What does The Arsenal mean to you

[Lanesra]

I was just wondering how the Americans on here really feel about The Arsenal, I mean how does a loss affect you, baring in mind that you probabally don't get so much stick at work or school etc, how long does a loss affect you for ?

Who suffers when we lose? who do you call to moan about it.

Personally, The Arsenal have been a major part of my life , i suppose I was lucky that I grew up& went to school in Highbury, so I didn't get too much grief in the early days, and any that I did was quickly suppressed by fellow gooners :).

When I started work though things changed big time, working with Liverpool fans, spurs fans, man u fans, I found myself in a bit of a corner which I must say I've defended quite well over the years.

Also how does it affect your social/private life, I've planned holidays, parties, dates, and even sex around Arsenal games.At the weddings of foolish friends who havent studied the calendar, i've sat at the back of church listeninig to a radio with likeminded souls,on one occasion even filtering the score to the groom,(2nd worse thing that happened to him that day).

Partners have tiptoed around me after defeats,one foolishly muttered the words (It's only a game) after one defeat, she had to go.

And finally all you macho men :) have you ever cried over The Arsenal, I have , after wins AND losses, the first time I can remember was 1972 when we lost to Leeds in the cup final, there's been many a time since.

So what about you? how much do you suffer for the cause ?

PS, this question is open to all, not just Johnny foreigner :)

[Miles Brasher]

Worse thing was quite recent. I got back with a girlfriend that it had taken me 6 months to split up with to get over the pain of losing to Liverpool in the FA final. It then took me a further 12+ months to split up with her again.

Yes, I know I'm a bastard

[yossarian]

Well......anytime an Arsenal match is going to be on tv live, I make time to watch it....pretty much dropping anything else that might have been planned. Luckily, it's not often that plans are made for 10am on Saturday or 11am on Sunday mornings, so I'm usually fine. But my wife knows to not even think about planning anything at those times.

I'm not in the best of moods when Arsenal lose (or draw a team they should squash) but it doesn't ruin my whole day. Fifteen years ago, that might have been different. I have always been a Braves fan (baseball) and so I got really caught up in their success starting in 1991. As the regular season wins added up only to be nullified with another playoff exit, I would get really upset. At one point I shattered a remote by throwing it the tv after a loss to the Marlins in 1997. That act made me step back and I had this epiphany about it only being sport. Since I had only been following Arsenal about 2 years before this epiphany (and struggling to do so as coverage/internet wasn't nearly as good here in the States back then), I was able to transfer that attitude to their matches as well. So while I still get very disappointed at a loss.....I don't let it affect the rest of my day.

I suppose one of the biggest tests of my loyalty to Arsenal came during May of 2002. Some of you have heard this story before so I'll apologize in advance for boring those of you who have (and possibly those who have not). My wife and I were in St. Barth's on our HONEYMOON, but the second to last day of the trip coincided with the FA Final against Chelsea. Of course I had to see it. So I found a little bar/ice cream shop (no that's not a typo) that weirdly enough had a big screen tv on it's roof/patio. I watched the match with the owner Jean Claude....who spoke little English....and my French is barely passable. It didn't matter.....he was rooting for the Gunners....and Ray Parlour translates in any language.

It was great fun....and the best part was that my wife absolutely supported the 2 hour excursion. Of course it probably helped that she could sit on the beach, reading while sipping rum punch, as a consolation.

[surfcam]

Weekends are planned around the Arsenal, and during the week I try to ensure that I don't have meeting or that I'm traveling on midweek matches. I get up earlier for Arsenal matches than I do for work at times!!! Victories are sweet and set a great mood for the day and losses, which unfortunately have been a bit more frequent lately :( , set me in a foul mood. During matches I scream at the TV, pace, and get really worked up. My wife thought I was going to have an aneurysm during the FA Cup last year!

I feel a rush whenever I see Highbury on the screen and was in a state of euphoria this year when I got to experience 2 matches there. In short, a lot revolves around the club for me and it seems to get more intense as the years pass. The Arsenal aren't my neighborhood club, but it isn't for many and I feel through meeting many supporters that we are all part of a great big family.

[arsenalgirl30016]

While I am not ready to admit that the outcome of my day depends on the Arsenal scoreline on a Saturday or Sunday, it is actually very true. I spent most of Saturday moping around the house and snarling at my son, dogs and cats (not at the hubby since he was out of town....). I am not sure if I was more pissed at the outcome of the match or the $29.95 I spent to watch it on pay per view.......actually I was more pissed at the outcome of the match.

I don't get any schtick at work (only schtick for being the weird "soccer girl"), and I am married so the whole boyfriend who wouldn't understand thing is out (and my husband spent his 10th anniversary trip in London with me so he is very cool), I still take the losses pretty hard.

[Bergkamp_4_ever]

Worse thing was quite recent. I got back with a girlfriend that it had taken me 6 months to split up with to get over the pain of losing to Liverpool in the FA final. It then took me a further 12+ months to split up with her again.

Yes, I know I'm a bastard
Billy? Is that you? :p

[DougG_ATL]

Being an Arsenal fan has permeated many areas of my life. During the season, my weekends revolve around being able to watch the matches, whether live or on tape delay and I'm hanging out on BigSoccer, ArsenalAmerica, and Arsenal.com throughout the work week.

It's radiated out from me in that my MLS-loving best friend has become a massive Gooner, my parents recognized a man wearing an Arsenal scarf at a mall, and my main group of friends (not soccer fans) are aware of who Thierry Henry is.

I am a fan of other sports - baseball, college football, Nascar, hockey. So I'm passionate about being a Braves, Thrashers, and Tennessee Vols fan, too. But being a Gooner is a level above any of that.

[Dooglas]

yea i pretty much schedule things aaround their games and stuff. when we lose its like all day, food has lost its taste etc. and im in kansas, probably the only gooner their :D jk none where im at most of the day anyway. most people youll find just like to watch, theyll support manu and arsenal just cuz their big teams. i dont see how you could ....ever...support manu.

but anyways, its even more frustrating only getting to watch some games. but after this semester ill be at home...where FSC is...woot.

[Miles Brasher]

Billy? Is that you? :p

Funny thing was that my present girlfriend was in the pub with us during the last FA cupfinal game, and I had to keep reassuring her that I wouldn't be as upset if we lost this one, because against Liverpool we were easily the better team and other than the hand of Henchoz we would have won, whereas against Manu, we were rubbish. She was convinced I'd do something silly. Of course when we did win, I went absolutely barmy, and totally lost my voice the following day.

[Bergkamp_4_ever]

Let me put it to you this way:

>After not travelling at all in about 25 years (my last passport had my communion photo in it, I was 7 yrs old then), this December will be my 4th visit to London in a little over a year (mainly for the Arsenal). I have to say mainly so Rick believes I care about him at least a little. :p

>I'm seriously contemplating quitting my job & seeking something permanent in the UK (OK, 'better than half' serious). :D

[No1ArsenalFan]

Here is my story. I don't want to bore u so I will try to keep it short.

I've cried many times watching football. The main times I can remember was against Chelsea in the Champions League a couple of seasons ago. I was so annoyed i kicked my sisters sofa bed. She came up shouted at me and I left before the match finished and walked home took me about 30 mins and worried my mum to death. The other time was when Naiem scored I ws in floods of tears and so was seaman as I can remember.

I got so annoyed last year during the bayern munich match that i kicked the tv and broke the scart plug in the back because there was a scart lead in the back of the TV.

After kicking the TV i thought im gonna do something really terrible if I carry on like this so I told myself I need to calm down a bit when watching Arsenal. Don't get me wrong I am still a really passionate Arsenal fan I just don't react like I used to and things are a lot better with my parents and my mates.

No1ArsenalFan

[Miles Brasher]

After kicking the TV i thought im gonna do something really terrible if I carry on like this so I told myself I need to calm down a bit when watching Arsenal. Don't get me wrong I am still a really passionate Arsenal fan I just don't react like I used to and things are a lot better with my parents and my mates.

No1ArsenalFan

Watching on your own is the easiest way to upset yourself. The big advantage of going to the game is that you're surrounded by like minded people, and you realise that they share your grief, and this makes it soo much more bearable. If you can't get to all the games, make sure you watch them on TV with a friend, preferably a miserable one. Somehow knowing you're not as upset as him, makes it all better, just as a girlfriend saying "it's only a game!" makes it worse.

Present girlfriend knows better than to say that.Well trained!

He says, before trooping off to the supermarket to buy and cook for the meal tonight. Ho hum :rolleyes:

[newlone]

I guess Arsenal means bragging rights to me. I run in a pretty good circle of soccer players and supporters, and I am the only Arsenal fan. Needless to say, the season has been sort of hard on me. I am running out of ways to "spin' our losses, and my friends go through every means possible to let me know how we are doing. One of my friends calls me everytime Arsenal gets scored on (regardless if its Carling Cup, Premier League or CL). He's a Chelsea supporter (believe it or not, not really the bandwagon type either) and we have a friendly bet (actually $500 on which team will do better this year). As most people that know me well say I am "obsessed" with soccer, Arsenal is really my only obsession. I like the NFL, NBA, Boxing and Track & Field, but I really only follow the players I personally know and not any one team. I think Arsenal is the only team I truly support (I quazi support other soccer teams in other leagues, but I don't follow them the same way). Arsenal gives me a reason to wake up early on the weekends, talk sh!t to my friends, and forget about the real world for a while. I'm not from London and don't know any of the Arsenal players personally, so it's mostly just good fun and the love for the game and the type of soccer they try to play.

[tmaker]

Watching on your own is the easiest way to upset yourself. The big advantage of going to the game is that you're surrounded by like minded people, and you realise that they share your grief, and this makes it soo much more bearable.

And this is the hardest part of being one of Arsenal America. I get to go to two games a year, one home and one away, which costs me about $1500 to arrange. I'm still scrambling to get the funds loose for this year. There simply isn't the opportunity to be around like-minded people.

Trust me, Seattle is Man Ure territory, if ever was. Every goddamned soccer function here is Manc: the Manchester United school at Starfire, the pubs, and the pathetic influx of Canadians who come down shopping ensure that the area is hardly Gooner-friendly. Even the ********ing referees I work with are Mancs. Blech. It took me two years to convince the Sporthaus even to carry Arsenal jerseys on their racks. ("Nobody likes that crap team," I was told.)

So I get plenty of stick whenever the Arse lose, especially to a team like Bolton who lose to Fulham and look like possibly the worst team in the Prem, then turn around and make us look like we're the worst in the Prem. Even when we win, it's "You have no talent on your team. Manchester United has more talent in their reserves." :rolleyes:

And of course, my wife wanted to name her daughter Chelsea :eek:

[Dooglas]

divorce. thats the only thing i can say :D

[goonsquad]

I can't stand it when we lose...but if there's one eternal truth in sport, it's this: Without the losses, the victories can never be as sweet. We all know people who don't want to think about or discuss a bad loss or season, but those of us who wear it on our sleeves also feel the joy of victory that much more. I mean do you think the FA Cup Final would have been anywhere near as sweet as it was without the two horrible losses during the season? I have a ManUre supporting friend who is the kind of guy that, when they win, will be talking up a storm about how good they are, but when they lose he is dead silent. I firmly believe that there is no way a person who does not even acknowledge the bad can feel the good nearly as much as someone who lets it all hang out. That being said, I try to make it a rule not to throw things! :D

[SLO-Gunner]

I am not sure if I was more pissed at the outcome of the match or the $29.95 I spent to watch it on pay per view.......

games are $29.95 to ppv now? wow.

[DougG_ATL]

It was $19.95 for the Bolton debacle on Adelphia cable.

[Red Agave]

Being a Gooner's a family thing - my dad handed it down to my brother and me, my bro's handed it down to his kids, and I've managed to claim one of my sister's kids for the Arse (despite having a Sunderland supporting Dad).

First time I cried at a game was at Wembley when we lost the Cup Final to Ipswich in 1978. Worse ever time connected to Arsenal was watching the 1999 semi final against ManUre in a pub in Manchester with about 200 rabid MU fans. As I live in Manchester, I also got stick at work for weeks afterwards.

I'm now into my 6th season of being lucky enough to be able to attend virtually every game. I agree with Miles 100% when he says it's easier to bear the losses when you're surrounded by fellow Gooners who share your pain. And Goonsquad is right about victories being sweeter because of the losses. Believe me, to be at Old Trafford to see us win the league, and then go out with all my Arsenal mates to celebrate in Manchester, was definitely one of the best nights of my life.

I've told my family I want to go into my coffin in an Arsenal shirt. Gooner 4 life (and death)! :D

[KevTheGooner]

I never cry when we lose..never have at any sport. I get filled with dark, terrible thoughts about why on Earth I follow The Arsenal or even watch footy at all..."Its stupid game, footy. Dumb. Why do I watch it?" Gutted, I gloom and sulk around for about an hour...but then the fog lifts, I shrug, and I work things through.

But I do cry when we win...when we raised the Cup last year? Crying. When we raised the Premiership cup the year before? Crying. All the other trophies? Crying. (NSR: I cried every time the Red Wings hoisted the cup, too).

But when we draw, I look at where we played, how we played...did we nick a point or did we throw them away. That's the cool thing about footy..people can spin draws all different ways and so I do in my mind.

But I play once or twice a week and there are so many English football fans, and Englishmen themselves, we have a right good time giving each other stick. Its not prevelent like in the office or on the street, but in the right circles, its a big deal and I get my share of abuse after games like Saturday's.

Of course, my wife thinks I'm mental...but she thinks all men are mental (obviously she's been around us for a while). But my daugher (6) is starting to get the team sports thing and I have a feeling she's a young Gooner in training. The boy (3) is more interested in skewering me with his light sabre but one day.....