Old Gunners and Gooners : Tell Your Ma

I would like to start today’s Post by thanking all those of you on Twitter, for your incredibly nice comments about my blog.

Don’t forget - Any Questions - oldgunnersandgooners@gmail.com - Thanks again.

Season 1992-93

During pre-season training, 2 popular Arsenal players left the club.
Perry Groves to Southampton and David “Rocky”Rocastle went to Leeds.

Number 1 is Perry Groves.

Rocky - Eternally, Number 1 for many Arsenal Fans.

I met Rocky when I took my Nephew to Chelsea’s training ground.

Arsenal bought the Danish international John Jensen and Gavin McGowan to add to the younger players promoted from the youth team.

Paul (Cut yer) Dickov - Steve Morrow - Scott Marshall - Ian Selley & Mark Flatts.

Martin Keown was signed from Everton later in the season.

Arsenal finished 10th in the League but the season would be forever remembered for winning 2 Cups.

The Cup Runs Begin.

2nd Round 1st Leg - 22nd September - League (Coca Cola) Cup - Millwall (H) 1-1

2nd Round 2nd Leg - 7th October - League Cup - Millwall (A) 1-1 (3-1pens).

Thanks again to JC, Spooky and myself are sitting in the stand surrounded by schoolkids.

Although we managed to swop seats with another couple of fans this time, to get away.

Millwall ticket.

3rd Round - 28th October - League Cup - Derby (A) - 1-1.

Yet again, JC somehow gets 2 tickets in the Derby season ticket holders stand behind the goal.

We have a great view of the Arsenal away fans nearer the halfway line!!

About 20 minutes before kickoff, I’m sitting reading the programme, when JC, decides to talk to the bloke sitting in front of us.

Hello mate, says JC, you’ve got a bit of class up here tonight, best you’ll see since Charlie George was playing for you.

The Derby bloke is not impressed and ignores JC.

I’m more concerned that everyone within earshot now knows that there’s 2 Cockneys sitting near them.

Miserable bastards ain’t they? JC says to me. They don’t like us up here, is my reply.

Derby score from a penalty and 5 minutes later, Kevin Campbell equalises with a 20 yard screamer into the goal in front of us.

JC, jumps up, throws his cap on the floor and shouts “ You lot won’t see a better goal than that all season”.

Pandemonium, now the whole fucking stand knows we’re Arsenal Fans and some start climbing over the chairs towards us. One large bloke is running up the aisle and screaming abuse at JC.

JC’s reaction? He turns to me and says “they’re a bit hostile, ain’t they?”

Hostile?? They’re going to kill us, I tell him. Now I know JC did a bit of boxing when he was younger, but this is a bit like standing next to Davy Crockett at the Alamo.

Salvation!!, Derby get a corner and I grab JC and pull him down the stairs to get away.

He moans all the way home about missing the last 15 minutes of the game.

What a character he was.

Derby ticket.

3rd December - League Cup 3rd Round Replay - Arsenal win against Derby (H) 2-1.

2nd January 1993 - FA Cup 3rd Round - Yeovil (A) 3-1.

Wrighty gets a hat trick and I get a hat.

Yeovil’s big day.

Match ticket.

He’s still got hair - but we don’t care.

Stevie Bould.

6th January - League Cup 4th Round - Scarborough (A) 1-0.

JC and myself had tickets, but didn’t travel because of the fog that covered most of the route.

12th January. - League Cup 5th Round - Forest (H) 2-0.

25th January - FA Cup 4th Round - Leeds (H) 2-2.

3rd February - FA Cup Replay - Leeds (A) 3-2.

7th February - League Cup Semifinal 1st Leg - Palace (A) 3-1.

Wrighty - Smudger - Merse are happy.

Match ticket.

15th February - FA Cup 5th Round - Forest (H) 2-0.

6th March - FA Cup 6th Round - Ipswich (A) 4-2.

Tickets for Arsenal Fans were very hard to get for this game but as we were season ticket holders, the “4 wheels on my wagon” boys, JC, Putney and myself got in. The 2 Hoyboys met us in the pub that Alan Sunderland owned in Ipswich. Alan had previously invited all Arsenal Fans to come to his pub and hundreds turned up. He eventually ran out of beer and we had to drink cider instead.

You must remember that most of the Arsenal Fans in the seats were Season Ticket holders and didn’t usually get involved in any trouble.

As my little gang of nine came down the stairs we could see fighting going on out in the street.

Apparently, an Ipswich fan had hit the first couple of Arsenal Fans with a metal pole as they emerged from the stadium, leaving them bleeding on the ground.

The police were now involved and we made our way through the car park that led back to the street we’d parked in.

We noticed a tall very aggressive Ipswich fan offering to fight any Arsenal Fans but we ignored him, or so I thought.

We’re walking through the car park when Someone noticed that Putney & Hoyboy were missing. Someone asked young Hoyboy where his dad was? He replied that he’d gone with Putney to have a word with the tall Ipswich fan.

Someone ran back and found them, just as Putney was reaching through the legs of the Ipswich fan and grabbing his nuts from behind with Hoyboy standing there laughing.

As the fella spun around in anger, Putney was caught off balance and toppled over.

Someone was now standing immediately in front of the bloke who’s about a foot taller than Someone and obviously, he thinks it’s him that grabbed him.

As he raises his fists, Someone’s natural instinct is to jump up and head butt him, he falls to the ground screaming that, Someone has broken his nose.

Someone then gets grabbed by a copper but slips loose and legs it, while Someone’s mates obstruct the copper, preventing him from giving chase.

Match ticket.

10th March - League Cup Semifinal 2nd Leg - Palace (H) 2-0.

We’re on our way to Wembley - Part 1.

4th April - FA Cup Semifinal - The team from the Lane - Wembley 1-0.

About 20 of us meet up before the game in a hotel for a breakfast that Putney’s company paid for.

Hoyboys sister had also baked us a “Cannabis Cake” but we never saw this as Hoyboy and Eddie H disappeared into the car park and ate most of it between them, greedy bastards.

No wonder they were off their heads in the stadium, with one of them actually lying down on the floor at one stage.

The rest of us didn’t need any help reaching “Nirvana” after Tony Adams’ winner.