may 23rd
08.53 – John Lukic has urged his old mate David Seaman to keep playing for as long as possible, even if it’s at another club. He says “I would say to David to keep going as long as he can. If he thinks he can do the business at the top level, then go for it.” Manchester City remain favourites to sign him, although he could end up at Birmingham City if some reports are to be believed.
Sebastian Svard is looking forward to next season with Arsenal. The Danish midfielder says that AW has told him he’ll be more involved next season. “He has said that I will get more playing time, that he has big plans for me. The next half a season, will prove decisive for my future.”
There’s a piece in The Sun about the enormous season ticket increase for North Bank bond holders. Some tickets have gone from £300ish, to £1200. I’m not going to comment on this, I’ll leave it to the people who are affected by it. There are some interesting threads on the forum about it (registration required).
So not a bad haul today, 3 Arsenal related stories knocking around. I was expecing far less so I had started work on a sort of ‘Where are they now’ of former Arsenal players. I won’t do all of them today, but here’s a few to give you something to read this morning.
- John Devine – He now tours around Ireland with a Limahl style mullet and a rack of Howard Jones type synths doing electro-pop versions of rock classics. Calling himself ‘Devine Inspiration’, his Moog solo during ‘Smoke on the water’ is becoming legendary in the bars of County Mayo, while his Hammond Organ/Kazoo interpretation of Don Henley’s ‘Smuggler’s blues’ is not easily forgotten.
- Vladimir Petrovic – Arsenal’s 80s Yugoslavian wizard is like many footballers in that he owns a bar. Vlad’s is different though. It caters for the seedier side of Belgrade’s seedy side, and features giant-handed lesbian waitrons who repeatedly punch customers in the face. Vlad himself spends most of the evenings in a cage above the bar, dressed as a priest, dancing to Yugopop and every now and then exposing his helmet. He does a roaring trade.
- Willie Young – big Willie is now an assassin working in Sicily. Sought after by il capo di tutti capi, Don Luciano Inzerillo, after he watched the 1980 FA Cup final in a sports bar in Palermo, Willie moved over soon after and is now one of the most feared Mafia killers in history. Most victims pray to be shot if they’re put on Willie’s list, it’s quicker and far less painful than his trademark punishment of sliding tackling his vicitms to death. If Willie is seen around town with his size 11 Golas on, Palermo becomes a ghost town.
- Perry Groves – best known for his mazy run and cross for Charlie Nicholas’s scuffed winner against the Scousers in the 1987 Littlewood’s Cup final, Perry can now be seen on digital satellite TV on a regular basis. His one man show ‘I’m Tintin, yes I am’ attracts record viewing figures on BBC 8 – The Arts Channel. The part of ‘Snowy’ the dog is played by Perry’s Scotch terrier ‘Blacky’, who Perry then paints white with knock-off Tippex. Asked why he didn’t get a white dog in the first place, Perry said ‘Colour is just a state of mind, man.’
So there you go – some of Arsenal’s old players have gone on to live interesting and fulfilling lives outside of football. We’ll do some more of these when there’s fuck all else to talk about.
Expect some more tomorrow then.
