The Club Shop

It may seem hard to believe today what with dedicated websites and slick brochures but Arsenal's attempts at marketing themselves have not always been cutting edge.

For those interested in buying the replica kit, and for sure there would have been no Chinese kids interested in strutting their stuff down Shanghai High Street in the latest Arsenal shirt during the time of their cultural revolution, only kids sizes were available.

Don't ask me about the prices!

Note how it took 'requests' from fans before the club even stooped so low as to market their goods in this way; things were much less commercialised back then, greed was considered a bad thing. Of course the club may have been putting some spin out...

Devonshire Arms, Fraser's Hill, Malaysia

Arsenal here, Arsenal there etc. This letter from 1992 has former Arsenal player Joe Wade in Malaysia playing golf and hitting a pub for a tipple.

I don't recall too many ex players writing into the programme over the years, and if I can recall Max Kester from two decades ago believe me I can remember some right old shite!

Bloody Pigeons!

We're The Schoolboys Highbury!

1978/79 was the first season my picture appeared in the programme and this, from Tottenham at home in that season, marks my colour debut!

I'm in the Schoolboys Enclosure which was the lower tier of the East Stand closest to the North Bank.

In later years, like many of my generation, I was to make the move from Schoolboys to North Bank to Clock End, a rite of passage no more I guess at the soulless bowl we now call home.

Marvin Berglas's Magic

Marvin Berglas is one of those names I grew up with instinctively connecting him with the Arsenal. In fact it has taken Google to find out he is in fact a magician which explains the title above!

In the programme from Everton at home in 1978/79 he is giving his views on programme collecting. I hope, as he is a magician, he can bring my collection back to me (!).

Interesting the prices he quotes from over a third of a century ago.

The 1923 FA Cup Final he reports being sold for 95 quid while another favourite is Manchester United's last game pre Munchen air disaster when they played at Highbury in 1958. That programme goes for six pounds!

However he blots his copybook by suggesting the Everton programme itself could well be worth a few bob in a few years time...not yet it ain't but an interesting piece indeed for people who like collecting programmes.

Martin The One Time Hooligan

Arsenal have never had much of a hooligan following. Even back in the bad old, good old days of the 1970s and 1980s Arsenal never attracted the thuggish elements that clubs like Leeds United, Middlesbrough and Chelsea could boast. I know this is true 'cos I have seen the movies and read the books so there!

So at a time when clubs up and down the country were pleading nothing could be done about the hooligans that plagued their clubs we had Badger, Make Money Girls and the police band. And to be honest they don't make for great reading!

But we also had Martin and you can read his story from a programme against Ipswich Town. He used to collect other teams' scarves, preferably when they had been removed from the wrist of one of their supporters.

He does seem to pine for the days when 'you could clump someone on the back of the head and the police wouldn't touch you' so I wonder where he is now and what he makes of CCTV, banning orders et all

South Korea In Singapore

The idea that Arsenal spend some of the summer months in Asia is nothing new of course. Back in 1990 they headed to Singapore to play a friendly against South Korea at the National Stadium which has now been demolished.

An interesting brochure was put together to commemorate the game. Interesting for me at least. The front cover pictures seem to show South Korea in action at the National Stadium itself while the Arsenal pictures came from their first game of that season at Old Trafford against Manchester United, a game we lost 4-1.

Then there is the player in the Chelsea shirt! Obviously the brochure producers couldn't find a picture of Colin Pates in an Arsenal shirt!

One player missing from the pen pics is Craig McKernon but then that shouldn't surprise us; he so rarely featured for the Arsenal spending most of his time with the club injured!

The game itself took place on 9 May, just four days after the final game of the season, a 2-2 draw at Norwich, and we won 2-1 with Alan Smith giving us a first half lead before a Lee Dixon penalty won us the game second half.

We did put a full strength team out for the game with McKernon on the bench alongside other serial benchwarmers Gus Caeser and Alan Miller.

For nostalgic petrol heads there was a two page advert in the brochure by Lada!