Arsenal F C (Pride Of London)

[SE13]

The "purplecurrant" strip was worn for a single season only, to not only commemorate the fianl season at Highbury, but as a tribute to the original kit first worn at Highbury in it's openeing season 1913.

The club will return to the traditional read shirts with white sleeves for the new season at Ashburton Grove. My replica kit will be put into a frame on my wall, along with all my memorabilia from The Highbury years. The very corner of my room from where I post this message is under reconstruction at this time, and with tickets, programmes, scarves, shirts and photographs decorating the area, it should be my tribute to Highbury. All I really need now, is a replica clock!!
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It feels so empty without a signature, so here is some mindless gabble to occupy the space

[pureswanseababe]

Oh gosh! What is it with old fashioned stadia and clocks? Okay, the Highbury clock is just a little more famous than the one at the Vetch (Also it's probably a little more glamorous and on time than Swansea's) I always dreamt of the day, as did many others, that I would take that 5 foot clock home and mount it on the front of my house. Maybe they'll auction it off one day!

Is there going to be a last open day at Highbury? There was plans for one at Swansea however due to safety reasons (It was only just safe when it was actually in use) it's been cancelled.

It's great having one last look around an old stadium before you move on. I was lucky enough to blag the council into letting me in to take 'art pictures', doubt many others have had the chance.

I too have a whole heap of memorabilia, especially snippets of the Vetch itself, seats, signs, grass, even splinters of wood from the back boards! Were you gunners aloud to do a little DIY on the last game?

[SE13]

The Police and stewards were well drilled in the prevention side of dismantling Highbury, and told the supporters in no uncertain terms that the demolision and restructure people were the only ones allowed to remove anything, and to be honest, I have not even heard of a report from any person who possibly removed any of the fittings from the ground. Bear in mind that the two main stands are listed buildings, so little could be done anyway without the fear of major prosecution. I guess they learned from the final day of North Bank back in the days of terraces, when the twenty or so thousand packed in behind the goal, attempted to take not only everything that was not nailed down, but everything that was!

The Clock End, so-named because of the largest clock in The English Leagues will be completely redeveloped, leaving the clock free to move to Ashburton Grove, where Arsenal promised to install it on the equivalent South Stand, only outside the new ground. This seems to have not occured as yet. For me, it would be an utter travesty if The Clock does not move with The Club. I do so hope that one of the big-wigs is reading this paragraph.
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It feels so empty without a signature, so here is some mindless gabble to occupy the space

[The Artist Known As GTM]

How did they get on last night SE?

I was going to watch it but got bogged down at work?

Who played etc, did Reyes for a start?
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[LovejoyLass]

I believe it was 3-0 in the end wasn't it?

Fabregas got two and Van Persie slotted one for them as well. The first half wasn't that great in my opinion which ended in me turning it off.

And Reyes was left on the bench I believe, which surely can't do Arsenal any favours after all the rumours recently.

[SE13]

Dinamo Zagreb 0-3 Arsenal

This was the first leg of the final qualifying stage for The Champions League proper, and Arsenal will take three precious away goals into the second leg at Ashburton Grove. Barring some sort of collapse akin to Englands crickiting batting disasters of recent years, Arsenal should progress without too much trouble. We are already seeded for the knock-out stages, so will avoid some of the bigger names as well, when the mini-league draws are made.

Cesc Fabregas continued his rich vein of form from last season and chipped in with two goals, the other from Robin Van Persie, who looks set to partner Thierry Henry up front in the forthcoming season. All the goals came in the second half, and it was at a point in the game, where I began to wonder if we had completely run out of ideas. As often is the case with Arsenal, once the first went in, the floodgates opened.

Jose Antonio Reyes did not start the match, nor come on as a substitute, which I suppose adds fuel to the fire in the speculation that he might be moving back to Spain, without featuring in the competition, meaning a possibly higher asking price due to him not being cup-tied.

I ought to add, that we started the match with only five of the line-up from The Champions League Final back in May, and that for the second season running, the campaign has kicked off with goalkeeper, and German number one, Jens Lehmann being banned for previous indiscipline. (He was sent off in The Champions League Final) Manuel Allmunia was a capable deputy once again, although we had little worries at the back really.

Once again, the youth at Arsenal have proved that they have got what it takes to take the club to another dimension, and once the established players are once again ready for action, the blend of youth and experience could make this coming season a far more mouthwatering prospect than that of last season, where we needed our nearest rivals to lose on the last game of the season to even allow me to write this!!
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It feels so empty without a signature, so here is some mindless gabble to occupy the space

[Shearer's Shirt]

In all honesty, how do you think Arsenal will fair in the coming Premiership season? With Chelsea off to a bad start to the season, losing to Liverpool in the Charity Shield at Cardiff's Millenium Stadium.
With Chelsea off to a bad start and Liverpool off to a good start, I think it will be a close run season, with Arsenal trying to prove the doubters wrong, after, what is to them, a none too sparkling season last year. With that said and Manchester United also having something to prove, it will be the usual top 4, with hopefully, Newcastle United biting closely at there heels.
All I can really say is, bring on the new season next Saturday!
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[SE13]

In all honesty, I see Arsenal improving on last seasons poor (by their standards) season. Fourth in the league, and The Final of The Champions League would be a reasonable season to most supporters of Premiership clubs, but after the high standards set by Arsene Wenger over the last few years, we can feel quite short-changed.

The rebuilding of the squad is still ongoing, and there is still the small matter of the Cashley Cole saga plus Jose Antonio Reyes to clear up yet, but with the current crop of youngsters coming through, and breaking into the first team, things are looking rather bright. Add to that the brand new stadium, giving increased support, I see Arsenal pushing a lot harder than last season.

Something else of note, it that the annual squabble between Arsenal and Manchester United has died off to a certain degree, with Liverpool and CSKA Fulham taking on the mantel, so without the two fighting like cat and dog as before, the chances are that we will both be pushing Chelsea harder, if not overtaking them.

Chelsea might be about to learn that the title can not be bought every season, and that true grit can dominate cash power.... Well, lets hope so anyway!!
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It feels so empty without a signature, so here is some mindless gabble to occupy the space

[Magpie]

My only concern for Arsenal this season is the strange but worryingly common phenomenon of clubs struggling in their first season at a new stadium. I know it's a ridiculous notion but it keeps cropping up when clubs relocate. I think back to how Southampton struggled when they moved to St Mary's after a fairly successful (by their standards!) season prior. I'm probably talking complete and utter bull but it is said that some clubs take a while to get used to the different atmosphere. Arsenal will be playing in front of almost twice as many fans in a much bigger stadium and it might feel like away games for a bit. Bearing in mind my track record for getting things totally wrong, I fully expect the Gunners to win their first six games on the trot and press Chelsea all the way to the end of the season!
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[SE13]

You make a fair point, Magpie. Not only are there an extra twentytwo thousand supporters watching the game, but the whole dimensions of the pitch are completely different also. Remember, at Highbury, we had the narrowest pitch in England, and possibly Europe, where at Ashburton Grove the pitch is much wider, and this in itself could take some getting used to.

Another point, is that the so-called popular ends, for instance The Gallowgate at Newcastle United, The Stretford End at Manchester United and The Kop at Liverpool, not failing to mention The North bank at Highbury, always seem to suck goals in, or at least give the home team the extra boost they need when the chips are down. With Arsenal relocating, supporters are far more scattered around the ground, and as such, no real designated area will be the popular end, although I guess that as with most clubs, this will be opposite to where the visiting supporters are located. I have not quite got my bearings as yet, having not been inside Ashburton Grove, but from the pictures I have seen, I guess that this will be located to the left as the cameras show the game on television, as it was with The North bank at Highbury.

Aston Villa will be the first competitive visitors to Ashburton Grove on Saturday coming, so I will be waiting with baited breath until that time.

Meantime, it looks as though Jose Antonio Reyes will be leaving Arsenal for Real Madrid in a move expected to be worth upwards of sixteen million pounds. The story seems to be closer to an actual deal, every time I either see it on television, or read a newspaper. Time will tell.
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It feels so empty without a signature, so here is some mindless gabble to occupy the space

[Shearer's Shirt]

[theMagpie]

Ahsburton Grove looks a hell of a ground. Hope you can fill it every week, i think with prices and games being on TV it may prove difficult in the future especially if Arsenal dont perform, but they should get near about full anyway, hope you can generate an atmosphere and save it from being one big goldfish bowl.

Theo Walcott was impressive, he really made a difference, his style suits Arsenal well, the pace and technique in his game, he can go on to be a hell of a player under Wenger.

[Magpie]

Well, what can only be described as a stuttering start to Arsenal's first season in its new home (which looked absolutely amazing on TV). It is a shame that the first ever goal there went to the visiting side but at least the game didn't end in defeat. You don't really get any sort of idea what the atmosphere is like from watching on TV so I'd be interested to hear from anyone who went to the game (or knows someone who went) as to what it was like. There's the old chestnut about Highbury being called "The Library" because of the supposed lack of atmosphere so I wondered if that had been blown away by the vastly increased capacity.
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[SE13]

I have spoken with a couple of people who attended the match on Saturday against Aston Vanilla, both of whom tell me that the atmosphere was a deal better than that of Highbury (The Library). Obviously in the days of terraces, Highbury was a couldron of noise, particularly at The North Bank End, but with the move to seating, something had to give, and sadly it was two things....The crowd numbers and the atmoshphere. We went down from a capacity of sixty thousand with terraces, to thirty eight thousand with seating, and that involved building a double-deck stand at The North Bank End. Sadly, Highbury is totally landlocked, and there was no room for extension, so Ashburton Grove was the only real alternative, bringing the crowds back up to the magic sixty thousand mark once again.

Next game at our new home, is the return leg of The Champions League Qualifier, tomorrow night. Arsenal go into this game with a 3-0 lead, all away goals, so barring disaster, we should be safely through to the League Stages proper. This game is also a sell-out, give or take a few visiting fans unable to make the trip, or unwanting to do so. Sadly, I do not finish work until an hour before kick-off, so will be unable to attend, as London is a two plus hour drive away
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It feels so empty without a signature, so here is some mindless gabble to occupy the space

[SE13]

Arsenal progressed nicely through to the group stages of The Champions League, last evening with a two goal to one victory, and an overall five goal to one aggregate cushion. Although Arsenal looked the shadows of themselves at times, and after going a goal down on the night, manager, Arsene Wenger put Thierry Henry and youngster Theo Walcott onto the field of play. Walcott, for those who might not remember, was the youngster bought by Arsene Wenger, and who never made an appearance for Arsenal, but was picked in the final squad for The England World Cup team, and travelled out to Germany.

He made his debut against Aston Vanilla on Saturday, and changed the game, and last night made his Champions League debut, and once again changed the game, assisting with one goal, and steering Arsenal to victory in the process, and into todays draw for the group stages.
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It feels so empty without a signature, so here is some mindless gabble to occupy the space