Arsenal’s 1997-98 League Title: Birth of my Fandom

By: Homey | June 19th, 2011

With the lack of any recent news going on, I thought I’d take a trip down memory lane to a time when our team won a couple of trophies. I thought the Gervinho deal would be completed by now, and Darren is still planning on doing a report on that if/when it ever happens. Until there’s some actual news, you’re stuck with me again.

Anyway, back to my story. Growing up in the U.S., there was almost never any soccer on tv, aside from the World Cups. I remember watching them in 1986 and especially 1990. Then when 1994 rolled around, I really became a fan. I still kick myself for not attending the one WC on U.S. soil though. After the success of WC 1994, we gradually started seeing some soccer on tv. Soon thereafter, MLS was born, plus more Americans were playing in the top leagues in Europe. Since my biggest interest at the time was the U.S. national team, I followed the Americans in Europe more than anything. At the time, Kasey Keller was playing for Leicester City, and they were in the top flight for a while. So they became my first favorite team. I’d always been vaguely familiar with the top clubs from all over Europe, and I didn’t really want to root for any of them. Thus, my distaste for Man Utd began before my love of Arsenal. But that’s how my journey began.

Another thing happened about the time of 1996 and 1997 – the internet. While the matches were almost never on tv, a fan could at least read reports and learn about various teams in Europe. That opened up the door for me to really learn about the English Premier League. Since I was a year or two behind the times in terms of internet usage, my first soccer season with the internet was 1997-98. While Leicester was still my favorite team, I was hoping pretty much anyone could beat Man Utd. Then along came the Arsenal. I knew enough about them to know two players – Marc Overmars and Dennis Bergkamp. For whatever reason, I really enjoyed watching the Dutch national team as well, and so it became a natural fit.

During the summer of 1997, Wenger was coming off his first season at the helm. Arsenal had been dominated by English players up to that point, but he began the influx of foreign players that summer. New additions were Overmars, Emmanuel Petit, Luis Boa Morte, and Gilles Grimandi. The starting back five were still all English, however – Seaman, Dixon, Keown, Adams, and Winterburn. Ray Parlour and Ian Wright were also English regulars in the lineup, with only Vieira, Petit, Overmars, and Bergkamp being foreign regulars. In addition, we started to see the infusion of a youngster named Anelka in his second season with the club.
Overmars Petit

The season started relatively well for Arsenal, and we got a crucial win over Man Utd at home on November 9 on a beautiful David Platt header for the winner in the 83rd minute. However, the team took a downturn after that, eventually falling 13 points behind the leaders, albeit with games in hand. What was to come was one of the most extraordinary feats any team has accomplished in the Premier League era. Beginning January 31 with a win over Southampton, Arsenal rattled off 13 consecutive wins. The crucial win during the streak came at some stadium called Old Trafford. Arsenal entered that match trailing in the standings by nine points, but with three games in hand. Our old friend Marc Overmars netted a classic in the 80th minute to hand us an unlikely 1-0 victory, and our fate was in our own hands after that. (The goal is at the 39 second mark on the video.) Alex Ferguson asked the question after that defeat, “We’ll see how they stand up to pressure now.” Uh, ok, Alex. All we did was win another eight in a row and wrap up the title with two games to go. The clinching win came at home on May 3 with a 4-0 thumping of Everton. The team let up a bit at the end with two losses, but the title was already secure.
Title

Now I know that Arsenal historians would point out that not only did we win the league title that year, but we won the FA Cup with a win over Newcastle in the final. Yes, that’s true as well. But I don’t remember a bit of that. I just remember when we slayed the giant with a remarkable streak – a streak that’s hard to imagine accomplishing these days.

The years to come would see many more Americans entering the EPL, Kasey Keller moving on, and Leicester City relegated. It was becoming impossible to simply root for teams that had American players, and always be changing favorite teams. So I decided to stick with a team that had proven it could knock Man Utd off its perch a bit. And despite the “rough” times in recent years, I’m glad I stuck with them. If I had to pick a new favorite team today, I know I’d make the same choice again.

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“Let not the one who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes it off.” I Kings 20:11b

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Category: Arsene Wenger, Manchester United

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Chris

Interesting, Homey, that you say you were following Leicester around that time too. cuz one of the highlights for me that season was the 3-3 against them when Bergkamp scored a quite scintillating hat-trick. But what made the match so fiery was that it was so end to end in the last few minutes, with Leicester (right up to the very final whistle, and credit to them) coming back and equalizing each time (sign of things to come ???) as quickly as Dennis was sticking them away up the other end. Took a bit of the shine off his performance, but at the time I was listening on a crackly medium-wave car radio, which just added to the excitement. Bloody magic.
FredJacob

Hi guess quick, who runs the arsenal offside twitter site now?
Homey_Mills

Martin and Sairax still run that site. Yes, I know. Kinda weird. As long as they still give mention when we have a new post up, then I'm fine with it. Actually, I prefer it. One less thing for us to worry about.
Chris

Go away for a week, come back and BANG ! Post after post after post gone up... Got some serious reading to catch up on. Just want to say great show Homey, Brenton, JG and Darren and thanks each of you for taking up the baton and running with it. Look forward to reading all your stuff over the summer and into next season. Well done guys !
FredJacob

so would you guess have a twitter site where we can know when there is new post
Homey_Mills

For now it might be easier to follow Brenton Walters on Twitter, although we're still working out all the technical stuff. It may be a while before this is a smooth operation. Just bear with us.
Homey_Mills

Thanks, Chris. We look forward to reading your comments as well.
Alexinho

Looking forward to the Homey Era. Pleased to hear your story.

I have to get something out...totally unrelated...

What is Aston Villa thinking with choosing Alex McLeish as their manager? Were they paying attention to the last two years, and the boring, uncreative, God-awful football he was putting on the field (regardless of...you know)? Maybe it's because I'm an American who cares nothing for the Birmingham derby, but that his selection is front-page news, and yet I don't hear a peep of consideration about how he most-recently led a terrible, declining team into relegation, strikes me as outrageous.

I don't understand it when Premier League clubs look for new managers and end up choosing the same dolts who lost their jobs because their teams were so mediocre. All the mid-table sides are guilty of it. If I hear one more club exec talk about, say, Mark Hughes (sorry Sparky) being a "good manager," I'm going to eat my shirt.
Homey_Mills

Thanks Alexinho. I hope it's not just the Homey era, even though I've been the most regular blogger this last week. It should be spread among four of us though.
Anyway, I hear what you're saying about recycled managers. It's the same way in all the professional sports that I follow, though. And I don't understand it. I'd much rather at least take a chance on someone being great, than to take someone I already know is not great.
Waloow2002

i will like to move arsenal team for arsene wenger
Gigi_man

Ha! I beat you for a season. But I was in France and almost every newspaper related to sports had AW arriving to North London. Yes, shame on me, if I hadne been in France I would have never become a gooner.....

On the other hand, great stuff, made me smile, Overmars Petit, Bergkamp and the back line, man were we mentally ferocious back then...

Off topic, anyon watched my other beloved red team last night? I almos thad a heart attack, so it reminded me a lot of another red team again :P
JG

You think you can do it again against USA?
Gigi_man

Frankly? I think the US will be a lot more attentive this time, so no. Nonetheless of course the hope is the last thing you lose and of course I will be cheering for my beloved La Marea Roja.
Perry S.

With Ade and Henry gone, the time has come for Gervinho, Sagna, and Papa Song to award us with fantastic goal dances...if Eboue sticks around, rest assured he'll lead the pack.
Gigi_man

Thats why I wish Eboue stayed, and a hope for him to return to his top form. Of course, I said it before, for me he is NOT used properly by AW.
Homey_Mills

So how do you think he should be used?
Gigi_man

oooppss, now they will know I am a complete ingorant on the subject....
well, I always saw him better like a "fake winger", if the term is self explanatory?
Darren_V

As a cheerleader of course.
Martin

Emmanuel Eboue: the Popeye Jones of football/soccer (only huge basketball fans will get that joke).
Homey_Mills

Martin,
I thought you wrote a blog on Mondays or something. What's up? Both of your readers are wondering if you'll have something new today.
Martin

It'll be up tonight.
brenton

Homey and I will dutifully read it.
Homey_Mills

Ok cool. Looking forward to it. This time of year is dreadfully slow. You know, the time of year when big clubs make transfers and Arsenal watches all of it.

You left us at a difficult time for writing new material, you know.
Dave

Funnily enough, my dislike of Sp*rs also came before my fandom with Arsenal. I was a childhood Forest fan and I was dismayed by the 1991 FA cup final!
brenton

“We’ll see how they stand up to pressure now.” - Alex Ferguson (classic asshat)
I wish we could stand up to the pressure just as well now.
Darren_V

With all this hyping of my supposed Gervinho post, people are going to be mightly disappointed that they are just reading a copy and paste of Wikipedia.
Of course, Arsenal actually have to sign the guy first.
brenton

I've told all my friends to look for it. I've advertized before movies in the Upcoming Attractions section.
Darren_V

This site is gonna make it big off a copy and paste from Wikipedia? Man, Arsene better sign this guy.
Gigi_man

So it's in the oven ah? Man cant wait for your article!
Homey_Mills

As Harry Doyle said in Major League, "He's not the best colorman in the league for nothing, folks."
brenton

As long as you include a picture of his hair/forehead, it will be a popular post. That dude is freakish.
Homey_Mills

If you're clearly going bald in front, I think dreads aren't a good idea. Too much contrast.