Arsenal Azerbaijan Supporters Club guide to Baku

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Arsenal Azerbaijan Supporters Club (AASC) is welcoming Gooners traveling to Baku for UEL 2019 Final.

Here you will find basic information for frequently asked questions (content will be continuously updated).

Is AASC organizing a meeting point where Gooners coming for The Final will have chance to meet and spend some time together before the game?

Yes. AASC has agreed with one of the best and largest brewery restaurants in Baku City to host us on 29th of May. Restaurant will be serving Arsenal supporters from 2pm in the afternoon (kitchen will be open after 3pm). It is easy to reach the brewery from any part of Baku City. As well, it is easy to reach The Stadium from this restaurant (see Transportation section below)

Address: Baku, Khatai district, Khagani Rustamov Street, Paulaner Baku (behind Amay Shopping Center)

Location (coordinates): Lat: 40.380853, Long: 49.879196, https://goo.gl/maps/Mq2JVLiQTfyfDpPZ7

Transportation to The Stadium

We agreed with two taxi companies to support us with transportation to The Stadium from our meeting point.  See the route here https://goo.gl/maps/bTCeJ8kBDqkydBF27

Taxi Option 1 is provided by The Brewery (Paulaner). There will two car types:

  1. a) AZN7 with maximum four (4) passenger sits,
  2. b) AZN14 with maximum eight (8) passenger sits.

Indicated prices are for the car, so if you share a car you will divide price by number of travelers (e.g. 7:4=1.75AZN per person).

Taxi Option 2 is provided by the biggest taxi company in the City “189 Taxi”.

You may purchase your transportation via whatsapp number +994 (55) 225-0-189 or just dial 189 via local mobile number. There is free WiFi Network in the restaurant. Operator will answer you in English, Russian, and Azeri (Turkish) with assigned car details and price after your confirmation. A regular sedan car will cost you around AZN6 if regular route is open, or around AZN15 if main road is closed and alternative routes are used.

Make sure that you have some cash and order taxi in prior.

Attention for the Gooners travelling in groups. If you need to reserve a bus type transport for travel (8, 18, 40 sits) from the meeting place, please inform till 26th of May, so that we could align with the service providers and make reservations for you!

!!Please keep in mind that AASC has no commercial interest in any of the planned events. Our intention is to ensure that Gooners will have a smooth and joyful stay at our beautiful city. We hope that our positive mood and energy will help The Team to win!!

When shall we leave the bar and head to The Stadium?

The Gates are open at 8pm local time. Opening ceremony will start around 10:30 pm.

Game starts at 11pm local time.

We expect that traffic on the roads around the stadium will be congested (or limited by local authorities) after 9pm.

We highly recommend starting your travel to the Stadium at 8pm and earlier, no later than 8:30pm (from the meeting place). Otherwise, you may face traffic jams, congestion on the entrance to The Stadium, etc.

Stadium Amenities, Food, Drinks

Food and drinks (including beer) are available inside the stadium (prices in the fan zones may be higher than in general zones).

There is no free WiFi.

There are many rest rooms inside the stadium.

Mobile / Cellular Network (Roaming?)

You may buy SIM cars from local mobile operators in The Airport for the prices starting around 15azn including several gigabytes data bundles.

For those who prefer to roam, all 3 mobile operators operate modern LTE networks, so there is not big difference among them, check the prices with your home provider.

Transportation from The Stadium

It is not yet clear what will be transportation options from The Stadium, but usually there free public buses parked close to the stadium that will go to various city points, underground Koroglu station is close to the stadium (congestion is expected during 1st hour in all directions).

After-party. Shall we have a meeting place after the game is over?

No matter what results is, we believe this a big achievement for The Club and great event for every Gooner coming to Baku. AASC may organize after-party event in the same brewery or somewhere in the city center if we receive fair number of requests by 26th of May.

Looking for support or have any other questions?

AASC is open to support you. Please address your queries to the FaceBook group. Someone will always answer.

Should you have any urgent or important issues please contact below numbers via whatsapp (preferable) or voice calls in English, Russian, and Turkish:

+994552324411

+994502850117

+994555901827

Best regards,

Elshan
Arsenal Azerbaijan Supporters Club Administration Member

30th Anniversary Anfield 89 – An evening with Martin Hayes & Perry Groves

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Islington Sports Bar and Grill
247 Holloway Road, London N7 6NE
26th May 2019
2pm – 9.30pm

On the 26th May 1989 The Arsenal had to travel to current champions Liverpool and win by two clear goals to bring the title back to North London for the first time in 17 years. The events of that evening  now goes down in folk-law. Without question the greatest ending to any game and any season.

So what could be more fitting but to spend the 30th Anniversary of our clubs greatest ever night than to watch the game again with two of the players in that great side.

Islington Sports Bar and Grill are hosting this event  with Perry Groves and Martin Hayes and it promises to be a great night.

Perry and Martin will be doing a Question and Answer session as well as signing autographs and posing for photos.

There will also be a full screening of the game on the large screens with the pair doing a running commentary. Both players started the game on the bench so will have a very good insight of George Graham’s tactical plans and mood.

As the game came to its climax, both Perry and Martin had been bought on, enabling them to give a 1st hand account of what George said as he sent them on to the pitch. They will alsop give an insight into what they felt during those final few minutes leading up to THAT goal.

Islington Bar and Grill will be putting on a buffet for everyone attending as well as showing the recent Anfiield 89 documentary film in what promises to be a special evening for us fans.

Tickets are £30 each via Eventbrit or available to buy at Islington Sports Bar & Grill prior to the event. The Anfield 89 event is ticket only and include entry and full buffet.

What a way to spend the Sunday of  a Bank Holiday weekend!

She Wore

6 better alternatives for Arsenal than £70million Wilfried Zaha

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At a reported £70million, Wilfried Zaha is over priced and overrated.

Zaha turns 27 next season, and last year was the first time he had ever scored 10 league goals in a single campaign. Crystal Palace’s reported £70million asking price for the Ivorian-turned-Englishman-turned-Ivorian is too much for a player with his ability and age.

We Zaha 22 or 23, you would be entitled to think “fantastic young talent” but he is not. In November he turns 27. That means he is not going to get much better. He is at his peak. And any transfer fee spent on him is unlikely to be recouped.

Last season he had a decent season. But it was not an exceptional one. Yes, he scored 10 goals, but he averaged nearly 300 minutes per goal. The much maligned Theo Walcott Only averaged as high as this twice in his Arsenal career, the last being when he was 22.

https://twitter.com/KeenosAFC/status/1126810484907433985

Even if he was on the market at £40million, I would still feel that as overpriced. There are younger, cheaper, more exciting players in world football.

Nicolas Pepe

Arsenal were linked with Lille forward Nicolas Pepe last summer after he scored 14 goals in 38 games. This season he has netted 21 times and notched 13 assists.

“Nicolas Pepe will leave,” Lille manager Christophe Galtier recently told Canal+.

He has been linked with Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal in recent weeks and with a reported transfer fee of £70million, Pepe would take up a huge chunk of the transfer budget for any club.

Whilst he would be an expensive signing, he is 2 years Zaha’s junior and a lot more talented.

Ismaila Sarr

21-year-old Ismaila Sarr is a raw talent. Lightening quick, his end product does let him down and needs work.

If Pepe is too expensive at £70million, Sarr is a more reasonably priced £25million. 2 years younger, he could become as good as Pepe.

Jose Mourinho recently compared Sarr to Barcelona’s Ousman Dembele.

Julian Brandt

German international Julian Brandt is a little bit different to many on this list.

He does not posses the lightening quick speed and directness of others on this list, but he is arguably the best all round footballer.

Brandt has pretty much played everyone for Bayer Leverkusen this season, including one game at left back.

A versatile player who can play on the wing or down the middle, as well as deeper. He does not have the pace of someone like his team mate Leon Bailey, but he makes up for it with excellent movement and technique.  He reminds me a lot of Santi Cazorla (except about a foot taller).

It was Brandt who kept Leroy Sane out of the German World Cup squad last summer.

Whilst Brandt would do a job out wide, there is a feeling that, in the long term, his best position is a number 10.

With a reported release clause of £21.6 million, and Brandt being a long term Mesut Ozil replacement, it makes sense to sign the 23-year-old ahead of Zaha

Hakim Ziyech

With a reported £25million release clause, Hakim Ziyech has come to a lot of peoples attention following Ajax’s run to the Champions League semi-final.

Just 6 months younger than Zaha, Ziyech is at his peak and there are doubts over whether he would be able to step up to a top end Premier League team.

Last season Brighton signed Alireza Jahanbakhsh, who arrived on the South coast with a similar reputation as Ziyech. Jahanbakhsh went from top scorer in the Eredivisie to not netting a single goal in the Premier League.

Not blessed with a lot of pace, Ziyech would probably be a better back up for Ozil then an out and out winger.

Despite the doubts, Arsenal would be better off investing in Ziyech at £25million then Zaha at £70million.

Steven Bergwijn

Staying in Holland, 21-year-old Steven Bergwijn is an exciting young talent.

Last season Justin Kluivert got all the accolades and the big money transfer to Roman. Many at the time felt that his PSV team mate Bergwijn was the better player.

Bergwijn reportedly has a release clause of only €20 million (£17.5 million). Sources on this are however vague and Arsenal were linked with his for €35 million a month or so ago.

He is raw and quick, but at 21 he plenty of time to develop.

Leon Bailey

A year ago Leon Bailey was one of the hottest young prospects in football. Aged 20, he hit 12 goals in 34 games leading many to value him northwards of £40million.

12 months on and his star has dimmed slightly.

Scoring just 5 n 38 this season, it feels like he has gone backwards, however it should be remembered that he is still just 21-years-old – 6 years Zaha’s junior.

With electric pace, is he the real deal, a rough diamond that just needs shining like Raheem Sterling, or is he just another in a long line of speedsters who does not have the footballing ability to make it to the top level?

Arsenal would likely be able to sign him for less than the £40million quoted last season. Cheaper, younger and more talented than Zaha.

 

Zaha at £70million would be a ludicrous transfer. Even the reduced price of £40million that Arsenal are reportedly interested at feels heavy.

Instead of signing Zaha, Arsenal should invest in two of the above mentioned.

Go for Julian Brandt firstly. He has the experience and ability to make an instant impact and is a future long term replacement for Mezut Ozil.

Alongside Brandt Arsenal should recruit either Ismaila Sarr or Steven Bergwijn. Both a little rawer, but with pace to burn.

A double swoop on Brandt and either Sarr or Bergwijn would cost the Arsenal between £40-50million.

We would be signing younger alternatives to Zaha, who have the potential to be better than him.

It just makes sense.