My First Football Shirt: Arseblog

It is rare that an away colour scheme ever gains much traction, but in the case of Arsenal and their history of yellow and blue alternate shirts, they have consistently hit the mark on the road.

It is no wonder, then, that when we caught up with the man behind Arseblog, Andrew Mangan, to talk about Arsenal that these away jerseys were such a big topic of conversation, alongside tippy-tappy Jack Wilshere goals and Ray Parlour pile-drivers.

Andrew shared his first and favourite shirts for Your First Football Shirt – a book of 30 interviews and illustrations raising money for CALM + Willow.

What was your first football shirt?

The yellow and blue away Arsenal shirts wore in the late 70s. It was made of some kind of weird towelling material if I remember correctly.

What is your favourite football shirt?  

The same shirt because it was the first one I ever saw Arsenal win a trophy in when they won the 1979 FA Cup final.

What is your favourite ever goal? 

It’s like asking somebody what their favourite song is. It changes so often, so at this moment in time I’m a big fan of the Jack Wilshere goal against Norwich – the tippy-tappy one with Olivier Giroud, just for its pleasing aesthetics. You can watch that goal here. Ask me tomorrow and it’ll be different though!

Today, being the tomorrow referred to above, my favourite goal is Ray Parlour’s pile-driver against Valencia in the Champions League!

Interview:  Andrew Mangan

Design:  Season Annual

Illustration:  Conal Deeney

You can read more from Arseblog here and if you are looking for a vintage Arsenal shirt checkout our marketplace here.

If you want to read more about the football memories of players, writers, and more you can buy the full Your First Football Shirt book. Discover Alan Shearer's first ever football shirt, Carl Anka's most cherished shirt and more. All proceeds go to the charities CALM and Willow.