Having dispatched with Brentford in efficient if not nervy fashion during Wednesday’s League Cup action, the Gunners head south to face Bournemouth tomorrow.
There seems to be an undercurrent of unease amongst a lot of Gooners. The team doesn’t seem to be firing on all cylinders and there continue to be ongoing injury concerns. Outside of the victory over PSV, have we seen a “dominant” performance yet this season?
The good news is they’re still winning. Or rather, not losing, having drawn against the tiny Tots and Fulham. Next up, the Cherries, who are sitting in the bottom half of the table. Would love to see a strong Arsenal outing.
Another great turnout for a North London Derby Sunday at Maggie’s. Unfortunately, our dedication was rewarded with a draw that felt like a loss. We watched an Arsenal that despite some flashes of brilliance, seemed to be suffering a lag from Wednesday’s Champions League action.
But this is the time of the season when the Gunners’ depth and supporters’ patience will be tested. Being back in the Champions League, as well as the League and FA Cups means playing practically every 3 days.
Compounding that, many key players, Rice, Partey, Trossard, and Martinelli are all out injured and will miss tomorrow’s match against Brentford and Saturday as well. The scuttlebutt is they’ll all be fit for Man City in a few weeks, so here’s hoping.
Apologies for the late post, it’s been a busy week for yours truly.
Arsenal won their opening Champions League group stage match against PSV Einhoven in stellar fashion. They played classy, stylish football and notched a 4-0 victory.
But no time to bask in the afterglow, with the first North London Derby of the season this Sunday. Tottenham appear rejuvenated under their new manager, and I expect they’ll present a serious challenge.
Maggie’s will open at 5:30am and kickoff is 6am. Please be cognizant of the neighbors and be quiet when entering the pub.
I’ve hearing the Transatlantic Trip Kits have started arriving. Please post or send me your pics wearing them. I’ll also be attempting to get a group pic of Gooners wearing them.
Great to get the win on Sunday at Everton and banish previous poor results to memory. Not the prettiest, but all 3 points collected, and no one should complain about that. Adding injury to insult, Gabriel Martinelli went off with a knock, not long after having a brilliant goal ruled offside. Fingers crossed about that, but no time to dwell, with the Gunners back in action tomorrow.
Been some time since Gooners have heard the familiar strains of the Champions League anthem before an Arsenal match. Sing it with me now, These are the champions. On paper, our group looks very doable. But as someone who sat next to 6,000 PSV Einhoven fans singing, Always look on the bright side of life, as they saw us out of the competition over 15 years ago, I take nothing for granted.
Naturally, Maggie’s will have all the matches on, so here’s hoping the lads can do the business.
On paper, Everton FC is an unlikely bogey team for Arsenal. Especially given they’ve finished near the bottom of the table the past two years, narrowly escaping relegation last season. And yet, the Gunners have struggled against the Toffees, winning just two of their last 11 Premier League visits to Goodison Park (W2 D3 L6) and none of the last five (W0 D1 L4).
Now would be a great time for Arsenal to get that monkey off their back. Maybe the stage is set for a Kai Havertz breakout match. The only penalty the midfielder has ever scored in the Premier League came against Everton. How’s that for some random trivia and clutching at straws.
Here’s hoping the squad won’t be suffering too much of a lag from the dreaded international break. We got a bit of good news this week. After initially picking up a knock playing for Brazil, defender, Gabriel Magalhaes is fit and ready to play.
Personally I hate the international breaks and am always relieved Arsenal’s players return intact. At press time, I’ve not heard about any other significant injuries. The main thing, is we’re back at Maggie’s this weekend for another match!
The previous get-together for United was a joyful raucous affair. Here’s hoping we get a similar turnout. There will be BAG scarves and t-shirts for sale Sunday, and hopefully I will see you there!
Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher (and rumored substitute left back), once said, Change is the only constant. I’m more of a Bowie guy myself, but as the transfer window closes, Gooners are left to contemplate a number of changes.
Left back, Kieran Tierney is headed to Real Sociedad, on a season-long loan. Despite the “loan” tag, it’s hard to imagine him in an Arsenal kit again. I loved his spirit playing for us, short sleeves in frigid weather, bombing down the side with reckless abandon, and an occasional stellar strike. But his time was marred by injuries and he no long seems to fit in Arteta’s plan.
Folarin Balogun is a bigger mystery. Hard not to feel we never got to see what he could do in an Arsenal shirt. He made few first team appearances, spending most of his time on loan, where he lit up the French Ligue 1 for 21 goals. When he chose to play for the United States national team, it seemed we might finally get an American Arsenal star. But now he’s headed to Monaco and we’re left to wonder, what might have been.
Man Utd on Sunday!
Putting a frustrating Fulham draw (that felt like a loss) behind us, Arsenal host Manchester United this Sunday. Maggie’s will have the match inside and out. We’ll probably get a few Utd supporters in the pub. They’re a fair-weather bunch, but annoyingly, seem to show up whenever our clubs meet.
Our Bay Area Gooners off-season poll revealed a strong desire for more people joining the songs and chants at Maggie’s.
You may have hesitated because you don’t know the words, so here’s a few basics. I share these with the hope Maggie’s gets louder on match days. Note: Each chant/song mentioned includes a link to lyrics and a recorded version.
This first one is easy-peasy, as they say. After every Arsenal goal, we sing this ditty, Ooh to be a Gooner! Another frequent favorite is And it’s Arsenal. Other simple chants include Arsenal Til I Die and Who’s that Team We Call the Arsenal? The latter has an impolite reference to the opposition manager’s mother, and in recent years, we’ve amended that to be a bit less misogynistic, She’s a very nice lady.
There are numerous player songs. Saliba’s chant is hugely popular while Martin Ødegaard’s song takes a bit of soul to carry off. And let’s not forget the gaffer. Here’s We’ve Got Super Mik Arteta. There are plenty more where these came from, and Fan Chants has a pretty good selection of Arsenal chants, old and new.
Last but not least, the chorus of this little ditty, The Angel (North London Forever) by Louis Dunford, has become an anthem of sorts for Arsenal supporters near and wide. Here’s the verse you’re going to want to know:
North London forever Whatever the weather These streets are our own And my heart will leave you never My blood will forever Run through the stone
One final song note. We never sing 1-nil to the Arsenal, out of respect for dearly departed Gooner bartender, Patrick Dunphy, which we covered recently here.
Fulham this Saturday!
Following a 4:30am season opener and a nerve-wracking Monday match, we get a weekend kickoff at a reasonably time.
You have one more week to get our new Bay Area Gooners’ Transatlantic Trip Kit. Designed by our own Holly Hickman, and inspired by the swirling fog and ocean currents enveloping the area and our city’s mind-expanding musical heritage.
Emblazoned with a numerical nod to our patch of 49 square miles, Arsenal’s Invincibles, and San Francisco’s own 49ers, and featuring the late Patrick Dunphy, on the sleeve.
Not available at the pub, these are ONLY be available through preorder from Olive & York.
We’ve been able to create some great swag over the years, but this might be our most exciting yet. Today, the preorder window opens on the new Bay Area Gooners’
Transatlantic Trip Kit!
Designed by our own Holly Hickman, and inspired by the swirling fog and ocean currents enveloping the area and our city’s mind-expanding musical heritage.
Emblazoned with a numerical nod to our patch of 49 square miles, Arsenal’s Invincibles, and San Francisco’s own 49ers, and featuring the late Patrick Dunphy, on the sleeve.
These will not be available at the pub. They will ONLY be available through preorder from Olive & York.
From the London fog to that of San Francisco, the Bay Area Gooners support the Arsenal over land and sea. We meet for Arsenal matches at Maggie McGarry’s Irish Pub in the city’s historic North Beach neighborhood.
Now we’re excited to announce the impending launch of our first ever Bay Area Gooners kit! Presenting the:
Transatlantic Trip Kit!
Holly Hickman’s design was inspired by the swirling fog and ocean currents enveloping the area and our city’s mind-expanding musical heritage. Holly’s designs include the Bay Area Gooner’s logo, website, scarves, t-shirts, and our banner hanging in the Emirates Stadium.
Emblazoned with a numerical nod to our patch of 49 square miles, Arsenal’s Invincibles, and San Francisco’s own 49ers. The kit also includes a tribute to Maggie’s dearly departed Gooner bartender, Patrick Dunphy, whose likeness is featured on the sleeve.
These will not be available at the pub. They will ONLY be available through preorder from Olive & York. Preorder starts August 18th and ends September 1st. We will share the preorder link this Friday!
Begin the begin. Arsenal’s 2023/2024 Premiership season starts Saturday, and this will be our 17th year, watching the Gunners at Maggie McGarry’s. These are exciting times for Arsenal fans. Last season’s 2nd place finish, big off-season signings, and a Community Shield victory over Man City last week, has us brimming with optimism.
People always ask me, how do I join the Bay Area Gooners? The answer is always the same: 1. Support Arsenal. 2. Watch with us at Maggie’s. 3. Don’t be a d-ck. Thankfully, we don’t have issues with that last caveat, as most (all?) Gooners tend to be good people.
Besides congregating in the wee hours of the morning and watching footy, I try to steer our group towards good works. These efforts fell off a bit during the pandemic, but we held a successful fundraiser for Youth Speaks! last season and and our off-season poll suggests Gooners would like to do more.
We’ve already acted on suggested pre-season match viewings, which ended up being a lot of fun. Watch this space as we try to implement other poll results, such as getting more people involved in the Arsenal chants/songs.
We will have BAG t-shirts and scarves back available, in time for our match against Fulham on August 26th (if not sooner). Next week, we’re announcing something very special across our social media platforms, you will not want to miss out on!
The season kicks off this Saturday with a dreaded 4:30am kickoff, but the pub will open for us, so set your alarms. Or maybe just don’t go to bed. As always, Maggie’s is 21+ only.
Bay Area Gooners 