Atalanta, then City

Grand time at Maggie’s Sunday. Another North London Derby in the books as the Gunners ground out a gritty 1-nil result. Without Ødegaard or Rice in the midfield, this was largely on the backs of our defense. Timber, Gabriel, and Saliba and (the dark arts of) Ben White applying the clampdown on Spurs, with Gabriel’s majestic, towering header ending up the difference.

The fixture list is a little busy the next two weeks. The Champions League’s new format has them in Italy Thursday to face Atalanta, last season’s Europa League champs and then onto Manchester for Sunday’s showdown against the reigning Premier League champs. Then Bolton in League Cup action before Leicester come to the Emirates.

Sunday, we will be faced with that tepid group of City supporters. You would think given FC 115’s success, their numbers would swell beyond belief, but in fact, they’ve lost a step. Complacency? Bandwagonesque? Whatever the case, they manage to rally for matches against us, so we’ll need each and every Gooner to turn up and remind them it’s an Arsenal pub.

The Patrick Dunphy memorial dollar bill hangs in the balance, so get yourself to the pub, so we can do Patrick proud.

Won’t make it Thursday, but will see you all Sunday!. COYG!

Best,

Mark

PS: Please follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Threads.

Gird up your loins, Gooners

If you didn’t hate these international breaks already, you really should now. I know our manager is putting on a brave face, but following an injury playing for Norway, Martin Ødegaard is likely to be out for the next 3-4 matches.

This leaves us severely wanting in our midfield, with Rice’s suspension and new boy Merino’s shoulder injury. Hail the conquering hero, Jorginho? Gird up your loins, Gooners.

Now there’s the small matter of a North London Derby, a Champions League qualifier and Man City on the immediate horizon. Guess we’ll all find out what the Gunners are made of, and a little about our own intestinal fortitude.

See you all Sunday!. COYG!

Best,

Mark

PS: Please follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Threads.

Tottenham v Arsenal

Sun, Sept. 15 • 6:00 am Kickoff • Maggie McGarry’s (21+)

This match on inside the pub.

Parklet does not open until 8am

Maggie’s is 21+, even in the parklet.

Dogs in the parklet only, please.

Outside food is OK. Outside drink IS NOT.

Please be quiet entering/exiting the pub for early matches. If you do go outside at halftime, please keep your voices down.

Come on you Gunners!.

Enter the villains

Great start to the season at Maggie McGarry’s last Saturday. The dedicated Gooners who turned up were rewarded with a solid 2-0 win for the Gunners. A number of new faces amongst the more familiar ones, keeping our cult growing.

Now Arsenal travel to face a club becoming quite the thorn in their side. Since our former manager, Unai Emery took over at Aston Villa, they have bested Arsenal several times, including the last two matches, which put a severe dent in the Gunners’ title hopes.

Okay, maybe I didn’t rate Emery when he was our manager, but for my mental well-being I need Arsenal to reassert their dominance. I don’t just need a win, I want us to batter them. Spoiler: I will take any win.

I want to mention a developing situation potentially threatening our ongoing gatherings at Maggie’s. Since moving into an apartment just above and to the right of the pub, a new neighbor has been making repeated noise complaints. Most are focused on noise emanating from our early morning match viewings.

Mick has assured me our indoor/outdoor viewings, 8:30 am and later, will continue. We need your cooperation for our earlier, inside only matches. When coming and going or taking a smoke break, please keep outside noise to a minimum.

I’m baffled (read: really pissed off) someone would move upstairs from two bars on one of the busiest streets in The City and expect peace and quiet. But the police are obligated to follow up on these complaints, so let’s do our part to help minimize them.

I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow. COYG!

Best,

Mark

PS: Please follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Threads.

About to kick off

Saturday Arsenal’s match marks the 18th year of the Bay Area Area Gooners’ existence. A handful of die hard Gooners at Maggie McGarry’s has grown into a robust supporters group, turning up in boisterous numbers to watch the Gunners play, at all hours of the day.

Arsenal’s 2024-2025 season kicks off against Wolves at home, for the first of three August matches. We’ll be at Maggie’s for the match, which has a very reasonable 7 am start time.

Beyond supporting Arsenal, we strive to do good works throughout the season, and this season will be no different. We’ll also continue to offer scarves, t-shirts, and other BAG swag, sales of which help fund the group’s expenses.

We encourage you to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Threads.

If I do say so myself, we’ve built a really great community, and I’m looking forward to seeing some familiar faces on Saturday. I’ll bring the donuts!

Best,

Mark