Aston Villa 1-2 Arsenal [The Pub, Wellington, New Zealand]

Firstly, before discussing the close shave at Villa Park, I'd like to apologise for being less active on the airwaves than usual. You see, I'm in New Zealand, and the internet here is either non-existent or very slow. I've also had a pretty hectic scheduled, most of the weekend I was driving down to Dunedin in the South Island, and back again, to meet with Andrew Douglas, an Arsenal fan who was happy to put me up for a few days. You can learn more about Andrew's love for the cannon in a dedicated feature later on in the blog.

After arriving in Wellington late on Thursday night from Brisbane, I totalled six hours sleep before catching the ferry on Friday night across the Cook Strait to Picton on the South Island. There simply isn't a better way to get your first sight of the South Island than on the Interislander.

Not your typical ferry ride.

Not CGI

Unbelievably, the drive down to Dunedin was even more spectacular. Winding two-way roads the whole way there, it was as if the New Zealand Tourist Board had set up some CGI wizardry for my arrival, especially between Kaikoura and Christchurch, where icy blue seas blended effortlessly on the left with steep cliffs, and green pastures complimented the distant Southern Alps on the right. If there was just one moment on my global journey that I'd feel ashamed not to have an SLR camera with me, this would surely be it. I've driven a small part of the Great Ocean Road in South Australia/Victoria, and the infamous US Highway 1, but this road is just on another level. I've been fortunate to drive some of the world's greatest thoroughfares but this is by far the best I've ever experienced. And the pictures here simply don't do it any justice.

New Zealand at her finest.

Having made it down to Dunedin in one fell swoop, I spent a full day and a drunken night in the 'Edinburgh of the South' with Andrew and his family. It's a great little university town and definitely compares to its namesake back in Scotland. Unfortunately I didn't have anywhere near enough time in the South Island before having to drive back up to Picton to get the return ferry yesterday. But not without a quick visit to Christchurch to see how the 2011 earthquake decimated half the city. Once again I was pushed for time so didn't get to see much, but it was still a brutal reminder of just how destructive mother nature can be.

So, having made it back to the North Island late last night, the challenge of watching every Arsenal game of the season resumed. The venue of choice for the Aston Villa game was at a pub inventively named 'The Pub' on The Terrace in Wellington. In New Zealand, the only way to watch the Premier League live is online, as there is no dedicated TV Channel showing games. Fortunately, most of the pubs that show live sports will have a 'Premier League Pass' that enables them to show games online. For us though, it was a close-call to missing the start of my first Premier League game as the person looking after the computer at The Pub had no idea how to use a computer. We managed to get the stream up and running, thirty seconds prior to kickoff. Phew!

The first half performance was all Arsenal of course, capped off with two fantastic team goals to put us in control of the game. But that Benteke header made the final twenty minutes of the second a lot more uncomfortable than it should have been. Still, we're back to the summit of the Premier League and we can be happy with the way we managed to see the game out, despite being under considerable pressure from a motivated Aston Villa side.

COYG

Damage Limitation and Airport Lounges

I'm actually struggling for words to sum up how I think this season will go. After the dismal effort on Saturday, the fresh injury news (especially The Ox's knee) has put us in an unenviable situation, and I just don't know what to say to make people feel better about it. Ever the optimist when it comes to Arsenal, I feel this season is going to be nothing more than a damage-limitation exercise - we have the thinnest playable squad in the Premier League right now, maybe even Europe, and even if we do bring players in, it's all about hitting the ground running, something that Aston Villa managed to achieve with little sweat I might add.

Kroenke: A man with many moustache combs

I'm always going to sit on the fence when it comes to Wenger. Yes, he was our saving grace in yesteryear, winning trophies and helping us go a whole season unbeaten, but he also hasn't achieved anything significant in the past 7 years other than consistentily profitable transfer windows. And we all know that, nothing new there. Some fans are calling for his head on a plate, whilst others back him and say it's the board to blame. "If Usmanov/Dein come and Moustache/Gazidis leave we'll spend more than the top three combined" - but it's not the way we do it and I hope Arsenal doesn't become another Sugar Daddy playpen. I'm proud of the way the club is run, because I know that if I'm still alive <touches nearest wooden object>, in 50 years time we'll be a club that can compete with the top 3 in the World let alone the League, and I will be relishing every game.

Of course nobody wants to wait that long for something good to happen, but it's all about sustainability, especially in this economic climate. I'm not saying that I 100% think Wenger should stay, because I'm not an expert and I don't really know if that's the best thing for Arsenal Football Club. What I do know is that something needs to happen quickly, and we might have to take a few risks to get out of this situation we're in. Without risks there certainly are no rewards.

Onto something more upbeat now, you might have noticed from various social media feeds that I'm on my way to Prague (as I write this). I'm in an airline lounge in Dusseldorf, waiting for my connecting flight to the Czech Capital. I had the good fortune, especially as a backpacker, of inheriting a pass that allows me into hundreds of airport lounges worldwide. What it means for me is comfy seating, Wi-Fi access, free beer, and a nice hot shower if I need one (no comments please, it's too early in the trip!).

Airport Lounges - a backpacker's dream

Most importantly though, I realised that I can stock up on all the complimentary snacks that these lounges offer, for 'the road'. I've tried to avoid flying as much as I can in the GOTR itinerary up to Australia, but in some parts of the U.S, it was completely unavoidable. What it means however, is that I'm going to have the opportunity to visit several airport lounges across North America, where I can essentially force as many peanuts and apples into my daypack as possible for some of my long-distance, one-dollar-fare bus trips I have to make to connect cities.

Now if you'll excuse me I need to ask some overly-efficient lounge staff for more pre-packed cheese & crackers, as they've run out.

Next stop, Prague!

COYG

Arsenal 1 - 3 Aston Villa [Emirates Stadium, London]

The 22nd Premier League Season officially began yesterday. For some, it was Liverpool's early kickoff victory over Stoke that started the campaign, but for myself and most of the people reading this, 3pm (BST!) was the time to focus on, as Arsenal faced yet another Emirates opener to Aston Villa.

Arsenal's new 3rd choice Left-Back (me!)

I had the privilege of attending this match in person at The Emirates Stadium, and why not? What better place to commence the GOTR adventure than the home of Arsenal itself? Another reason for visiting in person of course, was to pick up my new shirt! I was just expecting a quick handover in the Armoury (the official club merchandise store) or something to that effect. Instead, I got the chance to do what not a lot of people ever do; I walked down the tunnel, onto the pitch and got a photo or two with my shirt, 'new signing' style. It was a huge, huge moment for me, and I was grinning from ear-to-ear.

The grin didn't last for long. After that once-in-a-lifetime, schoolboy dream moment, I completely forgot that we had a game to play, and that I was there to watch and not participate. Yes, I know some of you thought I was going to be on the bench as a replacement to the outgoing Andre Santos, but I'm afraid that was all just a bit of a joke. I'm sorry to get your hopes up.

This was a game that I, like many others, would care to forget - but unfortunately because of the moment immediately preceding those 90 minutes, I doubt I ever will.

"I've been shot in the face!"

Yes, we went up after 6 minutes courtesy of Super-G, but the rest of the game was a nightmare - we didn't finish our dinner, we got bossed around the park (as per usual), decisions went against us, players went off injured, and when we needed a route out, we didn't have any options because our squad is paper thin

What I could also see (which is sometimes easier when you're at the game in person as opposed to watching it on TV) is that we looked knackered after 45 minutes. Whilst a good portion of our players had stupid internationals to play the week before the Premier League kickoff, (the organiser of which should be shot in public) it doesn't look like Aston Villa had nearly as many. Not being one to look for excuses here, I reckon that was one of many contributors to our loss, and the main difference (aside from an extra 2 men, ref included) between the two teams.

The other contributor was the aforementioned thin squad. We need to buy, and we need to buy quick. Personally, I have no problem with panic-buying (something else that I would usually disagree with). We need to go out and lock down some experienced Premier League talent for our defensive positions, players that can work in multiple roles. Obviously, we could see that Sagna can't play left-back (if Wenger chose me to sit on their bench like I asked, I would have nailed it), and neither Ramsey, Rosicky or Wilshere can be the enforcer sitting in front of the back four. We need somebody who can mop up a mess and play all over the park. Song, Gilberto and even Viera could play DMF or CB and still make a name for themselves with the odd goal and assist.

So, to summarise yesterday, I would say it was a day for me to remember and others to forget.

Prague - city of a thousand mediocre football teams

On the GOTR front, I'm off to Prague on Monday to start the European stint. I will be staying with Gooner Andy Hunt and his girlfriend Sarah - both of whom I've never met in my life, but it's all part of the #GoonerFamily spirit and I should get used to it. I am promised by many that I will love this city, and I'm sure I will. I'll be watching the first leg of the UCL Playoff against Fenerbahce. Hopefully we'll get a result in Turkey - if not my itinerary for North America is screwed as I've already booked most of my intercity transport on a Thursday (the same week day that Channel 5 gets its biggest viewership, if you know what I mean).

Finally, and most importantly for me and many others, please remember to donate to my fundraiser here.

Until next time.