Highbury Memories - European Nights #1 April 1980

In 1980 I started going to midweek games, my mum finally thinking I was big enough to handle nightime in London. My earliest midweek memory was of the European Cup Winners Cup Semi-Final against Juventus. In those days (before the excess of the Champions League) European nights were special and to play against a team like Juve was a "once in a lifetime" experience, or so we thought. The press were full of stories about all of London's Italian restaurants & cafes being shut and the atmosphere was so different from the usual league games. The game ended 1-1 and everyone agreed that we were out, Juve never lost at home and never lost to english clubs - well the late Paul Vaessen proved that wrong - even if we were to lose disappointingly against Valencia in the final.

Highbury Moments - 2nd May 1992

Though I had always been a regular on the Clockend, this final league game of the 1991/2 season was a sad one - the last competitive fixture in front of the North Bank. My first memories were from the North Bank - 57,000+ for games against Spurs, Forest, Liverpool and my most vivid North Bank memory from the Villa game in 1981. We beat Villa 2-0 but as Ipswich had lost as well - Villa took the title. We qualified for Europe by virtue of the win and so mass celebrations ensued - well, no actually - all the fans tried to kick hell out of each other on the pitch! The North Bank was replaced by the infamous mural the following season to much derision. The picture is from the last game, a 5-1 drubbing of Southampton with Ian Wright grabbing a hat trick and the golden boot (ahead of Lineker :-) ).

Everton (2-0) - 19th September 2005

Last night saw us comfortably beat the most uninspiring Everton side I can remember seeing at THOF (and there have been some bad ones). The memory of last season's 2 games against us seemed to instigate a 9-0-1 formation at times. Two goals from free-kicks (have we finally worked out that it is worth practising them?) - Sol heading in from Reyes on both occasions - meant we were 2-0 up and cruising at half time. Everton's response was to take off their most likely 2 sources of goals (Cahill & Bent) - this is now the premiership norm, mediocre teams "rest" their best players against the "big" teams to keep them fit for the relegation "6 pointers". Somewhere and at some moment in time clubs, players, managers & chairman lost the plot and the drive became the need to keep receiving Murdoch's lucre whilst completing forgetting the paying public. First people will stop (have stopped) going and, more importantly, then stop paying for SKY. At that point the brown smelly stuff will truly hit the whirly metal thing.....

Highbury Legends - Liam Brady

I first started watching Arsenal in 1975 and so caught most of his career at Highbury. Liam Brady's left foot was the sole reason we really looked a decent side at times in the late 70s. Yes there were players such as Stapleton, Rix & Talbot but it was the Irishman's genius that led us to victory in the 1979 cup final and scored THAT GOAL at WHL in the 5-0 drubbing of the scum. When he left for Juventus Arsenal never did enough to keep him but none of us really begrudged him leaving to go to one of Europe's biggest sides (unlike that traitor Stapleton) - he was incredibly popular and successful in Italy - rightly showing his talent across Europe. Now leading our youth academy he is back where he belongs.

FC Thun (4-1) - 14th September 2005

Here's a view of the clockend (sorry about the blurred image) during the game against the mighty FC Thun. What do you mean you've never heard of them - they came second in the Swiss league last season and have an annual budget of £2M (approximately 1/3 of TH14's annual earnings!). We duly stuffed the mighty clockmakers 2-1 with a last minute goal from Dennis after RvP has been sent off for a slightly raised foot!

Nothing to do with Highbury BUT... THE ASHES!

Why here in this blog - well Mike Gatting is the link.

We've got them back again! After 18 years ( a familiar trophy dought for Arsenal fans) we've gona and got the little urn back. Hearing the news via text on the Eurostar wasn't the best way but who cares. Denis Compton (above), Leslie Compton and Steve Gatting's brother will be mighty pleased as Arsenal players and cricketers.

Highbury Nightmares # 1 - Walsall November 1983

The 1983/4 side was not one of the best teams we ever had, George Graham hadn't arrived - we were signing players like Tommy Caton and a very young TA had just made his debut earlier in the month. We had, though, in the previous round of the Milk (nee League) Cup won at the Lane 2-1 and, so, with an easy home draw against a lower league team we were on the road to glory! I can't remember much of the game - had Don Howe just taken over as caretaker manager who was it after the game? Anyway we lost 2-1 and though we managed to get to the semi-final of the FA Cup it wasn't until George arrived that we were to win a trophy again.

Great Goals - 20th April 1992

We had been waiting for a long time for this game. Humiliating the great Liverpool team, to watch John Barnes slap his thigh in annoyance and to cheer us off after a 4-0 thumping. A goal by old goldenballs himself against wimbledon is continually replayed on TV but we had seen a better one 4 years earlier by our very own Super Swede, Anders Limpar. His goal, struck from just inside the Liverpool half, was the climax to a season when we scored at will (after IWWW joined) but won nothing. Limpar left soon after GG deciding we needed more players like Selley & Hillier.

Things I'll Miss # 1 - The East Stand

Of course most of the people are always moaning, the toilets haven't changed since the days of Herbert Chapman and the queues to get in are always chaotic.... BUT ... the outside is how "proper" football stadiums should look. It couldn't say "The Arsenal" in a more emphatic manner, marble halls, art-deco design - a true legacy of the great club. Now how much are those flats?