Wow, a joy to watch Arsenal dispatch their biggest rival and much more so, with 100+ Gooners packed in Maggie’s for a 4:30am kickoff. Talk about dedication.
With that win, Arsenal have played 8, won 7, lost 1, and sit atop the table. Still, many of the narratives about this side we’re seeing, talk about an overachieving squad or that we haven’t played clubs of any substance yet.
No one seems to question City’s performances against some of the same sides and by most accounts, they are expected to finish the season top of the league. Look, I get it’s early days, and results against the likes of City or Chelsea will add immensely to the Gunners’ credibility. But it’s hard not to feel like we’re the Rodney Dangerfield of the league right now.
Two chances this week to see Arsenal in action at Maggie’s. Thursday, we’re back with Europa League action and then Sunday, Liverpool comes to the Emirates. Despite sitting in 9th, the Scousers represent a significant challenge. Perhaps if we win, someone will suggest we’re a good side after all.
Definitely been a minute. With the Queen’s passing and the subsequent match-postponements, seeing Arsenal play feels like a distant memory. But we’re back at it Saturday with a North London Derby.
Saturday’s match is a 4:30AM PT kickoff, but Maggie’s will be open and we will be there! We’re also giving away posters commemorating a North London Derby from The Invincibles season. First come, first serve, while supplies last. If ever there was a match to cement your Bay Area Gooner status, this is it!
What to say about the Gunners’ 100+ year old rivalry with Tottenham. In trying to find a comparable Bay Area sports rivalry to contextualize it, only the Giants-Dodgers might be as fierce.
Personally, I find Chelsea and United along with their supporters more loathsome, but for most who grew up supporting Arsenal, there is no more bitter rival. The success of any Arsenal season depends in large part, on how we do against Spurs.
In the early days of our group, a British exchange student turned up regularly at Maggie’s. Rachel’s family were Tottenham supporters for generations, until in a fit of youthful rebellion, her father switched to Arsenal. She would eventually follow his lead, and the family rift was like a wound that never fully healed.
Once, a British couple watched a NLD with us whilst on honeymoon. The groom, white, supporting Spurs, the bride, black, and a die-hard Gooner. I only mention race, because they told me football allegiances caused far more consternation amongst their families than any racial aspect. Arsenal won that day and the groom steadfastly refused to have his picture taken in front of the BAG banner. I often wonder if they are still married.
I have a friend, born and raised supporting Spurs with whom I’ve bonded over music, literature, and football. However, it can be very challenging to discuss our respective clubs. A physical transformation (think Jekyll to Hyde) comes over him, whenever Arsenal is mentioned, so ingrained is his enmity, that I often avoid the topic.
I worry my disdain for Spurs is not sufficient enough for a proper Gooner. My animosity towards the aforementioned United and Chelsea, along with Stoke (some years back) might be more pronounced. I want to beat Tottenham every time we play them and am forever aggravated by the praise the British media lavishes on them despite a total lack of recent silverware, but is my hatred strong enough? I wonder.
A couple of Brits traveling the world stopped in to the pub once, one a Gooner, the other a Spurs supporter. When asked why they chose to travel with one another, the response was, We never lack for anything to banter about.
That’s probably where sports rivalries should reside. In pointed but civil banter. Still, when we sing, We hate Totteham, we hate Tottenham this weekend, I will be amongst the Tottenham haters.
We were just talking about fixture congestion and it’s likely to get worse in the future. The FA has opted to cancel this weekend’s fixtures, out of respect for the late Queen Elizabeth II, who died this week.
So obviously no Everton match-viewing this Sunday at Maggie’s and we’ll be back on Thursday for Arsenal’s Europa League match.
Can’t really talk to much about Sunday’s result. A demoralizing loss made more annoying by a smattering of United supporters at our pub. 99% of whom, I’d never seen before. But I suppose our rocket ship had to plummet earthward at some point, and we can now dispense with all the “new Invincibles” chatter.
With the addition of Europa League group stage matches, Arsenal’s fixture list is becoming congested. The Gunners have 4 matches in 10 days of September and following the dreaded international break, October is more of the same. With 9 matches next month, the Gunners are playing an average of every 3 days.
Save the dates!
Some notable dates, Bay Are Gooners will want to put on their calendar. Saturday, October 1st is the first North London Derby of the season and our first 4:30am PT kickoff. Not for the faint of heart.
Then there’s Man City on Wednesday, October 19th. A match of this magnitude on a weekday is beyond annoying, but make arrangements to take the day off, long lunch, whatever, to be at Maggie’s for this one. A framed dollar bill hangs in the balance, but more on that closer to the match.
This week’s matches
Arsenal kick off their Europa League group stage with a trip to Switzerland to face FC Zürich on Thursday, before returning to London to face Everton. Maggie’s will have both matches on and we’ll see if the less favorable start times hamper our attendance.
Heady times for Gooners as Arsenal travel to Old Trafford this Sunday with a 5-0 record to face Man United. The current rivalry may lack Wenger-Ferguson era intensity, but it presents the Gunners with their sternest test so far this season.
After a 4-0 thrashing at Brentford, their second defeat to open the season, United supporters took to the streets, calling for the ouster of their owners (again). At the pub, one supposedly lifelong fan, had already written off their whole season. After 2 losses? Gooners experienced moments of despair last season, but I don’t recall anyone jumping ship.
United rallied to defeat arch-rivals Liverpool, Southampton, and face Leicester later today. I am not expecting Sunday to be an easy match.
While it’s not a luxurious late Saturday kickoff, 8:30am Sunday is still very doable and I expect a good turnout at Maggie’s. But with the holiday weekend and people headed to the Nevada desert, who knows for sure.
New Bay Area Gooners scarves turned out to be very popular, selling out before the Fulham match ended. Fear not, a reorder is on its way! Next up, t-shirts!
Getting to Maggie’s can sometimes be difficult for Gooners living outside The City. BART schedules don’t always align for those hoping to take public transit. Challenges coming from the South Bay, inspired the formation of the Silicon Valley Gooners some years back.
More recently, East Bay Gooners have attempted to establish a foothold in Oakland. Jordan Weibe, the man behind Gunner Club has taken a keen interest in rallying those folks, and at present, The Athletic Club Oakland appears to be the spot. Look for him at the matches!
Jordan, back row, second from left.
Here’s hoping we can continue our winning ways Sunday!
This time last season, Arsenal started the season with 3 defeats. What a difference a year makes! And for the second week in a row, we get a kickoff time favorable to West Coast Gooners, when Arsenal welcome Fulham on Saturday at 9:30am.
The atmosphere at the pub has been excellent, but winning and extra sleep has that effect. Fulham will not be pushovers, having nabbed draws against Wolves and Liverpool before beating Brentford. But we have every right to head into this match, with a bit of a swagger.
We’ve actually got 2 matches in short succession. Following Saturday’s, we’ve got Aston Villa on Wednesday. Maggie’s will have both matches on, but I will miss the mid-week one.
Now for the big news! Saturday, Bay Area Gooners scarves will available at Maggie’s! The brand new design reflects that of our Emirates stadium banner.
The beautiful new scarves are the handiwork of Holly Hickman, who also designed our stadium banner, and the recent website revamp . A longtime Bay Area Gooner, Holly relocated to New England, but remains a vital part of our group, and we are beyond grateful for her efforts!
Supplies are limited, so find me at the pub to get your scarf!
The Bay Area Gooners is a really fun, diverse, good group of people and I’m proud of the community we’ve built. This space will periodically introduce you to Arsenal supporters, you’re rubbing shoulders with at Maggie’s, but maybe haven’t met.
Brian (left)
When Brian O’Boyle was 10 years old, he visited an uncle in England who lived right near Highbury. He’s been a Gooner ever since. Most of his Irish cousins favored Liverpool, which only made Brian more defiant, There was no way I was supporting them.
One afternoon, he was having a beer with the late, legendary, Maggie’s bartender, Patrick Dunphy, in West Portal. Patrick suggested he stop by the pub for a match viewing, and he’s been coming ever since.
Patrick Viera is his all-time favorite Arsenal player, while his current fav is Gabriel Martinelli, and Brian is fully on board with the Arteta-led renaissance. He’s seen Arsenal play at Highbury but has yet to make it to the Emirates.
Brian (second from left)
Brian enjoys the great crowd at the pub, and says, Always good to meet new Gooners. If you see Brian on matchday at Maggie’s, say hello!
Last season, it felt like the scheduling gods were f–king with West Coast Gooners. Seemed every other match was either a weekday or a Sunday 6am kickoff. So imagine the unbridled joy of discovering not one, but two 9:30am kickoffs in a row.
This Saturday, Arsenal travel to Bournemouth, and with a positively civilized Pacific Time Zone start time, expect Maggie’s to be rockin’! Their parklet will be open and the match will be on inside and out.
With two wins under the our belts, these are heady times for supporters. Some are even bandying title talk about and while I appreciate the stunning contrast between the present and last season’s start, let’s not lose our damn minds.
Bournemouth are back in the Premiership after two years. They handled Villa during their opener, before capitulating to Man City, 4-nil, last week . On paper, I like our chances, but last season was rife with defeats to teams, we fully expected to beat.
Maggie’s atmosphere for our first two match viewings was excellent and I’m hoping for more of the same on Saturday. We have a few t-shirts left for sale, while we wait on our new designs. New scarves are on their way, but may not arrive in time for Saturday.
Finally, we’re bringing back the Bay Area Gooners’ charitable efforts this season, with specifics to be announced soon. In previous seasons, we raised relief funds for victims of Northern California fires, Southern state tornadoes, and Japanese earthquakes, to name a few. If you work for a non-profit or have a cause near and dear to your heart, let me know, so we can consider it.
Not sure we could have scripted last Friday much better.
A beautiful day in San Francisco’s North Beach, Maggie McGarry’s packed with Gooners, and most importantly, an Arsenal win on the first day of the 2022/2023 season.
As matches go, it was not perfect, but Arsenal started fast and showed us a fast-paced, fluid football, hopefully a promise of the season ahead. We were generally solid in defense with William Saliba impressing. Sure, Palace eventually found their way back into the match, but they didn’t boss us as they have in recent matches, and while we bent a few times, but didn’t break.
Lovely crowd at Maggie’s. Plenty of old (as in long-time, not aged) and familiar faces, alongside new ones, and out of town visitors. Man City fan and Maggie’s co-owner, Mick Graham even wore a Zinchenko Ukraine jersey, which felt like a wry show of support.
We’re planning new BAG merch this season, beginning with scarves, which will be available very soon. I’ve already run out of our new stickers, though more are on the way. I did discover a small number of our previous t-shirts recently. Mostly large and XL, home and away colors, as well as some baseball tee’s.
These will be sold first come, first serve, with priority given to Gooners at the pub.
Bay Area Gooners 