RESIDENTS who live next to a Premier League ground say they hear goals before seeing them as the influx of fans blocks their TV and phone signals.
Arsenal moved to their 60,000-seater Emirates Stadium home in Holloway, London, from Highbury back in 2006.
And many locals say they’re having a ball – especially those who support the Gunners.
But there are several drawbacks living next to the stadium including rowdy supporters, parking problems and terrible internet connection.
Arsenal superfan Dean Embley, 47, has lived opposite the fifth-largest football stadium in England for ten years.
He told The Sun: “On matchday we love it. There is a good sense of community and we get to meet loads of people coming through.
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“I’m a huge Arsenal fan which helps. It’s just a coincidence that we live here though.
“We used to live down the road at the away end. Sometimes there was fighting and we once had some problems with Chelsea fans.
“The kids used to stick their heads out the window and gesticulate at the away fans. It’s all banter though I guess.”
The builder, originally from Hackney, continued: “However there seems to be a signal block on matchday.
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“I don’t know whether it’s an Arsenal thing or all the fans using their phones.
“It really slows everything in the area, especially if you are trying to watch the telly.
“That’s a disappointing thing because we hear the goals before they appear on the TV.”
George Salisbury, 26, from St Andrews, said: “You kind of have to plan your life around match days because it just gets unbelievably busy.
“It’s quite entertaining to see all the fans streaming past. However a couple of weeks ago we had a guy who managed to get in and urinate on the premises.
“You often get drunk people at 3am singing Arsenal chants as well.”
Nisha Kaddy, 41, who has lived opposite the stadium for three months, said: “My husband and two children are Arsenal fans, but parking in this area is tricky.
“If we have visitors we have to be really cautious because you can’t park anywhere on matchday. It’s quite loud when a team scores too!”
Jigar Tharkkar, 29, is a Liverpool fan who has lived with a view of the ground for two years.
The Google system engineer, originally from India, said: “The views of the stadium are great and I love the vibe here on match days.
“Plus I got to see the Liverpool v Arsenal match last year. Even when I’m not watching the match I know when there is a goal.
“There is an issue with light pollution because they have them on all night but we just keep the blinds down.”
Manchester United supporter Alan Cooper, 65, from Islington, said: “I’m not an Arsenal supporter but I like the match day buzz.
“If there’s a concert on it’s a bit of a***hole because I’ve got to move the cars or you get a ticket.
“Sometimes people chuck rubbish onto my balcony. The only time I’ve ever seen any real trouble is with Tottenham fans.
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“A couple of Spurs supporters were picking up bricks and chucking them.”
It comes as Premier League challengers Arsenal and Liverpool renew hostilities at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
