Morning all.
Still v quiet, so I think I’ll get you guys an Arsecast today. Speaking of which, tomorrow will be the anniversary of the very first Arsecast, which was aired on October 20th 2006. That’s very early in the annals of podcasting, and here we are still going all these years later. Did I ever think it would still going at this point, and that we’d still be chatting football and indulged over nonsense like the below? No chance.
It’s easy to forget that there was, actually, another Arsecast back then – it was a website that reviewed video games. I remember getting in touch with him to ask if he had any objections if I used the name, and he said no, and part of that was because he really hated Man Utd – who were our big rivals back then. Sort of. I often checked his reviews because that sounds like a man you can trust.
Of course Chelsea, who we play this weekend, had come onto the scene with their filthy Abramovich money, and we were transitioning from the Invincibles into the slightly smaller and more technically focused Vincibles. When I think about this era, I can’t help but have regrets/sadness about what might have been.
WHAT IF in 2007-08, Eduardo hadn’t had his leg snapped against Birmingham? Without that trauma, and also injuries to Bacary Sagna and Mathieu Flamini (who was important back then), I think we’d have won the title. Win the league, drive on from there with some high quality young players who would have known Arsenal was a place where they could win things, rather than coming to understand it just wasn’t. Sliding doors and all that.
Now, I’m thinking of that game at the Camp Nou when Robin van Persie was sent off for supposedly kicking the ball away just milliseconds after the referee blew his whistle. Perhaps one of the first of that collection of red cards that has only ever happened to an Arsenal player. There have been so many since. As I’m typing, it’s hard not to think that recent revelations about Barcelona’s financial contributions to a Spanish refereeing administrator might have gone beyond the boundaries of Spain itself.
I apologise for dragging up some old memories, but in the absence of anything new right now, that’s all we’ve got this morning. To be fair, that will tie in with the podcast I’m going to release later when I chat to Arsenal legend Liam Brady who I met up with in Dublin yesterday afternoon. He was here for the launch of his book ‘Born to be a Footballer’, and we reminisced about his early days at the club, the ups and downs, his move to Italy, and lots more. Stand by for that.
Elsewhere, I see William Saliba has become a ‘brand ambassador’ for Crocs. He says, in words that are 100% definitely his own and not something a marketing team came up with:
Crocs has always been on my radar because its various designs and styles are very cool. In the modern-day footwear scene, Crocs epitomizes the fusion of comfort and personal style, allowing individuals to express themselves uniquely. Like Crocs, I’ve always embraced individuality. I think everyone who knows shoes, knows Crocs. You just need a pair of Crocs.
Frankly, he could shill for Billy’s Brogues, Mick’s Moccasins, Emily’s Espadrilles or anything else he fancies as long as he keeps doing the business on the pitch. However, I do feel like he’s missed a huge opportunity to launch Willy’s Wellies, with a special side-pocket that can fit loads of odds and ends, up to and including a huge Norwegian.
Right, that’s your lot for this morning. We should hopefully get some pre-Chelsea bits and pieces today, so tomorrow we can start to look ahead to that.
For now, mind yourselves.
