Farewell to Highbury

25 years to the week when myself and thousands of other Aston Villa fans stood at the Clock End with tears in our eyes, Arsenal fans will do the same today as they say Farewell to Highbury. (Actually, we've had tears in our eyes at Higbury pretty often in the 25 years that followed). For years we had a collective scorn (jealousy?) for Arsenal with their boring, functional 1-0 victories (a mantle now adopted by Chelsea) but in the last decade they have turned from the ugly duckling into the swan, and their football in full flow is unrecognisable from the dross most of us have grown accustomed to. I wish them well in their bid to get back into the ill-named 'Champions League'. The fact that it would be at the expense of Tottenham, who cling to forty year old outdated notions that they are the 'dream team' makes it even sweeter. If the 'Arse' don't make it today it will add extra spice to the forthcoming match with Barcelona, and potentially pour on extra bitterness for the Spurs fans who will be shoved into a EUFA Cup that increasingly resembles the Inter Toto Fiasco Cup.