Matthew Wade

Discover why Arsenal’s rich history and Irish connections make it a beloved club in Ireland.

50 years ago today, on 11 June, 1971, Liam Brady joined Arsenal’s Academy, so we take a long look back at his time at the club as a player.

Unai Emery’s reputation among Arsenal fans hasn’t exactly been enhanced since he left the club but let’s take a look back at why it might not have been a bad thing that he failed at Arsenal.

Mesut Ozil divides opinion amongst fans and pundits alike, but why?

When Arsenal won the league at Anfield on 26th May 1989, it was my first high as a football fan and still the greatest.

As of 5th of this month, I have survived 42 years on this planet, which involves quite a lot of football, and with neither Spurs nor (of course) Arsenal being relegated in that time, there is a lot of history with our noisy neighbours.

Some players come into the category of the under-appreciated because they are over-shadowed by superior team-mates. Others because they excel in under-achieving teams. There are even those whose ebullient personalities serve to distract from their dedication and skill. None of these apply to Peter Frederick Simpson.

Sammy Nelson was never your archetypal unsung Arsenal hero.

Down the decades, Arsenal fans have been spoiled with a succession of top-class goalkeepers but this seemingly unbroken alternation between club greats and journeymen since WWII doesn’t include one very notable exception – John Lukic

Mesut Ozil continues to divide opinion, be it about his football, personality or nationality. So what is the problem? How did an entire nation seemingly turn on their star in one summer?  Is that behind his strange season at Arsenal?

So, Diamond Eyes, our great jewel finding coup, has left after just over a year and in the absence of anyone spilling the beans In a spectacularly unprofessional manner, we, the fanbase, are left to speculate why.

Despite being one the best run clubs in the country for the majority of the last century, under the watch of Ivan Gazidis Arsenal have, in a strategic sense, seriously dropped the ball at exactly the wrong time.

Not all of Wenger’s departing squad will fit into whatever Emeryball turns out to be, much as, frankly, it didn’t really suit Wengerball by the end. With this in mind, and with half the season gone, let’s have a look at where things stand.

Anyone with an outward eye doesn’t need the vilification and subsequent international retirement of Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil to remind them of how polarised opinions have changed our political landscape across the western world.

So, as everyone really knew, but many pretended they didn’t, football wasn’t ‘coming home’ (as if!).

Jack Wilshere made his long-awaited return after a leg break, but it was overshadowed as Reiss Nelson stole the headlines.

This summer, with most fans pre-occupied by the excitement and fear surrounding the comings and goings of established first teamers, it’s easy to forget those players who are trying to create a foothold for themselves at the top level.

As Arsenal started their preseason in Australia with a routine 2-0 win, there were some surprising names in the starting eleven.

In the dark late season months preceding the formation alteration inspired recovery, we heard Ivan Gazidis talk of ‘catalyst for change’, leading to even further speculation regarding the manager and who might appear above or beside him in the managerial structure.

Arsene Wenger’s future looks set to be sorted out this week but we still don’t know what way it will go. What we do know if that the FA Cup win now gives him an out with dignity.