Can Arsenal borrow your song Manchester United and then shove it right back up your Arse?

Stretford End were in full voice on Sunday

Okay so enough has been written about the bitter end to a sweet week and our defeat at Old Trafford. No idea what happened to the players on the day. Hard to believe it was the same team that dug in and came back with such tenacity and craft against Borussia Dortmund but we are where we are, which incidentally is top of the Premier League.

Was it tired players, flugate, missing Per Mertesacker or just a hangover of self doubt from years of playing there and coming off second best? I am not sure to be honest but one thing do know is that as I drove back down the M6 on Sunday night and every day since there is something that I just cannot get out of my head

It is not how good Manchester United were or how annoying Robin van Persie was or indeed how lacking in anything we were. No sadly it is the singularly impressive singing on the Stretford End, well in fact the whole stadium of the new United anthem. Now what makes this even more grating is I believe this originated ahead of the Emirates last April where they were to be presented with their 20^th League title.

So At this stage I will apologise for being impressed by United fans chanting in unison and for admitting to it but bear with me as I have a cunning plan.

For those unfamiliar with the chant to which I refer it celebrates the fact that United have won 20 titles and surpassed, of course, Liverpool:

20 times!

20 times 20 times Man United,

20 times 20 times I say,

20 times 20 times Man United,

Playing Football The Matt Busby Way!

Now to give you a flavour here are a few hundred singing it before the Arsenal game in April:

Now imagine that times a few thousand and you get the idea. It is mighty stirring and it makes the hairs on the back of your neck involuntarily stand up! Cough! Well I mean it would do if you were a United fan

Bloody hell Dave you have me worried here! Why the hell are you getting excited about a United fan chant that rubs everyone else’s noses in it?

Well I will tell you why because since Sunday I cannot stop singing it but here’s the funny thing. By 10pm in my car I had changed the lyrics and kept the tune.

We all complain that at times the atmosphere could be better at the Emirates do we not? I think we all agree that most football songs are celebrating past glories as well and there is nothing wrong with that. Particularly when, like United, you have glories that are unsurpassed. If we are all unanimous on that I have a proposal for you all – Particularly certain of you – Ricky, Briggsy, Akhil et al you all know who you are and I salute you.

So consider the stirring anthemic nature of the 20 Times chant as witnessed on Sunday and in the video above. Bottle the anger and resentment and then substitute these lyrics and let’s celebrated some unsurpassed glories of our own!

First verse, bloody loud!

38 times, 38 times undefeated,

38 times, 38 times I say,

38 times, 38 times undefeated,

Playing football the Wenger way!

You like?      

Second verse, even bloody louder!

49 times, 49 times undefeated,

49 times, 49 times I say,

49 times, 49 times undefeated,

Playing football the Wenger way!

I prefer this version don’t you?

Just a thought but I for one would like to take an anthem conceived by United fans at the Emirates and shove it back down their throats when they come next time.

Dave Seager

Follow @goonerdave66

Dave Seager

Passionate 50+ ST holder who has been making the journey to N5 regularly since the early 1980s – although his first game was in 1976. Always passionate when talking about The Arsenal, Dave decided to send a guest blog to Gunnersphere in the summer of 2011 and has not stopped writing about the Gunners since. He set up up his own site 1 Nil Down 2 One Up which he has now sold and since the summer of 2013 with a friend he launched a new project to offer new and aspiring Arsenal writers a home. Gunners Town is that platform and Dave writes here too. He is also the author of 2 Arsenal related books.

Follow @goonerdave66

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