The Whisperer

THE editor’s footballing festive break not only took in Bristol Rovers but also a trip from Yorkshire to London for the clash between Arsenal and Queens Park Rangers. The trip was a Christmas present for his 11-year-old son, Stan, and the match tickets were secured before they realised there were no trains running on Boxing Day from their base in East Yorkshire. They jumped on a bus instead at the crack of dawn and sat beside a season ticket holder who had married a Hull girl and had been making the 500-kilometre round trip for every home game for the past 30-odd years, and a student, studying at York University, who was president of the Arsenal Supporters Club in her home town of Boston, US … which certainly beats being a member of the Tea Party! Ironically, dad, big Stan, celebrating eight years in Bahrain, remembers his first beverage in Bahrain popping into the Warbler where football fans had gathered to watch the Gunners play Manchester United. Noticing he was British, a local beckoned him over and muttered an expletive in his ear questioning Wayne Rooney’s parentage before settling down to watch the action. It was just like being at home. Those Arsenal fans get everywhere.