Morning all.
It’s been a grand total of 18 consecutive seasons for Arsenal in the Champions League; a British record. Arsenal surpass the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United convincingly and are a staple in the competition like Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich.
Unfortunately, that’s where the comparisons end. We have never done it. Never allowed Wenger to wrap his hands around the most prestigious prize in club football. That’s not to say we don’t have a glittering European history though.
Obviously that all came to a head in 2005/06 when Arsenal arrived in Paris for the Final against Barcelona, the closest we’ve ever got to Champions League glory. And the draw has meant it’ll be Barcelona again we must get through if Wenger wants to make it 18th time lucky.
Barcelona have been a thorn in the Gunners’ side in recent years, with the first meeting between the pair coming in 1999 when Luis Enrique of all people managed to scramble a 1-1 tie. How things have changed. Arsenal’s flirtations with Europe however date back way beyond walking onto the pitch with the Catalans. It was the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1963 which would give us, or our fathers and grandfathers, a first taste. With a team that included Bob Wilson, John Radford, and George Armstrong the clubs foray was short lived losing out to RFC Liegeois, a club which now languishes in the Belgian Third Division.
It wouldn’t be until five years later Arsenal would re-enter the competition and by this time, under the management of Bertie Mee, we were in the ascendancy. Victory over Anderlecht in the Fairs Cup was followed by a league and FA Cup double, qualifying Mee’s men for the European Cup for the very first time.
The club’s first game in the competition came on September 15, 1971. Edward Heath was leading the Tories in Downing Street, The Tams were number one with Hey Girl Don’t Bother Me, and tickets were a mere 60p. Flowing locks and flares lined the terraces, and on the pitch it was Stromsgodset in the First Round who was to provide the first test. They strolled through what should have been a difficult First Leg and slotted four past the Norwegian’s at Highbury, setting up a tie with Grasshopper in the Second Round. It was a similar story and Arsenal marched into the Quarter Final – a round the club have become all too familiar with.
Ajax, with Johan Cruyff in the side, proved too much for us and it was the Dutchmen would go on to win the tournament. It wouldn’t be until 1991, with the sound of Simply Red over the airways, that we would once again get another shot at the European Cup. Defeat to Benfica stopped the Gunners before the Group Stage, but once the Premier League era came calling, things began to happen.
In 1992, the competition was rebranded as the UEFA Champions League and Arsenal, under Wenger and his French imports began to become a real force. The Quarter Final was reached in 2000/01 and again in 2004, knocked out cruelly by Chelsea.
It’s 10 years since Arsenal’s run to the final. That run saw them beat Ajax, Real Madrid, and Villarreal before facing Barcelona in the final. An early red card for Jens Lehmann left a near impossible task, and it wasn’t meant to be.
A decade on, against Barcelona, is it meant to be? Can the club break tradition? A tradition which has seen Barca come through every European tie against the club.
It’s been a long journey in Europe for Arsenal. Today you’ll be lucky to pay £50 for a ticket at the Emirates, now one of the most expensive tickets in Europe, there won’t be a flare in sight, and the delightful soul of The Tams, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder have been replaced by the soulless Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, and Lady Gaga.
All that has changed, so why can’t this?
Morning again guys..
I was sent this post so don’t blame me… 😉
I knew you hadn’t written it Rico. You never tie football events to pop music!
Barcelona? Perhaps they’ll send a weakened team to play us as they have so much pressure at home, in securing another league title, the Copa del Rey, club world championship, Champions League is merely a distraction to them, in another over fixtured season!
I’d take the draw now and think we’d done very, very well. 0-0 of course! A win? Marvellous if we do, but I think that would just get their mad up and they’ll take full revenge at Camp Nou, by banging 5 past us, just because they can! Still it would allow us to concentrate on beating Hull and then Watford, and subsequently on to winning the EPL!
Another series of pipe dreams…………or is the truth still out there?
Morning all. Cool and crisp here. Nice.
Good Morning Lovelies and Hunkies.
“………..the delightful soul of The Tams, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder have been replaced by the soulless Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, and Lady Gaga”
I agree boss. That alone makes it a wonderful post.
Do I care if we pass or not? I shrug my shoulders here. I want the EPL and FA Cup over everything else. Yes it would be nice to see Big Ears come to the Ems but not at the expense of EPL/FAcup.
The Big Ears is just a bonus for me.
You know me too well Wavy..
Just hope AW has learned from the past when we’ve conceded too many goals at home. I’d rather a 0-0 than a score draw – or a defeat of course…
I’m not fussed abut the match either evil, but to progress would really boost the confidence. A victory over them tomorrow would be good, even if we don’t go through after the trip to Spain..
Ed Sheeran, soulless?!
I don’t agree with that…
Morning All
Morning Rico
Get this bloody CL nonsense out of the way and get back to the EPL and FACup…
Morning Kev.
He’s not the ‘real’ soul though… 😉
Everytime am watching arsenal I do it for a win. A win against barca will be morale boosting (ie. Against bayern in ’14). We can get to say we beat Barca at theit best even without Wilshere lol.
I remember the Benfica match well where we were destroyed by Isias.It was the best forward display that I had seen for a long time.
Just to say :
Bob Wilson definitely did not play European football for the Arsenal in 1963
Nor most likely did Radford
And we won the Fairs cup in 1970
Real Soul..?
Sound like a Spanish club Rico… ☺️
Ha ha Kev, wish we were playing them tomorrow instead… 😉
Thanks Reiska – I’m far to young to remember such things but I will let the author know about his errors..
Rico, I think we’re saving Reading for the semi-final, again… ?
You just can’t get the staff these days Rico…
I’d like that Kev, as long as the outcome is the same, albeit a bit more convincingly…
I know, and I didn’t even get paid for posting it, shocking eh…. lol
Funny how SS’s are bigging up the Capital One Final this weekend yet our two FA Cups don’t mean much…. Idiots..
Afternoon Rico and the House.
Its a damp and miserable day down south could really do with a pick me up agaist Barcca.
Rico Bob Wilson did play in goal in the Fairs Cup in the season 1963 -1964 but Big John did not
play.
Was Wilson still an amateur at that stage of his career, Rick? (1963/64) that is. I can’t remember when he signed pro forms but I think he was still at Loughborough studying to be a PE teacher and playing for the Arsenal at the same time.
Afternoon Rick, thanks for that..
Sun shining here now so hope it reaches you soon…. 🙂
He was a amateur when we signed him from wolves in 63 Wavy.
He turned pro in 64 and I seem to think it took him 3 or 4 years to become our No1
I also seem to remember it was the first time a transfer fee was paid for a amateur it was money well spent.( in my opinion)
Here here Rick he was an outstanding Arsenal goalie! Almost as good as Kelsey and definitely better than ‘Fingers’ Jim Furnell! For an intelligent guy he was utterly fearless and seemingly brainless as a keeper. A loyal servant to the club both during and especially after his playing career as goal keeping coach to Seaman et al and even now is a loyal spokesman for the club and Wenger. I have nothing but respect and admiration for the man.
They don’t make ’em like that any more, well, not many!
Bob and the Cat in the same breath now your talking. Throw in George Swindon and try to compare them with some we have had in recent years,
I feel so lucky to have watched them play.
definitely better than ‘Fingers’ Jim Furnell!
To the tune of the mighty Quinn ( Manfred Mann )
Come on without , come on within , you ain’t seen nothing like Fumbling Jim.
Evening guys..
If anyone has an idea on how to beat Barca in a post for tomorrow, please feel free to let me know ??
I never expected such a positive response… 😉 😉
Night guys…
I suppose all you can do is cut down the supply line to the front 3. Mostly people think that means sitting on Iniesta but mostly the locals feel that Rakatic is the main man ,he is the one that makes them tick , he wins the ball back and sets up the passing movements. If you can cut down the passing options you can disrupt their rhythm. Small beer perhaps but it means an increase in effort from the whole team.
Just written something similar..
Good to see Utd winning, means that Portuguese pigmy won’t be there before the weekend…. Well, hopefully…
Booking off the laptop now, just in case you were wondering potter… 😉
Great minds
Good morning Rico and all,
interesting rumour how Pep is going to offer MA08 a coaching role at city…
whilst we go out to face the best tactical midfield 3 of Busquest, iniesta and Rakitic with Le coq, Flamini and Aaron… tsk.
Morning Lovelies and hunkies.
Morning Ginge. Long time no see mate.
We should do well to hold on to Arteta imo. I have always held him in high esteem and a few months ago I suggested that he would be ideal to work alongside AW and take over.
Morning all.
Arteta…definitely keep him, IMO.
Glad you said ‘great’ minds Potter and not the alternative… lol
Morning all..
Morning Ts. Doesn’t mean Arteta will say yes… 😉
Morning all. I wouldn’t mind Pep taking Arteta under his wing and teaching him invaluable modern football tactics. It will be good for M8 and hopefully he can bring them back to the emirates after a while.
Once he goes Marshall, he’ll never come back… 😉
I am with you Rico. once MA08 is allowed to go it will be like losing PV04 to city…
Currently AW is offering MA08 a coaching role at youth level whilst Pep will get him amongst the senior positions.
MA08 has already contributed to some sessions at Colney and was instrumental when we beat City last season when he apparently asked AW to change the approach for that game.
Not sure there’s much truth in that Ts as when does AW listen to anyone?
Iniesta alluded to a few months back that MA08 hinted to Messi and Suarez to change positions when he came over to see his old friend Enrique last year…
At that time the front 3 of Barca was not working. messi agreed to swap with Suarez and now 92 goals between them..
Morning Rico and all.
Oh no, anybody but Arteta.
Morning Adam.
You’ve lost me re Arteta… Not difficult I know… lol
But surely MA08 if offered a senior coaching role at our club would been seen as usurping our great leader! It seems he doesn’t do delegation! Probably because the deputy may just be better than himself! I’m sure that’s why he didn’t have Paddy back, he represented far too much adulation, admiration and possibly even ability.
No, it’s Wenger’s way or no way at all. So MA08 will be ‘allowed to develop’ elsewhere.
Morning all. Glorious sunshine and azure skies here today. Just like summer!
Rico. Can we afford to lose Arteta to Man City like we did Vieira?
Wavy, perhaps losing Paddy to City will have made Wenger think twice about not tying Arteta down to a coaching role.
I wouldn’t have thought so Adam and if he’s already involved with the coaching at Arsenal, I can’t see him jumping ship – maybe that’s why he’s been kept on for so long rather than be sold.
I wonder if there’ll be a bit of a coaching shake up in the summer as so many old players keep returning….
Let him go if it will be better. Do you honestly think AW will be at the EMS forever?? Nothing lasts. And tbh I think it would be better for Arteta to go elsewhere. In that way when AW steps down there will be two people to choose from. PV04 and MA08.
I feel that TH14, DB10, PV04 and MA08 will all be fighting it out to be No1. And only AFC will gain in the end.
As has been said…..at AFC its AW’s way or no way. No delegation.
So, for his sake and for AFC’s sake its much better if he goes elsewhere.
I like Arteta, both as a player and as a person. I feel he will make a very good manager. He shows on the pitch that he is tactically thoughtful. But if he learns elsewhere it will only benefit Arsenal.
TBH….I feel that AW has already laid the foundations, strong ones to be precise. Financially, Academy, playing style etc. Yes we might grumble about it all as many want success now. However, he will not reap all the rewards. I feel that those I mentioned above, MA08 and PV04 being the pick for me, will go on to greater heights.
If I was the chairman I would choose MA08
Can’t see Paddy ever coming back, or Dennis, certainly not as manager…
New post up now..
I take your point Devil, Arteta would benefit hugely from working elsewhere, under a manager who is acknowledged as the best in the world. MA08 has played under a good few managers, enough to develop his own style while incorporating his collective experiences and honing his skills. Then, if the Arsenal kingmakers have half a brain between them, and all things being equal, they should bring back Mikel to do the man’s job. I’m sure he would be a good fit and a loyal and successful manager in the fullness of time, assuming that’s where he wants his life to go.