Enough with the ‘prawn sandwich’ barbs

A club level season ticket holder and long term Arsenal fan takes objection to the shellfish label.



Enough with the ‘prawn sandwich’ barbs

Club Level – Many have served their time on the terraces


I am in Club level, previously I was in the Executive suite before I got asked to leave, before that I had a box for many years and before that I used to stand on the terraces, so I think I'm one of what your contributors refer to as the ‘prawn sandwich’ brigade. I sit in club level because I can watch in comfort, eight rows deep and I'm at the front, I can get there early and drink, and stay until the crowd goes.

With regard to the reason that some people on my tier are late coming out for the second half, it is because we get free beer and we can watch the start of the half on HD tv's. What I have noticed though is that far more people in the west, north and east lower leave earlier than people do in club level. I think they do it at half time so they can get a beer in and at full time to avoid the crush getting out, but most of it is beer driven so it's understandable.

But no one in my section goes early, there's ten of us that sit together so there would be a lot of p*ss taking if one of us did. People should remember that if it wasn’t for the so-called ‘prawn sandwich’ brigade spending what we do, we wouldn't have the team we have as we wouldn't be able to afford it.

And we don’t get prawn sandwiches, we get vegetable pie and baked beans which is sh*t, and pay £3.50 a pint which is more than people in the lower tiers pay.

In the first ten years that I had the box it cost £110k, the last three years it totalled £84k. My Executive seats were £4370 each and my Club level tickets are £2500 each and I suspect that's not much more than you many pay, but I get free beer, either way that’s a lot of money I’ve spent over the years!

But people writing into onlinegooner really need to stop referring to club level ticket holders as the prawn sandwich brigade. It's disrespectful and apes Roy Keane's comments at ManU, and frankly if that is what they aspire to they should go to Old Trafford and watch them. I have been an Arsenal fan all my life, and before having a box I had season tickets. If I choose to watch the game in a little comfort and spend more money on a ticket than others, I like my mates should be applauded, not ridiculed.

By posting anti-club level writing, your website is making it look like we all started coming to the Arsenal in August, yet almost everyone I talk to in club level were season ticket holders before, and a lot of the new season ticket holders sit in the lower tiers. So Gooners should lay off and go pick on someone else's supporters, not their own.

To re-iterate, every game I go to the fans that stream out are all below us, from Wenger's dugout all the way round to the away fans. We never leave, we stay ‘til the final whistle and then get in a couple of drinks, so when I read disparaging remarks about what I am because of where I sit, I get a little p*ssed off. It's some of those who sit below me that are the new fans.

The inverted snobs have been to a few games and think they're real fans. Thierry never complained about us leaving early in previous years, but then the jellied eel brigade weren't there then, were they?


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