Kevin
05-06-2006, 12:22 AM
<b>Arsenal Waves Goodbye to Highbury</b>
By Perry of <a href="http://banners.earnunited.com/climps/click?cl=V1%3ANjU0MjQ2ODk3OjEwMDkyOjE4ODoxOjIxNTg5 OjE%3D">BetWWTS</a>
At least some lucky Londoners will get to live in the shadow of glory.
Arsenal Stadium, nestled in the Highbury region of London which gives the facility its more famous name, writes its final English Premier League chapter this Sunday when the Gunners host Wigan Athletic. Highbury will be converted into luxury apartments as the team moves to nearby Emirates Stadium in the summer of 2006.
Highbury has been the home of the Gunners since it opened in 1913, but the building which stands today (for now) is an art deco masterpiece, thanks to bold renovations completed in 1936. The stadium has proven to be too beautiful for its own soccer good. Because the East Stand has been “listed” (i.e. designated as a historical site), the building is protected from major alterations – both the East and West Stands will be integrated into the new apartments. Arsenal’s rise as an EPL power, sadly, demands a bigger facility than Highbury, which has a seating capacity of 38,500. The new Emirates Stadium will seat 60,000.
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The closing of Highbury is a major event in English sports. Imagine the Boston Red Sox leaving Fenway Park, and you’ll have a pretty good idea of the feelings Sunday’s events are bound to generate. Pity poor Wigan; they’ve had an impressive season, but beating an emotionally charged Arsenal side in front of nearly 40,000 revelers is going to be a tall task. The Latics are understandably huge underdogs in this matchup.
There’s more than just civic pride at stake when Arsenal takes the pitch at Highbury for the last time. The Gunners are in fifth place on the Premiership table, just one point behind Tottenham Hotspur. The top four teams in the EPL are guaranteed entry into the qualifying rounds of the Champions League for next year. The Spurs take the short trip to West Ham United for their last game of the season. The Hammers are preparing for their FA Cup final against Liverpool next week and can be expected to give Tottenham a strong showing.
Arsenal is still alive in this year’s Champions League, with a date in Paris for the final against powerful Barcelona coming up later this month. However, the Gunners have been a little bit off their usual championship form in this year’s EPL action. They’ve been dominant at Highbury with 13 wins, three draws and just two losses, but their 6-4-9 record on the road is a significant step down from last year’s 12-3-4 mark. Arsenal fans can take heart that their side won handily at both Sunderland and Manchester City earlier this month to get within a point of the Spurs.
The Gunners also have the benefit of welcoming a healthy Ashley Cole (broken foot) back to the lineup. The talented defender, a mainstay on the national side since 2001, had played just one game since October before making his return against Sunderland. Despite the importance of Sunday’s game, coach Arsene Wenger says he isn’t sure whether he will play Cole. The World Cup starts in just over a month; Wenger is concerned he could damage England’s chances by working Cole too hard before his conditioning has returned. Still, Cole is expected to start.
Dennis Bergkamp is also slated to rejoin the starting lineup for the last game at Highbury. The veteran Dutch forward has started just nine games for the Gunners this year and none since the 2-1 Carling Cup victory over Wigan on Jan. 24. He’s been used mostly as a late-game substitute in what could very well be his last season of professional soccer. The first game at Emirates Stadium will be a testimonial for Bergkamp, with his former club Ajax Amsterdam providing the opposition.
With Cole likely to play, Arsenal is at nearly full capacity for Sunday. Wigan doesn’t have that luxury. Defender and team captain Arjan de Zeeuw, goalkeeper John Filan and defender Ryan Taylor are all out of commission, while midfielder Gary Teale has to serve a one-game suspension after receiving a red card against Portsmouth in last week’s 2-1 loss. That defeat was the third in four games for the Latics, who have just three wins since Jan. 21 after winning eight of their first 11 matches to start the campaign.
Wigan does welcome midfielder Josip Skoko back from his loan to Stoke, where he played in nine English League Championship matches. The Australian national, however, is not a regular part of Wigan’s first team.
Highbury’s swansong begins at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
By Perry of <a href="http://banners.earnunited.com/climps/click?cl=V1%3ANjU0MjQ2ODk3OjEwMDkyOjE4ODoxOjIxNTg5 OjE%3D">BetWWTS</a>
At least some lucky Londoners will get to live in the shadow of glory.
Arsenal Stadium, nestled in the Highbury region of London which gives the facility its more famous name, writes its final English Premier League chapter this Sunday when the Gunners host Wigan Athletic. Highbury will be converted into luxury apartments as the team moves to nearby Emirates Stadium in the summer of 2006.
Highbury has been the home of the Gunners since it opened in 1913, but the building which stands today (for now) is an art deco masterpiece, thanks to bold renovations completed in 1936. The stadium has proven to be too beautiful for its own soccer good. Because the East Stand has been “listed” (i.e. designated as a historical site), the building is protected from major alterations – both the East and West Stands will be integrated into the new apartments. Arsenal’s rise as an EPL power, sadly, demands a bigger facility than Highbury, which has a seating capacity of 38,500. The new Emirates Stadium will seat 60,000.
<center><a href="http://banners.earnunited.com/climps/click?cl=V1%3ANjU0MjQ2ODk3OjEwMDkyOjE4ODoxOjIxNTg5 OjE%3D">CLICK HERE TO BET ON PRO SOCCER MATCHES AT ONE OF THE WEB’S OLDEST ONLINE SPORTSBOOKS!</a></center>
The closing of Highbury is a major event in English sports. Imagine the Boston Red Sox leaving Fenway Park, and you’ll have a pretty good idea of the feelings Sunday’s events are bound to generate. Pity poor Wigan; they’ve had an impressive season, but beating an emotionally charged Arsenal side in front of nearly 40,000 revelers is going to be a tall task. The Latics are understandably huge underdogs in this matchup.
There’s more than just civic pride at stake when Arsenal takes the pitch at Highbury for the last time. The Gunners are in fifth place on the Premiership table, just one point behind Tottenham Hotspur. The top four teams in the EPL are guaranteed entry into the qualifying rounds of the Champions League for next year. The Spurs take the short trip to West Ham United for their last game of the season. The Hammers are preparing for their FA Cup final against Liverpool next week and can be expected to give Tottenham a strong showing.
Arsenal is still alive in this year’s Champions League, with a date in Paris for the final against powerful Barcelona coming up later this month. However, the Gunners have been a little bit off their usual championship form in this year’s EPL action. They’ve been dominant at Highbury with 13 wins, three draws and just two losses, but their 6-4-9 record on the road is a significant step down from last year’s 12-3-4 mark. Arsenal fans can take heart that their side won handily at both Sunderland and Manchester City earlier this month to get within a point of the Spurs.
The Gunners also have the benefit of welcoming a healthy Ashley Cole (broken foot) back to the lineup. The talented defender, a mainstay on the national side since 2001, had played just one game since October before making his return against Sunderland. Despite the importance of Sunday’s game, coach Arsene Wenger says he isn’t sure whether he will play Cole. The World Cup starts in just over a month; Wenger is concerned he could damage England’s chances by working Cole too hard before his conditioning has returned. Still, Cole is expected to start.
Dennis Bergkamp is also slated to rejoin the starting lineup for the last game at Highbury. The veteran Dutch forward has started just nine games for the Gunners this year and none since the 2-1 Carling Cup victory over Wigan on Jan. 24. He’s been used mostly as a late-game substitute in what could very well be his last season of professional soccer. The first game at Emirates Stadium will be a testimonial for Bergkamp, with his former club Ajax Amsterdam providing the opposition.
With Cole likely to play, Arsenal is at nearly full capacity for Sunday. Wigan doesn’t have that luxury. Defender and team captain Arjan de Zeeuw, goalkeeper John Filan and defender Ryan Taylor are all out of commission, while midfielder Gary Teale has to serve a one-game suspension after receiving a red card against Portsmouth in last week’s 2-1 loss. That defeat was the third in four games for the Latics, who have just three wins since Jan. 21 after winning eight of their first 11 matches to start the campaign.
Wigan does welcome midfielder Josip Skoko back from his loan to Stoke, where he played in nine English League Championship matches. The Australian national, however, is not a regular part of Wigan’s first team.
Highbury’s swansong begins at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time.