Arsenal 1-2 Borussia Dortmund (Fiddler's Elbow, Salt Lake City)

I'm in Salt Lake City, Utah the land of the Mormons and the latest city on my quest.

My 'unbeaten' run has come to an end, or at least that's the case for the Champions League. Thankfully, that #KeepGoonerOnTheRoad hashtag still applies to the Premier League, where we haven't lost a game whilst I've been out of the country.

Although my time in SLC was short, I managed to make the most of it by visiting the Mormon Temple and seeing some of the wonderful scenery on offer. For the first time, I had a rental car at my disposal so I took a drive into the mountains to see what Mother Nature had done to this continent when she was at her most creative. I wasn't disappointed, this was the first real opportunity I had to get away from all the concrete jungles I had stopped off at previously and, on the way it made me feel emotionally, it's been the highlight of my trip on the road so far.

Beautiful, and just a stones throw from Salt Lake City

The Gooners in Salt Lake City are few and far between in comparison to other supporters clubs, but there is no loss of passion. Unfortunately, I didn't get to witness this group at their most passionate because we lost to Dortmund and, as you can see by the picture below, we were all a bit down. They are all blaming it on the fact that, for the first time on the road, I was drinking an orange juice rather than a beer. They told me to get out of Utah...

Not exactly a happy bunch of Gooners after the Dortmund loss

The match itself was actually a good one for the neutral to watch. In the end we were subject to a few bad decisions and, despite Giroud demonstrating once again his determination levels, we succumbed to our first Champions League defeat of the season. We missed Flamini, whilst Özil had his quietest game so far in an Arsenal shirt. Still, it is what it is, we're still top of the group, still top of the league and we don't have to worry about playing a team called 'Sheriff' on Thursdays. And of course, we know what we're capable of doing to German opposition on their own turf.

COYG

Sunderland 1-3 Arsenal. National Özil Day [Burgundy Lion, Montreal, Canada]

Well after a nice breather in Canada for the International Break, I'm now in Boston, the first of thirteen cities to be visited in the US over the next 2 months. I must apologise for the lack of blogging recently, but you can be rest assured normal service will be resumed momentarily.

Bye Bye Montreal, my old friend. I'll see you again when the white stuff has come and gone.

Before we talk about kicking off the US leg of my tour, what was Montreal like? I can tell you that it's a fantastic city to visit and one that should be on everybody's 'must-see' list if they are in Canada. Montreal is totally unique as a city in North America, the French influence clearly visible to even the most ignorant and non-educated of visitors. The Old Port (Vieux Port de Montréal for those who feel confident enough to try a bit of Quebecois) is particularly welcoming to people that desire a little more character in their city-break destination. The cobbled streets and micro-brasseries make it a perfect place to spend the closing weeks of Summer, and the whole of Montreal is a gastronomic delight. Of course, in Winter it's a different story and I'm glad I'll be far from there when the weather turns. Full disclosure - I used to live in Montreal for 2 years, two winters are all that I can stand.

Just some of the regular AMMO members

Of course the main reason for visiting Montreal, like all the other destinations on my itinerary, was to meet the local Arsenal fans. Montreal was a little bit different than the other cities I'm doing on the GOTR tour because a) I used to live there and b) I actually created the Arsenal Montreal Member's Organization (AMMO) back in 2010. However, I had never actually watched a game with these guys as I moved back to the UK shortly after creating the group, so for me, it was a perfect opportunity to go and watch Sunderland vs Arsenal at AMMO's pub of choice, the Burgundy Lion, for the first time.

The atmosphere at The 'Lion, as you can see from the video below, was lively yet 'controlled'. I had no idea the turnout was going to be what it was, some people were saying it was the most they've seen and that they were coming for the Ozil Party, others saying they were just glad to see yours truly, the Gooner On The Road. Whatever the reason, I was impressed and quite proud that there's now a place where all the Montreal Gooners can watch a game together.  It just goes to prove that you don't have to be a rocket scientist to set up a supporters club in your own town/city. There's even a podcast that is worth a listen, even if it's just to hear the infamous Lukey give his thoughts on life and the universe.



On to the game itself, and I think we can all agree that despite the dominating first-half performance and Ozil lighting up the world, we were clearly very lucky to come away with three points given the decision not to allow Altidore's goal. I think by the book, the referee made the right decision, but I've seen countless times where a goal's been given in similar scenarios. Fortunately this wasn't one of those cases and we were, albeit for a day and a half, top of the league.

We also had a problem finishing our dinner on Saturday, which was a combination of poor finishing and good goalkeeping. You can see that the link up play between Theo and Ozil is only going to get better, and that the German looks extremely promising in being a major contribution for this campaign, not just a long-term investment. Our other 'signing', Flamini, once again had a solid performance and he is going to be one of those versatile players that will address parts (but not all) of our squad-depth issues.

Finally, you can't discuss that game without mentioning the likes of Giroud and Ramsey, the latter of whom has proven to everybody that you can reverse a negative spiral by putting your head down and telling your critics to get stuffed. Rambo's done a phenomenal job and you can understand why he's captain material for Wales, and also why Wenger has had faith in him for so long. The Good Looking French Guy is also proving people wrong by scoring for fun. He has to be the best finisher we've had since Henry left. Because that Dutch guy never played for us.

So that's it for now, please keep an eye out on the customary 'Meet the Gooner Family' feature for Montreal, which I'll be posting later. For now though, I bid you farewell, as a day of Boston sightseeing awaits.

COYG

Arsenal 1-0 Tottenham Coldspur [Cheers Pub, Gothenburg, Sweden]

Firstly, my apologies for this post being later than usual. It is now Wednesday, and we beat our North London Rivals on Sunday. When you consider that I was subject to the usual hospitality from the local Gooner contingent (in this case Arsenal Gothenburg), you might guess that I was in no fit state to talk, or even write up until today. I did manage to stay upright for long enough to see that we've signed some guy called Ozut Mezil, but that was by far the most active I have been up until now.

Thankfully I'm feeling a lot better today so it gives me the chance to talk about a number of happenings on Sunday.

Firstly though, I can't write about anything to do with beating Spurs or breaking our transfer record more than twice over, until I tell you that Arsenal Gothenburg, with help from the Cheers Pub in which they watch all their games, helped me to raise 6060 SEK, or £590, for my fundraiser. That's a massive contribution when you consider that the football season lasts 9 months and my goal is £10k. It gives me a lot of momentum, so for those that are reading in Gothenburg, thank you very much for the efforts.

So, it was a good old one-nil to the Arsenal. Once again the good looking French guy proved he's got what it takes to challenge for the Golden Boot this season by firing one in past his International teammate. It was a goal that made fans around the world fist-pump in ecstasy, and of course Gothenburg was no exception.

I believe the turnout was around 100 people (the video above doesn't do the place any justice as there were just as many Gooners in the room next door) and the atmosphere was, understandably because of the NLD, the best I had experienced so far on my tour. The staff at Cheers Pub were also on top form and I was literally drip-fed beer by the many fellow Gothenburg fans. It was an evening to remember, which for me, is more easily said than done!

Anyway, later on the blog we will do the customary 'Meet the Gooner Family' feature, which this time round will focus on my Gothenburg host Jesper Larsson who is, alongside the Chair of Arsenal Gothenburg Reine Björk, a complete legend in helping me feel settled in and 'at home' in Gothenburg, and of course orchestrating a very, very successful fundraising event that gets the Gooner On The Road cause flying with some real momentum.

Oh, and which team just signed Mesut Özil? That's right, The Arsenal did!

COYG

Charity talk

Not sure how much attention I am going to get with this post as it's the North London Derby, but it's very important so if you could please retweet/share this with everybody you know I'd be very, very appreciative.

At the moment I feel like the Gooner On The Road tour is going well. I have been to 4 different countries and met 4 totally new members of the Gooner Family, each whom have been extremely warm and welcoming and have helped me feel like I'm going in the direction I had hoped for. There is quite a steep learning curve that I have been trying to get used to, for example remembering to take pictures everywhere I go (I am guilty of not taking enough whilst traveling), blogging on a frequent basis and writing in a journal every day. I have also had to do this whilst suffering from the dreaded man-cold, which I have moaned about enough so hopefully this will be the last time.

So everything has gone pretty well. But the one thing that is lacking a great deal is the donation side of things. As most of you will know I am raising money for the Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) Foundation. TNBC killed my mum, and it kills other people's mums, daughters, sisters, aunts and nieces. To be more precise, around 10-20% of Breast Cancer patients are diagnosed with the Triple Negative variant of the strain. Triple Negative is bad news, it's difficult to treat and doesn't have the same characteristics as 'conventional' breast cancer, which means the prognosis is not good. TNBC does not get the same amount of focus as other kinds of breast cancer, and when there isn't as much focus there isn't as much funding, which means it isn't as easy to manage. Ultimately, the chance of survival is considerably lower.

I am trying to do my part to change that. But at the moment I'm struggling to gain any serious momentum with the fundraising side of things, and I think a lot of that has to do with the fundraising tool that I'm using. I had never heard of Razoo before I started using it, and people have been giving me feedback on it, claiming they've been having trouble donating and using it on their mobile devices for example.

So, from the middle of next week I am going to be switching to Paypal for donating. Everybody is familiar with Paypal and they can rest their minds that their well-earned money isn't disappearing into a black hole somewhere. The money that has already been donated through the Razoo site will stay in that pot, and I will figure out how to merge the two together so that I can measure clearly where I am on my goal.

Now let's hope we give 5pur2 a good beating!

COYG

Taking Shape

Afternoon all,

I have been browsing the web for about an hour and a half now, looking for a backpack to use on my voyage. I have literally stumbled across a whole new world, encountering terms such as 'Hydration-Compatible' and 'Spacer Mesh Back Panels'. I didn't know it was going to be this complicated.

As you should now know, Gooner On The Road is a backpacking trip with a twist. I have made it my mission to raise £10,000 for the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation. To raise funds, I will be travelling the globe and watching every Arsenal match of the 2013/2014 season, couch-surfing with fellow supporters along the way. By the end of it all, I'm hoping that you, the readers of the blog, and my upcoming hosts, will understand what the 'Gooner Family' is all about, and how you can maybe do something similar.

Of course, to even consider pulling off an idea as ludicrous as GOTR, you need to plan. Something that I will admit, I'm terrible at doing.

What makes traveling fun is that there is a lot of 'play-it-by-ear'. The beauty of living out of of a backpack is being able to explore the world at your own pace, and go where you want to go. Before GOTR was even conceived, this was the way I was going to travel.

However, in order to execute what I had set out to do for the purposes of GOTR, I've needed to make my itinerary look a little more rigid, in order to accommodate every game and make sure that, for example, I didn't have to fly from LA to Sydney in between a Sunday Premier League match and a mid-week Champions League fixture.

So with much deliberation I've put together a loose itinerary that should see me meeting Gooners in Poland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. To name a few.

Most of the Gooners in Europe and the US have offered me some form of hospitality, be it a couch to crash on, or in one person's case, a hotel room! The majority of these Gooners have simply tweeted to say they'd love to see me in their area and are happy to put me up (or put up with me!) for a night or two.

In fact, in the U.S and Canada, I've had so much generosity from fellow Gooners that I can make my way from the East Coast to the West Coast by hopping from city to city, taking advantage of America's 'salubrious' Greyhound bus network and staying within a typical backpackers budget (i.e. not a lot!). This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Gooner Family at work.

Things don't look so peachy across the Pacific in Australasia and Asia. Sure, members of Arsenal Australia are welcoming me with open arms, but I haven't found any Gooners in New Zealand, and due to the differences in culture between East and West, I haven't really had any offers from people in Asia, despite the place being filled with supporters. But, I am sure that with a little help from Social Media, and a bit of luck, all that will change.

For now though, I'm resuming my backpack research. Without one of those, I'm going nowhere.

Remember, if you aren't already following me on Twitter, you can find me as @GoonerOnTheRoad. You can also 'like' my Facebook Page. Finally, and most importantly, you can donate to the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation on my Fundraising Page (thanks to all that have donated so far!).


COYG

The 'C' Word

Yes, this is an Arsenal-related blog. When you think "'C' Word" you would probably assume I'm talking about Robin Van Persie or Ashley Cole.

But I'm talking about Cancer.

Whether it's the person that has the disease or the friends and family that are close to them, Cancer affects so many. My Mother was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in October 2011 - I grew up as part of a very close-knit family, so as you would expect we were all shocked beyond belief. But we also initially thought it was one of the 'best' kind of cancers around.

How wrong we were. It later emerged that my mother had Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC), a particularly rare form of the disease, and as such, one that's more difficult to treat.

We never got that 'all-clear' from the doctor following extensive chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery. I do remember going through the eye-of-the-storm, where things briefly returned to what we thought was 'normal', but when the call came from the doctor in October last year (12 months after being originally diagnosed) that her cancer had spread, the prognosis was grim. Being Triple Negative, Mum was given 6-12 months to live. She barely lasted 4, and on February 15th, the day in-between Valentines day and my Dad's birthday, she went to a better place.

When I decided to go traveling, it wasn't so I could go and mooch other people's sofas and spend the majority of my time abroad shouting at numerous televisions, it was simply so that I could fulfil a lifelong wish to see more of this amazing planet, to get away from it all. I couldn't think of a better excuse to do it either.

It wasn't until the Gooner On The Road idea was conceived, that I decided I would dedicate the trip to my mother and raise money for The Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation. The TNBC Foundation focuses exclusively on the form of disease that my Mother had. Researchers don't yet fully understand TNBC, so there aren't as many 'targeted therapies' available. The more funding they have, the more research they can do and the more chance they have of uncovering new ways of treating the disease.

I'm raising £10,000 for the charity. If you have any interest in Arsenal or traveling, or you just want to witness somebody attempt to do something quite ridiculous (but entertaining), subscribe to my blog, follow me on Twitter and support me. And of course you can donate by clicking the Razoo link to the right (it's a bit like JustGiving, but because TNBCF is an American charity I have to fundraise in a different way).

Finally, if you're an Arsenal fan and you would like to be a part of the GOTR mission (either by watching a match with me, or better yet giving up a sofa for me to crash on), you can Tweet me or send me a message on my Facebook page.

Thanks for your support.

GOTR