Sometimes a Fan Has to Avoid Twitter and Reading the Papers

Saturday's loss to Blackburn at the Emirates was worse than a kick in the gut. Seeing Arsenal dominate the match only to lose on a lucky shot from an inferior team was a sadly familiar sight. Like the loss to Bradford that knocked Arsenal out of the League Cup, this humiliating Blackburn defeat killed this season's dream of winning a trophy. Losses to great teams are difficult, but at least can be explained. Losses to poor teams that have barely put up a fight are just plain unacceptable.

Rational or not, fans' moods are affected by the results for their team. Needless to say, this result left Gooners everywhere angry and fed up. Twitter became a stream of vitriol and every type of anti Arsenal slur was being thrown around. Fans were fighting with other fans, fans of other teams were taking pot shots and the football press was ready to pounce on the wounded Arsenal psyche.

At that point, I knew it was time to unplug from the digital world and not get involved in the blame game. I definitely have my feelings, but I also want to support my team and don't see the point in spewing anger and knee jerk reactions at random.

It's apparent that the Wenger Out movement has gained a lot of supporters as a result of recent losses. I'm not going to say that these folks don't have a point, but I'm also not ready to jump on that bandwagon. 

I may be in the minority, but I still believe in Arsene Wenger. I do, however, believe that there has to be some type of real change within the club and a bit more honesty with the fans as to what goes on behind the scenes.

I know that football is a total different sport and the EPL is unlike any league in the US. I do know, however, that there are plenty of fans worldwide that rarely if ever get to see the club they support win championships. Arsenal under Arsene Wenger have achieved a lot of success so despite an eight year trophyless stretch fans need to keep in mind that they have tasted success and believe that they will again soon.

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The Mets are now in Port St. Lucie as Spring Training has started. I recently wrote about how GM Sandy Alderson is doing the best he can with what he's been given in terms of turning around the Mets. While I think the team is still a few years away, there's nothing like Spring Training and a clean slate to get you excited for the start of the baseball season.

Arsenal at 2:30 on a Wednesday Afternoon

Perhaps it was the two pints of Carlsberg in the middle of the afternoon or more likely a New York bar full of Gooners on a dreary Wednesday....Whatever it was, it proved to be the best use of my "underemployed " time for quite a while. Networking, job searching, trying to get your own business going....blah, blah, blah...enough. It was time to watch Arsenal surrounded by other like minded fans that have the time to watch a match in the middle of the day.

I invited a friend in a similar situation to join me. Being a fellow sports fan, I thought that he might find watching a match where patrons chant, sing and high five each other something he'd be in to. It's worked for other American friends that don't care about "soccer" or find the game boring. The atmosphere allows non believers to experience the passion and excitement for the game and can often create new fans.

Being that most people have actual full time jobs, The Blind Pig was not packed. However, there was a pretty healthy turnout of folks in their Arsenal gear surrounding the TV's and screens throughout the bar.

Heading in to the 86th minute it seemed to be the typical Arsenal story....total domination in the stats, but nothing to show for it. While Michael Vorm was outstanding in the Swansea goal, it seemed as if there was an invisible wall in front of the net. Shot upon shot was saved or deflected but nothing was going in. I will admit now that I remained confident, but having gotten used to regular disappointment I was worried that Swansea would nick one and all the domination would be for naught.

If that had happened it would have been a kick in the gut as the final statistics were quite dramatic:

• Shots on goal: Arsenal 26 Swansea 6
• Shots on target: Arsenal 16 Swansea 1
• Corners Arsenal 13 Swansea 3

Thankfully on this day justice prevailed. Jack Wilshere received a short pass from Olivier Giroud and sent a strong shot straight towards the middle of the net. Vorm barely had time to react and it was 1-0 to the Arsenal.

Wilshere's celebration was awesome and showed his true love of the club as he ran towards the fans. His dominant performance on the pitch showed he is the future captain of  Arsenal. It was a well deserved great moment for Wilshere.

I'm not sure if my friend is destined to become a Gooner, but he seemed to enjoy the match and the football atmosphere created on East 14th Street.

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One additional highlight of the day came from Wayne Rooney. Despite Manchester United defeating West Ham 1-0 on Rooney's goal...he still managed to embarrass himself with one of the worst penalty shots ever taken. Even my grandmother could have done better.

Rooney penalty miss vs West Ham by UCL2410

RA Dickey Proves That Great Athletes Can Also Be Great Humans...Or How To Leave An Organization With Class Redux

RA Dickey is both an athlete and a class act

Back in September I wrote about the classless way Robin van Persie handled himself with regards to his future. The post was entitled How To Leave An Organization With Class: Something RVP Didn't Do, and Should Have Done. He not only refused to sign a new contract with the club and manager that had developed him in to a star player, he abandoned Arsenal and helped force through a move to one of the most hated rivals Man United. His "farewell" to supporters was this passive aggressive "message to the fans"  that he posted on his website.

"This is an update for the fans about my current situation. I have kept quiet all this time out of respect and loyalty for the club and as agreed with Mr. Gazidis and Mr. Wenger, but since there is so much speculation in the media, I think it is fair for you guys to know what’s really going on at the moment.

Judas

"As announced earlier this year I had a meeting with the Boss and Mr. Gazidis after the season. This was a meeting about the club’s future strategy and their policy. Financial terms or a contract have not been discussed, since that is not my priority at all.

"I personally have had a great season but my goal has been to win trophies with the team and to bring the club back to its glory days.

"Out of my huge respect for Mr. Wenger, the players and the fans I don’t want to go into any details, but unfortunately in this meeting it has again become clear to me that we in many aspects disagree on the way Arsenal FC should move forward.

 "I’ve thought long and hard about it, but I have decided not to extend my contract. You guys, the fans, have of course the right to disagree with my view and decision and I will always respect your opinions.

RVP's new BFF

"I love the club and the fans, no matter what happens. I have grown up and became a man during my time with Arsenal FC. Everybody at the club and the fans have always supported me over the years and I have always given my all (and more) on and off the pitch.

"I am very proud of being part of this fantastic club for the last 8 years. As soon as Mr. Gazidis is back from his 2-week holiday in America further meetings will follow and I will update you if and when there are more developments."

That was that. He never addressed Arsenal fans again. He kicked and screamed like a "little boy" and eventually got what he wanted with no regard for those that had supported him for seven years.

In my original post I showed examples of athletes that took out newspaper ads to thank the fans and towns that had supported them when moving on to another club or retiring. These were classy gestures by athletes that took the time to express their appreciation for the folks that helped pay their salaries.

Dickey salutes the fans

Then this past week, RA Dickey went above and beyond those examples. Dickey had resurrected his once floundering pitching career with the woeful Mets and had truly developed a bond with the city and the fans. While no fan wanted Dickey to be traded, in terms of baseball business, it was a move that the Mets had to make. Dickey was traded to the Toronto Bluejays for two top prospects in a deal that is beneficial to both. The Bluejays are ready to win now (and hopefully end the Yankees' reign) while the Mets are building for the future.

In direct contrast to RVP's selfish demands to leave Arsenal, Dickey was traded despite not wanting to leave. Yes, he wanted to stay loyal to the team that had taken a chance on him despite the fact that the Mets are not very good right now. He wasn't demanding a trade to the Yankees or Giants in order for instant glory. He wanted to stay.

Instead of being bitter and angry at Mets management and sulking out of town Dickey wrote the classiest note to New York and Mets fans thanking them, the Mets organization and even the grounds crew at Citi Field. Here are some excerpts from the article that he himself penned and was published in the New York Daily News on Saturday, December 22nd:

I never expected to be writing a farewell “holiday card” to Mets fans. I never expected to be doing anything but celebrating the joy of the season with my wife and kids and looking toward the spring, and the start of my fourth season with an organization that gave me maybe the greatest gift an athlete can get:

A chance.

I am not going to lie to you, though. The trade was hard for me at first. This is where my heart was, where I wanted to be, where I lived out a story of redemption and felt that every one of you shared it with me in some form or fashion. I loved pitching for you. I loved your passion, the way you embraced me from the start, and the way you seemed to appreciate the effort I was putting forth. Every time I’d walk off the mound after an outing, I’d look in your faces, the people behind the dugout, and felt as if all your energy and support was pouring right into me — even when I was lousy. It gives me chill bumps thinking about it even now.

Every organization has to do what it feels is in its best interest, and I have no doubt that that’s what the Mets did by trading Josh Thole, Mike Nickeas and me for two young players who, by all accounts, are terrific prospects. It doesn’t make saying goodbye any easier.

There were so many special relationships I formed that made my time with the Mets so much richer. Not just in the clubhouse, either. I enjoyed talking with Bill Deacon, the head groundskeeper, about his craft, and all that went into it. The security people who helped my wife and kids get in and out of the family lounge, the policemen who helped me get out of the parking lot, the folks at the Hodges Gate — so many people went out of their way to be kind to me, and they should know how much it was, and is, appreciated.

I hope you know that I will never forget my three years in New York, and never be able to adequately thank you for everything you’ve given me.

Now that's what you call a class act. We Mets fans were lucky to have him in our organization. He is one of the few athletes that actually understands the bond that fans have with their teams and feels loyalty towards those that gave him a chance when others wouldn't. RVP and other spoiled, privileged and over paid athletes could learn a thing or two from RA Dickey.

Arsene Wenger Deserves Nothing But Respect

This is a short one and I'll get right to the point. It's obvious that Arsenal have not been performing at the level fans had become accustomed to throughout the Arsene Wenger era. The arguing and name calling between Gooners that want Wenger out and those that still have faith in the manager is becoming a regular feature of my Twitter feed.

I personally think that Wenger is a genius and that the club and us fans are lucky to have a manager like him. Over 16 years, he has often performed miracles, uncovered hidden gems and been nothing but gracious while being vilified by the media and fans. Yes I want my club to win everything every year, but let's deal in reality folks...there's no guarantee of this and sometimes you don't get what you want. Do these fans that want Wenger out want Arsenal to bring in one of the reusable & disposable names that jump from club to club such as Redknapp, Fat Sam, Mark Hughes, Ian Holloway, etc? (a.k.a the Fergie ass kissers).

Who's my next manager?

I stumbled across a column in the Mirror today written by Oliver Holt and he does a great job in laying out why Wenger deserves respect and not condemnation. The man must have a thick skin as he deflects blame that could (and often should) be directed elsewhere. The man loves Arsenal and wants exactly what the fans want.

Check out the article:

The secret life of Arsene Wenger: How Gunners boss takes it for the team

Then think really hard about Arsene Wenger and all he has done for Arsenal. The man deserves nothing but respect. If a drop in play is automatic cause for #WengerOut then perhaps fans should start following Roman Abromovich's Chelsea and they can have a new manager every 8 months!!!

Be careful what you wish for

A Great Week Be a Gooner

It's fitting that this week is Thanksgiving as it's been a great football week to give thanks if you are a Gooner. Not only did Arsenal humiliate Tottenham in last Saturday's North London Derby and then easily handle Montpelier 2-0 in  match day 5 of the Champions League to secure their place in the next round of the tournament...what makes it even sweeter is that every one of the other "big" EPL teams suffered gut wrenching losses.

While it's not nice or mature to gloat at others' misfortune, in the case of football it's fair game. Seeing Manchester United and their Judas striker get shut out and lose to Norwich last weekend was AWESOME. Now, while their Champions League meeting with Galatasary was not important in terms of advancing in the tournament, it's always nice to see Alex Ferguson's side lose regardless of what team he fields.

Then there's that tight scarf wearing smooth Italian at Mercenary City. Mancini's squad did win last weekend, but their 1-1 draw at home against Real Madrid today eliminated Sheik Monsour's "hobby" from Europe's elite tournament. With so many shiny high priced players at his disposal, it's hysterical to see Na$ri and friends bounced while Arsenal progresses.

Spuds, as previously stated, were put back in their place looking up at Arsenal in the EPL standings. What made it even more satisfying was seeing Adebaywhore get all cocky after scoring, only to get red carded soon after and all but take his team out of the match. He will certainly be included in the obligatory toast on St. Totteringham's Day

Then there is Chelsea and the club's never ending parade of managers. What is there to say of this ridiculous club run by a man child Russian oligarch? Check out this facts that I am lifting from the Daily Mail:

• Chelsea have spent approximately  £86m since 2004 in compensation for managers – more than Everton’s entire net spend since the Premier League began.
• Chelsea had eight managers in their first 70 years from 1905 to 1975, they are now going for a ninth in nine years.
• Since failing to escape their Champions League group in 2005, Sir Alex Ferguson has won four Premier League titles, one Champions League and three League Cups with United. 
• Abramovich has now had as many managers in his nine-year reign as United have had since 1937.
• Chelsea have sacked seven managers since 2005 and won seven trophies. 
• The average life span for a manager under Abramovich is eight months. Only Mourinho and Ancelotti lasted more than a year.

Watching the defending European Champions Chelsea lose to West Brom on Saturday, then get shut out by Juventus yesterday and then firing the man that led the team to European glory six months ago is comedy of the highest order. Abramovich is like that annoying cousin you had when you were a kid that would kick over the chess pieces when he wasn't winning. 

Of course football can also cause you lots of heartache, but after several weeks of hearing all about the demise of Arsenal and how great all these "other" teams are, it's nice to get a week like this when all Gooners can hold their heads up high, while fans of these "other" teams go in to hiding.

The Power of Twitter and the Gooner Family

"I have more in common with the people I don't know on Twitter than the ones that I do know on Facebook." I can't remember where I heard this quote but in the case of Arsenal and the club's loyal fan base of Gooners I can confidently say that this is very true.

I never really thought much of Facebook and seeing the type of idiotic and self centered things that most of the "friends" I am connected to on Facebook often post, I almost never look at it. It's always filled with the right wing political rantings of former co-workers I haven't spoken to in years or photos of a new pair of slippers or the baby of a friend's third cousin's step brother. Facebook has basically helped me redefine the meaning of the word friend....those that I speak to or see in person on a regular basis...not acquaintances or folks I once knew back in sixth grade on Facebook.

Based on my feelings about Facebook, I approached Twitter with skepticism. That didn't last long as I have been a believer in Twitter ever since. It's great for keeping up on professional information, various news outlets and other areas of interest. One particular interest that has made me a true Twitter believer is Arsenal Football Club. Being a New York based female supporter of a London "soccer" team is not a common thing. Through Twitter, I have been able to connect with knowledgeable Arsenal fans both in London and the U.K. as well as all over the world. While these connections may be strangers, our common interest and love of Arsenal have created a bond based on a strong mutual interest. In fact, the hashtag #GoonerFamily is often used by fellow Arsenal fans on Twitter to signify the common connection between fans of the team.

When I decided that I needed to take a break from the never ending recession in New York, my first thought was that this would be a great time to finally see Arsenal play at their new stadium. It had been six years since I had last seen Arsenal play at Highbury and I had been wanting to check out Emirates Stadium for quite a while. I looked on line and only saw over inflated ticket brokers and potential ticket scammers. It was then that I decided to take to Twitter to see if any members of the Gooner Family could possibly assist me.

Here is the Tweet that I sent out just three times between September 6th-7th:

6 Sep Jocelyn Taub ‏@JT4Mets4Arsenal

 Gooner Help: Looking to buy AFC tix for Schalke 10/24 & QPR 10/27 any sellers,  help or suggestions on how to find tix appreciated! #Arsenal

That was all it took. I immediately got responses from several of my Arsenal connections offering help or suggestions on where to get tickets. I also received responses from two particular Gooners (their names have  not been printed to protect their Gooner identity) offering tickets at face value. One was from a season ticket holder who would be out of town for the games that I was interested in and the other was a fan that shares a group of tickets with friends and was willing to sell me two of his tickets.We exchanged DM's and then e-mails.

Gooner number one met my friend based in London prior to my arrival and handed him both his season ticket card and his silver membership card in exchange for the cost of the tickets. Being a cynical New Yorker, I found it hard to believe that a total stranger would be so trusting to allow someone he never met the use of these valuable cards. I was blown away at the kindness and generosity of this fan.

His seats were in the North Bank and despite the game versus Schalke being a total bust, my first trip to The Emirates was fantastic.

We had made plans to meet up after his return from his travels so that I could give him his ticket and membership card back and buy him a pint to say thank you. Despite being jet lagged from a flight from Asia, Gooner number one met me at a local pub and we got to have a nice chat and finally connect. I am still amazed at how awesome he was in helping me get tickets that are usually impossible to get.

Gooner number two was going to the match against QPR on Saturday afternoon and we made plans to meet up at the Tollington Pub not far from the stadium and Holloway Road. The place was packed with Gooners and the pre-game pints were flowing. My friend and I met up with Gooner number two and a number of his friends and we headed over to The Emirates together. We viewed another pretty lousy Arsenal performance from the lower tier and eventually Arteta scored a late goal for a 1-0 victory. A trip back to the pub and some post-match fish and chips followed to celebrate the victory.

In addition to the Gooners that were kind enough to assist me in obtaining match tickets, I also met up with another Gooner from Twitter for a pint at The Junction prior to the Schalke match. Not only is this Gooner an Arsenal fan, he's also a UK based Mets fan (yes there's at least one actual UK Mets fan). Gooner number three was awesome and led my friend and I to the match.

The legend in bronze

Despite both games being less than inspiring, it was through the goodness of the Twitter #GoonerFamily that I was able to get tickets to see Arsenal at the Emirates. It was a great experience and has restored my faith in humanity....or at least the humanity that are Arsenal fans.
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One small side note...ever since hearing that Fulham owner Mohamed al-Fayed had a statue of Michael Jackson installed at Craven Cottage I've wanted to see for myself what exactly this looked like. So, one afternoon I took a walk along the Thames to find Fulham's ground and this ridiculous statue.

Photograph: Nick Potts/PA

Once there I was glad to see a statue of an actual football player, Fulham legend Johnny Haynes, at the front of the stadium. There was no Michael Jackson statue in sight. I was determined to find it. I then walked along the right side of the venue and just inside the back gate, there it was. Perched upon a pedestal was the strangest thing I've ever seen at any sporting arena...complete with glove and doing signature moves. All I could do was laugh. This statue makes a giant mascot with a baseball on his head, Mr. Met, look normal.

So in summation, Gooners and the #GoonerFamily are awesome and Dimitar Berbatov plays for a club that has a statue of a pop star inside its stadium.

As the Mets' season stutters to an end, the Arsenal season has gotten off to a solid and impressive start

Heading in to the 2012 season all realistic Mets fans knew that our team would stink. However, the Mets went out and played some inspired baseball over the first three months of the season and made us cynical fans start to believe that maybe they really weren't that bad after all.

Crowd control at Citi Field

Then the All-Star Break came along and just like in Cinderella the clock struck midnight and the Mets magic evaporated. Like a punch to the gut, us Mets fans have endured an inept and embarrassing display of how not to win at baseball. The second half of the season has been pathetic. Here are just some of the ugly numbers the Mets had put up heading in to this weekend:

Home Record                                            4-24  (Doesn't inspire fans to head to the ballpark)
Away Record                                          16-19
Number of games where Mets' offense
has scored 3 runs or less                        41 of 63 for 65% (Futile to ridiculous)

RA Dickey earns win number 19

With just one week left remaining in yet another dreadful Mets season, there is one amazing story that Mets fans have been following all year. RA Dickey is just one win shy of a 20 game season and will have the chance to become just the second Major League pitcher to reach that number this year when he takes the mound later this week. He would be the first to do so for the Mets since Frank Viola in 1990. Dickey is also in the National League Cy Young discussion with a league leading 2.66 ERA.

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Talk of the demise of Arsenal after the defection of Robin "Judas" van Persie is fading away as Arsenal have gotten off to an impressive start and look to be a stronger and more complete squad than last season.

New signings Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podolski have been impressive with Cazorla dominating the midfield and Podolski delivering a couple of stunning goals.

Cazorla and Podolski are making their mark

Defensively, it's apparent that Steve Bould is having a major impact. The once shaky back four have looked solid and confident. Carl Jenkinson and Per Mertesacker often looked like fish out of water last season. So far they both look confident and have been at the top of their game. When Laurent Koscielny is being left on the bench for Mertesacker, you know things have turned around.

Then there's Gervinho. Today versus the mercenaries his finishing was definitely questionable, but his work rate and speed have been on display and he's almost scored more goals in one month than he did all of last season. Maybe the departure of the mighty ego has allowed others to step up and seize their opportunity.

Hey RVP, there's no I in TEAM.

Arsenal still need to get better at defending set pieces and they definitely need to work on their finishing and taking more shots from distance. Overall though, all is well. Compared to last year at this time, Arsenal are looking good.

Meanwhile, the Mercenaries, Manure and Chel$ki have not looked unbeatable and a feeling of new optimism is in the air. It's a long season and anything can happen along the way, but so far the signs are all positive.

Take that you mercenaries....oh and where's Na$ri?

Odds and ends:

The traitor has apparently been elected to be Manure's penalty taker and since the "league rules" mandate that ManU be given a phantom penalty in every match, last year's Golden Boot winner has the chance to run up his goal tally without earning it. So here are the new RVP song, lyrics courtesy of @SaabriinaaDee:

Sung to the tune of last year's "He scores when he wants" it goes, He scores from the spot, he scores from the spot, Robin van Persie only scores from the spot.

Here is previously unseen footage from a recent press conference featuring RVP and Fergie:



There have been a few rumblings of discontent over at White Hart Lane as AVB seeks to destroy whatever Harry built up. When he was at Chelsea one of my favorite sites to visit to stay up to date on AVB's status was: Has Andre Villas-Boas Been Sacked Yet?. Well, the genius who put that countdown clock together is back again:

Check out Has Andre Villa-Boas Been Sacked by Sp*rs Yet?. It's great for following along at home and good for betting with your friends. It's also inspired a new drinking game....whenever the British press uses the word "Crisis" about Tottenham, everyone drinks.

Lastly it's never too early to prepare for St. Totteringham's Day. To keep the party going all season long, here's a new Pinterest board "Countdown To St. Totteringham's Day 2013"..