By Walter Broeckx
What a great day this was. When I came home from work and went on the internet and saw the Arsenal website I read some great news. It said over there that from this season on I am going to be a Clockender.
Ever since we come over with the Arsenal Benelux supporters we get tickets in block 123 and from now on this block is part of the Clock End. We will be having the clock at our end and this will bring Highbury back in the Emirates. As I like history a lot and find it very important that we keep remembering our history and tradition it is something that I have been waiting for all these years since we moved to the Emirates.
Whenever I saw a game on TV in the old Highbury days, or when I saw videos on you tube, or on the former Arsenal Benelux site where they had a video when the fans of the North bank sang their famous chant: We’re the North bank, we’re the North bank, we’re the North bank, Highbury, it always send shivers down my spine. And certainly when the reply came: We’re the Clock End, We’re the Clock End, We’re the Clock End, Highbury. More shivers down my spine.
Maybe this was something that we have been missing during our first years at the Emirates. I couldn’t’ imagine myself singing: we’re the green quadrant, we’re the green quadrant… It looked so silly so no one ever tried to sing it anyway.
But now, from the Blackpool game we will turn back to the old names we used to know and we used to feel comfortable with. Some people talk lightly about the Arsenalisation of the stadium but I really think and have the feeling that it is something that had to be done. In fact it took us far too long to have done it. But ever since last year and every time when I came along the stadium had changed. The outside of the stadium turned in to a circle of legends embracing our club and our stadium and the fans in it. A very nice symbolic thing.
On the inside great moments in our history were brought to live with pictures, text and paintings. I sometimes was left behind from the other members as I am one of those who want to read it all and relive the memory I had of those days or evenings. Lucky I didn’t miss the train back home by doing this.
And from the first game we come next season, and I can’t wait to come over, I will be sitting in the Clock end for the very first time in my life as a clockender. And Tony will be sitting in the North Bank on the opposite side of the stadium. And he will be singing in tune ‘We’re the North Bank” and I will be answering him, totally out of tune as I can’t sing at all, but with all my heart and passion in to it: We’re the Clock end….”.
The only thing that I feel personally that we cannot shout, say or sing anymore is the word Highbury at the end of the chant. I think we will have to leave Highbury behind us in this case. If I’m informed right it was clear from the start that the name Highbury would not travel along to the new stadium and would stay forever linked to our great home for all those great, and some not so great years. But we cannot use the word Emirates at the end of this chant as it is a temporary name and who knows maybe if another company buys the naming rights in a few years time we need to change the chant. This would be silly if you ask me.
But I would think that we just use the name of our club at the end of the chant. : We’re the North bank, we’re the North bank, we’re the North bank, ARSENAL. And I will be singing to Tony from my side of the stadium: We’re the Clock End, We’re the Clock End, We’re the Clock End, ARSENAL.
This would be a chant that we can keep for eternity and no matter which company owns the naming rights of our stadium our club will always be named Arsenal. And I think by using the name Arsenal at the end of the chant it will also stimulate the players on the pitch. Hearing the name Arsenal bouncing around the stadium like a pinball would bring an atmosphere in the ground and on the field that we all have been missing a bit in those first years at the Emirates.
Compare it with moving to another house. It takes you a few weeks and even months before you really feel at home in your new home. You have to decorate it with some personal things and memories before you really feel at home. As the Emirates is a home we only stay in a few hours and two or three times during a month, for the lucky one of us, it takes you longer than in a real home.
So I think that from now on I will change my name in Clockender Walter. Well it may look silly from my part but I makes me even hungrier for the new season than before. And God knows that I was hungry already. So I just will start practicing the chant so that at my first visit I will be singing it from the bottom of my heart: We’re the Clock End, We’re the Clock End, We’re the Clock End, ARSENAL.
And the fact that Arsenal felt that this had to be done is another example on how the people who are working for this club are aware of those things. They might look as minor details to many people but I think it is a great thing that they have done this. I think many fans will agree on this. I also think that from this season on with the clock back in place, the renaming of the stands and bringing the old names back, the things they have done before to make it more a home this might be the things the fans have been waiting for to really make it our fortress.
See you all then in a few weeks/months, as a Clockender. Now that sounds very nice.
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What’s what…
Why football finances are so hard to believe, and the particular case of Tottenham – concluding our series of articles on the Totts numbers
Why us Gooners have so much to be proud of
Supposing we didn’t have Wenger but had someone much more frightening
Happy singing, Walter!
By the way, Arsenal have just announced a ban on vuvuzelas so you won’t be competing to be heard.
Maybe if they hear me singing they ban me from singing and introduce the vuvuzelas. 🙂
My season tickets is in the blue section of the Emirates which will be the East Stand, however checking on the Arsenal website my block (108) is included in the North Bank. It’s worth checking out if your between the two!
We’re the North Bank, We’re the North Bank, We’re the North Bank, ARSENAL!!
“Are you a vuvuzela in disguise?”
Yes I have seen on the website that they have made the North Bank and the Clock End the biggest parts of the stadium in fact. I think this is done to invite as many people as possible to join in.
Toby, the colours have been rotated round to match the new system so by my reckoning up to a half of the existing season tickets could now have the wrong colour on them. A big chunk of the old Blue Quadrant is now in the (Orange) North Bank but part of the old Orange is now in the (Yellow) West Stand. I’m going to ask the club if they will be issuing new smartcards with the new stand names.
i always stood on the north bank with my Dad, and now i’m sitting there. some guys in front tried to keep the chant going over the past couple of seasons but it didn’t feel right. now we can all join in (hopefully, some miserable sods around us), nad as for adding Arsenal in place of Highbury, genious. i was struggling with Emirates.
two weeks and counting!!
Roger, Ian and I sat in the West Stand as season ticket holders at Highbury, and we had the occasional “We’re the west stand” chant but the East Stand always outdid us, being bigger.
But all these chants cannot compare with the greatest chant of all time. We had just won the league under George Graham in the season when the league had tried to defeat us by deducting two points for a bit of push and shove against Man U (a typical campaign orchestrated by the papers).
In the late afternoon Liverpool – our only challengers – lost a televised game, and so we won the league before we trotted out to play Man U (I think) at Highbury that night. We were in the ground at least 90 minutes before the game started, and there was only one chant.
You can stick your fucking two points up your arse
(to the tune of She’ll be coming round the mountain). I recorded the match which was on TV and on going back and playing the game, there was the total prat commentator saying, “and you can heat the Arsenal fans singing, ‘We are the Champions'” – but in fact all your could hear throughout the entire game was
You can stick your fucking two points up your arse.
I am not a great user of swear words, but on that occasion all my hatred of the Football League and the journalists who plot against us endlessly came out – and all these years later I can still feel it.
And I am damn certain that Roger is currently in the West Stand, Heaven, sitting next to the ArchAngel, telling him exactly the self-same story.
not sure if anyone remembers Martin Keowns testimonial? a real carnival atmosphere, Beckam kicked off for an England allstars team, then had to be dragged off in case he got injured, Henry played with Ian wrights name on his back and Wrighty played in TH14’s shirt. that night everyone to a man in the north bank and clock end sang the famous song (we’re the north bank etc.) the most amazing atmosphere, i took three of my kids and they still talk about it today.
excellent wind up on the big screen of Teddy sherigham too, brilliant.
Welcome North Bankers to the return of that clock. You know the thing that speeds up when you’re losing but pressing for an equalizer? Or slows down when the oppo are trying to get a point or three and looking good? I hate the bloody clock.
@embryo- I was there that day, possibly the best atmosphere i ever experienced at Highbury. The Clock end and North Bank were rocking. I just hope the fans this season make an effort to create the same sort of noise to support our boys.
Gooner86, can’t see everyone joining in like they did that night ever again. there are too many tourist fans around where i sit, they can just about raise a cheer when we score. we can always hope eh?
Be good to see the old clock in the new stadium, emm well not so new now!!
In other news seems Eduardo is on his way out, but is his replacement already choosen?? From what i read, there is is a top four club ready to hold talks with Loic Remy tomorrow, and it is possible that it could be the Gunners. We’ve been linked to him for the past 12 months and we are his prefered destination, and it would explain why he hasn’t joined Liverpool yet.
It is not reported who the club are but with Ed leaving, he could be Arsenal bound!
Cheers. Warms my heart.
So does this article: http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/19/for-henry-rivalry-endures-change-in-uniform/