Marc Paydon
This season has been a strange one - from panic-buys, to the highs and lows our football. However, one person who will not be able to experience Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium anymore is Tuggy. A season-ticket holder who sat in front of me in Block 99, and who I hadn't seen since our glorious win over Spurs.
He sadly died of a massive heart attack at the age of 51. His death left me feeling numb, but how much did I know about this man. He wasn't a personal friend, yet he was a footballing acquaintance, who I had known since we arrived from Highbury.
I saw him wave to a few people before the game, and during the first-half his ritual was to always take off his jacket, no matter how cold it was. Think of how Vic Akers appears wearing his shorts when temperatures are below freezing, and this is how Tuggy used to be. It was his thing, but come half-time the jacket would go straight on and he'd head off to get a hot drink and see a friend.
I call this man Tuggy, as I didn't know his real name, apart from the name on the back of his Arsenal shirt. In fact I knew very little about him, except he was always friendly, and lost a lot of weight in the close season a few years ago.
Having been a ticket registration scheme member at Highbury, my father and I moved around like Nomads on match days, always sitting next to new people, and feeling like I was being judged if I sang a song or was too vocal about a player. You could hear the thoughts of my fellow supporters, "His first game here, and he thinks he's the club's number one fan!"
Since getting a season ticket, I have not had the pleasure of seeing any meaningful trophies paraded around the pitch, except for the customary 12 trophies the Ladies team win each season.
What I do see, and what shall miss from Tuggy's passing, is the constant of the season ticket holders around me. There are so many characters, the neanderthal supporter who berates every decision, and also the people you speak to or those that make a comment about a player or a decision in the game.
I didn't sleep very well the night after I found out Tuggy had died, as I will miss him. This article is a sort of obituary to a man I didn't know well, but in football terms, we had been through so much together.
Your first half ritual will be greatly missed.
RIP Tuggy!
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Ed's note. Granted not appropriate, but life goes on and I've been asked to do this today. So....
The winner of our competition for a pair of tickets for the Fever Pitch screening in aid of Homeless FA was Lewis Millen who correctly answered that Perry Groves wore the number 12 shirt at Anfield on May 26th 1989. Well done Lewis! We hope you enjoy the evening. Tickets to the event are now sold out, but Homeless FA will also be benefitting from the proceeds of a comedy night coming up in May featuring Alan Davies, Jack Whitehall and Ian Stone amongst others. For details of this event, please visit the Comedy Store website.
