Delhi Gunner blog: Guide to Arsenal

Arsenal F.C - I fell in love with this football club from North London (which is thousands of kms from my home in New Delhi) in the year 2000.
Why? Honestly it was because Manchester United were the overwhelming favorites in the English league with a fast growing fan following in India. I love to support the underdog. Love to be different. Arsenal were the underdogs and they were different. They played football on the ground as opposed to Manchester's reliance on crosses. (from Beckham and co.)The lovely one touch football coupled with a great team spirit between the players was mesmerizing. That's how it started.

The French manager of Arsenal - Arsene Wenger. A brilliant intellectual and a philosophical man who oozes class and brilliance. As opposed to finger wagging, expletive uttering madmen type football managers that populate the English league, Arsene Wenger is a quiet, patient manager who likes Arsenal to play the game as it should be played. Attacking football with defenders joining into attacks and fast flowing moves where individual brilliance and team work are blended to form a heady cocktail that leaves fans dumbstruck and opposition players cursing their incompetence. Such football idealism may sound stupid in a game where money and winning is all that matters but try telling that to Le Professor (as Wenger is called). Add to this his unmatched ability to make nobodies into world beaters by polishing raw, young players into cultured, fast, skilled footballers and you will know why he is called one of the best coaches of all time.

Traditionally football in England has been dominated by the Northern clubs- Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle. Football is primarily a working class game in England and is more physical and faster than the game elsewhere in the world. Arsenal is the most successful London club in English football and is part of the Big 4 of English football today (Arsenal, ManU, Chelsea and Liverpool form the Big 4). Being the first Southern club to join the English first division Arsenal has been in the first division continuously since 1919 - an unmatched record.

Another great manager of Arsenal was Georger Graham.

The greatest Arsenal players of the past few years are Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas, Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pires, Kolo Toure, David Seaman, Patrick Viera and Tony Adams (in no particular order).

Thierry Henry - the club's highest ever goal scorer. Lighting fast forward with great touch and shooting ability. Played on the left wing to cut inside and score from his right boot.

Dennis Bergkamp - Dutch forward player. Widely regarded as one of the English Premier League's all-time greatest players. In 2007 he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame. Excellent passer of the ball blessed with great vision and tactical awareness. Scored some wonder goals and gave some amazing assists in his time with Arsenal.
Did you know Dennis has a fear of flying? He was nicknamed the "Non flying Dutchman" (as opposed to the infamous ghost ship "The Flying Dutchman"). He used to travel by car to all of Arsenal's away games in Europe.

Proud records, league titles, great present and former players and managers Arsenal has all this. And it also has famous, unforgettable wins of 1989 and 2003. The 1989 league season is brilliantly portrayed in the book (and later the 1997 film) Fever Pitch by an Arsenal fan Nick Hornby. Arsenal go into the last game of the season needing to win against Liverpool by 2 clear goals. If they don't Liverpool will win the title. Arsenal led 1-0 going into the last minute of the match and Michael Thomas (the man in yellow) scored the 2nd goal with just seconds to go giving Arsenal a famous win.

In 2003-2004 the club went unbeaten throughout the league season - a rare feat only accomplished once before way back in the 1800s. Some of the goals and plays from that season are simply breath taking. The team was called the "Invincibles" and consisted of Arsenal and football greats like Henry, Viera, Bergkamp, Toure and Pires.

The team went on to stay unbeaten for 49 consecutive league games. In the 50th match at Old Trafford Wayne Rooney was he villian as he took a blatant dive to win a penalty for Manchester United. That moment of cheating denied Arsenal it's 50th straight unbeaten game and is regarded as one of the most tragic and sad days in Arsenal F.C's history. Arsenal is a big victim of diving and play acting. Ironically one of Arsenal current players Eduardo was embroiled in a diving controversy due to the silly Anti-Arsenal British press.

Wayne Rooney in a seperate dive! I'll give it 9.5/10!

Highbury (home of Football like Lord's is the home of cricket) was Arsenal's home ground till 2007. It had a modest capacity of about 38,000. Famous stands included the Clock end and East end. It was also known as the Arsenal stadium and featured in two movies - Fever Pitch (1997) and The Arsenal Stadium Mystery.

The famous Clock end

Ashburton grove (or the Emirates Stadium) is the new home of Arsenal football club. It has a capacity of 60,500 and is truly one of the best stadiums in the world.

Today Arsenal has a new look team with many youngsters. Majority of the Arsenal players are home grown i.e they have been enrolled in the Arsenal academy since a young age and are playing for the senior team now. Arsenal's young guns include Mexican forward Carlos Vela, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott and Fran Merida. Some of them are sure to be big star footballers of the future.
The club's youth policy is nurtured by Arsene Wenger as a way to remain competitive as well as financially viable. Rising age, The construction of the new stadium and economic crises have forced Arsene to sell or retire all of the 2003-2004 Invincibles squad. Notable moves were Pat Viera to Inter, Henry to Barcelona and Pires to Villareal. Dennis Bergkamp retired. The last of the Invincibles squad Kolo Toure was sold to newly rich Manchester City in 2009.
In spite of not winning any major trophy since 2005 (Arsenal won the FA Cup then) Arsene Wenger's policy is considered a great success. It has resulted in Arsenal becoming one of the most profitable clubs in England giving value to it's shareholders. Also the supporters have been treated to wonderful eye catching football at all times as Wenger has not compromised on quality of play.

What has been disappointing is the losses suffered by Arsenal in crucial matches like the Semi finals of the champions league and FA Cup (2008-2009) and crucial matches at the end of the 2007-2008 League season (when Arsenal blew a 6 point lead in the league). This is put down to lack of experience in the young squad. Also luck has not been on Arsenal's side. In 2007-2008 when Arsenal were leading the league by 6 points a horror tackle broke Arsenal striker Eduardo's leg. Arsenal drew the match due to a dubious penalty given to their opponents that day and went on a drawing spree as they lost steam and confidence.
Also the same year a bad penalty decision in favour of Liverpool cost Arsenal a place in the 2008 Champion's league semi final.
Arsenal has the unique distinction of being the only top 4 club not owned by a non-English billionaire businessman. This means the club is English owned and is not subject to the whims and fancies of some non-footballer billionaire. Arsene Wenger (the manager for the last 13 years) has major say in most decisions and this has ensured stability and proper management of finances as well as ethical, clean business practices esp. involving transfers and player wages.

Arsenal is also known as "The Gunners". There is a London tube station named Arsenal - the only tube station named after a football club.

The club crest with a canon pointing towards the right is a great advert for the clubs which loves attacking beautiful football.
You will often find that Arsenal's nickname - The Gunners - is used to describe their fortunes. "Gunners blast through Everton" "Gunners misfire at Milan get only a draw", "Gunners fire 6 past Manchester United".

Arsenal greatest rivals are neighbors - Tottenham Hotspurs. Matches between the two teams are called North London derbies. Close behind in terms of rivalry are Manchester United and Chelsea.

Arsenal also has the distinction of having the best footballing pitch (in terms of grass quality) in the English league with the Arsenal grounds men winning many awards for their fine work.

The Arsenal ladies team is English football's most successful team ever.