Arsenal from 2016

To read about the earlier club history and see pictures and read about my visits to Highbury, click here.

Arsenal's history took another immense turn when the club opened a brand new stadium a few hundred yards from their old Highbury home at Ashburton Grove in 2006, while the old stadium was turned into flats using the old stands while the pitch was turned into a garden for residents. 

A deal was struck for naming rights at the their new home which became known as the Emirates Stadium.

Unfortunately the move also led to a long spell of trophy less seasons, which led to some annoyance amongst the loyal support. Wenger's strategy of not signing senior players or breaking the wage structure was criticised by fans paying top ticket prices. 

Meanwhile a battle carried on in the boardroom over ownership until Stan Kroenke eventually gained control ahead of Alisher Usmanov's Red White Securities. Robin Van Persie flew the flag on the pitch as successor to recent heroes Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabrigas and Samir Nasri, who all moved on causing some of the fans' disgruntlement. 

German star player Lucas Podolski was signed for the 2012-13 season in an attempt to assist the fine conveyor belt of young talent to bring honours as well as the consistent Champions League qualification. The signing of Mesut Ozil placated frustrated fans before the 2013-14 season.

Silverware at last arrived at the Emirates Stadium in 2013-14 as Arsenal lifted the FA Cup following a classic FA Cup Final against Hull City as the came from 2-0 down to win 3-2 through goals from Santi Cazorla, Laurent Koscielny and Aaron Ramsey. 

A top four league position and qualification into the Champions League was also achieved for yet another season. Despite the successes and the lifting of the Community Shield, Wenger was still criticised in some quarters. Alexis Sánchez, the Chilean striker along with Danny Welbeck, were brought in to try and fire the goals to bring home a league title.

The new fire power took The Gunners to third place as well as retaining the FA Cup with a 4-0 hammering of Aston Villa at Wembley with Sánchez, Theo Walcott, Per Mertesacker and Olivier Giroud netting. Fans were dismayed when Wenger made just one signing in the August 2015 transfer window, that of Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Čech.

The club continued to qualify for the Champions League until the end of the 2016-17 season. It was the first time that the side had finished outside the top four since Wenger's arrival. Consolation came as Arsenal won the FA Cup for a thirteenth occasion; this time with a 2-1 win against Chelsea.

Wenger ended his spell at the club after the final game of the 2017-18 season, as tributes flowed with the team finishing in sixth place. The Spaniard, Unai Emery was announced as the new manager of Arsenal.

Emery's side finished fifth in the league as well as reaching the final of the 2018-19 Europa League, where they lost 4-1 to Chelsea in Baku. Emery was replaced by Mikel Arteta in December 2019. 

He led the side to lift the FA Cup in 2019-20 as Chelsea were defeated 2-1 with two goals from skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Gunners went on to a disappointing eighth place league finish in 2020-21. This was improved upon with fifth place twelve months later as Arteta introduced many impressive youngsters to the side.

Excellent performances from the likes of skipper Martin Ødegaard, along with Bukayo Saka, Thomas Partey, and Gabriel Jesus saw Arsenal lead the table for much of the 2022-23 season before eventually finishing second. The squad was then strengthened through the signing of Declan Rice.

Arsenal FC will play in the Premier League in the 2023-24 season.

My visits

Arsenal 0 CSKA Moscow 0 (Wednesday 1st November 2006) Champions League (att: 60,003)

By now I had now joined London Underground and a colleague of mine John Wilson, an Avid Gooner and season ticket holder couldn't get to the Champions League game against CSKA Moscow (who I'd coincidentally seen at Stamford Bridge a couple of years previously). I made my way to the Emirates Stadium. 

I used Arsenal tube station and followed the crowds round the corner to the stadium. I was very early as I wanted to get inside and take some photos but also needed to find a cash machine. 

Naively I thought I'd find one inside but there wasn't one so I had to remain beer less. Emirates Stadium was a truly stunning place. It felt like approaching to watch a game abroad or to see an international game.

The four-tiered bowl had roofing over the stands but not over the pitch, with every padded seat having a good view and ample leg room. The main middle tier, known as the "Club Level", is premium priced. 

It includes the director's box which had 7,139 seats at this level, which are sold on licences lasting from one to four years. The bottom tier has 24,425 seats with the upper holding 26,646. 

The other mid tier is home to corporate boxes. One thing that does slightly detract it in my opinion is that there is quite a bit of space between the playing pitch and the spectators compared with the special intimacy created at Highbury.

The game was totally dominated by Arsenal although the Russians counter attacked well occasionally. The home side blew chance after chance. The game ended 0-0 in front of a crowd of 60,003 and I departed two minutes from the end. The crowd control outside was first class and I was soon shepherded into the station and on my way home.

Arsenal 2 Hull City 1 (Tuesday 17th March 2009) FA Cup Sixth Round (att: 55,641)

My brother Nick managed to get us tickets for the City section for a game which saw The Tigers appear in the FA Cup Quarter Final for the first time in thirty eight years. He headed down to meet me from work. 

We had an enjoyable afternoon catching up and having beers at Hampstead CC and a place in Camden Road before heading up to the pubs near to the ground in Holloway Road.

We were refused entry at the Coronet Wetherspoons pub as we weren't home fans. We continued to the next one the Herbert Chapman. We were asked by the doorman, "Har you Ass in Hell" or at least that's what our Eastern European friend sounded like. 

We smiled and nodded and we were in while trying not to wet ourselves laughing. We must have stood out a mile inside but what the hell?

We made our way for a beer inside the stadium after I'd got us a little lost looking for another place I knew of. Our seats were excellent in the corner of the stadium but quite near the segregation with the home fans. City, who had already won at The Emirates in their debut season in the top flight, went one up through Nicky Barmby on thirteen minutes.

Arsenal huffed and puffed but could not break down The Tigers rearguard despite the best efforts of referee Mike Riley who did everything possible to help the home side short of donning a red shirt. 

The City fans were going spare while the home fans in the crowd incredibly whined! Eventually the pressure paid off for Arsenal with an equaliser from Robin van Persie before referee Riley allowed a headed winning goal from William Gallas to stand which replays proved was about two yards offside.

The City players were livid at the end as were manager Phil Brown and assistant Brian Horton who claimed that Gunners non playing skipper, Cesc Fabregas had spat at him. We left the ground not in the best of moods to walk back to the station before alighting at Finchley Road for refreshments.

I simmered down about two days later.

Monday 12th December 2011

Dad had come to stay with me on the Sunday evening before heading back to Yorkshire the following afternoon. We had a lovely long walk with my brother Paul, before heading home for the evening to relax and watch the sport on the TV. 

While we had a beer we went through some ideas for the following day to fill in a few hours.

While Match of the Day 2 was on, Dad mentioned not for the first time that he'd love to go to a game at The Emirates. Tickets are hard to come across, but I happened to mention that there is a museum up there. It seemed to hit an instant chord, so we pencilled it in for the next day.

We caught the tube down to West Hampstead and then took an Overground train to Highbury & Islington. It was a cold but bright day, which showed the lovely old Victorian terraces on the roads up the hill through Highbury Fields to their greatest effect. 

Although the plan was to definitely look inside the museum, I also mentioned that there were tours around the stadium. I was really hoping that there would be one to fit into our time frame, and the weather and views were putting the pair of us in a good mood.

I had taken him this way so that we could also see what they had done to the old stadium at Highbury. Dad's eyes lit up as we looked down Conewood Street with the majesty of the old East Stand down at the end of the road. The old East and West Stands had been kept the same at the rear through a preservation order and smartened up. 

The fronts had been converted into flats, along with new blocks where the North and Clock Stands once stood. The pitch was now a communal garden, with each flat having their own space. One of the gates were open, so we went inside to take a photo.

We walked around past Arsenal tube station, along Drayton Park and up the steps to the rear of the north end. The gent on the door of the museum gave us directions to the tours office around at the other end. 

Just walking around the perimeter was worth the effort with the murals and banners depicting both well known and unseen heroes of the club. The murals on the stadiums walls were simply stunning.

Dad was concerned as he thought the tour was 10.15, but fortunately that was the time that they commenced from. The welcoming staff explained that our tour was self conducted and we could set off immediately. 

We paid £9 for Dad and £17.50 for me, which included the tour and the museum. We were given a console with controls and a small screen as well as earphones. They were set for us, and after a quick bag search we were on our way.

Bob Wilson narrated the self explanatory tour, with contributions from Robin Van Persie, Wojciech Szczesny and Theo Walcott. There were interjections along the way, with videos of great moments and comments from Arsene Wenger. The console offered the option of doing a direct tour or watching and listening to extras while at a particular point.

We started in the reception area and then went into the directors box, both inside and out. We went upstairs to the incredible VIP area as Wilson explained about the 'Arsenal Way' and how attention to detail and class were so imperative when the stadium was built. 

We went back downstairs and visited the home and away changing rooms, the press conference room and went down the tunnel and to the Arsenal dugout. There were guides along the route to answer any questions. 

Wilson encouraged us to test the guides, who were certainly knowledgeable and proud of their jobs. The bloke by the dugouts was a former Enfield FC player, so when he saw my Scarborough Athletic jacket, we had a good chat.

The tour naturally enough ended in the souvenir shop! It took us around an hour, but could have easily been spread out to double that time. There was no pressure whatsoever to go at any speed. The accompanying video and guide was interesting and classy. 

There was none of the gloating that some other stadiums have been guilty of on my previous tours on my travels. Put simply, it was the best tour I had ever been on at any sports arena. It had been just short of four years since I took Dad round Wembley, and he agreed with me.

The club had celebrated their 125th Anniversary the previous Saturday at the match against Everton, and the previous day they had unveiled three statues on the outer concourse to honour three of their greatest heroes. We walked round and saw the tributes to Thierry Henry, Herbert Chapman and Tony Adams.

We entered the museum, where the same gent from earlier gave us an introduction. He was genuinely pleased that we rated the tour better then Wembley. He was most modest as he commented that at The Emirates they only had to look after one club and one sport, unlike Wembley. He said there was very little likelihood of rugby being played here. He did laugh when my Dad added, "Only when Stoke are here!"

The museum offered entertainment for all ages, with many interactive displays. We only spent thirty minutes in there as time was short, but you could stay as long as you wished. We went back to the Armories Arsenal shop so Dad could buy a gift for his Gunners supporting mate back at the Railway Club in Scarborough. He said he couldn't wait to tell him all about it.

We had time for a quick cuppa in the brilliant Coronet on Holloway Road before heading to St Pancras so Dad could catch his train back up north. It had been a superb morning and a complete contrast in emotions from the last time I left there. I will never be an Arsenal fan, but in terms of class and doing the right thing, nobody does it better.

Many thanks to everyone at The Emirates for making a couple of football fans so happy.

Arsenal 2 Hull City 0 (Wednesday 4^th December 2013) FA Premier League (att: 60,017)

I’d been contacted by my old pal Frazer Armitage a few weeks before the match to tell me he was coming down to the game with John Groombridge and Paul Sharp. As I was off work, I asked if there was any chance of sorting me out a ticket.

It hadn’t been easy as City were offering free coach travel and Arsenal were only charging £25 a ticket. However, Frazer managed to exchange his sons ticket for an adult one and I was going. My brother Nick also arranged to pick one up before the game, so he was to stay with me.

We had a most convivial afternoon out at the excellent King Charles pub in Kings Cross, before heading to Islington. Nick was getting concerned as the coaches had been severely delayed following a crash on the M1 near Leicester, and his ticket was with one of the fans on board. 

We managed to get last drinks in the Drayton Park Arms after a trendy bar bear Highbury & Islington station, catching up with some old faces before heading over the road into the Emirates.

Our seats were on the front row. By the time the rest of the lads got in, City were one down thanks to a rare Nicklas Bendtner goal. The Gunners were controlling the game on a freezing cold evening. 

I went to try and warm up with some food and drink, but remarkably there was nothing on offer until half time, which was most un Arsenal like.

City were under the threat of a name change to Hull Tigers in a crazy move from owner Assem Allam. The majority of fans, particularly those who’d been going long before the glamour of the Premier League, were most upset. 

Most fans of other clubs were most sympathetic. It was therefore most disappointing when the Arsenal fans behind the goal taunted us with “You’re not City anymore.” They mainly shut up with the brilliant retort of “You’re not English anymore”.

To be fair, The Tigers held their shape without really threatening. Unfortunately they shipped the second goal two minutes after the interval from Mesut Ozil, which killed off the game.

The atmosphere had been poor in the away section because the offers had attracted a lot of fans who generally wouldn’t travel. We got away just before the final whistle and said goodbye to the lads, while Nick and I caught the Overground from Highbury & Islington. We walked into the pub in Kingsbury just as Match of the Day was starting.

To round off a great day aside from the result at our game, we ordered pizzas and went home for the opening exchanges in the second Ashes Test.

Arsenal 2 Hull City 2 (Saturday 18^th October 2014) FA Premier League (att: 60,004)

I finished work for two weeks at 2pm and managed to get to The Emirates in plenty of time having got hold of a ticket in the City end for £26.

The afternoon was an eye opener and cultural experience as the locals dined in restaurants and sipped wine in the many overpriced establishments in the area. Greggs pasties were my pre match snack of choice.!  I had no time for pre match ales, not that I suppose I’d have been allowed in anywhere as an away fan.

My seat was on the back row of the away end under the overhang. Big time football had definitely changed and I was rapidly falling out of love with the experience. The City section had foreign visitors aplenty. I was surrounded by women and families and was all but waiting for the picnic hampers to come out.

This was a game that Arsenal had the vast majority of possession, but hilariously didn't win. In the end they were lucky to grab a draw. For all their possession, the third choice error prone keeper Eldin Jakopovic only had one real effort to save after coming on as a sub to replace the injured Steve Harper after around forty minutes.

Alexis Sánchez was a class act for Arsenal, so it was no shock when he gave the hosts the lead on thirteen minutes. It was somewhat of a surprise when Mohamed Diamé equalised four minutes later, especially as everyone not connected with City screamed for a foul on Mathieu Flamini before the midfielder lofted the ball over keeper Wojciech Szczesny.

A fine move soon after the break involving Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore saw a cross headed in by Abel Hernandez. It looked like City would hang on with a mixture of bravery and game management when Danny Welbeck scored in stoppage time.

The old school City fans actually got a decent atmosphere going to the bemusement of some who obviously hadn't experienced passion like it before. The home fans squealed like fire engine sirens continually whining. 

Presumably away teams were meant to go there and play with five up front and then applaud those jolly good chaps in red and while having their tummies tickled? The Gooners fans were even worse than at the Cup Final. Michael Dawson was immense in defence and at cranking the home fans up. Apparently he used to play for their neighbours?

I wasn’t sure if I should have been flattered or not but three spotty herberts tried provoking me outside the Upper Street 'Spoons after the game. “2-0 and you f***d it up”. What classy fans. I was forty nine a few weeks later for goodness sake. 

My mood was not helped when I required a soothing cold one at the first place that let away fans in and was charged £4.75 for a Peroni, unless they bought me a meal out after I left?. The evening rapidly improved when I enjoyed a couple of fine ales in the Craft Pub on White Lion Street.

I headed back for further refreshment in Kingsbury looking forward to my cricket holiday in Thailand. It was a strange day of annoyance and utter joy at times in equal measure. I was definitely getting older!

Friday 4th December 2020

Click here to read about a further visit as part of my 100 mile Sawasdee Cup Charity Walk late in 2020 as I called in on all the clubs in the top five tiers within Greater London to raise money for Junior Cricket Development in Thailand.

The Emirates Stadium was my final port of call. I had never been more pleased to see the place before heading off in good company for food and libations.