Apologies for the late update on this one. It would seem that the lack of sleep and abundance of Australian beer has seen me forget to press the 'publish' button on this 'meet the Gooner family feature'. Sorry Phil. Better late than never though, right?!
Meet Phillip Saunders, my first host for the Australian leg of my round-the-world Arsenalfest. Phillip lives in the city of Albury in New South Wales, which, if you looked on a map, would think it's in the middle of nowhere. And that's because it's in the middle of nowhere. But, it is approximately half way between Sydney (where my flight from Fiji landed) and Melbourne, the next destination on my list. Phil had heard of my cause and offered a couch to crash on and, of course, a Gooner to watch a game with.
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| Phil and his two children. All Gooners |
Q. Why Arsenal?
Partly because of the shirt. I like the
iconic red shirt, white sleeves. I didn't follow them because they
were doing well. They're a strong, traditional yet progressive club.
Q. Started Supporting Arsenal?
It was mid-eighties. I remember
Samantha Fox was a fan, and that was one of the reasons for me
getting into Arsenal.
Q. Favourite Player?
Niall Quinn. He was so different, he
was an unco-ordinated lanky goofball looking thing, but he never gave
up and he was an iconic player.
Q. Favourite current Player?
I like Sagna, I'm also a full-back when
I play. He's reliable, he doesn't try and be fancy, he's just 'what
you see is what you get'.
Q. Favourite Arsenal moment?
First time I saw them win the
Littlewoods Cup, think it was 86/87. That was my first experience
seeing Arsenal win a trophy.
Q. Where do you watch Arsenal in
Albury?
I would normally watch it at home,
sometimes I'll head down to the Celtic Club when I'm in Melbourne.
Q. Emirates or Highbury?
I never went to Highbury. Even if I did
go there, I'll still go with Emirates based on what the place has
managed to do for us as a football club.
Q. League Prediction?
I think we'll finish top three. I don't
think we'll win it, I think the other contenders are strong and I
think our true test is yet to come.
Q. Who will be Arsenal's player to
watch this season?
Aaron Ramsey for me. He's had a great
season so far and I think he's going to score more decisive goals. I
also think Eisfeld is one to watch, as we get more fixture congestion
he will get the chance to play more games.
