Tag Archives: Arsenal

Sport and Money – Is it like oil and water?

I am starting to wonder if money in sport is like oil and water; they just don’t mix.

I am a sports nut, but lately I’ve found myself losing some of that enthusiasm.

Over the last couple of weeks, I haven’t been checking the overnight EPL scores before getting out of bed. That might not sound significant, but for someone who’s followed Arsenal for years, it says something. One of the joys of retirement has been being able to watch a game at any time.

The Premier League trophy on display at the Emirates 😍🏆 🔴 @Arsenal

Source: Instagram

I’ve lost my enthusiasm for the EPL

In recent weeks, I haven’t had those disturbed nights watching Arsenal play in the early hours. It’s not because they are the Premier League Champions; it’s because I’ve lost some interest in the competition, largely because of the Manchester City situation.

For years, the 115 charges against City have been in the back of my mind, and sometimes front and centre. I like many have questioned their ownership and, more broadly, whether football clubs should have ownership closely aligned with nation states. I’ve even joked about Arsenal being owned by a plucky billionaire, as though that somehow makes things a little more acceptable.

But since the independent commission reached its judgement in the Manchester City case, I’ve felt deflated. I’ve still watched Arsenal’s games live when the timing has suited, given I live in Australia, or caught up on the replays. I haven’t bothered to watch other teams. Continue reading →

The Long Wait Is Over: Reflections on Arsenal’s Title-Winning Season

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Source- Yahoo Sports

For an Arsenal supporter living in Australia, late nights and early mornings come with the territory. Yet without doubt, this has been the most stressful season I can remember following any team. That includes my lifelong support of Sturt in the SANFL and the Adelaide Crows in the AFL.

As I’ve written before, I can’t remember exactly why I became an Arsenal supporter. What I do know is that my support stretches back to my high school years in the early 1970s. Back then, following English football from Australia required patience.

Source – Retrosepcto.co.uK

The only way to keep up with results was through the classified sports results on the radio early on Sunday mornings or by reading The Advertiser a day or two later. The only live football we saw was the FA Cup Final and the European Cup Final. There was also a weekly highlights package from either the BBC or ITV—I honestly can’t remember which. Every week I eagerly waited for Shoot magazine to arrive. By the time it reached Australia by boat, the news was already weeks old, but it still provided that vital  connection to the club.

Towards the end of the 1980s, the occasional First Division match began appearing on Australian television, including the incredible final game of the 1988-89 season. Gradually, coverage improved until there was usually one match on television each week. Then came Pay TV, bringing regular access to the Premier League, along with other European leagues and competitions.

With improved coverage and a career spent working for an international professional services firm, my interest grew into what can only be described as a passion. Sometimes I wonder whether Arsenal has become my true favourite team, even ahead of the Adelaide Crows.

Years of watching matches in the middle of the night have helped me perfect what I call the “silent roar” — that moment when Arsenal score at three o’clock in the morning and celebrating too loudly would wake the entire household. Continue reading →

Legacy fan

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I have been an Arsenal fan from afar for the best part of 50 years. Living on the other side of the world meant that I either had to be near the radio for the classified results on a Sunday morning or hope our local daily had enough column space to print the results. on a Monday or Tuesday. I used to read Shoot magazine with my copy arriving at the newsagent weeks after it came out in England. The only TV coverage was Match of the Day The Big Match hosted by Brian Moore and the FA Cup final.

Continue reading →

England, London – a lovely few days to end a great trip

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A cup of tea while we wait for the taxi.

After a little over 6 weeks away we are on our last day. An awesome trip that has saw us start in Tel Aviv, take a raucous Saturday afternoon flight to Rome, spend a week in Assisi, take the bus and train to Lecce, then head back to Rome for a delightful weekend before we discovered the delights of Portugal and then to London.

London is a convenient exit point for Adelaide and after a few days here that included a visit to The Emirates to see Arsenal’s first home game of the season, it’s time to head home.

We stayed in Farringdon. It’s more business and locals than tourists, meaning most sites are a tube ride away. But with an Oyster Card purchased from the local Off Licence (I love that term), getting to where we want to go is pretty straight forward.

After 6 weeks of travel we had low key plans for our time here, Continue reading →

London, England – A boyhood dream

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Today I did something I once only dreamed of – seeing Arsenal play live.

I don’t recall why I decided to barrack fro Arsenal. Living in Adelaide there is no logical reason but sometime in the early 70s I reached that decision. Beartie Mee was manager, Charlie George was someone I’d heard of and that was really all. I don’t think I knew they had won the double. This was a time when we got the classified scores on the radio Sunday mornings and the scores in the paper on Mondays. We had Match of the Day highlights during the week, and the only game we ever saw live was the FA Cup Final.

Fast forard 45 years and today I was at The Emirates to see Arsenal play Burnely.

It was a lunchtine kick-off which for a football novice was a bonus.

I wanted to soak up the day Continue reading →