Arsenal Gooners Diary 2003/4


Previously:
All 4-1, 1-4 All	Tue 25 May
What a way to end a football season, with one big blowout of a blistering a weekend, absolutely overdosing on Arsenal euphoria.

2004 - Never Again?	Tue 11 May
Its a pity Fulham are going back to the Cottage next season, as Loftus Rd is almost like a home game for many Gooners. I left Highbury 30 minutes before kick-off on Sunday.

You've Gotta Fight For The Right To Party!	Tue 04 May
With Róna visiting her folks in the Emerald Isle, I was faced with a bit of a dilemma last weekend.

Immortality Beckons?	Mon 26 Apr
Only a couple of weeks back the thought of actually winning the title at White Hart Lane was an outrageous fantasy in the minds of most Gooners.

Hallelujah! The Library's Lambs Finally Let Rip	Tue 20 Apr
Don'tcha just love this time of year? As the flora and fauna bursts forth in all its resplendent beauty with the scent of summer and the promise of long sunny evenings, spring is well and truly sprung.

Glass Half Full? Our Bleedin' Cup Runneth Over!	Mon 12 Apr
If ever there's been a week in football deserving of the "funny old game" cliché, it's been this one (as in funny peculiar, not ha ha!).

'This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end...	Wed 07 Apr
...But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.'

The Silence Of The Lambs	Tue 06 Apr
Everyone recognized that the four games in the past fortnight were a make or break point in the Arsenal's amazing season.

Over Land And Sea (If only we can get past Drayton Park!)	Mon 29 Mar
I was tearing what's left of my hair out last Wednesday evening, even before we'd arrived at Stamford Bridge. Departing Highbury late as ever, I fully expected to have to battle my way through London's tortuous rush hour traffic.

Does The Fat Lady Like A Cigar?	Mon 22 Mar
Supporting a football club is rather like a middle name, it might fall into disuse now and again because it's a source of embarrassment, but there's never really any question of changing it.

One Goal Is En-Oeuf	Tue 16 Mar
I was up with the lark last Friday. By the time all eight balls were in the hat for the Champions League draw, I'd written six pages of notes after trawling the internet for the previous three hours.

A Jolly Green Gooner Jamboree	Mon 08 Mar
Smothering with a debilitating cold, it would have been far more sensible to stop at home, snugly ensconced in the warm watching the events unfold at Fratton Park on the box, in the company of Motty, Lineker and co.

Springtime For Gooners in Germany?	Mon 01 Mar
Confidence might be an unlikely bedfellow for an eternal pessimist like myself but after a lifetime of watching this capricious sport of ours, even I can't ignore the rare moment of clarity which suggest that perhaps the writing is on the wall.

Arsenal's Whole Is Greater Than The Sum of Chelsea's Parts	Mon 23 Feb
I wonder what fans of Wolves or Man City would have made of the bloke beside me at Stamford Bridge, if I'd taken a tape recorder with me on Saturday.

Money Can't Buy Blues Love	Sat 21 Feb
Dennis Bergkamp will always have a special place in my heart. Dennis' arrival might have predated Arsène Wenger, but as far as I am concerned this was day one in the calendar of the current revolution.

FA Cup Bazookas Far Better Viewing Than Jordan's	Tue 10 Feb
I can't help but wonder if Razor Ruddock's sojourn in the jungle would have lasted a little longer, if it wasn't for that cosmic cup tie between Spurs and City. Poor Neil's peeved face was a picture as he found himself prematurely ejected.

No Question Whether Gunner Jose Has The 'Cahones'!	Tue 03 Feb
Who would have thunk it! A few months back, before this season started, all the press reports were revelling in their portrayal of the Arsenal's parlous predicament.

The Root Of All Evil	Wed 28 Jan
I took a few seconds on Saturday to scan the corner of the Clock End stand, containing the limited number of extremely long-suffering Boro fans.

Some Months Still Before Bums Start Squeaking And I Start Bragging	Tue 20 Jan
For adherents to the Gooner faith around the globe it amounted to a near perfect weekend. Not many are in Kevin Costner's privileged position, with a helicopter waiting to whisk him to and from a match in the Midlands involving his favourite 'soccer' team.

Two Wrongs Might Not Make A Right, But They Make Durkin An Honorary Gooner	Mon 12 Jan
It was a great relief to see Man Utd finally drop a couple of points on Sunday and restore their single point advantage of earlier in the week (albeit with the Arsenal a few more goals to the good).

Transfer Window Open But Don't Go Buying Any Small Argentinian Pr*cks	Tue 06 Jan
Arsène Wenger reckons we'll have a winter break "by next year". Well my regular compatriot in awayday crimes has already begun this season.

All I Want For Christmas......!	Mon 22 Dec
I was so impressed by a comment written on one of my end of year school reports, that it remains firmly entrenched in my mind some thirty years later.

One Egg May Be An Oeuf But One Goal...?	Mon 15 Dec
The time when the traditional '1-0 to the Arsenal' was considered job done at Highbury is a distant memory. According to the old joke, one egg may be an oeuf but these days one goal certainly isn't.

This Time Next Week.....?	Mon 08 Dec
Winter draws nigh and as the wind whipped around the terracing on our first ever (and hopefully not our last) visit to the Walkers Stadium on Saturday, I reached inside my pocket for some protection.

'Henry Umilia L'Inter' - followed by Hot Dogs, More Henry & A Second Celtic Coming?	Mon 01 Dec
A neighbour's kid from the flat downstairs accompanied me to Highbury on Sunday in Rona's stead.