Tag Archives: Arsenal FC

The Arsenal and Me – Jack’s Story

3 Replies

Most people to claim to have loved their club from day one, I do not. Don’t get me wrong I’ve always supported Arsenal there was no choice, from the day I was born my Dad would have it no other way. It’s all I knew. But at first I didn’t quite get it.

My earliest football memory is laying on my Nan’s living room floor watching the 98 Cup Final on TV. The image of Anelka and Overmars walking around the Wembley pitch with the FA Cup is not one I’ll ever forget. Good times, but at the age of 7 I still didn’t really get what it was all about.

Fast forward just under 3 years and I was to attend my first Arsenal game. Away to Man United. At Old Trafford in the HOME end of all places. Not ideal if I’m honest. 25th February 2001, I always remember the date as it was my sisters Birthday and she obviously was unimpressed that me and my Dad were disappearing to Manchester for the day.

We left early that morning and made the long car journey there. As you can imagine Old Trafford as a 10 year old is a quite a daunting place to watch your first ever football match especially surrounded by 60,000 Mancs. Like I said, not ideal. I remember it being bitterly cold and within two minutes we’re one nil’ down. Now the plan was to try to blend in within the home end so obviously we’re the only two sitting down two minutes in. Cover blown. Then, 14 minutes in. Henry equalises! My first experience of joy and excitement at an Arsenal game. My Dad trying to keep the celebrations low key, there wasn’t really any point as we were losing again almost instantly. It all went downhill from there and we got absolutely battered 6-1. I seem to remember Stephanovs running down the wing during that game and even at 10 years old even I knew he belonged nowhere near a team like Arsenal.

After the game we met the woman who sorted out the tickets. She asked in a thick Manchester accent if I was going to become a United fan now. I was slow to answer as I didn’t have a clue what she was saying so my Dad was quick to jump in. “No. No he isn’t”

I was a bit gutted after the game not as much as my Dad as clearly losing 6-1 at my first ever game was not what he imagined would happen.

So after that I’m still struggling to see what the fuss is about.

The next game I went two was Liverpool. Again away from home again absolutely freezing cold and again stuck in the home end! I’d won tickets so couldn’t really complain. 23rd December 2001 another date I remember strangely my Dads birthday this time. This time however everything went well we played well and won 2-1. I remember Freddie scoring and running off into the away fans and being insanely jealous of them. This time there we’re know muted celebrations, the full time whistle goes and we went for it! Swiftly leaving afterwards.

Now I had the taste for this ‘going to the football’ lark. I couldn’t wait for the next time.

The first home game I went to was against Blackburn the following season, I can’t remember the date (can’t have been anyones birthday). The whole family went this time. Me my Dad my Mum and my Sister. I was so buzzing for it. We got the tube to Arsenal and walked along  Gillespie road. The first thing I noticed was the smell, burger vans/horse shit/beer,  doesn’t sound nice but its a smell that I’m sure everyone recognises every time you go to football and it always reminds me of that day. We turned the corner on to Avenell Road and I saw Highbury up close for the very first time. A lot of people say they fell in love with Highbury instantly and this time I agree. What a place. Seeing the windows on the side of the North Bank and seeing people finding there seats gave me goosebumps and excited butterflies inside. I wanted to get inside quickly. When we found our spot on this North Bank I couldn’t stop looking all around at this amazing ground. As a young kid it is mesmerising you just try to take it all in.

The game kicked off and we were one nil down early on from a strange Edu own goal. But then later in the half he made it all right by scoring the equaliser. I’ll never forget that goal, the first time I celebrated an Arsenal goal at a game amongst the right fans! It was mental. The noise was deafening and I’m pretty sure I ended up a few seats along.

We went on to lose 2-1 I was disappointed but everything about that day bar the result was spot on. The smells, the sights, hearing the outbursts of chants from all around Highbury, joining in and finally being at a home game.

All of these things finally making me realise what it was all about and making me fall in love with The Arsenal. Something that I will never stop doing, I still get the same excited butterflies every time I go and I hope I always do and I hope when I have a son its exactly the same for him.

I think i’ll avoid United away for his first game though…

Jack

If you would like to tell your Arsenal story, click here

What does new Szczesny deal mean for other Arsenal keepers?

Leave a reply

Recent speculation that Wojech Szczesny had agreed a new contract with Arsenal was finally confirmed at the weekend when the club announced the Polish number 1 had signed a new long term contract.

Whilst it is brilliant news that we have secured the future of one of Europe’s best young goalkeepers – he is still just 23 – it has made me wonder what it means for the rest of the keepers at the club.

With him being still so young himself, the club are unlikely to have given him such lucrative terms (reported 5 years at £100k per week) if they do not have faith in him. It means they do not expect any of the other current senior keepers at the club to challenge him for number 1, and they do not expect many of the youth keepers to become anymore then back up.

Lukasz Fabianski is likely to leave Arsenal at the end of the season. His contract is due expire and, with him being 29 by the time the season is out, he has a decision to make. Either sign a new contract at Arsenal and remain as a number 2 for the rest of his career, ensuring he never plays for Poland again, or leave now, resurrect his career elsewhere, and challenge Szczesny for the number 1 jersey for his country. At 29 he will still have a lot to give. He will probably make the decision to leave Arsenal.

The signing of Emiliano Viviano was always an odd one. A decent goal keeper. A journeyman Italian, he began forcing his way into reckoning for next years World Cup after a string of magnificent performances for Fiorentina last year. Despite Arsenal paying a loan fee for him, he has since been relegated to Arsenal number 3, with Fabianski taking his place between the sticks for the League Cup. One can only think he was signed due to concerns over Fabianski’s injury record and, that with Vito Mannone leaving, Arsenal could not risk having a rookie on the bench. I would be very surprised if we make the loan deal permanent.

It is the future of the rookie goal keepers that interests me the most. Arsenal recently signed 18 year old Matt Macey from Bristol Rovers. His career has not even started yet, but at just 5 years Szczesny’s junior, he is already too old to be considered our next number 1. As he enters the years where it is important he players, Szczesny will be at his peak. And unless he is very, very special, you might as well write off his Arsenal career before it has even started. At best, the 6’6” keeper, who has already been playing under 21 football, will be a number 2 at the club.

Picture: @KieranCPhotoAFC

Picture: @KieranCPhotoAFC

The signing of Matt Macey was already a strange one. With Arsenal already having Damian Martinez (21),  Deyan Illiev (18), Josh Vickers (17) and Ryan Huddart (16) in the ranks,  it is clear there is competition aplenty in the youth teams.

Time is probably running out for Damian Martinez. If Arsenal had faith in him, it is unlikely that they would have got Viviano in on loan. He was on the verge of being promoted to the 1st team during pre-season, but a decision to get in Viviano seems to spell the end of his Arsenal career. He failed to impress last season when in goal against Reading in the League Cup, he is now on loan at Sheffield Wednesday, where he has yet to play.

Deyan Illiev is next in line in terms of age. Signing late in the summer of 2012, the Macedonian played in a couple of the ‘Asenal XI’ pre season friendlies. Looking poor under the high ball, it seems he has already fallen behind Matt Macey in the pecking order of young keepers.

Josh Vickers was the man last season, playing more than any other keeper in our academy. He has since been loaned out to Canvey Island until the end of the season. It is unlikely that the club would let go a 17 year old goal keeper go out on loan if they had faith he would make it. Its more likely he will remain at Canvey Island on a permanent deal, with the younger Ryan Huddart overtaking him.

Ryan Huddart is the youngest of Arsenal 5 young goal keepers. Signed from Charlton in 2012 at 15 after a brilliant performance against Arsenal, he could be the one to push Szczesny in the future. Again, it confuses matters with the signing of Matt Macey. Why sign an 18 year old who effectively ‘kills’ the career of the 16 year old? Huddart certainly has a bit more time on his hand, and could well be breaking through ready to compete for the first team just as Szczesny reaches 30.

What is unclear is who will be Arsenal number 2 next season. With Fabianski out the door, will Arsenal stick with Viviano and make his deal permanent? Or will the seek a senior goal keeper elsewhere, who will know his job and future career will be Szczesny’s number 2? The only one in the current set up who might have taken the step up is Martinez, but he has fallen out of favour.

Out of the group, the 2 to get excited about are Macey and Huddart. They may well have a future at the club as Szczesny’s number 2.

The future will be reminiscent to when David Seaman was at the club, with youth goal keepers being trained to be his number 2, rather than having the ability to be 1st choice. Huddart and Macey attempting to break through could be similar to that of Stuart Taylor and Graham Stack attempting to become 1st choice in the early 00s.

It is unclear what Arsenal are currently doing with their young keepers. They seem to be simply buying anyone who has a decent game throughout youth levels. With Szczesny’s new long term contract, what is clear is that no one in the current Arsenal set up is likely to become Arsenal number 1 over the coming years.

Keenos

BSM survey results: Emirates Atmosphere, Recreating the Clock End and Safe Standing

Leave a reply

Earlier this morning, The Black Scarf Movement announced the results of the survey which the commissioned after the League Cup defeat against Chelsea, a match which saw the BSM attempt to get like minded fans together to create a passionate atmosphere in an attempt to be Arsenal’s 12th man. Despite the best efforts of the leadership and members of the BSM, a mixture of over zealous stewarding and not all the fans in blocks 19, 18 & 17 being willing participants led the initiative to be a relative failure. Highbury Harold of the BSM said:

“it was more like pissing into that St Jude storm while being battered with a water cannon of piss at the same time.”

On the back of this, the BSM commissioned their survey, to get the opinion of Arsenal fans and hopefully be the 1st step on the ladder to making the atmosphere better for all. 17,377 supporters took part.

52.6% of all who took part rated the Emirates atmosphere as ‘poor’ and 41.5% as average. Just 5.9% rated it as good. The biggest surprise, for me, is that nearly 6% of all those who took part felt the atmosphere is good. Now either these fans only go to the Spurs/AC Milan games, or they have fairly low standards. I personally answered average, as for ‘non elite’ games, the fans often sit there with a ‘well entertain me then’ attitude, waiting for the action to spark them into life, rather than being a true 12th man.

17,377 took part. It will be interesting to get a break down on this figure of season ticket holders, regular go’ers, occasional go’ers and those who live abroad who have never been. One of the big things about the BSM is they see it that we are all in this together. No matter if you have not missed a game in 50 years, or if you have never been to a game, it is our Arsenal so we all deserve a view. However, for me, if you have never been to a game, and never plan to, you should not be answering a game on the Emirates atmosphere. It is like voting for which turkey you want for Christmas when you are the vegetarian of the family. It would have been nice to get the break down.

Moving on, the BSM bought into discussion a second singing section. For a long time, it has been a Black Scarf Movement initiative to ‘bring back the Clock End’. The question about a 2nd singing section was clearly a ‘set-up question’ to then be followed up by a discussion about a new Clock end. 95.9% felt that “the atmosphere would benefit from introducing another singing section”.

When it came to the Clock End question, 87.9% backed the initiative. Now for me, ‘bringing back the Clock End’ is something which needs proper debate. Whilst in theory, it makes sense. Getting like minded, loud fans together in one area, next to the away fans, to drown out the away fans voices and create an atmosphere which will ripple around the stadium. It makes sense. However there are a key factor to remember.

The club has recently created the ‘Young Guns Enclosure’, for Junior Gunners aged 12-16 years old, where there are 1,000 tickets available for £10 for weekend Premier League category B and C matches. The club introduced this initiative after a demand from all Arsenal fans groups to make more, cheaper, tickets available to young supporters. There is no where else in the stadium these can be ‘moved’ too, without enforcing current season ticket holders to be moved.

It is no surprise that the ‘recreate the Clock End’ got the lowest percentage of positive results (still a very high 87.9%) then all other questions on atmosphere as many people would have had the Young Guns Enclosure in mind.

Can both the Young Guns Enclosure and Clock End sit in harmony? Is there space for both in the Clock End? Should the young guns take up half of the slow selling out Family Enclosure ? If not, who should take residence? Should other season ticket holders be moved to accommodate new season ticket’s in the Clock End? There are plenty of unanswered questions that will need to be explored. But there is clearly a want for a Clock End.

The final question, and for me most important, was about safe standing. It is backed by 91.5% of those fans who took part. Arsene Wenger has already said he wants it, Ivan Gazidas has also mentioned he is pro safe-standing and the fans clearly want it. Obviously it is out of the fans, clubs and even Premier League’s hands, as it is government legislation which currently outlaws standing at top level football games. ‘Health and Safety’ is the reasoning. Hillsborough happened nearly 25 years ago. A lot has changed since then. Football has changed. The mentality of fans has changed. There is no reason to not have safe standing. The area behind the North Bank goal would be perfect for this, running from Block 6 to Block 11.

Safe standing would then get rid of the need for a 2nd singing section, as standing will organically improve the atmosphere, and we would end up with a ‘singing end’ rather then 2 singing sections. It would allow Arsenal to mimic the old Kop End’s, Dortmund’s yellow wall, the old North Bank, etc.

Safe standing is currently backed by 25 professional clubs, as well as the Scottish Premier League. Aston Villa, Cardiff City, Crystal Palace, Hull City, Sunderland and Swansea City are the only current Premier League side who back the initiative. Arsenal have, for a long time, been the leader of English football. whether it be names on shirts or floodlights, where Arsenal have gone, other clubs have followed. Arsenal should start to take the lead when it comes to safe standing.

The results of the BSM survey are clear. The atmosphere in the Emirates is, at best, average. The club needs to work together with fans and authorities to improve this atmosphere. There is plenty the club can do. There is plenty the fans themselves can do. And there is plenty the authorities need to do. I will leave the final words on the BSM survey to the BSM themselves:

“It has long been our members thoughts that the atmosphere in the ground is poor. Giving it names such as the soulless bowl. Attempts from the BSM to get some atmosphere in the ground were met with some reluctance from the club as was shown recently at the Chelsea Capital One Cup match. We hope that with our survey findings the club are open to the fact that there is a big problem there and with our help hope we can address that and better the match day experience for the fans'”

The full results of the Black Scarf Movement can be found here.