Return Of The King

Now I appreciate this is rather old news now and I know I haven't posted for a while (been very busy at work) but I just wanted to chip in and say how happy I am we are getting Henry back at the club, even if it is just for a couple of months. I am over the moon about this.

Obviously he won't be as quick as he once was and he won't score as many goals, as my colleagues at work have pointed out in glee, but it's just nice to have him back. Despite plying his trade across the pond nowadays in a raw and developing league like the MLS, he still possesses the necessary quality to contribute something to this team. With Gervinho and Chamakh leaving for the Africa Cup of Nations, the squad will be desperately short of firepower in attack and anything contribution Henry can bring to the team will be of immense help. Van Persie is still very much the man as far as goals go but it'll be nice for Henry to come on and give our captain a rest once in a while, or offer some support. For too long now van Persie has been forced to carry the burden of scoring practically all our goals; he has flourished and revelled in his new responsibilities but it's been a case of him having to, since Gervinho appears to be afraid of shooting in case he hurts the opposition goalkeeper and Chamakh looking lost every time he gets within 10 feet of a football pitch. So having Henry in the team should add a bit more potency when going forward, even if his age holds him back a bit these days. He still has a majestic touch on the ball and a keen eye for the killer pass, plus he still knows his way around the goal-mouth as his past year in New York proves. Yes its the MLS but Henry scored 15 goals last season and at the age of 34 that ain't too shabby, especially as he seems to play more in behind the striker now. I think Thierry will be perfectly placed tucked in just behind van Persie, feeding the Dutchman with clever through-balls and defence splitting passes.

The Frenchman currently holds the club record with 226 goals, as most of us know. Let's hope he can add a few more on top of that figure over the next couple of months, starting with Leeds on Monday Night.

Thanks for reading.

Time To Bounce Back

Arsenal are in Portugal tonight for their Champions League clash against Braga. The Gunners need just a draw to ensure qualification into the knock-out rounds, but Arsene Wenger's men will undoubtedly be looking for a comprehensive win to bounce back from the crushing defeat at the weekend against Spurs. We'll be looking to take all three points this evening to ensure we finish top of the group - it could be very important later on in the competition.

The less said about the North London derby the better. I didn't watch it, instead I had to suffer through it by checking the BBC Football site whilst I was at work. You can imagine the joy I felt when I saw we were 2-0 up, thanks to Nasri and Chamakh. "Excellent!" I thought. So I checked later on to see it was 2-2, and I knew right then and there that the hurt wasn't over yet. Reluctantly I checked the web again, and to my dismay I saw the final score, 3-2 to Spurs. "Urrrrrrrrrrrgh" was what I came out with, or some rude curse word. It just pisses me off that we, A) Keep dropping points at home, B) We didn't capitalise on Chelsea losing AGAIN, and C) We gave away a two goal lead to the old enemy and lost. No doubt you can expect another classless DVD release from the marketing department in Tottenham very soon.

When you lose in such a fashion as Arsenal did, it is crucial to bounce back with a display that the team and the fans will be proud of, to show us all that the world is not in fact crumbling around us as we speak (maybe a bit dramatic...). Travelling away in the Champions League is never an easy task, as the previous clash against Shakthar demonstrated. I expect Braga to present us with a similar challenge, and I don't imagine the Gunners will cruise to a dominant win like we did when we last faced the Portuguese side. Especially as it appears Arsene will be resting some of our key players tonight.

From my understanding, Arshavin, van Persie and Clichy have not travelled for tonight's game, due to injuries and Wenger wanting to rotate the squad a bit. Clichy has a back problem, but its not such a problem when the young Gibbs can just slot right in. I can understand van Persie being rested, as we all know his track record with injuries - it's probably a smart move to save him for a more important game. I'm still a little disappointed not see Robin on the bench though; he's always been one of my favourite players on the team, so I always like to see him get some minutes. Hopefully it won't be long until he's 100% fit and back in the starting lineup. Arshavin's exclusion from the squad is not a big surprise, as we have adequate cover for him and it won't hurt him to get some rest for a few days.

Apparently Cesc may also be on the bench as a precaution, but he is still in line for a potential start. Again, it makes sense for Wenger not to risk our captain in a game where we realistically only need a point. Given Fabregas's recent troubles with his hamstring, it's a wise decision. Wilshere, Nasri or Rosicky can fill in for Cesc when needed and I expect that will happen tonight. So that's the people who are missing, but who is actually going to play? Well, I'm not Arsene Wenger so I don't know, but I can use the power of prediction and venture a guess or two. I'd like to see Bendtner get a full 90 minutes, and Theo to get a run-out too. In light of Bendtner requesting more playing time in the press recently, it only makes sense to hand him a place in the starting eleven and see if he can back up his words with goals. Don't be surprised to see Bendtner lineup alongside Chamakh this evening, or replace the Moroccan altogether. In midfield, Wilshere, Denilson and Song would be more than acceptable for this type of game, but Nasri could slot back into midfield if Wenger wants a bit more creativity in the middle of the park.

I'd really like to be in the pub tonight to watch the game, but I'm still unsure if I will. Other commitments and the like, you know how it is. All I want to see, hear, and know is that Arsenal play to their best and just get the job done. No more mental lapses, no more gifting teams easy goals. Just win. Check out Arseblog's match preview for a more in-depth look ahead of tonight's clash; he doesn't bullshit anyone.

Thanks for reading.

A Fantastic Day Of Sport

Well what a day I had. Two of my teams getting massive wins helped put a smile on my face that'll probably last all week. The mighty Arsenal travelled to the blue side of Manchester and returned with a morale boosting 3-0 victory. To make things better, the Browns shocked the world by beating the reigning Superbowl champions in their own stadium, recording a historic win in the process. So you could say I'm feeling pretty happy this morning.

First up was the Arsenal - City game which kicked off at 4pm. I was still at work when the game began but slyly managed to follow the game through BBC Sport's updates on the internet. As soon as the clock struck 5pm, I was out the door and quickly in the pub for the second half. I missed Nasri put us 1-0 up but have since seen the goal and it was a real beauty, a lovely finish from a confident player who has started this season brilliantly. I of course missed Man City's red card too but I have heard it was deserved. And last of all I also missed Cesc's penalty miss, not one of his best efforts I understand. However, I did catch the second half, so I feel obliged to comment on what I did see.

Despite City playing with 10 men the game had a very open feel to it and they looked pretty dangerous going forward even thought they had the disadvantage. But as the game wore on, it was obvious City just didn't have it on the day. Arsenal soon began to dominate possession and ensured the win when Alex Song put us into a 2-0 lead. A ball into Chamakh was cut out by the City defence but thankfully it fell to Song on the edge of the box who rifled it past Joe Hart for his second league goal of the season, and his second in the space of a week. City pressed on but couldn't break through thanks to Fabianski. The young Polish stopper had a great day, recording a deserved clean sheet, which is apparently our first one away from home for 10 months. His saves against Silva and Boateng were particularly impressive. With the came coming to a close, Wenger gave a run-out to Theo and Bendtner and it was the latter who rounded the match off with a delightful finish. The tireless Nasri managed to keep the ball from going out and then played a superb ball into the path of Bendtner, who calmly slotted the ball around the onrushing Hart to make it 3-0. A fantastic away win and just what the Gunners needed to re-establish our title aspirations, while putting Manchester City firmly in their place at the same time. You can have as much money as you like, but it will take some time before they gel as a team and start winning trophies.

After Arsenal's victory, it was time to turn my attention to the day's NFL games and the Browns. There was no way Eric Mangini's men were waltzing into New Orleans and beating the Superbowl champions I thought, and I was not alone; Nobody expected a Browns win, certainly not the people around me in the pub and the pundits on the TV. But the Browns came through for me, and battled to a hard fought 30-17 win. Unfortunately I was not in a position to watch the game. At the pub, my friends and I had to make do with the Rams - Buccaneers game, which was entertaining but obviously I would have preferred to have been watching our miraculous victory at the Superdome. Still, the Rams lost in the last 10 seconds, and my friend Simon (the only Rams fan in the room) nearly broke down in tears at his team's collapse. Commiserations mate, I feel your pain.

So it's now established that Reggie Hodges is the best punter in NFL history, right? My tongue-in-cheek comment aside, that fake punt and his amazing run was really something special, especially the way he glided past Lance Moore and kept chugging his way to the 10 yard line where he was finally stopped. His 68 yard run set up a Browns field goal and as we know every point counts in the NFL, especially when you're facing the Saints in their house. In fact, the Browns had a very successful day as far as trick plays were concerned. Cribbs's lateral pass to Eric Wright on a punt return was impressive, as was Peyton Hillis's pass to Colt McCoy. When plays like that come off and work to perfection, you really have to give credit to the players for executing, as well as Mangini for taking the risk. Of course, credit must also go to Rex Ryan and his defense. When was the last time Drew Brees threw 4 interceptions in a game?! I doubt he even did that in high school! Obviously Brees had an off day, but you have to give major props to the Browns for being there in the right positions to make those big defensive stops. David Bowens is feeling on top of the world no doubt, with his two interception returns putting the cherry on top of yesterday's win. Just an amazing day for the Browns and I feel so proud to be one of the faithful. I don't care if I'm from Cleveland or not, there's no reason for me not to celebrate this win like any other Browns supporter. I love it.

So the Browns head into their bye week full of confidence and Arsenal are back to second in the league, hot on the heels of Chelsea. Sunday October 24th 2010 was a fine day indeed, one I expect I'll remember for some time.

Thanks for reading.

Sayonara Shakhtar

Arsenal cruised to another Champions League victory last night at the Emirates, where they easily dispatched the Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk. The Gunners strolled to a 5-1 win, with former Arsenal man Eduardo grabbing a late consolation for his new team.

It was an assured performance from Wenger's men on the night. I was expecting the match to be a bit closer but Arsenal soon put any fears I had to rest. The opening few minutes were cagey, as both sides appeared to be testing each other out but it wasn't long before Arsenal capitalised and took the lead. After the Shakhtar keeper spilled a corner (doing his best Fabianski impression), Djourou pounced on the loose ball and poked it into the path of Alex Song, who ambitiously attempted a Cristiano Ronaldo-like 'Rabona' shot, which deflected off the defender and bounced kindly into the back of the net to give us a 1-0 lead after 19 minutes. It was pretty funny to see Song attempt such a move but he got the result he wanted, a good goal in the end. I think Song had a decent night, he made no mistakes that I could see, but I do worry that with his increase in confidence over the last 18 months or so, he maybe thinks he's a bit better than he really is, especially going forward in attack. I just have concerns that his constant need to join in on the attack will some day hurt him, as the back four becomes instantly vulnerable when Song leaves his position. But hey, I have no complaints about him until he makes that mistake; Song is a quality player for us. Speaking of the defence, I was very impressed with our pair of centre backs last night, especially Djourou. I know the guy has had injury problems over the last few years, but I have always been a fan of Johan and it has irritated me in the past when Wenger would go with Silvestre over Djourou, for one example; beyond frustrating. He performed well last night with Squillaci, as Shakhtar looked pretty toothless in attack overall. They even made Fabianski look good, who to be fair to him made a very good save in the early minutes of the second half. More games like that in the near future please.

Arsenal continued to press after the first goal and doubled their lead just before half time with a beautiful goal from Samir Nasri. An Alex Song cross was expertly controlled by our young Frenchman, who calmly got the ball down and lashed a shot past the helpless Shakhtar keeper for a two goal lead. Nasri has impressed many fans so far this season, as he continues to carry over his form from last season. The guy can't put a foot wrong. Leading 2-0 at the half, we were cruising and the game was pretty much done and dusted.

After Fabianski's save from Adriano just after the restart, Arsenal took control of the game and never relinquished it. With just over half an hour to go in the game, Djourou was brought down in the box and Captain Cesc stepped up to take the penalty, comfortably scoring from the spot to put the game to bed, 3-0. I was glad Wenger took the decision to start Fabregas and he deserved his goal. You could sense he was a bit rusty early on in the match, which is to be expected after a three week break, but Cesc quickly returned to his normal playmaking self. Denilson replaced him after the penalty, where I expect Wenger had an eye on this weekend's game against Man City; we all want the captain to be fit and rested ahead of that crucial clash.

After going ahead by three goals courtesy of Cesc, the floodgates opened up. Jack Wilshere, who played his last game for a couple of weeks ahead of his impending suspension, had a brilliant outing and thoroughly deserved his goal. After some good work with Rosicky, Jack took a rather heavy touch but still maintained enough poise to calmly lob the ball over Shakhtar's keeper to make it 4-0. Probably the best goal of the night, it was so well taken, and the build up was vintage Arsenal. Only minutes later it was 5-0. Nasri chipped the ball over the Shakhtar defence into the path of Chamakh, who after glancing at the linesmen rolled the ball into the corner of the net for a deserved goal. Everybody including Chamakh thought he was offside, but thanks to a great decision by the linesmen the goal stood and the game was over. Nasri's pass was a thing of beauty too.

To cap off the evening, the returning Eduardo entered the fray for Shakhtar and scored an absolute peach with eight minutes to go. An innocuous ball entered the Arsenal box where Squillaci couldn't quite get to it, but Eduardo connected perfectly with a superb effort which flew past Fabianski to make it 5-1. It was a really nice moment for our former number 9, as the fans, Arsenal and Shakhtar, rose to applaud Eduardo for his well taken goal. It really is a shame that we got rid of him this summer, as he obviously still has feelings for the club and many fans still hold him in high regards. I hope he can resume his career in Ukraine and find success there.

All in all it was a good night of football. Arsenal are now 3 from 3 in the group stage, and barring any meltdowns we look sure to make it into the knockout stages for another year. Next up is a tough trip to Manchester to face Mancini's City. I will be at work unfortunately (GRRRRR) but hopefully I can make it to the pub for the second half. Fingers crossed!

Thanks for reading.

Something To Braga About

At last I have returned from my Spanish adventure, and have had a lot of catching up to do in the world of the internet. My Browns lost the season opener (not much of a surprise), my Indians have already decided where they're going on holiday as they are just going through the motions now, and the Buckeyes are 2-0 with wins over Marshall and Miami. Ohio State football is my new passion this year, as I have yet to really get into the college game, so I will just refer to them as THE Buckeyes, as they are not yet MY Buckeyes (give it some more time and devotion though).

However, my Arsenal were kind enough to wait for me to get home before they started their Champions League campaign, against Portuguese side S.C. Braga. I did miss the weekend game against Bolton, but I caught the highlights on Match of the Day and that was satisfactory enough for me considering I was on holiday. But I was lucky enough to get home just in time for last night's game, and I'm extremely glad I was able to see it. I was pretty confident ahead of the match, we usually seem to do well in the group stage of the CL, especially at home. My confidence was rewarded in the end thanks to a dominating performance and a thumping 6-0 victory. I won't bother giving a match review as you can everything you need to know right here. But I will share a few thoughts and feelings on what I saw; I'll try to be brief!

Fabregas was magnificent as always. His penalty was very well taken, and his header was a nice finish also (it's always nice to see a midfielder like him score a goal with his head - it just doesn't look like it should happen). His passing was exemplary and yet again he proved how valuable he really is to us. From what I saw against Bolton, Cesc was at his play-making best as it looked like he had a big part to play in all four goals that day. Against Braga last night, he carried on his brilliance from the weekend and he completely ran the show. Arshavin continued his good start to the season as well; he looked dangerous on the ball, took his goal well, and apart from a few wayward passes the little Russian put in a fine display. I was glad to see Chamakh get another goal for himself at the Emirates, after a some nifty but very odd work from Jack Wilshere (like a back-heel pass, but with his standing foot... it was really weird). Carlos Vela, the "king of the chip shot", also played well when he came on for Chamakh. His first goal, which of course was a chip over the keeper, was beautiful and his second goal was finished nicely from a pretty tight angle. I am still unsure if young Carlos will fulfil his potential - the hype surrounding him a couple of years ago was pretty high, with many fans (high expectations attached) itching to see him in the red and white. Vela has struggled so far in his still-early Arsenal career, but I don't think this can be entirely blamed on his performances alone. I believe that Wenger has yet to give him a real chance to show off his stuff, and I don't really know why. When we had a few strikers out with injury a season or two ago, Wenger seemed reluctant to hand Vela a place in the starting eleven on a regular basis, and when he did Vela was stuck up front alone against teams like Stoke and Hull, who would kick the crap out of the young Mexican. However, so far Vela has started this new season impressively and if he keeps scoring goals in the minutes he's given, I hope Wenger will provide Carlos with more opportunities, not just 10 minute cameos in games with lost causes or blowouts. Keep on trucking Vela, I'd like nothing more than to see you become an Arsenal great.

All in all, last night's win was the beautiful game at it's best, and an Arsenal win with plenty of goals never fails to put a smile on my face. Now that the Indians' season is practically over, the posts here on Escape To Forest City will start to take on a dominant Arsenal theme (didn't they already?). If I can get down to Twerton Park a few times this year I will also write some stuff about Bath City, so this blog will end up being pretty football filled. I will still be writing about the Browns, but if they are too hideous to watch, I may end up avoiding them like the plague, and we'll see how the Cavs get on too in the post-LBJ era. So apologies to any of my readers who are not interested in the Arsenal stuff... maybe you'll learn to love it, with time... right?

Thanks for reading.

Exciting Day Out At The Emirates

Finally, it was my time. Yesterday was, much to my shame, my very first proper Arsenal game, as the Gunners took on AC Milan in the Emirates Cup. I have been a Gooner since I was 6 years old, a member since I was 7, but I had still never been to Highbury or the Emirates in my time as a devoted fan. There are many reasons for this; I live about 3 hours away from North London, so travelling there takes some preparation. Possibly the largest obstacle in my way has been the cost of seeing my team, as tickets in my lifetime have increased to stupid amounts and the availability is usually limited. So the cost of the ticket is pricey enough, but then I have to take into account travel expenses also; it makes attending Arsenal games a bit tricky.

However, there has been one shining light in recent years - The Emirates Cup. A pre-season tournament, only friendlies, but nevertheless a chance to see Arsenal, my beloved Arsenal, in the flesh and with most of the first team in attendance. Since it's existence at the beginning of the 07/08 season, I knew this would be my best chance to get tickets at a reasonable price. Unfortunately, I have been unable to attend the previous tournaments due to a variety of reasons: a sister's wedding, a holiday abroad etc. But this was the year, I had waited long enough, and at the age of 21 it was embarrassing that I still not been to see my team in the flesh. My Dad and I managed to get tickets back in April or May I think it was, and the excitement began to build.

We travelled up to London yesterday morning and managed to arrive at the stadium around 1 o'clock, which gave us an hour to look around and relax before the first game of the day, Celtic vs. Lyon at 2pm. I had been to the Emirates before, on a trip to London for university research purposes, but it was a totally new experience for my Dad. We came out of Arsenal station into a mass of fellow Gooners and we hit the refreshments first for some munch and lunch. I purchased the new issue of Gooner magazine and after chowing down our bacon rolls and chips (healthy right?), we made our way to the stadium. First stop was The Armoury, as a bit of browsing the official store was essential. I was very keen to purchase the new home shirt, but alas, I am but a poor student and shouldn't really be splashing the cash on a £50 shirt when I'm about to go and visit my girlfriend the very next day. After teasing myself with stuff I couldn't really afford, and my Dad leaving disappointed that the shirt he wanted wasn't in his size, we made our way up to our seats, block 91 in the Upper Tier, right on the half way line - a brilliant view. On my way I bought a programme, like I do at every sporting event I go to. The special Emirates Cup edition was very smart, worth the £5 easily.

We settled down just in time for Celtic and Lyon to begin their game, and what a brilliant game it was. Both sides had early chances, but Lyon's movement and quality passing soon came into effect as they began to dominate possession. I hardly knew any of Lyon's players, only Makoun and Michel Bastos really, but they were all very composed and confident on the ball. It was Bastos who got the first goal of the day, a rocket of a free kick that flew into the top corner, a stunner! 1-0 to Lyon, and Celtic were on the ropes early on. I was really impressed with the Scottish contingent that had travelled down to London for the day. They packed their corner of the stadium and were singing and chanting for practically the entire game, even when Lyon took a 2-0 lead through Harry Novillo's goal from a well worked move. Nothing dampened their spirits and they were rewarded for their support with a goal from new signing Gary Hooper, who volleyed home from point blank range, completely unmarked. A nice finish but he was quiet for most of the game and I was constantly wondering why he decided to choose 88 as his squad number. Apparently its because that's when he was born (snap!) and it's his lucky number... ok then. The Celtic faithful were really celebrating now, and had more to look forward to. Substitute Georgios Samaras scored at the death to steal a draw from Lyon, who to be honest chucked the game away after having a comfortable 2-0 lead. But credit to Celtic, who never gave up and got a fine result in the end.

The Arsenal and Milan players soon emerged from the tunnel and came out to warm up. I instantly started trying to identify who I could see and recognise (all of them as it turns out). Before I knew it the players vacated the pitch to get changed, and were back out ready for the start of the match. However, the Celitc fans had all left their seats and were never to return as they spent the rest of the day getting pissed at the bars. I thought it was a bit of a joke really, you pay all that money to come and see a football match, you're essentially getting one for free, and they all buggered off to get drunk leaving masses of empty red seats. It was a real shame, as apart from that corner designated for the away fans, the stadium was absolutely packed. Despite that one small gripe, nothing could ruin my mood as Milan kicked off for my first live Arsenal game. And what a first half it was.

I'm not going to provide a play by play review of the game, you can find that anywhere on the web. I'd rather comment on the players I saw and how I felt they performed on the day. A natural place to begin is with our new signings, Marouane Chamakh and Laurent Koscielny: I was very impressed with both of them. Chamakh, who scored our only goal of the game, was brilliant and I reckon we have got quite a bargain here - he looks to be quite a player. He lead the line well as a lone striker, and his touch was brilliant, confident control on the ball at all times. He showed off a few neat skills and tricks, and his goal was taken extremely well. Arshavin came alive on the wing and brought the ball into the middle before playing a perfect pass into the path of Chamakh, who controlled the ball well before stroking it past Abbiati into the bottom corner. A beautiful goal, and I can proudly say "I was there when Chamakh scored his first Arsenal goal at the Emirates". He came off in the second half to a well-deserved standing ovation, and took home the Man of the Match award. Koscielny, our new centre back from Lorient, was also superb. You can see he reads the game extremely well, making quite a few excellent interceptions and perfectly timed tackles. I had previously read he had been rather shaky this pre-season, but I only saw a very confident player yesterday who looks like he could do well with us. I hope he enjoys the same sort of year Vermaelen enjoyed last season - they could be a very good partnership now Gallas has left the club.

My other impressions of the players are as follows: First of all, it was just amazing to finally see everybody in person. I have seen Gibbs and Randall before, at a testimonial game in Dorchester a couple of years ago. Gibbs started the game at left back, and as much as I love Clichy, I think Gibbs is going to take over that position by the end of this season. He was very good yesterday, always breaking into space going forward and secure at the back. Randall came on in the second half and had two brilliant opportunities late on to win the game for us but he could not finish the game off. Samir Nasri was his usual mesmerising self, a wizard on the ball who twisted the Milan players in knots. He's had a very good pre-season and hopefully he can retain this form when the real season begins in a couple of weeks time. Arshavin put his mark on the game, with that brilliant run, shrugging off Gattuso, on his way to setting up Chamakh for the goal in the 36th minute. The little Russian is always puzzling to me. He often does nothing for long periods of the game, but will suddenly burst into action and create something from nothing. Quite the enigma is our Arshavin. Vermaelen was as dominating as always, strong at the back, and was unlucky not to score early on when his powerful header was just tipped over the bar by the Milan keeper.

Our midfield at the beginning of the game played very good together. Young Emmanuel Frimpong, playing in the Alexander Song position, was impressive and he's very physical, the kind of player Arsenal needs. He never pulled out of a tackle and was always scrapping for the ball - another promising talent for the near future. Jack Wilshere was good, as I expected him to be. He was doing his best Fabregas impression, pulling the strings in midfield, but I felt he was lacking that final pass or touch, that extra something that Cesc has, and what I'm used to watching every week. Still, Wilshere is only 18 and has plenty of time to grow into a complete player. Rosicky, on the right wing in the first half, was good in his time on the pitch, and was unlucky not to score after some good trickery by Nasri. I just like to see him make it through a game without being hurt if I'm honest! The substitutes in the second half were decent, but Milan took advantage of the dip in quality and Pato got them the draw after 76 minutes. Giving away such a soft goal was annoying, but its pre-season so not really a big deal. I felt Fabianski could have claimed Seedorf's free kick but he hesitated, and Djourou didn't deal with it either. Pato couldn't have missed, and he clipped it in to level the game. It finished 1-1, but Milan nearly stole the game when Zambrotta hit the bar in the dieing minutes.

All in all it was a brilliant day out, and everything I expected it to be for my first Arsenal match. I wasn't too disappointed I couldn't see Cesc and Van Persie, I knew they wouldn't be there after their World Cup adventures - I'll just have to catch them in the future (before Cesc goes to Barca I hope!). I also wasn't let down that we only drew after playing so well, because I knew it was only a pre-season game and it was the experience that mattered, the fact I got to see "my boys" in the flesh. We left our seats and checked out The Armoury one last time, where I was even more tempted to get the new home shirt, complete with Chamakh 29 on the back. The lines for the tube were horrendous, but I knew they would be, so I just enjoyed the experience and it was no problem at all. Now I want to go again, for a real game that means something, but I expect I'll have to be patient and save my pennies for that day. We'll see what I can get, maybe a midweek trip to a Champions League group match, or a Carling Cup/ FA Cup game. Anything I can get really! But I'm looking forward to it already.

Thanks for reading, apologies for the essay length!