On The Road: Best and worst Arsenal awaydays across 2024-25 

Here's loyal Gooner Countryman100 aka Paul Brooker with his must-read take on following Arsenal up and down the land during 2024-25 

When it comes to following The Arsenal, I am a fortunate individual, writes Gooner print columnist Paul Brooker aka Countryman100.

I have a season ticket in the North Bank Lower and since 2013 have been building up my away credits. Therefore I go to a lot of games. More than most, but not as many as some.

In season 2024-25 my son and I went to 43 games, 30 at home and 13 away.

My stamina and health (I’m 68 and walk with a stick, with my son being my constant companion and co-driver) mean that I can’t manage European aways.

The grounds at Bournemouth and Brentford are too small for me to have any chance of getting tickets and Crystal Palace and Fulham sell out before they reach my level, being “easy” London aways.

So the only grounds where I could get a ticket, but circumstances meant I couldn’t go, were both Newcastle games, Everton and Liverpool.

Kudos to those, like the editor of this fanzine, who went to all 58 games last season.

The away games I did go to were:

Aston Villa, Spurs, Manchester City, Preston North End, Chelsea, West Ham, Brighton, Wolves, Leicester, Nottingham Forest, Manchester United, Ipswich Town, Southampton

We drive to football, even at home (and I’m not going to reveal my reliable, cheap parking spot 10 minutes from the Emirates), using parking apps, often on people’s drives or company car parks.

Last season we drove a total of 5,452 miles to and from football. Hence the title of this piece On The Road.

I have no idea what it cost me in tickets, travel and food, and frankly, I don’t want to know. My pensions are sufficient to allow me to do it, and I have a very tolerant wife, so once again I count my blessings.

We began the season on 25 credits and finished on 38. In the off season my credits will be reset, taking off those from 2022-2023. By my calculations I earned 10 credits in that season, so will start next season on 28 credits.

Best games

This is mainly about away games, but I can’t ignore the magnificent home victories against Real Madrid and Manchester City. The Madrid game had the best atmosphere at the Emirates that I’ve been to, even better than the game against Barcelona in 2011.

The City game was cathartic, the first time we’ve given them a thorough drubbing in longer than I want to remember.

Best away games:

West Ham was great fun. Four up in 35 minutes we rolled out the songs. “Who put the ball in the West Ham net? Half our f*cking team did!” When the West Ham fans began to leave on 30 minutes it was “Everywhere we go, stadiums get empty!”. One lad in the West Ham seats closest to us was all in, offering all 3,000 Arsenal fans out after the game. So we sang “cry in a minute! He’s gonna cry in a  minute!”. All good clean fun.

The game at Leicester was also fun. Eighty minutes of dross followed by ten minutes and two goals from Mikel Merino. A new song was born. The games at Ipswich and Southampton were easy, sunny and comfortable.

Worst game

Has to be Brighton away. A dour 1-1 draw played out in the second half to lowering skies and increasing sleet. Queuing for 45 minutes in that, by now driving sleet, for the Park and Ride bus. Then real snow on the motorway reducing our speed to 30 mph until we got north of London, scuppering plans for a curry.

It’s by no means all glamour (for the Preston game, thanks to roadworks on the M6 it was past 3am when we finally got home. Worth it for that Ethan goal though).

New stadium

Perhaps surprisingly, I’d never been to Portman Road before. Living in Cambridgeshire it was an easy drive, a short walk to the ground and very friendly natives. The only downside was wall to wall Ed Sheeran music ….

Footy scran

At home, friends from the goonerholicsforever.com blog, a site dedicated to the memory of Dave Faber, the Goonerholic, had a few excellent boozy pre match lunches, usually at El Rincon (an Ecuadorian restaurant on Holloway Road) or The Alcedo which is right next door.

For away matches the clear winner is the Bombay Bridgeford, a quite superb Indian Restaurant by the Trent Bridge Inn, close to the City ground.

Several excellent breakfasts at the American Diner near Grantham, when heading north up the A1.

Honourable mention for the pies at Brighton (why can’t we have pies near Block 7 at the Emirates?).

The away fans

Oh my word. The reason for going to away games is to be part of that crowd. They are positive, funny, loud, usually just the acceptable side of being well refreshed, and never stop singing.

Every team member has his own song. New songs this year included one for Martinelli, the somewhat hackneyed “He’s one of our own” for Ethan Nwaneri and 49, 49 Lewis Skelly.

Even Raheem Sterling has a song, brought out at Ipswich and Southampton. “If Sterling scores, we’re on the p*ss!” Not, please note, “we’re on the pitch” as reported by the denizens of the press box. Chapeau to very member of every away crowd. I’m proud to be amongst you.

Next season

We lose Leicester and Ipswich (both to my regret) and Southampton (not so much).

Up come Leeds, Burnley and Sunderland. We’ve been to all three of those grounds, so the highlight of next season will be Everton’s new ground at Bramley-Moore Docks, to be called the Hill Dickinson stadium (who?). We’ll miss Goodison.

Post-season reflections

So that’s another season done. Frankly I’m knackered.

Time for a holiday and some cricket at Lords and The Oval. We’ve already been this season to Trent Bridge for England vs Zimbabwe Test match where we bumped into The Editor playing hookey.

My season ticket is renewed and I look forward (I think) to the transfer dramas and the new fixtures coming out. Next year …..

Come on you Gunners!

You canrRead Countryman's Column in every print issue of the Gooner Fanzine