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.
Quick post reminding Gooners that we’ll be at Maggie McGarry’s this Sunday for the Community Shield match against Man City! There’s likely to be a small contingent of Citeh fans there and the Patrick Dunphy Memorial framed dollar bill is awarded to supporters of the winning side. Don’t forget – Maggie’s is 21+.
For many Gooners living in America, Arsenal coming over, is the first (for some, the only) opportunity to see their beloved English football side in person. Despite the somewhat inconsequential nature of these friendlies, the excitement is palatable amongst our crowd.
Parties Across America
First stop is the nation’s capital, with Arsenal playing the MLS All-Stars at the home of DC United and the Washington Spirit. The DC Armoury branch of Arsenal America has a number of events planned around the match.
They’re also partnering with Metrograph to present a special 35mm showing of “Fever Pitch”, the film adaptation of Nick Horby’s classic Arsenal novel. Get your tickets here!
Finally, the Gunners hit the West Coast with a match in Los Angeles against a little known Spanish side, FC Barcelona. Arsenal Los Angeles has already announced a welcome party the weekend before the match. More L.A. events are expected.
Timber!
Today, Arsenal finally announced the signing of defender, Jurriën Timber! Now, it’s just a question of when the club will announce the much anticipated side dish of Rice.
Join us next Wednesday!
Bay Area Gooners not traveling to Washington DC, can join us at Maggie McGarry’s for the match! We’ll provide Golden Boy Pizza, so help us out and let us know if you’re coming. RSVP by claiming your free ticket here. Remember, Maggie’s is 21+.
Hope to see you at Maggie’s on July 19th. Please let us know if you’re coming.
Definitely something in the air. Stateside Gooners eagerly await Arsenal’s preseason visit to the United States, with stops in Washington DC, New York, and Los Angeles. Meanwhile, the club has not been idle. William Saliba and Reiss Nelson both signed new deals, and the mercurial but beloved Granit Xhaka is moving on.
The Gunners signed attacking midfielder, Kai Havertz and if the Twitter rumor mill is to be believed, the club will announce midfielder, Declan Rice and defender, Jurriën Timber, any day now.
All this is creating a lot of anticipation. Gooners who responded to our off-season poll, indicated a desire to gather before the season starts. The first of those opportunities will be Wednesday, July 19th, when Arsenal take on the MLS All-Stars in our nation’s capital. Bay Area Gooners not traveling east can join us at Maggie McGarry’s for the match
Over in the East Bay, our offshoot supporters group is solidifying and moving towards “official” status. If you live on that side of the bay and coming to Maggie’s isn’t viable, check them out.
Hope to see you at Maggie’s on July 19th. Please let us know if you’re coming.
Bay Area Gooners 