Rotterdam – June 20th, 2000: Sérgio Conceição’s hat trick against Germany in the final group game condemned the mighty Nationalmannschaft to an embarrassing exit from Euro 2000. It was the end of the road for a team that enjoyed so much success in the nineties. Even more troubling for the DFB – the German version of the FA – there were no apparent heirs to the throne coming through the youth set-ups at the Bundesliga clubs.

Where do you go from there? How do you improve the performances of the National team in both the short term and for generations to come?

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I bet a lot of you didn’t know that trying to buy mass quantities of rubber in the 1920’s was a vastly expensive prospect – especially if the entire world knew you needed it. The problem was that the majority of the world’s rubber supply in those days was controlled by a very small group of people – acting like a monopoly. In essence, if you needed rubber, you had to go through this rubbery cartel. Now that’s not a problem if you just need a few elastics or a rubber duck to accompany you in the bath, but if you’re the foremost automobile tycoon of the day, tire costs could get a little… erm, inflated.… More SMRTETA

It was 101 years ago that we moved into a stadium that went on to become ingrained into our identity over the course of the following 93 years. From its art deco styling, to the marble halls, Highbury was a truly extraordinary place. I remember the poignancy of the Final Salute to this day – and I’ll likely never shake that feeling of loss when I think of our former home.

While I can recall May 7th, 2006 with some accuracy, the same cannot be said about the 1913-14 season. I could lie but I think one or two of you sharper one’s out there might find me out for the imposter I would inevitably be.

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Welcome back.

If you’ve stuck by me through my blogs here on A Bergkamp Wonderland, you likely know that they typically follow a bit of a formula: feature a title that seemingly has nothing to do with Arsenal, start the blog with a personal anecdote, tie it into a seemingly arbitrary footballing concept, connect both anecdote and concept to the Arsenal, and finish by (hopefully) making you feel good about being a Gooner.

With that in mind, I will not typically write match previews or reports, transfer news, or statistical pieces. That’s not to say that I won’t touch on those subjects, but there are some great bloggers out there tackling all of these subjects far more proficiently than anything I can produce.

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What’s the value of beer?

With one simple question, I’ve managed to summarize my entire University experience. My degree was in economics but most certainly my major was in beer. Friends from my University days tell me I had a good time and I’m inclined to believe them since my memory of that period is…well…it’s about as good as a dodgy Eboue challenge in the 102nd minute.

Every now and then though, out of the ethereal mists of remembrance, I have a vague recollection of debaucherous pub crawls: dressed like Spengler from Ghostbusters, trudging from pub to tiny pub with similarly attired fancy-dress friends, completely shattered drunk, and looking to meet my very own Dana Barrett; or steal something.

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