Bloody hell. When will this debate end? Supporters arrive late. They talk during the game. They leave early. Shock horror. It never happened in those golden days when we were at that noisy atmospheric Mecca they called Highbury… well that's not true is it?

I've seen Arsenal play on 50 odd league grounds over the last 30 plus years and can testify that, for some games, it was quieter at home games than at our local library. I wouldn't admit that to anyone else, but I know I'm in good company here. I think the atmosphere at the new stadium is a great improvement, and probably reflects more on acoustics and increased numbers than the energy levels of the support.

And in years gone by I drank in The Woodbine, and can remember many occasions when season ticket holding friends, despite a round trip of 60 miles, ended up staying in the pub rather than going to the game. I don't condone it, but it happened. And of course I can remember conversations, often drunken, which had very little to do with the merits of 4-4-2 or 5-3-2-1 etc.

I'm someone who, despite now having a 120 mile round trip to games ALWAYS stays to the end. But if someone wants to go early then that's their loss. For me, football is all about drama and what's more dramatic than a late goal? And which team are more likely to score one of those than Arsenal?

The fact is that despite it being as expensive these days to go to football as to the opera, it is still football. We don't (yet) expect latecomers to wait until the interval to take their seats! In the good old days, people generally lived closer to the team they supported and if you didn't like the people standing next to you then you just moved.

Personally, I think Ashburton Grove is a wonderful, safe place to watch football. And I think that Arsenal are a wonderful friendly, sporting crowd. Ask away fans which they enjoy most. A trip to White Hart Lane or a trip to Arsenal? I bet it’s the latter every time - and not because of the result!!!

Two questions I would like to ask though are 1) Why don't we adopt the service operated at Old Trafford whereby season ticket holders can sell on their season ticket for sold out games they cannot attend thereby benefiting everyone, including the club. I'm already irritated by the number of seats that remain empty in the upper tier and club level. This will only increase if we're not challenging for the title come February/March. And 2) now everyone is getting in via membership cards, what are the touts selling? (Er… that would be a mixture of membership cards collected inside the stadium and paper tickets that still exist in some number – Online Ed)