Being a lifelong Gooner, and living on my favourite moments in our wonderful history, a subject dear to my heart prompts me to pick up an electronic pen to vent my frustration at not getting a ticket so far for this year! Let me explain. Times have changed, even more so since the Premier League came into formation, we will never go back. Life evolves, and a simple need to see my team stays with me. Most games are on television, our stadium is sold out every game. I am a Red Member.

My life has taken me away from London, I've worked, and lived, in the United States, and I now live in the Southampton area. Other types of love fill our lives, family, travel, music, work, wherever our lives take us. Arsenal remains as the layer in our heads that means so much. Fever Pitch got it right. So will I ever be able to stand behind the goalposts and see Charlie George, and Ray Kennedy hit goals that gave us that sheer adrenalin rush of complex feelings, or will I need to see the TV replays?

At Highbury, I managed to get a couple of tickets a year, now I'm still waiting for my first visit to Ashburton Grove. The tickets sold for each game totals sixty thousand instead of thirty eight thousand. Surely a place for me. As I said, times have changed, money buys you anything in this world that we've promised ourselves, and got.

I don't feel vitriol regarding 'new age' supporters, the more Gooners the better. It’s the way of life, not just football. Tickets are a commodity to be bought and sold, by a business. I want to see our team be successful, and profitable. I leave it to the world in general to sort out the finance. Players’ salaries, corporation profits, etc are things I might have an opinion on, but can do nothing about. Theatre, music, food they are all the same, the best costs. I just care about Arsenal, and seeing them.

So the point of this is to bring a view to light that I don't think I've seen discussed in the Gooner, for home game tickets anyway. It’s sort of like trying to get in at Paris last season. I was at my barbers the other day, and he, too, is a Gooner (my advice is always choose a Gooner barber, what else do you talk about when you are having your hair cut!) He, too, is a red member, and said he’s been this season. His wife got him tickets for a game. That caught my attention big time. ‘How?’ was the obvious question.

He then said, Oh she got me a ticket for me and my son from a website. You should check it out! OK I did. Call me naive, but I was surprised at the 'sold out event' ticket sites. I just check the Arsenal web site, and wait for the 'Red Members' opportunity to buy tickets. OK I hear you saying, some of the UEFA games opened up for you to buy a ticket. Yup, my fault, I was out of the country working. I was hoping that I would be able to get a ticket for some of the games around Christmas. We are playing every 3/4 days after all. Blackburn at home, darn, sold out. Back to the ticket agencies. For Paris, as we all know UEFA sent tickets out everywhere, and they got resold. That's UEFA for you. I had a sit down, made a cup of tea, and drifted off into thought. We have diamond club, hospitality boxes, sit with a celeb and enjoy the game, platinum, gold, silver, and red. There is another variety here methinks. Ticket agency allocation, for resale in UK.

At Highbury I often sat around a number of 'football tourists'. Come to London and see a game. They could be from Scandinavia, Germany, US, wherever. So we were giving tickets out for these sorts of 'attendees'. That's OK (sort of), I have lots of friends in the countries I work in that care about Arsenal. They want to see a game once in their lives. I do the same when in other countries, for other sports, so I can’t sling mud (not that we have mud anymore on OUR playing surface!)

I'm digressing, the sites I checked this morning had tickets available for all games, at a price. A very large price. I don't know how they cope with the card access system, but they are available. I'm getting to winding down my working life now so I have different equation. More time, but not so much money. So over that cup of tea, I thought...

How many tickets go to these agencies? Wouldn't it be nice if more Red Members' got to get those tickets at the 'regular' price. Hmmmm… I'm still wondering about these things. So what do I do? I seem to have a few choices – 1. Hang on for a Red Member ticket, 2. Support the Reserves/Youths/Ladies, 3. Use the travel club to be an away fan (only) 4. Pay a big price 5. Go back and see my other team, Hendon 6. Accept that I am an armchair fan. 7. Another option is one I don't like, (but here it is)... plead, and beg!

Anyone got a ticket for me? I don't mind if it's hospitality or what! I will be in a pub before soaking up the atmosphere, and the odd pint or three. I will be in my seat for every second, with only a potty break at half time, and I will be very grateful! Please get in touch soonest. Thanks for listening. (Ed’s note, if anyone wants to help put Mike, email the site and we’ll forward it to the man himself)