Tag Archives: Arsenal

Victory, Permutations, #SleeveGate, Stewards, Empty Seats and Bendtner

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Victory

The Good: 3 points closer to qualification, 2 goals for Wilshere, 1 goal conceded in 6 games for Szczesny, 67% possession and 112 passes for Ramsey.
The Bad: Overplayed the ball, poor finishing, lackadaisical play, that penakty miss,
The ugly: What was Marseille manager Élie Baup’s all sky blue track suit about?

Permutations

Forget about the complicated permutations, win or draw and we’re through top, lose by 3+ goals and Dortmund win and we are out. That is all you need to know

#SleeveGate

For as long as I remember, and probably over twice as long as that, The Arsenal captain has picked the sleeve length, and the rest of the players have followed. It is part of the class and tradition of Arsenal Football Club. Mathieu Flamini, however, feels he is above this. As against Manchester United, he cut his sleeves. His justification is he has been a professional footballer for 10 years, and is more comfortable wearing short sleeves. Is a players comfort above the traditions of a club? Long serving Vic Akers is not happy, Arsene Wenger is reportedly not happy, but can you fine a player for wanting to wear the sleeve length he wants?

Stewards

Once again, there are reports of over-zealous stewarding. Three stories seem to be appearing from tonight. The first is of an OAP being escorted out after standing up and shouting ‘ARSENAL, ARSENAL’ at a corner. The 2nd is of a father being threatened to be thrown out after holding his daughter in the air celebrating a goal. The 3rd is a steward being reportedly over heard saying “I am going to kick someone out tonight.” I think stewards need to remember they are their to steward the crowd, not police it. After recent performances by our stewards, the club needs to review the matter before more fans are alienated.

Empty Seats

6,000 empty seats at the Emirates tonight. The club do not allow the ticket exchange to be open for Champions League games. This is the main reasoning as fans who travel from Birmingham or Devon (where the chap infront of me travels from weekly) can not make mid week. They then struggle to sell their ticket. This leads to empty seats. Yes, there were problems in South East London, yes it was a bit of a nothing game, yes it was cold, but 6,000 is a lot. I feel it also has a lot to do with people getting bored of the Champions League. A final note is that Marseille had the smallest allocation possible. The club sold all of these extra tickets in the lower tier, so it is missing season ticket holders which is the problem.

Bendtner

Lots or criticism coming Bendtner’s way after his arrest for criminal damage. Silly? Yes. Immature? Yes. But it is certainly not the worst thing as Arsenal player has done whilst still at the club. Were it someone other than Bendtner, we would defend him. Bendtner is stupid, but it’s a nothing story, and we should perhaps remember our ‘naughty history’.

Keenos
 

10 Reasons why we will beat Marsellie+ starting XI

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1.. Chesney, another clean sheet on Saturday. He has now only let in 1 goal in his last 5 games.

2.. Seems pointless picking out the defenders for individual praise now, they are all working very well as a unit and would make George Graham proud with the offside trap. All that is missing is them putting their hands up and clapping the Ref and Lino once the right call has been made.

3.. Flamini is available, I just hope Wenger doesn’t make the mistake of playing him and Arteta. It Doesn’t work, much the same as chicken with cheese doesn’t work.

4.. Wilshere, whilst it was good to see him get a full 90mins in on Saturday he still doesn’t look totally match fit and at his best.

5.. Theo, wasn’t really upto much in his short cameo appearance on Saturday Vs his boyhood team. I’d like to see him start and make more of an impression this game.

6.. Ozil lots of people have been having a moan up saying he has been quiet lately, but hes working hard, covering plenty of ground and this is the kind of game he will shine in.

7.. Ramsey, by far our best player this season and even if he gets pushed wide by Wenger he puts in a shift, his back flick which hit the post Vs Southampton was a touch of pure class. With Theo back let’s hope he get’s put in his best position, down the middle.

8.. Marseille domestically are doing okay, but just okay. Winning 7 out of 14 games so far but drawing 3 and losing 4, With a goal diff of plus 7. That leaves them 10 points off the pace of current leaders PSG. in the Champions League group they are the whipping boys managing to lose all 4 games so far.

9.. Giroud, I’m so happy he got a poachers kind of goal at the weekend and as for his head/eyes/body/foot fake for the penalty, well just pure class.

10.. Wenger KNows, a win could put us into the next round, lose and we could face a tricky last game away.

Likely starting XI – Cheseny, Sagna. BFG, Kos, Gibbs, Arteta, Ramsey, Santi, Ozil, Theo, Giroud

COME ON THE ARSENAL !!!!

CL

The Arsenal and Me – A Canadian’s Story

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As a Canadian born outside of Toronto, there is only one team you grow up supporting. The Toronto Maple Leafs. For those of you without knowledge of the National Hockey League (NHL), it is a pro ice hockey team. The team dates back to 1917, not quite the history that comes with football clubs over the pond, but for what is quite a young nation, Maple Leaf hockey is a long and proud tradition.

Just like in all sport, your families past generation’s pass down support, and this was the case with me. My entire family supports the Leafs, and everyone (mostly) in the community and surrounding communities, shares that passion. So one could imagine, it was hard as a kid brought up in the 90s to really be exposed to anything other than hockey, that is just what you did. You are born, you play hockey as a kid, and you support The Leafs. It’s Clockwork.

I always enjoyed playing football as a kid, I didn’t have the passion for the game that I do now, as I was still in the traditional Canadian, hockey mold, but it was definitely festering. I never really played the game competitively, something now that I am older I regret, I played for my elementary school teams, but never for a league team. I was always playing ball hockey as a kid, it was and still is one of my favourite sports, and so I never had the time to play football.

My whole life was hockey; I would play in the summers and winters, and watch my beloved Maple Leafs on TV. My first real exposure to football was the 98 World Cup, I was only 7 years old, and the brilliance of Zizou in the final was what really gravitated me to the sport, though I never thought it would evolve into the passion I have now. I can still see me and my brother on my basement couch, huddled around the TV, me cheering on Zizou and Les Blues and he the mighty Ronaldo and his Samba Masters. Though, back then I was only watching International competition, I was never exposed to the club side, and at that point still was yet to have an affiliation with a club. The Euro was next, the 200 final is still a game I can relive to this day, my French team, still driven by the great Zizou was up against the Italians. For some strange reason my brother was a big supporter of Toldo, and thus was rooting against me. I will never forget Wiltord scoring the equalizer in the depths of injury time, and Trezeguet scoring the winner in Golden Goal.

One of my favourite moments as a football supporter that.

Lets skip the 02 World Cup shall we… dark times.

I don’t quite remember when, but sometime between the 02 and 06 World Cup, my brother introduced me to club football. I must also give some credit to my step-grandparents, who hail from the mighty Bury and are avid Manchester City supporters (can only imagine what it was like to be my Grandad, when Aguero scored that goal vs QPR… madness. Wish I could have been there to see his reaction, but I will get to the reason why I couldn’t) and they, along with my brother were really the ones who showed me the ropes.

Now for a dark period in my life, I use to be a Manchester United fan.

I know, I know, how sickening right? But to be fair, I never really watched any games. I can’t even remember watching one if I’m honest… but apart fromZidane, my favourite player back then was Van Nistelrooy. My mom is Dutch and so I try to pay attention to how Netherlands get on, and Van Nistelrooy was amazing. This just got worse didn’t it? A Van Nistelrooy loving United Fan? Just thinking apart that short time makes me sick. I truly am embarrassed.

Lets forget that now shall we? Okay, good.

As I have mentioned, my brother was a massive influence on my football path as a youngster, and as I got a bit older we truly shared a great bond over football, one that I cherish to this day. The only problem is that he is a die-hard Liverpool fan. As the Premier league became more accessible on Canadian television, I would watch more and more games and truly became engrossed in the sport.

Than one day it happened.

During the 07/08 season, I was watching Liverpool Champions League highlights (Yes, they did play in the CL at one point) and I came across Arsenal. Here was this team, made up of all these great players, ones that I recognized from my admiration with the French National Team. How had I missed this lot? So I went and analyzed the roster of this Arsenal team, and compared them to the United team. Wow.

I hated every United player, and loved many Arsenal players.

Henry was one of my favourite players; little did I know I wouldn’t get to watch him play for the Arsenal.

My passion was really born late in the 07/08 season.

Around the time of the Arsenal v Liverpool CL QF, I have truly developed a love for the team. It was to be an exciting tie, one that me and me brother were really looking forward too. I had followed Liverpools trek the previous year, their thrilling run to the final vs Milan, and I had high hopes our boys could pull it off.

Ryan Babel’ed.

After that I was hooked, the 08/09 season was the first time I started a season and I haven’t missed a game since. We signed Ramsey that season, I loved the way he played football at the time, I still have nightmares about what happened at Stoke, I don’t look at tackled the same. I am guilty in saying that my support waivered on him after, as it did with most of us, but I am so very happy to see him succeeding now. He is a true Arsenal man, combines the mental strength that Arsene loves to preach, with that brilliant technique. Fantastic. (take that Sir Alex!)

It truly is a family affair now, the BPL is a fixture on Canadian television and my favourite time of the week is waking up bright and early on Saturday morning (7:45 for early kickoff) and cheering on the boys. Like I mentioned before, my brother is die-hard Liverpool fan, and he has managed to convert my step-mom from a City supporter to a very passionate Liverpool fan. My grandparents are City fans, as is my Uncle, then there is my dad… United. Oh how I am enjoying the Moyes Era. It is an interesting atmosphere on Match Day when you are surrounded by so many different supporters, I think it’s almost a luxury of being a foreign fan. Our support isn’t segregated by geography; relationships formed by football can bring people together and rivalries breed competition, both are qualities I love. While we may fight and argue over our teams, it is the love of the game that really drives us forward and it’s something I wish native fans could experience. Though I do understand the passion that comes with being a generational fan, as I have experienced that with my love for hockey.


I take you back to the final day of the 2012 season, I am in my basement watching tensely as we are under the kosh against West Brom, playing poorly and at 2-2, needing the win to secure 4th spot over the enemy. Dad and step mom are upstairs watching on as United are winning and City are down to QPR. During HT, my stepmom was thinking of going to my grandparents house, but didn’t want to be there if City were going to lose the title, it looked a good decision at that time.

Up Step Laurent Koscielny. YES! Thank you Martin Fulop! As this is happening I am running upstairs to catch glimpses of the United game and the tension between my parents, my dad at one point slides on his knees in celebration.

Up Step Aguero. My Word. My dad goes from elation, to desolation, in the blink of an eye, it was glorious. Here I am celebrating like mad for Arsenal clinching 4th (Oh when the Spurs, oh when the Spurs, oh When the Spurs blow a 10 point lead, I want to be In that number! Oh When the Spurs Blow A 10 Point Lead!) and my dad going mental.

Brilliant.

My Family at Xmas a couple years ago 

I struggle to summarize my love for The Arsenal, the bond is that strong.

It really goes beyond description, which is a lot to say coming from a 22 year old Canadian who grew up in a hockey family and in a city with the greatest and most famous hockey team of all-time. Everything about the Arsenal I admire, from Arsene, to the respect, the class in which the club operates, I can go on and on, but you all know the qualities of which I speak. Of course then there is the football. It really it different class at times, Arshavins goal vs Barcelona is the greatest moment in my life, that play was brilliant, Jack with the nice touch to Cesc who played the long ball out to Nasri and the rest is history. Just a shame what happened with Robin in the return leg, we were playing quite resolute till that point. That football is returning now, Ozil/Ramsey/Cazorla/Giroud are really playing their butts off and just playing teams off the pitch, harnessing their inner Cesc/Nasri/Song/Robin and at times, their Bergkamp/Pires/Viera/Henry.

I won’t even try to put into words my feeling when Henry scored vs Leeds.

Sure we have hit hurdles here and there recently… Cesc, Robin, Birmingham, Barcelona, Eduardo, United in the CL Semi, Bradford. But every club has their ups and downs, and us as supporters, just have to back the boys that much more when they are down so we can truly appreciate the good times.

Some say that foreign fans aren’t “True Fans”, and sure, I might not be able to stand aloft on the North Bank and sing my players on in person, I might not have had the most traditional of football upbringings, but I assure you this…

Arsenal Till I Die, I’m Arsenal Till I die, I know I am, I’m sure I am, I’m Arsenal Till I Die.

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