Red is the warmest colour

If I was to pick a favourite colour it'd hands down be red. As a colour combination I'd of course go for the blue/yellow of Sverige but in terms of a stand alone colour red gets the nod. According to colour psychology red represents energy, action, desire and passion. It's stimulating, exciting, attention-getting and assertive. I can definitely identify with all of the above. I am red. It can stimulate the appetite and increase craving for food and other stimuli. Yep, I am so totally red.

A quick scan of my flat reveals a veritable sea of red, including my rather feeble and hitherto sole attempt at a canvas painting. This is more by happenstance than design. Reflecting my approach to life in general, instinct and opportunism lead the way when I attempt interior decoration, grand master plans are simply too time consuming and disruptive. That instinct is most often tinted in the warm hues of red, as evidenced by recent purchases:


Pendant lampshade from Habitat, in the sale for bargain-tastic price of £6. Being a short arse and lacking ample height extending equipment, the essentially very simplistic assembly involved significant time, perspiration and expletives. The end result makes it all worthwhile, but thank [expletive] I don't have to do that one again.



Bath towel from Habitat for £12, again in the sale. I'd come to the realisation recently that I had in fact never actually purchased a bath towel in my life, despite living independently for the past 17 years. The ones I've got I was given by my parents, surplus promotional merchandise from back when my dad managed/owned builder's merchants. The fact that one of them dates back to the World Cup 1994 and another has a millennium motif indicated a need for a fresh acquisition.

Utensil stand from Wilko's, £3 full price. Could've gone for black, blue or green but red was the obvious choice. If only to match nicely with the Diva dish brush adjacent.

Apparently being surrounded by too much red can cause us to become irritated, agitated and ultimately angry and I again I can identify with that. They're quite often the exact emotions I go through of late (since about 2007) when watching the red and white of the Gunners, the biggest and best team in north London. The trophy barren years have been a study in disappointment, ranging from near misses to the exact opposite. This weekend was different though, pure exaltation from the 4-1 thrashing of Liverpool. Revenge is sweet.

Growing up I didn't really support an English team. Had I done it would've most likely had been the Merseyside reds. Back then Swedish telly showed a weekly first division game, the pre-Sky traditional Saturday 3pm kick off, as part of the 'Tipsextra' broadcast which ran between 1969-1995. In addition to the footie, they showed the 7 harness races that made up the weekly V75 betting, and after Tipsextra, there was an episode of Emmerdale Farm. How very Anglo-saxon. With Liverpool being the dominant force in the 80s, there's a huge Scandinavian contingent of Liverpool fans around my age and older. This has since shifted to Manure but Liverpool is probably still the most supported club in Scandinavia.

Luckily I didn't pay too much attention to Tipsextra back then so my preferred team is Arsenal. Come on you Gunners!!! My first recollection of paying attention to Arsenal was the 1995 Cup Winners Cup final when Nayim lobbed David Seaman in the last minute of extra time, but the biggest factors in me coming to be a gooner are Fredrik Ljungberg,  and my mate Vieira. Sing after me (to the tune of Can't Take My Eyes Off You) "We love you Freddie cos you've got red hair, We love you Freddie cos you're everywhere, We love you Freddie, you're Arsenal through and through". Classic.

I'd argue my case for Arsenal having played the best football in the Premier League era to infinity with anyone who's up for a debate and not a scared little chicken shit cunt like David Cameron. It would've been difficult not to play the best football with Henry and Bergkamp in the side, two of the greatest Arsenal players of all time weaving their magic, ably supported by Pires, Vieira, Ljungberg and co. Subsequent players have carried on the proud tradition of playing Wenger ball, although crucially less successfully.

Playing the best football hasn't translated into playing a winning style of football for many years now, although last year's FA Cup was hopefully a new leaf as opposed to an accidental blip. All too often the team has been bullied off the pitch or failed to adapt to the flow of the game. Proceedings haven't been helped by some truly mind-boggling transfer decisions and a continual habit of amassing a full team sheet of injured players. The latter part of this season has given promise of a steelier (and winning) approach and (finally) the ability to change tactics based on the opposition's strengths and weaknesses. Roll on a Champions League spot and successful defence of the FA Cup #COYG.

Here are my favourite Arsenal moments to savour to eternity:

Pizzagate would've obviously made the shortlist as well had video evidence been in place. Cashley Cole's autobiography provides a tantalising account: "All eyes turned and all mouths gawped to see this pizza slip off that famous puce face and roll down his nice black suit". Cesc, I salute you, although much less so now that you're playing for the racist scum in blue. Just like most other things, you looked way, way, way better in red.