Remember what it was like to be a teenager?

For some of you it may not be that long ago, for others – well you might have teenagers yourself. If you’re in the latter group like me, that time of your life might only be remembered vicariously through your kids.

Myself? I’ve managed to block out most of the uncomfortable memories and replace them with common pubescent stereotypes. What’s left has been revised with corrective hindsight and the type of wisdom only indicated by grey hair sprouting from my temples.

Here’s the gist: attraction to the opposite sex, mood swings, general angst, a lot of food, a lot of sleep, beer, puberty, something about High School, and attraction to the opposite sex – not necessarily in that order.… More SMRTETA

He might bring Dennis with him.

And so concludes my argument.  Thanks guys, you’ve been great – try the veal.

In all seriousness, there’s been a lot of speculation about the future of Arsène Wenger – will he continue once his contract expires in 2.5 years?  Who should be his replacement?  How will Arsenal fare without him?

The media and recent performances have heightened this speculation as well and although there’s been a lot of talk about the transition, I don’t think the Boss is going anywhere before the end of this season at least.  I also think it is possible that he sticks out his contract if he can get this season back on track as well.… More SMRTETA

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?… More SMRTETA

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.… More SMRTETA