First, the introduction...

So, three games in and this is my first blog entry. I've been toying with the idea of giving the world my thoughts and experiences as an Arsenal fan since before the season started and have finally decided to put that thought into action. The catalyst was my experience of watching Saturday's game against Blackburn; as I hunched over my unreliable laptop, squinted at a fuzzy live feed, and tore my hair out when it skipped, jumped, and eventually cut out altogether, I wondered how many other Gunners were doing the same thing. Whilst there are an abundance of excellent blogs by dedicated Gunners who hold season tickets (http://goonersdiary.blogspot.com/ being one of the best), there is very little representation out there of how equally dedicated fans who can't afford this level of fandom, such as myself, support our team.

I'm not trying to pull on the heart strings here, or make any point about the affordability of tickets, or indeed, rival any other bloggers in terms of dedication, football knowledge, and tactical insight. In fact, I use many of these other blogs to help me follow Arsenal from afar and would jump at the chance of buying a season ticket (or even just a ticket for one match). I just thought that I can't be the only one to have to rely upon dodgy live feeds that threaten to corrupt my computer, or 5live's hit-and-miss commentary, or, as a last resort, the meagre highlights and insight offered by MOTD.

So, whilst I doubt I can offer any analysis that can't be picked up elsewhere, hopefully this blog will strike a chord with many fans whose experience of watching Arsenal is similar to mine. It might also show that whilst  travelling from London to Blackburn for a 12.45 kick-off or listening to some half-baked commentary whilst painting the kitchen ceiling (my experience of the Blackpool match) can be a bit of a pain, as soon as Walcott literally busts the net from an acute angle or we fire six past the poor Tangerines in our first home match, it all suddenly feels worth it.