Meet the Gooner Family [Sean Jenkinson, Melbourne Australia]

Meet Sean Jenkinson, my host whilst in Melbourne. Sean has literally only just moved back from Tokyo, where he used to live for six years. His wife and children are still in Japan, they'll move to Australia next weekend. It meant a relatively empty house to sleep in, as most of the furniture is still on a boat in the Pacific Ocean. As is always the case with the Gooner Family, Sean has provided some great hospitality whilst I've been here. I'm sure he's looking forward to trading me in for his wife though, who by the way doesn't realise I'm staying with him in their new house that she hasn't seen yet! Good luck explaining that one Sean!

Gooner Family

Q. Why Arsenal? 

It's the Arsenal Family. The people I've met, these are lifelong bonds I'll have because of the love for Arsenal. It doesn't get better than that. The people, both staff and supporters, are what makes Arsenal the team a cut above the rest.

Q. Started Supporting Arsenal.

I became a real supporter of Arsenal back in 1997, when I lived in London. I found that the further I moved away from Highbury, the more I loved them. I'm now in Melbourne; it's not easy to get any further away and yet I'm completely besotted with them. It's been interwoven into my life for the past 16 years.

Q. Favourite all-time Player. 

Thierry Henry. He just had that Va Va Voom factor, he'd take your breath away with everything he did on the pitch, and most stuff off it too.

Q. Favourite current Player.

Per Mertesacker. He probably epitomises the team right now - he came into the league and everybody wrote him off, he was slow, he made errors and the pundits said he wouldn't adapt to the pace of the Premier League. Now look at him. What Top Four team wouldn't want The Big F***ing German? He has height, he's efficient, he reads the game as well as any other German international would, and he's unbelievably consistent.

Q. Most memorable Arsenal moment.

The crazy Jenkinson stalker family

My most memorable match moment was against Everton, 1998, when Tony Adams scored that striker's goal to confirm Arsenal's Premier League trophy. It was an iconic moment. I'd also like to say that my favourite non matchday moment was when myself, my wife and my two daughters met Carl Jenkinson at the Saitama Fan Day in Japan, as part of the 2013 Asia Tour. As a fellow (but not

related) Jenkinson, it was particularly fitting to meet Carl and get featured on Arsenal TV.

Q. Where do you watch Arsenal in Melbourne?

The time difference makes it really difficult to watch Arsenal live here. a 3pm Saturday kickoff is 2am in the morning here. If I manage to stay awake long enough, I watch it at the Celtic Club, home to the Arsenal Australia Melbourne Supporters Club. Midweek 7:45pm games are shown at 6:45am here, and (if I'm up early enough) I'll watch it at the Imperial Hotel, which is one of the only venues here in Melbourne that opens early enough to show Premier League games live. You'd think it wouldn't get trickier than this, but I used to live in Tokyo, where Champions League games kicked off at 3:45am; I remember one time catching the last train into town to watch it, and then the first train of the morning back home!

Q. Emirates or Highbury?

I haven't been to Emirates but I'd have to say Highbury because of the history. 

Q. League Prediction.

Heart says first, my head says third. I don't think we have the depth to sustain a prolonged challenge - but I'm enjoying watching the Arsenal and I hope we'll get that silverware this season!

Q. Who will be Arsenal's player to watch this season? 

I wouldn't have said it at the start of the year, I'll go with Ramsey. At least he's the obvious choice, but I think the player to really watch this season will be Serge Gnabry, I think he's going to make a great impact when he gets some more playing time.

Cardiff City 0-3 Arsenal [Celtic Club, Melbourne]

Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening all. I'm still in Melbourne, couldn't resist staying for one more Arsenal match whilst I'm here. This city really is one of the world's greatest; great weather, great sports scene, aesthetically pleasing, amazing food and a multicultural melting pot. It's essentially the polar opposite of Luton.

A Gooner Family in Melbourne

One of the greatest challenges with this round-the-world-escapade thing is watching Arsenal matches at ungodly hours. For the Cardiff fixture, this meant 2am on a Sunday morning, not quite as bad as 3am or 4:45am, but when you consider I was up early on the Saturday and had set out 'for the night' at 4pm to have dinner with some fellow Gooners, staying awake and relatively sober was proving to be trickier than I thought. We rolled into the Celtic Club at 1am, stomachs fully-laden with Italian food and beer, still with another hour to go before kickoff. In a lightly-sedated manner I greeted the small number of Melbourne Arsenal fans who had come out to watch Ramsey kill some celebrities.

Melbourne Arsenal Supporters

By the time the game was underway however, there were at least 60 Gooners at the pub, all staying out until the end, all singing passionately, and of course all celebrating wildly as Rambo and The Man With Short Sleeves helped keep us firmly in pole position on top of the Premier League. You can witness (although probably not see) the atmosphere at The Celtic Club in the video below.

It was a great performance against a team that continues to impress in the top flight of English Football, particularly against the big boys. Now I know it's not exactly scientific, but if Cardiff City can beat Man $ity and draw against United, surely we have what it takes to see first position in the League all the way through to May. 

We will see how the story progresses when we take on Hull City on Wednesday night - I'll be in Adelaide for that one. Until then....

COYG

Arsenal 2-0 Marseille [Imperial Hotel, Melbourne]

G'day mate! Melbourne is my stop for this week as I work my way around the land of Oz.

The city of Melbourne is a sprawling, happening metropolis in the state of Victoria. It is considered the sporting centre of Australia. Firstly, you have the Melbourne Cricket Ground (known locally as 'The MCG') which is arguably the most well known of the country's test venues for The Ashes. Then there are 2 football teams, Melbourne Heart and Melbourne Victory, both equally abysmal. There's a rugby league team and a rugby union team. The Rod Laver Tennis Centre, where the Australian Open is held in January, also sits in Melbourne.

'Down Under' in Melbourne. Get it? I'm too funny ;)

And then you have AFL, or the Australian Football League. This is known to most of you as 'Aussie Rules' and, to describe it in as succinct a manner as possible, it's essentially a cross between rugby, Gaelic football and cage fighting. With the game taking place on a cricket field(?), Aussie Rules Football is an utterly brutal sport where players beat the living daylights out of each other in the hope of drop kicking a ball between some sticks. It's the most followed sport in Australia, and just here in Melbourne alone, there are nine teams all kicking the crap out of each other for fun and money. The season doesn't start until March next year so I won't get to witness any of this neanderthal-bashing up close, and that's unfortunate because it's the only sport here that I'm interested in learning more about.

Just a regular Aussie Rules football game. "Play on" says the ref.

Being 11 hours ahead of the UK, Sean Jenkinson (no relation to Carl) and I had the immense pleasure of waking up at 05:30am in order to get into town to catch the 6:45am kickoff at The Imperial in downtown Melbourne. The Imperial isn't the official pub for the Arsenal Australia members, but it's the only one that's open early enough to accommodate a live Champions League viewing (for the weekend we will be at AA Melbourne's regular home, the Celtic Club). There were about six of us watching the Arsenal match against Marseille, and we were all thrilled with the result. It was especially nice to see Jack Wilshere get on the scoresheet with his first ever brace for Arsenal (and also the fastest Champions League goal scored by an Englishman).

Not bad for 6am.

That result means we have one foot in the next round of the Champions League, but as everybody is well aware, the work isn't finished with yet. It's the first time in quite a few seasons that we enter the final group game of the Champions League with the qualifying teams still undecided. It means we have to go to Napoli with the intent of winning, and that will test our mettle next month when fixture congestion starts to come into play once more. Let's hope the Ultras behave themselves.

COYG

Arsenal 2-0 Southampton [Albury, New South Wales, Australia]

I've made it to the land Down Under!

My first match in Australia went the same way as my first match in any other country I've been to so far on this tour – a win.

What's Australia like, you ask? Well, it's hard to put a finger on it. It's effin' huge for a start. It feels more like the UK and less like the US. For starters, the cars drive on the correct side of the road, and the people here speak English far more authentically when compared to Americans.

Some theatre in Australia

It still feels a million miles away from home though. For a start, we're a month away from Christmas yet it's 26 Degrees C outside, which just feels wrong. Yes, the supermarkets and shopping centres here in Albury look like they've been plucked out of early-nineties Gateshead, but they sell Kangaroo burgers and Croc Sausages. It's weird here because it's almost entirely like being in England in the Summer, yet in almost every way it's not. 

No comment necessary

My first game in Australia was in fact in a small town called Albury in New South Wales. I watched the Arsenal Southampton game at fellow Gooner Phillip Saunders' house, as it was 2am in the morning and none of the pubs here would open for long enough. Still, it was nice to watch a game without getting completely smashed, which meant it was nice to be able to wake up the following morning (or afternoon in my case) and not feel like I was punched in the head by a wrecking ball.

So, my next stop will be Melbourne where I'll be watching the Marseille and Cardiff games.

COYG!

Meet the Gooner Family [Phillip Saunders, Albury, Australia]

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.

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.

Meet the Gooner Family [Nathan Eggers, San Diego]

Meet Nathan Eggers, another member of the Gooner Family who put me up in San Diego for a night.

Nathan was one of a few Gooners that made their way up to Orange County to participate in the fundraising festivities during the United match.

Gooner On The Road & 'Eggers'

Q. Why Arsenal? The whole club just exudes class. From management to the players to the supporters, it is a group that joins together and fights for what they believe in. I feel the sense that the club picked me instead of the other way around. Also its the Gooner Family as well, I have met so many wonderful and interesting people because of this alliance that we have.

Q. Started Supporting Arsenal? 2006/07, it started with playing FIFA as I think it does with quite a few Americans. It was how I found out about the players at first and it just blossomed into the love affair I now have for this club.

Q. Favourite Player? Think I would have to go with Thierry Henry. He was just a shear joy to watch. He made everything look so fluid and easy.

Q. Favourite current Player? Gonna have to go with Aaron Ramsey on this one. To go through the injury he did, and the stretch of poor form in addition to getting heckled from a growing collection of supporters I really admire his attitude and determination to get to where he is playing at the moment. That is someone I want wearing the Arsenal badge.

Q. Favourite Arsenal moment? It has to be the Arshavin winner against Barcelona. That counter attack was something beautiful. I will always remember the commentator screaming Arshavinnnnnnnn!!!!!

Q. Where do you watch Arsenal in San Diego? Bluefoot Bar & Lounge with the San Diego Gooners and our growing assembly of supporters.

Q. Emirates or Highbury? Its hard to be a judge when you have never been to either place, but I am very excited to watch my first Arsenal match in person this December.

Q. League Prediction? I truly believe that we can win the title this season. We have gotten off to a good start and now that we are getting some of our wingers back I'm very confident we will be challenging for the title. This squad is the most unified squad I have seen playing for Arsenal since I started watching them, each player is ready to battle for the others.

Q. Who will be Arsenal's player to watch this season? The defense has grown alot this season and especially Kieran Gibbs. He is starting to become a very solid left back and now that he has a run of games without seeing the trainers table his form is really started to come about. He hasn't gotten much credit for his performances but I think thats the way he likes it.

Meet the Gooner Family [Nick Lellenberg, San Diego]

Meet Nick Lellenberg, host for a few nights in San Diego. Nick came up to Santa Ana for the fundraiser and invited me to head down to his place for a few nights to experience a slightly less pandemoniac California - I wasn't disappointed.

Nick helps to keep Arsenal America ticking over with news updates and features, but when he's working for actual money, he's an admissions tutor at one of the private schools in La Jolla (an affluent 'retirement community' north of SD).

Gooner On The Road and Napoleon Dynamite - typical San Diego Sunset.

Nick Lellenberg

Q. Why Arsenal?

When I was small I went to France every Summer with my family and I grew up watching France in 1998 and 2000, the French Contingent of Arsenal were in their prime. It was mesmerising watching Arsenal play.

Q. Started Supporting Arsenal?

The first game I watched was the 4-1 win over Norwich in 2005. The only reason I was watching was because my grandmother grew up in Norwich and I recognised the name of the team. Of course, Henry scored a hat-trick and it was Arsenal that I paid more attention to.

Q. Favourite all time Player?

Has to be Thierry Henry. Everybody loves the goalscorer. I watched him when he was playing for France, young and still learning.

Q. Favourite current Player?

Sagna. Unheralded. He broke his leg twice in a year but he's been with us for eight years and he is a workhorse, he never moans or gets caught up in the press for reasons right or wrong and he's got amazing headgear.

Q. Favourite Arsenal moment?

Being in the away end at White Hart Lane when we won 3-1 in 2007 was great, but my most memorable was another away trip, this time to Milan at the San Siro (same season) where we won 2-0 despite the odds being against us – no English team had beaten AC Milan on their home turf until that evening.

Q.Where do you watch Arsenal in San Diego?

The Blue Foot Bar & Lounge in North Park. We have around 30 people to every game, we've been going for around 18 months and we're growing all the time.

Q. Emirates or Highbury?

I never got to Highbury (I was one season too late) so I guess it's got to be the Emirates.

Q. League Prediction?

Top 2. I'm not comfortable saying which position (1 or 2) but I genuinely think we are at least runners up.

Q. Who will be Arsenal's player to watch this season?

Mertesacker has been tearing it up. He's not very fast but he reads the game so well that he doesn't need to be. He has the potential to be a captain.