Tag Archives: Dortmund

Defeat and Rain Fail to Dampen Arsenal Spirits

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Despite a home defeat and torrential rain to great the homeward bound fans, the spirit of The Arsenal was certainly not dampened last night, with fans walking under Highbury House in high spirits.

Borussia Dortmund were last years Champions League runners-up and one of the best rated teams were always going to be a tough draw. However Arsenal performed admirably on the night and only lost due to going for the win, conceding on the break to Dortmund’s only shot of the 2nd half.

Whilst it was a negative result, it was a fairly positive performance as Arsenal proved they could compete with one of the best attacking sides in Europe, restricting a side who had scored 22 league goals this season to hardly any shots, and 2 goals, one of which was a poor error by Ramsey, the second on the break.

Arsenal played some brilliant football at times, with Rosicky, Cazorla and Ozil brightening the second half. We once again lacked a bit of pace going forward, and you have to think had either Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain or Podolski been playing, we would have got that second goal.

The group is now extremely tight and you have to think it is most likely that we go to Napoli in the last game level on points with the Italian side, meaning they need to beat us to progress ahead.

On a side night, the German side’s fans certainly won the battle of the fans, however, I did wonder a few times about how manufactured and choreographed they were. With a drummer and 3 orchestral conductors, they lack the spontaneity of a proper away end. The conductors seem to be the norm in Europe, I have never been a fan of them and wonder whether being told when to sign and clap is really that good?

Moving forward to Saturday, we face Crystal Palace. We need to ensure that we get back on the horse and win again. The last time we lost to a German side at home, we entered a negative spiral, according to Andre Villas-Boas. If we enter the same negative spiral now, things will continue looking good for The Arsenal.

On a final thought, if you were one of the fans who got on the back of the side at the final whistle, shame on you. You do not deserve any of the future success we will have.

Keenos

The Arsenal and Me – Mark’s Story

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How I became an arsenal fan…

There was no choice on who I supported in my family. Both my parents are Arsenal fans, I was brought up in Islington, and could walk to the ground from my house. Same for both my parents. My dads parents weren’t into football too much, in fact if they supported anyone, it was the scum. My dad had more sense though, and became an Arsenal fan due to where he lived (and just to be awkward and follow a different team to his family). My mums family are all Arsenal. Just so you know how ‘Arsenal’ they are, my granddad was a close cousin of a certain Charlie George……

My First Game…

What a first game for me to go to. 18th April 1998, I just turned 8. My dad struggled getting tickets to take me to games, I was bugging him for ages to take me. He managed to get two season tickets off his mate, who couldn’t make that game. I was in the upper tier of the North Bank. It was quite surreal going into the stand, obviously hadn’t ever experienced anything like that before, being in such a big place with 38,000 people. The game was against Wimbledon, we won 5-0. Petit scored his first goal for The Arsenal I think, and my favourite player at the time (I was 8!!) Wreh scored.

I’d like to add the only reason why I liked him was because of his goal celebrations. Looking back at stats now (on http://www.stats.woolwicharsenal.co.uk/aftlu.htm (Great Website!), Wreh had scored a few in games leading up to that Wimbledon game, so maybe that’s why I liked him too, and obviously knew of his celebrations! At the end of the game, we waited back to see the other scores on the screens, I think united had drawn 1-1 with whoever they were playing, and I do believe this meant Arsenal then went top of the league.

The Arsenal and me now…

Now I am a season ticket holder, east stand lower. This is my fifth year with a season ticket. I don’t miss a home game, unless I really have to. I try to do a fair few away games. Haven’t done any this season yet, but will be going Palace, Dortmund and Cardiff within next couple of months. There’s things I am not happy about over The Arsenal, lack of investment in squad, ticket prices, The Arsenal making money out of fans at every opportunity, etc. However, it is an addiction. I love going over there. I’ve met a lot of great people over The Arsenal, some very good friends of mine now. I watch some away games that I can’t go to for whatever reason, and always gutted I’m not there.

There’s something about football that non football fans don’t understand. Scoring a last minute winner or beating the scum for example, I’m smiling for a week after. Same for the other way round, if we lose in the last minute, or the scum beat us, I don’t talk to anyone. I’ve got colleagues who don’t understand it, say ‘its just a game, how can it affect you so much’. It’s not just a game though is it.

Mark

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

The Arsenal and Me – Nordi’s Story

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“It’s life, and every emotion you go through, I have gone through with The Arsenal”

First love

Lived on the Avenell Road it was the first real thing I saw as a kid people horses stadium songs lights, the colours the noise so it was that and my metal tonka truck.

Trouble

I first fell in trouble loving my club aged 9 and my brother aged 6 in a shared garden on Riversdale road off the Blackstock Road , the neighbours knocked on my mums door and told her to go and listen to your kids and she did, both of us copying the north bank “YOUR GONNA GET YOUR FUCKING HEAD KICKED IN” and “Your’e going home in funny ambulance” and the classic “The manky Tottenham Hotspur went home to the dope and this is FUCK OFF” – we didn’t get the right words till a few year later when Mum had enough and let me make the short journey on my own.

Happy

My two kids birth come first, well not quite true. First was the 1987 season and at the shit hole after years of following arsenal was pure ecstasy and 89 was LSD, ecstasy, hash, blow job’s and Samantha Fox’s tits on my face all at the same time. I could not make Anfield, one of the few games I missed in the 80s, but when that goal went in I ran around the pool table in the pub like a headless chicken onto Essex Road and dropped to my knees stopping the traffic.

Sadness

The passing of Rocky upset me big time. It was like losing a few school pals that passed away. Also losing Denton was extremely upsetting. MR Arsenal. If it was not for him and many others who ran with him, my dad would never have gone into the ground as football back then had many racists and I was the good looking son of a foreigner.

Learning

How to conduct yourself? I honestly can say hand on heart I learned more from the North Bank than I did at school or mucking about on the streets. You see the local schools and streets had the same Herbert’s where as the North Bank would have lads from Enfield, Essex, Burnt Oak, Surrey even fucking loyals from Telford. The music, the clothes, the jokes clubs, the girls and even a bit of politics, not much mind. Also travelling the country seeing at first hand the destruction of Liverpool in the early 80s and then the destruction of mining communities, no internet or mobile phones back then so all the learning was done through the eyes and actual experience so thank you Arsenal.

Religion/Cult

It was Arsenal and it was my job to recruit/encourage as many Gooners to come in to the holy ground from Highbury Grove School. Another memory that I will take to the grave is when we took 50 odd to Brighton and nearly 80 of us met for a home game against West Ham and similar numbers for Liverpool, marching off from Highbury Corner. The jokes the laughs.

Addiction

Aged 12 or 13 I made enough money to buy a ticket for West Brom away. Train, fare, can of coke and a packet of biscuits. Off I went without telling my parents, came back at 9 at night to massive slap from the old man and banned from going. Yeah right! I did not miss a home game for years after. Like many of us, I was such a sweet boy until arsenal came along.

I could go on and on but it’s everything and still is, my love has let me down big time, changing the badge, fucking about with the kits, pricing out fans and then driving out passionate fans through their Gestapo stewarding. The horrible grassing service,the sit down brigade, and then the killer – moving to the concrete bowl hurt more than I can describe. I joined the BSM in 2009 and through this passionate group, I felt like we have a voice again. I don’t want to hurt the club, but I feel like kicking them in the bollox every now and then “say wake up”. Don’t turn into a day tripper tourist venue or you will break many hearts and in the long term you will regret it.

Like the late 70s and early 80s I’m dreaming and looking forward to Dortmund where an old School turn out will be drinking and singing in praise of the Arsenal. You are my arsenal

Nordi

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