By Walter Broeckx
I just got a message from Tony that he is sick in bed and asking me to publish an article on Untold. As you will have noticed our morning article didn’t come as usual. Because Tony being sick of course.
So I stopped what I was doing, send him first of all a get better soon message of course, and then came to Untold and looked behind the scenes. A rather unhappy English Barcelona supporter telling us how he felt about us. As if it was Untold who asked Fifa to punish Barcelona and as if it was Untold that is running CAS. We are only the messenger my dear Barcelona supporter. If you want to be angry aim your venom and insults to Fifa, CAS and…. to Barcelona. Because it is them that broke the laws. Not Untold.
But this was a good example on how people sometimes take on the one that reports and not the ones that do. A bit like our referee articles one could say. They attack Untold because we report on the matter. Even reporting about it should be forbidden by some. And even mentioning a referee in a match report is stepping over the line for some.
But with the calendar telling me it is the last day of the year and on such occasions one tends to look back a bit at the last year and from tomorrow on we will start wishing the best things to each other. And with Tony being sick it shows once again that the most important matter for any human being is being healthy.
We can argue ourselves to boredom about Arsenal, referees, tactics, players we have to buy or players we have to get rid off. But in the end it is all trivial when we think about sickness.
I usually look back at such moments and think about the things gone by. I think of Adam Brogden who passed away more than a year ago who wrote some magnificent articles on Untold. I think of Dogface who lost his wife in the same period and on how I still miss his contributions. And again it shows how futile football can be at times and how important good health is. And I know that all too well from my own personal situation as you might have heard. And for those interested my wife is hanging on and we are enjoying life as much as we can and do not let us be down too much by her disease and situation. And if Arsenal is cooperative a bit I might bring her over when we come with the supporters club on February 1st for the match against Aston Villa. We only need confirmation that she can get a ticket in the stands at the disabled end with her wheelchair and then it will be her baptism at Arsenal. I do admit it is one of the things I really hope and whish for the coming year.
Looking back at the year I also have to look back at the fact that for some reason the supporters in Belgium from our official supporters club wanted me to be their president. I didn’t wanted it myself to be honest. But when they all unanimous voted for me when our former president had let them know he would stop doing it I couldn’t refuse. Of course I know it is a big honour and once I accepted it I worked for it and gave my all. And together with the people from the board I managed to more than double the number of members we got. And on this day we have 100 members in our club. And that really is unseen. And that even when results on the field not really going as hoped for. So from that perspective it has been a big year and a good year.
Of course I look back at the events on the field also. I still am convinced that with less injuries we might have won the double last season. But I look back and take the FA cup and the CS as some great moments in our year. Winning against the odds and the refs in the FA cup final felt as one of the highlights of the year. Or should I say yearS? The moment that you knew that this was what Arsenal had been working for all those years. A first step forward. A step forward that was confirmed by winning the CS in a convincing way against Manchester City. But then too many injuries, too many strange ref decisions cost us again.
But maybe we could do the reverse of last year. We then were top for most of the time and then fell back. Maybe now we can come from behind. From a position that looks completely lost and then surprise a few people at the end? With all the players that should come back and some of them already back I do think that anything is possible with the players we have and if all keep more or less fit.
I don’t know if this is the last article in 2014 that we will publish. I will stop working in a few minutes and go to my oldest son to celebrate the new year at his house and so will be out of a computer till midday next year. I don’t know if Tony will publish something today if his bug allows him to do so.
But if not I want to take this opportunity to thank you for the year that is ending. Thank you for being here. Thank you for sharing your emotions with us. Thank you for making Untold what it is. Thank you for making this place one of the few places where you know you will find an ever optimistic view on all things Arsenal.
And of course I wish you all a nice end of the year and I wish you an excellent 2015.
I wish you good health as that is the most important thing. I wish you happiness with the people you love. I wish that all your hopes will come true for the next year.
And for Arsenal I wish a lot of trophies of course. And specially for Tony: a quick recovery!
See you next year!
Walter
PS: we do have a match already tomorrow so hope you will be back by then.
Sorry to hear about your wife Walter. Without going into details, from my own personal experience, I know very much how you might be feeling.
Supporting Arsenal (particularly under Wenger) has done much to help me through some personal tragedies and I can tell you it helps to be an optimistic and positive supporter rather than a negative one. Too many bad things happen in life to put effort into inventing new ones!
Have a great New Year and get well soon Tony!
Walter, all the best to you and your family for the New Year. From an Arsenal point of view here’s hoping that the year will start in the same way as 2014 ended with three points!
Firstly, a quick recovery wish for Mr. Tony. The Lord be with you.
Also not forgetting the Untold family, publishers, writers, commenters, readers and all bloggers, this is wishing you a happy new year altogether. Cheers.
Guten Rutsch everyone!
Get well soon Tony!A sobering article Walter, and the best to your wife too.
All the best to all UAers for 2015,and to Arsenal FC.
Heres to another great year of football! Thankyou for all the hard work you and others put into UA. It truly is a breath of fresh air compared to all the other usual negativity 🙂
I pray: let Chief Tony recover his good health back from the Bug and gets strong and remain stronged in Jesus Christ Name. Amen! With God, nothing shall be impossible. The God that healeth yesterday is alive today and forever more to heal Chief Walter’s wife. Chief Walter’s wife, please talk to God in prayers who knows you by your name and receives divine strength and becomes totally healed in Jesus Christ Name. Amen! I wish us all at the Untolders, a Happy New Year and a Prosperous 2015.
Here’s hoping everyone who is ill, gets well soon.
I don’t know if others are feeling this, it started not too long ago for me. But Jambug is reminding me of Adam. I don’t know why, but probably once a week, there is something that makes that connection for me.
Now to see if I can fix my number problem.
Up the Gunners!
Best wishes to you and your wife. I hope for many more moons for you.
Thank you , Walter , our best wishes for the new year to you and to your family , as well as to Tony and all you awesome AKBs out there .
I’ve spent so much time on UA ,that I’ve practically given up watching porn – and that wasn’t even a real new year resolution !
May the incoming New Year bring much joy, fulfillment and health to all .
Cheers !
Up the Gunners !
Wishing You Well…
from….
http://www.ba-bamail.com/Content.aspx?emailid=13549&memberid=763708
Hey there, I’m just sending this because I wanted to wish you…
Comfort on difficult days,
Peace on troublesome days,
Smiles in the face of sadness,
Rainbows to color your world,
Laughter to burst from your lips,
Sunsets to fill your heart with beauty,
Gentle hugs to raise your spirit,
Friendships to warm your life,
beauty for your eyes to behold,
confidence when you are in doubt,
faith to fill your heart with belief,
Courage to truly be honest with yourself,
Patience to accept life and its lessons
and love to complete it all.
..
..
..
..
And if you can’t have all that…
Then I wish you have enough chocolate
to make it through the tough times ahead!
But Brickfields I can’t eat chocolate!!!!! That is tough believe you me.
Happy NEW Year to you and yours.
colario -December 31, 2014 at 3:38 pm – Too bad , wine is a good replacement ! I think that advert was put out by the Swiss or the Belgians !
Thanks Walter, and thanks everyone. I think I have been asleep for about 24 hours, and of course have had to tell me friends I can’t make the New Years Eve meal that we planned.
Anyway, it was/is just a little virus, and a day without food and just drinking water is never a bad thing. And if you have a spare moment to think of someone or even do something for them, there are billions of people out there who need your support – starting as always with your friends and family.
I just had a little bug.
But at least I woke up suddenly thinking – yes, Barca was guilty, just as we called it. Even when one is feeling grotty one can still raise a glass of water to the fact that even the mighty can occasionally be brought to book.
Happy new year.
Good health and a wonderful new year.
If last year I went to visit Arsenal, this year Arsenal returned the favor and came to visit the US – I’m talking about the match in New York of course. Watching them playing is all the more precious when you hardly have any opportunity to do so.
Here’s wishing Untold to stay ahead of the game in 2015 too, being spot-on in ref previews, keeping the PGMOB on their toes, and help the brainwashed media to continue their slow awakening (I know, I’m optimistic). To Tony, Walter, Andrew, OMG and the rest of the writers, to be at their inspired best, and to get noticed on arsenal.com even more often than they have been this year (I think it was a record, at least I don’t remember UA having been mentioned so often, but one can always wish for better). To Walter’s wife to enjoy every second of her first Arsenal match. To all the other positive contributors, who help this site being the most positive of all the Arsenal blogs I’ve seen. And, maybe, if we could help a few of the others come to their senses and start seeing the things for what they are, not what we are being told they are, that would really be some achievement.
Thank you Untold, Happy New Year 2015!
To Tony,Walter and the UA family, have a Happy and Prosperous New Year, or as we say here in Québec, Bonne Heureuse Année….for Walter: Gelukkig nieuw jaar. All of you are always in my prayers, especially your wife,Walter.
Hey Walter thanks and Tony get well soon. Happy New Year to all untold members and what is interesting mourinho ass wont be fined or banned but instead appreciated and the shit ref apologizing ,wonder how many times have any ref apologized to the Arsenal after what they have been doing to us.
I just love untold because a certain magwampa have been reading untold for a while and this magwampa Henry winter has come to realize that referees need video technology to put an end to conspiracy theories or (bribes)
How long has untold talked about this @Walter @ Tony and you guys who contribute to untold lets carry on the morons are reading all our comments,the struggle continues.
Walter, Tony, all,
I’m wishing you the best for 2015.
Walter, I do hope your wife can come and enjoy a game at the Ems.
Get well soon Tony, best wishes to you and your wife Walter and happy 2015 to Untolders, and English Barca fans!
This article does put a few things in perspective to say the least.
But despite the best efforts of the media/aaa/pgmol, and the Gods of injury, we are not too badly placed,
With players coming back, hopefully strong and refreshed, there are grounds for optimism in the coming year. I have even noticed something positive , possibly a Shad effect, but superstition, and not wanting to speak too soon prevents me from mentioning it until,the season end, but hopefully, a few green shoots of positivity are showing themselves on these issues.
I am not sure we can catch the league leaders, we need to take that one game at a time, but there is the FA Cup, and a strange feeling that we might at least upset one giant in the CL , that is of course if we can negotiate Monaco. We have every chance there.
I am compelled to wish bad things for the AAA in 2015. Not individuals of course, but I hope their beloved Chelsea come away with as little as possible, ideally, but perhaps un realistically, with nothing. It is the aaa who tell us domestic cups are of no consequence, so the same applies to Chelsea. Chelsea have some good players and a history of sorts, and some decent fans, one comes on here,but the modern day club and their cheating manager sum up all that is wrong with the modern game. If the glory hunting, plastic, spoilt element of our fan cannot see that, then they truly belong with such clubs.
Finally, a great 2015 for our manager, players, our loyal legends and ex players, coaches, staff,and proper supporters worldwide.
Get well soon Tony and my best wishes to you too Walter… and thank you both for your ceaseless efforts in making Untold a wonderful place to post and for some great articles. I do wish you and your wife can visit the Emirates one day Walter 🙂
Great finale to 2015 by the one and only Walter The Great. I pray that your wife enjoys a good health in 2015 and beyond. I desire that your wishes come true on Feb.1, 2015 and beyond.
Get well soon, Tony. We need you to.
Thanks to everybody involved with Untold for providing a brilliant place for genuine Arsenal supporters to discuss, review, analyse, commiserate and especially to dream about our club.
Tony, stay off the mince pies and get better soon.
Walter, what a wonderful day it will be in February to get 3 points from Villa with your good wife there to enjoy the occasion. I really hope it comes to pass.
Best wishes one and all for 2015.
Love to your wife, Walter. Hope she can come to a match and that we give her a great day out.
My best wishes to Walter and his family. And thanks to all the people at Untold who make this the best football blog.