ARSENAL
Uh-huh. There’s no getting away from it – our proximity to Lahndahn, especially Norf Lahndahn; and the stifling hegemony of the Top Four (Five, or Six maybe this year!) are the key points year after year. The only changes seem to come in the order of the rest of the Top Four (this year, 2. Man United, 3. Chelsea, 4. Liverpool as opposed to 2. Liverpool, 3. Chelsea, 4. Man United last year) and the rise or fall of their percentage of the total.
Arsenal’s score of 48 is 21% of the total, which means they’re back up again slightly on last year. The ‘Big Four’ between them this year scored a hefty 68% of the pie, exactly the same as last year. In fact, would you like to see the pie? Here:
Lower down the charts, MK Dons finished their traditional fifth (14 shirts, 6%), but that’s a drop from the 9% they managed last year. Having said that, I didn’t count any shirts I saw inside or surrounding stadium:MK – if I’d done that they’d have won by loads! Spurs have closed the gap from sixth to joint fifth (bah!), the rest of the top ten are Barcelona and West Ham as usual, this time joined by our near neighbours Northampton and for some inexplicable reason Aston Villa. Go figger!
I don’t know if it’s the Credit Crunch leading to yer average Joe Boulevard not being able to afford replica shirts, or the changeable weather, or the fact I didn’t do enough walking around this year, but the total number of shirts counted in 2011 was the lowest since records began: a meagre 227 compared to the record high (429 in 2008!). And over 200 of those were Brian!
And talking of Brian, let’s just have a look through some of his greatest hits this year... Adelaide United (Australia)... Hadjuk Split (Croatia)... Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan)... Simba Sports Club (Tanzania)... and many more! He’s a truly global sporting phenomenon – presumably next year we’ll be hearing from FC Antarctica? (imagines Brian on the internet within minutes, credit card in hand)
Goal!
1 comments:
There IS an Antarctica FC!!!! - http://chris.spelbinder.users.btopenworld.com/downloads/VULCANOFIX.ASC but it seems to be based in England. Unfortunately that would break my only iron rule in the game of footy tops. No English clubs unless it's Arsenal (always held in reserve, just in case another team comes close - which they never do!)
Mighty Gunners, c'mon
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