Arsenal 4 Rapid Vienna 1 (Fans are back!)

The big story of this game wasn't that we won our fifth group stage game, or that the Europa League seems to be the only source of joy in the last few weeks - having lost 3 in a row in the league at home, the sole consolation being a win at Old Trafford sandwiched in-between.  We lost to 0-3 to Villa (with the inevitable lament being that we sold the wrong keeper), 0-1 to Leicester (with the inevitable goal by Vardy) and 1-2 to Wolves (with Luiz inevitably garnering many of the headlines - no pun intended but one would be forgiven it for the nasty head injury he suffered while inflicting a cracked skull on the Wolves forward Jiminez).  He was the big story of the game, somehow staying on the field after that while the Wolves striker was sent to hospital.  Apparently he passed the medical protocols while his head bandage inevitably ended up looking like our away kit.  It was always a matter of time since we had provoked fate with that design though I confess I liked it.  There had been criticisms that it looked like something out of a horror movie, and now Luiz had proven them right.

No the big story on the night of this ultimately comfortable win (but boy did we need it) was that finally, fans were back in the stadium for the first time since March - after plans for an October return had to be shelved when the UK had to go into lockdown again due to a surge in covid infections.  It was just 2000 fans allowed back, with the idea that more would be allowed back depending on which tier the location of the stadium was put in.  At the lowest tier 1, 4000 fans would be allowed but that still seems like a long way off.  The chance that I will ever watch another game in the stadium before I end my posting is slim to none since it is now by ballot and restricted to Gold and Platinum members. And it is only right that the most loyal fans are given priority.  I joked with someone that I think it would be cheaper to get a seat on the board than get a high enough membership category to get into the ballot.  But I still hope football will return to normal while I am still here since I hope to bring Matt and Ethan there.

Seeing the fans back in the stadium (and being the first English club to be able to do that) was lovely and made me a little envious.  It is special and it is clearly a very different experience to be part of a great community.  Sure there are fan clubs back home, but the sheer number at a stadium is just something else.  I am very thankful that I have been able to be a part of this, even if only for a while and sporadically.  It's too expensive!  So I do have a lot of sympathy for those who grew up around the club and have found themselves priced out of the experience.

For those who are still a part of it, and who really made their presence felt in a stadium designed for many times more fans, a big salute to their efforts.  Who knew 2000 could make so much noise?  And have such a great sense of humour to mock non-existent away fans?