28 years ago, George Graham was appointed Arsenal Manager……
My Father was an Arsenal supporter all his life, but like many Arsenal fans both past and present, when the big finals came around he was treated shabbily by both the Football Association and Arsenal Football Club…
He saw his first ‘live’ Arsenal game, ironically at White Hart Lane, when Arsenal played at Tottenham in the Jubilee match of 1938. He was only 11 years old and couldn’t remember much about it.
The War and National Service meant that it wouldn’t be until 1946-47 that he finally made it to Highbury to see his beloved Arsenal. From then on, work and health permitting, he rarely missed a home match.
Then in 1950 the Gunners reached the FA Cup Final and he tried his damnedest to get a ticket but to no avail. That disappointment was replicated two years later. Two Cup Finals and not a sniff of a ticket from Arsenal…
In those days, the appalling Football Association distributed even less tickets to the competing clubs than they do now. But on Cup Final day, you would always see the Rolls Royces, Bentleys and Daimlers parked outside Wembley as the ‘usual suspects’, hangers-on and assorted parasites who made up the Great and the Good, attended the final. Just as they did with all the major sporting events.
The real fans didn’t matter to the F.A. and that seems to remain the case today and you can bet there will be plenty of Greg Dykes friends etc in the best seats on May 17th!
People’s Game…? Yeah, right!!!
Eventually my Father did get to see Arsenal at Wembley and he took me to see both the League Cup Finals of 1968 and 1969…
Ticket touts supplied the tickets, not Arsenal!
In 1965, my family moved to Tottenham and my Dad ran a shop, he actually sold lottery tickets for Tottenham Hotspurs and it was from them that we got one ticket for the FA Cup Final of 1971 and again in 1972..,
Dad let me go in 1971, Charlie George and all that, what a wonderful occasion. Dad went in 1972 which was a terrible game but that was Six Cup Finals and Arsenal hadn’t supplied one bloody ticket for any of them…
1978 was the first time that we got a ticket from Arsenal which came via the vouchers from the programmes and we did the same in 1979…
1980 was the year that the turnstile operators at Highbury really stitched everyone up. We were all queuing with our vouchers to collect our precious Cup Final tickets but missed out because the thieving gits on the turnstiles were selling the tickets to touts which left a very poisonous atmosphere outside the ground for a long time…
The club never really explained what happened that day in 1980. But then they really couldn’t care less…
I actually got a ticket to the Final from my Post Office Sports Association which was another final when Arsenal FC shamefully failed it’s fans.
In 1987 and 1988 I got tickets for me and my Dad from my Uncle who was the Secretary of his Referee’s Association. He called in a few favours and made sure we got them.
Arsenal had failed again…
Between 1990 and 1994, and from 1997 onwards, we had season tickets so we managed to see most of the finals during that time.
The dawning of the new money-spinning Emirates Stadium means that getting a Cup Final ticket is once again more of a lottery. Arsenal will pay lip-service but will basically do bugger all to help the fans…
Meanwhile, the Football Association will prattle on about the ‘Football Family’…
Of course, it must be the football family who are selling Cup Final tickets online for between £500 and £700…
It’s all a total carve up…
The Football Association and Arsenal Football Club should collectively hold their heads in shame.
Somehow though, I doubt very much that they give a toss…
Written by allezkev
Transfer gossip:
The stories about Angel Di Maria started last summer but apparently the player wasn’t ready to move back then. One year on and those same stories have resurfaced and according to many reports in Spain, Real Madrid are looking to offload their £25 million man.
According to The Express, it’s a battle between us and Manchester City in England or PSG/Monaco in France. I’m hoping he wants to see his old mate Mesut again….
Cheikhou Kouyate is another rumour which has resurfaced and according to the same newspaper, his agent has held talks with both us and West Ham about a move this summer. He’s 6 ‘ 4″ and plays for Senegal….
There’s a song in there somewhere……
Have a great day folks, the sun is shining and the temperatures are rising……..
Summer is on it’s way, let’s hope it’s a great one for Arsenal FC……
Filed under: Daily Bits and Bobs Tagged: Arsenal FC, Arsenal Reserves, Arsene Wenger, FA Cup, Stan Kroenke, The Emirates, Wembley Stadium 
