tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197110602012-02-01T10:43:11.264ZGooner's Diary - who knows until it's written, albeit obviously with just a FEW Arsenal related undertonesBernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.comBlogger3671100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-62001362121689739872012-02-01T10:32:00.002Z2012-02-01T10:43:11.370Z

Hi folks,I neglected to post this on Monday and it suddenly occurred to me that I'd better get it done before heading off to Bolton, as the thought of having to write that the gap between us and Spurs has been extended to thirteen points would be positively mortifying.Please don't let it be soCOYGBernard___________________________________________________ I don’t think one can over-estimate

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-33222415911683083802012-01-23T04:46:00.009Z2012-01-23T10:30:34.869Z

An elderly uncle passed away on Saturday and following several decades of familial animosity, I really didn’t fancy attending the funeral, for fear of forgetting exactly who it was that we were, or were not speaking to! Nevertheless, after enduring the torture of our humiliation at Old Trafford a few months back, the news of his imminent internment on Sunday actually left me contemplating whether

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-76359950076156251802012-01-17T03:02:00.000Z2012-01-17T09:42:45.362Z

Hi folks,Standing on the balcony outside Starbucks on Sunday afternoon, enjoying my pre-match mix of poisons, caffeine and nicotine, with a picturesque vista spread before me of the spider-like steel stanchions of the modern Liberty Stadium, rising above the tree-lined River Tawe, whilst watching the sun drop out of a clear blue sky, behind the green hills of the Swansea suburbs, this hardly

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-30053124883803241732012-01-11T16:36:00.002Z2012-01-11T16:40:09.876Z

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Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-10501251429474003842012-01-03T07:32:00.004Z2012-01-03T07:39:20.578Z

Hopefully the method in Le Prof’s madness will be revealed come May, but in the meantime it’s hard to appreciate the logic of sending Frimpong out on loan to assist Mick McCarthy in rotating 5 players for Wolves second game in 48-hours, while le Gaffer was forced to field 9 of the same fatigued combatants from the Gunners’ gossamer thin squad at Fulham. The craic is always up to 90 at Craven

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-27427817571525875372011-12-27T19:52:00.002Z2011-12-27T20:06:42.489Z

It's just dawned on me that the Gunners lethargy after taking the lead today and our ultimate failure to take all three points, was in fact nothing to do with the lack of full-backs, or a lacklustre display overall.It was all down to my dreadfully insensitive pals at Piebury Corner, for daring to take a break over the festive period that included a home game, thereby leaving all their many

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-67885604020495700332011-12-27T18:58:00.005Z2011-12-27T19:41:28.199Z

Hi folks,Although I'm hardly feeling the festive spirit, after we blatantly blew two points this afternoon, I guess I should take this opportunity to wish everyone the compliments of the seasons and a happy & healthy New Year.Ref Stuart Atwell has definitely joined the ever increasing number of officials who are no longer on my Xmas Card list (if I actually sent any out!) and it will undoubtedly

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-88577979594078226622011-12-21T14:29:00.002Z2011-12-21T14:34:04.419Z

I'm on route to Villa Park and there's a rumour on the coach that our Boxing Day match v Wolves has been postponed to the following day (because of the tube strike). I can't find any confirmation of this and bit loathe to post without being certain, but just in case it effects anyone's plans, I thought it worth mentioning the possibilityCOYGBernard

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-58420194589416332642011-12-20T01:31:00.004Z2011-12-20T16:17:25.197Z

Premature Alzheimers strikes again! I completely forgot until seeing something about it on Twitter and I'm gutted I neglected to include it in my diary piece, as it scans quite well with the title, but having sucked on a few fags outside the Middle Eastern on Sunday, to get my nicotine levels up before 90 minute chewing on my fingernails, when I finally entered the Etihad, the customary raucous

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-76768241477353756432011-12-19T16:44:00.005Z2011-12-19T16:57:54.804Z

Obviously feeling more than a little disconsolate as I queued up for a bus back to Picadilly Station after Sunday’s defeat, I took some comfort from ear-wigging the conversations of those City fans who suggested this was the most entertaining match they’d witnessed thus far at the Middle-Eastern. Indeed, as least going 1-0 down to the goal from City’s silky, Rolls Royce of a

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-87262324180787765902011-12-18T13:48:00.000Z2011-12-18T14:26:26.484Z

On the train to Manchester, listening to The Tuesday Club podcast (sitting in the "Quiet" car, doubtless winding folk up with my incessant giggling). Amusing fact of the Day (courtesy of an unnamed podcast devotee): We're only deux points behind the auld enemy, after the Lillywhites best start to a season since 1961 and our worst start in 58 years! Perhaps a little later this season than usual,

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-46103668488427434152011-12-12T15:55:00.012Z2011-12-12T17:17:20.925Z

After experiencing the spontaneous fervour of the Greek fans at Olympiacos in midweek, not to mention a couple of days of welcome respite from the arctic weather, Saturday’s celebrations of the Arsenal’s 125th anniversary felt a little contrived and somewhat anaemic by comparison. A bit like the commemorative matchday programme, which much to my chagrin was completely sold out to all the

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-80960602685061896652011-12-05T11:41:00.003Z2011-12-05T11:46:33.176Z

...must be feeling a bit of a prick :-)http://www.offthepost.info/blog/2011/06/video-footballer-sent-off-over-penis-piercing/

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-14923071150187906212011-12-05T08:26:00.008Z2011-12-05T09:31:15.719Z

Like most car drivers, I much prefer being master of my own destiny, rather than getting drenched in both directions, trudging from Wigan station to the JJB and hanging around, waiting for trains. But it was definitely worth schlepping to the North-West for a soaking on Saturday. What’s more the journey back to London reminded me that there are some advantages to letting the train take the strain

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-82179895002208128272011-11-30T04:22:00.002Z2011-11-30T09:27:40.016Z

There can be no denying that there was a certain delicious irony to being the first (and so far only) Premiership side to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League. Admittedly Dortmund’s playmaker (and supposed Arsenal target), Gotze limped off after only half an hour, but overall I was decidedly underwhelmed by the best the Bundesliga has to offer. By contrast, Borussia’s

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-13053794899170283482011-11-29T23:47:00.008Z2011-11-30T09:27:53.819Z

According to Radio 5, Chelsea were booed off at the Bridge after getting beat by the Scousers in their Carling Cup quarterfinal last night. Remarkably, in light of the fickle reputation of the Gooner faithful in recent times (or at least our home crowd), there was no such overt expression of disapprobation after our 0-1 defeat to City.Aside from the faint consolation that our early season

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-40240381516750876062011-11-21T17:36:00.002Z2011-11-21T17:44:57.983Z

If interested, you can read a full translation of the interview with l'Equipe (with massive thanks to @mattspiro) here.......And if you can be bothered to get past the guff on Chelsea v Liverpool, Philippe Auclair's opinion of the interview, as expressed on Talksport is available here......Big LoveBernard

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-34607341636530300132011-11-21T16:01:00.007Z2011-11-21T17:05:51.730Z

Hi folks,I just wanted to thank all those who were kind enough to send me birthday greetings last week. I was hoping to let the anniversary of my half-century slide by with as little ado as possible. Fat chance of that in the Facebook and Twitter era! :-)The Irish Examiner were also good enough to give me the weekend off (with no domestic competition and the big story being the Boys In Green's

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-61898926231913484042011-11-10T05:03:00.003Z2011-11-10T19:34:34.973Z

Hi folks, It's likely to be a regular theme from now on, as I delay sending out my weekly missive after writing it on a Monday, due to the unavoidable feeling that I left far more out of my meagre 650 word offering to the Irish Examiner than I've been able to include (when one takes into account my overly loquacious tendencies!). However, as ever, procrastination remains the thief of time

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-17383447760441321292011-10-31T17:37:00.003Z2011-10-31T20:34:09.844Z

Hi folks,Saturday scintillating encounter was the sort of match that was a complete and utter privilege to attend, for all the reasons I've explained below (and more!). Whether it's likely to prove some sort of watershed, remains to be seen in the weeks ahead.Personally I tend to believe it's just one more step, in the process of rebuilding of this Arsenal side as a force to be reckoned with (

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-40316247491844389822011-10-24T23:56:00.003+01:002011-10-31T17:32:36.116Z

Hi folks,Sincere apologies as I didn't get around to posting out last week's missive. Limiting myself to 650 words for the Irish Examiner is an impossible target, since they've reduced the size of our columns this season; especially when you consider that I've been struggling for a decade or more to confine myself to less than a 1000 words. As a result, I invariably end up feeling that I've left

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-32944188854070170612011-10-17T05:55:00.004+01:002011-10-17T08:36:40.758+01:00

You might think that I'd have quite a lot more to say, after having a week off for the International break and the truth is that I could probably prattle on ad infinitum, if allowed. However with the Irish Examiner having confined our (myself, Man U, Chelsea, and Liverpool fans - guess they are soon going to have to find a City fan!) contribution to a smaller section of the paper, I've had to

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-40923301991522674272011-10-03T09:55:00.002+01:002011-10-03T10:37:04.418+01:00

Apologies for pinching a few lines from my previous post, for my piece for the Irish Examiner below (I couldn't resist repeating the image of Arsène as our very own Pol Pot!)I'm not sure if our ability to compete in yesterday's game was due to an improvement compared to our recent lamentable form, or the fact that the home side had an off day. Perhaps it was more a case of Spurs not being able to

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-70956457416468389292011-10-02T04:35:00.002+01:002011-10-02T13:04:36.255+01:00

Hi folksMy brother-out-of-law was over from Dublin on Thursday, for the Spurs v Shamrock Rovers, Europa Cup encounter. I was hoping to be able to accompany him to the game, but after juggling work to ensure I wasn't late getting back for our game against Olympiakos on Wednesday, I wasn't particularly confident of being able to make it home from the ballet's stores in Marden, Kent, in time to

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-670464597481062532011-09-27T00:34:00.002+01:002011-09-27T02:20:29.020+01:00

Hi folks,it made a change today, when instead of the piece I'd filed for Wednesday's Irish Examiner being outdated by subsequent news, it seemed as if the disastrous revelation that Jack WIlshere will be absent for 4-6 months, has lent weight to the comment I've made below about the contentions of those concerning the competency of the Gunners' medical team. Perhaps the reluctance to operate

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-50484892602470164932011-09-24T22:25:00.001+01:002011-09-24T22:26:35.906+01:00

(apologies, as I didn't get around to posting last week's diary piece and when my thoughts were superseded by Tuesday's Carling Cup triumph, I really wanted to write something different, but having not got around to it, I thought that unlike the Gunners, I could at least maintain a consistent record, even if a tirade about zonal marking hardly seems so relevant after beating Bolton 3-0 and

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-65332354725534978202011-09-12T20:00:00.002+01:002011-09-12T22:07:37.228+01:00

Hi folks,As I'm heading off to Dortmund in the wee hours, I just wanted to add a couple of things which didn't make it into my weekly diary missive "Meet The New Boss, Same As The Old Boss" My neighbour at the Emirates commented on Saturday that the worst thing about Joey Barton's move to QPR was that we've got the misfortune of meeting Barton at least two more times this season. Yet while there

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-20106342716923435172011-09-12T19:12:00.002+01:002011-09-12T19:15:25.410+01:00

If we were picking teams in the playground, I’m not sure any sane captain would select Arteta & Benayoun over Fabregas & Nasri. Yet compared to a couple of weeks ago, when Arsène was left with nothing to choose from but the last knockings of his squad, I’m certainly not moaning about our manager’s uncharacteristic last minute shopping spree. In fact our humbling at Old Trafford couldn’t

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-37549140353533305452011-08-29T15:45:00.004+01:002011-08-29T15:52:40.232+01:00

Stuck in traffic on a depressingly dreary Friday, it was hard to believe it was only the day before that we’d been watching the Champions League draw, plotted up in the Venice sunshine, fantasizing about further European glory. I was thinking I’d have been better off staying in Italy. After Sunday’s shellacking, I really wish I had! I’m not sure I’d have bothered stumping up for an overnight

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-3129140392929692582011-08-22T19:05:00.002+01:002011-08-22T19:13:11.224+01:00

....I've been driven to distraction by the taunts of my Spurs mates that suggest the Emirates is populated by Gooner rats, all rushing to abandon a sinking ship. 1. There were no empty seats on Saturday and those who thought there were from the TV pictures, should be aware that from where I sat, this was just as a result of it pissing down at half-time and all those getting wet in the front rows

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-22787260795232500612011-08-22T16:59:00.002+01:002011-08-22T17:17:45.003+01:00

There are still plenty of Gooners clinging on like grim death to the hope that the greatest manager our glorious club has ever known, might yet prove he’s not become entirely presbyopic - seemingly to the point of not being able to see the nose on his own face. In the knowledge that the blow of losing two of our most virtuoso stars has been a problem, which has been on the horizon for so

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-36514982772808251272011-08-16T22:51:00.002+01:002011-08-17T01:11:19.014+01:00

Strolling around to the Emirates for tonight's game, in short sleeves, on a lovely warm August evening, it was only when I heard confirmation of the Arsenal line-up that I really began to fret, as I wondered where on earth the goals were going to come from against Udinese. As a result, I didn't really feel much motivation to break into a sweat while rushing around to ensure I arrived before KO.

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-2996776634164882042011-08-15T17:34:00.002+01:002011-08-15T18:49:37.052+01:00

...well it put a smile on my face

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-3128450056003788172011-08-15T16:20:00.003+01:002011-08-15T16:30:00.335+01:00

Come the revolution (assuming it hasn’t already started!), it will be the fixture schedulers who’ll be first up against my wall, due to their customary lack of consideration for the long-suffering travelling fans, without whom the Premiership’s multi-million pound TV product might not be nearly so palatable. Nevertheless, with the dampeners having been put on any remaining new season optimism

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-32475845439323722102011-08-11T09:10:00.003+01:002011-08-11T09:20:16.342+01:00

....and I for one am delighted Sure I don't ever want to lose our best players, but clinging on to him at this stage is ridiculous, when he and everyone else has made it so patently obvious he wants to return to Barca. And I'd hate to have started the season, with the unavoidable dampener on team spirit of having our bloomin' club captain wanting away. Thanks for the memories Fab, now f**k off

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-42350651557108358112011-08-07T16:15:00.002+01:002011-08-07T21:21:39.331+01:00

I bashed out my previous post, "You Wait All Day For A Bus.....", on Thursday, prior to the Champions League draw and yet another frustrating pre-season outing in Portugal. This was following a request from The Irish Examiner to file a piece by Friday for their Premiership preview supplement and it was only after I'd sent it that I began to wonder if perhaps it was remiss of me to jump on the

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-10278045252732197312011-08-07T16:06:00.002+01:002011-08-07T16:10:05.969+01:00

…..and our obdurate conductor still won’t ring our bell! As an Arsenal fan I’ve long since learned that it’s prudent to switch off during the summer, rather than be driven to distraction by endless rumours, which fail to take into account the tendency of our very own Nero to want to continue fiddling with the flames licking around his feet. However while Rome burned, the

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-17392119741432800582011-07-20T02:13:00.009+01:002011-07-20T07:35:36.642+01:00

Hi folks,Based on the experience of the past few summers, I must admit that I do my utmost to avoid all the silly-season witterings in the media, as the papers struggle to fill endless column inches with their unsubstantiated tosh. As an Arsenal fan, it's proved an incredibly frustrating business, waiting in vain for transfer news.Thus when I received the piss-take text "will the last one please

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-50956054537218270762011-05-29T02:36:00.005+01:002011-05-29T19:54:31.810+01:00

Hi foksIt occurred to me that events over the past couple of days might be of sufficient interest to merit transcribing. So dependent on your point of view, I guess you could say it's a Bernie (as opposed to a Brucie) bonus. Who knows, the Examiner might end up printing it and then I'd be no better than those mentioned below, profiting from the misery of the Man Utd faithful :-)On the basis that

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-81813893438310020322011-05-23T14:58:00.001+01:002011-05-23T15:01:17.527+01:00

I was almost feeling envious of all those fans of the five clubs going into the final game of the season, balancing on the perilous precipice of Premiership relegation. So much so that I was half-tempted to stop at home and watch all the excitement unfold live on the box. In fact if our last away outing had involved anything more than a brief hop across the capital on my motorbike, to the

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-37463607419814560932011-05-16T18:14:00.004+01:002011-05-16T18:34:49.275+01:00

(with apologies for repeating the odd analogy from last week's missive for the benefit of my Irish Examiner column)So here we Gooners are again, the uninvited guests with our noses enviously pressed up against the pub’s frosted windows, missing out on all the jollity of yet another end of season “lock-in”.I celebrated Newcastle’s late equalizer at Chelsea on Sunday, as I dashed out the door to

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-2134509657923062962011-05-15T01:08:00.002+01:002011-05-15T01:19:07.351+01:00

(better late than never!)Hi folks, After fulfilling my obligation to file my weekly missive to the Irish Examiner on Monday, the fact that I haven't got around to posting it out until now is perhaps symptomatic of the feeling of disillusionment following last Sunday's abysmal display up at Stoke. I've never forgotten the comment I received on an end of term report from one of

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-47121575357919320782011-05-02T17:48:00.001+01:002011-05-02T17:49:54.475+01:00

Sunday’s triumphant victory over Man Utd was tinged with the bittersweet regret about what might have been, if only the Gunners had been able to reproduce such an accomplished display on a more regular basis. Moreover there was little satisfaction knowing we’d kicked the door of the Premiership title chase open, only to offer Chelsea the chance to drive though.Nevertheless I was so desperate for

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-43509901554648048132011-04-25T15:45:00.001+01:002011-04-25T15:49:46.659+01:00

Considering the scenes of an increasingly tormented Arsène Wenger, writhing in anguish on the touchline these past few weeks, I’m sure if he was a four-legged filly someone would’ve felt it an act of kindness to put him out of his misery! With each passing week and the recent catalogue of lapses in concentration that have proved so costly, our manager has looked more and more as if he’s buckling

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-58718534084672062642011-04-18T14:51:00.003+01:002011-04-18T16:42:11.201+01:00

Hi folks,Had to come home and lie down in a dark room after events last evening and I'm glad I let the dust settle before putting fingers to keyboard, as I'm certain my comments would've been far more rancorous.However having benefited from being able to put yesterday's draw into some perspective, if you exclude those eventful last few minutes (and BTW unlike AW, I'm not going to be so

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-58615513848560940972011-04-17T00:13:00.009+01:002011-04-17T11:40:35.345+01:00

G'day fellow Gooners,I actually typed out the following missive Monday last, sitting in the back of our big, old Toyota bus, parked beside our B & B in Blackpool, with the sunroof open (although for some unknown reason, I believe it's called a "moon roof"?) and the sun beating down upon my bonce, not because I wanted a tan particularly, but because I would have never finished my column sitting

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-39772306544157034272011-04-04T14:16:00.007+01:002011-04-04T14:55:05.568+01:00

I fully appreciate that there can be no condoning Wayne Rooney’s outburst to camera at Upton Park on Saturday because kids everywhere will doubtless end up imitating the angry little gurrier. Nevertheless, I have to admit, what I wouldn’t give for just a soupcon of the same raging intensity from some of the Gunners. More than likely it should be his manager apologizing, as I can picture

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-30239597879515764742011-03-28T13:59:00.001+01:002011-04-04T14:43:57.563+01:00

Hi folks,I guess my failure to post out last week's missive is indicative of the sort of apathy I feel towards breaks for International footie. But I'm sending it out now, if only to satisfy my pedantic need to maintain a weekly record, so please feel free to ignore.This week's rant to follow!Big LoveBernard_______________________________________________________________ Usually an International

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-55815401220386266782011-03-21T14:43:00.009Z2011-03-21T16:05:29.163Z

We might've been better off if Arsène had been banned from the dugout instead of Fergie? Perhaps he'd benefit from an enforced change of perspective, because with each passing game, it becomes increasingly hard to fathom why le Gaffer continues to place his faith in our gormless Brazilian galoot; when, from our point of view on the terraces, it’s become as plain as the hooter on ol’ Red Nose’s

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-16822063151802829102011-03-14T18:31:00.003Z2011-03-14T21:10:43.690Z

Hi folks,I could've prattled on with a rant at least twice as long as this week's missive for the Irish Examiner (which was already a couple of hundred words more than what was required) and as a result, you are the "lucky" recipients of my cathartic efforts to get all my remaining gripes off my chestIt's growing increasingly difficult to argue against all those "throw the bath water out with the

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-10653988877526602062011-03-14T17:58:00.004Z2011-03-14T18:28:16.164Z

Despite last week’s doom-laden prophecy, I was left reeling on the ropes, feeling no less punch-drunk following Saturday’s dismal FA Cup defeat. Taken in isolation, there’s absolutely no shame in being beaten by the world’s best footballing side. Nor is a defeat at the Theatre of Dreams anything to get too depressed about (or we’d have ended up slitting our wrists after any of our five previous

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-7516964736978031262011-03-07T21:54:00.008Z2011-03-07T23:07:01.398Z

Hi folks,It's hard to recall having to write a more awkward diary entry this entire past decade, in respect of having to file the following piece to the Irish Examiner today, knowing that it will appear on the morning after an encounter which might ultimately prove to be either the zenith, or the nadir of this season's campaign.Still it had to be done and with me working in Kent for the ballet

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-22876027429706267052011-03-01T22:54:00.004Z2011-03-01T23:14:51.587Z

I'm just glad I wrote Monday's diary missive in advance of listening to Alan Davies' latest episode of The Tuesday Club podcast (highly recommended & amusing aid for getting Sunday's anguish out of one's system), as otherwise I would've felt that it sounded as if I'd only regurgitated some of their opinions, word for word.Alan Davies did however point out the relatively poor performance of Alex

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-38677408555596339062011-02-28T15:39:00.002Z2011-02-28T15:44:38.899Z

We bumped into Frank McLintock outside our turnstile at Wembley on Sunday and I was hoping that this might be a good omen. I jokingly suggested to our double winning skipper that “I wouldn’t mind having you in the middle of the park this afternoon”. Little did I realize quite how prophetic this would prove to be. Instead of a steely leader of McLintock’s calibre, facing down the Blues’ physical

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-42102280681742851032011-02-21T09:35:00.002Z2011-02-21T09:37:48.799Z

As ol’ Red Nose himself once put it so succinctly, “football eh, bloody hell!”I was expecting the entire gamut of emotions over the coming weeks, but we Gooners have encountered the full spectrum in the space of only four days. After the ecstasy of the coming of age of our stadium, Koscielny and Wilshere in last Wednesday’s breathtaking display, I must’ve still been high on the euphoria when I

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-69215584031415211652011-02-17T02:33:00.002Z2011-02-17T07:42:16.309Z

It was a brave move by le Boss, withdrawing Alex Song with 20 minutes to play. With Alex walking a yellow card tightrope since the opening minutes of this match, I suppose it was a considered gamble because as fatigue began to take it's toll as the clock ticked down, there was always the risk of the game getting stretched and Song being forced to stick an inadvertent leg out, thereby missing the

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-56368236682207562372011-02-14T22:46:00.003Z2011-02-14T22:51:25.551Z

....who are constantly complaining about AW's reluctance to compete with the big spenders - mind you, it's not like we've been moaning about the club's failure to spunk up £50 million on a single out of form striker, but how about five bob for a thoroughly out of character agricultural "stureker"? The evidence of Chelsea's performance at the Cottage suggests that even in some parallel world,

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-48360045677885450882011-02-14T19:30:00.002Z2011-02-14T19:35:43.733Z

With the two legs against Pep Guardiola’s Barca, a side that’s widely perceived as the paradigm of the beautiful game, sandwiched between domestic gaucherie, but no less season defining games against the likes of Wolves, Leyton Orient, Stoke & Sunderland (not to mention the trifling matter of a trip to Wembley, for an opportunity, no matter how meretricious, to win our first trophy in five years)

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-6900058088914037712011-02-07T15:32:00.001Z2011-02-07T15:35:56.871Z

(but then again, hopefully too few to mention!)Not that we needed any reminding (following our traumatic implosion on Tyneside) but football’s a fickle old mistress. It feels as if it was only yesterday that we were reveling in the return of an almost fully fit squad - which perhaps bore some relevance to le Prof’s reluctance to put his hand in the Arsenal’s deep pockets during the transfer

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-20602705351905658212011-01-31T20:47:00.003Z2011-01-31T23:08:58.024Z

"I don't watch Transfer deadline TV, I play for Arsenal there is no point.. ;)))"There are often times when writing my missive on Sunday/Monday for publication in the Irish Examiner on a Wednesday is a complete pain in the arse. This is one of them!Mind you, as a Gooner, I've hardly got cause for the proverbial "hold the back page" proclamation. I can't seriously imagine there were many of us who

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-15768698102217303802011-01-30T23:14:00.003Z2011-01-31T23:33:49.347Z

In spite of the TV companies best efforts to milk their limited exclusive coverage for all it’s worth, by squeezing as many televised FA Cup matches into a weekend as is possible and despite the sobering ramifications of so many empty seats at several 4th round matches, mercifully the oldest knockout tournament on the planet continues to retain magic aplenty. Following Saturday’s “cup shocks”,

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-77315748876146673572011-01-24T23:33:00.002Z2011-01-31T23:39:36.554Z

(seems my premature Alzheimers struck again, as I neglected to post last week's missive - feel free to ignore, but being such a pedant I felt obliged to maintain my weekly record, without allowing this one to go AWOL)Make no mistake about it, if by parking their tractors on the goal-line, Ipswich manage to triumph on Tuesday night, there'll be more than a few amongst the Gooner faithful who'll be

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-66059003544148003952011-01-22T01:46:00.004Z2011-01-22T07:10:38.371Z

We Were There When Van Persie SoaredHi folks,Not wanting to bore you with my excuses (although doubtless I'll get around to it :-), I neglected to post the piece I wrote last Sunday, after our victory at Upton Park. It's way out of date after Wednesday's trip to Elland Road, but I'll leave you to decide whether it's worth reading or not, assuming I eventually get it sent out in advance of KO

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-12960441594920952602011-01-18T07:02:00.000Z2011-01-22T07:04:19.299Z

(better late then never?)Israel is often described as a country where “the one who shouts loudest gets served first” and it amazes me that of all the brazen Red Sea pedestrians on the planet, the Hammers ended up with such an incredibly mild-mannered and dignified descendant of Moses at the helm. As much sympathy as I might have for Avram Grant, with the disgustingly public and long-drawn out

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-34494811834214585692011-01-13T00:36:00.005Z2011-01-13T03:05:49.034Z

Having been stuck in the Coliseum in St. Martin's Lane for both of our last two midweek matches, I don't feel best qualified to comment. But I'm not going to let that stop me :-) From what I've seen of the TV coverage, against Man City we started right from the KO, playing at a very high tempo, carving out several opportunities in a thrilling opening period.Against Ipswich it took at least half

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-32373198826972382772011-01-10T17:32:00.004Z2011-01-10T19:19:57.135Z

Hi folks,As a regular at almost every Arsenal match, I usually rely on the evidence of my own two eyes for my opinion about what takes place on the football pitch. In fact, apart from the obligatory Match of the Day highlights and assorted other pet media favourites, for the most part nowadays I tend to ignore the myriad of offerings available on TV, in the press and online, prior to writing my

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-61459987106544665812011-01-04T16:01:00.002Z2011-01-04T16:08:15.601Z

If you’d offered any Gooner the opportunity to be going into the New Year, a mere couple of points off the top of the table, with lowly Ipswich as the only thing between us and a long-awaited trip to our first Wembley final (since the rebuild), most would’ve bitten your hand off. The most frustrating thing for us and fans of every table-topping team, is that it has rarely ever felt as if the

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-3730544930559496852011-01-04T15:31:00.004Z2011-01-04T16:01:32.421Z

Hi folks,I intended posting this out on Sunday, but between getting involved with fitting up Romeo & Juliet at the Coliseum with the ballet (reluctantly - aside from the miserable prospect of mixing up my priorities and missing matches while stuck in the theatre, the heftiest show in the ballet's rep is murder on my decrepit old joints), writing a second missive for the Examiner by way of a

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-28685475297753939962010-12-30T07:01:00.004Z2010-12-30T12:48:03.509Z

I guess a comic ending at Wigan was fitting, considering it's the pantomime season. But as much as I adore Arsène Wenger, in my most humble opinion, if le Gaffer has one almighty blind spot, it's in his cold clinical attitude to the game and a statistical mindset, which apparently leaves him unable to weigh up the significance of such intangibles as gut feeling and the sort of instincts that

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-80862719705417276332010-12-28T08:16:00.005Z2010-12-28T08:30:28.900Z

Who could wish for more from Santa the Gooner, than a nodding Arsenal bulldog to adorn the dashboard of my motor and 3 points from our encounter with the Blues, which guarantees that the Gunners will ring in the New Year, if not as top dogs, then at least as the capital’s big kahuna. Despite the unremitting positivity of a new car mascot (that doesn’t do negative!), the optimism hardly abounded

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-61491346047193981972010-12-20T16:55:00.005Z2010-12-20T19:37:32.879Z

A weekend without footie is like Sunday lunch without the spuds. Naturally I lapped up the meagre morsel of mashed swede from the Stadium of Light & Ewood Park on Saturday. Bolton pressed for an equalizer against Sunderland, with the sort of drive and determination that was sorely missed when we played Man Utd. While our skipper ponders our squad’s apparent insecurities against the better sides,

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-64264115227157391262010-12-14T08:30:00.004Z2010-12-14T09:53:02.137Z

It’s been a highly entertaining first few months of the season, with so many sides capable of playing with the sort of panache that has enabled them to take points from anyone, on any given weekend. But in some respects it’s felt as if we’ve been treading water, waiting for one of the big guns to kick on. The question is, are the Gunners merely pacemakers, or can we prove ourselves to be

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-59636203903828640272010-12-06T03:10:00.005Z2010-12-06T09:24:00.165Z

While everyone insists on making us Gooners ever more aware of the length of time the Gunners have dallied in the silverware starved doldrums, you’d have to be a pretty damn visually challenged footie lover, not to be grateful for the privilege of watching Arsène Wenger’s lads play live every week. Myself I never forget to count my footballing blessings, every time I stand, mouth agape,

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-62232383911811260142010-11-30T04:36:00.002Z2010-11-30T07:08:19.687Z

G'day fellow Gooners,I certainly can't claim to be Nostradamus, with my assertions in recent weeks, that after treading water since the start of the season, without losing a game, those gombeens at Old Trafford were bound to come good at some point.Then again, I'm certain it's not the first time we've seen one of Fat Sam's sides roll over and play dead for the benefit of his Red Nosed pal. Apart

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-80613478816993592882010-11-22T08:01:00.002Z2010-11-22T08:09:36.058Z

Handing Harry Redknapp’s mob the odd crumb of comfort in 17 years isn’t really grounds for the renting of Gooner clothes and the donning of sackcloth and ashes. Nevertheless there were enough angry fans calling for the baby to be thrown out with the bathwater, when the final whistle blew on Saturday’s fiasco. Such frustration was perfectly understandable, as Spurs didn’t win this game; the

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-85665375683796757892010-11-15T13:03:00.003Z2010-11-15T13:09:03.790Z

I always look forward to the annual Everton expedition. Like a comfortable pair of battered old shoes, Goodison Park remains a Coronation Street style peoples’ palace, compared to the modern glass and steel aesthetics of the Gunners’s iconic Canary Wharf-like atheneum. With chips & gravy for all, under the familiar shadow of Dixie Dean’s fixed bronze stare, rather than the exclusive surroundings

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-24570028784412483072010-11-08T15:24:00.002Z2010-11-08T15:27:47.599Z

If some French floozy has managed to distract an obsessed Arsène Wenger from his spreadsheets and his wall-to-wall diet of world football, long enough for some extra-curricular activities, well all I can say is that she must’ve presented him with some seriously attractive statistics. But then the scandalmongers obsession with salacious tittle-tattle in this country, is more an expression of the

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-20610713641569610982010-11-03T23:51:00.003Z2010-11-03T23:58:37.593Z

@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } Is it just me, or does it feel like Groundhog Day, where we storm ahead in the Group Stages, then take our eye of the ball and end up having to make a bit of a scramble to get into the knockout stages,

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-82971859450756636702010-11-02T07:54:00.004Z2010-11-02T08:05:13.717Z

@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } With the looming prospect of dropping two costly points on Saturday, when Gael Clichy careered down the left flank in the 88th minute against the Hammers, I offered up a little prayer that our profligate

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-15830549789406221902010-10-28T04:03:00.005+01:002010-10-28T10:03:09.274+01:00

G'day fellow Gooners,I've been getting very slack of late, filing my missive to the paper on a Monday morning and failing to post it out, until it ends up being out-dated by events in midweek. Truth be told, I've been forced to become just a little more self-disciplined, as the sports ed at the Examiner will no longer accept my typically (overly)loquacious pieces and unless I restrict myself to

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-19154802167495811492010-10-19T01:04:00.004+01:002010-10-21T01:03:23.946+01:00

(seems a bit pointless posting this now, considering we've seen us mullah Shaktar 5-0 and the Spuds larf a minute match in Milan, since - poor luvs, I was almost jealous of how excited they were about their big outing and it was a poignant reminder quite how much we take the Champions League group stages for granted - but since I've had this missive sitting on my machine these past few days, I

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-66946081000071667832010-10-12T10:56:00.004+01:002010-10-12T14:32:58.620+01:00

Hi folksI've managed to tear myself away from the enthralling prospect of tonight's England encpunter to take the time to post out the following piece. It's been amusing the past couple of weeks, listening to all those deluded Gooners, who've been trying to convince everyone quite how delighted they are that they don't have to pay to watch an Arsenal side that plays like Chelsea.As someone who

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-78424900753993028222010-10-07T02:12:00.002+01:002010-10-07T08:41:24.007+01:00

G'day Gooners,This was one of those weeks when I had so much more to say about Sunday's game at the Bridge, that I didn't want to post this out, until I'd had an opportunity to add all those points that I wanted to make but which wouldn't fit into my diary missive for the Examiner.However with the ballet going out on tour nest week, I've been so busy that I've barely had time to open my computer

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-20594521345732256792010-10-01T00:14:00.003+01:002010-10-01T02:14:57.128+01:00

Hi folks,It's another "twofer" week, since I wrote the following diary piece last Sunday night/Monday morning, for publication in Wednesday'Irish Examiner and I never got around to posting it out, in my rush to get it finished and filed to the paper so that I could go and get my motorbike MOTd - as much to my great distress, I returned from working on Saturday night to deliver a hired truck back

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-30808964058623206852010-09-30T17:15:00.002+01:002010-09-30T17:18:04.463+01:00

While I’m somewhat loathe to pass judgement on a game that I’ve watched on the box, as from experience, I know the TV pictures can provide a warped view of proceedings, from where I sat (in my armchair), Tuesday night’s encounter in Serbia served to emphasize the failings of both the Champions League format and (AFAIC) the patently obvious Achilles heel in this Arsenal squad .It’s very easy to

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-40700176788076860362010-09-20T14:39:00.001+01:002010-09-20T14:43:02.772+01:00

Having seen Andy Gray’s analysis on the box on Sunday afternoon and his unbiased take on the traumatic 95th minute equalizer at the Stadium of Light (as the 4 minutes of injury time had already elapsed), I had a little more sympathy with Wenger’s uncontrollable urge to vent his anger at the 4th official. Unlike the events at Goodison the other week, when Moyes threw his toys out of the pram,

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-45096015102744977792010-09-19T10:24:00.003+01:002010-09-19T18:22:50.634+01:00

I'm sure that in this age of instant Twitter news as it happens, by now plenty of reports of the Shareholders Q & A will have long since surfaced on the Interweb, with Gooners everywhere aware that sadly one last bastion of interaction with our beloved club has bitten the dust, as a result of this event no longer being an open forum for questions from the floor.It would seem that in response to

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-74091767853379768732010-09-19T09:16:00.003+01:002010-09-19T10:08:47.974+01:00

Hi folks,I hope you'll forgive my failure to post out last week's missive. I wrote it on Sunday but in the knowledge it would appear in Wednesday's Irish Examiner and with me having referred to "tonight's game" against Braga, I planned on sending it out on Wednesday morning. Sadly along with most everything else that doesn't merit an alarm in my iPhone's diary, it slipped through my positively

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-58730480437772589752010-09-08T10:13:00.002+01:002010-09-08T10:30:08.786+01:00

Hi folksI guess it was tempting fate for us all to have mocked Spurs's woes with regard to Dawson's injury the other day. With Theo in such fine form, I was actually watching Friday's England match, expecting him to end up in a crumpled heap at any moment and was relieved to see him substituted. I guess with the current spate of injuries at N5, we should've known it was inevitable that Walcott

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-38226237530187260012010-08-30T16:03:00.006+01:002010-08-30T16:53:47.042+01:00

(you can ignore this post if you read my War & Peace like opus the other day, as I've only ended up repeating bits of it)With Saturday’s early KO at Ewood Park live on the box, I wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about a crack of dawn departure for a long schlep up to Lancashire, after an exhausting week at work. Often such unenticing outings are merely a matter of paying ones loyal dues, in

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-85475665753134946932010-08-29T09:22:00.002+01:002010-08-29T09:23:06.913+01:00

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-24886052125438760162010-08-28T06:30:00.004+01:002010-08-29T09:12:04.110+01:00

Following a positively exhausting week, where chucking paracetamol down my throat every four hours has been my only means of staving off flu-like symptoms (sadly I can't pull a "sickie" as if I don't turn up for work, I don't get paid!) a 6.30am alarm in order to catch an 8.30am train, for an early KO at Ewood Park that's being screened live on Sky, well quite frankly, it's enough to test the

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-39528686933937531922010-08-26T04:08:00.004+01:002010-08-26T08:19:42.256+01:00

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Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-36147664013168144672010-08-16T07:56:00.002+01:002010-08-16T08:02:04.105+01:00

If I’m entirely honest (much like Martin O’Neill), I was struggling to rediscover my footballing mojo during pre-season. With the Gunners investing half as many millions in fine dining facilities for our most affluent punters, as they have in improving the squad (to date?), I was feeling somewhat disillusioned. How many Gooners will get to experience the plush surroundings and the memorabilia

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-89563149689645705922010-08-14T16:03:00.003+01:002010-08-14T16:34:58.390+01:00

....judging by Joe Hart's performance this afternoon for Man City, it would appear as if the youngster has nailed down the no. 1 shirt as far as Mancini is concerned. So why not jump in with a concerted effort to sign for Shay Given. I might be just a tad biased but I'd much prefer Shay over Mark Schwarzer.As Ireland's no. 1, Given's not going to want to spend the season warming the bench at

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-12313188411929046052010-08-14T06:00:00.004+01:002010-08-14T11:24:59.087+01:00

G'day fellow Gooners,I had to make a stop on the way home from Friday night dinner at my Ma's, after my sister sprang a surprise on me, by revealing that she'd arranged an extremely premature birthday pressie (considering it's not until November), with "a personalised granite stone" at Armoury Square, "where the fans and the legends will be together, forever Arsenal".Ironically, the hypocrisy

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-59196396566100506432010-07-19T10:43:00.010+01:002010-07-19T14:34:06.655+01:00

You can keep your commercially packaged, glitz and glamour of the Emirates Cup, there’s something far more real and resonant about the annual curtain-raiser amongst the ramshackle environs of Underhill. I recall a 7-1 schmeissing some seasons back, but although in recent years the footballing fare at this annual friendly has tended to be more somnolent than scinitillating, somehow a

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-8251017243472520502010-06-28T21:41:00.002+01:002010-07-20T07:30:09.135+01:00

I would’ve dearly loved to have used the 2010 World Cup as an excuse to finally fulfil a lifelong ambition to visit South Africa. Instead of which, sadly I spent the first week of the tournament, watching most of the matches in 30 minute snatches, between interval changes, backstage at the Royal Albert Hall. My enjoyment of what’s often billed as “the greatest show on earth” was interrupted by

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-28770061476100608752010-05-11T23:15:00.003+01:002010-05-12T00:44:07.596+01:00

Hi folks,The end of season report for the Irish Examiner always proves to be a mammoth chore, as I have enough trouble fitting my regular diary missive into a thousand words, let alone an entire season.I made the big mistake of going back to the fixtures/results list in Sunday's programme, just to ensure nothing important had slipped through my sieve like memory. But all I achieved was that I

Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19711060.post-57205902083441031322010-05-04T08:49:00.001+01:002010-05-05T11:54:06.076+01:00

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Bernardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12319986956030399380noreply@blogger.com2