So time for SOCCER!

Is your family the more a football or soccer family? Oh, and Gooner stepped in dog poop while playing soccer. Dog poop. Ew. And she thought so too. And then she accused the next woman walking her dog that it was HER dog’s poop that she stepped in. It wasn’t. The poop was old and crusty. She informed the woman that she should pick up her dogs poop. The woman started discussing poop etiquette with three year old Gooner. Hilarious. Gooner…confrontational? Um, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

The media and fans alike do love a bit of drama, and apparently not scoring for two games after selling one of the best forwards in the world is some kind of mysterious, unexpected consequence.  The fact is that not only do we have two strikers who are entirely unexperienced in the Premier League and completely unfamiliar with the team around them, but we also have a very different midfield with Diaby and Cazorla replacing Alex Song and Ramsey from last season.  It will take time, so what’s the massive fuss?  The one frustrating thing about all this ‘Oh without RvP your team will never ever succeed hype’, is that it’s just piling more and more pressure on both Podolski and Giroud, which is hardly ideal for two strikers in a totally new league let alone a new team.  Confidence will be key for them, and I think that both players have the potential to be a huge success at Arsenal.  You could see from the game at Stoke that Podolski has a determination and attitude that we lacked last season.  Giroud has had good movement in both games, and very nearly scored an audacious chip against Begovic, how different the talk would be had that been a foot lower.

It’s also surprising that there is hardly and positive media attention about Cazorla.  For a 5ft 6in midfielder who is used to La Liga, to go to the Britannia for only his second ever game in the EPL for Arsenal and boss the midfield like he did is amazing.  He got clattered several times but never hid, and short of trying an intricate through ball once or twice I don’t think he ever gave up possession.  He is absolutely world class and I can’t wait for him to prove a few people wrong this season.

Also what seems to of been neglected in this whirlwind of RvP related pessimism is the fact that we also haven’t conceded this season, whilst missing two of our best defenders in the form of Sagna and Koscielny.  I know it’s sounds stupid to make such a bold statement after two games saying ‘oh we haven’t conceded yet this ENTIRE season’, but it’s exactly the same as anyone talking about how we haven’t scored either.  Can’t have it both ways… Anyway, against Stoke we had our third choice goalkeeper.  Of all the games not to have your third choice, I think facing Stoke Rugby Club on their home turf is probably top of the list.  Steve Bould’s influence is looking to be very positive with far better organisation when defending set pieces.  When Stoke scored from an offside position three of our defenders had their hands up for offside before the ball was over the line.  Little signs like that show a good defensive understanding.  Even the heavily and normally unfairly criticised Per Mertersacker has been left alone.  Yes, he is slow.  Mertersacker’s talents are not obvious ones though, and the way he plays it to stop problems before they occur, he reads the game very well and this compliments the far more direct defensive style of both Vermaelen and Koscielny.

The bottom line is we were unlucky against Stoke who played very deeply often with two banks of four behind the ball as soon as we got anywhere near their penalty area.  We deserved the three points, but a front line, not lacking quality, but lacking experience and an understanding with one another just failed to unlock what was a very defensive side.

I think this is exactly what Arsene meant when he said we are lacking ‘oil in the engine’.  Goals will come, just have a little patience, I’m still very optimistic about our chances this season.  Let’s see what other additions are made, if any, before August 31st  and take things from there.  Until next time, have a good week!

Sweet child of mine.

Sister came to help out.
Please note the pursed lips.

Thanks for helping Gooner! Check out Sooner’s hair!

The hair on top is making up for the baldness in the back…

Maybe you don’t care about an introduction but I’ll give you one anyway.

My name is Jon Romano and I love The Arsenal. No really love The Arsenal. Like a lot of Gooners it takes up an inordinate amount of time in my waking life.

I started this love affair rather recently (sorry to all you old heads who lived through the 70s and 80s) as I have only been living in the UK since the early 90s. In Trinidad I used to play football with my friends and didn’t really care about watching it much. We only really cared about the biggest names and the winners at the time tended to be the trend.

Now that there is a proliferation of communications Trinis are a lot more sophisticated in who they follow. If I had stayed in Trinidad I might never become a fan.

My first exposure to The Arsenal was through my cousin when I lived in North London. We would watch the games and he would speak so passionately about the team. I wondered what the big deal was about liking a team that much. I was a fan of football. I just liked to see great play by great players so I indulged him but that was all.

I started watching the players, the personalities, the characters on the pitch. I started to connect to the Gunners as individuals. Adams, Bould, Keown, Parlour and of course Ian Wright. They were all larger than life to me and had something warrior about them. And so began my love affair with The Arsenal. The intriguing Arsene Wenger came to the club and imagine my euphoria when we won the double in ’98 – notice I said ‘we’ as by then I was a straight Gooner!

My wife-to-be grew to know my passion for The Arsenal so much she realised the best gift I could have was a ticket to Highbury on my 29th birthday to Arsenal vs Man U where we played a stormer and ended up 2-2 when close to the end of the match Lauren slipped right in front of me and Van Nistlerooy ran clear through and put the ball past Seaman.

So that was just a snippet of me. No – I did not grow up in Islington. And no – My Dad, Uncle whoever didn’t take me to games as a child. It will become a family thing now as my 6 year old is being groomed for Goonerdom ( first match may be Chelsea).

Not that I need to justify to anyone my irrational feelings towards The Arsenal, but just to let you know where I’m coming from. I just have too much to say than I can in a tweet so here it is.

Welcome to my blog.

MAN THE CANNONS!!!!!!

It was pretty fab except Gooner was afraid of all the fish. Apparently she changed her mind to only loving SMALL fish. (Please note one of her gifts for her second birthday was a fish – Hector – since she loved FISH so much) Ugh. It was an expensive trip considering all she wanted to do was claw my leg begging for me to hold her.

Oh the fish were scary!

This year she totally understood gifts and presents.

And my girl is three. And she can’t wait to be five.

Gooner here are things for you to remember when you do get older:

Any time Sooner cries you announce,”Sooner needs feeding!” You spot every.single.Jeep. that we come across. You think Daddy can do ANYTHING. If I can’t do something you respond with, “that’s ok, Daddy can save you.” You LOVE your Uncle Reg even though you’ve met him only once. You want to paint, draw, and colour pictures for Uncle Reg. Your goal is to find him in every picture that you can. You love to put on deodorant. You are upset that you are absent in all our wedding photos and your reaction is to say, “That’s not very nice Mom.” Any time you accidentally do something you respond with, “Sorry ’bout that.” Spider Man, Bat Man, The Hulk are all scary monsters. You LOVE LOVE LOVE going to church, er going to see Jesus…as you call it. You love muffins, iced tea, egg rolls, broccoli and couscous.

Oh and for the most part you hate sweets and candy, just like your dad, so you refused to eat your birthday cake. Awesome.

Gooners across the world wear their Arsenal jerseys/hoodies/t-shirts and strut about showing their love for their beloved team. Those who see them, can connect with them. Those who don’t, well, don’t connect with them.

So here goes my way of getting all the Gooners around the globe to connect with each other -

Everytime you wear an Arsenal jersey or anything Arsenal, log on to your Twitter and send a tweet out with this hashtag – #GoonerToday 

If you can include a picture too, awesome!

What do you get out of this? Honestly, nothing really. It’s just a small way (I think) we Gooners can get together.

SAMPLE TWEET -

WHY IS  SHE MAKING US DO THIS?

This is important!

The whole idea behind this is that when all of you tweet out, I’ll have a database of the Gooner Family, and when opportunity arises (READ AS –  When Arsenal beat Manchester United 8-2 and win a trophy), we can storm the streets wearing our Arsenal jerseys, holding our heads up with pride!

Yeah, I know this is tough, but hell! We’re the mighty Arsenal, and we can do anything!

Get tweeting Gooners! Don’t forget, if you can include pictures too, it’ll be a huge boon! BUT DON’T FORGET TO INCLUDE THE #GoonerToday HASHTAG!! I won’t be able to track your tweets otherwise!

Also, just so that you’ll know, I’ll be RT’ing everyone’s tweet and everyday on my blog, I’ll put up a post with everyone’s tweets and pictures.

And if there’s someone who wants to help me spread the word about this, give me a shoutout at @goonergurl20

It features navy blue, and purple horizontal stripes rapping around the jersey.  To be honest, I like the stripes, and the navy blue.  But, Purple, really?  Where in Arsenal comes purple?  Couldn’t they have navy blue, and white rings?  That would be a brilliant away kit.  Instead, I have to stare at our players wearing rubbish every away game when there is a color conflict.  At least this news gives me an easy Poll of the Week tomorrow.

Finally, there has been a Nani to Arsenal rumor.  Well, he does want out of United, but I still find it unlikely.  But, hey can you turn down a talent like Nani, even though we already have plenty of players for that position.  If Walcott goes, he’s the perfect replacement.  Well, thats the Arsenal news today.

But, before I finish, I can’t resist not to mention Spurs.  Because, the way it is going for them this pre-season, I think (From a Gooner’s perspective) this may be Tottenham’s best season in years.  First, they have hired Villas Boas, automatic drop of 5 places in the table.  Then, one of their “stars” Modric wants out.  Another drop of a few places.  So last season the finished 4th, so they will probably drop around 7 places, yes maybe thats a little over the top.  But, you can’t complain, were talking Spurs.   And, if in the likely senario, more goes wrong for Spurs…  They may finish somewhere near the bottom of the table.  Relegation zone?  Lets be honest, very unlikely.  Then, we did beat them 5-2, and they are only getting worse, so I’ll change it to unlikely, but possible.  Champions League qualification, not a chance!

They get fed up the way our management is running this club, so they leave else where.  To places where they have high hopes they will win a trophy.  We’ve seen it with Fabregas, he moves to Barcelona, wins a Club World Cup and Copa Del Rey.  Then Nasri moved to Man City, won the Premier League.  And finally, now van Persie wants out, because he feels to that our philosophies are wrong, and wants to win a trophy.

Something needs to change at Arsenal, we have only one long term commitment in the club.  One player has addressed himself that he will be a Gunner for life.  His name?  Jack Wilshere.  Other rising stars, like Walcott, and Chamberlain, they could leave like all the rest.  Unless something changes that tells them, that we are here to win a trophy.

This is why the first few months of next season are the most important in several, several years.  We need to prove to our top players that we are still the glorious Arsenal from the past.  We need to be top of the league by January, despite the tough start, so van Persie (If we manage to hold on to him) are forced to sign a new contract.  Because, if they don’t we better sell them in January.  And then, they have no chance of being Premier League champions.  But, we must not do, is keep van Persie till next Summer, and then let Manchester City get one of the worlds best strikers for free.

Now going back to the something at Arsenal needs to change.  Well, every Gooner has their own opinion about what exactly needs to change.  Most are all base on the same point of, our way of handling and spending money.  But ultimately, we can give input only to a certain level, but we can’t make the final decisions.  That is the point of a board, and a management.  That is the reason they are there, and if they don’t get this one right then we need fresh heads in charge.

Then, there is our quiet owner who spends more time running every American professional sports team that exists in Colorado, or which it seems.  Because, he hardly says a word to us about Arsenal.  Maybe he is behind the scenes doing things, but until he speaks we won’t know.  And, we need him to speak to solve this problem.

So, it is time to get this club back on track to its glory days, were every player wanted to play for Arsenal, and when we lifted all that silverware.

The good old days…

I have never been more despondent about Arsenal football club. We’re having an identity crisis.

I’m kicking this thing off having regularly ingested a huge proportion of the Arsenal blogosphere over the last six years. I got itchy feet and needed an outlet. Unfortunately this has coincided with an announcement from the club captain of his intentions to leave. Even less fortunately, many have expected it. Arsenal are a selling club – at the mercy of the market.

In his 16 years at the club, many have grown fond of Arsene Wenger’s idiosyncratic ways. A complex character who rightly commands huge respect within the game. Yet recently, his words have provided a grim foreshadowing of exactly what will not occur suggests that his imperiousness no longer extends to the members of his squad. Arsenal were humiliated last season when Wenger claimed that Arsenal could not be considered a top club if they sold Cesc and Nasri. We all saw that coming and with almost comedic timing they both departed after the start of the season – rupturing our preparations. The noises from Arsene and the club this time around were no different. An uncanny knack of undermining himself has coast a fog over how things are run at the Emirates.

For a player that really embodied the spirit of last season’s fight (struggle) and who was by all accounts a great captain and an indispensable presence in the dressing room, who grew up with dreaming of playing for Arsenal (via Feyenoord and Barcelona – uh oh) Robin Van Persie must have felt driven into a corner to force the club’s hand like this…

There is a good piece from Arse2mouse which talks about the mercenary nature of top footballers and in this respect Robin is acting like a top business professional; looking to define his career and maximise his reward. But the passion for the club was there, once. The subtle Ivan Gazidis holiday dig is either an attempt to deflect attention onto the Arsenal management or drawing attention to their failings. IG and Wenger need to sort out some real man-management and a concerted business strategy. Why are contracts inflated for the deadwood? Why are important players given power over the club by entering talks with 1 year (or less!) to go!?

Where this leaves Theo and Song, I have no idea. Both seem to have inflated impressions of their ability (the Arsenal false economy of overpaying and praising young under-performers, I fear) and according to some, feel that they are above the club. Last year the Guardian had an interesting piece about Theo’s marketing value in Asia, the star of the tour. They won’t want to travel without him this preseason, but in footballing terms he’s been endured more than he has driven the team forwards.

I really believe that we should sell now, but could Wenger’s pride take that big a hit? Contradicted, yet again, by Arsenal’s own statement. Will he stubbornly force him to play out the final year? Was RVP’s final straw seeing Wenger’s press release about holding him ‘At all costs’? His remarks worryingly suggest that stagnation for the top players at the club is a trend that will remain. I’m also not convinced all, or any, of a transfer sum would be re-invested. Wenger hates widespread squad turnover, even when it is so obviously required. He hates other clubs knowing his weakened hand (cash to spend + desire for replacement). He also hates the idea of a player coming in to emulate the role of a previous player. I would’ve loved a Goetze last season and there were rumblings of a bid being rejected, but we persevered with Ramsey, hoping he would grow.

Throughout the RVP saga, I have been advocating rebuilding around a new, fresh young team which can develop together with a central philosophy. Young as in tested (the Benzema’s of the world), not untried teens. Purchasing Giroud and Podolski was a throwback to the Wenger years of proven signings with enough space and talent to be moulded. If this is a philosophical shift, it could be encouraging.

But as for right now, I really do feel adrift. This disconnection with the club, its players and its project is something I haven’t felt before to this extent, I don’t think. Entering the new season with the prospect of Djourou being the longest serving member of the squad is, frankly, terrifying.

Hi all and welcome! For the first time since March, CTSTA is back ! After a number of delays to re-starting we are finally online once more!

In case you haven’t read the official website today, here is a heads up ! 

“

We have to respect Robin’s decision not to renew his contract. Robin has one year to run on his current contract and we are confident that he will fulfil his commitments to the Club.

“We are planning with ambition and confidence for next season with Arsenal’s best interests in mind.” – Arsenal FC 

So there we have it, the apparently conclusive message from Robin Van Persie that he doesn’t wish to continue to be an Arsenal player anymore whether that be before the start of the season or at the end of his contract. 

But lets look at both options here.

On the one hand, we could have him stay at the club for one last season which would be a gamble as he may or may not be fit for the majority of the season and have a strong influence on the way the side plays next season we win trophies, and he either stays or leaves on a free a hero.  If we don’t win anything and, for example, were to do poorly in the league. He would leave on a free and be a large financial backfire. 

If he was to be sold this summer to another top club I would consider it cashing in on a player who almost solely allowed us to achieve a fourth place spot this year.  I somewhat doubt that he will be as injury free as last year… and it would allow someone else to be brought in who actually wishes to play for the squad. 

The problem arises in my book if he were to leave and one or more of the following things happen.

1 – His performance for another club prevents us from achieving silverware or a Champs league spot.

2 – He isn’t replaced with someone of adequate quality. As this weakens an already somewhat sub-par team.

3 – The price of sale is hugely undervalued in the same way as other players previous (i.e Fabregas)

The club survived many years with him  and i believe it will continue to do so. 

P.s – I feel this has all overshadowed the fact that Podolski Joined officially today! 

Just a brief one to get you back into things! 

Until next time … 
FORWARD!  

It might have occurred to you before, it definitely has to me. The moment when someone questions what team you support. You tell them who you support and once the answer is known, I’m sure you’ve been asked if you’ve ever been to see any of their football matches. “No I haven’t”, “Well you’re not a true fan”. They have somehow managed to come to the conclusion that, if you haven’t been to see any matches, you’re not a true fan. I don’t think so.

So what does make a true fan? The answer is simple; Love of the club. If you truly love the club you support, you’re a true fan. All this talk of going to see a match is utter rubbish. Some people don’t have the ability to go to a match or watch the game on the TV. You’ve got to account for their lifestyle, the money they have available and transport. Not everyone is just as loaded as the football clubs themselves.

Take into consideration the average cost of a day out at a football match. Research undertook by the BBC into the Price of Football lists the cheapest prices for a day out at each of the Premier League clubs. Take Arsenal, and the cheapest you’ll find is £44.00, but bear in mind that this is the cheapest after all and not the average price (so you’ll likely spend more). Now take into account that there will be at least two of you going and the price doubles. Then take into account transport. Fans from afar are going to have to pay quite generously for, what is ridiculous UK prices, for train tickets or even for petrol. The cost is ever-growing as we go a long.

So what makes a true fan? A true fan will be there through the thick and the thin. Through the hard times and the good. They’ll support the club no matter what happens and never give up on loving it. Take some true Gooners for example; Henry and Fabregas. The first is a true legend and historic figure at Arsenal. Whilst he may have played for the club, we know that he is a true supporter, a true fan; a Gooner. Henry breathes Arsenal and you can see his passion, belief and pride in the club.

“Arsenal will be in my blood as well as my heart. I will always, always, always remember you guys. I said I was going to be a Gunner for life and I did not lie because when you are a Gunner you will always be a Gunner. The club is in my heart and will remain in my heart forever.” 

Need I quote more? Take the latter, I feel Fabregas has the same feelings that Henry does about Arsenal. He may have left us when we most needed him, but you could see that it hurt him to leave. He loves Arsenal but he equally loves his boyhood club Barcelona (and who wouldn’t want to return to the club that is a) where you belong and b) winning trophies). 

Anyone can be a true fan, you just have to look beyond the cover of their book.

Once a Gunner always a Gunner. In the fans case, Once a Gooner always a Gooner.

ArsenalXI

Prior to the launching of this blog, I’ve always been itching to write my thoughts on everything happening in the football world. Now that I realize I have more time on my hands than initially presumed, it’s about time I get started.

A little bit of history for you. I’ve been a Gooner for just over 11 years up to this moment. And it’s safe to say I’m a Gooner for life. Needless to say, 7 long, gruelling years we’ve gone without a trophy.

Well, every club has its ups and downs and we have come so close to ending that drought on several occasions ( League Cup 2007/2011 ). Despite the sufferings, I firmly believe we are on the right track to win silverware again under the guidance of none other than – Monsieur Wenger.

Finally, I plead all my potential readers out there to drop by once in a while to check out my updates. So that’s all for this short post. Stay tune for the next one.

- Sean -

Diesel Dads, as I call them are young (well, they’re about my age, so that’s middle-youth, baby), they still care about their appearance (hence the name… and most of them look pretty good with it too); and they are the proud fathers of one, two or three littlees.  These guys have so much experience on fatherhood; they could be script advisers on Outnumbered. 

It’s the birthday party for one of their offspring, and their wife or partner has organised everything…The guest list, invites,  the entertainment, the goody bags, the ‘wine and nibbles for the parents’ and even the thank-you notes.  The one thing that dad has to do is pick up the cake.

Saturday morning, strategically before kick-off, is the time I usually meet Diesel Dads.  They arrive in the Delights Kitchen, wow at the fondant wonder I have created for their child and hand over a fistful of fivers as payment.  Sometimes we talk about the football (I’m a Gooner and I can’t help it), ‘the kids of today’, or the latest political scandal.  These dads even have time to chat and joke with my girls (remember, they can relate to little people as they have some at home).  They tell my husband he must be the luckiest man alive, to live with a woman who bakes all day.  Some of the dads are regulars (they’ve collected cakes for their children, their other half and even the mother-in-law).  Some are new customers. Either way, we salute you dads. 

Thanks for everything, especially for collecting the cake!

Our celebrations wouldn’t be the same without you or the cake.  Happy Father’s Day! I hope there’s a nice slice of cake for you.

Cool T-shirts from www.notonthehighstreet.com

But, which Gunner has been the most influential so far?   And who will go on to be a hero for their county?  Comment to share your thoughts.

Yesterday saw Sky Sports announce that, according to their information, Arsenal will once again remain the most expensive place to watch Premier League football next season – if you’re a season ticket holder that is. This comes despite the fact that Arsenal Plc have announced a freeze on ticket prices.

I have to say I find it quite interesting that we are the most expensive. Of course the media low to have a little poke ad talk about winning nothing, paying for Champions League football as our trophy and alike, but I do find peoples take on the announcement of prices amusing. Firstly, comparing Arsenal to the Manchester clubs. Why? Those two clubs have entirely different ways in which they fund themselves. The blue side take oil money, whilst the red side have built an international empire that has taken decades to cultivate. In addition they are both based in Manchester. Has anybody seen a Manchester and London salary survey lately? Or even the ONS (Office of National Statistics) figures on average wages? London is by far bigger than any other region, so isnt it inevitable that we Londoners pay more? So to make comments about how unfair it might be seem a little pointless to me. It is what it is.

That’s not to say I’m happy to be paying more than any other fan in the Premier League. Far from it. I know that we are being squeezed all the time by the club for every last penny. And are we getting value for money? If you believe the Tim Payton school of thought – i.e. Arsenal have the fourth highest wage bill and so on that basis fourth is a realistic target, then you would say ‘yes’ we are getting value for money. All I know is that the kind of media stories that eminated from Rupert Murdoch’s empire must always be taken with a pinch of salt.

So where an I going with all this? I guess it’s an assault on the media more than anything else. After all, they are the ones, coupled with social media, that drive gooners into a whipped up frenzy. It’s all about selling sheets and boosting ratings. Yes, we have issues – 19 points from the Champions clearly shows this – but these issues have to be dealt with by investment and that comes through revenue streams. It’s just unfortunate for us that we have gotten ourselves tied into long-term commercial deals from trying to finance the stadium move that have set us back and meant the fans finance the clubs revenue. As soon as those commercial deals begin to lapse, I think we’ll see a real jump in revenue the club makes. I’m not naive enough to think the club will suddenly half the price of tickets, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see other teams catching up to us over the next few years in the ‘how expensive is your cheapest season ticket’ league tables.

The other pieces of news coming from the club yesterday was the release of seven players, only two of which you and I will know any main detail of in the shape of Gavin Hoyte and Manuel Almunia. It’s two losses that won’t greatly affect the team too much with the latter of the two a bit of a bonus to get him off the wage bill. Unfortunately for the ghostly looking Manuel, he’ll probably be remembered more for the clangers than the good performances like the game against barca a couple of years ago, but I guess that is the nature of today’s football.

Have a good one y’all.

A lot.Oh, and she loves her baby sister too.

My luggage tags

No Vancouver Island trip confirmed as yet – it was either pack or spend time online googling details for travel – but I figure I have a few weeks to organise that once I’m in Canada.  I’m not particularly looking forward to the early start tomorrow and I never tend to chill out about a trip until I’m checked in and sat in the departures lounge.  However, I am buzzing with excitement as tomorrow the adventure begins!