I was just over at Arsenal.com to quickly glance at this years changes to squad numbers and I saw this story on their front page about what is probably my favorite Arsenal season. There have been other seasons where Arsenal won trophies, there have been higher points totals, there have been two other double winning seasons. Despite all that 2001/2002 is my favorite Arsenal year because: - The Double! - Freddie Ljungberg finally coming good. He'd been a Gunner three years already (and he actually played more games the prior two seasons than he did in this one), but up to this point he had never really convinced me that he was very good. He'd been a fringe player and a frustrating sight. That all changed though as his goals, drive, and awesome hair finally got AFC over the hump and back on top of the red scum from Manchester. - They clinched the league at Old Trafford!! Anytime I spot that "Old Trafford 2002" banner hanging at the Emirates I smile and pump my fist at the happiest Arsenal memory that I have. Wiiiilllltttooorrrdddd!!! When that ball hit the back of the net I screamed like an animal and threw my beer through my window in a haze of excitement. It was worth the price of replacing it. - "Its only Ray Parlour" scoring a wonder goal in the FA Cup final. Best of all it was Chelsea (pre-Mourinho or not) that they taught a lesson to. I loved Ray, he was a Gunner through and through. Note - it was his dispossession of Silvestre that led to the winning goal at Old Trafford in May. An underrated contributor on both sides of the ball. - Dennis Bergkamp with the first touch of a god at Newcastle. - The gold away shirts. A lot of people hated them, but I was always partial to them. - Thierry Henry was beginning his beast mode phase. He scored 32 goals in all competitions and for five seasons in a row, there was just no stopping him. - Poaching Sol Campbell from Spurs!! - I was at Anfield and Highbury for the late December wins against Liverpool, Chelsea, and Middlesborough. All three were 2-1 victories and I was sure I was AFC's new good luck charm. - Did I mention winning the league at Old Trafford and beating Chelsea in the FA Cup final? What is your favorite Arsenal season?
Definitely 2001-02. All the reasons you mentioned but mainly the way they handled adversity. And the strength of their intent, as if to show United that we were more than smash-and-grab title winners but the best team in England every which way one team can be better than another. Back in the day, the place to watch football in Chicago was Ginger's, and most of the games started at 9AM Central time. We were frontrunning the League table all year, and United were trying to catch us. In any event, come 9:30 on a typical Saturday, United would be ahead 2-0 against some tomato cans, and we'd be down 1-0. We'd bear down and show some grit, and Freddie would get the gamewinner for us in the 75 minute or so. Basically United could never gain any ground on us the whole year. They were the best team in the League no doubt, but for me what made them special was the palpable desire to prove it.
I loved 97/98 because of bergkamp and anelka and wright That front line with overmars in.....back in those days was ahead of its time!! Not to mention the all english back four which was quality and the emergence of vieira as a world class player
'94-'95, for sure. George's 'unsolicited gift' ... klinsmann's equalizer at highbury ... popescu's winner at the lane ... nayim from the halfway line ... relegation nerviness ... could've ended better, but still a fun ride.
Such a pity that AFC couldn't hold on to Petit and Overmars for a few years longer. Neither of them was ever as good for Barca as for Arsenal. And we won't even talk about Petit "pulling a Cesc" and going to Chelsea later on...
97-98. then 03/04, 01/02 and 90/91. 97/98 was better than the Invincibles for me....yes they lost some games but then the pace, technique and power alone is THE best I've ever seen at Arsenal and the amongst the best ever in English football. Bringing in Anelka was needed in a way, but would have loved to see Wrighty stay another season. We would have won something that following season (double double in two years? lol..) Bergkamp won a deserved dual player of the year award....he needed time to adjust to English football and had higher technical players to support him.
losing 4-1 to a subpar Everton team......Klinsmann leaving and slating the club whilst doing it...saying Dennis was shit and wouldn't amount to much the following close season...
That 98/99 season sucked man, we bottled it vs utd in the semi but i gess we had a goal dis allowed which shouldnt if been, was it anelka who scored it? He was awesome that season
That season was ********ing painful. Runner up to the red scum in seemingly everything. ******** their treble. Luckiest series of triumphs ever. How the hell did Bergkamp miss that penalty in stoppage time of the FA Cup semifinal?!?! Why Dennis, why?! You'd have saved us from a lifetime of treble bullshit.
Agree. No one should have to witness Ryan Giggs rip his shirt off--even his brother's wife. I remember going down to the Abbey Pup hoping to catch the last game of the season-the title decider. FML it was all Mancs there and they were showing the Manc game. (Those were the days you had to actually go pay ten bucks to go to a. Brit or Irish themed bar to catch a game-if you didn't have Fox Sports World. Seriously depressing. BTW-the Back 5 was still in full force-we only gave up 17 goals all year in 98-99.