Yossi, Andre, And Marton Launch Us Into Europe
May 13th, 2012 by 'holic
And so the season ended as it had progressed. The side that has reached the extremes of performance both good and bad gave us one more afternoon of unbelievable tension. Would you have it any other way? Well given the choice I would have to say yes. My old ticker isn’t getting any younger, and it got a pretty heavy duty workout again today.
Less than two minutes in the news filtered through from the Lane that our neighbours were a goal to the good. “Not a problem”, we assured each other as long as we do our bit. Two minutes later Albion ‘keeper Marton Fulop provided his first, but not his last assist, and the excellent Yossi Benayoun scavenged the lead for us.
The fact that Benayoun had survived Arsene’s rarely seen axe ahead of the game was lost on nobody. His loan year from Chelsea has hit an upward curve in the final months of the season. Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Keiran Gibbs, and Aaron Ramsey looked on from the bench. Once again the senior professionals were to the fore, with Yossi and Tomas Rosicky getting welcome support from the ever enthusiastic Andre Santos.
The hold on the game proved a tenuous one when Long, surely offside, comfortably beat Wojciech Szczesny on eleven minutes. Four minutes later the palpitations were brought on as Dorrans was allowed time to turn and beat Szczesny again all too easily. The reason became apparent in the aftermath of the game. Not only was the Pole a doubt for the game, but Arsene revealed he has been playing with pain-killing injections of late. That explains a lot.
I was so pleased not to be on Twitter at that point, seeking solace in the company of the regulars here. I can only imagine the reaction, thankfully. The road back from disaster started when Santos, on one of his rampaging forays, hit an accurate drive that in truth Fulop should probably have stopped. The ‘keeper returneth what the linesman giveth away, the reverend And Lester might say.
Newcastle’s struggle at the time meant we were never lower than fourth in the ‘as-it-stands’ table, but for an uncomfortable hour either side of the half-time break we were facing an uncertain future. With Rosicky failing to make the second-half we were relying on Benayoun, covering every blade of grass, to set the example in the centre. Ten minutes after the restart the skipper’s corner was punched straight to a grateful Laurent Koscielny who scored what would prove to be the most valuable goal of a funny old season.
The last half an hour passed in barely under a fortnight of sheer mental torture, and outstanding blocks by Koscielny and Gibbs preserved the points, and that oh so special third place. The final whistle brought with it the thoroughly deserved tribute to Pat Rice, carried shoulder-high to the outstanding travelling support. Nine months of tension were momentarily forgotten as players and fans enjoyed an outpouring of relief and delight.
After a couple of hours of merciless and childish goading of the neighbours on Twitter it is time to reflect on an afternoon when finally the beautiful Lady Luck at last gave us a tantalising glimpse of her favours. She has neglected us for much of the season, and the time for looking back should be delayed, I think. There are lessons to be learned from what has been a mixed bag of a season, but for tonight there is a feast to celebrate for the seventeenth consecutive year.
Ladies and gentlemen, and Wolfie, may I ask you to charge your glasses and toast our patron saint.
TO SAINT TOTTERINGHAM!
Forever in our shadow.
457 Responses to “Yossi, Andre, And Marton Launch Us Into Europe”
Thired!
Well in Reverend AL
To St. Totts ‘holic – looks like the FGs may have been tormenting that lot all season long…
Top Three!!??
Third drink (possibly) – like Arsenal. Thanks for being a welcome refuge for all things Arsenal over the season and see you in a couple of months for another hopefully less rollercoastery rollercoaster season.
Bollix…now I hope that Wind don’t win the champions league 😎
Well hold on a cotton-picking minute…if you discount Rev Al’s double post then I am technically in an autonomic qualification place…right guv?
To Saint Totts and also to third.
COYG FOYS
What a season. Unfuckingbelievable. From lowest of lows to finishing on a high.
Thank you Arsenal. Thank you Yossi, RvP and everyone.
Thank you Wenger. Thank you Pat.
—
9th? If I were a spud I would be happy with that.
OT : Was Anfield 89 as dramatic as Eithad 12?
Nice post, nice result, nice bottle of Negra Modelo. Cheers!
EvenIng all
Spent the afternoon following tweets and watching a shit stream. I swear it froze as that guy was about to shoot in extra time. Suddenly Gibbs arrived from nowhere.
You beauty.
3rd place. After the summer and start we had. Thank you. A season so much better than the previous ones, as They showed character.
Now we have a platform for next season. If the rumors are true, we’re about to be further strengthened. We’ve done all we can re Robin. Or we may even make him stay. Not going to stress about that. Can’t influence it.
Gays, it’s been an honour sharing this season with you.
Now looking forward to end of season HT silliness.
Anyone fancy a drink??
Thank you Poppet. I wish you and C a sunny and fun-filled summer. See you next season.
It is so much more tense from 6,000 miles away.
I have no need to trouble the barman – I had more than enough during the game.
Cheers!
Ollie
http://www.vipbox.tv/watch/51509/1/-girondins-bordeaux-vs-fc-lorient-live-stream-online.html
BALD!
Great to see you here sir. At least your ticker has been fixed 😉 Hope all is well with J…
Well this is why we love football, isn’t it? Two hours of miracle and disaster, luck and poor decisions, and finally, beating Tottenham in the table after all of their ‘mind the gap’ nonsense. Finishing
Now the real question- who to support next week? I want The Arsenal to be the first London club to lift the cup, but it would be too funny if our own noisy neighbours were left out in the cold.
Nonetheless, thanks for a great season all- especially you ‘holic for providing a voice of reason when none was to be found.
All I can say is well done the defense. One shocking goal given up aside (the other doesn’t count), they stood firm and contributed offensively, all the while keeping true to their principals of making us sweat as much as humanly possible.
Cheers everyone for a wild ride this season! Yossi surely has the heart truest heart, fighting til the end for his loaner team- we won’t forget!
Well in, Gunners. With new support and the RIGHT exits, next season will be delicious.
I take it you’re too young to remember Sajit? Man City, dramatic as it was, had nothing on 89. For a start the two teams at Anfield were playing for the title. Nothing short of a two goal win would have seen Liverpool win the league … and we won the league on goals scored not goal difference.
As someone pointed out on Twitter … there will never be a movie made about Man City’s league win.
And a special toast to Gibbs, surely the final touch that kept us in!
Cheers, Sajit! Haven’t sat at the bar with you all season. Good time to meet again!
Rocky!
Good to see you old pal.
I think there will be a film of Citeh’s triumph.
Brewster’s Millions with Mancini given a billion quid and told to blow it, and he so very nearly did!
Forever in our shadow.
I’m definitely rooting for Bayern Munich in the final because I want us to be the first london club to win one. Also, I cannot root for John Terry…ever. That being said, I have a funny feeling this is Chelsea’s year.
Evening all. Not seen any of the game yet. Had the commentary on and I don’t remember ever being so much on edge. After the start we had third is quite an achievement. I will leave the end of season post mortem until another day. Tonight is the time to sit back, put your feet up and smile. We all face the difficult task of now trying to work out who we want to win the champs lge?
Great write up as always holic. Well done old son.
Great stuff mate. Never in doubt.
Dark shadow
im a regular reader of this brilliant website but first time poster.
that last half an hour was torture , absolute torture.
no need to sweat it out next saturday. we will leave that to ‘the best spurs team ever’ who were being hailed as title challengers and now have to settle for 4th. how was that possible with us being ‘the worst arsenal team ever’.
now the media darling ‘arry is backtracking saying 4th is great. who the **** is he kidding???
so so so so happy we have done it.
feared the worst at 2 1 down but we showed character and i thank you mr benayoun for fantastic committment , desire and guts in our beloved red and white shirt. wouldnt mind him staying.
from where we have come from this season from the depths of eight trafford to finish 3rd is remarkable.
mr wenger please heed our weaknesses and get in a bit more quality.
commend you on your superb writing mr holic.
Happy St Totts everybody. Glad Mr Fulop came in to our aide today. From 17th to 3rd, not such a bad season after all but hope we learn our lessons.
By the way thanks Holic for an excellent blog. Keep up the good work, Sir.
There is a time for quiet reflection , there is a time for studious analysis , but there is also a time for just saying …
FUCKIN’ GET IN THERE BOYS, FUCKIN FUCKIN LOVELY JUBBLIE, FUCKIN GET ME COD AND CHIPS, FUCKIN WE ARE THE ARSENAL , FUCKIN FOREVER IN OUR SHADOW, FUCKIN ARSENE WENGER GENIUS, FUCKIN I LOVE YOU ALL .
Gonna get very very very very drunk 🙂 😉
Well, that was one hell of a season.
We lost Clichy, Nasri and Cesc; Wilshire missed the whole season; Diaby barely played; we had no genuine cover in attack for RvP; Sagna broke the same leg twice and our first choice back four rarely played together.
Despite that, we finished off one place better, won more matches and won more points than last year.
Thank you Yossi for your commitment and class. You’re more than welcome to come back next season.
It will be an interesting close season. Will the club strengthen the squad to make it a realistic title contender for next season?
So, how did everyone keep in touch with The Match?
In the Oxon household, I was to be found doing the ironing. Now, I know what you’re thinking, and usually I would agree with you, but I’d have you know that it works – I was ironing on the evening of May 8 2002 when, at Old Trafford, Silvain Wiltord kept intact Arsenal’s record of scoring in every away match; oh yeah, he secured us the title too.
I must also get a Shameful Secret off my chest. I have occasionally watched the Arse playing on streams or on the electric telemuvision. The last few times were not happy experiences – I watched the dreadful FA Cup game at Sunderland on the Beeb. I watched the second half of the Milan game at Ashburton Grove on Sky Italia while I was on holiday – the score was 3-0 when we got the hotel TV working. Every time I yielded to temptation and found a stream, matches went pear-shaped. So, I have foresworn stream chasing and will have to avoid live matches on the telly. Sorry. Father Edwin, Rev AL, Brother Storey – please intercede on my behalf. I am truly penitent.
No Brainer for me I hope Bayern smash the classless Chavs as all roads will lead to RA taking more of a backseat when it comes to spending as there’s no way he can outbid Or Outspend City- And in all honesty Chelsea need an overhaul, Plus think of the Fun we can have when that lot get beat in the qualifiying stage :)))
Fecking’ A post ‘holic of this venerable of St Tott’s days! 😀
Tabs@ 30, i’m well on the way!
“A round of the best stuff you’ve got bar-keep to all that are still way too sober!” Salut, Le Prof! 😀
“However, we will pursue no other ultimate aim then to bring joy for our Gooner friends and to secure the living hell for the Spurs family.
The prayers and thoughts, the very life of all Gooners, are again in the heart of every German soldier!”
Bastian Schweinsteiger
Bayern in the CL for me, and not only because I have a lot of Bavarian friends and have somewhat of a soft spot for Bayern.
We should be the first London team to win CL, and not qualifying for next week’s CL may just see the end of Chelsea’s money throwing adventure, especially given the amount of overhaul needed in that squad, and especially given that they cannot get into bidding wars with City.
Having to contend with two money clubs may be too much for us as well on a consistent year-in year-out basis, given all the uncertainties about FFP.
LWCs may very well lose in the qualifier, and even if not they are never a serious threat.
We should primarily focus on PL and CL next season, and use the domestic cups to rotate.
Well I shall read the blog in a bit, but I feel for writing a long-ish report.
Not that I got to see much of the game see.
But I’m already back home as I didn’t come across Gooners here (the only one I saw was going into the metro as I was going out).
Mind you, there seem to be only Red Mancs in Paris so there weren’t many people in the pub. Mwahaha (I completely obliterate Nasri from my memory, although you’ll see him mentioned so looking on the bright side, Evra must have cried. Mwahahaha.)
Anyway, at about 1pm I decided to shut off this page, and arseblog.
Watched the Grand Prix (a decent one) and nerves started kicking.
Checked the starting line-up on arseblog liveblog as I suspected Canal+ wouldn’t show it (they didn’t), and found it bold and interesting. Possibly what many Gooners were hoping.
But I didn’t want to check reactions to that in any way.
I knew C+ would mostly focus on both Mancs games and only show goals in our game, but it was straight into the action as they showed Cuntebayor scoring (the only time they showed a bit of that game).
Cue doom. Although hardly a minute lated, they showed some happy Gunners and it was 1-0 to us. Early Benayoung goal? I was too reminded of last week. Didn’t dare hoping, especially as they lingered on a minute and it looked like West Brom got a corner.
1-1 (offside?) 2-1. Fucking doomed. Please. Maybe Fulham can equalise?
Santos!!! Yes 2-2. Maybe there’s hope.
Half-time. Do. Not. Hope. Do. Not. Jinx. It.
3-2? Looks like the West Brom ‘keeper is having a blinder. As in ‘he is blind’. Too long to go, it’s still the Norwich scenario, we’re going to concede at some point and it’s going to be fucking painful.
‘Come on Arsenal, Come on Arsenal!’ I mumble to myself. The drama for both mancs unfolds. Barton is being Barton, whether he deserved to be sent off in the first place, he made sure he’d get a lengthy ban by acting the stupid cunt. What a despicable individual.
QPR go 2-1 up. Stoke equalise, bah. But what’s happening at The Hawthorns? No idea.
Hoping for a Fulham equaliser.
Scorelines flash up at the bottom. Spuds 2-0. When did this happen?
Fuck.
As the drama unfolds at the Eticunt Stadium, I laugh at Nasri letting the ball roll out thinking it’s his throw. City equalise, I hope Nasri doesn’t score a winner. Somebody else scores a winner. Drama? Who fucking cares?
I’m getting worried. With the Manc drama unfolding, they probably wouldn’t say if there’s any score at The Hawthorns. Could it even be 4-2 to us? I’m vaguely hoping that the only way they would have updated was if it meant a change in the table.
I get a text message, do not dare checking it before the final whistle.
Final whistle blows at the Eticunt. I realise that they probably won’t bother about the other scores for a bit. Can’t be arsed about the cunts celebrating having beaten the cunts to a title. It doesn’t matter.
Second text. I suspect I’d only get texts if we did the job OK.
Check the first text.
Esso with the good news! I call him, so happy! I might let out a yelp.
Oh fucking yes!
Called various people, text various people, go out to the pub, only a few drinks, with an extra shot as a mate out of a blue announces he’s getting married.
Wonderful day, only very minor regret is Bolton didn’t score a very late winner. Just to piss off Mark Hughes and QPR.
But who cares? Happy St Totteringham!!!!
Im still buzzing ,im so happy that i cant sit still ,i want to do something.Well im so tired all i can do is smile and look forward to next season and the european championship.
And for the people who havent heard it yet :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcHdHNbC3jM
Enjoy the lukas podolski song:P.
Ollie!
Bordeaux link above. Still 0-0…
I was of course, convinced we needed a 4th goal, but was delighted to see that we hung on for 3-2 😉
Thanks ‘holic. Opened it now.
Happy St Totteringhamsday everbody. And to neighbours. Fuck your “powershift” You mind the gap .. The Arsenal are best in London.
Ahoy Hoy, mates!
Still basking in the glow out here… even Toddler Lady Gooner got into the act today (lately her affections have been squandered on Dora the Explorer instead of the Mighty Arsenal – we will have to fix this over the summer).
Come on Bayern! Go suck on it, Sp*rs! (That includes you, too, San Antonio)
BMBD. FIOS.
Happy st totts to all the lads and ladies in here,not good for the heart alright,enjoy your night all,and a big thank you to holic for all your write ups.brilliant.UTA.
This is worth looking at too:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/14388154
Not one person putting us higher than fourth – and god knows what Mark Bright was on when he made his predictions!
I can’t seriously hope that Fulham in Blue win the CL. I don’t have wild romantic notions about how wonderful it wouldwill be when Arsenal become the first London club to win it; I could live with it if Leyton Orient or Brentford won it before us, it’s just that the Chavs are such an unpleasant, classless bunch of, er, Charlies.
However, I couldn’t seriously hope for that chinless bloke(?) to win the Premier League. That didn’t prevent the surge of joy when Manciti’s third went in to deprive ManYoo of the title. I expect to experience a similar surge when the Shower from the other end of the Seven Sisters Rd get knocked out of the Champions League – if that happens next weekend rather than some time in August, or even later, I wouldn’t be too fussed.
Is there a good graphic artist in the house? Someone who could put together a new badge for the neighbours? I reckon “audere est facere” has had its day, a better motto go go below a chicken on a ball is “aeternum in eorum umbra”. Non-Latin speakers should see Google translate. I know I did :-).
COYG
I want to marry Gibbsy …
Lovely tackle 😉
Damn. I was trying some HTML smart-arsery in 46. “Wouldwill” was supposed to read “would(crossed-out)will”. Bugger it.
City needed 1.5 billion a poor 10 men QPR and a big chunk of extra time to win this title. I don’t see any pleasure in that at all. I always wonder what would Wenger do with that amount of money. I can imagine him assembling the best team ever to exist to even surpass this Barcelona side.
It really is some achievement to finish 3rd after experiencing so money problems, Wenger has done an amazing job, considering what has gone on, this is possibly one of his best achievements.
Watched the game at The Ems – carnage 🙂 🙂
Oxon @ 46 –
Actually a Roman would more likely say “numquam esse aequalis”
After taking 3 years of Latin, a key lesson my teacher told me was it’s not quite enough to change the english into the latin equivalent…you have to learn to think like a Roman.
I still needed to use the Google translator, BTW.
BMBD.
Charlie, good to see most had Chelsea in the top 3.
Oh you went there, tabs! Brave! Well done!
Must have been fucking tense.
I think it’s only the second game we’ve one in one of these showings.
A very happy close season to one and all and thanks for a sensible,balanced and witty series of pieces which reflect the balance true Arsenal fans should show but so few of the blogs do.
I watched an Iraqui feed from Setanta which was better in the second half.We were far too open and showed just how much we miss Arteta but the good work done in crocking Ben Foster in training paid off in spades as Fulop had the sort of ‘mare that might qualify him as a replacement for Flappy. Only joking!
The big question is whether only Wenger could spend so little and achieve such a high position,or he is a lucky beggar or if we had proper investment on the playing side could we achieve greater success? It is interesting to note that the gap to the top is similar to a series of seasons in the late nineties and just after when we were perennially second.We bridged that gap but we desperately need to get rid of lots of very expensive ( in salary terms) mediocrity and buy some more real quality. Wenger needs to wise up to this rather than keep dumbing down our expectations and we need to sort RVP’s future out early. Gazidis and co.do not need too much encouragement to put the money box away until they are clear about what they have coming in.today should help but it would be lovely to have an optimistic summer for once!
Enjoy the close season one and all!
I am SO drunk right now. It is taking me ages to hit the right keys on the keypad. What a fucking massively brilliant day I have had! Beer, beer and then more beer (not to mention the beer) and then we won the game! Cheers everyone, see you tomorrow when I have sobered up slightly…
YES!
Bordeaux 1-0
Get in there les Girondins 🙂
Just came in for the pelanty – what was the prob Ollie?
Clearly less stressful than our match
Then you did beat me in the FFL
Charlie,
Thanks for the link. It certainly makes amusing reading. There’s not much that would make me admit to any sympathy for people at the Beeb, but I do feel a bit sorry for those guys. They were asked to predict the top 4 and they did so – I wouldn’t fancy it myself. And then, nine months later, people like me can look up their predictions and have a good laugh. Mwahhahahaha.
LG – I’m not sure “Would a Roman would say it” is the most important consideration. I’m more interested in “Would a 21st Century Arsenal supporter have a good laugh at it”. I back “aeternum in eorum umbra” on that criterion.
COYG CCMUED
Shame Lille didn’t score and Montpellier did. Would have been a cracking last day.
Oh well.
One win from Europe for Bordeaux. Who’d have thunk it?
And more amusement value from the media during this season:
http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/columnists/darren-lewis/Tottenham-column-Why-Spurs-now-have-bigger-fish-to-fry-than-Arsenal-by-Darren-Lewis-article868566.html
Ollie,
I can honestly say that it was the worst 95 mins of my life – will post in detail when I have sobered up , (prob wednesday 😉 ) , but it was nerves feeding upon nerves upon nerves .
Final whistle though – cried with happiness .
Thousands of Gooners there .
Oh Oxon mate –
I wasn’t trying to give you any guff. Say it however you please. It’s St. Totteringham’s day after all 😉
In fact, I’ll continue to say it in modern english for the 21st century Arsenal supporters “forever in our shadow”
BMBD.
Classic Charlie@60. I was particularly fond of
but then, in the very next paragraph, he spoils the effect with
He’s clearly completely deluded and should be pitied rather than mocked.
Shame on you, Charlie, for posting the link, and shame on me for still chortling.
Power Shift? Mind the Gap? Meh.
COYG
No, Oxon…we should mock him. Lustily boo him wherever he goes. Snicker at him and his family.
All spuds supporters should be pitied, but the public bannermen should be derided and otherwise punished.
Mind the gap, you Spunk.
BMBD.
TaBS (from several bars ago) –
Thanks for the history lesson regarding Bertie. That history is the kind of stuff I miss out on.
Here’s another drink…
Where are the moaners and tossers, now? It’s a shame, really.
BMBD.
LG. It is indeed St Totteringhams day. Possibly the sweetest ever. I’d be delighted to receive any “old guff” you care to provide in future.
Someone said it better earlier in the drinks but I can’t find it again now. Thanks to the guv’nor and all here for helping to remind us how to enjoy following by far the greatest team the world has ever seen. How the hell am I going to avoid going sane (sic) between now and August?
Early start and long drive first thing tomorrow so it’s bed for me. Night all.
COYG
Charlie: Thanks for that link. What I find remarkable – apart from the fact that only one pundit predicted Shitty – is how Liverpool was universally thought to be a good team. One or two even had them as champions 🙂
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18054142
“The head was never gone at any stage, once I’d been sent off, one of our players suggested I should try to take one of theirs with me. It never worked but god loves a trier.”
What a twat.
I also hope that bit.
“You shouldn’t of elbowed him [Tevez] in the throat, booted Aguero and squared up to Kompany.”
is verbatim from the illiterate Savage.
Oxon, don’t know how you did them, but credit for the massive ‘ ” ‘
Very very pissed
So happy -even if the run in was a joke!
As ever thanks holic.!
One of wengers finest achievements……..
A glass raised with you, ‘Holic, and another one to you.
Tabs@30: Spot on.
Oxon@32: Just keep the faith — and the seams neatly pressed…
Ollie@37: Typical Pullis. Even screws up getting Hughes relegated.
Charlie@45: Great link. Just proves that nearly all pundits don’t know what they are talking about.
Briliant ‘holic.
It was a pleasure and an honour sharing reactions with your goodself and top ‘holics during the last 90 mins (even though it seemed waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay longer) of the season.
Time now to watch MOTD (recorded it) and then catch up on the 70 odd (sure to be more in a bit) drinks.
In the mean time, best wishes for the feast of St Totts and the next round is on me.
Cheers gooners.
Exhausted.
But smiling.
Enjoy what remains of St Totteringham’s day people, another one will arrive much earlier next spring.
I’m off to sleep properly for the first time in days……
U Reds.
Good stuff Holic, only got the title after watching MotD with the family that are interested in football 😛
GoonerTerry @ 6, Cheeky! 😛
PiK @ 18, agreed 🙂
tabs @ 30, 😆 classic 😉
Silly Second Yella @ 35, 😀
Ollie @ 37, nicely said 🙂
Redknapp interview on BBC Sport “We’d take 4th every year”. Small club, low ambitions. Happy St. Totteringhams Day everyone!
You lot are class. Cheers all.
Feel sorry for all the UK et al Gooners, as us lot in the US had wall to wall TV on all the significant fixtures. Very grateful for the outcome, obviously, with a big boost from WBA keeper who managed to channel the worst of Almunia and Fabianski into one fixture. And special kudos to Yossi; while most questioned the wisdom of adding him at the deadline, I felt that the one thing you can count on from him — that he’d work his socks and boots off and would harass and never give up on a play — would be invaluable.
For all of you who couldn’t watch the whole match, there are a LOT of cracks in the foundation — Jenkinson was quite a few notches below Sagna; Coquelin, for all his effort, is prone to being muscled off the ball as a DM — and so on. We really do need DM help, if Song is going to migrate to another role (or out).
As to the CL final: go Bayern! Don’t want to see another London side win CL, and wouldn’t it be more fun to watch LWCs lose in the qualifier?
Another great post ‘Holic. I see you saved the best line until last 🙂
Bravo Olllie @ #37, lovely to read a long post from you. Makes for a very pleasant change. Perhaps more next season?
HSTD all and let’s hope the summer will better than last year’s.
Big Big shout out to Yossi! Pure class and professionalism that many many many players could and should take a lesson from.
Lift one for LK6 as he has capped a wonderful season with that goal, and the intensity he displayed in celebrating. We should all be proud.
Well done Gunners, well done.
So very happy for all Arsenal fans, but especially all you holics, my friends. Haven’t seen the game, no luck with the streams. Listened on player. Seeing Pat being lifted up by our lads made me cry…very emotional right now. We truly are blessed, I know I am.
Amusing Barton ownage
http://mrjimmycorkhill.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/open-letter-to-joey-barton.html
RVP to sign a new deal before the weekend. I hope.
Ditto, Nurse, ditto.
BMBD.
What a rollercoaster ride this season has been…just 4 points from the first 5 fixtures and just 6 points from the last five fixtures (10 in 10)….leaving 60 points in between, in 28 games. I guess the ‘ol saying “it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish” really doesn’t apply here given the bell curve of our results this year.
Sure, there is no trophy for 3rd but those midweek fixtures for the CL are ones to cherish for the supporters. For me, in the US, it’s great fun going into a media blackout while I record the game and wait to get home from work to watch those games…great, great stuff. Oh, of course I love the cash we get for qualification
Really unbelievable coverage here in the US for the games today. Arsenal on MSG, another two on the Fox Soccer stations, one on ESPN, one on FX and of course….it had to be….Chelsea on the Speed Channel……you would have to be on a whole load of speed to watch that pile of shite…..
The gap to the top of the table is rather large and I hope we realize that more depth and quality are needed to go forward. I think we have been able to digest the new stadium and property development quite well and can now set our sights on building out the current version of Wengerball (3.0?, 4.0?) or whatever version we saw this year employing players with a bit more experience and a little less youth.
Thanks for getting me through the “bell curve” this season, ‘Holic!!! Cheers
Had a weekend football tournament in Awaji. Got so drunk on Guinness after getting knocked out in the quarter finals that when I got back home on Sunday night I just passed out. Did I miss anything?
All 37 of the Captain’s goals this season. Enjoy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VycVcYSAz2U
Ollie should write a blog!
COYG!
I love you Yossi.
We even share the same name!! My middle name is Yosef!
Can’t really put it into words right now, just – Phewwwwww.
Thank you Martin Fullop!!!!8
Re: Charlie and Oxon. Where did Spu*s end up finishing, first or second? 😉
And so we say farewell to another season watching the unfailing yearly cycle of the sun again setting and pissing on the pawn-scum from N17 while rising to shine in eternal glory over the chosen lads from N5.
Amen
(Until AW – blessed be his name – screws with our heads again through the upcoming transfer period. Till then peace be with you fellow believers.)
Thanks Peter. Once again the valiant red and white knights have banished the ogres clad in filthy blue and white rags to the deepest caverns where we can’t hear them. Long may they grind their teeth and weep in silence, lamenting their inability to finish above us with their “best team in 50 years.”
I leave you all with these refrains: Up The Arsenal and Fuck Off You Sp*rs
Oh and Martin Fulop=Legend
Not that this season is over, maybe I can finally resume my mission?
Gotta get Blatter, at any cost, the fugly, corrupt bastard
All hail Gunder and Lightning, the champions of the HT league and their wily manager, CoR, for a job well done. Even if they did end up winning it by the skin of their teeth. Only heaven knows what one more week could have done for The Speedo Massive who were coming on like a speeding locomotive. Snir Geuli moved up fast on the rail to pip third leaving Frozen Numpties to finish out of the money after such a promising start. 🙁 😉
It was a good clean fight, well-fought to the very end.
Matching wits with some of the finest managers on the HT was indeed more pleasurable than coming away with first place in the end.
Unlike Man U, when I’m 8 points (or more) ahead, I don’t fuck it up 😉
Well played 8ball, tabs, Snir!
I’m off to book an open-top bus for one…
*Grunts like a buffalo and lumps it forward*
I think we should have a rule book for next season’s HT league!
The forbidden six should be the first rule!
Well played fellas, and especially CoR!
Thanks Snir! Well played everyone, you too Lars 😉
*Slides in hoping to make contact with his eyes were closed *
*Leaps like a fat salmon wearing a leather jacket*
CoR, “with his eyes were closed”? Read your drinks before you post man 😉
I graduated law school today and got a text from a friend at 10am (middle America time) saying “Congrats!” Is it strange that my immediate thought was that the he was congratulating me on the Gunners taking 3rd?! To hell with the culmination of four years of education, I had one thing on my mind all day and that was ensuring that 9 months of effort were rewarded with 3 points and 3rd place.
Great work from Wenger, Pat, the boys and the supporters today. I’d also like to thank Holic and all the regulars at the bar for always being there during those difficult times. Its always a pleasure.
Cheers
P.S. Mind asking Wenger and IG to have their next summer world tour make a stop in the states. I’d love to catch a preseason game and imagine that there are a few fellow stateside Gunners that feel the same way.
@Charlie
Great couple of posts. My particular favorite from the list of pundit predictions was our good pal Robbie Savage:
“…while the Kenny Dalglish factor at Anfield will push Liverpool into the top four because, unlike Arsenal, they are a club players want to join not leave.”
He is a much a pundit as he was a footballer. He “retired” right? And by that I mean lower division clubs finally wised up and stopped offering a job.
As for the Darren Lewis hack job I remember thinking it was BS at the time but now 3 months later when I read it I realize that while its still BS its also comedic gold. Has anyone ever been so wrong about anything? I mean I realize he is a pundit so he is paid to regularly be wrong but this is represents truly top class incompetence.
DL even found a way to work in my favorite over used BS pundit line when he wrote:
“Even a defeat for Spurs on Sunday would only paper over the cracks for Arsenal.”
The old papering over the cracks line. Usually short hand for the author is a hack and doesn’t know what he is talking about.
Cheers
MAG – welcome to the bar mate.
After back-drinking I feel like I should expand on my drink at @85 a little.
This weekend, I attended a weekend football tournament on Awaji island which was held in the stadium where the England national team practiced for the 2002 World Cup. Having played 4 hard games on the Saturday, we rolled up on Sunday morning and lost 1-0 in our quarter-final match against some hard bastards. To release dampened spirits, we started cracking open more spirits on the side of the field. Basically, the drinking had begun from 11am. I knew I needed to pace myself as the Arsenal v West Brom match was kicking off at 11pm local time, but I figured a couple of can beers wouldn’t be that bad.
5 hot cans of beers later, we decided to leave the island and head back to the mainland and grab “just a couple more pints” in a pub in Sannomiya. The five of us, all fans of Premier League teams, decided to discuss the season and possible outcomes for the final fixtures at around 5pm, 6 hours to kick-off.
The two Manchester United fans were not impressed with United and felt City would win it, the Villa fan and the Liverpool fan was just happy the season was ending, and me, I was strangely at ease. It could’ve been the weekend tournament or the Guinni I had imbibed by that point, but I was the picture of calm. I somehow knew that the boys would bring it home, somehow. We continued drinking, and before long there was just three of us left, singing songs and doing Clay Davis “Sheeeeeit” impressions whenever someone made a ridiculous comment. Lots of laughs were being had by all.
Before I knew, it was 10:30pm (30 minutes to kick-off) and I decided to return home to watch the game on a stream.
I opened the door, left my smelly garments and boots by the door, stumbled over to the computer and turned it on. My blurry eyes were no help as I searched for viable streams on firstrow (which seems to be laden with malware now for some reason) and get on up and running.
I felt like I was watching an Arsenal watercolour painting in motion during the first half. Benayoun scoring in the early minutes put a smile on my face. Or maybe it was the Suntory in my left hand. I felt a slight sting as West Brom scored from almost a nothing chance. But thankfully the senses had already been dulled significantly by that point. The second goal woke me like the blast of an elephant farting into your ear. A real elephant, not a fat chick. But strangely, there was no sense of impending doom or gloom. I kept watching as Santos got a shot away and somehow the side netting was rippling. Was it a super goal or a keeper error? My droopy eyes couldn’t tell the difference. I decided to slouch down into the couch ever so slightly as I still had the feeling that we could do it. It was looking set up for third place and automatic qualification, but we just had to see it through. Could we do it? I thought we could. I really thought we could. It didn’t dawn on me to check the other scores of the other games, and even if it did, I couldn’t have moved off the couch to do so. I decided to just set my beer down for a minute and see what the game looks like from a sideways angle. It was beautiful.
My eyes closed for just a second.
The next second, I reopened my eyes and it 5:30am. There were 24 messages on my cellphone. We had done it and City had pulled off a great triumph and were crowned Champions of England and I had missed a dramatic final day of football.The hyperbolic jizz of journalists was everywhere and some imbeciles even dared to say Etihad 2012 was more dramatic than Anfield 1989. Nonsense.
For Arsenal supporters, we will look back at the 2011-2012 season as one that was filled with extreme highs, terrible lows, amazing victories, sickening defeats and many incidents that I think led to the Emirates shaking off the “library” tag and becoming more like the Home of Football that Highbury was. This season, our 125th in existence, has seen our players demonstrate what it means to be a Gunner. More than other seasons before, I feel glad that we have players who demonstrate pride, courage and a willingness to fight. This season has also seen some of our newer supporters really understand what it means to be a Gooner as well.
Our support has helped the club immensely this season. We stuck by the team when they were down and gave them everything we had. We didn’t get every result we wanted, and it was a huge cause of frustration and disappointment, but while there is a lot of work to do next season, we go into the close season with a huge sense of relief. Not having to worry about a qualifying match in August or the CL final to know whether we can actually play in the Champions League and knowing that we can most probably get our signings done quickly and have a relatively smooth pre-season.
We’ll also receive a greater allocation of Premier League money for finishing 3rd and not 4th.
I’m hoping now that we manage to keep the players we have and bring in a few players that can help the squad. Not looking forward to the rumours and gossip that will be flying around this summer so I will stop reading football news after today.
It’s been a great season for me. We didn’t win a trophy but we got to see the class of RVP for an entire season at last. I’m one of his greatest fans and if he’s reading this (he probably isn’t though) I just want to say “STAY WITH US FOREVER!” I think he will stay but who knows. For me, even if he leaves and goes to another country, I will still be grateful for what he has shown us this year in this special year.
Arsenal,
now and forever,
Courage without end,
Amen.
P.S. Ollie, “Eticunt” made me laugh so hard I think I dropped an O-ring!
special year=special season*
get on up= get one up*
*boilk*
(but only slightly, thankfully!)
Lots to do at work today and lots to back-drink. But will do all that work and back-drinking with a relieved smile on my face!
MIND THE FUCKING GAP!
Still Thired!
“The second ……woke me like a blast of an elephant farting into your ear.”
Elephants.
In Japan?
Yes, Reverend @ 109,
I’m still tired. 😉
But happy.
Good Morning everyone,
I’m afraid I missed the whole match yesterday.
I took Mr Goonerholic’s advice and made my way to Club Level to try to catch the game there, but it was full of ruffians and a most unpleasant and rather boisterous atmosphere. So I left.
So, can we still win the league ?
@110: Yeah, Japan are famous for them 😉
But why, of course, PHW. Of course we can. Not sure just which season we will do it.
Pink ones I assume.
Think you need to lay off the drink, Shaft. 😉
St Totteringhams was glorious as usual.
A week of pain for the Spuddies.
Heh!
🙂
The right result from another wobbly performance. A great achievement really when you consider the frantic late additions to the squad, the start we had to the season and the injuries – many long term and to key players. Lets now enjoy the moment, we’ll look back properly and look to the future another day.
Oh! and I tip my hat to the team of my home city who finished the season with a win against Villa. A team of Championship and League 1 players who work hard and play the right way. Good luck to them I say (but not as much as Arsenal).
Norfolk Dumpling
One of your home city team stamped on Bacary Sagna and broke his leg.
Bac thinks he meant it, and for that reason, to hell with him and to hell with them.
We are the Arsenal and f*** all the rest.
I said before the game whatever happened I wouldn’t be surprised, but I was wrong on this one.
3 goals gift wrapped by their keeper – fucking amazing.
I wonder if he’s a closet Gooner.
PHW @112 – great stuff………
Norfolk @117 Agree 100% with your comments about Norwich..
Gents
Well, thank fcuk that’s all over with.
Hats off to the lads for (just about) pulling us over the line. It wasn’t a vintage performance but god knows we’ve taken enough stick down the years for playing well and not getting the result.
Incredible way to end the season and I take my hat off to the players and the manager. To have come back from where we were in September has shown a remarkable amount of guts. Hopefully this summer might run a bit more smoothly so we won’t be presented with an uphill struggle from the off next term.
Thanks to one and all on this site for making what was frankly a pretty nerve shredding season bearable. Cheers in particular to Holic for running the bar – there would have been some grim Saturday nights without this particular place of refuge.
Thoughts now turn to the weeks ahead, and specifically to the RVP issue. I want him to stay. We all want him to stay. But I have to say that if he chooses to go then let’s just get it done quickly and move on. Oh, and more fool the skipper if he thinks there’s greater glory to be found elsewhere. A few more years with us and he can retire a living legend, which is all as it should be.
Last summer we lost our creative spark, the lynchpin around whom the team had been built, and were told by all and sundry that without him, we were nothing. As it turned out, another player stepped into the breach and we actually secured a higher finish. No-one is bigger than the club and no one is irreplaceable. We are the Arsenal and we will find a way.
Very much looking forward to next season. A chance to see Podolski and whoever else we might sign. The return of Wilshere (hopefully). Second seasons from the likes of Gervinho, Arteta and the BFG. Further development from Chesney, Kos, Le Coq, Theo, the Ox and (hopefully) Song. The impact of Bould (hopefully a few less goals conceded for one). Oh, and of course… Champions League football, yet again. And no qualifier.
Finally, I’d like to take my hat off to the boss. He has taken pelters from some quarters and yet he has produced the goods in the most difficult circumstances. Is he perfect? No. Does he sometimes drive me nuts? Yes. But I cannot think of anyone else who would have taken this team from 17th in September to 3rd in May, or at least anyone who would have been interested in doing the job.
Arsene is a class act. He deserves better than the abuse he gets from some areas of the support and we are bloody lucky to have him. Take any other manager in the league, deprive him of his two “best” players in late August. Give him only part of the money taken in to replace them, and with mere days to do so. Deprive him of his most promising young player for the entire season. Break his right back’s leg (twice). Surround him with teams who spend more, season in, season out. Then ask him to better last season’s finishing position. Good luck finding the man for the job is all I can say.
Proud to be a Gooner today, as always.
COYRRR
Once again, N7, fantastic post.
Drinks all day/night from me. *
*Courtesy of Feelgood Foundation, Stockholm Branch
It’s a lovely, sunny day!
Morning all!
Mighty fine post N7. Mag-bloody-nificent.
COYG
N7 @120 – brilliant post.
Hey zico, as you’re buying, get N7 another one from me 😉
Morning Ollie – not here it isn’t. Well not meteorologistically. That’s a word that Arsene doesn’t know he hasn’t used yet 😉
Just finished treating my first patient of the day and, would you Adams and Eve it, a Tottenham fan of forty plus years !
Sometimes the world is good !
Second one has cancelled – also a Tott – reportedly because her son is not well. Hmmm ?
At least I get a chance to drop in here.
No Spuds to hurt in Barcelona today Mr C ? 😉
While I agree that deeper thoughts are best left to a later date, there is one person who may not still be here at a later date who deserves a vote of thanks.
Ladies and Gents, I offer you Yossi Benayoon.
The more he has played the better he has got.
His enthusiasm has been terrific. Having been used so sparingly earlier in the season, it would have been easy for him to have become demotivated and de-energised.
Quite the opposite appears to have been the case in everything he has done.
Was the timing of his deployment a managerial masterstroke or a case of ‘needs must’.
Whichever it was, thank-you Yossi.
Personally, I’d like to see him back.
Thanks too, to the Guvnor, for another year of top blogging, brilliant fun in the bar, and some virtual friends who have become very real over the course of the season.
N7 Gooner @ 120, 🙂 Good stuff on every single point.
Trev @ 127, well said, I’d like him back as well if he’ll stay, could be the catalyst required for an extended run in the Champions League to the End with his never give up attitude 😉
Afternoon all.
I have a bit of a St Totts day boilk, but man, it’s well worth it.
A quick sip on a breakfast BM, something greasy and to catch up on the drinks is my plan for the next hour.
A tomatoey, spiceyish, vodka-y, drink for all those brave enough to join me.
Indeed Trev, indeed. A toast to Yossi.
@ 130
Where did all those words come from, in #37?
That’s a whole years worth of words in one post! 😉
Afternoon all.
Still celebrating. Still chuckling to myself. Still recieving the odd hilarious text. Not a Tott fan in shouting distance, they’ve all fire-drilled themselves back into the shadow of the only BIG club in North London.
All things considered, a remarkable achievement this season and a measurable improvement on the last one, overall.
Forwards Arsenal!
Trev @ #127: Totally with you. Huge thanks to our Israeli loanee and to Mr. G.Holic.
We were 3rd from the bottom at the beginning of the season and came 3rd at the end of the season; maybe we should have been 1st from the bottom in order to come 1st at the end of the season. Anyhow, happy St Tott’s… day. Wilshere can now pick is well deserved£4000 to spend on his choice orphanage.
Sp*r can only finish behind us always. As we go for glory starting from next season. Another 20 years wait for them in the making as we go to dominate the football world for 2 decades with scores of silverware to relish during this coming period
Praise The Lord. Hallellujah
Greetings Holics
We made it, just but we could have expected nothing less in this topsy- turvey season.
Watching Setanta’s dodgy stream on the laptop and the Federer match on TV at the same time, was no mean feat. I think I was more nervous for RF than I was for us but we had the great stroke of luck in having to face Fulop in the Albion goal.
After last weeks’ defensive errors, we managed an encore performance for their second goal and how the Assistant failed to flag off-side for their first is beyond me, just another example of many similar decisions in the PL this season.
My friend Szczesny had another dithering day but at the time I was unaware he was suffering from a shoulder problem, just shows us what little faith AW has in Fabianski.
I fear there is little time to relax as the RVP contract talks are due to gather pace this week. I wish I was as confident to the outcome as some of you but am hoping for the best.
I will leave my thoughts on transfer targets to another day but boy oh boy do we need a proper DMF in the Gilberto mould, Song is just not up to the job. I am expecting Bould to make his presence felt in sorting out the back four and not just Arsene’s yes man. Good-bye Pat and thanks for the loyalty to the cause, 44 years is a life time to give to one organisation in this day and age.
My only regret this season is not that we failed to win silverware but that greedy Frenchman took home a winner’s medal in his first season at the Oilers, I wonder how Cesc feels?
Next stop the Euros, will the Ox get picked on Wednesday?
As always COYRs
Happy St Totteringham!
It’s a bit on the late side mind….
Mr T @ 126.
Unfortunately not today, although I do have a couple.
On the plus side, I get to hurt Farça fans all day every day!
Gentlemen
Far too many great drinks to comment on individually, but thank you all for a most pleasant spout of back drinking.
I think we´re in for an interesting few weeks before the Euros.
Bayern uber alles…..
Oh…. and congrats to ATG for pipping The Green Tin Rollers to the coveted 11th spot in the HT league!!
Mediocrity was our goal, and that is what we got. We must be the Spuds of the FFL! 🙂
TS! Andre Santos! 😉
oh yeah, that Fantasy Football malarkey was still going on?
*logs in*
Looks like I had a catastrophic last week and cognac overtook me.
Just finished above the relegation zone.
Congrats, Cannons!
Well we crossed over the line into third place like a team knowing there defensive faults all too well.
Following 24 heart attacks and 13 strokes that all seemed to pass as the ref finally blew his whistle for the right reason this time I cannot believe the weight lifted from my shoulders.
We all know that chelski will proberly win the CL final as they have been blessed by the footballing gods once AGAIN !!! The russian surely has to be paying off Footius the god of football. He also makes sacriffices to the gods a manager every 12-18 months must be sacrifficed.
Too loose CL football because Chelski won the biggest prize in Euro club football would be far far too much to take, howver to see the spuds loose CL football to Chelski will amusing be on beleif.
The league dose not lie, however things must change as Arsenal will loose to many supporters too heart attacks and strokes if they continue to play like that again next season.
I for one am delighted that the season is over, I dont think I have ever said that !
AW over to you for the next 3 months make us proud !
were still SHIT.The managers a idiot who don’t know what his doing/evil genuis whos killing the club on purpose cos he hates proper english kick-bollok and bitty footbal like what scotty parker tries to play (why didnt we sigh him again!?!).
NOW – lets spend spend SPEND on some of these blokes my mate mick keeps showing me on youtube – NOW!!! Shitty do it and they won the league!!! so why cant we??? – Dont we want to win IT – jus’ sayin???
Thired is simpley not good enough for a big club with top-four pretenshions! We should have finnished fiveth or somethink, gone bankrupted and THEN been DISSOLVED BY THE LIQIDIZER like wassername Rangers up their.
THAT would’ve taught us and the manger a lessson we woldnt EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER forget!!!!
And NEXT SEASON – be warned – IF we don’t WIN EVERYTHINK ALL THE TIME that is the outcome ILL BE DEMANDING/FIGHTING FOR/WRITTING FOR!!!!! With every last drop of red on white blood in/on MY BODY!!!FACT!IMHO!!!!
Leg Rash looks like he’s been taking writing lessons from Glenda Slagg…
The gospel according to the Reverend LeG Rash.
A very narrow church, they haven’t got a prayer.
Think I need a drink….. 8)
Dissolved by the liquidizer, heh.
Oh, and here’s to the Boy Racers in their glorious top half of the table finish on a meagre budget and with not a single agent of the dark sides of football (the Mancs, the Chavs, the LWC’s, the Scousers, the Orcs…)!
LeGRash –
it’s hard to put into words just how true that is ?!? 😉
Mr LeG Rash,
Finally this blog turns up someone who actually knows what he’s talking about.
I’ve been trying to pretend to understand all this French stuff for more than long enough.
Back to the good old days of G & T’s and fat cigars and people like Sir Alan Sugar. Now he knew how to run a football club.
Confused ? I am. Permanently.
Goodnight.
A lunch-time snifter on afterglow day one. What a super idea Zico – i may have a cocktail (milk, coffee and one other ingredient…)
Wonderful comments at 120 and 127, N7 and Trev respectively.
***
Great posts all year, ‘holic, some of which I have disagreed with, obviously, but my only real gripe is that there haven’t been enough of them. So put that right next season, please! Ta.
Still waiting for the seat you promised me on the board PHW. Is it in the post???
Trev@127: spot on. Yossi came good at the pointy end of the season, his work rate and application pushing the team over the line just as Robin was dragging it. His goal against WBA was just reward for never giving up.
N7G@120: top post. Agree with every word of it.
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/wba-v-arsenal-live-screening-pictures
I cannot spot tabs.
And for some reason, I always imagined Club Level Screenings to be TVs in little lodges (even though I should have realised that it’s Club Level not Box level) and small cluttered groups of Gooners watching all around the stadium.
Not much sight of carnage there, Ollie.
I guess those pictures were taken before “the shim” * walked in with the Speedoes and heels.
* neither she nor him – shim
heh, zico!
Heard that Dr Z ! 🙂
Afternoon All . 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Many excelent drinks and I enjoyed all you memoires of how you followed yesterdays preceedings, thanx for sharing. But please, would the person who stole Ollie’s moniker and wrote that long post, please return it to him. 😉
I wasn’t worried in the slightest yesterday, especially when I saw the line up here in the bar. We were gathered on a prayer from Rev AL, pre match appearances were made by Lars, GT (who true to form did not return ’til the game was done), abb, Ollie, BtM and Tabs and with kick off aproaching Trev, Dr C, TS, AL, Wind, Steve T, Zico, Toby, Gedo, SLaSH, Tim, The bridge, 8ball, Snir, Bevin, PHW, Matt(2),Eandy, Garsguns, PIK, scruz and the icing on the cake Sir Holic de Gooner himself joined us. How could anything possibly go wrong.
How we cheered when Benny kicked us off.
How we directed the linesman to the closist optician for allowing the equaliser.
Even when their second went in, how the cyber chants of COYRRR´s were deafening.
How gayly we frolicked when the bestest of gays equalised.
Oh, how we lost it when he scored ´Kos he wanted.
The last half hour, how we collectively chewed our fingernails off to our elbows, still willing our beloved gooners over the line.
Oh how we blew a sigh of relief that must of registered on a hurricaine chart when Gibbs made the most important block of his young career.
And, O, O, O how we celebrated the final whistle that sounded in the dawn of yet another St Totteringham day, other ´holics joining us from all corners of the goonerverse
Couple that with a manager who always believes in his charges, a team that even though has its flaws contains players who are willing to give everything for the cause and our incredible, always chanting, never outsung away support and it was never really in doubt, was it?
ARSENAL 4 EVER!!!!!
“How gayly we frolicked when the bestest of gays equalised.”
2nd best H2H surely ? 😉
Probably already seen this but lol
Ignore that link, click this one
http://i48.tinypic.com/n5seia.jpg
Well played Canons on the FFL league win . Led from the front – a very worthy winner .
Bloody Tony Hibbert ! Scoring a completely meaningless own goal late on cost Wolfie the title . He is livid 😉
I’ve never liked Tony Hibbert . Dirty so and so .
Now I want to kill him .
Heh Wolfie, sorry darling. 😉
N7 @ #120 – Splendid summary of Arsene’s achievements this season
Ollie @ #138 – Heh! I know! What. A. Gay. I’ve said many times that we’ll grow to love him. Thinking of him as a left-back doesn’t really work (for me). He is a true attacking wing-back and a game changer. He led the charge at The Bus Stop and did so again at The Hawthorns. A connoisseur of fried food, tobacco and an artist on a football field. I’m so glad we have him in our squad. An alternative as opposed to a replacement for young Kieran, master of the game saving challenge?
Wonderful stuff from @Goonerman2 on Twitter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpNOWlv27nc&feature=youtu.be
Against my better judgement I looked through a few newspaper reports today on our game – credit for finishing third after writing us off before and during the season? Of course not, there just seemed to be sullen dismay at the result and the usual ‘Van Persie is obviously leaving’ angle. I can’t say it’s been the greatest season, but annoying the press is always good.
Now this is interesting reading:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/poll/2012/may/14/premier-league-2011-12-vote
Out of the 10 matches that are contenders for match of the season, Arsenal are involved in five – for different reasons. Really sums up the kind of season we’ve had, but as many have said before me, at least it hasn’t been dull!
Wenger is not on the list of the ten best managers this season but Di Matteo (who hasn’t done anything except coaching his players and picking the team) is.
Arteta gets some recognition and is on the “Signing of the season”-list as the only Arsenal player.
Two Arsenal players are on the “Flop of the season”-list. Gervinho and… André Santos. Gervinho hasn’t had the best of seasons but for me, having come into the team and gotten three times the amount of goals in half a season that Clichy ever did for us, all three in important games, Santos has done quite well.
Sorry, again, I just can’t believe that our gay brazilian is on the same list as Downing.
Then again, neither can anyone else and he is currently on 0,7% of the votes with ten players to choose between.
Toby,
these people who make up these lists are the same, or of the same ilk, as those who were predicting that we would either be relegated and/or finish behind Stoke.
Spunkbuckets the lot of them.
Hi everyone. Finally was able to watch the match on player, (saw AW clinging onto Pat, his head buried on Pat’s shoulder). Very touching, how he will be missed. Speaking of missing, just want to encourage and give a shout out to all you non regular holics. Really appreciate hearing from gooners from all over the world, and I know I’m not the only one who feels this way. Caught up on the drinks, all wonderful, and # 37, was a special treat for us all. Lonestar and H2H, humbled by your inclusion of me. And congrats to MAG, for passing the Bar, what a glorious achievement! Have a great day, holics.
In this moment of reflection I’d like to pay tribute to the player who provided my moment of the season. I really think it turned our year around.
Stand up Mr Bacary Sagna (if you can). His goal and subsequent pick-the-ball-up-and-return-to-centre-circle against the Spuds was the epitome of “fuck this!”.
I think it gave determination to the rest of the team too.
If anyone has his quote about it could they post it? I love it.
Ralph would have been proud.
PS. Thank you thank you Mr K Gibbs!!!
Heh, Zico, I know.
But it is still interesting. Out of all the players being transfered into the league this season, someone somewhere decided that Santos for 6.2m pounds was one of the ten worst ones.
Look, I could argue that someone was worse than Gervinho and then it would be that old “different views” discussion.
But Santos? It’s not as if he has had a bad season at all? It is completely baffling to me. I have no earthly idea why he is on that list. He has given me more this season than I ever expected from him. Some scares, yes, but also energizing displays and a few vital goals. Had we payed 30m quid for him, yes, perhaps he could have been called a flop. But for that price, I’d rather say I’m really glad we bought him. A versatile player who can play in all positions on the left side of the field. He is our new Eboue but without the diving. Just the kind of player that is great to have in the team. Not world class, but didn’t cost like a word class player (Like Liverpool does their shopping…) but an interesting buy non the less.
He is punching exactly at his weight, which is quite considerable.
ABB @172
Not often I disagree, but I´d like to point out that LEAVING the Bar is a fine achievement. Passing it is just unadventurous.
Well done MAG. 🙂
Fine link tabs.
Sorry toby, I’m not gonna bother looking at that, it will just iratate me.
Heh Dr C and indeed congrats MAG.
Speaking quite frankly, the idiot who put Santos on that list is a fucking idiot.
Also this: Forever blowing bubbles is a much more productive activity compared to whatever Sp*rs have been up to these last 51 years.
Just to add my two cents to the CL debate;
Come Saturday, I’ll be a liederhosen wearing, sauerkraut sucking, bratwurst munching, Warsteiner slurping, Beethoven appreciating, spreakenze deutsche-ing, Munchen mannschaft mad, Bayern fan.
As a gooner and a lover of humanity its the only concievable option.
Let the Tiny Tots have their two seconds in the sun in the qualifiers, it should be a laugh to see how that disrupts their begining of the season.
I’m with H2H on this one – The champs league final..them win it – there’s far too much at steak – for one night only – Ich bin ein Bernie-inner – comon munich!
Apologies for the post at 37 then, heh
😆
Toby 168.
Some strange things in that list.
Gervinho in flop of the season is harsh, but André Santos? Madness.
Anyway, I suspect one of the Scouse will win that award hands down.
Ich bin ein Munchener…..or something.
I cannot conceive of why any Arsenal supporter would want the Chavs to win. For what, to laugh at Spurs? Isn’t 51 years and counting not enough?
As H2H says, they can have some of that qualifying angst that we went through.
A stein of weissbeer please Guvnor and one for all my friends.
Alex McScrotumface has been given the spanish archer at Villa, I’m surprised he lasted as long as he did, he turned Villa into the worst team to watch in the PL, they were truly pants.
That’s great news H2H! Less managers that look like diseased scrotums in the Premier League, the better I say
Heh CoR, unfortunatly there is no shortage of dickheads in the PL.
Alas poor Alex,
I knew him well…..
And he was a cunt.
Toby, I do not live in UK — rather the other side of the Pond — and hence thankfully end up avoiding most UK newspapers, but what is with media and their lack of respect, forget recognition, of Arsenal? Has it always been like this or is it just a result of Arsene showing up the UK football establishment as the ridiculously anachronistic and perennially deluded?
To have Santos in any ‘failure’ list is an idiocy of such a staggering magnitude that I can only compare it with…well, hold on, almost anything I read in BBC football site!!
I also think, and again I speak of this as an outsider and hence I ask for apologies if I offend anyone, the overall vacuity and silliness of football media almost seems to highlight a culture that has lost all self-respect and the moral backbone that it needs to regenerate the same.
Shakespearean heh.
Scene: Steve Bould’s residence. Steve stares down at the several crumbled pieces of writing at his feet. He takes another sip of his bitters & tonic water. But its no good, his stomach has been churning since the game, and now several hours later it seems to be getting worse not better. He pulls out another piece of paper and begins to write …but after only a few words he knows its no good. He will just have to call him instead. He crumbles the paper and looks at his watch: 11:26 PM. Its late but he knows that the boss is a night owl. He picks up the phone and dials:
Arsene: “Hello”
Bould: “Its me, Steve…I..I..am sorry for calling so late..”
Arsene: (a bit tipsy) “Oh its OK Steve…the night is young…and I am too excited to sleep. What can I do for you?”
Bould: “Well something happened during the game that has disturbed me a lot”
Arsene: ” Yes our defending was shocking! I hope that you will be able to tightening us up next season Steve”
Bould: Yes Boss, bu…but that’s not why I called…”
Arsene: “Oh…well what is disturbing you my friend?”
Bould: “Well I am just gonna come right out with it boss. IF CUDDLING YOU ON THE TOUCHLINE DURING GAMES IS PART OF MY JOB DESCRIPTION, THEN I DON’T THINK I AM YOUR MAN…”
(silence)
here here holic to st totteringhams day hic hic
GT @ 190 — ha ha!
I think when Arsene shows his emotions too much on the sidelines –especially gesticulating at the players — the team actually performs worse. Or that is what I have observed.
I liked that original incarnation of Arsene, the Zen-esque serenity on the bench and the pumped fists when the inevitable goals come…stood him apart from the rest of the foaming mouth and obscene gestures brigade.
Dr Faustus: Agreed and said as much earlier in the drinks..
Doc Faustus.
Don’t get me started on the so called media. Most of the mouth breeders that work for the red top rags wouldn’t recognise journalistic integretry even if it stood under a spotlight and stripped off for them.
Some of the stuff been written (or even broadcasted by the beeb of all institions) about AW has been xenophobic at best, downright racist at worse. Plus they hate been made to look like the ignorant prats that they are by his teams that are constantly proving how little they really do know. Find me a pundit/so called expert that put us ending in the top 3 this season. I rest my case your honour
===
Nice one Tel, but be honest, you’d love a hug from Wenger too, right?
I know I would. 😉
Not only do I want our manager to be emotional, I love the fact that he is.
I’m a shrieking, screaming, arm waving, laughing, crying, foaming at the mouth maniac during our games and I expect the same passion/involvement from him.
zico 183: on the ball.
I mean I’m completely relieved that our fate doesn’t depend on that game while the Spuds’ does, but I’ll still be 100% supporting Bayern.
Also in the name of Belgium ;D
‘Holics
A minute’s sniggering for Alex McLeish? Too cruel?
UTA!
Caught up with the drinking now, many great posts – good work all!
Was as baffled as Toby to see Santos in the flop of the year category. What the hell?
The lasagna is in the oven, ready for eating in about half an hour.
Have watched MOTD as well, Alan Hansen dodged the “have you ever seen anything like it?” question like it was a bullet… There just is no comparison, scoring two goals v a 10-man relegation candidate vs winning it with virtually the last kick of the game away at the team you are fighting for the title – well, I know what I would say was more dramatic.
zico and H2H: the way I see it, the best thing would be Chelsea losing on Saturday and Looting Town going out in the qualifiers. So Bayern it is for me too in other words, but at least now that we finished third I will be able to watch the game and be quite relaxed about it. Chelsea being the first London team to win it would suck, but not be the end of the world for me.
TS, not too cruel. Just a mystery that Villa hired him in the first place.
Tickles it 😎
More “strange” goings on at Auntie Beeb this morning.
In the course of my long drive this morning I was able to listen to all three sports desks during the Today programme. I don’t remember much from the 7:30 desk, but the 6:30 edition included Old Red Nose saying something along the lines of “They got to play 30 minutes against 10 men and the referee gave them an extra 5 minutes, but on behalf of everyone at Manchester United I want to congratulate City on winning the league. If you finish top at the end of the season, you deserve it”. Catch it on iPlayer about 29 minutes in.
I remember wondering what what the meeja would make of it if Arsene said anything along the lines of the first part of that quote. Whatever it was, I bet they wouldn’t react the way Auntie did… for the 8:30 sports desk, they only broadcast the second part. Hear it on iPlayer about 2 hours 28.5 minutes in.
Perhaps I should stop waiting for the apology for Mihir Bose announcing the departure of that Spanish bloke a year too early, and that amusing impression of Arsene Wenger by Gary Lineker.
(Checking my facts and listening again, it’s even worse than I remembered as they broadcast the sentence before the entirely reasonable remarks about Barton (spit) being sent off, and the injury time, at 6:30 and they broadcast it again at 8:30.)
Bastids.
Well in Tel.
Lars, Us finishing third is briliant, but I still think I’ll be literally violently ill, I’m talking puke a gogo, if the Chavs do the unthinkable.
Komm Bayern!!
On a side note, this is how next season’s European Cup lineup currently looks (Anderlecht make the group stage if Bayern win on Saturday):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Champions_League_2012%E2%80%9313#Teams
They don’t like us and we don’t [shouldn’t] fecking care – and that’s how life for a Gooner should be…
How did you manage to sneak in a goal, Terry?
Nobody was expecting it 😀
Well done.
Tickled it Ollie – purely accidental mind 🙂
Spent the morning reading @ arlombardi and laughing my head off. Good read if anyone wants a laugh at spurtz expense: http://arlombardi.com/
Nice link Charlie..surprised to see the final will be at Wem-ber-ley again so soon..
Many apologies if this has been posted already – busy day.
But who´s going to complain about seeing it again?
http://player.arsenal.com/player/1785-derby-day
🙂
And this song has been in my mind all day….. seems apt!!
Enjoy Holics… (especially Slash)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYFIYO2eCJM
Very odd to see Terry scoring. Surely the weakest GoonerTerry for 17 years?
GoonerTerry – UEFA say it’s to mark 150 years since the FA was founded. Though apparently it’s more to do with the fact that last year’s final at Wembley was so lucrative!
Gooner Terry @ 190, Pure genius.
Charlie @ 104, Saved me some time on that, will print that out at work tonite.
That was the season that was :
My top moments, individual players (feel free to disagree and pick your own)
Goalkeeper Woj – penalty save against Udinese – defining moment for him and defining moment for our transfer business e.g. getting Arteta.
RB – Bacary – first reply to LWCs, and genuine “fuck this” moment
LB – Santos – goal at the bus-stop following a horrendous first half. Piss poor celebratory dance afterwards though 😉
CB – Kos, yesterday’s winner – more for context than grace or style (been trying to think of THE defensive performance, but it’s hard as he has been really consistent)
CB – Verminator – Newcastle Krul Justice
MF – Dimitri Song Billong – a number of memorable assists, but was there one better than in the CL tie against Dortmund?
MF – Mikel – Man City – fuck you Nasri moment
MF – TR7 – energised performance against the Totts capped with a goal!
MF/STR – Ox – rounding Tubbs Robinson at the Ems
MF/STR – Theo 2nd half against LWCs following a nightmare 1st half
STR – RvP – oh…….feck, all of them. Can’t really choose between Everton at home and Liverpool away – both volleys, both winners, both technically brilliant.
Mentioned in dispatches:
Thierry Henry @ Leeds home
Ramsay @ Marseille away
Yossi @ Villa away
Gibbs @ WBA away (showing his tackle)
Frimpong, Miquel and Coquelin’s emergence
Lucas Podolski – worst kept secret award and best eurotrash anthem
All of the above is to serve as a reminder (to me, if nobody else) what a “disastrous” season looks like.
When does the fixture list come out? (Genuine question).
Usually middle of June, maestro.
Cheers Holic
I may be abroad then, sampling some of that foreign beer……
Research never sleeps. 8)
Good work on the litany of disaster front Dr. Zee – can’t argue with much of that, though there were some other great individual performances on behalf of The Arse that spring to mind re this season…
GK – Fulop v WBA – too kind fella – thanks
Manager – ‘Arry Yappyapp v s***s second-half, too busy twitching to get to switching things around once The Arse had charged back in front. And this defeat – the real reason behind their collapse in form???
Great list, zico.
I had thought of the opposition, Reverend AL :
My personal favourite was the Chavski captain deciding on a forage-based diet following a pass from Malouda, and Mr Van Persie leaving him to chew over his performance…..
Where did the season go. It was all too fun. Come on the next one!!!
zico, good idea. Top single moment overall for me was Henry scoring v Leeds. The emotions at the stadium and down the Tollie afterwards, people just shaking their heads and hardly believing what they had just seen. And trying (but ultimately failing miserably!) to drink our way along Holloway Road after the Tollie had closed wasn’t too bad either…
Other great moments:
Robin smashing home his third at the Fulham bus stop to win the game was of course also a massive high.
The final whistle yesterday, the noise down the pub was deafening and a massive, massive weight was lifted off our collective shoulders.
Bacary leading the way in *that* win v Looting Town.
Save of the season: Szczesny at home to Brum, the one he did just after Brum hade scored where he moved across the face of the goal so fast it was almost unreal and denied some clogger an almost certain goal.
Heh Lars,
I think the “highlights of the Tollie” post could take up some time.
If only I could remember them 😉
Toby@168: Santos shouldn’t be on a flop of the season list, given he missed most of it injured. He had just 10 starts and six subs appearances in all competitions. The more you read the papers the more you realize how utter crap they are.
May be next season AW will play a Barcelona-like back three, Mertesacker, Kos, and Vermaelen, with Santos and Sagna playing as genuine wing halves.
Zico@215: cool list. Sweet memories. Highlight of the season for me may have been the final whistle at the Hawthorns securing 3rd.
Ahhhh yeaaaahhhh Dr. Z – JT chewing the cud – i said cud…
In other news – turns out our Scrote chum McLeish actually lumbered his villa side with a point less than his relegated brum side got last season. Say what you will about the lad, but he did his selfless best to re-unite the rival factions in that city and dump them squarely in the second tier/shit – noble what.
zico: memories of the later stages of Tollie sessions do indeed tend to become a little bit hazy!
Ned: the back three idea is interesting, I have also been thinking about it for a while. We would probably risk the wings a litte but instead be a little more solid centrally. It is an interesting idea though, and Wigan have shown that it is very possible to beat the best teams with a 3-5-2 formation. They did after all beat us, Newcastle and Man United and were absolutely robbed at Chelsea.
Hey Lars – win, lose or draw there’s always a fair chance you’ll get robbed at chelsea – especially if the captain’s family are at the match
And personally i can remember everything that’s gone on at The Tollie this season – up to and including about half-five-ish
And its Wolfie bursting through the midfield … its up for grabs now !!!
Right at the death , He kept his Speedoes dry !!!!
AL@228: double heh!
Championi , championi ,
Hand that trophy over Canons 😎
Zico, please tell me you kept a journal (sighing). Great memories indeed. For me, the youngster Gibbs with that one block, saved our season. Most embarrasing non-Arsenal moment for me, Nasri’s postmatch interview after Citi clinched the title. Poor taste doesn’t even begin to describe it. One loose end, wish we known about Woj’s injury beforehand. Now we know the rest of the story. Nite all.
Just back drank there and truly honoured to get a mention of H2H as a regular, I only come here to read some top guns,you lads and ladies make supporting our beloved team all the more special,cheers,to many hehs to mention.
A great season of blogging Holic. Top of the league..
League tables are currently being re-calculated. The table below may still contain old data.
It’s very unclear, Wolfie.
Its just been updated Ollie .
Nicked it cos a couple of my defenders got in the star team and got a bonus which wasn’t awarded til just now .
Wolfie’s sure – he’s already on an open top bus parade down his local lido . 🙂
Is this the most exciting ending in the History of The Fantasy Football League ?
Thanks for your kind comments all.
I would suggest a blog is as good as the quality of it’s readers.
Stuart Macfarlane treating us on Twitter tonight.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27453474@N02/7199174458/in/photostream/
Nice one, thanks ‘holic!
10 mins to go (watching a replay of the game, on Ma Chaîne Sport).
Will we hang on? ;D
Evening folks. Haven’t had time to backdrink properly yet as it’s been a busy day following an even busier weekend, but I trust that when I do there will be a selection of genius drinks from the usual suspects to go alongside the Guvnor’s great post above.
Well what a season I picked to try my first ever attempt to attend every home and away fixture. I rarely disagree with Blogs, but today I did. We might have ended up “only” finishing “thired”, but despite all the craziness I’ve had an amazing time, and I really didn’t want this season to end at all.
Domestically speaking, only missed three games, all away – two because they were midweek and I couldn’t get there because of accursed work commitments. The third because I was ill and it was Stoke. Now there are several things that make me feel better when I’m ill, but the sight of that miserable old c*nt in a baseball cap and his hideous band of rugby-inspired anti-footballers is not and never will be one of them.
So many highlights this season it’s difficult to narrow it down, but top 3 away games:
1) 8-2 at the Old Toilet. Completely surreal. Would’ve liked a better result, sure, but I honestly wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
2) 5-3 at the Bus Stop. Just magical. And the memory of John Terry grazing will still be making me smile long, long after I’m finally carted off to the maximum security twilight home for the troublesome elderly.
3) 4-0 at Wigan. Super team performance, controlled the game from start to finish, and the late cameo from Coquelin was breathtaking.
Top 3 home games:
1) 5-2 against the Sp*ds. Completely perfect. With a boilk to match.
2) 3-0 against AC Milan. Totally stirring stuff. If Leonidas had fielded that side at the Battle of Thermopylae, the Spartans would have belted the Persian army into next Tuesday.
3) 1-0 against Leeds. That man. That goal. And one very happy Goonerverse.
Thanks ‘holic for a truly fantastic season of blogging, for all the Guinni and single malts in the Tollie, and for being such a perfect antidote to the utter shit that gets posted on that fuckin’ annoying excuse for a blog I won’t bring myself to name.
Anyway, sorry I’ve gone on a bit, but I haven’t had time to get to the bar as much as I’d like recently, and I have a lot of words to use up 😉
*pours a glass of dinner, seeks out some sustenance from the CMC, relaxes to contemplate the misery of the inhabitants of Looting Town, and smiles*
Haha.
It’s nervy, Ollie 😉
Not as nervy as I will be tomorrow when I attempt to get my 2004/5 shirt signed by the invincible whose name is on the back…
Great stuff, snowy, and brilliant attendances.
Szczesny catches the ball. 2 1/2 minutes+ injury.
Surely there won’t be much injury time in this half.
Ooooooooooooh, ‘holic, lucky you! Big tease.
Top post, top man @ 240.
Persians? Bring ’em on!
5 min? WTF?!?
Aaaah, that moment between Arsène and Pat.
And wow, what a tackle, Gibbsy!
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! Those 5 minutes seem to last an hour.
Happy St Totteringham! (again, it was worth revisiting).
And goodnight.
There’ some extra bit with notably Gourcuff Sr talking about the connection between Arsenal and Lorient, with interviews from Sunu and Aliadière too, but think I might tape that to watch tomorrow.
Cheers Ollie and zico, you are too kind. The miles you two (and Lars) travel to see games make my effort this last season seem a bit rubbish really. Hope to see you all again next season for a Guinni or several.
Good stuff snowy and Ollie. There’s nothing like basking in glory. 🙂
And the award for the ‘top man’ of the season goes to…
Only one person in my book 😉
Dr Zee: You thought that Santos’ Samba was ‘piss-poor?’ You fucking Scottish pumpkin! What do you know about good dancing…oh its Monday! Take that all back till Friday..8-)
Great link holic. Poldi looks like a beast. Definitely the requisite strength and power for the Prem.
Zico @ 215 – spot on with the individual highlights list! Only item I’d consider differently is for the Ox — mine would be his first half vs. the Rossoneri at the Emirates; a “star is born” performance.
And I would add TH12’s stoppage time last goal at the Stadium of Light. And even a nod to the little Russian for his cheeky game winner vs. Swansea at the Emirates (showing the value of timely not hustling back on defense) as well as his assist on Thierry’s Sunderland winner. When you manage to nose out Spurs by a point, you can point to every single player who saw time on the pitch as providing a highlight.
Er, but what about Squillaci? Maybe he did his best to channel Fulop into a Squillaciesque performance…..
@229: Tabs, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0hjSaYCRnA&feature=related
…Shaft is down, Carlos is down, CoR just stands there…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18067568
Positive signs.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/arsenal-striker-robin-van-persie-833012
And the opposite from John Cross.
Jamie from Young Guns seems to put his trust in the beeb piece so that’s ok with me.
@zico 215 I would add to your glorious list Ramsey’s equaliser at the Stadium of Light, hitting a well placed volley with his eyes shut, hitting both sides of the post before dribbling past the goal line. Unreal stuff, just the sort of luck we deserved by then. And to top it off TH’s winner from Arshavin’s cross. It just had to be him again. When you need a goal, you need Thierry Henry. Absolutely legendary.
Heh Zico!
I wrote a drink yesterday but failed to send it. (!).
In it I too described Bac’s goal as a true @
“fuck this” moment.
For me the turning point of our season. Anyone got the quote he gave after?
Snowy. I, too, disagree with Blogs. I’ve really enjoyed this season in a masochistic kind of way!
Some great drinking as usual in the bar by the usual suspects
Ollie @ 37 LPAG 😉
My heart must have stopped a couple of times during the second half. As I was watching on a dodgy sopcast stream which was a whole minute behind arseblog live blog, I just couldn’t bear watching when we didn’t have possession. So, any comment that said “fuck” or “ohhh” or “FFS” made me fear the worst.. it was gut wrenching!
In the end, extremely glad we got third.
Hello
My name is . . . . .
No doubt the RVP speculation will continue until something concrete is decided. Personally I would keep him regardless, even if it means he walks away for nothing at the end of next season. Obviously we will all hope that he signs a new deal but I must say I am not massively encouraged by the skipper’s recent comments. If the final decision is to sell him then the deal must be concluded sooner rather later with every penny being reinvested in a top class replacement.
Morning.
hello
i’m
(what i meant to say – Thank you wife)
Kev 😉
mrs Kev needs what you plumptious engerlanders call a ruddy good talking to
too
you can’t get the staff
you really can’t
oy and indeed several veys
@248 – Oh yes!
@ 255 and 256 – bi-polar already? 😉
Steve- he’s gonna go into showdown talks with the clubs, he’s gotta pressure them. I’m not overly concerned.
I’m also not ruling out the possibility that he doesn’t sign, but is forced to stay, and signs next season if we win trophies.
Here’s a thought- David Villa. He’s rumored to be disappointed with his role at Barca for a while now. A front three of Villa, RvP, and Poldi, with Jack in the hole would be scary.
Zico – tell that to the British Press, not me!
@ 255 and 256 – bi-polar already? 😉
with my back and these feet ?
i should be so lucky
Heh @ the Boy named Sue.
in other news ‘hol
i’ve brewed a particularly nice imperial stout
a tasty drop it is too
not a sit down session beer
tasty none the less
at 9.3% tis to be treated with reverence
i sneak up on it on its deaf side
Just been doing some back-drinking and I discover Wolfie has been on an open top bus parade down his local Lidl.
Once again, no one has a thought for the children?
Top man Snowy! You really mustn’t let work get in the way of bar visits 😉 And we’ll definitely meet at the Tollie again come the fall, I am itching for the first tv selections to be done so I can start planning my travels for next season.
But where oh where has The Sweeper gone???
Snir: John Cross, as much as he is a Gooner he also seems to be a shit-stirrer of massive proportions. Just remember all his bullcrap about “trust me, Cesc has played his last game for Arsenal, this might be getting ugly” way more than a year before Cesc actually left. I don’t trust anything he writes for the Mirror.
SteveT@261: agreed 100%.
Oh, and the lasagna tasted soooo sweet last night!
Lars – you’re basically confirming what I said.
I don’t really believe all this bull shit and I wouldn’t be surprised to hear it was pre ordered from RvP’s agent to pressure Gazidis and co. For tomorrow.
Jamie on the other hand is a decent chap who is more of a blogger than a journalist.
I’m merely publishing the links here. Trust me I don’t believe everything that’s written, otherwise I would have already been in an institution!!!:)
Snir. Now you are talking. Villa up front would be awesome for us. We can only hope.
Agreed, Lars, Clive is missed. Hope all is well, Sweeper 54.
Agree about John Cross too – he appears to want his cake and eat it.
Personally, I would not trust anyone who writes for the British press as far as I could gob them.
Morning ‘Holics
Zico – Massive heh! @267 (just my twisted sense of humour young Snir) and enjoyed your season’s highlights. Good stuff.
Lars – You’re right, how can the words ‘cruel to’ and ‘McLeish’ used in the same sentence be anything other than right? 😉
Snir – Lars is right about JC. He’s a committed Gooner and seemed a nice enough bloke when I met him but never forget what his day job is and what it entails. I’m quite sure even he doesn’t like what he writes sometimes. Keep those links coming thoughout the summer please 😉
My fave games and moments were all at Ch3l5ea courtesy of Messrs. Santos, van Persie, Walcott & T*rry, with the 5pur2 game a very close second. Villa away was probably my third most enjoyable game for the top jostle following Yossi’s last minute winner, Szcz jumping on Little Theo’s back and riding him like a donkey during the post-match celebrations and a teensy-weensy bit of goading of the (literally) mouth-foaming locals who insisted on calling RVP a rapist every time he came to take a corner at their end, the c*nts.
I agree with others, it’s been one of my most enjoyable seasons in ages and I also didn’t want it to end. I’ve had the priviledge of attending 20 odd roller-coaster games (only Villa at home was a walk in the Ju-Young) and I’ve met some marvellous Gooners both home and away and had the pleasure of seeing some scintillating Wengerball too.
Whatever happens in the summer, next season can’t come soon enough for me.
In the meantime I shall be continually basking in the knowledge that no matter how ‘bi-polar’ a season The Arsenal endure, the LWCs STILL can’t finish a season above us, HAH! 😀
As much as I’d love it, I’m not sure David Villa would take a pay cut to come to Arsenal. I think he’s on 150k or upwards?
On another note, considering the personnel we have I don’t think we’d do too badly in a sort of 3-5-2 formation next year. I think it would enable us to forget the centre back dilemma when the 3 (KOS,PER,TV) of them are all fit (there’s a nice symmetry there-left footed TV as the left centre half and Kos who has played right back on the right with Per to sweep). Besides I believe this formation would get the best out of someone like Andre Santos who would flourish as a wing back. But would it make us a bit too defensive? I suppose. But I think we’d have such a strong spine, it’d be really hard to score against us. End of the day I can’t see Wenger trying something so diverse from our existing structure but I hope he considers it.
3-5-2
WOJ
KOS – PER – TV
SAGNA SONG- ARTETA SANTOS
WILSHERE/CHAMBERLAIN
RVP PODOLSKI
TS, Lars, Zico – I know Lars is right about JC. I said I think the same 🙂
I don’t tend to unequivocally believe journalists of course, that’s why I believe Jamie in this case because I regard him as a blogger and not a journalist.
Have a look at what I said @275.
I’m pretty sure that’s the reason behind that piece.
ah
so earnest
ernest
Heh again at the Man in Black…..
“i’m here all week
try the veal”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/manchester-city/9266576/Samir-Nasri-mocks-Arsenals-third-place-finish-following-Manchester-Citys-Premier-League-title.html?
A certain someone just can’t stop talking about the Arsenal. It’s almost as if he’s bitter.
Still, I suppose being a total passenger in your team’s squad will give you the extra time and energy to focus on thinking about the past.
I suspect he’ll have even more time to do so next season. The bench is a great place to really kick back and reminisce about times gone by.
For now I just hope the little chap focuses on enjoying his celebrations with those many tattooed men he moved to Manchester to be nearer.
Screw the chinless lesbian i say. I don’t give a shit what he does.
a) Darren Dein is a cunt
b) For all his goonerism, I’ve always thought John Cross is a cunt too.
So nothing new this morning.
And Slash knows.
Actually Ollie I first read it from you, i thought you were bang on. He is too trivial too be thought about.
“We know City are going to spend fortunes, pay stupid money and silly salaries ….. We are not like other clubs who can spend fortunes on proven goods. We invest in players who will be with the club for a long time, who will create the character of the club and the excitement for our fans.”
Fergie finds the Arsenal way. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18069113
Can I be devil’s advocate and ask for a temporary pardon for Na$ri on the grounds that he played a part (albeit an insignificant one) in making Fergie look like a cunt?
No?
Fuck him then 😉
What’s this talk of Villa now?
Whistler@279: didn’t AW play 3-5-2 for much of his first season at the club before switching to 4-4-2?
I think I read somewhere that Arsene was forced to continue playing 3-5-2 after Tony Adams refused to switch to 4-4-2 in midseason…
He did NBN in an homage to George (& Brucey?) 🙂
Can’t see him going back to that formation either but it’s only an opinion.
CoR
AW ‘forced’ into anything does not sound like AW at all.
Lars@227: you have to defend narrowly with a 3-5-2, and your wingbacks can’t neglect the defensive side of their game, but it becomes easier to keep shape at the back, and plenty of sides defend narrowly vey effectively. Given the way our full backs and DMs spend so much time in forward positions, it might make us more solid at the back.
If I remember correctly TS, in Arsene’s biography, they recounted Tony Adam’s first meeting with Arsene. Tony, speaking on behalf on the team, refused to change because they spent a long time practicing to play 3-5-2 so Arsene relented and changed the following season…
And in so doing won over the players 🙂
Aha CoR, thank you for the ‘correction’. I had heard that AW chose not to switch things around in his first (partial) season but what you have written above is at least as equally plausible.
Looks for RVP and chips it into the box….
Boom!
Haha! What a goal! Ollie takes it off Robin’s boot and smashes it past Friedel to let the LWCs know what playing at a big club is all about 😀
Cheers TS, it’s all about being in the right place at the right time.
I was backreading the few drinks., was intrigued by your post, then realised it was 299 and the goal was at my mercy.
*celebrates by singing the twitch song*
Or..
ooooooh wheeeeeeeeeeen the wheeeeeeeeeeeels 🙂
Boy that was a good time in the Tollie even if our destiny was no longer in our hands at the time.
Nasri is a nobody to me. And besides, all he does when saying stuff like that is show his huge inferiority complex so let him keep putting his foot in his mouth if he wants to. He’s had very little to do with their title and quite frankly with the money City have spent I think that, relatively speaking, their season was much more of a failure than our season was. Yes, they won the league but they should have wrapped it up it far sooner and getting dumped out of the FA Cup in the third round, not making the CL knock-out stages and not reaching the final of the Carling Cup despite playing more or less full-strength teams in all comps is in many respects a failure considering the squad they have (very expensively) amassed.
Anyway.
Another moment worthy of mention from the season past was walking back towards the Tollie after the Leeds game and hearing Leeds fans talking to each other, saying things like “well, if we were gonna lose the game I am happy it was Henry who scored the goal”, that made me realize how well-respected he is amongst fans of other clubs.
The more I think about it, the more pleased I am with us finishing third and I am going to buy the season review DVD and actually enjoy it (well, apart from a few rather obvious parts of course but I’ll just skip past them!). Yes, we did to a large extent put ourselves in that difficult situation at the start of the season but we did also have a huge slice of bad luck with Santos, Jenks, Gibbs and Sagna all being out for so long at the same time. We wobbled and struggled but in the end we stood there with more points than last year and one place higher up the table. We’ve built ourselves a platform from which we at least have the possibility to improve, and I’m very happy with that considering where we were ten months ago.
Afternoon all.
Well in Ollie.
Got some back drinking to do, but I just read a rumour that ‘king Kenny was on the verge of resigning.
Oh well, I switch the telly on and there’s a repeat of last night’s programme.
87th minute already this time though.
Longest few minutes ever are going to happen again, heh 😀
So I can watch the interviews I mentioned directly rather than checking the VHS, TheNeighbour-style.
Well in Ollie! I was about to shoot when I stopped to take a swig of wine. Damn you and your quick feet!
Yeah TS, Tony was pretty shouty with the boss at the beginning it seems…
Btw holics, I don’t know how many of you are free tomorrow (Wednesday) at 1pm but The Tuesday Club is doing the final podcast live in the Old Queen’s Head…
Ooh, nice goal poaching, Ollie!
It’s like a reverse 1989 (even when you watch it on video, you still can’t believe there’s enough time to score)
You fear we’re going to concede a late goal.
We don’t.
So, er, did I say ‘Happy St Totteringham’?
Or…..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2eUopy9sd8
TS and Ollie! What a magnificent one-two combination and what a magnificent goal. Reminiscent of Vieira to Henry, if I may say so. 🙂
Cheers all. CoR, don’t think I’ll spend an extra fortune on Eurostar just for that 😉
Re: Ollie @309.
TS and Ollie! What a magnificent one-two combination and what a magnificent goal. Reminiscent of Vieira to Henry, if I may say so.
This Deja Vu stuff seems to have potential to carry us right past 400 drinks.
heh bt8
Slight bizarre to hear Aliadière behing interviewed in English at Lorient.
Guess the programme is made by Arsenal Media for the ‘Rest Of the World’ though and it’s more a question of Sunu and Gourcuff not speaking English.
+ly
What’s this about The Speedo Massive tampering with the final HT league table? 😉
I always wondered what was happening when the tables were being “recalculated” and how much money was changing hands at that point. 🙂
well in Ollie and fine recounting of the last 5 mins above
@316: It wouldn’t be a true league table if it didn’t happen 8ball, let’s not kid ourselves 😀
I’m still in shock here!
Does anyone know why it’s so hard to find the season review for 1990-1991?
Caught up.
Nice list by Zico and all others that followed, one of my favourite parts was Woj’s performance against the Mickeys, not only the penalty and other great saves, but the way he gave Kos no time to reflect on the own goal, picking him up and willing him to shake it off, great maturity from one so young.
222 Lars.
When did we play Birmingham? (or does Brum mean something else?)
Welcome Johny Cash. Over here thats what they call loose change for a condom machine. 😉
Nasri is a cunt bucket and as thus should be treated as one, fuck her.
P.S I’m confused…
Is Wolfie in a bus, topless, with a dildo?!??
Wolfie is always topless .
And has been left to his own devices 😉
This thing doing the rounds in some quarters that says we face the champs league play-off thingy if the blue-russians win it on saturdee – anything in it (other than horse-sh@t of course)?
It is horse shit as you put it.
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/champions-league-2012/13-permutations
Not true at all AL.
We go straight into the group stage.
H2H – we don’t have loose change here in dear old eireann – god bless her cotton socks
we’re a simple people with simple needs
anyone got any vera’s ?
Well I’m as simple as they come Johnny, so we should get along just fine. 😉
A Vera Lynn and London Philamonic?
With ice and lemon, sir?
Anysbody want a Dancamonic?
run along ya cheeky wee scamp
*tousles hair*
Someone has left an open CMC unattended, obviously…..
Edwin, have you made a hash of it, again?
Someone say hash?
Fetch the pipes.
I luuuv pipes…
what a Starr
Looks like I’ve turned up at the right time . Pass me my pipe , and let us cogitate , ruminate , and speculate on Arse awhile …
Oooo finally, someone in Speedoes…
The Arse needs to be percolated….
Everyone seems to point to Bacary’s goal against Spurs as one of their favorite moments, but it wasn’t even my favorite moment in that game. Mine was Tomas Rosicky’s goal, a thing of fantastic beauty that told me it was our day. One for the memory book for sure.
enough already with the kickball
i didn.t come here for analysis
or did i ?
Johnny Cash was Jewish?
Who knew?
N7 @ 284. I think you touched on it a bit already, but allow me to expand. I don’t think Na$ri realizes what a bitch he has become with his comments. Let’s break it down.
“People at Arsenal tried to make out that I came here for the money,” Nasri told the French television channel TF1. “I hope they are watching me now, collecting my Premier League winner’s medal. I believe they have not won a trophy for many years now.”
-You were at the club for most of those trophyless years. Coincidence? Granted it is a team sport but other than 6 months over the course of several years I don’t think any Arsenal fan felt you were helping drive the team towards any silverware. Collecting a trophy on the backs of players better than you must feel like quite an accomplishment in you own warped sense of self worth.
“I made the hard choice to come and fight for my place at a big club, and I have proved it correct. I now hope the Arsenal fans can get on with their lives and forget me.”
– Must have been a really hard choice with the money on offer and the chance to let other better players win a trophy for you without any real pressure to deliver. P***y. Again what have you proved about YOUR worth as a footballer? You will be forgotten quicker than you think, and not in a good way.
“If all that I was interested in was money, the easiest decision would have been to stay at Arsenal, picking up my money every week and walking into the team. There are many people doing this right now at Arsenal.”
– This doesn’t even make sense. If all you were interested in was money you would go where the highest wages were offered. Which you did.
Quick laugh at LWCs? Go on then…
http://www.sabotagetimes.com/football-sport/arsenal-face-it-spurs-you-were-never-kings-of-north-london/
Praise be to horse shit – amen
who knew ?
i knew ?
when’s dinner ?
Just finished backdrinking and oh my some fantastic posts. Regarding who to cheer for on Saturday I am bit torn, both options are tempting.
The only reason why I would like Chelski to win is to see sp*rs missing out on CL completely and also the only Chelsea player I can stand and would like him to win it is of course Petr Cech, I am biased on this since its our national team keeper and he is really nice and intelligent lad. Also ..Arsene watched him back in the days when he was just making his transfer from Sparta Prague to Rennes and thought he is too young for being top class keeper, looks like he learnt from that trusting Woj now :P(Cech was same-ish age).
But then Bayern winning is not bad at all too:) leaving Chelski out of CL for next season and might bring funny moments of watching spuds struggling in qualifier…also Bayern would deserve that for making it to final which is played on their own stadium.
Anyways I am just so glad we made third and I can enjoy the final without any nerves as both options are kinda okay with me:P
Right , hangover from hell has finally worn off, so have finally worked my way through all the back drinks, and what a pleasure it has been .
Too many great posts to give a heads up to all so apologies for omissions.
Thank you Holic for yet another sensible, well conceived and beautifully written post, and Wolfie sends his thanks for the name check 🙂
Great stuff Ollie @37 (you should write more!),Canons@105 great story of your day, N7 @120 Bullseye (as usual) – marvellous stuff ,LeGrash@142 awesome! FACT imo, H2H @158 terrific, Dr Z @215 and Lars @various lovely summaries, Snowy@240 applause .
Right , drinks for all – on Lars tab of course – well, its tradition innit !
Canons , I feel your pain , but I am the Special one , there was nothing you could do to stop the inevitable 😉
Just so everyone knows , I fully intend to not shut up about this ALL summer .
Championi , Championi …
@ 346
You should save yourself some time and angst – cut out the middleman and stay drunk! 8)
Good thinking Doc 🙂
I guess I have to mind the gap 😉
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpNOWlv27nc&feature=youtu.be
bless you brother tabster – am still looking forward to your recounting of sundee’s epic events from your birds-eye perch at the mighty Ems
i’ll matzo my own balls then !
OY
342 CoR.
Nice link, loved this bit;
You’re not the cleverest bunch either are you? Witness the Spurs fans who at least bothered to stay to the end of the Emirates massacre. As they left, so proud were they to remind us of the reduced seven points now between us, they did so using the fingers of both hands, blissfully unaware that they were also displaying the horrific score theyd just been beaten by. The type of people excited by escalators.
Heh 😆
Cheers 8ball… er….. twice….. already!
H2H / CoR
I can assure you that the number of 5pur2 c*nts left at the end of their magnificen5t drubbing at the HoF could also have been counted on the fingers of two hands. One if you’re a Potter.
Whilst we’re at it, I’ll nominate 5pur2 for best fire drills in the 11/12 season. Let’s face it, they get a load of practice.
Cheers tabs, I think you might have enjoyed my write-up about a journey to Hull and back (well to a Hull-game rather or the non-attending of it). There might be a version in the arseblog forum, while another was sent to Eurostar, though I may have removed some Arsenal references to that one.
Thankfully, for the first time in ages, I’ve had no epic journeys this season (although I missed the NYE game partly due to extra costs because of Wolves game postponement, and also due to Eurostar’s stupid (new?) policy of not running trains in the evening that day.
Congrats to the Speedo Massive, HT Champion.
Who’da thought that Johnny Hettinga was worth so much to anyone? 😉
H2H@320, I did of course mean Sunderland! But they were playing in blueish shirts that day so I got my shitkickers mixed up 🙂
The FFL? Well, if I turn my computer screen upside down the HT league table looks really, really good for my team…
Having read the piece on the link CoR supplied, I think I must now head over to the Arsenal Player and have a look at the highlights from the 5pur2 game 🙂
Great link indeed. And good to be reminded, once more, that John Cross really IS fond of stirring shit.
Haha! Yeah, they’re retarded!
That post was in response to a ludicrous LWC blog that was written a few months back. Can’t be arsed to link to it.
To make a long story short, the “writer” basically said all gooners want to be them.
Deluded doesn’t come close…
After going on about how finishing above us would be so great, they then come back and say that “that’s all we care about so we’re petty,” go figure!
Best fun in the world! Like pulling the tail of a dog and watching it run around in a circle trying to bite itself 😀
Lars, congrats on the booby prize.
CoR, I read the Spurs fans one first.
Unbelievable doesn’t cover it. The level of dilusion was unreal.
@ 240 snowy
Loved your post about how the season has been for you. Props to you and all those other gooners who have faithfully attended away games. Magnificent support. And I can absolutely see why the 8-2 is a special moment for you, because not only was the constant singing a demonstration of how to support your football team, it created and deepened the bond with this team.
***
There has been a little sneering in the meeja at our joy and relief at coming third, and the implications for our “ambition” but Chesney explains it perfectly:
“It is massive,” he told Arsenal Player. “I said before that I don’t think people believed we could finish third. Although I wouldn’t have taken it before the season, given the circumstance and the start of the season I think we will take it and we are very pleased.”
In the LW’s original article in the Sabotage Times, this sentence… “Regardless of how the table stands after 38 games, the fact remains that our season, which could still end with us lifting the FA Cup, has been wildly more successful than yours.” …tells you everything you need to know about the Sp*rs mentality.
Right then , my day on Sunday …
Travel arrangements meant that the usual haven of Goonerdom , the Away Juicer of Choice , was tantalisingly out of reach, so I came to the conclusion that my frayed nerves and shot constitution would be best served by being in the company of like-minded souls in Holloway Rd .
Jumped off the H and I tube station at 2.35 and started walking north up the Holloway Rd . Surely it wouldn’t take long to find a juicer that was showing it ? How wrong I was . When the fourth juicer informed me that no they wouldn’t be showing it , and my last hope, The Herbert Chapman, was closed , I sensed a pattern emerging and was beginning to ever so slightly panic . At least it took my mind off the game !
Well there must be somewhere showing it . Plenty of people in Arsenal shirts milling around . Follow the crowd Tabs and you won’t go far wrong. Then it dawned on me , we were all off to The Ems .
Whether Arsenal had imposed a blanket ban on all surrounding pubs showing it I have no idea , but it seems likely . Go on Tabs , treat yourself ! There followed a convoluted process to get in , picking up a ticket at the Box office for a tenner, and then rushing to the Entrance .
We were in Club level behind the goal at The Clock End. I have no idea if other sections in Club Level were showing it , but in my section, I would gestimate that there were about two thousand Gooners.
There was one huge screen with rows of people sat (these were the people Ollie posted the pics of earlier in the drinks), and lots of smaller screens dotted all around . Got in pint No.1 at 2 59 and stood near a small screen . This had 3 advantages to the big screen . It had a better picture , it was less civilised with people jostling for position , and it had ease of access to the Bar .
A couple of slurps into my pint and good old Yossi was on hand to take advantage of Martin “No, I REALLY do love you” Fulop’s brain freeze. A roar went up . People competed to see who could do the most crazed jumping up and down on the spot routine. Perhaps everything would be all right after all .
Spoke too soon. The usual defensive deficiencies surfaced , and albeit with the help of a linesman who had forgotten to bring his guide dog , we found ourselves 2-1 down. Doomerism descended , news of The Totts goal had already filtered through adding to the pervading sense of gloom , and those that like to consume their football by slating their own , found full voice . Gervinho was the main target , but Arsene, Coq, and Jenks all came in for stick .
Keep calm Tabs , don’t rise to it , plenty of time to go . We can turn this around. All is not lost. In truth, we always looked capable of scoring , it was keeping them out at the other end that looked the far harder part of the equation.
Bang ! Santos ! Eruption and I am covered in flying Beer . Always loved a dancing Brazilian me . 2-2 Come on Arsenal ! The whole section starts chanting “Arsenal! Arsenal! Arsenal!”, urging the team forward.
HT – still 2-2 . Feel completely sick , strung out and exhausted and there’s still 45 mins to go . Can’t concentrate on anything. Texts are swapped with my brother (in the away juicer of choice), and Dr Z (behind the Border of choice). Consensus is that there would be more goals, but at which end was entirely unpredictable. Events elsewhere , at Sunderland, at City and even at WHL make minimal impact. I wander over to the window to watch a bit of the U19(?) game going on , which in other circs would have been interesting , but today appears as if I am looking at it through a glazed bathroom window.
Back to the Bar , I’m chewing through them now, and the second half starts . Rosicky off , Walcott on , hmm .
We don’t have to wait long , care of the absolutely loveable Mr Fulop (Go on , admit it , you luuurrve him!) . Kos ! Bang ! Cue another beer-throwing , silly dancing extravaganza .
Wait a minute . There’s still 35 minutes to go . We have scored far too early . The chances of us keeping a clean sheet for that length of time are exactly nil ! Fuck , fuck , fuck . Still , a little voice in my head tells me we will not draw 3-3 for the second week in a row . There’s a chance we can do this right ? Come on Arsenal !
I estimate that I looked at the clock in the corner of the screen approximately every 15 seconds thereafter. Time stood still , so did Arsenal’s players for the most part . Sitting deep , giving the ball away , it seemed to me that they were exacting some sort of weird revenge for some of the fanbase’s fickleness by making the rest of the game as excruciating as possible . I even began to look at the clock in a different way , fearing how much time would be left to grab a winner when the inevitable West Brom equaliser arrived .
Back to the Bar . Decided to go for double drinking, (pint in each hand), but it didn’t do any good. My head still hurt , my legs were like jelly, and I readied myself for the inevitable tragic denoument .
Blimey injury time. Five minutes . Five fucking minutes ! Fuck off Ref .
The only thing I could think of to say to my immediate watching compadres was to quote Fever Pitch ,
“This is awful . It feels like the end of the world or something”
Still time for one horrible heart-stopping moment and one magnificent tackle . Gibbsy I salute you . It was at that moment that I finally started to believe . My eyes had already begun to fill at the sight of Arsene hugging Pat – two true Gooners suffering in the same way as the rest of us. The final whistle a minute later opened the tear ducts and there was a release of all the tension and angst that had gone before. Luckily , my embarrassment at having failed to control my emotions was soon camouflaged by my third beer-drenching of the day !
And so it was a very happy throng that made its way from The Ems. I decided to have a quick one in The Tollie , as a mark to the end of the season and to see if I could find any familiar faces.
I didn’t , but I was collared by an elderly asian gentleman who was perhaps a little worse for wear (as was I) . He asked me the Arsenal score and when I told him , he informed me that he was not really a football fan , but that he was a follower of Boxing and, back in the day, wrestling !!
Kendo Nagasaki , The Royal Brothers , Mick Macmanus he reeled them all off , but he informed me that his favourite was one Jackie Pallo !I didn’t have the heart to tell him that Jackie Pallo now worked the Door at The Tollie , but it seemed a suitably surreal moment on which to end the season.
I left to watch MOTD with great Gooner company, mucho wine, and a decent little curry .
Sometimes Life is Good ! Bring on next season .
Re: CoR @350. Great find! And mind the gap. 🙂
Cheers H2H , and quite right , I love Johnny Heitinga !
Kudos as well to Moyes who substituted him just before the Newcastle goal , thus allowing him to collect the “clean sheet” points .
On such small things are Titles decided … 😎
I wonder if Robin, Arsne and Ivan are talking right now?
Actually, it’s tomorrow, isn’t it? Sorry. As you were.
tabs, you ended the day with solids??? 😉
Great recollection of your day in any case. Well played, Sir!
Well there must be somewhere showing it . Plenty of people in Arsenal shirts milling around . Follow the crowd Tabs and you won’t go far wrong. Then it dawned on me , we were all off to The Ems .
Heh, that made me laugh.
Absolutely superb stuff, tabs, great work!
Cheers Ollie 🙂
I did Lars ! Wonders will never cease eh ! 😉
And thank you .
Excellent stuff tabsmeister.
I don’t know why, but I had this rather romantic notion that the perenially disgruntled would have had the sense not to howl their derision at an inanimate screen – it’s not as if Gervinho, Jenks, Coq could hear them…..but then again, don’t let common sense get in the way of a good moan, eh?
You also neglected to tell your new friend that Jackie Pallo on the door was already spoken for 😉
Wonderful account and entertaining as ever Tabs!
I must say I felt really uncomfortable watching Arsene squirming and hugging Pat Rice. It really did tell just how important the result was and the pressure he was under.
It was a most entertaining season, despite the fact that we continue to make life so difficult for ourselves at times, especially when it really matters.
Would I have an FA cup over 3rd place this year? Nope. Would I have a Carling Cup over a CL spot? Nope. This result is so important on so many levels.
Totally agree Joe on your analysis of 3rd place . Its importance to our immediate short term future and perhaps beyond cannot be overestimated . It was a momentous day , and it was just absolutely excruciating to sit through.
Time dims the memory, but I honestly can’t remember being as tense watching an Arsenal game for a long long time .
Thanks for your kind words .
Cheers Dr Z . A romantic notion indeed. In truth, it was probably only a handful, but the emptiest vessels …
And heh at Jackie Pallo’s status 🙂
Who wouldn’t want to be locked in a half-nelson whilst being spoken to in Swedish ? 😉
Evening Holics. I may be standing alone in the bar when I say:
1). If RvP decides to go then fuck him! I said on here before that no player is bigger that the Arsenal. Those old enough to remember the trauma that Liam Brady’s leaving caused – I never, ev er got over that properly so fuck if I am gonna add RvP to my already sagging shoulders!
2). I actually think Na$ri is essentially correct when he says:
“If all that I was interested in was money, the easiest decision would have been to stay at Arsenal, picking up my money every week and walking into the team.
“There are many people doing this right now at Arsenal.
“I made the hard choice to come and fight for my place at a big club, where they never settle for second best, and I have proved it correct”.
Look as far as I see his gamble paid off: 34 appearances is not bit part in their title push. Its so much like sour grapes on our part if we can’t man-up and admit that we lost a good player and that he made the right choice for him. For me the telling comment from him is: “there are many people [just picking up their money every week and walking into the team]…right now at Arsenal…
Can’t crucify him for that – even though it hurts..
Nope, that’s mostly bollocks, GT.
I really can’t think of many players ‘walking’ into the team this season.
It’s more of a Nasri kind of attitude. He was offered insane money and that’s why he went. (and we were offered ridiculous money for what he was worth too).
His attempt as self-justification continue to be absolutely pathetic. He’s insignificant and his obsession about us means he needs a shrink.
Fuck him.
HOLY UNCALLED FOR:
A mighty fine, on the spot (once removed) account of last Sunday’s epic events from brother tabs there. And I see top, top-man Snowy has been in – barely missed a match all season long, marvellous, and thanks a bunch for your terrific account of your tremendous support too. And couldn’t agree more Snowy – this has indeed been an unmissable season:
The summer transfer barminess; a cracking couple of tense champs league pre-qualifiiers v a decent Udinese; the campaign-long, wildly fluctuating results; watching new-signings and young’uns bed in; some barely believable tonkings dished out to those we’d most want to tonk – and one or two tonkings taken, which I see no point in dwelling on here; more nail-gnawing, last-gasp comebacks than I can remember (which isn’t saying much – unfortunately); an aging football genius returning to centre-stage one last time for a totally unlikely swansong; RvP blossoming, at last, into the fully-fledged football genius we all knew he could become AND the god-awful stick the club, the manager and some of the players took from all sides – sadly, including some misguided souls from our own flock – before it ALL ended pretty happily – amen.
But sometimes friends, it’s the rocky times that make you realize most just how much something really means to you – i reckon. And this tricky, sea-sawing season i have had the privilege of raucously renewing my for-life (and beyond???) Arsenal vows under a brollie at the Tollie with a bunch of top, top goonahs on several special occasions. All topped off with a blessing of bitter, usually spilled down my front – though some made it down my throat too – amen.
And so gathered here in this bar – with still more fine goonahs – we barely wavered in our support – old and new. And thus support grew and grew as The Happy Train huffed and puffed; the CMC got right royally hammered and personalities split and multiplied – so bolstering our numbers further and seeing us safely on home – hallelujah!
And lo we finished up thired, on a high – higher than them – who of course went forth to fourth – and so can f*ck orf, once again – praise be!!!
A big, BIG TA must of course go out to the Guvnah. Bless you for making this special gathering of Arsenal supporting brothers and sisters (you know who you are) and like-minded souls possible, and for giving the place that uniquely generous-spirited ‘holic feel it has – even in the darkest of times…Cheers sir.
A drink for all in the bar (and 2 or 3 or even 4 (?) for those who are 2 or 3 or even 4 (?)). Is Lars in?!?
Bless The Arse!
And one more from the right reverend AL – with the captain in mind, maybe – aaaaaaamen!
http://youtu.be/f-NbbVk4myM
Will be back-drinking in a while.
But for now.
I’ve just realised something. And I’m not putting any pressure on the lad. This is not for me hoping he will perform miracles or be a one-man-cure for all things bad with our team (and however much I love it, there are a few bad things with it.)
But.
We will be seeing Jack Wilshere play football next season.
Regardless of how it goes, wherever we may end up, that surely, is one of the joys of being an Arsenal fan. Seeing one of the young ones fulfilling his promise.
Remember the young gun that was actually bossing the midfield against Barcelona. Sure, it might have been a one-off performance from him, but half of that for a season would be enough for me.
We WILL be seeing Jack Wilshere play in just a few months. For us. That is beautiful.
Great stuff, Rev!
And Reverend AL. Not to mean you any disrespect, but I’m going for this one:
http://youtu.be/-NSQI51dppg
Reverend AL , get me to thy church ! Brilliant stuff .
“Lets stay together” a very worthy message to send out to the flock, apart from Le Grove of course , who can fuck off 😉
GT – For such a beacon of good sense usually , surely you’re not serious ? Ollie is spot on . Nasri is a spiteful self-justifying c*nt.
We should not speak of him .
SO enjoying the season’s reflections: Snowy, Al, TABs, Dr Zee, fantastic stuff..
Ollie: We are agreed on one thing – Nasri is a cunt! But we [Gooners in general] are at least preoccupied with him has he seems to be with us! Its perhaps heresy to say this but I wholly support the notion that all men – and women – should be free to go wherever they feel they will be more fulfilled career-wise (which of you in this bar would stay in a job you hated when more money & opportunities are being offered elsewhere?). I believe that this is a fundamental human right – we can’t deny even a chinless cunt his human rights can we?.
I was not surprised that Nasri showed scant regard to loyalty towards the Arsenal. After all the left his boyhood club to come to us for more money! Why did we think that he would be loyal to us? Football has changed – today’s game (with all the money on offer) is more replete with mercenaries than not…but hey, we have all summer to argue these points…
@ GoonerTerry
Hello. Just thought I’d pile in as well. If you take a totally objective and unsentimental view, of course it is fair enough to move clubs for more money. But Nasri’s protestation – that he left to win titles and that money wasn’t the issue – is dishonest and insults the intelligence of fans of his former club.
Basically his problem now is that he thinks we should still love him, but gawd knows why.
Do you ever get the feeling that babies instinctively know what hand Life will deal them ?
I do !
http://lockerz.com/s/209223605
would stay in a job you hated
If he hated it, what can I say? 😉
Hahaha, splendid, tabs.
Bless you brethren – and touching shot of the bairns tabs – brought tears (of laughter) to my eyes
And as for $ami $o-called thingy – f*ck off you lezzie-looking chinless chump – as it says in a good book somewhere
H2H @ 158, truly a drink among drinks. And I echo Garsguns’ sentiments @ 233 about being mentioned as a regular 🙂
@ 194, who wouldn’t? 😛
@ 195, I watched the 12 mins Extended Highlights of Sunday’s game, and Wenger’s fist-pumping at Kos’ goal & winner was awesome, like a proper fan 🙂 Anyone who hasn’t seen it, worth taking out the time out to
GT @ 200, well tickled 8) And thanks for that story about the Nigerian @ the Airport, really made my Saturday Morning! 🙂
& your 190, made my yesterday evening 😆
Zico @ 215, don’t disagree at all 😀
@ 217/220, 😆 😆
Lars @ 222, well said 🙂
AL @ 228, heh, always a look over the shoulder when I enter Hammersmith…
Snowy @ 240, top man 🙂
GT @ 251, :’) 😆
N7 Gooner @ 284, wish I could chin the cunt 😐 Lars excellent well-measured 😉 303 placates me somewhat… 😕
Ollie @ 300, well taken! Usually expect you to be a drink back providing the pivotal ball 😉 Lovely assist True Storey 🙂
Bearded Gooner @ 341, thank you. Sooooooo much. Will be referring to that drink to any Gooner who doesn’t understand the deal with that Prick.
TS @ 355, ha!
tabs @ 365, thanks for that mate, what a tale 🙂
Joe @ 375, well said.
Is that a record number of smileys in your post there, Wind?
Pitch invasions totally fucking up the Bundesliga play off game.
Some shameful shit going on there at the mo.
GoonerTerry,
I was prepared to ignore your earlier slight (there are NO Scottish pumpkins btw) but to stick up for that chinless, sapphic muffnuzzler is a step too far.
2 players who have gone to Manchester City have totally disrespected the club and deserve all the poison heaped upon them. He is one – the other ended up at Spurs.
Enough said.
Quality drinx @ 379 and 386.
Fill our glass boots – Larsene’s Largesse 😉
The sub-ed suspects he must have meant ‘bumpkin’ 😉
I still don’t understand how GoonerTerry could say what he said though, andI shall vote zico again for that 392.
Mine’s a Guinness. And goodnight, good luck with the upcoming 4th century.
Nasri ? Say no more …
https://twitter.com/#!/FootballFunnys/status/202490929276395520/photo/1
Can GoonerTerry save this miserable season? He strips
off and prepares to enter the fray… 😎
Set Frimpong on him next season then we can ALL get on with our lives……
Am I in the right place for a bit of Arse-chat?
Any chance that people can complete the Online Gooner survey and vote for “Liar Liar” as the best chant heard this season ? 🙂
ouch!
Oh! That Samir, what a joker eh? Thanks for the link TaBS. Now, in which of those two contradictory quotes was Samir joking? What do you mean neither? That would mean he was a complete idiot. Oh… I see… Oops.
Swings boot at it, misses and catches Nazri where his nakers should be – “sorry you chinless cock – took me eye off the ball” ref shrugs and waves play on
Despite heavy criticism for his controversial views he’s still the fans favorite .. He shrugs his drooping shoulders and acknowledge their cheers…seems like we’ll be playing champions league football again next season after all 🙂
Well in, GT.
He’s tickled it, and now he’s hurt it! Well in GoonerTerry, un-orthodox assist tabs but whatever works 😉
Dammit, this lurking malarky is harder than it looks. Well in, GT.
Well in GT – seems i carried on after the ball had gone out of play – oops
Well in GT – you have to vote for Liar Liar now !
Well in GT
tabs @ 395 and 399 – heh and no respectively 😉
zico @ 397 – I think he already has him in his crosshairs and has done for some time. Loved the mighty Frimpongtweet today of “We should have left his Fat Head in south Of France. Ungrateful Human Beings” 😀
407? You lot have been busy 🙂
Ollie @ 390, why yes, yes it is 8)
Heh Snowy , and there was I thinking you were a music connoisseur . Swearing at ‘Arry Dedknapp to the tune of Chirpy chirpy cheep cheep .
What’s not to like ? 😉
And heh at Frimpong .
Brother tabs – don’t be coy where is it on there – i’ve had a look and can’t spot it. And is there a section for meanest/funniest description samnas – as feel zico’s @ 392 may be worthy of a wider audience
Oxon @ 406, maybe you should leave it to the pros… 8)
pardon “of” that knob’ead
Rev AL ,
http://onlinegooner.com/article.php?section=exclusive&id=2693
Sadly no section for best insults. However it does give you the opportunity to say you don’t like The Highbury Spy “at all” , so not all bad . :Wink:
Tabs have u got a link for that liar liar chant please mate,never heard it has it something to do with the twich from the swamp?
OK chaps I will admit that the cunt is completely un-defend-able but all I was trying to say was after Liam Brady I willed myself not to really care what fucking footballers do once they declare that they want to leave the club…. really I am so over the little twerp…..but really I thought the stronger reaction would come from my statement about RvP – could it be that Holics would be more accepting of RvP’s anticipated treachery or are we that confident that he will be staying put?
Garsguns ,
Can’t find it on YouTube , but there has been a few occasions this season when literally the Whole ground has sung it !!
Lyrics are simple but surprisingly effective –
” ‘Arry Redknapp told me Tottenham were good ,
I said LIAR , FUCKIN’ FUCKIN’ LIAR”
All sung to the tune of the chorus to Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep.
Get your vote in mate . You know it makes sense .
GT, he’s staying, whether he wants to or not. Its only a £2.5 million hit if he runs down his contract, and when he win silverware next season he’ll have no reason not to sign, if he doesn’t then there’s obviously no hope for him. I can empathise with you about Liam Brady leaving, don’t think I’ve fully accepted our old Captain’s departure, thinking about it makes me feel hollow inside… 🙁
Apologies Garsguns ,
Here’s the link …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSNSTerj2Kc
tabs @ 412 – how kind of you to say. But I think you’re answering your own question there 😉
🙂
Excellent tabs I’ll vote for that,so that’s what wolfie sings on table tops,have to get to the tollie.com.
Oh fuck..Lukas is where RvP should be: http://www.arsenal.com/splash/625/new-home-kit-2012/14-pre-order-yours-now
Good lad . When I said “literally the whole ground” , I of course meant “me” .
Glad I can rely on your support 🙂
Will look forward to seeing you in the Tollie next season .
GT @426 – Geez , that does look ominous 🙁
right voted – And ‘holic’s on tweeting terms with le bobby!!!! Vive la him!
Nah – i reckon Robin’s looked at it and gone “Nah – it’s a rugby league wrong’un and i’m The Arsenal captain – not a Leeds Rhino” IMHO!!!!! Of course
Love to agree with you AL but he was in the original pic . Why change it ?
False alarm…Its RvP…looks a lot like Poldi though..
i s’pose it don’t exactly send out a positive one though – all things considered
GT @ 419
If RvP moves on (god forbid), he will do so having earned the respect of the fans and his fellow players for his performances and I am certain that he won’t disrespect the club.
In comparison, Nasri…..?
Go figure.
Have a nice cool Banks beer whilst you do so 😉
Its Poldi GT . It was RVP in the original .
What the Fuck?!?! In my link (above) its Poldi but when I checked the .com again its RvP…who’s fucking with us?
Take a look at this: http://www.arsenal.com/splash/620/new-home-kit-2012/13-pre-order-yours-now
Now check this out: http://www.arsenal.com/splash/625/new-home-kit-2012/14-pre-order-yours-now
Bizarre !
Dr Zee: I’ll pass on the Banks – can I have a cuddle instead? This RvP is making me tense as hell 🙂
One goes to 2013 – the other 2014.
RvP is only contracted for one year but the new kit is running for two hence the need for Poldi in the 2 year version.
Is how I figure it.
If only there was a lawyer in the bar…… 😉
Except Walcott is in both…. 🙁
Ok, fucked if I know….,,.
No Theo is not in both – the Black dude is the OX…I know, I know , we all look alike 😎
I’d rather believe it’s arsenal letting us know we now have 2 world class strikers.imagine you have to ferraris you don’t park one in the garage,get them both in the front garden and fuck your neighbours head up..
GT – sorry, having zoomed in, you’re right, and thus I am going back to my original theory in 441.
You DO look a bit like Theo, now you mention it…… 🙂
garsguns: heh…except its fucking everybody up in your own house!
they are both from the Southampton area mind…
Don’t care enough to let this keep me from my Dr eammzzzzzz
Laters, Arselovers…. 8)
My eyes hurt !
I miss one day and the drinks explodes. Have to admit I only had time to really note the longest ones, amongst which Snowy, Tabs and Rev AL really stood out.
Many others worthy of note – apologies for omissions.
So RvP and Poldi are already bamboozling folk by swapping places and popping up where the other should be. That will be happening to a lot of Prem defences next season.
I forgot in earlier dispatches while thanking Yossi for his always honest and whole hearted efforts, to mention Pat Rice for the same reasons.
The poor chap looked exhausted on the WBA touchline on Sunday. He has earned a rest, respect and a life-long welcome at Arsenal.
Thanks Pat – a Mr. Arsenal if ever there was one.
What do you mean “imagine” I have two Ferraris ?
OK, Ivan. Let’s imagine you have three then.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
🙂
Haha, I just love the Arsenal, was in Holloway road at the time in a pub, hangover after the nigh out before, therefore experienced a lot of joy when the whole pub where singing Arsenal’s name! On the way back home (I live in phillip lane = tottenham) while on the escalator in my full on Arsenal gear I saw all those silly, angry, unhappy supporters all looking at me as if I’ve killed a little kitten. Therefore I just let the childish alcohol feeling take over me and started shouting: “totnum!totnum!” Haha the look on their faces – priceless! Those silly totts!
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