I would like to take you back to the Community Shield in 2002 against Liverpool, the match of course was held in Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium. Gilberto Silva scored on his debut that day to give us a 1-0 win.

Before the game myself and a friend entered a pub, there were hundreds of people in the place and I’d say there was roughly a 50-50 mix of Arsenal and Liverpool fans. Both sets of fans were singing but the Liverpool fans were easily out singing the Gooners and I wasn’t happy about that.

I needed the loo which was upstairs, on the way up I noticed a poster in a steel frame, it was a promotion for various alcoholic spirits, you could make your spirit a double with a mixer for £2.95 (how times have changed!). What caught my eye was the caption at the bottom of the poster, it read:

“MAKE IT A DOUBLE”

Arsenal of course had done the league and FA Cup double the previous season.

Excellent I thought and hatched my plan. So, on the way back from the loo I opened the steel frame, took out the poster and folded it very carefully so all that was showing was the caption “MAKE IT A DOUBLE”. As I was doing this the Liverpool fans were still singing loudly downstairs and very much winning the chant war.

I took my newly folded poster, simply held it aloft above my head and very slowly made my way down the stairs. The Arsenal fans realised what was going on and immediately every Gooner in the place amped up and started completely out singing the Liverpool fans. The Scousers didn’t know what hit them! They all fell silent as they had no answer to it.

There was a huge swing in the atmosphere and the Arsenal fans took full advantage, barraging the Liverpool fans with all sorts of chants for the next 20 minutes. It was epic. So many Arsenal fans in the pub came over to me and shook my haslapped me on the back.

“That shut those Scousers up, fair play mate” was said to me a dozen times and as we finished up our drinks and walked out the pub I got a standing ovation to chants of “Gooner, Gooner, Gooner…..!”

For 20 minutes I felt like a king. I’ll always remember that day - the day Arsenal won the Community Shield and I won the singing war in Cardiff!

    I still have the poster to this day.

“MAKE IT A DOUBLE” – Don’t mind if I do