Gael Clichy.

This could be the season that lot up the road finish above us. They have spent big, adding Portuguese wonderkid Hélder Postiga, as well as Bobby Zamora, Frédéric Kanouté and Jermaine Defoe. They probably have the best striking options in Europe now.

They also sign Michael Brown who will add quality to the middle of the park. Our only midfield edition ends up some 15 year old Spanish kid from Barcelona. He needs a hair cut.

Fans are fed up. Calling Arsenal a joke of a club. David Dein should go. As should Wenger.

Last season he said we could go unbeaten. It shows he has lost his mind. Can not even beat an Austrian amateur team.

Harry Redknapp is available. Get him in.

Keenos

Every season we lose a pre-season friendly I find myself writing the same thing. THE RESULTS DO NOT MATTER.

Pre-season is all about slowly increasing your fitness back to a proper match level.

The thing with pre-season is you are often at a different stage of your preparation in comparison to your opponents. And it this can be further exaggerated if playing a foreign side.

For all intents and purposes, Hibernian were 2 weeks ahead of Arsenal when it came to match fitness.

The SPL begins on 31st July, whilst the Premier League does not start until 2 weeks later – Arsenal’s first game being on 13th August.

Hibs returned to pre-season training on 28th. Arsenal players on July 7th.

So you have a Hibs side who have been back for over 2 weeks, whilst Arsenal have been back for just 5.

This was also Hibs 4th pre-season game against Arsenal’s first.

And it was not really a bad performance by Arsenal.

A mistake from the kid in goal for their first (que the bellends abusing him already) and their second was offside.

We then missed a penalty before a late consolation.

They certainly looked more “up for it” and were quicker to the ball and harder in the tackle. A few naughty ones left on Arsenal players highlighted that this was a big game for them, and a training run out for Arsenal.

Ultimately it was a good run out for the lads and the result really does not matter.

Keenos

And that’s that then. It did not come home.

I have always had a love / hate relationship with England.

On one had I am a proud English. I celebrate St George’s Day. I have an England flag tattooed on my leg. If there is an Englishman playing in the lawn bowls, I back them.

I have travelled the world to watch the England cricket team, I rarely miss a six nations game.

But then I have always struggled to connect with the England national team.

It might be because my love for The Arsenal is so strong that I struggled to detest Gary Neville, John Terry and Frank Lampard one Saturday and was then expected to cheer them on the next.

It is also partly to do with me finding international football outside of tournaments boring. Predictable qualifiers and stale friendlies just get in they way of domestic football.

But then I was out in France at the last Euro’s, and when international tournaments come round I tend to get caught up in it all.

I think maybe my dislike for international football is it disrupts the domestic scene. And then in the summer as there is no Arsenal, I fall in love with England.

This England team is a little bit different to those of yesteryear though. They are a lot more likeable.

The players do not have the arrogant swagger or clammer for celebrity. And the WAGs are not desperate to become famous. It just seems like a good bunch of lads.

And no more so than Bukayo Saka.

The picture of Saka on a unicorn lifted the nation.

He has such a child-like joy to everything he does. Like a one year old having their first birthday. So excited without fully realising what is going on.

And that is why I was absolutely gutted for him yesterday.

Why was he on the 5^th penalty? Why not Raheem Sterling, Jack Grealish, Luke Shaw or even Jordan Pickford – all of whom have taken senior penalties?

Yesterday was Saka’s first ever penalty at senior level.

To put the youngest man in the squad on the crucial 5^th penalty just felt like a mistake before Saka had even taken it.

Gareth Southgate is the man to blame for England failing to bring it home.

He failed to change the game with subs, bottled hooking Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling when both were so poor. Bought on Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho with 2 minutes to go to take penalties. And then had Saka on the 5^th.

My only hope is that missing that penalty and the abuse that followed does not change Saka. That he keeps that smile on his face. The joy.

I think Ian Wright has a big job to help Saka. He is the man to reach out. To play the “uncle” figure.

The abuse towards Saka was shocking, disgusting, but not surprising.

I have called out social media many times on this blog for a lack of action. For allowing a torrent of racist comments to exist within their networks. Unfortunately the likes of Facebook, Twitter and  YouTube turn a blind eye to the abuse. They rely on the abusers to boost their Daily Active Users, which in turn boosts ad revenue.

The sad thing for me is all England fans end up tarred by the same brush.

99.9% of those that follow England do so in good faith. They do not throw plastic chairs, look for a row, or abuse people on Twitter. But it is the 0.1% that end up on the front pages.

You get 3 or 4 idiots and suddenly 50million Englishmen are labelled as racist.

I hope Saka gets cheered at every ground he goes too next season – I think the days of the David Beckham lynch mob are a thing of the past.

As Arsenal fans, it will be down to us to build the young man back up.

Pre-season games start this week so if you are going to one of the games, sing his name loud and clear.

Oh, and for those couple of Arsenal fans that were abusing Saka. Stop pretending to be Arsenal.

Keenos