Five Things We Learned after majestic Arsenal sweep past Bayern Munich

Another glorious performance and result in this most wonderful of weeks so far as the German giants are vanquished in North London

Five Things We Learned after majestic Arsenal sweep past Bayern Munich

Another glorious performance and result in this most wonderful of weeks so far as the German giants are vanquished in North London

1 - Set Piece FC issue payback

For those of us who still recall the visceral humiliations inflicted on Arsenal and the fans at the hands of Bayern Munich during the late Arsene Wenger era - I went to all three of those gut-wrenchingly awful 5-1 thrashings - beating the German giants not only felt good, but was also payback of a kind.

Ivan Gazidis promised supporters that moving from Highbury would take the club to another level - but instead, hamstrung by the cost of the new stadium without a sugar daddy or petrochemical state to subsidise us - our bright home actually turned out to be a costly financial albatross that prevented us from reaching our true potential.

It’s been a long and painful road over the last 20 years, but the levels we aspired to for two long decades were finally realised on Wednesday evening.

A club that sits proudly at the top of the Premier League, and now the Champions League, powered by a young, hungry, vibrant, talented team - yet one that is muscular and mentally tough - led by a relentlessly inspiring leader who has devoted his life to bringing back success to the club he played for with such distinction.

Allied with a leadership team aligned with the owners vision, and backed by the revenues the club generates itself - which means bolstering the squad with top end purchases instead of cast-offs - the end product is the week we have just experienced.

Namely a wondrous thrashing of our bitter rivals, fuelled by only the third player in our entire history to score a hattrick in the North London derby, coupled with a mesmerising performance to sweep aside the mighty Bundesliga giants with a compelling display of powerful football, from front to back, with no weak links in the side, that now has genuine competition for every single place.

Of course, no team, nor set of fans has a divine right to success. Far from it.

And of course, there is such a long way to go before we can finally cross the line and win a top trophy or two - a longed-for notion that has felt so distant at times over the last two decades - but, my word, Arsenal’s current imperiousness is a joy to behold for Gooners near and far.

Long may it continue. And, as I have started posting on social media after good results: “Keep calm and carry on…”

Perhaps I should also add, “enjoy the ride,” because it’s been a long and sometimes dispiriting 21 years for many of us.

2 - Majestic Arsenal

On the train home last night, after my media work was done, as it chugged along, interminably slowly, I decided to kill time by working out how many Arsenal vs Bayern Munich fixtures I’ve been to.

The stats say the clubs have faced each other 15 times in serious competition. I’ve been to 12 of those matches over the years, and I have to say last night’s performance was the greatest I’ve seen by an Arsenal team against a Bayern side, in London or Munich.

From Jurrien Timber at the back - and up front for that matter after his important opener, with the tough Dutch defender seemingly filling in for the injured Gabriel as a powerful presence at set pieces - to Riccardo Calafiori’s superb whipped in cross for Noni’s goal, to the magnificent all action display from Declan Rice, who is my Player of the Season so far, the fact is that this Arsenal team, and squad, are the best the club has had since 2006, if not 2004.

How the fans savoured singing: ‘Set Piece FC’ as the Germans were defeated.

How we all purred watching those two second half goals go in, to seal a deserved victory, prompted by an astringent vibrancy from every single member of the team.

And that’s without pondering on how Harry Kane is so prolific in Germany, when he was an anonymously peripheral figure last night, forced to drop deeper and deeper, to no discernible effect, when facing a determined backline who marshalled him superbly well.

We are truly watching a remarkable Arsenal team, one that could lead us to glory come the spring.

Let’s hope so, because I’m not sure I could take any more crushing disappointment after the pain of the last unfulfilled 21 years.

3 - Where’s the No to Noni Brigade now eh?

During the summer more than 5,000 shameful, publicity seeking idiots signed an online petition intended to prevent Arsenal signing Noni Madueke.

Such an action utterly embarrassed the reputation of our great club, and the reputation of the silent majority of our support, not to mention humiliating the player himself.

Such an appallingly distressing act for Madueke publicly announced the perpetrators stupidity, while also underlining the fact they know absolutely nothing about this great game of ours. Yet it was not enough to prevent them from adding their names to such a disgraceful thing.

Petitions are for putting pressure on recalcitrant politicians, for lobbying a change in unfair laws, and for righting wrongs. Not because you’re vaguely annoyed that Arsenal have bought another player from Chelsea.

Someone should try and find out every single name from that shameful list, and publish it - so that those utter cretins can experience how it feels to be publicly humiliated.

Then, if any of them actually have a season ticket - heaven forbid - then they should be permanently confiscated in the best interests of the club, ditto any silver or red memberships they might possess.

However, as we all know, in reality, the vast majority of those idiotic miscreants are simply internet simpletons fed fake rage from those grotesque internet caricatures that have plagued our club for a decade or so now.

They don’t speak for anyone I know, but, as ever, such a small number of pathetic morons somehow managed to shame our club in the eyes of the world.

I would say I hope they are suitably embarrassed by their actions after Noni scored his first goal for Arsenal - against the team that Mikel Arteta called ‘the best team in Europe’ no less - but as we all know, as Oscar Wilde said: “One is never so dangerous when one has no shame.”

After last night’s majestic performance, let’s just hope they simply crawl back into their holes, and think twice in the future before adding their names to such a pathetic endeavour.

4- Half and Half fairweather fools

Speaking of fair-weather ‘fans’, while out and about on the streets of Islington attempting to flog the Gooner Fanzine before kick-off, I had never seen so many people in half and half scarves.

Why? Why do they do it? Why on earth would you wear the name of another team on your shoulders. Why? I literally don’t have the energy to list all the reasons that half and half scarves are wrong on so many levels for so many reasons.

Yet, still these boneheads walk zombielike towards the bright lights the Emirates clad in apparel that says: “Spurs’, or ‘Manchester United’, or ‘Liverpool’ or, in last night’s case ‘Bayern Munich’. Why? Why are you actively supporting another team?

Is Arsenal not enough for you? If so, you’re an absolute disgrace.

And at £25 a pop, if you’re foolish enough to part with that sort of cash, then you’re an even bigger blockhead than you look with such a pathetic purchase.

As Oscar Wilde also said: “A fool and his money are easily parted…”

…….

5 - Another superb performance from Max Dowman

5 - Another superb performance from Max Dowman

At the start of a busy - but hugely satisfying day - I went to a sunny but chilly Meadow Park to chart the progress of the Arsenal U19s, including of course Max Dowman himself. [Read Player Ratings here]

This year’s youth conveyor belt is as talented as any, but has struggled for results. Of course, as we all know, results are not the raison d’être for an academy, the only thing that matters is producing professional footballers.

Yet this side has some excellent players.

From Jack Porter, who has already made his first team bow between the sticks - and who saved a penalty against his German opponents yesterday lunchtime - to Marli Salmon, who I saw train with the first team at London Colney on Tuesday, and who has already sampled a first team pre-season in Asia over the summer, to Louie Copley in midfield, to the raw Irish tenaciousness of Ceadach O’Neill, the fact is there are many talented youngsters in this particular batch.

Of course, none more so than Max Dowman, who produced another excellent display, scoring two goals in the process, including a superb solo second, which had the entire crowd at Boreham Wood applauding such virtuosity.

It was also nice to say hello to such an engagingly humble and modest lad, a credit to his family, and Arsenal FC.

The future is bright.

The front cover of our current Gooner Fanzine.

Image by the brilliant @sportthroughhalens_ - buy it here or click into image above