Tag Archives: She Wore

The Arsenal and Me – Micheal’s Story

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It’s All Lee Dixon’s Fault.

Love affairs and addictions often happen by chance. Someone or something comes into your life, possibly briefly but its impact is sudden and overwhelming. My addictive love affair with Arsenal is no different. And for that I blame . . . Lee Michael Dixon.

 I discovered Arsenal purely by chance and given the events of my first ever Arsenal match it seems almost surreal. I had been stationed in the US Navy. With my role in the Navy, I split time between London working for Commander-in-Chief US Forces Europe and Allied Forces South based out of Naples Italy. It was the late Eighties, and during that time frame I’d find my exposure to the game I played as a kid taken to new extremes.

During one of my last stays in London, I happened to be friendly with a lot of the lads from the Royal Navy (and some of the lasses as well – that’s another story). One  in particular, Rory, and I had a penchant for hanging out together and enjoying our favorite past time – drinking. One week he found out his brother was sick and wouldn’t be able to go to a football match with him. One they’d planned on going to earlier but for whatever reason they were unable to (at the time I didn’t fully understand what had happened at Hillsborough)

The match he would take me to was none other than the match at Anfield in 1989 – that magical night when “the boys of” Arsenal would put the “men” of Liverpool to the sword and capture their first league title since ‘70-’71. I would later find out that the original timing of this match was postponed from its original date in April because of the Hillsborough tragedy but much like my experience that night I was not aware of that or Arsenal.

Let me tell you, that when it was all said and done and we were journeying home, I had no idea what I had witnessed. All I knew was that it was intense, it was passionate and in my mind , it was the greatest thing I had ever witnessed.

Exposure to the European game was nonexistent growing up. You just didn’t know it. You knew of players like Pele because of the NASL here in the US, but knowing who players were in England for me never really happened,  till that night. And it was that night that I’d really be drawn to the highly effective play of one player in particular. . .

Lee Dixon. I think I was first drawn to Lee because he was the man who put that final goal in motion, and for some reason when I watched it happen, I just felt I was seeing something magical – that could’ve been Rory’s hand grasping my forearm for dear life though. That pass to Smith that eventually found its way to Michael Thomas would be the catalyst for my fascination with Arsenal.

I would leave London that following week and I wouldn’t go back again until after my discharge, but I was hooked. I had to know more and whilst finishing up my service in Napoli (watching Maradona play for them – how’s that for exposure to soccer) I began reading the weekly versions of the UK papers to keep up on Arsenal and of course Lee Dixon.

If only we had the Internet back then!

Once back home in the US information on Arsenal was harder still.  AOL was in it’s infancy and digital sharing of information was sporadic – at best. So my initial keep-up on Arsenal was through the mail from Rory and similarly to my time in Naples, through the weekly UK press (the Express could be had at certain book shops) available here in the US.  But I was a determined young man and I wanted to see them live as often as I could. And with no strings and money from an inheritance, I went as frequently as life would allow.

As I got to know Arsenal during that time, what struck me about Lee Dixon’s play was the almost unassuming way he went about his business. And for me, that is why I liked him. Where I grew up in the US, we like our sports personalities to be blue collar, hard-working, and not flashy – to me Lee Dixon was the epitome of that.  To say Lee didn’t have flash is kind of misleading – let’s say it was subdued flash. He didn’t have the silky skills we swoon over, but he had a dogged determination to win every ball he good. And because as good as he was defensively, the fact he scored 28 goals – some of a wicked variety are often overlookedObviously there is THAT goal against Chelsea. Coming in from the left side and just rifling a shot in the upper corner that any striker would’ve been envious of. Or the goal against George Graham’s Leeds. Both of those stand out as a testament his offensive skills.

Still, though, he was a defender. It’s always easy to take joy in a goal or the flash of a midfielder or striker, but to truly appreciate a player, you must watch those who ply their trade defending. Sometimes there work is non-stop, sometimes it’s non-existent.

Of course back then, defending was a way of life for Arsenal, particularly when Lee was part of that famed back four. The times I did get to see him live or  in a pub here in the US (the Dicken’s Inn in Philadelphia used to be the early spot) I just always felt watching him – he was so easily good at this. He was a fullback who was solid and determined, and while Tony Adams would wear the moniker of Mr. Arsenal (and rightly so), I always thought of Lee as Mr. Dependable.

Of course any discussion of Lee would be incomplete without acknowledging the own goal against Coventry – the best own goal ever according to some. It was something I didn’t see live but was relayed to me the phone almost immediately after the match. Looking at it now through the help of YouTube, it’s not a highlight reel moment unless you are capturing the worst possible moments of a player’s career. But as I watch it and I watch my favorite player wince and grab his head in pain, I feel it too – even now.

My last memory of Lee playing is probably the time I think I knew, as probably did others, that his playing career was in the wane. It was during the 2000-2001 FA Cup Final in Cardiff. I have to admit to crying afterwards (I’m actually cold and heartless really) and coming to terms with Lee’s mortality. Watching Michael Owen, speed by him for the eventual winner was too painful. But it was painful I think, because we don’t ever want to see our heroes stop being who we know they truly are.

I have this propensity for freezing people in time. I still envision my 35 year old younger brother as 9 year old. For me Lee will always be that man who lofted the ball so sweetly to Alan Smith, and with the start of play for that legendary goal, sent me on a journey I haven’t ever come back from.

We are blessed now that Lee has taken his talents to punditry. He is as good there as he was on the pitch. His ability to dissect a game is a testament, to me at least, to his ability to read a game as player. He is insightful, thoughtful and objective.

As I started YouAreMyArsenal and we started to get some recognition, I was asked if I wanted to participate on a Q&A video with the IAMPLAYR application on Facebook. I was curious. Then they told me who was going to be answering our questions, Lee Dixon. Curiosity be damned. It was Lee.

It’s all a little fanboy I know. But I show Lee to my sons and even some of my players (I am a coach now) videos of THAT back four and I tell them – that’s how you defend. And then I show them Lee scoring – and I say good defenders get to score too.

If I was offered the chance to meet Lee Dixon, I would simply say to him – Lee, thank you. You have given me a love affair with a club no one can take away and I am forever grateful.

Michael

Michael is the administrator/blogger for youaremyarsenal.com. You can join his Facebook group here

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

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
 

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