Finding myself on my uppers and trying to claw my way out of a protracted period of poor health, I’ve taken to earning a few quid by going out to work. A wildly radical idea which, like Arsenal’s season, has yielded mixed results.
Lately I’ve been working for an organisation which provides support for adults with disabilities and learning difficulties. It is an area of employment which offers wildly varying emotional rewards and extraordinarily poor financial ones. No one employed there is in it to get rich but there are some highly motivated and above all decent people both giving and receiving support. As you can readily imagine in such exalted company I stand out like a blind cobbler’s thumb.
One of the people I’ve spent some time with is an Arsenal supporter and other than that I shall respect his privacy and tell you nothing of his circumstances. I can tell you he has been in a ferment this past week because today he’s travelling up from the West Country to the Big Smoke in order to watch his favourite team play in the FA Cup. Yes it would have been cool to have seen that particular shift pop up on my rota, no it did not.
What is wonderfully refreshing about being around this particular Arsenal supporter is his undaunted passion for the game. Regardless of the results and the negative commentary he listens to from the pundits he always seems happy to be a fan. What he singularly fails to do, and this really sets him apart from you and I, is to follow the team online.
What a joy to be around someone who doesn’t indulge their disappointment beyond a quick conversation with me or one of the other staff members but instead gets on with looking forward to the next game. It has been an invigorating, affirming and wholly positive experience. It of course throws into sharp contrast the verbal war zone of Twitter and the poisoned pond of the comments beneath the variously negative or sarcastic Arsenal blogs. I trust he will be allowed to enjoy his match day experience without the ridiculous, ruinous masochism of the disenchanted infecting the atmosphere. A fun filled carnival of football followers or a malignant miasma – only his fellow fans can decide.
Personally I shan’t be watching as I have landed a photography job at a gig being organised to celebrate the birthday of a well known local musician. Should be a good blend of light hearted portraits and band shots, not to mention every photographer’s nightmare; capturing the ‘fun’ of a party in a darkened hall. Moving subjects, poor lighting. Say no more.
Those of you who will be watching the game ought to be in for a treat. If the wonderful football we saw before the plug was pulled on Tuesday evening is anything to go by then Lincoln City are in for a torrid time. At stake, a semi final in our only remaining cup competition. Having won this venerable trophy in two of the last three years we all know what a wonderful end to the season such a prize can provide.
It is a simple and obvious fact that from now until that fateful day in May we have so much to play for. The battle for a top four finish is as fierce this season as it has ever been. Spurs, no doubt stung by the final day debacle of 2016, will be doubly determined to end their dreadful record of finishing below us year after year, and of course we are only a couple games away from the potential of a Wembley final.
Given that little list, anyone, whether they come from a pro or anti standpoint, who wastes their time and emotional energy getting excited about anything beyond the games themselves, surely deserves to have their bumps felt. Forget what may or may not be going on in the changing room or the boardroom. Spare no thought on the manager or players’ future plans. Don’t bang your head against the impenetrable wall of poor decisions and woeful commentary. Seriously, give it all up, nothing will change, nothing you do, think or say will make a scrap of difference. So why not just enjoy the game, revel in the tension and excitement of the run in and take the summer off until we go again in the Autumn?
I know one young man who will be doing just that and I’ll tell you something for nothing, he’ll be a whole lot happier than you or anyone else who gets themselves sucked into the morass of pointless argument, opinion and debate. Why not try it for just one game? Watch, enjoy, then just get on with your life until the next fixture comes around. Who knows, you might actually start enjoying football again.
Positively Arsenal 
Morning Steww fantastic again. yes among the rubbish thrown about by the media people forget we are actually a good team and can be beautifull and exciting to watch.
The adrenalin rush I get now, when ARSENAL score, is still the same I got as a small four year old listening to my Dads radiogram or watching the big match.
I’ve never understood why people go to games to be miserable, to berate the players for the tinyest perceived mistake or even when their name is read out before the game.
The one fact among this smog of fake news is the crowd is worse now than ever it was at the so called Highbury library and the fact that I read more of our own fans slagging us more than our opponents fans is really sad, maybe their fake supporters.
My lads and I will be joining Steve I at the game today and we will be going to enjoy the match and support the club, I hope the rest of the crowd have the same obvious intentions COYG.
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Now that’s what I call a strong comeback.
Can’t promise not to keep nattering away, but can’t argue with any of it either.
Maybe one day I’ll be able to put all that eminently sensible stuff into practice and return to the beginning, when there was not a jot of misery for my first 5 or so years of football.
Internet would have to go, no doubt.
Best of luck with work and health Steww.
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Morning Stew, I shall be there and watching Lincoln City for the first time. As exotic a creature as any to arrive at the Emirates, non league, non Northern, and with around 9,000 fans backing them.
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Thanks Steww
I’ll be visiting the battle n’strife’s relatives in Kirby today. Probably need to slip away and watch the game on my iPad.
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Just saw a nice little coda to the Zlatan/Mings story.
An enterprising advocate in Holland is trying to get his player from Feyenoord off a 4 match ban with a ‘you call that an elbow? this is an elbow’ defence.
He claims his client’s is by far the less serious and deliberate offence, and suggests his open fist as he jumps proves this, whereas Zlatan had a clenched fist which, he says, is what players do when they want to load up power to hit someone.
Interesting stuff. I’d bet Alonso had his fists screwed up as tight as can be/Stan’s wallet.
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I am looking for the odds on the Imps’ reserve keeper eating a large, greasy Lincolnshire pork sausage in the 90 minutes.
The bookmakers seem a little shy ?
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A tremendous Post, Steww, and a moving account of the good side of humanity – you and the other publicly spirited workers helping the disabled and those with learning difficulties – and also the Arsenal supporter interested in supporting his team and leaving the vilification of the manager to others with nothing better to do.
I do not like being judgemental – none of us is perfect – but I have often wondered what those who delight in moaning and bitching at the manager and the club bring to the party?
Oh, well — your Post helps to balance the good with the bad. Many thanks.
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Lovely stuff Stew.
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‘Arsenal Guvnor’ @ArsenalGuvnor Mar 9
Afc v Lincoln Sat 5.30pm
On the 20 minute mark to celebrate/appreciate Arsene’s 20 years at the helm we will be holding a minutes applause.
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So lincoln’s plan is to break the game down into nine ten minute spells, in an attempt to keep their concentration levels up
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Pablo @AFCAMDEN
Arsenal fans have organised a ‘no new contract’ banner to be flown over the Hawthorns next week. Yet we mocked United for it.. #embarrassing
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if Arsenal win today, the club needs to do everything it can to stop match tickets for the semi final been given to anyone involved in all these attacks on Arsene and the club. Starting with AFTV.
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I would also say no matter what Wenger’s future is, the club needs to withhold season tickets from anyone involved in protesting, the AFTV mob, and the banner wankers. A season ticket is A Privilege Not A Right, and its time the malcontents were shown this.
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1886 @1886_blog 48m48 minutes ago
Boro vs City (before the money).
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March, counter march, protest and counter protest …..it is like the October Revolution out there this morning.
Lucky there is a game of football at 5.30 !
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Hear hear Stew! We are by far the greatest team the world has ever seen.
And if we get back to supporting them the old good ol’ fashioned way, the boys will start enjoying themselves and our beloved manager will get back the spring in his step.
Here’s hoping for a good day all around. COYG!
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The football match today is all that matters….just get a strange feeling the team are about to kick into gear. There may or may not be agendas within the squad…..but surely whatever they are up to, the best way to fulfil is to play well.
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Actually,,the Six Nations matters as well
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I’m rather dissapointed by last night’s result in the egg ball code.
Oh well, at least we have the wonderful Arsenal to look forward to.
I had expected them to put a dozen past Sutton Utd, but the team stayed in second gear on that plastic pitch and even then it afflicted casualties on our depleted midfield ranks.
I expect that our club shall show the upmost respect to the visiting imps, and proceed to go on a goal scoring massacre.
Onwards to Wembley.
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Good luck with that concert, unbelievably challenging for photographers, that one. And they ARE out there, like your colleague, the Offline Gunner (good name for a blog that – no wait!).
Am presently plotting to dispense with my ludicrously expensive Sky/BT subscriptions and divert cash to getting back to watching the Emirates 2wice a month and watching a local side in between times. UEFA competition is clearly not fit for purpose as evidenced by THAT game during the week, not forgetting that OTHER game the day after. I’d sooner AFC/small local team had my cash. It’s not just the lamentable refereeing both in Europe and here in Blighty, but the equally lamentable punditry we are funding with these subscriptions.
So, no more, I think.
It had been coming for a while; the assault upon Bellerin laughed away by the Sky pundits was one of the final straws but BT’s refusal to reshow and discuss the dodgy Barca goals against PSG was the final one, for me at least.
Am already looking forward to meeting many of the people I’ve met online over the last couple of years, to become, in that sense, more of an Offline Gooner, perhaps.
Looking forward to Lincoln, should be fun!
COYGs.
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I would love to be able to meet people in person. Its not an option though. Am I to just stop mingling?
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Arsenal u18’s 2-2 Reading u18’s
Joe Willock and Smith-Roe with the AFC goals
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not long now till team announced, but rumor mill has it that Ospina out with a groin injury, Cech to start, and Lucas a sub, so must be strong attacking side.
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I am not feeling this revolution ‘vibe’
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GiantCalGunner @GiantCalGunner 22m22 minutes ago
@PhilippeAuclair imagine if all that protesting organization and passion was pointed at something truly important
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200 – 300 on the protest today
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Ever, Greatest @FaithInWenger 27m27 minutes ago
They’re doing more singing in them protests than they will during the match and they see no irony in it haha
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Steww
Thanks for this wonderful preview.
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let no Arsenal fan ever again complain that they are being priced out of going to AFC games, that is a disgraceful turn out of fans.
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Arsenal awful sloppy so far, passing well off, slow tempo, and taking too long to pick the pass
xhaka booked now too.
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26 minutes – ox off, ozil on
ox had looked way off the pace today, not sure if its injury or the bug that is in the camp lately.
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cech with a great save after our defense was ripped open
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1886 @1886_blog 9m9 minutes ago
.@btsportfootball I would like to complain about an irritating sound coming from BT Sports 2. Oh wait, that’s Chris Sutton…
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soft booking for kos
taylor now has 2 afc players he can easily send off now.
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No chance we will end up with eleven. Expect blatant lenience when they commit the same offences
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in the first minute of 6 minutes of injury time walcott scores after good one touch build up play
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ramsey with a woeful shot when in a great position
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why no booking for that deliberate foul by lincoln player – oh forgot its taylor
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HT: Arsenal 1-0 Lincoln
a poor disjointed performance from Arsenal,
a deflected walcott shot in stoppage time has given us the lead, theo has had 3 of our 4 shots on target in that half. Ramsey with two poor shots way off target. Xhaka and Kos booked. Lincoln players not to be booked it seems.
Ozil coming on has improved our attacking play.
AFC need to step it up in the second half and don’t let Taylor have the chance to influence the result.
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The lad Anthony Taylor playing well for them.
Looks like he might have a future if he keeps this up.
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Taylor will look to give us a red and them a pen if he can in the second half.
A horrible ref for Arsenal….today, he has the chance to put a nail in the coffin of a man he doesn’t appear to be over sympathetic to
Not a great performance that said, could do with upping the tempo in the second half
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now they want the kit man out, a man who has given over 30 years service to Arsenal
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Had to switch to the French channel just could not take Sutton for one more second.
My French is not as good as my Spanish ,so it’s good practice.
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how ironic to hear ian wright say Giroud should look at how Rhead plays, the same ian wright who wanted a transfer out of arsenal cos Bruce Rioch told him he should look at how john mcginley played.
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Not much quality in the final 3rd – Lincoln throwing their bodies in as you’d expect – typical cup football
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despite us leading I hope wenger has read the riot act to our players, far too casual, tempo lacking and a very much sub par performance in that first half.
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Wine & whine @hahostolze 5h5 hours ago
I’m not a fan of Kroenke. But it seems his only crimes are not putting his own money in (very few do), not being at enough games (fair) and Not paying enough attention to the whims of the AST. Which makes a lot of sense.
But he’s the enemy.
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