They Say Goodbye, We Say Hello… Hello Hello…

I guess since I started trying to put together this team a week or so ago, I became the unofficial “leader” of the group. That’s a bit ironic, since I’m by far the least-knowledgeable person in the group. (Perhaps not coincidentally, I’m the only American as well.) And that’s really not a false humility. The only soccer I watch is Arsenal, the World Cup, and a few other games of note. I would list Arsenal no higher than fourth among my favorite sports teams, behind (in order) University of Pittsburgh football, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and University of Pittsburgh basketball. I’m certainly more of an American football fan than a soccer fan. However, in a small town in Texas, I can talk about American football with almost anyone. But I don’t know a single person who can talk intelligently about soccer, aside from a Man United fan I occasionally bump into. (And what’s the fun of that anyway?) So I stumbled upon this website a few years ago when Travis was still writing, and I found it to be the only place where I could chat about Arsenal, and soccer in general. That was great. Over the years, I’ve become a much bigger Arsenal fan, but I’m still really just learning things. I’ve followed Arsenal since the Bergkamp/Overmars era (as I like to think of it), but it was only a casual interest in those days. I’ve really only become a big fan during the time of our trophy drought, which isn’t always very fun.Another thing I should mention as a warning to our readers outside North America is that I use very “American” terms for everything. Instead of football, it’s soccer. Instead of a pitch, it’s a field. Instead of fixture congestion, it’s a busy schedule. Instead of a clean sheet, it’s a shutout. You get the picture. I know the words that most of the world uses, but I prefer to keep it real and talk like an American. You know, since I am one and all that. (But the good news is that, unlike most Americans, I can at least find Canada on a world map.)

I’m not really sure right now how we’ll divide up all the blogging. But the hope is that by having four of us, we won’t have a huge workload, and we won’t get exhausted. And hopefully, we’ll be able to cover all the games somehow. Despite my status as group “leader,” I don’t expect to blog any more than the others in the group.

As I mentioned in the comments section a while back, I miss all the Sunday games due to church. I think JG will handle most of those games. Due to work, my ability to watch midweek afternoon games is hit and miss. I’m a self-employed lawyer, and I work mostly from home. However, I’m in court, visiting clients, and making jail visits a lot, so I’m away from the computer at least half the way on workdays. Sometimes I’ll be able to watch the midweek games, and sometimes not. But we’ll try to get everything covered somehow.

Brenton already posted his intro yesterday, so I’m just going to include what Darren and JG have written.  Then JG will have a new blog up either tonight or early tomorrow, I believe.  Also, one last note.  I’m head is spinning in trying to get all the technical stuff sorted out.  I’m totally new at all of this.  So if we’re having trouble inserting photos or links or whatever else, please be patient for the first week or so.  Ok, without further ado, here’s what Darren and JG wrote for their intros:

Darren:

I’m Darren, and I have been annoying Martin on this blog a number of years, correcting him on meaningless tidbits of his writing such as ‘no, it’s not a 4-3-3 Martin! It’s a 4-2-3-1! Honestly!’ I hail from Edmonton, Canada, which makes me sound like an Inuit, that lives in an igloo and the only sport I know is hockey and punching people wearing skates. And while that’s almost true, I do spend 9 months under snow pretending I understand the nuances of tactics and fancy myself an idealist of beautiful passing game which Arsenal play. One might wonder how a savage of the north comes to love Arsenal. The answer is simply Dennis Bergkamp. See, I am of Dutch descent, and hold close many Dutch traditions, and my father always watched Holland play. To me, there is no better player that ever lived. Not Messi, not Maradona, not Pele, not Cryuff, but Bergkamp. Now this may be mad, but that’s all I knew growing up, and so the Dutch maestro is king, RVP is world class and any argument saying otherwise will not be heard. Plus he scored this beauty, forever etched in my memory. Bergkamp brought me to the glorious Arsenal, and there my heart remains, forever. Be warned however. I abhor transfer season, I think all players are mercenaries (except Jack and RVP), and I love finances, tactics and a good argument.

JG:

Hello! As regular readers know, I read this blog daily and more often than not I left comment here. It is an honor to get the chance to write for the Arsenal Offside and while I don’t have much in terms of experience, hopefully this will let me grow as a writer and improve my skills in writing about the Arsenal. As for my tastes for the Arsenal, I’ve been following them since the 07-08 season (the season I started following soccer/football in general) and can’t wait for them to win a trophy- hopefully this coming season! I consider myself a bit of a fanatic and try to watch all the games that I can. My favorite player is RVP, and hopefully he’ll play more than half a season. I also think that Manchester United and Stoke City are scourges on the footballing Earth and we must do our best to defeat them in a honorable way. I hold the opinion that if real life were to be played like a Football Manager game, then Arsenal would be Ultimate Masters of the Footballing Universe. Alas, life is NOT played like a Football Manager game, so UEFA Champions League champions will have to suffice.

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Category: Introductions