Three FA Cup finals in four years and a team so consistently excellent that finishing fifth is seen as a major disappointment. What a gloriously happy accident that my seven year old self should have chosen to support the side in the red shirts and white sleeves all those very many years ago. Was I seduced by Alan Hudson’s flowing locks? By Peter Osgood’s bushy grips? Not on your Nelly. Not while Bob Wilson gazed flint eyed from beneath his goalie’s cap, not while Frank McLintock strode the muddy pitches like a colossus, defining my callow concept of masculinity, and never for a moment would the brutish Ron Harris nor the agricultural David Webb inspire or seduce me while Charlie George flicked the lazy fringe from his eyes and strolled with a careless nonchalance from the pitch and into my dreams.
The strand which connects this ageing, aching old man to the bewildered, excited child is unbroken. Nothing else in my life has lasted as long nor enjoyed so many reinventions. The cup final morning in 1971 runs seamlessly forward through cruel uncaring time to this expectant May morning. It is a path littered with noble victories and bitter defeats. From George Armstrong through Alan Ball to Liam Brady the team evolved, my heroes changed faces, shirt numbers and positions but The Arsenal remained constant. From David O’ Leary to Tony Adams, David Rocastle to Anders Limpar, Dennis Bergkamp to Tomáš Rosický the thread has unspooled until here we are today licking our lips at the prospect of watching Mesut Özil and Aaron Ramsey on the Wembley turf in the most hallowed of our footballing traditions, the final of the FA Cup.
Am I really as excited as a seven year old? Is it even possible to compare this creaking wreck of a man with the fresh elasticity of an unspoiled boy? Only in this. Only on cup final morning. And no matter how the machinations of mega powerful international money men nor the spiteful insolence of the modern internet supporter try to force me from the game, I cannot conceive of a cup final morning which won’t matter to me – as long as Arsenal are on the ticket.
Today the ineffable powers which control the football fates have dealt us an unenviable hand. Losing players to injury, suspension and illness in the week before such a game and all of them from the same vital position on the pitch is a wicked doom to befall Arsène Wenger. The re-jigged formation which so altered our league form will now either need to be scrapped or placed into the hands of players unfamiliar with one another’s strengths and shortcomings. Players who will face the champions of England, a side in their pomp, playing with supreme confidence and who’s boundless riches have seen them assemble a collection of the world’s very best.
So can we approach the match with hope in our hearts? Dare we dream of victory? Of wresting back our record from Manchester United? I say emphatically yes. Whatever the shortcomings of our back five in terms of familiarity and match fitness they are still fine footballers. Not only that but the pointy end of our side is producing some of the most eye catching play we’ve seen in years. Aaron and Granit understand each other as well as they ever have, Mesut and Alexis are both at their peerless best right now and either Danny’s pace and guile or Larry’s strength and finishing can provide the perfect foil for both. With Theo and AOC waiting in the wings to provide blistering finishing pace to the game we have no reason to fear the outcome.
So to those of you at Wembley today I wish you may have a final to remember. A day to stitch to the tapestry of your supporting life. A cup final which reaches back to past glories just as it will stretch on into the future. I hope to be back from work in time to join the worldwide television audience. My thoughts will, however, be with my little nephew for whom this game marks the end of his first season supporting the Arsenal. I envy him that leap into the unknown, the foundations of nostalgia he lays today on which his life cheering the boys in red and white will be built.
It’s just another final for us old fogeys but for him this is the biggest match ever. The greatest moment in his supporting life. These years are, for him, the golden age. What a journey he has set out on, I pray it begins in harmony and with a victory.
Positively Arsenal 
would just like to say Anthony Fucking Taylor is a CUNT
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COYG!!!
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Danny Murphy ?
I presume he must be cheap
Couldn’t they have found some ex player who had actually won something ?
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Alexis puts the ball in the net, but linesman rules it out for offside, but alexis was not offside, ramsey was, but he did not touch it, goal given by anthony fucking taylor
i always loved anthony fucking taylor, really i did.
1-0 to the arsenal
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yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesss!!
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yes anicol, danny murphy is a twat
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costa just kicked holding in the head, but ref lets it go – anthony fucking taylor is a cunt
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the two channels i have choice of watching game on have – Danny Murphy, or, Kevin Kilbane – how hard is to get a decent pundit.
anthony fucking taylor is a fucking cunt, he booked ramsey for an attempted pull of a shirt, now he did not actually pull the shirt, he tried but failed. now watch him send him off later in the game if cfc need it
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ox has started a bit poorly, but is getting in some good positions
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chelsea almost in, per with a fine tackle on hazard, then 3 defenders dive in to block the follow up
ozil with a poor touch, and his effort is cleared off the line
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some nice defending form the Guns then. Fucking hell then nearly had another!
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chelsea rocking, we get another soon and they could fall apart
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we are so so close to getting in, just fractions at the moment
oh god, welbeck header off the post, hits ramsey and hits the post and goes wide
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Having to wear ear defenders so loud is my nephew’s reaction to all this
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bloody hell!
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Stew thats AFC hitting the post not your neph shouting out!
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I’m a total bag of nerves, hope we get a second soon so I can relax a bit.
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Arsenal really really showing very high energy levels so far, hope we can keep it up
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me too Ed
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Mills – he’s actually screaming.
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per with a fine tackle on costa
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ox’s passing has been poor so far
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big match atmos Stew!
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why no yellow ?
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Did Kante get booked?
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No, Taylor didnt want to get the moths out.
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Shocking in light of the booking he has made today.
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Osssssssssssssssppinaaaaaa!!
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Anthony Fucking Taylor is a Cunt
he booked ramsey earlier for an attempted shirt pull, but now no booking for Kante for stopping welbeck from breaking clear, one eyed reffing at its finest
ospina with a fine save from costa, for a corner
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Off the line again
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fuck, welbeck has shot cleared off the line, should really have squared it to ramsey for a tap in
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Off the line woodwork final.
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Chelsea booking proofed today
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anthony fucking taylor is a cunt
it seems chelsea players will not be booked today
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C O Y G!!!
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xhaka from 35 yards, keeper pushes it out for a corner
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monreal with a fine defensive touch, but alexis with a poor pass forward
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very lucky, xhaka with giveaway pass, but cfc player slips over
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ah welbeck with a poor pass when ozil was away and free
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alexis in, but welbeck falls over so no options but to shoot, corner
good play by xhaka, wins freekick in the corner
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been a bit disappointed by bellerin today, looks a little off the pace.
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Arsenal seem to have just dipped a little in tempo,
pedro fires high and wild when in a good position
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ospina makes a hash of a high ball, per ducked it after a call, holding clears up the problem
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anthony fucking taylor is a cunt
freekick to cfc
costa throws ramsey to the ground, free out.
danny murphy thinks taylor is doing well, says it all really
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ox struggling with his game so far.
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ozil with a fine tackle, hazard dived and is still rolling round,
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Hazard embarrassing himself
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Ramsey has been quietly brilliant today.
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HT: Arsenal 1-0 Chelea
alexis with the goal, after lineman originally flagged ramsey offside
our defense has been doing well, per with a couple of great blocks, holding doing well, and monreal looks a real good cb
we have wasted so many good chances, hit woodwork 3 times
apart from our missed chances the only sub par to the todays game so far has been our two wingbacks, neither in top form yet.
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and oh yes, anthony fucking taylor is a cunt
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