Kevin Whitcher
Ok, so an occasional collection of thoughts and plugs and the likes to provide a little content for the website on quieter weeks such as this one. Here goes…
Emmanuel Eboue
Did anyone see the Real Madrid v Galatasaray match on the box last night? It was just like old times seeing Eboue, the clown in the dressing room, continue his work on the pitch at the Bernabeu, condemning his club to a Champions League exit. Remember this is the man who flew to Istanbul to meet his suitors when they were flying to London to meet him. We all loved him as some kind of a cult hero after he rebuilt his relationship with supporters following on from the booing he received as the substitute was substituted against… was it Wigan? Fair play to him for looking on the bright side and demonstrating a love for the fans, it certainly won them over. However, be honest, nice guy as he was, did you not cringe when you heard his name in the starting eleven in his last couple of seasons at the club? Let’s face it, he was crap, has been since a mysteriously impressive 2005-06 campaign and still is crap, as the first two Real goals amply demonstrated. His dive to win a free kick in a dangerous area in the dying minutes brought back memories of Paris 2006. To think such a dive could have led to the most important goal in the club’s history. Maybe karma intervened that night, although Barcelona were plenty cynical too. It will be interesting to see if the jokerman is picked for the return leg, or indeed, ever again…
Atmosphere
I was going to go into the details of a series of text messages on how the game has changed and lost its magic for certain of us at this point, but I will save that for another day. It was sparked by someone reading my article on last weekend’s match v Reading. However, it does give me the opportunity to plug AISA’s matchday experience meeting this coming Thursday evening, near Great Portland Street, which is open to all Arsenal supporters and not just AISA members, although you can join on the night if you so wish. Pre-registration is essential due to the security arrangements at venue, so if you do plan to get along and have your say in a debate about how you think things at the Grove can be improved, follow the instructions on the link above.
All for a good cause
Legendary wheelchair fan Paul Smith is once again back on the road to raise money for charity, as he has been doing for at least the last couple of seasons, and probably longer. We’ve had Challenge 100, Challenge 200 and it doesn’t take a genius to work out what’s on the agenda this year. Yup, Challenge 300. Although you could question the man’s sanity you cannot doubt his generosity. He is aiming to raise £50,000 this time around, so needs more Gooners to chip in. Looking ahead, it’s a question of where he will stop. I reckon 400 and 500 will present no problem at all. 600 he will do. But 700 will be his last hurrah. My reckoning is that Challenge 800 will be a challenge too far, and he will probably not even attempt it. But by then he will have raised a hell of a lot of money and have biceps the size of Cesc Fabregas.
The Rolling Stones
Bear with me if I go a bit Myles Palmer on you and switch to rock ‘n’ roll and discuss the thorny issue of expensive ticket prices. The Stones played Hyde Park in July 1969 for free. Gratis. 44 years on and they are back. Only this time, it will cost you £99 for a distant view, or £295 if you want to be anywhere within shouting distance of the stage. And something in the middle if you can’t afford £295 but want to be closer than the riff raff. And you know what, it will probably sell out. Take my advice. Watch them play at Glastonbury on your TV the weekend before, see them close up and realise these guys are just a little too old to give you reason to shell out that much money. You’ll hear the music better and can have a pint a lot cheaper – out of your fridge. Funnily enough, it’s an approach a good number of Gooners are already opting for going by attendances for certain TV games these days, even though many have actually already paid for overpriced tickets.
Quiz night
Gooner stalwart Phil Wall is holding an Arsenal quiz night for charity at the Tollington Arms on Thursday 18th April. It promises to be a good night, so if you fancy it, it’s open to individuals or teams of up to eight – although individuals will be combined to form impromptu teams which could provide plenty of healthy debate about how many league goals John Radford scored for Arsenal or what was the name of the mascot on the night we won the league at Anfield. Full details via the link.
