Kyle Bartley headed off up north yesterday as he agreed to join Rangers on a season long loan, as much as many of us didn’t want him to go, it will do him the world of good and he’ll come back a stronger player than he would if he sat on the bench for us or played the odd reserve game.

This morning Sky Sports report than Arsenal have rejected another offer from Barca for Fabregas, they don’t say how much this offer is, only than we have said no….

As we await our fate in the Champions League draw, Kev has looked back :

Going to football should always be an enjoyable experience, not something that ties us up in knots but I’ve spent a large part of my Arsenal supporting life fretting about the Gunners and it’s probably spoiled many games and occasions like Cup Finals, even if I didn’t realise it at the time.

But in 1987 I decided to go to the Littlewoods Cup Final and not screw myself up about the result, instead I was determined to enjoy the whole affair, win, lose or whatever.

I hadn’t been to a Cup Final with my Dad since 1969, so it was great having the ‘old man’ alongside me, it just added to the enjoyment.

We had great seats, thanks to my Uncle Bill, who had got them via his referee’s association, although it meant we had to sit amongst the neutrals.

No way would that spoil our day though….

George Graham had just taken over, so we Gooners had no indication of what lay in store for us, a Cup Final was a bonus after some fallow years. The club was still recovering from an indifferent period under Terry Neill and Don Howe and George had come in like a breath of fresh air.

The opposition was Liverpool, so in my heart I expected us to be rolled over by the then Champions and when Steve McMahon squared the ball for Ian Rush to score, it looked ominous.

Prior to that game, Liverpool had never lost a match that Rush had scored in, so I just settled back in my seat and accepted the inevitable, still cool, calm and collected…

Well, as we Gooners all know, it was Charlie Nicholas’s great hour in an Arsenal shirt, along with a bit of help by Arsenal fanatic Perry Groves. Paul Davis and Steve Williams were immense that day AND the spell of Ian Rush was broken forever.

Norwich actually beat Liverpool later in that season even though Rush scored but it was Arsenal that ‘did it’, we broke his spell…

I had a wonderful day, I took it all in and thoroughly enjoyed the whole occasion.

Did I learn anything???

Well 6 years later I was like a man possessed during the FA Cup Semi-Final with Middlesex Hotspur, a couple of guys standing next to me said:

‘If Arsenal were half as committed as me, then we’d never lose a game’…

Whilst in Cardiff in 2005, I disappeared from my seat and marched up and down beside the hot dog stalls in the bowels of the Millennium Stadium, frantically listening to the cheers and chants of USA, USA, USA, as the penalty shoot-out with Newton Heath took place.

When Vieira got the winner I did an Ussain Bolt back to my seat and leap into the celebrating hoard of Gooners leaping about, planting a big kiss [Bartez style] on the bald forehead of a guy in front of me and my son James, who I’d been chatting to for about 3 hours.

I didn’t know his name, but who cares? We all go mental during those moments of success.

I can’t say that I enjoyed those games, the result yes, but the game?

So I’m approaching this season with my 1987 hat on. I’m going to enjoy my football despite the best efforts of the Press/Media to spoil it for me.

If we win, great, if we don’t, well, that’s life Gooners.

Try to enjoy your footie, it’s a fantastic game and we support a fantastic club, the only club in our minds and hearts….

 

Written by allezkev