Today's the day as The Arsenal return
Excited about the return of The Arsenal? Don’t tell me you didn’t leap out of bed this morning, just don’t tell me you didn’t…
Hello, happy Saturday!
Today’s the day we’ve all been waiting for, the return of our beloved Arsenal.
Don’t tell me you didn’t leap out of bed this morning, just don’t tell me you didn’t…
We’ve even got a traditional 3pm kick-off. On a Saturday. To kick off the 2024-25 season, in what could be a momentous campaign.
Wonderful, simply wonderful.
A smiling, relaxed and quietly confident, yet humble Mikel Arteta during his Friday press conference at London Colney. CREDIT: @laythy29
…..
A busy Friday
I think Substack was invented for days like Friday.
So journalists can share their stories behind the stories.
Which is what I intend to do for you throughout the season.
I know I’m in a privileged position, to be a journalist with a ringside seat, and a view behind the scenes insight into our great club, the Premier League, football, and sport in general. And I’m thankful for it every day.
(I won’t mention working 80 to 100 hour weeks for a decade to get to this point in my career, but that’s another story.)
The fact is, as a fan, I am lucky to have access to Mikel Arteta. Although to be fair as a journalist, I’m also lucky to have access to such a public figure.
Which is why I asked him a question about the importance of fans on Friday.
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A trip to London Colney
It always amuses me when I drive to the entrance at London Colney - or the Sobha Realty Training Centre as it has been rechristened - at the precise moment when a devoted gaggle of fans, who had previously been straining to see which player had been the driving the car that is now at the entrance, realise, to their utter disappointment, and no little disgust, that, the driver (me) is a complete nobody. And that my car is a rust bucket.
You can almost see them physically deflate at the blow.
Shoulders droop, and homemade placards asking/calling/begging for autographs and/or signed shirts, fall flat at the sight of plain old me.
I always find it deliciously amusing, and it certainly keeps me grounded (not that I’m a diva, I hasten to add, I like to think I’m quite down to earth, as people who know me will attest) to note that whatever privileged bubble I think I might be in at times, no-one actually cares a single jot who I am.
I love it.
As an aside, it reminds me of the time I was on ITV’s flagship daytime show This Morning talking about football (long story, I’ll save it for an international break). I came home slightly puffed up (ok, full of myself for a few minutes) only to find my kids absolutely laughing their heads off at me, while slating me to an inch of my life, at the absurdity of seeing my big head on TV. They still do on the rare occasions it comes up…
A lesson learned, while also employing a famous quote, to draft in Oscar Wilde for a minute: ‘He was a modest man. He had a lot to be modest about…’
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Mikel’s Friday presser
Upstairs to the media centre.
While parking, as a dog lover I always have a look to see if I can spot Win, the club’s beautiful chocolate labrador.
I haven’t so far, but the second I do, I’ll let you know.
As an aside, we have a cockapoo, who has strong opinions about postmen, and people in high-vis jackets.
He has a huge heart and is daft as a brush. We wouldn’t trade him for anything.
But I must admit I do love the laid back nature of labradors.
They seem so calm (which is perhaps why they’re used as guide dogs for people with sight issues).
I’d love to give ‘Win’ a big hug and tousle his fur. Maybe one day I’ll get the chance.
So, anyway.
Upstairs to the inner sanctum on Friday lunchtime. The presser is set for 130pm.
I start to make myself a cup of tea. I am a huge tea lover and drink numerous cups a day. I look around, and do a double take.
No flies on me, as I notice the media room has been given a makeover. Well, more than a makeover, it’s been split in two.
London Colney’s revamped press room. CREDIT: @laythy29
The walls painted black - or was it stylish dark grey - and new seats have been introduced, complete with a cannon on the back, as scandalously (and momentarily I hasten to add) I wonder if I can fit one in my boot to use in my study back home…
The space has also been divided into two rooms. One for the press conference itself, and one for journalists and broadcasters to work in.
I like the changes.
It seems a long time ago when I recall Arsene Wenger holding court in the same room on all manner of topics, from economics to literature, to the latest talented 16-year-old from Liberia and everything in between.
It seems strange to remind myself that the great man sat at a plain wooden table, so unprepossessing it could have been taken from a nearby school’s English class.
The first part of a press conference is the live broadcast. Followed by an embargoed section. I remember during the latter part of Wenger’s press conferences, journalists would literally leave their seats and stand around Wenger, crowding in front of the desk, in what can only be described as a civilised scrum.
When I first started attending those pressers I thought it must have been so intimidating for Wenger to be sitting down in front of a tired old table, surrounded by 20 or 30 journalists standing over him as he uttered some of his most famous quotes over the years. However, it didn’t seem to bother him in the slightest as he held court. For me elbowing my way in at the back, it was mesmerising. And magical to watch. To be a part of. To report on.
Wenger always preferred his pre-match pressers to be in the morning.
A canon on the back of a new chair at the revamped press room at London Colney. CREDIT: @laythy29
In my experience Arteta generally prefers the afternoon for his pressers.
So, as I was about to assemble my cup of tea from the machine, a voice said: “He’s here. He’s early.”
Empty cup in my hand, I turned around to see the manager of Arsenal Football Club nod to all assembled as he strode past purposefully, looking tanned, healthy and relaxed in a pale blue training top.
I left my empty cup and raced into the new press conference room, pondering whether it was another Arteta psychological ruse to shake things up. This time, by starting his press conference early.
I’m not sure that was the purpose, but if he’s got me and others on our toes in terms of getting to his future pressers early, Arteta’s psychology has certainly worked.
Imagine what it’s like to work under him on a daily basis.
……..
Arteta answers my question
You can read my question - and far more importantly Arteta’s answer - on the club website. It’s the one about the fans towards the end of the broadcast section. (At the bottom of this Subtack is my Morning Star preview of today’s match, culled from his answer).
To have the manager of Arsenal nod to you, and look you in the eye while answering your question is strange. I can’t pretend otherwise. Despite interviewing all manner of big names over the years, it is still an out of body experience to quiz someone so well known.
You just have to hide the fact your inner voice is saying ‘Blimey, Mikel Arteta is talking to you’, and be completely professional.
I like to think I am. Thankfully. Otherwise I wouldn’t be doing the job.
Mikel Arteta and myself back in 2016
I have to acknowledge Mikel (can I even call him that?) and myself have past history.
I managed to interview him one-on-one as a player many years ago (downstairs, under the media centre) and found him engaging, intelligent and thoughtful company.
And when my beloved Arsenal supporting dad sadly died last season, my mum was comforted by a personal letter from Mr Arteta expressing his sadness and offering his and the club’s condolences for our sad loss.
It was a class act from a class guy.
………..
Confident Arteta
You can read Arteta’s answers elsewhere, you probably have already, suffice to say he looked ready for the fight ahead. It was heartening to see.
Towards the end of the Wenger years, even at the start of the season, the great man looked tired, appeared defensive at times, and, even as a healthy, sprightly man in his sixties, he simply looked tired.
On Friday, Arteta looked in the prime of his life.
At the top of his game, while professing the fact that he - and his team - were nowhere near their peak yet. He looked self assured, and quietly confident, full of belief in the side he has created, while being humble enough to know, and understand the tough, relentless challenges that lie ahead over the next ten months.
Arteta’s positive demeanour should give everyone who has Arsenal in their heart such a boost.
Because Arteta is ready. His side is ready. The club is ready.
Our club is ready.
Here’s to 3pm. I for one, can’t wait.
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Arsenal badges on the walls at London Colney (the one on the left is similar to the tattoo on my left shoulder).
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My newspaper preview from London Colney
Mikel Arteta hails support ahead of Arsenal's Premier League opener against Wolves. By Layth Yousif at London Colney
Mikel Arteta has hailed Arsenal supporters – and expects them to go to ‘another level’ ahead of the new Premier League season.
The Gunners host Wolverhampton Wanderers in north London on Saturday afternoon, with the club aiming to make it third time lucky this term, following a brace of runners-up spots behind billionaire moneybags Manchester City over the last two years.
Gary O’Neil’s Wolves side face a tough task this weekend, with title hopefuls Arsenal winning each of the past six Premier League meetings between the sides, while scoring in each of the last 33 top-flight meetings stretching back to 1979.
Arteta's Arsenal have had a successful pre-season, with large crowds greeting the squad during their three-match tour of America, in which they beat Manchester United in Los Angeles, as well as two victories back at Ashburton Grove, including an emphatic 4-1 win over current Bundesliga champions, Bayer Leverkusen.
Notable across all matches this summer has been the support Arteta and his side have received from passionate fans, both Stateside, and in London.
Looking tanned and relaxed, the Gunners boss fielded questions during his Friday afternoon press conference at the club’s training ground HQ, London Colney, including a question from the Morning Star regarding the fans, which a bullish Arteta replied to with his clarion call.
“It was great in the US,” said Arteta, adding: “and in the stadiums there was huge support so that tells you what these players have been able to transmit from the supporters.
“We’ve had the last two games at home against Leverkusen and Lyon and it was amazing, so I expect another level again.
“That’s going to be a huge boost for the team.”
While Arteta confirmed that Jurrien Timber will be fit for selection a year after suffering an ACL injury on his Gunners debut, Arsenal will be without the services of Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu due to hamstring and knee injuries.
O’Neill will begin the new season without the services of right-back Nelson Semedo following his red card at Liverpool on the last day of last season. Matt Doherty and Pedro Lima are set to fight it out for the shirt.
Matheus Cunha was injured earlier in pre-season but has returned to training this week, with Wolves boss O’Neil insisting the 25-year-old Brazil striker is “raring to go” on Saturday.
Yerson Mosquera has featured heavily during the summer and would make his Premier League debut.
Having lost the services of two key players in Max Kilman (£32m to West Ham) and Pedro Neto (£54m to West Ham), O’Neil preferred to focus on his squad that remains.
“My focus is solely on the players that I have, building and working my socks off to get the most out of them and give them the best opportunity to show what they are,” the Wolves boss said.
Wolves' only victory in their last 13 top-flight away games in north London was during lockdown, beating the Gunners 2-1 in front of an empty stadium in November 2020.
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London Colney to Meadow Park
Presser over, preview written up. I head over to Boreham Wood’s ground.
Back on Gooner Fanzine duty, I flog our current issue outside Meadow Park, chatting to a few hardy souls who have ventured out to the Hertfordshire/North London borders to catch the game.
It’s one of the things I absolutely love: catching up and chewing the fat with football people.
It’s also good to catch up with the club’s very excellent resident PA who does a sterling job - with him and his dad also being loyal Gooner readers.
Arsenal U21s happen to be hosting Manchester United U21s to kick off the Premier League 2 academy season.
I really enjoy these games. Because it feels it's football for football’s sake.
It’s pure. There’s no ‘noise’ around such matches. It’s simply talented footballers playing talented footballers.
And so it was when Arsenal’s talented footballers proved to be far more, er talented, on the night, when they raced into a four goal lead by half time.
I will write more about the academy on here when I have the time, suffice to say it was heartening to continue to chart the progress of Ayden Heaven, Myles Lewis-Skelly , Josh Nichols, Jimi Gower and so many others.
In the meantime, below are my Player Ratings.
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Arsenal U21 4–2 Manchester United U21: Report and ratings by Layth Yousif at Meadow Park
Mehmet Ali’s rampant Young Guns produced a dominant performance in the opening 45 minutes to blow away their Red Devils counterparts.
Goals from Khayon Edwards, Michal Rosiak, and Nathan Butler Oyedeji put Arsenal U21s in a position of strength.
Edwards then headed straight at United keeper Elyh Harrison, as the visitors’ netminder took the ball over the line, with the goal being credited as a second for the lively striker as the home side went into the break an emphatic 4-0 up.
United pulled a goal back moments after the interval when Ethan Ennis scored past Brian Okonkwo to make it 4-1.
However, the clash was ended as a contest when United No7, Ethan Williams received a red card for clashing with Ayden heaven, felling the talented youngster, who appeared for Mikel Arteta’s first team during the recent US tour.
As the clock ticked down Ethan Wheately grabbed a late strike to make the score a tad more respectable at 4-2, but make no mistake, Arsenal were excellent value for this eye-catching victory.
Find out who impressed with our Gooner Fanzine Player Ratings from Meadow Park
Arsenal U21s
Brian Okonkwo: 7/10 - A sweeper keeper with excellent footwork and technique but has to be careful he doesn’t get caught playing out from the back
Josh Nichols: 8/10 - Impressed with the first team during the trip to the US. Solid in the tackle and reliable despite a relatively slight frame. Surprisingly powerful in the air
Myles Lewis-Skelly: 7.5/10 - Interesting to note that the talented youngster who impressed during the summer tour of America was again being played at left-back. However, in truth the 19-year-old appeared to have been given more licence to roam, and intermittently appeared more centrally and even on the right when the occasion required
Zane Monlouis (c): 7/10 - A languid style at times belies an excellent technique, which the Young Guns captain employed to get him out of tight spaces. Has to be careful elegance doesn’t slip into lackadaisical
Ayden Heaven: 7.5/10 - Will be interesting to chart the progress of another talented youngster who made progress with the first team in the States last month. Engaged in an absorbing duel with young United No9 Ethan Wheately. Yet it was his tangle with United’s other Ethan, Williams, that led to the young Red Devils’ No7 receiving a red card midway through the second half. Subbed midway through the second half, perhaps with a view to being on Mikel Arteta’s first team bench on Saturday afternoon…
Michal Rosiak: 7.5/10 - Used the ball so well despite being positioned in a busy central area. Excellent strike to double the young guns’ lead for 2-0 to cap a superb flowing move
Ismeal Kabia: 7/10 - A little more composure required in front of goal as witnessed by lifting the ball over the bar when well-placed following a sweeping Arsenal move early on. Deserved his assist for Edwards’ opener.
Jimi Gower: 7.5/10 - A battling presence who is always available to receive a pass, even in the tightest spaces, but perhaps should have scored when United keeper Elyh Harrison came well off his line, but the No8s lofted his shot narrowly wide during a dominant opening 45 minutes
Khayon Edwards: 7.5/10 - Slotted home from close range after 12 minutes to put the Gunners ahead following a sweeping move. Headed against keeper Harrison who took the ball over the line. Own goal or Edwards? I’d give it to Edwards. Kept relatively calm when United No4 Tyler Fredericson attempted to wind him up. Needs to keep calm or it will happen more and more as he progresses
Ismail Oulad M’Hand: 7/10 - Not afraid to drop deep to receive the ball but despite some nice touches and a silky style was not as influential as he would have liked
Nathan Butler Oyedeji: 7/10 - Slotted home for 3-0 before half time
Substitutes:
Joshua Robinson: Replaced Lewis-Skelly midway through the second half
Maldini Kacurri: On for Heaven
Harrison Dudziak: Came on for Josh Nichols
Osman Kamara: Swapped with M’Hand
…….
DAILY LIST:
I - Get to Arsenal tube for around 11am to start flogging copies of the current Gooner
II - Catch up with old pals for a pre-match beer or two when Alex takes over from me about 130pm
III - Attend today’s game as a fan, rather than as a journalist - and shout and cheer and scream my head off - something I don’t normally have much chance to do…
IV - Catch up with old pals after the game and continue to drink merrily
…….
PS:
As promised here is my weekend newspaper feature on Bromley FC, who are led by former Arsenal goalkeeping coach Andy Woodman.
Bromley Boys mark new beginnings as Hayes Lane plays host to league newcomers
From Hale End to Hayes Lane as Andy Woodman’s Ravens begin life as a league club
By Layth Yousif at Hayes Lane
You could tell it was going to be a special occasion when the merest hint of a rainbow emerged to welcome the nation’s newest league team, following a brief sprinkling of rain in deepest south London on Tuesday evening.
Hayes Lane, Bromley was the scene.
Where Andy Woodman’s Ravens hosted AFC Wimbledon in the first round of the League Cup. It also happened to be their maiden home game as a league side in this welcoming club’s 132-year history.
While the handsome grey horses in a nearby field may have been impervious to such a momentous moment, Bromley’s homely club shop was doing a roaring trade before kick-off, and not just in souvenir printed match programmes either. Even if it’s a sign of the times that despite such an important fixture, the club produced a double header edition, to save on printing costs.
For in a quirk of fate that football always seems to generate, the only true Dons in English football return on Saturday, for their League Two fixture in Bromley’s first home league match at this level.
On Tuesday, they were queuing to the back of the club shop for all manner of items - from Bromley branded bottle openers to slate coasters, to notebooks, pens and of course, white replica shirts. And why not. Everyone wanted a piece of Bromley on Tuesday.
Even the nearby railway station, Bromley South, had hung a sign that proudly announced the area was the home of the new league club.
It was no wonder there was ermine in front of the Hayes Lane press box with the arrival of the local mayor, resplendent in red, gold jewellery glinting in the early evening sun, amid a restorative cooling breeze, following the day’s fierce heat that topped 30C in this part of the world.
And while the car park may need resurfacing at some stage in their shiny new future, not to mention the dilapidated corrugated iron on which a sign directed travelling fans to the away end, you could tell this is a community club with a big heart and even bigger dreams.
Yet for the teak tough Woodman, never a coach to rest on his laurels, last season’s promotion triumph belongs in the records books, when he said: “We need to move on from that as a club – we need to win football matches, continue to win football matches, that’s my message to the players.”
As befits a new league club, money has been spent wisely upgrading the ground that housed a capacity 3,677 on Tuesday evening, with Saturday’s first home league game confirmed as a sellout.
Terraces and stands have been upgraded, while fans have been provided with additional food outlets lending a pleasant environment to consume their beers and burgers, while still keeping the essence of this unprepossessing club.
And despite the girls in the club shop unsure whether to keep open, or lock a connecting door from the shop to the stand, the mood was leavened - even in the ever-growing queue - when a kind gentleman offered to buy the ladies a bottle of wine to thank them for their efforts.
Bromley, who had such a stellar season under the highly-rated Woodman when gaining promotion to the EFL from the National League last term, enjoyed a pleasing debut last weekend when emerging from North Yorkshire on Saturday with all three points, after beating Harrogate Town to post a win in their first-ever league match.
Despite the visitors dominating Tuesday’s early stages as the home side acclimatised to such heady heights when competing in a trophy that the mighty Liverpool lifted last term, boss Woodman, the highly-rated former Arsenal goalkeeping coach, who left the north London giants to progress his career as a manager, saw his side go ahead in the 19th minute when his No19, Levi Amantchi wrote his name into the record books.
The lively attacker emphatically slotting home Kosovan left-back Besart Topalloj’s fine cross to make the net bulge, as the home support erupted in jubilation to make it 1-0.
Of course it wasn’t to be against the side with a far bigger budget.
Fairytales are harder to come by than that – Wimbledon know that more than most - as former Charlton stalwart and Spurs youngster Johnnie Jackson’s side levelled shortly afterwards. Dons’ No10 Josh Kelly drilling a low shot from the edge of the area that flew past Ravens’ keeper Sam Long to make the score 1-1 five minutes later.
As an absorbing match progressed, Wimbledon grabbed a winner in the second half when Joe Piggot fired home from close range to put the Dons ahead ust after the hour mark, to ensure the visitors would earn the right to host Premier League side Ipswich Town at the new Plough Lane before the month is out.
However, a bullish Woodman, always engaging company, said after the match: “We were good for it in a lot of areas, but we lacked a little bit of belief in the final third and that was the difference.
“We don’t have the riches of Wimbledon and the other clubs, we have the smallest budget in the league.
“We don’t have the money to go and buy all the top players, we have to produce our own which is what we have done before,” adding, “we have another game Saturday.”
They certainly do, when these two south London clubs face each other again in League Two action, in a clash which will be ebullient newcomers' Bromley’s first ever home game in the EFL.