Posted in match preview on Dec 30th, 2011 441 Drinks »
22nd March, 1969. It is a date that will mean little to most. Old Queens Park Rangers fans may guess that it was the day Arsenal first played at Loftus Road in the top flight. Older Gooners will be shuddering, having attempted to blank out the events of one week earlier from their memory. Following […]
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Posted in comment on Dec 29th, 2011 259 Drinks »
1st October, 2000. The top two teams in the country meet at Highbury. The double winners of 1998 are once again challenging the treble winners of 1999 for domestic supremacy. Half an hour in, Gilles Grimandi pushes the ball forward to Thierry Henry. Some twenty-two yards out, in the inside-left channel, Henry has his back […]
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Posted in match review on Dec 27th, 2011 417 Drinks »
The dropping of points by Manchester City, Chelsea, and Liverpool, yesterday gave Arsenal the opportunity to get right in the mix against a side that does not travel well. Courtesy of Setanta Canada I had a perfect stream to view. Technology is a wonderful thing. Perhaps the powers that be should make greater use of […]
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Posted in match preview on Dec 26th, 2011 232 Drinks »
It is dawning on me that anything other than the most rudimentary of previews is going to be impossible. We are in a houseful aged from 5 to 78 (No, that’s not me smartarse), the champagne is out, and a second consecutive day of games and grazing is underway. It seems my battle to convert […]
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Posted in history on Dec 23rd, 2011 118 Drinks »
The last half a day at work, and yet it didn’t feel like Christmas when first I opened my eyes this morning. Ho-hum, just another day. The boiling kettle, the cup of tea, same old, same old. Off to check emails and Twitter. Christmas was just about to strike in the most wonderful way. A […]
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Posted in match review on Dec 21st, 2011 312 Drinks »
I got the impression prior to the game that some thought tonight would be a stroll in the park for Arsenal. Perhaps it is worth pointing out that before the match Villa’s points tally was closer to ours than ours was to Manchester City. I was not surprised to see them put up a pretty […]
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Posted in match preview on Dec 20th, 2011 328 Drinks »
Villa Park, always a popular trip even though we have mixed memories of games against Villa and FA Cup semi-finals there. It was quite an experience to share the massive old Holte End terrace with semi-final opponents separated by a net that did not stop any coins of the realm from passing through. The old […]
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Posted in match review on Dec 18th, 2011 263 Drinks »
No need for the rending of garments or the gnashing of teeth. No need to lay all of the blame at the floor of our old mate, Phil Dowd. It would be like shooting fish in a barrel. No credit would come from it. Instead I am inclined to speak of the emotions that were […]
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Posted in match preview on Dec 17th, 2011 310 Drinks »
17th February, 1971. I can’t remember going to bed last night, but I can remember that evening vividly. Arsenal, firmly behind Leeds United in the chase for the League title, went to Maine Road to face a Manchester City in their pomp including the triumvirate that was Lee, Bell, and Summerbee. It was the fifth […]
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Posted in history on Dec 12th, 2011 835 Drinks »
A few words about Friday’s events are in order I think, not only to share the experience of a privileged invitee, but also to give a platform to some wonderful images from a good friend. Chronologically then, my day began with yet another taxi journey to the station, and my third day of train journeys […]
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