Why are we the gooners?

[tez]

Could someone please tell me why we are called the gooners and we have cannons on our badge

[REG]

We were nicknamed the Gooners as our firm during the 1970's when football fighing was a big thing & at a all time high also it is a nickname Arsenal fans call themselves like Spurs with Yiddos
At the moment i understand that Arsenal are tying to copyright it which isn't good
With the cannons are came from a arsenal shop which sold guns & cannons & were the Woolwich Arsenal & another couple of names throughout there time in South London
Hope this helps

[She_Gunner_Wales]

hmmm not trying to conflict Reg's version, but i thought the Cannon was more to do with our origins of Arsenal being workers from the 'factory' that made the weapons/ammo/amour ect...?

I know that was why the name was changed from its very 1st original of Dial Square to being known as Royal Arsenal, before going on to become Woolwich Arsenal.


Gooners, like Reg, i think came from an arsenal hooligan group or Firm as we call them....not 100% on that one as some say its a spin off from gunners.
I think teh former is more likely the case though

[REG]

Thats what i meant was the shop/factory
To add on the name Gooners it was from our firm called the Herd who still are around today in small numbers & a couple of people on ere have had there moments being with them but there not as famous as the headhunters of Chelsea or the ICF of West Ham

[She_Gunner_Wales]

Thats what i meant was the shop/factory
To add on the name Gooners it was from our firm called the Herd who still are around today in small numbers & a couple of people on ere have had there moments being with them but there not as famous as the headhunters of CSKA Fulham or the ICF of West Ham

Ah right i must have mis-read you then

I thought the gooners were before The Herd? or those remaining of the Gooners formed with EIE.
But one thing i dont know, is what was the swedish connection? & i know its got sod all to do with Ljunberg! And dont even know if there is any substance in that either, but i have heard a thing or two about swedish Arsenal supporters pronounciation.....

Another story i heard was it was the Yids firm who renamed our firm Goons later adapted to Gooners, not sure how much truth there is in that mind, something to do with hounding out supporters from the old North Bank.

Werent the Clock End teh 1st Arsenal firm?
Not sure if Reg can answer this one maybe Libs can though!?

EDIT: BTW Reg, the cannon came in before we were known as Woolwich Arsenal.

[REG]

Libs can i sadly haven't got major info on the Arsenal firms unlike ICF as i said they have articles & websites etc

[She_Gunner_Wales]

Another interesting fact that many may not know is that we were only known as Dial Square for 2wks, before changing our name to Royal Arsenal.....apparently something to do with King George....maybe thats where her Maj. Liz gets the Arsenal connection from!

[rvtheace]

When my manc buddy called me a gooner, I thought he was insulting me. Took me a while to realise it really was the official name for an Arsenal fan.

[She_Gunner_Wales]

PMSL RV! classic!

[SE13]

I can confirm that the cannon comes from the fact that Arsenal (Dial Square, Royal Arsenal and Woolwich Arsenal) were formed by a group of workers at The Woolwich Amourments Factory in South East London.

A store of ammunition is known as an Arsenal.

The Gooners thing has never really had a definitive answer, although it does have something to do with the hooligan element of the seventies. "Ooh to, Ooh to be, Ooh to be a GOONER"

[mikey_gooner]

Libs can i sadly haven't got major info on the Arsenal firms unlike ICF as i said they have articles & websites etc

REG dont believe everything you read about the ICF as [NAME REMOVED] is a storyteller and according to him has never been done in his life he is actually making a film but as i say dont believe the hype . in their day the arsenal lads more then held their own against all the top boys , it just so happens that our lads arent so desperate to be hooligan celebs and write a book full of bullshit , but a good one worth reading by one of ours is by Colin Ward called Steaming In .

[mikey_gooner]

)

I thought the gooners were before The Herd? or those remaining of the Gooners formed with EIE.
But one thing i dont know, is what was the swedish connection? & i know its got sod all to do with Ljunberg! And dont even know if there is any substance in that either, but i have heard a thing or two about swedish Arsenal supporters pronounciation.....

Another story i heard was it was the Yids firm who renamed our firm Goons later adapted to Gooners, not sure how much truth there is in that mind, something to do with hounding out supporters from the old North Bank.

Werent the Clock End teh 1st Arsenal firm?
Not sure if Reg can answer this one maybe Libs can though!?

that story of the swedish saying gooners instead of gunners is bullshit made up by the club , they condemned the lads who called themselves gooners and now try and trademark the word and come up with this shit story of how it started by our swedish supporters ......

[REG]

The only top boy i've met at Arsenal was [NAME REMOVED] as he said ello to my Dad in a pub was in down Stroud Green road for the Tottenham derby in 05/06 last one at Highbury
My Dad i know was a Clock Ender & got into the fights, cage etc etc sometimes but he doesn't say much as he can't remember lol sign of age
I know that the Herd is kept for themselves & the firm come in & go due to growing out of it but for some like [NAME REMOVED] has now found a living from it & others across the UK & no dount that those of the 80's are still doing it large nowadays unlike yourself he is retired in that role

[She_Gunner_Wales]

Thanks for putting us straight MG
I wasnt entirely sure of the swedish thing, just something or other i remember reading some years ago.

[SE13]

If there is to be any discussion about Firms, please don't add names.

Our version is still quite active, and I've "met" a few of them over the years, but their origins are allegedly not from "Gooners". That said, there were three or four active firms in years gone by, and no-one really knows who is active, who isn't, nor what names they still go under aside from the obvious.