300,000 turn out to salute Arsenal's foreign legion

FOR the middle-aged men nursing hangovers, their beer guts spilling generously from frayed Arsenal jerseys, it seemed like only yesterday that legends of a different era had made this journey.

From the art-deco portals of Highbury to the adoring throng at Islington Town Hall on board an open-topped bus, the route was the same. So too was the cargo: the Championship trophy and the FA Cup.

Only the names were different. In 1971, the last time Arsenal completed the elusive Double, it was the likes of Radford, George, Wilson and Kennedy, managed by Bertie Mee, who proved they were the finest of their generation.

In 1998, it was Overmars, Bergkamp, Anelka and Vieira, managed by Arsene Wenger, who achieved the same feat. But, under blue skies and mid-day heat approaching 90F, the names did not matter to the 300,000 fans who lined the route of the celebrations.

"He comes from Senegawww , he plays for Arsenawww", they sang of Vieira, squeezing out a rhyme from the words Arsenal and Senegal. Of Bergkamp, one banner read "100 per cent Arsenal". And of Emmanuel Petit they sang: "He's tall, he's quick/ His name's a porno flic."

In short, the sea of red had taken them to their hearts as if they had been born inside the Highbury ground itself.

"As soon as they put that shirt on, their nationality is Arsenal," said Adrian Terry, 33, who celebrated with his five-year-old son, Adam. "I love the old heroes but I want Adam to remember these men as heroes the next time we win the Double. If we have to wait this long again, he might have a son of his own by then."

As each of the team hoisted the trophies in turn, the crowd went wild. But it was a day of peaceful, if boisterous, celebration. On Saturday, after Arsenal's 2-0 defeat of Newcastle, trouble spilled out of several Highbury pubs, two cars were set alight and 38 people were arrested, mainly for being drunk and disorderly.