COME ON YOU GUNNERS!

When I was a youngster I occasionally played football  for my senior school 1st team, that would be on the basis that I’d turned up for the training session the day before, you wouldn’t be considered otherwise and that was always a very difficult one for me (and still is) as I liked my bed in the morning and hated winter (still do) which is when most school football was played. Having said that, I did play quite a few first team matches and I remember my last 1st team game I was on the bench playing for my home town, Ealing. I was put on as a sub then subbed off 20 minutes later… all I remember was the insane speed the game was being played and simply not being able to keep up. Incidentally, Arsenal star boy, Bukayo Saka is from Ealing.

 

As far as being a fan, I used to go to Loftus Road occasionally to watch QPR play football in the 1st Division, that was then what our Premier League is now. I was taken along by one of my parents close friends. This would be the late 1960’s early 70’s.. I think I saw them play Leeds and Liverpool during that time but I could be wrong, it was a long time ago. I remember Rodney Marsh wearing the number 10 shirt. After that I went along many times over the years, sometimes seeing them on those cold wet evenings under floodlights playing in the championship (2nd division) often less attractive football and ending up being beaten by teams like Port Vale and Bury.

 

I left the game behind for many years as I followed my musical path and it wasn’t until the late 90’s that I reconnected to the beautiful game, in a bar seeing Sky Sport coverage for the very first time on a big screen. With the close ups of players flying into challenges, being right there on the touchline… it hooked me. It took a couple of years moving through a phase of supporting Man Utd when Beckham, Keane, Scholes and Giggs were the infamous midfield four to eventually find my true love... ARSENAL FC. I suppose it was partly working with Sir Roger Daltrey, a massive Gooner along with his son, Jamie and having done a couple of acoustic gigs at the Emirates with Rog, meeting Arsene Wenger and the terrific left back, Hector Bellerin. Hanging out those few times at the Emirates stadium led to a feeling of connection and belonging. I always feel a little guilty when people say they’ve followed their club since childhood, season ticket holder all their life, etc because I’m not that person but in my heart and I say this proudly,  I am a Gooner through and through. I adore this team now more than any of the great teams of the past (although I’d have Henry and Bergkamp back in a heartbeat). I even cried recently when Eze signed. I drove to Aston Villa when they beat us last season and had to drive all the way home with a puncture at under 50mph… arrived home in West London at 5am. I went to Paris for the Champions league final in 2004 which we didn’t’ win and have been fortunate enough to go to countless matches at the Emirates that we did win though I sadly admit to never going to Highbury. I say that always with regret but tickets being so hard to come by and Sky Sports coverage being so great I subscribed to a front row seat until the new stadium move in 2006.

 

So to sum up, I believe this is our time. The manager, Mikel Arteta has done a phenomenal job getting the club back on track after years of struggle and at last this season they have the footballing talent and strength in depth to go on and bring silverware back to the Arsenal FC trophy cabinet where it belongs.

COME ON YOU GUNNERS!