Arsenal fc v Brighton and Hove Albion
Hello! Hope you’ve had a good week. Saturday the 31st of August at 12.30 pm (western European time) sees the mighty Cannon host a lunch-time visit from south coasters Brighton and Hove Albion at our shiny shed for a good ol’ kick around and target practise.
Being a clichéd ridden hack, here I will slide in and make honorable mentions of Brighton rock, Brighton rock the film, Mods and Rockers and Rocky Balboa, who know doubt (are you sure?) is a Seaweed fan, no not of larva bread but the Seagulls, the old Chekovs themselves, etc etc etc.
Being of old timey fartiness, I still recall the Seaweed when they were at their old Hovel, The Goldstone Ground (now, like the rest of the world, a retail park) and the echoing, rallying cries of: “he shot, he scored, his name is Peter Ward, Peter Ward” who was a super star for them. Heck, I can even remember PW being of lethal stats on the Top Trump cards. I’m not sure how many people (outside of the B Hove) remember him, I mean do they even make Top Trumps anymore? Perhaps just a different kind, mostly with orange livery? Perhaps its as Debbie Reynolds daughter Carrie Fisher once said, “fame is obscurity waiting”?
“whose Debbie Reynolds, is she sometimes on AFTV?”
“yes, she is”
First time saw the Arsenal beat B&HA was in the fourth round of the FAC back on our run to the final back in the 1979/80 season, and still have the programme, although its probably being slowly being devoured by silverfish in the darkness of our cellar. The Arsenal played twenty seven cup games (in all competitions) that season and came away empty handed. It was the end of that short era. That’s football! And it hurts.
79/80 was still a brilliant season though, yet somehow I’m still haunted by the Valencia CWC final. I wondered if you have any games that stay as a very present ghost or even poltergeist? Game fifty? Our only European cup final? Your first match? The time you ran naked onto the pitch at Highbury and spent the rest of the game in the cells under the Clock End?
I still have fond memories of backing underdog Brighton in the 1983 cup final, despite having been relegated they took on the team from Old Toilet and gave a truly valiant performance in a classic final. Gordon Smith put Brighton ahead, ex Gunner Franky Stapleton equalised, Butch Wilkins put ManUre ahead with one of the great FA Cup final goals, but Gary Stevens (motm) made things all square around fifteen minutes later. In the last minute of extra time Michael Robinson (gone way too early) was played through by Jimmy Case and passed across to Gordon Smith, who was unmarked on the right just outside the 6 yard box and surely was set to score and win the cup final for Brighton but he somehow seemed to shoot more at Gary Bailey who of course, made the save, and that was it. In them thar days there were still replays and Brighton got thrashed 4-0 in it. But what a game the first match was.
Our all time historical record against Brighton stands to this day: twelve wins, four draws and eight losses and thirty eight goals scored and twenty four goals conceded.
Brighton this season have started brightly and gave Everton a sound beating, and then winning 2-1 against ManUre (Mr Welbeck being amongst the Brighton goalscorers). Whilst on Tuesday they scored four against Crawley in the League Cup. So this is no team to laugh at, well perhaps behind their backs?
Fabian Hürzeler had a good record at the cult team St Pauli (65.45% win ratio) but life time career is around 47.17%. Even though Brighton fell to 11th last season they didn’t mind beating us at the Emirates, 0-3, obviously that was under de Zerbi, so whose knows how this one will play out, and that’s what makes football exciting… its especially exciting when you win five-nil.
Well that’s it, lots of bits and pieces of more snore that you already knew or perhaps aren’t too interested in. Even so, here’s to a great game for us and lucky horses!
COYG and keep on keepin’ on!
Mills
Positively Arsenal 
oh Millsey, I do love it when you hold our hands on your trips down memory lane.
Yeah, what a roller coaster seasoning 79/80 was. I remember after the F.A. cup final defeat the amount of supporters turned up outside Highbury just to see our lads get on the coach on the start of their doomed Euro final trip.
Not sure many of the fickle PL supporters would do that today.
What about the Kevin Richardson goal at Brighton that give us a 1-0 win in the cup on the same day the spuds got knocked out by Port Vale, oh happy days.
This is another difficult game in a start of season fixture list from hell but once again get the three points and we could emerge from it in a fantastic position that might have a heavy impact later in the season COYG.
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Thanks Ian. That’s a great memory seeing the lads off for the CWC final. Wished I’d been there!
I do remember the Brighton FAC game back in 88. I’d forgotten about the Spuds being booted out that day though.
I liked Kevin Richardson as a player, even when he was at Everton. Shame he didn’t stay for longer; he often seems another forgotten Arsenal player?
And thanks to everyone for saying nice things re the Villa preview, its also much appreciated. And to Sam Hurst and Amy O!
COYG!
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Transfer window closing day,
Ramsdale, Nelson and Nketiah leave
Neto and Sterling sign
the squad of senior players now has only 22 players, 3 short of what we are allowed
GK: Raya, Neto
D: White, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori, Timber, Tomiyasu, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Tierney
M: Merino, Rice, Partey, Odegaard, Jorginho
F: Saka, Sterling, Martinelli, Trossard, Havertz, Jesus
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with Nelson now set for Fulham, if he does leave it will mean no players this coming season at Arsenal who played under Arsene Wenger
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For this game with Brighton the Arsenal 20 man match day squad will be really thread bare by the looks of it
Looks like Neto and Sterling not signed in time to be included, Merino is said to be out for 6 to 8 weeks, Tomiyasu, Tierney, Jesus expected to miss out through injury too, meaning we are likely to have Nwaneri who has less than 20 minutes first team football to his name, and 3 other youths who have no first team football to their names all on the bench. It might actually mean Arteta has to give a youth some minutes tomorrow
Setford likely to be the sub keeper, Lewis-Skelly most likely will be involved too then its probably either Salah-Eddine or Nichols for the last spot, I’d say Salah-Eddine will probably get the nod as he is midfielder and Nichols plays full back and we have seniors available for that on the bench
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What a lovely aperitif, Mills: just the job! I spent a few years supporting Brighton when I lived there between 76 and 81 – and remember Peter Ward as a wonderful and tricksy forward who basically provided the goals that saw promotion from Third to First Division in just a couple of seasons. I remember too the sound of the crowd at the Goldstone as they played their first ever match in the First Division, against the mighty Gunners no less. 4-0 to the Arsenal that day back in August 78 I think, and that would be a nice enough result today, though I don’t think it will be that easy. I’ve driven past their new ground a couple of times, and as the late and almost great Bruce Forsyth would say, haven’t they done well since those wandering and groundless years in the wilderness. Their owner, Tony Bloom, is a shrewd operator, the way he campaigns his horses every bit as tricksy as Peter Ward, and he doesn’t often miss the target when the money is down. That alone makes Brighton’s significant spend this transfer window worth noting, and I’d reckon them an interesting bet to qualify for Europe this season. They will be stern opposition this afternoon, especially as my memory tells me we are seldom at our best in the lunchtime fixtures.
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Its not been easy to keep track of all the comings and goings this summer, so thanks for your breakdown Ed. As the saying goes, we shall see, but I’m at least delighted that sad though its been to see Nketiah, Smith-Rowe, and Nelson go, they are at least playing for clubs that I like to see doing well. I wish Ramsdale all the best too, though I’m not so keen on Southampton seeing as how my very first love was Pompey, and also because they so often seem to’ve put a spanner in out works over the years. I was surprised to see Tierney still with us as I thought he was long gone, and could never quite understand how he went from firm fan favourite to someone who was suddenly out in the cold.
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Arsenal v Brighton
Raya
White Saliba Gabriel Timber
Odegaard Partey Rice
Saka Havertz Trossard
Subs: Setford, Kiwior, Calafiori, Zinchenko, Jorginho, Lewis-Skelly, Salah-Eddine, Nwaneri, Martinelli
3 young subs without a minute of first team football for AFC, Nwaneri with less than 20 minutes, at least Salah-Eddine has 19 games for Den Bosch
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Thank you so much Millsy – what a breath of fresh air in the windbag blogosphere. Everyone else obsessing over transfers and you reminding us what it is to be a football fan.
In answer to your question, I have so many matches which still cut me to recall. The first, and so the deepest, was the Ipswich Town FA cup final.
We were, to put it mildly, far too good for them. We couldn’t lose. I remember clearly to this day telling my fellow Cub Scouts of Redfield Road 4th, that the glory days were back. The very next day my young heart lay shattered.
I have never predicted an Arsenal victory since. These things impact a young fan like a tackle from Gabriel in training. So I believe we can beat Brighton, I hope we do, but will we?
Let’s just wait and see.
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FH and Stew, many thanks! Much appreciated. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Stew, I also remember that game well, strangely because my Dads Mum came over that day,( she and my Mother didn’t get on), so it was an odd one, being a rare occurrence. Old Nan was from Victorian London, pretty long in the years at that point( in her 80s) and with no interest in blokes booting a ball around.
That was my first season with Arsenal, its is was all a bit new and bewildering (at 9 summers). I can recall (in the few images I have burnt in my mind) Brady doing some ok stuff but getting annoyed at Alan Hudson, perhaps the frustration was growing at that point? I liked Alan, he was a tight with the ball at his feet. Super Mac didn’t seem to get much in the way of supply and had one shot? I seem to recall it was a real humid sluggish day, and Ipswich could have whipped us if it hadn’t have been for our dear friend the woodwork.
But thanks for sharing, its interesting to read how you guys have a relationship with the club over a lifetime.
COYG!
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Havertz makes it 1-0 to the Arsenal
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Nice!
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https://x.com/i/status/1829853994807611792
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Rice gets second yellow and is sent off, only an arsenal player will get a yellow card for that
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1-1, poor defending
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Calafiori on for Trossard
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https://x.com/i/status/1829862433839521916
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Martinelli on for Odegaard
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Cheers ref!
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2 pts needlessly dropped
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That’s up there with the van Persie dismissal.
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New post is up.
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