Hello and how are you?
Saturday the 21st of December sees the Mighty Cannon play the second game in our double header against Crystal Palace, only this time we are at Selhurst Park. The game kicks off at 5.30pm, western European time.
After the Carabao cup match, a game of two halves and having been sick as a parrot we found ourselves over the moon with our second half display, lets hope we’ve learnt a few lessons, aside of it being a funny old game? One thing for sure it was great to see some quick-fire one touch football and goals from open play? Nice. More please! Hopefully our eyes will be on the game and not tempted by the ‘come hither’ advances from the plum pudding and the Christmas booze cache!
Selhurst Park always seems to be a tough place to play, as their stadium still has the 12th person/ old style F A Cup 3rd round giant- killing feel to it, the Nest holds just over 25,000 people, and I’m sure it will be packed as the look to beat us and grab some Christmas cheer. Well, the Mighty Cannon might have something to say about that! Bah humbug!
When the Crystal Palace burnt down in 1936, my Grandfather went out from his house in Plumstead and watched it, he recalled how the sky glowed that night and the fire could be seen for miles, perhaps being on high ground meant people could see more easily? What a fabulous piece of work the Palace was, so sad that it had deteriorated and the fire started and it was destroyed, as can be said of many other great buildings (world-wide there were many ‘crystal palaces’ that also succumbed to fire), built by unknowns and forgottens as architects take all the glory. No, it wasn’t built by Archibald Leitch. But Selhurst Park was! The man gets everywhere!
There’s some fascinating documentaries on YT, including modern day Urbex guys having a wander around examining what’s left of the old Palace grounds etc.
Nearly thirty years ago I went and had a look/dig around myself and found pieces of glass, some thick and some melted, and some bits of framing too. I had a look online about a year ago and although there are still some areas you could have a dig around in, mostly they are shut off and the whole areas changed.
At the time of writing this the Gunners have been given 59.1% chance of winning and the Smeagles 17.6%. I’m sure we all have a small spring in our supportive step for this one, Palace might have a better idea of what we can do after Wednesdays clash, and hopefully we will have the answers to anything they can conjure. COYG!
Well that’s it, lots of bits and pieces that I’m sure have made you feel like going off and seeing if you can make the North sea deeper by taking a leak in it in instead of reading this tediousness.
Even so, here’s to a great game for us and lucky horses!
COYG and keep on keepin’ on!
Mills
Positively Arsenal 
Re the commentary Ed, its true! again Id forgotten how it would fade in and out and hissing and frothing, then you would wonder what was happening. I still listen to a lot of games now, old habits die hard or poverty dictates! At least its a bit easier now what with the radar/ play maps they show.
All the old commentators were part of the whole experience too, all their different accents and manners. Every now and then I listen to the old Sport on 2 theme tune.
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well mills two of our league winners under Graham, cup winning scorer Andy Linighin, became a plumber after he finished, and midfielder David Hillier became a fireman, and I think I seen somewhere that 70’s midfielder David Price was a taxi driver. As I said earlier Alan Sunderland was a publican, something that many footballers went into, and the biggest Willie in the Land, our own Willie Young ran an equestrian center, then a hotel, then kennels, some of his business ventures didn’t go well.
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well mills the fading in and out of the radio commentary brought back the CWC semi final second leg v Juventus, I had to go outside to get any sort of reception, again when our goal went in I couldn’t tell who had scored, even when the mentioned Vassen as the scorer, I thought it was Juve, then they were more interested in talking about Juventus fans attacking Arsenal fans with flares and fireworks than what the score was, it wasn’t till they said Arsenal only have a few minutes to hang on to a famous win that I knew AFC were ahead.
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I worked with a guy who had Frank McLintock and Charlie George as his landlords (maybe that’s something some of them also got into?). He said they would often turn up and just sit down and watch the telly and would leave! Somehow after that he hated Arsenal. As he often told me.
Amazing the wage differences between say 1979 and now. Do you remember that often in the old programes players would be photographed living at their landlords houses? Now it be in some amazing place?
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Also listened to the CWC semi that night, looking back still seems like a magical experience? The silence after the goal. Didn’t the commentators talk also about the Juve fans lighting fires on the terraces too? Must have been horrible to keep going outside though to get a better reception!
Used to be a great photo on the handbook the next season with Paul and Terry. So sad what happend to Paul.
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its seems paul never came to terms with his career ending so young, especially when he had seemed destined to be a big star, he was seen at Arsenal as a sure thing, but his knee problems ended his career at the age of 20
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Got to leave it there Ed, been up since 5am and same again tomorrow, been a nice chat. Have a safe and merry Christmas. COYG!
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Andy Cole took up stealing from all his ARSENAL teammates as a starter to a crooked life later on.
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Didn’t Chris Whyte do something similar Ian at one of his clubs
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David Hilliar, was accused of stealing suitcases from a carasel but said it was just a mistake.
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