Written by charybdis1966
“Where are the big signings?” is a cry Gooners are used to hearing or making this time of year, usually followed by “Didn’t we move to our new stadium so we could compete for the marquee signings?”
Times have moved on somewhat for our club, it’s first ever game, as Dial Square, in December 1886(against Eastern Wanderers, to be historically complete) was on a piece of wasteland on the Isle of Dogs thereafter till 1913 we played in various locations around the Plumstead Common area of South East London. As our delightful Spud brethren never tire of calling us Woolwich Wanderers our South London heritage is undeniable, but the move north of the river to Highbury in 1913, due to poor transport links at the time in south London was to allow more spectators to be able to attend our matches. The land south of the river is softer and therefore more difficult to build on, and make tunnels in for the underground tube system that was being rolled out at the time. Hence the tube until recently did not progress far beyond New Cross in south east London.
The subsequent move ninety-three years later to the Grove was essentially for the same reason – to get more bums on seats. As the time to leave Highbury approached the natural reaction was of sorrow at leaving the old place. Yes, it was antiquated, yes it patently had seats, corridors and passages designed for the smaller sized turn-of-the 20th century-sized spectator however there was dolefulness about many a Gooner as the 2005-06 season came to a close.
I remember leaving my place of work at the time during the last few seasons at Highbury in Blackstock Road many a lunch time to join the queue for the box offices in the East Stand where I would be served by bored, disinterested ticket clerks, slumped behind the windows. (You can compare this to the staff at the Armoury who are aware of at least the basics of customer care, while some of the surliness of old seems to remain at club shop at Finsbury Park tube station).
The closeness of the crowd to the players was an important part of the intimacy of Highbury, I recall seeing Bobby Pires standing just eight feet from me when I had a front row seat for a Coca Cola Cup game – I’m sure I got a few flicks of sweat from his floppy fringe as he swivelled his head one way and the other looking for a player to launch his throw in at.
It was experiences like this, although nothing special in themselves though collectively able to mould our memories of Highbury, that many would fear losing as we contemplated the move. I would plot out the actual move in my mind: leave my seat in the East lower, left turn out of the East Stand gates, left again into Gillespie Road and then follow the bend of the road to the left, past the small park to our new home.
A wise man once said “Life is all about learning to let go, of those dear to you especially” that can also apply to places dear to you and who among us didn’t feel a sympathy to the mood conveyed by those images of our players walking west down Gillespie Road as part of the “Final Salute” campaign directed by AFC?
We’ve all been left speechless by our first impressions of Ashburton Grove even though it initially had an antiseptic feel that took a while to become accustomed to and slowly it’s character is starting to form, of course a trophy winning team will add to that character pretty much instantly.
Four seasons on and it seems that the cash flow situation that has hampered our actions in the transfer market may finally be easing and one would think today we will start to see the events of this transfer window start to unravel differently to those of the last five or six as many players contracts typically expire on the last day of June.
To my mind, the club is at a critical juncture and were there to be a sense of deja-vu about the events of this month and the next transfer wise, i.e. acting like a small time club rather than the elite club we aspire to be, I fear we may struggle to convince ourselves we left Highbury for the right reasons.
New Home Kit (Finally A Beaut!)
(Hope you don’t mind I putting up the pics Chary, Irishgunner).
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
Mornnig all – do we expect Kozzy’s signing to be announced imminently, plus others ? Say it’s so Arsenal !
“we’ve had the red background for months!!!!!!!”
Have you..??
Maybe its something to do with the settings here at work.
Today I can barely read/see the post titles as they are now in purple against a red background.
Either I’m going mad or something HAS changed..??
Morning all
Thanks chary for good read. We can’t turn back the clock, we’ve had a period of forced austerity – not so much because of the new stadium but because of the decision to handle the development of the old ground ourselves – that has now come to an end.
We should be better placed financially now to kick on and buy players to help win some silverware – whether we do that is a different matter.
That sounds like its your monitor sharkey – have you only got a new selection of colours when you open us up?
Morning chary,
That’s an absolutely brilliant read and a fascinating history lesson. Like you, I don’t believe we will be splashing the cash and competing with the likes of manure let alone chelski or citeh in the transfer market.
Today is the first day of the official transfer window so I expect Koscielny to be announced as an Arsenal player today or tomorrow.
Morning chary, sorry I didn’t see you there – the talk earlier in the week was that ‘Kozzy’ was to be unveiled today – what d’ya reckon 11am 😉
Morning sharkey,
Which version of Windows Explorer are you using? if it’s not 8, that could explain your problems.
Hi Raspers, Peachy, S Sure.
I reckon Kozzy will be in today or tomorrow also – for some reason I seem to think we announce signings on Fridays. I’m not sure what’s going on with Sol though – Wenger will not wait a month to sort his(and our centre back situation) future out surely?
I’m happy not to compete with Shitty or the Chavs but I’d like to think we’d be the next biggest hitters in the buying power stakes.
The home shirt looks good incidentally – I think I’ll be getting that for my boys, I couldn’t stand the Charlton Athletic styled one we’ve just had .
Lots of news about that Cesc wants to stay – not really surprising after his thunderous expression the other night at being left on the bench for the whole game 🙂
Great post Chary. Let’s hope we get the very needed players in ASAP to put this club back where it should be!
Really interesting read Charybdis (love that name 🙂 )
I suspect you are right, as far as it is possible to know, that there are less obvious financial retrictions involved in our inability to buy Pzazz players, so far.
The decision to develop and manage the building and sale of Highbury probably seemed a great money making idea at the time. The global recession immediately after the project started would have been a bummer.
I think the problems are now unwinding, and if not this year, I believe we will really start competing hard with Manure, Chelski and Spuds.
Hope so, anyway! 🙂
[Colours are ace on my screen!]
Cheers Pat7 – for some reason I’d gotten very nostalgic about Highbury the other night and I felt a little look at why we moved TO Highbury might help put why we moved FROM Highbury into perspective.
Did I say I had a pint in the pub that the Dial Square players used to get changed in?
Thanks and agreed RedArse – it all seems to point to the last 4 seasons lean times being over. The decision not to sell the land at Highbury off and eliminate the property market risk in hindsight may appear to have not been so clever, however as they say hindsight is a wonderful thing that no one has.
Morning all
Excellent read Chary, I also agree with that little point you made after about the pecking order: we may have to make way, when drinking in the watering hole, for chavs and city but no longer do we have to budge over for the mancs.
Morning London,
I agree that the mancs are feeling the squeeze, but I think they will still be prepared to splash out £20m plus for a ‘big’ player (maybe after raising the money through sales) whereas I just don’t think it comes into our buying psyche.
Right on London, I only expect to see Shitty(and slightly less often the Chavs) regularly parading marquee signings, especially after their regular manager changes.
It’s nice to see the Manks and the Dippers have to tighten their belts though – the days of the likes of Veron for £21m may be over.
Four seasons on and it seems that the cash flow situation that has hampered our actions in the transfer market may finally be easing and one would think today we will start to see the events of this transfer window start to unravel differently to those of the last five or six as many players contracts typically expire on the last day of June.
To my mind, the club is at a critical juncture and were there to be a sense of deja-vu about the events of this month and the next transfer wise, i.e. acting like a small time club rather than the elite club we aspire to be, I fear we may struggle to convince ourselves we left Highbury for the right reasons.
i agree,i don’t think i will ever get used to the bowl,highbury anyday for me.
Great story! Lots of work went into this one. I appreciate that. I see so many story with little content. Come check out my story and let know what you think…?
I know what you mean Forza –Highbury was a tough act to follow, a place so rich in memories and triumph.
UKBett – I am a bit of a geek for lesser known Arsenal facts and like to throw those sorts of things in.
Morning Rasp
Re the mancs spending power…..I genuinely think things have changed for them. Can you remember a time when they were this quiet in the market? Gone are the days when they could strut around and others would have to get out of the way. It is city who are in the news, the mancs are having to wait like us to get to the watering hole. When they get their turn there might still be some players available in the 20 mil range but they will be players that would and could just as likely come to us.
Yeah Chary its IE6 !!
Very good post by the way.
UKBett. No offence intended…but whats there to actually read on your site..??
I went there expecting to find a well written footie article, possibly about Arsenal..??
Thanks S Sure – I think it was Peachy referring to your browser issues incidentally.
i enjoyed the read today chary thanks.
i hope arsene will be spending some more of his war chest soon…
i love the emirates, i can’t be as old as you guys 😉
after all the arsenalisation and a couple of trophys it will be sweet.
I don’t get any credit on here 😳
Sharkey, you can download IE8 free off the net, takes a couple of minutes and has the ‘in private’ setting if you want to cover your tracks 😉
Morning Tommy
It must be an age thing, I miss that intoxicating smell of hot dogs and horse shit.
Morning tommy,
It takes your breath away every time you see the Emirates from the outside and even more so when you see the pitch as you take to your seat. Unfortunately it lacks the ‘gladiatorial’ feel of other ovoid stadiums that have steeper terracing and you do feel a long way removed from the action in the upper reaches don’t you think.
I’m quite old TommyS – I turned 44 four weeks ago so I guess I span both eras, although you still get that heady aromatic blend on Gillespie Road up till the north bridge London.
sorry Raspers – I don’t why I thought it was Peachy and not you who was helping S Sure, I blame the Nikky B injury I have at the momnet, strained abductor muscles.
Morning all.
ukbettcentral, just had a look on your blog.There is a total inaccuracy on there. Stan James is owned by Steve and Peter Fisher and are not Irish.They have moved their entire online and telephone betting service to Gibraltar, as have others, and the biggest firm by far is BWIN who sponsor Real Madrid and others.
Chary, I have some great memories of Highbury, thanks for bringing them back, and having never visited the new stadium I can’t comment except the “The Emirates” just doesn’t sit well with me and by all accounts we sold the naming rights and shirt deal far too cheaply.At least The Arsenal Emirates would have been better.
Even you call it Ashburton Gove and of course there are other who just refer to our place as The grove.
Quite old chary ;
I used to take the tram part of the way there in the old days.
That’s true Kelsey, the “E” word sticks in my throat as does the whole E*****es sponsorship package, but that is a rant for another day, if Peachy gets desperate enough to ask me for another post!
My sons think I’m prehistoric Kelsey!
Cheers Rasp.
Is it only me or is there anyone else who thinks that Mertesacker makes Senderos look nimble.
I like Mertesacker. If we buy him, I will be even more convinced that one of TV, JD or Kozzer is destined for the midfield.
Interesting thought, I like the logic.
He would put an end to the aerial weakness that’s for sure.
you beat me to it rasp, mertsaker would be a welcome addition to me, all 6ft5 of him. and yes i’d expect TV to be moved to midfield then…. but hey this is pipe dream talk!
By the way I have just seen the new home kit………I love it, a real Arsenal kit for a change.
yeah the new kit is fab, both home and away….. i haven’t bought a new kit in years – this year may be different.
tommy, London,
It would be a masterstroke don’t you think. Not only would we get the CD and DM we need with one purchase, but we’d also have plenty of back-up for both positions.
turtelly agree rasp – lunchtime!
Afternoon all.
I’m loving the new shirts. Like the all white sleeves.
Hi irish,
BT internet crashed yesterday and is everything is very sluggish today. I can’t get into any sites that show the new kit – is there a pic you can put up?
Terrific piece.
Thanks A Chicago – have I seen you over at Tim’s blog occasionally? If so, pleasure to have you here, actually if it isn’t you it’s still a pleasure.
Yep, that’s me. Can’t get enough Arsenal discussion.
Afternoon Smashing article, got me all nostalgic, And those new shirts, bloody hell proper arsenal shirts with real white sleeves.
I used to Have one like that as a kid, close on sixty years ago they came from the Arsenal as a gift to my church football club, mine had Jimmy Logie embroidered on the tail would be worth a fortune now. Except my younger sister decided to play football at school while I was out at work years later and cut the bloody tail off as it was uncomfortable all bunched up in her girlie shorts, Grrrrrr
Cool A Chicago – seeing as this is our 125th anniversary kit do you remember the spuds 125th anniversary away kit? I’m sure it was the one the colour of dog shit. I can remember the shots on the Tottnumb website with the players looking distinctly cheesed off wearing the dark brown abomination.
I only got to taste the fine vintage of Highbury for a few years Dandan, due to working with an arsenal players dad, but like most the chances of getting tickets were pretty slim for me before then.
I used to love the view you got of the renovated North bank as you turned into St Johns Road – like a monolith it would jump out at you.
Lovely shot of the Verminator on the headline page of Arse.com at the moment – you gotta love those retro rounded white collars.
I’d have liked red socks though.Still like the kit…
Rasp – pics up.
Chary – hope you don’t mind I adding them in.
I’m getting my tattoo done tomorrow. It’ll be just this cannon (number 5): http://www.arsenal.com/assets/_files/scaled/498×250/oct_09/gun__1256303277_arsenal_crest3.jpg
With Arsenal over it in some lovely writing, it shall be magnificent.
No Irish not Tatoooooooooooooos, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOo
Yep, yep all booked – wanted it for ages Dandan.
Thanks irish,
The pic with Cesc is definitely a photoshop job – did you lift them off the Arsenal site?
They are all photoshopped – they have RvP, Arshavin and Theo as well.
Yep got them off Arse.com
Still, let’s hope it is an omen that they show Cesc in next season’s kit. I hope the Barca lot see it on the site.
Cesc is used a lot in the promos Rasp. A LOT.
Pfff Irish, my daughter took as much notice as you did LOL
😆 Dandan.
If its any consolation, it’ll be on my back so I can hide it when I’m old and wrinkly 😀
Lol DanDan……
You have no luck with ‘family’ do you….kids, grandkids, younger sisters.
Cut off the tail …lol
Irish
You already have Arsenal tattooed on your heart.
I wish there was some way of conveying some of life’s experience via cyber space.
andy will be on soon telling us what Diaby would do in this situation. lol
LOL – are we all anti-tattoo here? 😆
I have thought it through – really I have, 4 years of thinking it through. And I can hide it. I’m not going to come along in a year or two and regret it, I’ll barely be able to see it ha ha
Have ye seen this?
http://younggunsblog.co.uk/2010/07/arsenal-disband-reserves-reshape-youth-development/
We’ve dropped out of the reserve league.
Wow, this is a big change, what is this going to mean?
Read through it and not much it seems London.
We really only play the youths in the reserve league anyway and Spuds, Fulham etc have dropped out previously so the reserves league looks to be on the way out?!
Irish
We are not all anti tattoo, I have Arsenal tattooed on my arm…………………..my love runs deep…….but oh, if I could tell you of just how many different situations that have arisen — completely unexpected situations Irish — when I wish I didn’t have it. Please think again.
Getting it done London 😀
It’ll be on my lower back and I 99.99% of the time have it covered. Its for me.
I hope you find a nice Arsenal supporting boy to marry. Because he is going to see it — when he is lucky.
😆
Believe me – my support of Arsenal is the first thing people find out about me.
I think I’ll have to find someone to marry that’s not into football – or at least not too much or the debates could get quite heated ha ha
why is everything on here half in red and half in white and some of the posts are a bit jumbled up.
For example did irish just post something like i am lying on my back and 99 arsenal supporters have covered me.Ectasy for me. ( Blimey.)
I am an old fart Irish and fashion is a powerful drug unfortunately tattoos like clothes and hairstyles will go out of fashion.
But bless you, I wish you well
Good stuff Chary. It was a shame when we had to leave Highbury but it doesn’t matter where we are, we will always be The Arsenal. I havent bought the kit for myself in years but I think this one i’m gona get for me aswell as my lad. About time, top notch.
Dont listen to it Irish. I got the crest on my arm 20 odd years ago and its the only one of my tattoos that still means something to me.
Kelsey – Are you drunk? 😆
dandan – tattoos have been going around for how long? Its not a fashion statement for me, believe me I’m the last one to care about fashion ha ha.
Andy – thanks 😀
Tonight I will sleep well because I can tell myself that I tried……where is Peaches when you need her?
LOL London.
Should I tell you then that my 18 year old sister is getting her fourth tattoo tomorrow. This one will be from collar bone to collar bone, a quote from Nietzsche no less.
She also has coloured dread locks in her hair. I’m the quiet one in the family 😀
Cesc Fabrégas: I might not leave Arsenal
I know this story is in virtually every English news paper but has anyone noticed that no where does it say when, where or to whom he says this and poignantly there is no mention of it in El Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona’s version of Pravda. It sounds like a complete fabrication.
It’s a form of journalistic anticipation that’s to say they write what they think is likely to happen. It would be like me writing a post tomorrow with the head line — _Pat Rice to Retire.
Well, yes one day he will.
London
It sounds about as real as all of the other statements,quotes from friends, inside information and theories that have been thrown around this summer about Cesc. Personally I think like you its probably crap but I prefer this to the others.
If you’re still around Maire nice touch with the pics.
Glad you liked the piece Andy – I was trying to get some of those pictures of the players walking down the Gillespie Road, past Highbury Hill being led by TH14.
Those images captured the mood just right, the mural at the tube station were a good idea too.
Evening all,
The Cesc story has no provenance as far as I can tell and will allow those tabloids that have been guaranteeing he was gonna leave to say ‘We told you so’ if he stays.
chary, I’ve sent you an email.
Tomorrow, we hope to publish an article by a long-standing fan who has never blogged before giving his views on the media circus etc.
Raspers,I’ve replied – tommorow’s article reminds me of the subject of my first ever blog, or elements of it at the very least.
Hi all
Just had a chance to read through todays comments
Irish – I know your love for Arsenal runs deep and it seems you’re hell bent on the tattoo – but you won’t even be able to see it on your lower back!!!!!! Just a mummy being practical 🙄
How much do henna tattoos cost…??? Is that an option..?? More costly having it retouched once a month I guess.
The permanent scarring of your body cos of what you think aged 24 has got to be a bad idea though.
Having said all that, its not exactly the end of the world either !
I vote No.
What do you mean there’s no poll..??
We need a poll on Irish’s tattoo.
We haven’t even had the chance to discuss which way the cannon should point.
I think it should point at the clock end 😉
or is it loaded 🙂
New post …..
nice man…