Today’s post comes from everyone’s favourite Lahndan Cabbie, and he doesn’t care where you’re from.
Take it away Mel…
Amongst all the recent shenanigans between George and his twitter chums the one remark that struck me more than any other was this. When asking about his credentials as a fan (appearances, length of service, location) this guy told George his opinion was not valid. Bearing in mind that this was in the middle of a highly entertaining debate between a Yorkshireman and a Lancastrian (neither of whom will be sending each other Christmas cards soon!) the irony was clearly lost on this poor unfortunate who had butted in.
Now I’m from London. Yes bow bells & all that, born and bred, started going in 78 and still going. From Alan Sunderland’s winner in 79 to Alan Sugar’s equaliser a few weeks ago! I bloody love em. My mother still tells a story about when just after the above photo was taken I ran away from home taking just my Arsenal kit and some library books in a carrier bag. I made it to the top of the street and came back
“Why’d you come back?’
she asked,
“I forgot the socks”
came the reply (like I was gonna get a game). There’s nothing quite like The Arsenal is there?
On my non-football travels I’ll seek out places where I can watch a game if we’re playing and if a local turns up cheering us on or wearing an Arsenal shirt they’re in danger of being bored and or drunk to death by me telling them about my night at Anfield in 89. My point is I appear to tick all the boxes, well bully for me. But here’s the thing: Does that make me a better supporter? Does it entitle me to more of an opinion than anybody else?
The answer is simple. Of course it doesn’t, if you’re Arsenal, you’re Arsenal. From New Delhi to New Zealand, from Angel to Alabama you’ll do for me. As long as you behave the Arsenal way I don’t care where you’re from, how long you’ve been supporting or if you’ve never seen a game live. In fact I’ll let you into a little secret – you probably know more than me! (I never did read those library books).
Now let’s face those cannons outwards a ltogether now! We all follow the Arsenal…over land and sea!…….
Positively Arsenal 
Hahaha DC! Not insulted at all. But the pistol does look like one I have in my closet – a 9mm Sig Sauer semi automatic. The assault rifles I’m not so familiar with. But I could learn…(smiles)
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No matter which one of the strikers we have been linked with arrives i’ll be rooting for Giroud. I think the guy is a gem and it’s only a touch of settling and bedding time standing between him and 30 goals. He must be up there for best first season as an Arsenal striker. Certainly in my time supporting.
I hope Wenger manages to get 2 strikers into this formation. Out of all the ones mentioned I’d prefer Higuian. However I’d like the idea of anyone that could sit behind Giroud in the advance midfield role better.
Just how well did he take his second goal today?
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Mel – I read this much earlier and headed away to watch the pre-season friendly with the Indonesians and forgot to acknowledge your efforts. But I was as pleased as Punch that you took the time out to big-up us overseas gooners. Not that I expected less.
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No problem Shots-had you in mind when I wrote it mate to be honest!- thanks to everyone on here for the kind comments.
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@emmanuel i’ve always said giroud is a player who will continue to improve. bring any striker in, it will be a matter of time before giroud will outshine him. he is the type that improves with competition. just like drogba.
just look at the ease at which he scored his goals. he now feels at home in the team.
i like the way arteta congratulated gideon zelalem after the match. it will do his confidence a lot of good.
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Nice one Mel.
What Anicoll wrote is also true. Such attempts to denigrate and to ruin the fun people get from watching a game of football are not related to events on the pitch.
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Sporting Clube de Braga otherwise known as Os Arsenalistas or Arsenal do Minho were formed at some point in history (it’s true!) but it was after the second world war that they adopted the famous and familiar kit no doubt inspired by the pre-war exploits of a certain club.
So, not related to events on the pitch, around the pitch, the history of club in the distant past, the recent past, or as can be seen at this very moment on the current tour in the future to come.
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1st the Indonesians, now the Vietnamese and, without doubt, soon the Japanese, are literally sanctifying Arsene Wenger for his continuing contribution to Arsenal Football Club. No trophy in 8 years but these plastic overseas fans are besieging airports and highways in thousands to show their appreciation for Wenger’s achievements. This 16 years of being in the top four, always making champs league round of 16, dedication to playing attractive football, developing young talent, resisting the overtures of bigger clubs etc., seems to resonate outside Blighty. I feel the pain of the WOBs and their fellow travellers.
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Shotta,
It is a contrast to the broken down Mancy bus besieged by, oh, a dozen or so fans.
I saw the video!
–
An omen of sorts? The Macchester Utd coaching staff have been turfed out: the chap who did a decent job and learnt Spanish just to help the young ‘keeper to settle was told to sling his hook. And others. A good omen?
The Evertonian bus survived it’s last visit to N.London courtesy of a referee who prefers gr*tsnorting norvan ‘oofball to Footy (not forgetting the early miss by Pienaar – he missed). Followed by the priceless comments from SlurAlex’s heir as it emerged blinking into the sunlight about the Arsenal not liking it up ’em and the reference to the fact that they play a different game with different rules up there in SlurAlex’s fief. We knew already. Given those comments and how he set his team up, not to win on the day when they were chasing fourth, i think it’s fair to say he sees Arsenal as a threat, considering he knew where he was heading. Even if some Arsenal fans have chosen to disappear up their own arses because “we do not compete” when in the middle of the biggest rebuild many of us are ever going to see at the club (the past two and half seasons).
Not forgetting the rumour by @Blagger that Moyes passed on Thiago because, and I quote, “He won’t like it up ‘im”. Nothing to do with Pep Guardiola’s brother being his agent then. A rubbish rumour, but on consideration when you see the gr*tty gr*t that Arsenal fans are happy to snort up in order to vomit back out onto their club I’m going to enjoy that one.
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I’d be quite pissed if i was an Everton fan, given the way he set his team up that day.
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Well said there Shotta.
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Swiss Harry @ 2:42pm – I was tempted to make a snarky, sarcastic comment about the “end-of-an-era” but the WOBs will do for now. Finsbury @ 1:54 pm – Speak quietly. Rebuild is the refuge of deranged AKBs. A massive transformation took place over the past year almost unnoticed. Giroud, Podolski, Cazorla and Montreal are top quality players with one year’s experience under their belts. Notice how cool Wenger is about any new additions. He knows he can out wait all the big boys because the current squad can do serious damage. Mark my words.
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I cannot contain myself. I’m at work but need to sneak this comment in. I’m convinced that we are very serious contenders next season….
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…and Leicester ! excellent, coherent and decisive post about all of our fans.
When the PL hit and football was first dipping its toe into the commercial world, I remember more and more one of fans turning up at Highbury. These were not the usual foreign supporters who would come on mass to several games a year from official supporters clubs mainly from the scandy countries. There was a defiantly a push by our club, and many others, to get a different person in a seat each week rather than one person all season. The thinking behind this is the regular fan would by consumables once a year but get 20 different people in that seat they would all by the usual hats scarfs etc. As this coincided with the re-emergence of ARSENAL as a dominant force the ground become increasingly to small and getting in to the ground became more and more exclusive.
Supporters from around the world have always been glorified with stories of soldiers traveling the world meeting interesting people and giving them ARSENAL shirts, only for those people in turn to start football teams in the famous red and white or people visiting lost tribes not touched by the outside world for years and years only to be greeted with a smiling kid in a ARSENAL shirt and his only words of English being ARSENAL and Ted Drake.
However the shrinking availability of access to the stadium produced much angst and the far away fan became demonised as potential seat fillers stopping the fans who had “paid their dues “, although the move to new stadium was supposed to alleviate this it actually made it worse with money being the deciding factor on entry and not how much ARSENALITUS someone has. Stadiums seem to go from all seater to all suiter with the suit boys turning up in force.
The yorkshireman in question certainly was the most negative blogger on social networks but seemed to be trying to catch George out rather than disprove his argument. You see in his eyes George has not paid his dues and this is what niggles him not the theory. I have seen many AFC fans over the years and one size doesn’t fit all, with season ticket holders who wouldn’t know when we were playing away and fans who have never been who knowledge is impeccable and would die inside everytime we lose so I consider myself a good judge of fans. For George’s part he questioned his self and the conditions of his support, which by the way produced an amazing debate, but let me tell you now and George for that matter,
You are Gooner, you are hooked and you will always be.
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Shotta,
On the runours today (sorry steww!) I do not care if he who F’d off F’s off to some other club. This rebuild was precipitated by his tactless effing off in the first place.
I could never see a return happening there. Though the club sneaked their clause in. So…i guess it’s up for those ITK to decide what they do or want.
Not me then.
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This topic reminds me of dear Frank, his (was it 3, 4, 7?) previous wives, comings and goings of horses, and knowledge of London and its history. For Frank the relationship between London, Arsenal, innovation, flair, class and international and cosmopolitan support under Wenger was organic; fundamental strands of one and the same thing. I hope he’s OK. Haven’t heard from him in a while.
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Alright, George! This is where all the OG ACLFers went! Glad to see everyone.
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The story is all over newsnow, as far as I can see no official sources at either club confirming it.
It begs the question, what the fubar is Moyes on!?!
30m euros is wayyyy under valuing our former best boy.
cesc says in public he wants to stay with the Catalan shysters, and Xabi is getting older so he should be getting more time in CM where he belongs.
ok he’s not feeling the love from the barca fans – fuck ’em, we know they are jerks.
My only guess is that Manu are tring to be too clever and know we would come in with the first refusal clause, and then spend the money on a player we don’t need any more.
I would expect Barca not to respect those sell-on clauses, it’s not as if we have any way of enforcing those clauses, is there?
Or more likely – this story is pure grade A cow patty.
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DC
I dibbled my toe into the transfer tattle in between the ICC and the start of the test matches but I have fast lost interest. The inner workings of the mind of the Madrid president do not fascinate me. I am not interested in what stories various agents are feeding to their working colleagues/partners in the press.
Although the comments from Arsene’s eyes and ears were interesting! I suppose he just wants to help the board sell season tickets too. That’d be just like Arteta, eh? Typical.
What’s he talking about Momentum in Sport for? Doesn’t he know? Arsene had lost it, (even though I squirm and adjust my argument now). Teams can easily be rebuilt overnight. Especially (not) on a budget of 1bn plus. Just look at the Ooze at City. How hard can it be? I prefer to smell the droppings from my own arse then listen to a top professional explain what should be bleedin’ obvious to any ‘spots fan’. Pardon me.
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Er
< "sports fans"
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Yo Loomer.I was asking about you a couple of weeks ago.
I wondered if you knew we were here.Welcome old pal.
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@DC
I genuinely hope it’s what you suggest it is. If there is any truth to the rumour… seeing him in that shirt would make me dead inside. He just can’t do this to us, can he?
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I just hope that this is just the beginning of showing how stupid and desperate Moyles is in his new job.
Sees to me no one wants to go to that scummy club. Only a matter of hours now before their first bid for Jack. The A-holes.
Stay calm gooners, Arsene and Ivan are playing a blinder this summer. Remember the Rednose saying he wouln’t want to be playing against Wenger at poker in a Govan card school?
My money is on the Lanky Pole on the last day of the transfer season.
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Lord, DC. A bid for Jack. That would just about do everyone in, wouldn’t it. No matter that it would be ridiculous. Hope the media hacks don’t read this blog – this is just the kind of shitstorm they would love to start.
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Oh, wait! Turns out the rumor is going to be that we’re selling Cazorla. Hahahahahaha! Jesus.
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I’m with you all. Seeing both cesc and robin in that shit shirt would be too much for me too. Although I am willing to give the former the benefit of the doubt. I think he has an once of class.
I just feel so very sad for the younger generation growing up witnessing this shower of shit in sports.
Where is they are supposed to pick up on qualities like honor, sportsmanship, loyalty , perseverance and friendship from sports in general they are on the conscious and subconscious level learning all the base qualities human beings can adopt. Sports in general is stopping from being a tool in the hands of society to pass on great human attributes to the next generation. God help us all.
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