Kevin Whitcher
Just a quick promotional post to inform everyone attending the Sunderland and West Brom matches that there will be a new issue of The Gooner on sale.
It contains an extra 16 pages, being a bit of an end of season / FA Cup final special, hence an extra 50p on the cover price – so it’s £3. On sale from sellers on your approach to the stadium.
As far as the Cup content goes, there is a review of the semi-final win against Reading, a special feature recalling past FA Cup semi-finals that the Gunners have played in, a piece on Arsenal at Wembley Stadium and an article on the importance of winning the trophy last season.
In addition, we have a second special feature, this one entitled ‘The Spirit of Arsenal’, where we asked our contributors to write about an individual figure that embodied what the club meant to them.
Other one-off pieces include the second part of an in-depth interview with 1980s and 90s striking legend Alan ‘Smudger’ Smith, a preview of Arsenal’s summer transfer window, a look back on 20 years of St Totteringham’s Day and a piece on the history of our very own Gooner podcast.
Add to that there are articles about ex-Gunner TV pundits, whether the expectations of the fans are realistic, the achievement of building a new stadium as the club comes out of the financial restrictions it involved, who might follow Arsène Wenger as manager and a nostalgic offering recalling 1960s player George Eastham.
There are all the regulars, such as In the Away End (Liverpool), Players not on the stadium core (Doug Lishman), the Arsenal Programme Through The Years (1981-82), The Spy, Mickey Cannon, Anger Management, Talking Reds, Inbox and the North Bank Times.
There is a double dose of cartoon humour as well, in the form of everyone’s favourite Spurs fan Dwight Hart-Lane, and a one-off strip – Abou Diaby Is Going Nowhere.
All in all, a bumper edition for your £3. The good news is that we will definitely continue next season, something that cannot be taken for granted in an age where fanzines are dwindling in number, as evidenced by the demise of Manchester United’s ‘Red Issue’ this season. If you want ‘The Gooner’ to continue to be part of your matchday, then please support us by buying the fanzine from our sales team, by post, or by purchasing the electronic version.
Gooner sellers will also be selling cup final rosettes for a fiver this evening, both yellow & blue and red & white versions.
For those who can’t make the game (or the two subsequent home matches), the issue can be bought through this very website on this page. An e-edition is also available. Details of how to buy that are at the bottom of href=http://www.onlinegooner.com/article.php?section=editorial&id=551 target="_blank">this page.
