Arsecast Extra Episode 696 - 25.05.2026

0:27We'll be right back.

0:36Andrew Allen: For 22 years, the old Arsenal artillery has lain silent and dormant, gathering dust, gathering doubt. But this season has lit the fuse. After 22 years of gloom, it's about to go boom! The Arsenal cannon fires again! 22 years of wait. Arsenal roar like it's 2004.

1:12Andrew Allen: It's about, it's about, it's about, Fires again! It's about, it's about, It's about to go boom! Doom! Doom! Doom! Doom! Doom! Doom! Doom! Doom! Doom! Doom! The Arsenal Cannon! Doom! Doom! Arsenal Roar! Like 2004

2:01Andrew Allen: This is Arsecast Extra Hello, that tells you something about my voice Hello and welcome to another Arsecast Extra As always, we're James from GunnerBlog James Goodly morning to you Goodly morning man, how you doing? I am delighted and exhausted, I think, in equal measure, I have to say. Being brutally honest, genuinely am. I'm both delighted beyond words and exhausted to the point where I'd like to just go, you know, and sometimes in those science fiction movies where they put you in like robes and you go into this white room and there's just sort of nothing anywhere, just kind of light and no noise.

2:48and it looks relaxing and quiet, but that's probably before they probe you in a very significant way. So I could be getting this all mixed up. I'm very good. I'm very good, essentially, is what I'm saying. How are you?

3:01Andrew Allen: Yes, I'm good. I'm fatigued as well. It was a big day yesterday. Yeah. A big hot day. So that took it out of me, but it was all worth it. It was a great day. Fantastic day. Oh. Yeah. And just amazing. I would go into that big room, but I wouldn't want just a white light and nothing. I would just have replays of Arsenal's trophy celebrations, you know, projected at me over and over again. You know what? I was trying to think about this because, you know, we won the title before in 2004 and we've all waited. And I'm trying to, I'm trying to remember, I was trying to remember yesterday, what was it like then watching it did it feel like too much and when i say too much i kind of mean there was just so much going on that i could not sort of keep up with it all i felt like despite the fact i was sitting there watching it i felt like i was missing stuff and missing so much and the cameras would go here cameras go there and you're looking at this player that player the manager the fans all of it and it was just kind of a bit uh overwhelming or something i don't quite know does that connect i mean your experience was a little bit different obviously because you were there and you were working but it just still feels like i i need to re-watch this we need to do like a arsenal vision re-watch of the celebrations a tactical breakdown of the way the trophy was lifted, all that kind of stuff.

4:39Andrew Allen: Please don't give my editors ideas, Andrew. But I, yeah, it was surreal and kind of super real. And whether we, whether it's because we live in a kind of an AI era, I don't know. But there was something about the image of Martin Odegaard lifting that trophy or Mikel Arteta in his Arsenal shirt holding that trophy. I felt, am I watching a cut scene from a FIFA game here? You know what I mean? Like I sort of, I couldn't quite believe it. And I think it is just the waiting for so long that it is hard to believe it's finally here. She's here and she's beautiful. Oh God, she is. She is. It's been an amazing few days, hasn't it?

5:25Because obviously we talked on Thursday, Wednesday, Thursday, Wednesday, Wednesday after Tuesday, which was when the title was secured by virtue of Manchester City dropping points. But then yesterday was obviously its own very special thing at Selhurst Park away from home. A quirk of the scheduling, I guess, that we didn't get to enjoy the trophy lift at the Emirates. And to sort of, I don't know if this is the right way of putting it, but to kind of christen that stadium with a title. Does that make sense? Yeah, I think so. anyway I'm not being picky or anything I'm you know happy for us to get the trophy wherever we

6:07Andrew Allen: get it once we get it you know um well what's nice about uh winning it away from home is that I think there is then that much more significance to kind of bringing it home and you know we've got a parade whatever happens in Budapest on the 31st and I think that will kind of elevate that event to this idea that that's the first time we're going to see the trophy on home turf yeah yeah it's two weeks of partying basically andrew that's the thing that's part of why i'm exhausted as well it's not just the season it's not just what we've been through since like august the 15th whatever it was when we when we kicked off against manchester united i mean it's 290 odd days of stress and pressure and tension and anguish and celebration and hope and optimism and pessimism and this sort of cocktail of every possible emotion and every possible feeling that you can have inside as a football fan.

7:10It's not just that. It is the fact that, yeah, it's been a bit of a party. It has been a bit of a party. And, you know, some drinks were had and I'm sure there's some heavy heads this morning, but in the best possible way.

7:25Andrew Allen: Quite, Andrew. And in fact, speaking of 22 years of sorrow and anguish and pain, I fear I may have accidentally unleashed that on our manager during his post-game duties last night. Please explain for anybody who hasn't yet seen the clip, which is at the very end of the post-game press conference, which you can go to on YouTube. I think it's Haters TV. If you look for their channel, you'll see it, but it's right at the end. Give us the lowdown from your perspective. Well, Mikael came in and, you know, he was out on the pitch for quite a long time. It's probably, you know, the longest we've ever had to wait for a press conference.

8:08Andrew Allen: And I almost felt bad him having to do it. I mean, unfortunately, it is contractual, but we kind of had to drag him away from the celebrations to go and do a press conference. And he's reflecting on, you know, the journey, the day. And then at the end of the press conference, you know, he says sort of, see you next week, see you in Budapest. And having just lifted the Premier League title, there's a few handshakes for the journalists, you know, in a kind of congratulations moment. Thank you for your service to our title and you gentlemen of the Ford estate. Whether he considers it service or not, to be honest.

8:43Andrew Allen: I suspect not. But I was slightly overcome, obviously, because it was quite an emotional day. And as you say, it's 22 years of anticipation and wanting and waiting. And at least six years of trying to get a straight answer out of Mikel about injury news. So somehow all of that was channeled into my greeting to Mikael, where I sort of, I kind of dapped him into the next century and slapped him on the back so hard that it kind of rang through the press room. I mean, it was, it was mortifying, actually. It was such a loud noise. There was so much feeling in that embrace. face um and obviously like you know people kind of slightly were taken aback and Mikel jokingly was kind of like oh you broke my back uh which I was obviously horrified so then he came back round uh and sort of gave me another opportunity to hug him in a more tender fashion and I just did exactly the same thing again just slapped hands slapped him on the back and off he limped back into the dressing room.

10:04For goodness sake, you, the father of a toddler, you should have picked him up in your arms and cradled him, you know, comforted him.

10:11Andrew Allen: Well, listen, he'd already been manhandled by his players, tossing him up in the air. So, you know, he's a strong guy. I think he'll be okay. But I don't think I'll ever quite live it down, sadly. Thank God it was David Ryan underneath him and not Kepa, I guess. I mean they did that's why they kept their gloves on yeah yeah yeah they did they needed the grip they really did chuck him quite high at one point I was like uh oh uh oh yeah I've seen this go wrong before it's like one of those fail army videos it's like hey everyone's celebrating it's like uh oh no amazing scenes and listen I'm sure if you were to ask Mikel Arteta would he the start of the season have endured a very hard slap on the back from a journalist in return for winning the title.

11:04Andrew Allen: A lovely souvenir for them the day. He's going to get it tattooed. Yeah, just your palm on the back of Nicolarteta. Yeah. So, yeah, it was an emotional day for everyone, I suppose, I should say. And, yeah, do you know what was really cool, actually, is that although Crystal Palace is a sort of a deeply inconvenient place to to lift a trophy in theory only 3 000 arsenal fans in there in reality very many more um but where we were where the sort of makeup of the ground is such that when you walk from the kind of press room through to the stands to take your seat you kind of have to pass outside um just past the away dressing room so it meant that uh we kind of had access to the sort of area just outside the dressing room throughout the day which meant that during the second half i sort of nipped out and i could see them building the podium out there um you know it says champions 25 26 on it and putting that together they had about 20 guys whose job was to put that together and then carry it out onto the pitch.

12:18Andrew Allen: And similarly, like after the game, I saw, you know, Josh and Stan Kroenke being escorted down by security and led into the dressing room. And when the players all emerged back in their red shirts, Ricardo Calafuri was kind of the first out and he was just chanting, Arsenal, Arsenal, Arsenal. It was great. So like I had a sort of a really good view in that period where the TV pictures were not really showing anything because Arsenal had gone back to the dressing room, I was able to kind of spy on them a little bit and see the celebrations begin. Well, yeah, you had more to work with than we did sitting at home watching on television because what we got was obviously the end of the Spurs game, which nobody really wanted to see.

13:05It was the only bit of drama on the day. Potentially they could have gone down, but despite the fact West Ham won, Everton are absolute wankers. Um, so they remain safe. So there was a lot of like, Oh, look how happy Spurs are. And I was like, I really don't give a fuck about that. And I was like, Oh, look how sad West Ham are. And I was like, I really don't give a fuck about that. And then there was like, here's an ad break. And I'm like, I don't want to buy. Yoplait yogurts or a fucking Opal car or whatever. I don't care. They had about 400 ad breaks. Um, and I get it. you know, they were waiting for Crystal Palace to do their sort of end of season lap of appreciation stuff, right?

13:47Which they're more than entitled to do at their home ground. They've got a European final on Wednesday. Oliver Glasner is leaving after that game. So there's a lot going on from a Palace perspective. But it did feel deeply frustrating as an Arsenal fan, you know, recognizing that, you know, we have waited a long time for the title. What's another 30, 40 minutes really in the grand scheme of things? But it was a bit underwhelming in that period where it was just like, I just can't, you know, I can't, I don't, I felt like almost the vibe was being brought down, but I, you know, I understand at the same time that that's just kind of had to go from a procedural point of view.

14:28Andrew Allen: No. And it was quite funny because Steve Parrish, the palace chairman was trying to hand out various end of season awards. and he was kind of pleading with the Arsenal fans over in one corner of the ground for quiet. He even said, let's see if this works. Congratulations, Arsenal, on winning the Premier League. And it backfired massively just because they got louder and louder and louder to the point where they were sort of drowning out his attempts to award Palace's goal of the season. So, yeah, it was a slightly odd thing. And I think by the time Martin Odegaard actually got his hands on the trophy.

15:07Andrew Allen: I think it was about seven o 'clock at night. So, yeah, it was a long wait. But I suppose when you've waited 22 years, what's another hour? Yeah. What's another hour? I mean, do we need to talk about the game at all? Is it? I mean, I suppose there's a few kind of points of interest and maybe a couple of things that might relate to the Champions League in terms of the fact that we were able to give people a rest. I mean, I think that could be hugely valuable to us, couldn't it? Yeah, for sure. I mean, listen, you don't need to play all the big boys when you've got a Champions League final next weekend.

15:45So there was a start for Christian Norgard. Martin Zubimendi at right back. Max Dowman in there. Gabriel Jesus captaining the team and starting up front. Probably because this summer he's going to leave the club, right? And this was a nod to a player who did promise quite a lot when he came in first and really did have a positive impact. Obviously, the injuries over the years have not helped him. But, you know, I think it was nice to see that on the final day, he did get that start up front, did wear the armband, did get some chances to score. and eventually did put one in the back of the net because, you know, he must have been at some point in that first half going, fuck, I really could have made my mark in this game, but it didn't quite happen.

16:38Andrew Allen: Yeah, and actually I think you saw that in one moment where he went through on goal and probably should have squared it for Martinelli, but took the shot on because I think he was playing with that intention of, maybe this could be my last appearance and I definitely want to mark it with a goal. And I was glad he did. I mean, it struck me as kind of a full circle moment in a way because our first title challenge, really, of the four, began at this stadium with Gabriel Jesus making his Premier League debut for Arsenal in 2022. Well remembered. Yeah, we went there on the Friday night. I don't know if you recall.

17:21Andrew Allen: But Kiyosaka scored, didn't he, towards the end? Was it a 2-0 win? 2-0 win. So it was Gabriel Jesus' debut. Zinchenko made his debut and we saw kind of the start of the inverted left back. And William Saliba made his Premier League debut there. So that was the first time we saw him partnered with Gabriel. And I think a lot of the, obviously the team's evolved a lot since then. But I think that was really when we started competing for this title. And some of the foundational principles of the team were established. So to go back there and lift the trophy there on the final day and perhaps Gabriel Jesus' final appearance, there was a neat symmetry about that.

18:04Andrew Allen: Right. Well remembered. I hadn't quite made that connection. Gabriel Martinelli actually with the opening goal and it was a Mark Gahion goal on 85 minutes, which I think was forced by Bakayo Saka. I think that's right, wasn't it? He went on the outside. That's all I recall, yeah. But yeah, I was pleased for Jesus to score. He probably should have scored more than one. The one he scored, you know, I think the keeper will be disappointed, really. He's beaten his near post quite straightforwardly. Probably. Nice build-up, though. I think it's a nice little flick from Max Dowman. Martinelli took it on well, laid it off for Jesus.

18:39Near post finish, yeah. I think keeper there is probably like, oh, fuck.

18:43Andrew Allen: Yeah, but I mean, Max Dowman broke another record by starting. Youngest Premier League start, I believe. Right. Yeah, they said that. Some guy called Jose Baxter. Is that right? Oh, yeah. Everton. For Everton. He was the previous youngest, I think. Yeah, Everton have got a real habit of this because obviously they had Rooney, James Vaughan. Barkley, was he a really early one? That Downman beat against Everton. Against Everton. And then, yeah, Jose Baxter. I don't know this. They chase these records a bit. Yeah. Anyway. He's had quite the week, Max, because obviously he found himself youngest Premier League champion on Tuesday in a nightclub that night.

19:37Andrew Allen: GCSEs that forced him to miss training. Well, it's good to get your exams. Education is important. You know, if it doesn't work out in the old football, you've got to have yourself a trade. You know, something to fall back on there, Max. So concentrate on your exams. I think Max is going to be okay. You think so? Okay. All right. Well, just in case, you know, do an apprenticeship maybe. Something like that. That's the kind of shit my dad used to say to me all the time. It's the Mersaka philosophy. But, and then starting a Premier League game on Sunday. And, you know, I didn't think he was particularly eye-catching, but I think it was a lovely touch in the build-up to the goal and the fact that he's even able to play in a game like this and to receive the ball under pressure from players who are virtually twice his age is really something.

20:26Yeah, he's thinking about his history exam tomorrow, you know, and even amid that, he can concentrate on the game itself. I mean, I think, you know, it is one of those games where you could see that Palace were, we're not really that interested in this one, you know. We're going through the motions, you know, So now that there's no accusations could be made about, well, Palace have just bottled it or whatever it might be, or they've prioritized their European final, rather, I should say, with the title still on the line. It didn't really matter who they picked. But I also think from both sets of players, really, this was a game where, particularly once it went 2-0 up, once we went 2-0 up, rather, with the Madueke goal in the second half, it was like, okay, you've got a final and we've got a final.

21:14and let's just do some football. Do a little bit of football here, a little bit of football there, but not too much football, not a lot of energetic football, certainly not a great deal of tackling football. It was all just football. You know what I mean?

21:33Andrew Allen: I agree. Was it another goal from a corner, by the way, extending our Premier League record? It was. It was a corner to the back post. Kai, I think Martinelli took it and it was Kai Havertz who nodded it down and Nani Maduweke, you know, clattered it through a sea of legs, as they say, to make it 2-0. And I think actually the real jeopardy in the second half, for me anyway, watching was around injuries. I mean, what happened with Adam Wharton was like a real warning sign. So he was brought on at halftime. Glasner had this thing about, I'm going to kind of mix and match the team half by half. And both managers made changes at the break.

22:16Obviously, Wharton comes on, sustained a bit of an ankle injury.

22:23Andrew Allen: And I watched him be substituted and trudge around the pitch looking absolutely dejected. And I just thought, oh God, let that not be one of our guys. I mean, Madueke was maybe the injury concern, wasn't he? He came off certainly feeling his hamstring, but didn't seem to be inhibiting him too much in the celebration. No, no, no. I mean, that was, yeah, that was the worry, obviously, that there was something going on with his hamstring. For Wharton, it was really, I think it was just unfortunate, a bit innocuous, you know. I don't think there's much there. I think it's Miles Lewis-Gelley who's kind of running behind him and maybe just sort of clips him a little bit, but I don't think there's any sort of malice or intent.

23:03It's just one of those things. But, yeah, you're right, because when he brought Gabrielle on, And I was like, okay, did we really, really need to do that? I get it because you've got Califuri. So you're sort of doing a bit of Califuri protection. But I was like, I'm not sure I like this. Not sure I like this because it can be just a moment that's innocuous that causes a problem. But thankfully, and hopefully Matueke is okay. Hopefully everybody else has come through okay. Yeah.

23:35Andrew Allen: And of course, 45 minutes for Kai Havertz, which I think is really valuable to him. And half an hour for Mikel Moreno as well. That's the big one on the day, isn't it? Mikel Moreno's return could have scored. Do you think a less rusty Mikel Moreno just pokes his leg out and sticks that in the back of the net? Because I do. He's so good in those positions ordinarily. So he'll probably feel he should have done better there. But yeah, so great to see him back. I mean, by all accounts, he's worked incredibly hard. It was quite a complicated break, I think.

24:07Andrew Allen: And, yeah, he's made it back. And he's very much in contention now. Budapest, you know, he may well play some part in that game. I suppose that's sort of been the carrot that's been dangled in front of him, hasn't it? Can you get back in time for, well, a World Cup as well? Sure. But brilliant to see him back. And clear, I think, how happy the other players were that he was involved. I think he's really well respected and really well liked among the group. And I think he's actually a leader in that team, which is for a player who's not necessarily an automatic pick, I think you've got to be a kind of special character to hold that kind of status in the squad.

24:48Yeah, there's been, I think, a few players this season who probably contributed to, you know, what we've done in a really positive way, even if at times I haven't been playing very much, you know. I don't know if you got a chance to see the Declan Rice-Bakayo Saka interview.

25:08Andrew Allen: I've seen this clip, yeah. Yeah, where basically he's talking about players in the dressing room who had things to say. And he said to Saka, I think, you know who I'm thinking of here? And Saka went, Chris? Like, Norgard? And Rice went, oh, yeah, yeah, Norgard, Norgard. Yeah, he was good, but he wanted to make a point about Eberachie Eze and the way that he was a kind of calming voice in the dressing room at certain points in the season and contributed a lot. But I think you look at players like Norgard, like Marino, you know, what's Marino now, 28, 29 maybe? Either way, he's whatever age he is until such time as he changes age to a different age.

25:54We know this.

25:55Andrew Allen: That's how it works. That's how it works. but Norgard as well, you know, who I'm sure when he joined Arsenal did not envisage his only Premier League start of the season coming at Selhurst Park on the final day, but apparently behind the scenes has been a consummate professional, really good pro, used his experience. I think, you know, there are a lot of unsung heroes and a lot of stories that probably don't get told and maybe won't get told because of the omerta of the dressing room and those kinds of things, you know. But I always, I'm sure like you and people listening, I like to hear those stories because they give you – you see these guys as more than footballers, more as humans, which is obvious.

26:43But those elements of how these seasons go and what happens behind the scenes I think are really nice.

26:51Andrew Allen: Yeah, they become three-dimensional, don't they? I think that's been a big focus and a big message from Arteta as well, is that after the City game, he had this feeling that he really needed every single member of the squad pulling in the same direction. And that was kind of crystallised, I guess, in the song, you know, that song that they've been listening to in the dressing room and in training, which mentions all the players, goes through all the squad. And I think that became kind of symbolic of that idea of everyone has a part to play in his running, whether it's on the pitch, whether it's supporting.

27:35Andrew Allen: And Norgard is someone who, you know, everyone's talked about, his attitude, his personality, his commitment, his work ethic, even when the opportunities haven't come his way. So I think you really do need people and players like that in a squad. Yeah, Marino undoubtedly is one of those. And I think even during his injury absence, he's been relatively present around the squad and part of team meetings and things like that. He did have a spell where he went back to Spain as well as part of his rehab. But back in the group now and really, really happy for him. Really happy for him. By the way, the Zubimendi thing, obviously there was no Jurian Timber on the day in the squad.

28:26The Zubimendi thing, is that just a case of sort of picking a team to make up the numbers? Is that something that's in Mikel Arteta's thoughts for Budapest?

28:39Andrew Allen: Do you read anything into that? No, not really. I think it was a question of him not playing as much in the last few weeks of us needing to fill a gap in the team yesterday because Muscara played right centre back in order to what I think is obviously rest William Saliba. so I think he just chose Zubimendi over you know a 16 year old and trusted in the fact that Zubimendi despite let's say the second half of his season not going as well as he would like probably and we would like was an exceptional addition in the first half of the season and a key contributor in the first half of the season I think we need to remember that and he's an experienced guy, an experienced pro.

29:27And Michel Arteta probably said to him, listen, I need you to do a job at right back. You don't need to be overlapping like a prime Ben White or anything like that, but you, you know how to do the job because you're 26, 27 years of age. You played however many hundred professional games, you know, can you do that job for me? And I'm sure the answer was yes, boss. You know? I think that's probably all it is, to be honest.

29:53Andrew Allen: No, I do agree with that. And I have to say, it wasn't a performance that made me think, yes, let's go with Zubomendi against Fariskelia, for example. No, no, no. But when I saw the lineup, the only intrigue to me is that when I saw the lineup, I assumed it would be Norgard at centre-half, Mosquera at right-back, and Zubomendi in midfield. That seemed to me to be the more natural setup. And relative to what Mikel has done before, I thought that would be the way it was. But no, it was very much Mosquera at centre-back. I mean, again, maybe that was partly saving Mosquera's legs as well to not give him that kind of overlapping right-back role.

30:40Yeah, for sure. And I also think, you know, with all due respect to Christian Norgard, the couple of times that he's played at centre-half, you know he looks out of position despite the fact he is essentially a defensive midfielder um so yeah listen palace got a goal jean-philippe metera with a header and then it looked like they got another goal and there was part of me that was like this doesn't matter nothing matters anymore we're we're talking we're champions we've won the title but there was just a little part of me that was like uh you're party poopers here what you go and well you know what it reminded me

31:16Andrew Allen: different circumstances but our last league title was a north was a london derby let's say where we let a two goal lead slip to finish 2-2 isn't it in 2004 at white hart lane oh yeah and i was like oh that's a weird eerie parallel if i'm honest i was quite annoyed about the first goal so was Kepa by the way he was absolutely fuming well clean clean sheet bonus gone out the window I know his last chance to get his clean sheet bonus but also I just kind of loved the narrative simplicity of we had five games after City and we kept five clean sheets and sort of you know really you know fell back on our defensive prowess but no I suppose ultimately doesn't matter.

32:08Andrew Allen: I was delighted to see that, that equaliser ruled out. Our old friend VAR coming to our aid again. After review. After review, famous words. And nice to end on a win. Do you know what? Nice to end on a win because of what it did to the league table. I love, City obviously got beat as well. They bottled it. That would not have happened. If this game, Those two games meant anything yesterday. I can fucking guarantee you that would not have happened. I totally agree. But I'll take that seven point gap at this stage. And yeah, their season slightly petered out, didn't it? The defeat at home to Villa.

32:55Andrew Allen: But seven points looks very healthy. I mean, probably over the course of the season, that is, you know, approaching a fair reflection. but there were times when, there were times, well, I don't think anyone in April was predicting we'd win it by seven points. I don't think anyone after the Man City game would have predicted we'd win it by seven points either. That's for sure. But it is what it is and nobody can change the final standings. We won all five, Andrew. We won, you know, Mikel talked about that five game running. Well, and we went and won them all, which I don't think many of us necessarily saw us doing.

33:38Andrew Allen: So credit to the manager and the players for finishing in that style. Well, he said, I looked this up because he was asked after the Man City defeat if he needed to pick the players up. And he said, if I have to pick the players up to win the Premier League with five games to go in our hands and to be in the semifinal of the Champions League, I think I should be at home. So it's not the case. It's not needed. It's never been needed, even in difficult moments. So we go again, that's for sure. I mean, I do think there were quotes from Martin Odegaard as well where he talked about, after the title lift, where he talked about difficult moments in the season, referencing the Bournemouth game and referencing the Wolves game.

34:27And I'm sure after the Man City game as well, You know, to lose to Man City twice in short, short, short, what's the word? Quick succession is what I'm trying to say. Quick succession, yeah. That's what I'm trying to say. My brain is as exhausted as everything else. You know, there is a lot to deal with there. And he said, you know, we had conversations in the dressing room. Everybody had something to say. And I think when you look at it, you know, what Arsenal did was win five games to win the title, and we played really well in one of those games, the Fulham game. That was the only one I think you can say we played really, really well in.

35:10Agreed. Every other game, we just fucking ground it out. You know, 1-0 against Newcastle. It was a 1-0 against Burnley. What's the other game I'm forgetting in there? 2-1 against Palace. 1-0 against West Ham. 1-0 against West Ham, of course, after review. You know? So there is a real strength of character and resilience to this team, which has been mentioned, of course. But to sort of pick themselves up at that moment where, you know, I wrote in the blog after that Man City game, if you feel like you've seen this movie before, it's because you have. And I don't like the ending. I then went on to say, you know, it's not set in stone.

35:58A lot can happen in two games, let alone five, but we've no margin for error. We've got to turn this run of one win in six into five wins in a row. And they fucking did it. And they absolutely scrapped it out. And I'm delighted, actually, like you, that in the end, this is not a title that was won on goal difference. It's not a title that was won by a single point. It's seven points. And I think, you know, after everything we've been through, not this season, but the seasons that have come before, I'm glad it looks comprehensive in the end, even if, you know, throughout this season, we have been on tenterhooks more than once.

36:42Andrew Allen: Well, Andrew, think of all the conversations we and others were having about goal difference. Yeah. How are we going to get this goal difference up? That's how close we felt it was going to be. so to have that bit of breathing space at the end fantastic and what was amazing to see by the way was after full time once those palace formalities subsided was quite how many crystal palace fans stuck around to not only watch the trophy lift but enjoy it and seemingly join in with some of the Arsenal songs. Hmm. That is interesting, isn't it? Oh, I wonder, is there another reason why that? Yeah, it was extraordinary.

37:31Fair play to those Crystal Palace fans, you know.

37:34Andrew Allen: Listen, maybe they changed their allegiance in the course of the 90 minutes. They arrived as diehard Crystal Palace supporters, but they were so won over by the charisma of Christian Norgard that they converted to become Arsenal supporters by full time. Amazing. He has such charisma. Listen, you know, if you could get into that ground yesterday by hooker, by crook, you know, why wouldn't you if you could? There were people also watching from the roof of Sainsbury's as well. Well, why not? Load up on snacks? Kill your friends? No, that's not it. That's a different thing. That's something else. But yeah, it was, you know, like I say, there must have been, I don't know, a couple of thousand extra Arsenal fans.

38:27Andrew Allen: Not that we endorse or condone that, but... I do. I endorse it. I condone the fuck out of it. Fair play to anybody who was in there, you know. Because the scenes were incredible, right? When they eventually got going, when the podium was built, when the palace formalities were finished, then the scenes got really, really good. And all the staff came out first and foremost wearing the away kit, all of them with different players on the back. Arteta was asked about this in the press conference. We didn't really go into the detail of like who was wearing what name and why. He just sort of said it was a tribute to the players to go with our hard work.

39:12Is that like, who's your favorite player? You get one of those. You get a Calafiore. You get a Gabrielle. You get a Martinelli. Or is it a bit more by design? I don't know. It doesn't matter. But those were nice. What about the vision, if I can call it that, of Mikel Arteta in a red and white shirt again? First, actually, we know what winning the title means. for michael arteta it means a change of uh change of kit right because gone was the sort of the black pullover instead he had may have been the day may have been the weather but you know it's too much of a coincidence that the day after or the next game after we win the title his his sideline attire is is different more casual well but yeah i guess it symbolizes a bit of a change

40:06Andrew Allen: in him but he did look resplendent in red and white it could have been 2014 couldn't it andrew Well, it was 2016, no? When he left. So 10 years, more or less, a little over 10 years to the day where he last wore the red and white Arsenal shirt as a player. A very, very emotional day for him. If you remember, he was visibly upset on the pitch. I remember him doing an interview with Sky afterwards and he was visibly upset in that as well. Lots of tears for Michel Arteta. So a really emotional day 10 years ago, equally emotional day for him 10 years later, but in a much more celebratory way. It was, it was.

40:53Andrew Allen: And it really helped me kind of reconnect Arteta, the player, with Arteta, the coach. Just that visual. It really took me back. And you sort of think, wow, what journey this guy has been on with this club. and it makes you reflect on the depth of that connection, which I think he feels really keenly. So yeah, and it was great to see him in relaxed mood. I mean, it was Arteta who once players had collected their medals and Martin had lifted the trophy. It was Mikel who took it over to the travelling support, really, that kind of spinning, slaloming little jog he did before, raising it in front of the fans.

41:40Andrew Allen: And, you know, he took their warmth and congratulations and absolutely deserved it. And he had his family there with him, as many other staff and players did. And I think a few tears were shared yesterday as well, and you can understand why. He's really, really, really earned that moment. And I mean it in the literal sense in terms of how hard he has worked and what dedication he has put in since day one arriving at this football club, you know, wanting to raise the standards, wanting to bring big trophies back. You know, we've referenced this, haven't we, a few times where like a week or 10 days or something before he took over, he was on the bench with Man City with Pep Guardiola.

42:29And he looked around that Arsenal Stadium and recognized that things were not right. You know, a club of the stature of Arsenal was in a bad place. You know, the connection between the team and the fans was not there. Things were not working at executive level. Decision-making was poor. There was a lot of work to do on the pitch and off the pitch. And I think yesterday for Mikel Arteta is a culmination of all of that work. and I said this the other day on the blog. You know, one thing we very rarely discuss is how extraordinarily difficult the job of a football manager is, right? Because they're there, they're the figurehead.

43:22We see them all the time. They're in the spotlight. They pick the team. They make the decisions. They're there to be criticized when things go wrong. And when things go right, it's like, yeah, good. That's what you should be doing. we accept the good stuff and when the bad stuff happens we we do not accept this this is not good enough blah blah blah blah blah blah but only a a very very select few managers who work in the game or have ever worked in the game have won the premier league have been able to do what michael arteta did yesterday after however many seasons even if you were critical of him along the way, if you thought it was whatever, he is now in the pantheon of managers who have done something very, very rare.

44:10Someone has to win it every year, but a lot of the time it's just one guy who's got all the money in the world. And I think Arteta deserves huge credit, and I'm really pleased, you know, above and, not above and beyond, but as well as being so pleased for us as fans and for these players and for the team and for the Arsenal fans all over the world. I really am happy for Mikel Arteta because, you know, I watched his interview on Sky afterwards, and he sort of said, you know, there were times I wondered, am I the guy who can only take them this far, that maybe they need somebody else to come in and do the final bit?

44:52And to work through that level of self-doubt, I think he's very self-aware to be willing to talk about that I think on live television is not really something you hear managers do a lot you know they don't really admit to stuff like that so I think it was really powerful that you know on the day where he finally got it over the line and where he becomes a Premier League winning manager for Arsenal Football Club that he was still willing to to sort of open up in that way because he is as you alluded to earlier he can be quite guarded But I think, you know, in moments like this, we see a different Mikel Arteta and I'm really pleased for it.

45:33Andrew Allen: Yeah, absolutely. And I think him wearing that red and white shirt really reinforced to me this idea that as much as he had a fantastic playing career and won silverware with Arsenal, this Premier League trophy and of course the Champions League trophy as well is something that eluded him. it's a peak that he never quite reached. And to take Arsenal there as manager now must be incredibly satisfying for him and something he's wanted for a long, long time. So I think we're very lucky as Arsenal fans. We have a really outstanding coach who understands the culture of the club and holds the club in great regard.

46:26Andrew Allen: And that's an incredibly powerful combination. I think as well, you know, in his press conference that you were in, he made a point of saying something like this is a victory for the we. Was that, am I misquoting him there? Yeah, something like that. Where he said like, you know, I think there are other managers who, if they'd won the Premier League, after taking some of the stick that he's taken, and I thought, by the way, Amy's piece over the weekend about Mikel Arteta was really, really good because externally there's a surface level view of him, right? And I can understand how he might be annoying to some people, but I also think it doesn't go very far.

47:16I'm annoyed by Mikel Arteta. Therefore, everything he does is shit. And he's an idiot and a wanker and a cunt. And I've heard that from people close to me, not mentioning any mug smasher's names at all. But I do think if you read what he says and if you listen to what he says in an objective way, I think we understand Mikel Arteta very well because we consume every aspect of what it is that he does. I think externally there is almost a caricature version of him that's widely held to be true, and I don't think it is. And I think there were other managers, or would be other managers, who, if they won the title yesterday, would be a bit more about them.

48:04They'd make it a bit more about them. And I think what Arteta did yesterday, he had his moment. He had their little spirally trophy lift, and I think he deserved that, and he earned that, and I'm really glad to see it. But the fact that he made it clear that this was a victory for everybody, you know, for fans, for the players, for families, for staff, for fans all over the world, for the owners, for everybody who works behind the scenes at the club. I thought that was really good. I really did think that was the right way to frame it when I'm not sure too many people would have blamed him if he'd been a bit more like, well, I fucking did it up yours, you know, which we know is not really him.

48:43but that's kind of how some people think he is, which isn't the case.

48:46Andrew Allen: Yeah. If he'd opened up his own big book of fuck offs, you know, he would have been within his rights, but he didn't. And he was very dignified in it. And, you know, he mentioned people who aren't with the club anymore. He'd been part of the journey. It was Edu got a mention Vinay, Tim Lewis, you know, he made a point of kind of saying it's not just his success. And, you know, you mentioned his emphasis on the we. I just opened up my transcript of his press conference and tried to find the specific bit that you're talking about. But the word we was said 43 times. So, you know, that is the message.

49:30Andrew Allen: He didn't want to make it about him. It was about the collective. It was about the group. And, yeah, I just thought all round there were some fantastic scenes. I mean, Pekai Osaka leading the fans in the scene of Alele, Eze singing his song with the crowd, Ben White in an e-brace and sunglasses, trying to take Pierre and Capier's shorts down. I love that so much. I really did. It was just lots of good fun. And no surprise, William Saliba was at the centre of most of the celebrations as well. He lives for this stuff. The Yuccares picture is fucking brilliant, isn't it? Like he's doing the Yuccares celebration, all the fans behind him doing it, like absolutely superb.

50:21Yeah.

50:22Andrew Allen: I think if you're in that away end, you know, or indeed in the home end, those memories, you know, will last you a long time. It was a pretty special day to be part of. Yeah, it really was amazing. So now what?

50:45Andrew Allen: Well, I'm imagining at least a day off for the players. Yeah, I think so. They went off to a party last night in central London with Louis Dunford there singing, you know, The Angel and other things. And then, yeah, surely a day off today. And then it's back to work, right? Yeah, it's back to work. as a fairly big game at the weekend, I believe. There is. And I wonder, it felt almost sort of mean to ask it really of Mikel yesterday, but I wonder amid these celebrations and amid the focus on, the rightful focus on the conclusion of the Premier League and lifting the trophy, I wonder how much thought he is giving to that European final or has given to him.

51:37Andrew Allen: Oh, all of it. All of it. I suspect so. We know what a stickler for detail he is. So I think what he said was quite interesting, was that they want to use the energy of winning the title in Budapest. So it is about recognizing that these players have put in a gargantuan effort over 38 games and come out on top. And then to use that, you have to, you can't just say, right, well done, lads, straight onto the training ground. We've got to get back down to hard work. I think you have to give them their time, their moment, the chance to celebrate, the chance to decompress a little as well. Because I think if we talk about, we were talking briefly last night on WhatsApp about how Artela looked like a man for whom a huge weight and a huge burden had been lifted, surely the same is true of those players.

52:40When you look at that team that you mentioned that started the first game of the season, Crystal Palace in 2022, right? So there's still some of those players are still there. Ben White is there. Gabriel is there. Saliba is there. Odegaard is there. Martinelli there. Saka, you know. They've been through a lot, I think, as players. And I think to get the best out of them on Saturday, you have to let the reins loose a little bit.

53:20Andrew Allen: I think so. I think so. All I can say is that I feel infinitely better about the prospect of a final against PSG. having won this trophy. I think the players are in a fantastic headspace. And I think Arteta is absolutely right. They've got to carry that into the final. I still think it's going to be very tough. I still think, you know, the kind of emotional and physical toll of the Premier League running is going to be substantially greater than what PSG have had to contend with in the last few weeks. But you have to make a virtue of that. That's what Arteta is saying. He said, we have to use that momentum and carry that into the final.

54:09Andrew Allen: And I feel really confident that whatever happens, Arsenal's supporters will still have enormous gratitude and appreciation for what the players have achieved this season. I think the players can take some comfort from that. I mean, you can never say of a Champions League final, they have nothing to lose. You know, it's just not true. But it does feel like we're into territory where there's more to gain. You know, it feels like it would be an incredible bonus. But if all we had this season was the Premier League title, you can see from the scenes that have unfolded over the past week how much that means to people that would never feel inadequate or no no no no no far from it um i mean before we go into a break can i just ask how you you know we were joking at the top about being kind of tired and exhausted but i mean do you do you take a moment to reflect on the fact that we've been doing this for as long as we've been doing it and this has been a i guess a dream throughout all that time where you know there were there were times where we said god i feel oh actually there's i had a dm weirdly from a liverpool fan uh dean van winn um and he asked a question on the august 23rd 2021 episode of the arse cast extra And he said, how confident are you that Arsenal can win the league title by 2034 when they'd match Liverpool's 30 year drought?

55:56James believed there was a 25 percent likelihood that Arsenal can do it. Arsenal, Andrew's confidence was at 7 percent. Right now, it's very difficult to see that as a possibility, he added. so he went on to say uh has it ever felt so good to be so wrong and no i'm not sure it has but but that is kind of how our realities have changed in that period of time you know where listen we're very lucky whatever happens on the pitch we're really really lucky to be able to do what we do and it's it's always a privilege to get these podcasts out to everybody but i have to say i I feel so much relief and happiness that we've, we finally done it.

56:42It's sort of like, I don't know, it's all kind of gone in a blur. I don't, I don't quite know how to explain it.

56:48Andrew Allen: Yeah. And like I said, I keep kind of pinching myself, um, and asking, uh, if this is all real, but I'm sure it will sink in, uh, at some point I do reflect on that a lot. And I reflect on, you know, how lucky I am to have the proximity I do and the access that I do and, and have the community around me and us that I do. I mean, that's an incredible privilege. So yeah, it's been a long road for, for all of us. And yeah, I think, you know, if you think back in the depths of the podcasts that we've done over the past, decade and beyond. You know, after we've been battered by five goals up at Man City in the third game of the season and it looks so bleak.

57:45Andrew Allen: Just three games. I'm sure they would make some interesting interesting listens now. But that is being a football fan, right? And I wish all days were like yesterday but they can't be. And I think actually you earn those celebrations and it's been a bit of a theme hasn't it of arsenal being accused of over celebrating but i really don't think anybody even the usual suspects can say that at this point because i think everyone recognizes whether they like arsenal whether they like michael arteta whether they like arsenal supporters everybody knows that we have suffered and waited for this And I think we are so within our rights to enjoy it.

58:30And it's brilliant to watch people at Sellers Park,

58:34Andrew Allen: outside the Emirates and around the world, reveling in this moment. Some of the videos are just amazing of fans all over the world, congregating wherever they congregated, whether it was a bar, whether it was in a public square, you know, just getting together and celebrating those moments. Yeah. Is it okay to celebrate now? Said Ian Wright the other night. I think that's a reasonable question. I just want to go into part two. I want to play this because I just thought it was really, really funny. You know, talk about the big book of fuck-offs. Maybe we have to give a little dedication to Mick McCarthy.

59:10As much as Arsenal have been celebrating, there's been a few critics as to how they've done it.

59:15Andrew Allen: What would you say to those critics? I'd say, shut up. A lot of you, you're a bunch of clowns. Decent place to leave it for part one. I think well said. Well said. All right. We will take a little break here and we'll come back with your questions and more in part two right after this.

59:46Andrew Allen: While every other channel is fighting for your customers' attention, podcasts are where they've already given it. No one accidentally listens to a podcast for 45 minutes. They choose to be here. They trust the voice in their ears. And when that voice talks about your brand, it doesn't sound like advertising. It sounds like a recommendation from a friend. Acast gives you that trust at scale. Digital precision, post-read authenticity, and performance data that proves it worked. Don't fight for attention. Buy it with Acast. Learn more by visiting acast.com slash advertise.

1:00:23Welcome back to the title trophy lift winning all of it. Arsecast Extra. And this is part two of the show where we answer the questions that you send to us on BlueSky at Gunnarblog.bsky.social and what's my one? At Arseblog.com. I should not have forgotten that. Fuck. I'd say if anything, yours is the easier one to remember. It is. It is. It should be. But there you go. There's where my brain is. something something discord blah blah patreon blah blah discord blah blah blah blah do you want to go first I think it's probably wise that you do see if I can just get my my mind functioning again just give myself you know like an old TV remember the old TV where the picture wasn't great you just gave it a smack on the side I'm just going to do that with my own head now so just I'm better I'm better.

1:01:21I'm better.

1:01:22Andrew Allen: Okay, we're working. We're working. We're doing it. This is from Per Johnson. We saw Arsenal's owners on the pitch yesterday. Stan was in town as well as Josh. And Per says... Glory, Hunter. Yeah, exactly. Well, Per says... This is the question, I guess. The fans rightly sang Cronky Out. But since they took full ownership of the club, rid us of Usmanov and put Josh in control, they've been virtually flawless as owners, in my opinion. When clubs are run by murderous nation states and the likes of Bowley and Ratcliffe, can we give the Cronkies their flowers and acknowledge what they've done to stabilise our club and build it?

1:02:07Sure. I mean, listen, there was the whole Super League thing as well, which they went along with, and that didn't work out for them or any of the other owners. And I think, you know, this is a podcast about celebration. It's a podcast about enjoying what we have achieved. And I think it's right that we keep the focus on that. I think with any big organization, any football club, any owners, really, there is probably a level of moral compromise or cognitive dissonance required. Right. But fair play. They backed the manager. They backed him. And, you know, financially, he's built a team that's now won the Premier League, which is something we've all wanted for a long time.

1:02:55And, you know, he doesn't do that and can't do that without the backing that he's got from the owners. So I think we have to give them credit for that. Absolutely. Yeah.

1:03:04Andrew Allen: And I think if you look across their teams, maybe with the exception of the Colorado Rapids, they are enjoying a very successful period. They're getting a lot right on the pitch. It has been a total transformation in perception for them. I was at and part of those protests after the Super League debacle. And, you know, I think their standing among the supporters could not really have been much lower at that point in time. They have rehabilitated themselves in rehabilitating the club and in restoring the club to the top of the tree in English football terms with massive investment. You know, that is part of this story.

1:03:48Andrew Allen: And it's probably a part that I think a lot of Arsenal fans push back against because they say, well, look at the investment elsewhere. And that's totally understandable. But you cannot win things in the Premier League. You cannot compete with nation states and the like without spending some serious, serious money. And Arsenal have done that. They've done it in a different way. in what they believe to be a more responsible way. But they've still needed to do it. And I think the owners have seen the opportunity that existed. I think maybe principally in Mikel Arteta, but also in a very young, talented squad.

1:04:30Andrew Allen: You know, this was the time for Arsenal to really push the boat out. And if you look at what they did last summer in terms of spending about 250 million quid, you know, they went for it. They went for it and they got their reward. So very, very, yeah, very interesting. I can't think of many situations where an ownership of a football club has changed minds in the way that KSE have. Yeah, I think that's true. And I think what people who have worked under them say is that their greatest attribute really is the trust and agency they give to the people they employ and the people they choose to run the football club.

1:05:23Andrew Allen: And I think we've actually seen some instances in the past where that hasn't necessarily worked. I was going to say, yeah. You know, there have been eras, you think of maybe the Sanyei era, where too much trust was put in certain individuals and it wasn't necessarily the best thing for the football club, but they appear to have learned from that. And certainly they've got some great people, some great hires working at the club at the moment, chiefly Arteta. And they've given him licence and they've backed him all the way. So, you know, they had their moment with the trophy yesterday. I'm sure that will have meant a great deal, particularly to Josh, to have that moment, lifting the trophy with his father.

1:06:09Andrew Allen: And fair play, fair play. Like all of us, they've suffered and been through the ringer, certainly reputationally in this journey. So they deserve their moment too. Yeah, I think it's one of those things that, you know, We very rarely talk about the owners unless things are going wrong, or things are going wrong. And Andrew, that's as it should be. No, I agree. I agree, yeah. It should be about the players and the manager. That's the right way round.

1:06:40Andrew Allen: But the question makes a good point, I think. We've said for a long time, as generalising, as supporters, we had issues with KSC, we had issues with the Cronkies. Then it sort of shifted to more, well, is it better the devil you know kind of thing. And I think now, objectively, you've got to stand back and look at it and say, I think as owners go, you know, they're ticking a lot of the right boxes right now. Okay. Here's a question from Ace Ventura 85 on the Discord. He said, goodly fucking morning, gents. What stuck out to you most from all the interviews this week? For me, it's just how aware the players were of everything that's being said online.

1:07:26Andrew Allen: That is a great point. I mean, they can laugh about it now. I really enjoyed the video of Eze talking about the Man City guy mocked up as a bottle. He was much more magnanimous about that guy than I would be. But maybe, you know, deep down, Eber Echeiza is just a better person than I am. But yeah, that was a great video. The laugh was super infectious, wasn't it? I must say, in terms of sort of how things played out digitally, I got to doff my cap, say chapeau to Myles Lewis Skelly on his Instagram caption. So the picture was Myles sat in front of the Arsenal fans holding the Premier League trophy.

1:08:15Andrew Allen: but captioned simply with pure profit. Contextualize that for people who might not quite understand it. Well, you know, we assume, I think it's safe to assume, it's a reference to talk about his potential sale in the summer and the fact that as an academy player, any revenue generated would have been classed as pure profit. He's probably had that one in his back pocket, I think, for certainly for a few weeks. Sure. I enjoyed that. But again, it shows an awareness of the narrative, right? The discourse around the players. And yeah, I think if you follow any of the players on social media, their posts over the last few days indicate that they hear everything.

1:09:06And that is almost frightening, isn't it?

1:09:10Andrew Allen: to think that they go through the season as conscious, as aware of the kind of swirling narratives as any of us. Yeah. I mean, Saka, it's done. No more jokes, man. It's our time. Martin Odegaard said, yeah, I see what people are saying. It doesn't affect me at all, but it's nice to be able to laugh back at it, you know. These are young men and they're online and, you know, why wouldn't they be? I think there's probably a, there's probably for the sake of, you know, mental health or whatever way you want to frame it, you know, it might be better if they weren't as online at times. Yeah. Because I'm sure some of it, you know, however you say that doesn't affect me, I'm not bothered by that.

1:09:57You know, they're only human at the end of the day. And, you know, things people say about you, whether you respect the person who's saying it or not, can be hurtful and they can be damaging to your confidence or whatever. So, listen, they're in a great position now to be able to give it back. My only sadness is that yesterday Aaron Ramsey wasn't there to not shake Piers Morgan's hand again. but there's a small thing, small complaint.

1:10:28Andrew Allen: Yes, no Aaron Ramsey as far as I could see. Ian Wright, of course, was there. That was lovely, wasn't it? Ian Wright on the Selhurst Park pitch as Arsenal win the title for the first time in 22 years, given his connection with both those clubs and his very obvious connection with the players as well. You could see that the way they embraced him, you know, Declan Rice, Saka, Odegaard Mikel Arteta when he came over I did enjoy very much Mikel Arteta's very perfunctory handshake with Jamie Redknapp at the end that was funny to me Yes no big slaps exchanged No I'm trying to think of other ex-players I spotted obviously Lee Dixon was there on commentary duty Jens Lehmann was up in the press box with us.

1:11:22He did an interview with David Raya afterwards and he was talking about David Raya and he was also talking about the Champions League final and the opportunity they had to do what those players couldn't do back in the day and he said my advice to you is don't get sent off. Apologies for the terrible accent there or the terrible Jens Lehmann impression.

1:11:45Andrew Allen: It's good advice. So yeah there were a few ex-players present and you mentioned by the way the kind of serendipity of Ian Wright being there. What a mad day for Eberich Eze yesterday to pick up the Premier League trophy. He got a brilliant reception even just for warming up. He got a standing ovation from the Palace fans. To be honest Andrew, he probably should have had a goal. He should have had a goal yeah, it was a good save by Henderson and It was funny, when they blew the full time whistle, all the Arsenal players, their arms went up in the air and Eze he did that thing where he put his shirt over his head.

1:12:23Andrew Allen: He was still thinking about the miss. And I was like, listen, mate, you ain't got nothing to complain about the year that you've had. That's true. Let this one go, I think. And then he got very much into the swing of it and the celebrations. But yes, good to see some former Arsenal players there representing too.

1:12:51Andrew Allen: Right. Wordsmiths cut straight to the chase. Oh, God. Okay, here we go. Prediction time. How many trophies, Premier League and Champions League, will Arteta win with Arsenal before he moves on? Now, in my wildest dreams, Andrew, I don't believe you're going to answer this question. but I consider it a way into a discussion about the future and what this could unlock and what the opportunity is for Arteta and Arsenal in the coming years. Okay, I just don't fucking know. I don't know. I can't do that. I can barely predict a game at this point. I'm not going to predict the next couple of years of a manager's career.

1:13:38I hope obviously lots would be great. I think what's fascinating about what we do next and where we go from here is, how do you present that challenge to a group of players that have finished second three years in a row and then have finally won it? It sort of feels like you've done what you achieved or done what you set out to do, right? Last Sunday, I was in London. It was the day after our Union Chapel event. And I got a coffee and I went and I sat on a bench, you know, at the back of King's Cross. You know, they've done up that whole area now. It's all fancy and there's nice benches and trees and shit.

1:14:23I like a good tree. So I sat there under the tree on the bench drinking my coffee. And I had a real sense of like, well, my work here is done. It's time to go home.

1:14:33Andrew Allen: Ride off into the sunset Ride off into the sunset And it was Sunday And the game wasn't until Monday You know the game against Burnley Wasn't until Monday But I really did have that feeling of like Yep that's it Job done I should just sort of toddle off to the airport Get my bag And sort of go home And I'm not saying the Arsenal players Are going to be sitting on their metaphorical benches At King's Cross with cups of coffee in their hand Thinking that's it now Because they obviously have a different mindset to me but but what i think is interesting is arteta's got to sort of get them to go again right he's got to get them to go again next season and i wonder if the challenge is be the first arsenal team in the modern era to retain the title like we had 2002 and 2004 we should have fucking won it in 2003 right and we had 89 and 91 where you know it was a little bit different but we haven't in the modern era retained the title and i think that might be how he presents it to these players and whoever else is in the team come next uh next summer he's already working on it you know that shift in mentality that's required he said this in his press conference after the game i said to the boys that this shirt now represents something else we are the champions and that brings a lot of confidence and a different kind of presence and energy to it But as well, another kind of responsibility.

1:16:06Andrew Allen: And my job now and everybody at the club is going to be to lift those standards now and achieve much more because I think we are capable of doing it. So he's already, there's no sense of resting on his laurels. He's already saying that this title brings with it another degree of expectation. And I expect my team to live up to that billing. which is classic Mikel, really. You know? It is. He's raising the bar again. And in terms of what that means for the future, I mean, look, hopefully, I think a new contract will be in the post. I mean, you would like to think that that could get signed off over the course of the summer.

1:16:54Andrew Allen: And Arsenal are incredibly well positioned, certainly in Premier League terms, because you look around the league, Man City have just lost Guardiola, right? You stepped down. You can fuck off. Chelsea finished about 15th, didn't they? Or something like that. 10th, weren't they? I don't know. They very much dropped out of Europe, which could be a good thing or a bad thing, I suppose, but financially a disaster. They finished 10th. They've got Xavi Alonso coming in there trying to pick up the pieces. United got a relatively inexperienced manager in Carrick who I think still is a bit of an unknown quantity, certainly when he's contending with a more congested fixture list.

1:17:36Andrew Allen: Liverpool slots future in some doubt, finished fifth, in need of a bit of a rebuild there. So, you know, Arsenal, the continuity, the stability that we have, the age profile of the players, the quality of the manager, there's a real opportunity there for us to sure as you say not just win one title but create a bit of a dynasty yeah yeah yeah consolidate on this and use the the confidence and the belief that you get from knowing you can do it and that's something we talked about you know with regards to manchester city right um leaving aside as difficult as it is the the various behind the scenes and and um legalistic shit that they have been accused of one of the things that we spoke about over the last number of seasons was the fact that city when it came to the crunch knew they could do it maybe they had some help along the way maybe they just had brilliant players or a brilliant manager maybe there was a little more to it but either way they knew that they could do it And I think that's powerful.

1:18:49That's something that goes in your back pocket and doesn't leave, you know, and I think this is something I'm hoping to see from Arsenal next season. And maybe as well, it helps us as fans, right? That when the going gets tough, as it did this season, right? The going got tough and we, because we were not confident or hadn't experienced them getting it done, you know, it's easy to resort to worst case scenario, right? Your glass is half full or a glass half empty, right? It's not half full. but now that we know that they can do it and have done it does that give us a little more little more peace next season if it's a tight title race and if a result in march or april doesn't go our way do we throw the baby out with the bathwater or do we say hey remember this happened last year and this team was able to to sort of pick itself back up and go again so maybe it does maybe it doesn't maybe it just depends on human nature and how you are as a a person or an individual and a fan, but I do think it will, it will certainly lift some of the, the extreme tension that we felt this season.

1:20:07Andrew Allen: And to finish my prediction is 50 trophies, 50 in the next three years. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I can live with that. I can live with that. I'm not sure the parade organizers would be as happy. Yeah. Islington council be pretty worried. They'd be like, fuck not another one. They've won the Emirates Cup and they're having a parade? Let me ask you this one from GaryRoper.BSky.social. He asks, any insight on why Ethan Wieneri wasn't at the presentation? I thought I'd seen that he was back from France. Yeah, we had a few questions about Ethan. People sort of concerned. or Ian Loder said, a very, has there been a better morning, gentlemen?

1:20:56Andrew Allen: Penny for Ethan Ranieri's thoughts. Amid all the celebrations I've felt for him, especially given the path that Ethan and MLS have shared. Given Max's emergence, I cannot see a future for Ethan at Arsenal. Can you? I mean, Ethan is back. He's back at the training ground. I think he was at the nightclub with the players on Tuesday night. so he wasn't at London Colney to watch the game but I think he joined the squad for the celebrations and then I think he reported back into the training ground on Wednesday yeah I guess it is a little surprise that he wasn't visibly there yesterday is it because he's not like maybe technically not registered registered, therefore he, you know, he couldn't be part of it.

1:21:48I don't know. But I mean, you saw like, you know, players like Tommy Setford, for example, who, you know, hasn't played in the Premier League, but is, you know, was there, you know, in the middle of the celebrations and that kind of stuff.

1:22:02Andrew Allen: I mean, you'd like to think Arsenal would have the means to get him a ticket or get him there um i don't know i don't know why he wasn't there uh i feel it's a bit of a shame to be honest and yeah i'm sure i'm sure he has some i was gonna say regrets i don't mean regrets in terms of that he himself has necessarily taken a wrong decision or a wrong move along the way but i'm I'm sure he wishes things had panned out differently for him in the second half of the season. Especially given the fact that at one point in time, we had a bit of an injury crisis in midfield. He might have actually got some minutes.

1:22:47In terms of his future, I don't know.

1:22:51Andrew Allen: I mean, look, the Miles case shows you it's very difficult to kind of prognosticate on a young player's future. It can change so quickly. but Ethan is another one of those who would be counted as pure profit and given the fact that we effectively won the title without him you know could he be right for a possible sale yeah um I you know you'd have to say it's a possibility at this point in time but uh yeah I don't know and I agree it was a bit of a shame not to see him there even though there may be a very technical reason technical explanation absolutely what do you think about it? I mean I don't quite know what's going to happen I think it is a bit of a shame that you know somebody who was in the squad a lot during the first half of the season wasn't able to be there if it is a technicality then maybe it's something that needs to be looked at and we'll see what happens in the summer I think there's going to be some movement but I'm sort of loathe to go into that at this moment in time because we've got obviously a big game on Saturday and the season's not over yet.

1:24:00And those feel like sort of end of season discussions or certainly summer discussions that we can have. So let's see. Let's see with Ethan. Is it your question, my question?

1:24:11Andrew Allen: I think it's mine. I think it is actually, yeah. This is not a question, more a statement, but I thought it worthy of some mention. Jack Rice on Blue Sky said, not a question, but told my dad, who I would listen to the podcast with every week and who passed in 2024, that I'd get a goodly morning tattoo if we won the league. I'll send pictures once it's done. Come on, you Gunners. Please do send pictures. We'd love to see that. We need to see those pictures. Yeah, we know now that Jack Rice is not the guy who hates goodly mornings. Or if he is, he's willing to take one for the team. He's regretting that promise he made.

1:24:50That's for sure. He's willing to take one for the team, all right.

1:24:53Andrew Allen: but this question comes from Uwul Hala and you'll have to forgive me if I've pronounced that wrong and they say speaking earlier on the need for a player to go supersonic to win the league is it fair to say that Raya has been supersonic this whole season or is this just his fucking standard I think like every player this season he's had a you know he's had moments which weren't optimal yeah but i think that's just par for the course with with most players there's going to be a mistake from a defender a mistake from a goalkeeper a striker who misses a chance you know you know what i thought of the other day um when we'd won it i thought about that kai havertz header at man city and obviously he scored the the header against Burnley, which won us that game, and then City dropped the points.

1:25:55But it was one of those where I was like, oh, you know, every player has this moment where you know they're capable of doing better in that moment, but it doesn't quite happen. I think Raya has probably been one of the most consistent players, though, this season. You know, there are some I'd mention alongside that, Gabriel, Saliba, Rice.

1:26:23I would say that's kind of it in terms of like long-term consistency over the course of the season. I think other people have come in and done fine and done well to varying degrees, but nobody's been really quite as consistent as them over the course of the season. But Raya absolutely has been. from day one. I watched a compilation of his saves the other day. It's fucking ridiculous. It's actually ridiculous, some of the saves he makes. There was one he clawed off the line. Was it against Spurs? Yeah, possibly. Just unreal. Like, he's been absolutely brilliant this season. So I don't know if he goes supersonic or whatever way it's been framed there, but I think from day one, he's been just a super important player for Arsenal and a key contributor to our title.

1:27:14Andrew Allen: Yeah, I think he's had an outstanding season. I think he is at his peak. I think he's performing at an elite level. I think he has improved enormously from the player he was at Brentford. I think he's matured. He's arriving at that age as well where we do tend to see the best of goalkeepers. I even saw a little clip. I observed an ad on Instagram of him talking about his nutrition. He was, I think, talking about when he was at Blackburn or playing down the leagues. And he said he was about 10 kilograms heavier. That's because all he was eating was pies. Well, I think, I mean, I think genuinely that was kind of the point of the ad because it was for a sort of meal service.

1:28:00Andrew Allen: But, you know, he's so live, athletic, commanding. yeah I think he is the best goalkeeper in the division right now one of the best goalkeepers in Europe I've said it before and I'll say again Unai Simon must be bloody bloody good because I just find it so hard to see why David Raya is not starting for Spain same same it must be sort of a managerial preference more than than goalkeeping quality or certainly form because There's three golden gloves in a row for David Raya this season. Arsenal with another record for him. You see that stat where we're the only Premier League team to go through an entire season without conceding a penalty or a red card.

1:28:48Andrew Allen: Yeah, incredible. Matt. You know, not long ago. We've come a long way in that respect. We certainly have. You know, it wasn't that long ago we were talking about the discipline being a fairly significant issue for Mikel Arteta and for his players. So, yeah. Here's one from Silla O on the Discord. Extremely goodly morning to you both. Now that the league season is over, what are your sliding doors moments? I'd like to mention Erling Haaland choosing not to take a dive and get Big Gabby sent off when he made a headbutt motion towards him. If it was another teammate such as Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Cherky, they would have 100 % feigned injury to try and get Gabriel sent off.

1:29:30Funnily enough, I think Haaland's respect for Gabriel as a competitor stopped him from going down.

1:29:35Andrew Allen: Yeah, I think that's certainly one. I mean, I think when you win a league, a lot of margins have to go in your favour. And I remember last season really feeling like they just weren't. you know, in 24, 25, so many close calls, so many big moments went against us. And I remember kind of repeatedly saying, you don't win the league in those years. No, you just don't. Yeah, you need the rub of the green along the way. You do need the rub of the green along the way. And we have kind of had that this year. And, you know, you mentioned the no red cards, you mentioned the no penalties. I mean, there should have been a couple of penalties against us.

1:30:19Andrew Allen: I think, and certainly whatever they're called, the kind of officials panel who review these incidents have said as much, you know, and the Gabrielle Red card is, is an example, another example of where probably should have been one wasn't given. I think there was a penalty. Goodison Park that could have gone. Maybe a Mikel Moreno handball. But then you think, yeah. like four or five quite big potentially match changing point costing incidents that have gone in our favor i'm not saying there are others that haven't you know that we've been robbed of but i think by and large we have had that bit of luck along the way um and unfortunately i just don't you know when the margins are so fine i just don't think you can do it without that so sliding doors moments I mean obviously it's late in the season but the West Ham video review has to be one

1:31:24Andrew Allen: I think that Gabbro Martinelli equaliser against Man City that's what I was going to say is it's just a really big goal more than a sliding doors moment but it was it feels like the kind of thing you you had to do if you were going to go on and win the league absolutely Absolutely. But, you know, it's all part of the tapestry now, right? It's all part of the narrative. And it's interesting, like, I don't think this title was ever going to be easy. I think if you were looking at it objectively at the mid-season point, January time, a lot of onlookers were saying Arsenal have an opportunity here to close out this league pretty effectively, to build up a league that gives them comfort.

1:32:15Andrew Allen: and we failed to take that opportunity. And I kind of feel like it did have to be this way almost, that this first league title after 22 years was always going to involve drama and a scrap right until the end. I'm not sure I ever fully believe there'd be another eventuality. Sure. But yeah, lots of big moments along the way, undoubtedly. Okay. let me see we had a lot of questions about this the white Jay-Z asks simple question whose trophy lift hit you the most for me it was Saka seeing the pure radiant joy on his smiling face hit me in such an emotional way I was for what felt like the 49th time in the last week very specific but 49 is a good number reduced to a teary mess yeah I think we spoke about players being aware of kind of online memes and things.

1:33:17Andrew Allen: Saka recreating his Arsenal fans uses a better pose but with the Premier League trophy very much in shot. That's quite a powerful image. Yes. I think so. I think so. I think Saka, yeah, I mean he's our longest serving player now. And he's been at the club such a long time. Not quite 22 years, but not miles and miles off it. No, no, no. So he knows more than most about what this weight has felt like. And actually after the Arsenal players kind of retreated to the dressing room towards the end of the celebrations, there was a little moment where he went back out on the pitch with the trophy, perhaps to take that very picture actually.

1:34:09But it was quite poignant seeing Saka just alone on the pitch with the Premier League title.

1:34:18Andrew Allen: Yeah. With a medal around his neck. There's a sort of heavy, poignant symbolism to that. Sure. So, yeah, I think he was really the one where, for me, it was the most emotional to see him lift it. Yeah, I have to say, I think, you know, Ben White, who is, as I've said before, very tied to the Arteta era for me, you know, sort of like, oh, this is not going to work. This guy's not good enough. This manager is not good enough. This team is never going to be good enough. to see him standing there, bittersweet, obviously, in a knee brace, to take the plaudits having quite literally put his body on the line for Arsenal Football Club over the years, to the point where it's damaged.

1:35:09I'm not saying you'll never be able to play ever again or anything like that, but he has done himself some damage over the years in service of this football club to try and help us win games and to achieve what we want to achieve. So that was one. I also felt like for Saliba and Gabriel also, who've been really fundamental, cornerstones of the project in terms of how we've been built defensively for those two guys. You know, they're center halves who are brilliant. They're a bit like, not chalk and cheese, but the two personalities complement each other very well. Absolutely. Which I think has been really important.

1:35:53So for those two, you can see with Saliba how much it meant. What did he say when he signed a new contract? Or what was around the time he signed it? We have to die on the pitch to make it happen, which is metaphorical, obviously, but that's the kind of character that you're talking about. I also think, and I know some people are frustrated with him, and maybe because of the injuries, you know, patience is not always a virtue when it comes to injured players, and there isn't the patience for them to find their form again and find their rhythm again when they do return after injury or after like a period in which they've been injured.

1:36:37For Martin Odegaard as the captain to lift that trophy, to put himself in the conversation or to be in the history books alongside some of our great captains, I think is wonderful, I have to say. They're obviously all very different. Patrick Vieira and Tony Adams, players who've lifted the Premier League in the era in which we live. But I'm really happy for Odegaard as well because, you know, over the years I've seen a player who has, in every game he's played for us, done his best. and the last 18 months have been very difficult for him in injury terms, but who, like Saliba, like Gabriel, like Ben White, like Saka, was at the heart of the development and progression of this Arsenal team from a team that was finishing eighth, then fifth, and then challenging for titles every season since.

1:37:39So I was really happy for Odegaard.

1:37:42Andrew Allen: Yeah, same, same. I think that would have meant a huge deal to him personally. And he'll always be the guy in that picture. You know, he is the guy with his hands on the trophy, lifting it for Arsenal Football Club. And yeah, it was a nice touch as well that it was handed over to him by Emmanuel, who's a player for North London United, who are Arsenal's affiliate Down Syndrome team. and he's been around the group a little bit. He did like a nice interview with Arteta a little while ago and sort of welcomed the players to training in the past. And I think he'd actually been lined up to present the trophy previously and sadly it didn't happen.

1:38:28Andrew Allen: So very nice for him to be able to fulfil that yesterday. Shall we do a couple of quickies before we go? Yeah. I did like this one from Buffalo Gooner who asks, can James get a copy of the Spurs relegation article the Athletic ended up not using?

1:38:52Andrew Allen: Yeah, well, look, let's hold on to it. You know, the great thing about so much of the content we've seen from Arsenal and others is that it's kind of been built up over the years. You know, we've had a lot of dry runs at this. so I would say just because it hasn't come out today let's not rule out the possibility it could come out in the future I like this one as well from Mal did Arteta recover yet from James' vicious assault or will we see Gabriel Aynce lead the team out in Budapest I'm not quite sure that will happen I know I might owe quite the apology if we find out Gal was hospitalised with an actual broken back We have Bergkamp's pilot After all the pundits Saying we could only win the title If we win away At the likes of City and Liverpool Is it weirdly satisfying That we won the league While losing at both?

1:39:47Andrew Allen: Yeah It is It is, isn't it? I mean, look I would have loved to win those games Don't get me wrong I mean, our big game record As far as I'm aware Is not particularly Impressive This season You know We didn't beat City We didn't beat Liverpool we're beaten at home by United you know it was it was it was not necessarily a season in which we we dominated those big games but we picked up virtually every other point so yeah they can well I think they can fuck off Andrew we'll add them to the the the big book of fuck-offs or the second book. Yeah. It's like warm peace at this point. It's going to be the biggest book of all time.

1:40:40All right. I think we should probably get this out there to everybody because, you know, it's a warm day. We should all celebrate the title win and the warmness of the day. And then we can start to look ahead to what's a huge, huge game against PSG on Saturday in Budapest. So unless there's anything that's, you know, You really have to get off your chest or off your mind between now and then. Shall we leave it?

1:41:08Andrew Allen: I think so. Yeah, let's get back to basking and look forward to what should be a brilliant weekend. All right. To all of you listening, you are our champions. Thank you for being with us throughout this season. It's been a long and difficult road at times, but we ended up in the happy place, not the bad place. So let's all enjoy that. So again, thanks so much for downloading and for listening and subscribing and for being with us on Patreon and all the rest. For now, take it easy, folks, and we will catch you on the next one. Bye-bye.

1:41:59Andrew Allen: you personalized comfort night after night. And now everything's on sale during our Memorial Day event. Save up to$1 ,200 on mattresses, plus free delivery when you add a base. Ends Monday. To experience a whole new world of comfort, visit a Sleep Number store or go to sleepnumber.com. Sleep Number, to a good life's sleep.