Ryan Hunn (@ryanhunn) is one of the founders of Stadio alongside Musa Okwonga, a must-listen podcast now on Ringer FC which also features Wrighty’s House with Arsenal legend Ian Wright.
When did you start supporting Arsenal and why?
From as young as I can remember. I was born way out in West London and my dad had spent a good few years at Arsenal from schoolboy level up to the age of about 18/19, so I didn’t really have a choice.
The family hadn’t been Arsenal fans before that but, because of my dad, they would end up being so.
My Nan used to talk about how wonderful it was when he signed: the family being welcomed at the Marble Halls of Highbury, even though he was just a young boy signing schoolboy forms.
He was a year or two older than Liam Brady, but they played together in midfield for the youth team and often in the old version of the under-23s, the Combination League which was a mix of youth, reserves and seniors coming back from injury.
So, even though he never made it into the first team, he did end up playing in XIs alongside many of those who would be part of that double-winning side.
He’d go on to play for a number of clubs at semi-professional level, knocking back an offer to play in the NASL in the mid to late 70s.
I moved to Manchester as a kid when I was about 10 just before the rivalry with Manchester United began. I think I had been at secondary school a year or so when Arsène Wenger arrived and I was the only Arsenal fan in school.
It was a nightmare at times, but I quite enjoyed being the only one and wore my Arsenal shirt pretty much at any opportunity.
What was your first Arsenal match?
The first game I can remember was 1995 when we played Manchester United at Highbury, wearing the infamous grey Sharp Viewcam kit.
We were in the North Bank and Dennis Bergkamp scored a toe poke right in front of us.
My Dad and I and a mate had gone. I was a member of the Junior Gunners and got to do a training session before the game on the training pitch behind the Clock End.
We were told we would get a certificate from a player so we were all excited about who it might be. Cue a bunch of underwhelmed kids as Ray Parlour walked out, bless him.
This was before Parlour had gone on become the cult figure we remember him as now. So, for kids wanting a Bergkamp, Wright or Adams, the reaction was probably super ungrateful!
Who was your first Arsenal hero and why?
My first football memory was watching Arsenal at Anfield in 1989 at home, with my dad.
There was something about David Rocastle. I just remember being in awe of him…the number seven shirt ended up being a special shirt for me and that was partly down to Rocky.
I was so young, but the way he played football really stood out to me and it was the first time I got a sense of what a special player really was.
I wasn’t old enough to fully understand it but I could tell there was something different about this guy and I still get super emotional about him, even though I never met him.
Obviously, having gone on to work with Ian on Wrighty’s House, I’ve been lucky enough to hear Wrighty talk about Rocky a lot, hearing stories about them growing up, the ways in which he would inspire Wrighty and what he was like to play with.
He really was a special player, a special person and will always be super special to the club.
Who is your favourite ever Arsenal player and why?
I have a top five or six or seven which obviously includes Rocky and Wrighty.
I think Özil may also be in there, although I know that may not be a super popular choice. When he signed, he was my favourite player in the world and, if I’m being honest, I still can’t believe we got to see him in an Arsenal shirt for as long as we did.
When Arsenal signed Özil, it was a transformative signing, akin to when they signed Dennis Bergkamp. I know that his form and reputation dipped towards the end, but I think it’s easy to forget just how big a signing it was when it happened.
Speaking of Bergkamp, he is probably my favourite Arsenal player of all-time. And like Özil, I couldn’t quite believe Arsenal signed him when they did. Serie A was probably the most highly regarded league at the time and he had struggled at Inter. However, even now, I still can’t believe that he ended up being there for 11 years and retiring an Arsenal player.
His skillset as a number 10 / second striker was so unique. He would bully defenders, yet combine the grit with artistry and poetic balance - it was like he was a ballet dancer but he could rough up defenders as well.
Few signings through Arsenal’s history have had such an impact and Bergkamp is one of them. For example, I think we are very lucky that such an icon is more associated with Arsenal than any other club.
What’s your biggest Arsenal regret/disappointment?
It’s obvious to say 2006 (Arsenal lost the Champions League final to Barcelona), but it really would have been such a marker had Arsenal held on. There were two or three years where Arsenal had a genuine shout for being the best side in Europe.
When Chelsea knocked us out in 2004, thanks to that Wayne Bridge late away goal, that was the year we should have won it first, I think. I know it’s easy to say now, but if things go ever so slightly differently, we could have seen Arsenal win two Champions Leagues in three years.
For Wenger, that would’ve put to bed a lot of arguments about him as a manager and with Arsenal heading to the new stadium, the next decade could look very different having won the Champions League.
But, even without those wins, I think we’d be extremely lucky if we ever get to see an Arsenal team as good as 2003-2006 again. We really were so spoilt.
I also think of the Europa League semi-final (2018) against Atleti where Laurent Koscielny went down injured in Wenger’s last year. I’m not sure if they would have won the final, but it would have been great for Wenger to get one.
What is your favourite Arsenal memory (away from the pitch) and why?
I think it would have to be getting to work with Wrighty on Wrighty’s House. If someone had told me that one day I would be lucky enough to be working on something with the person who had been our record goal scorer, I would never have believed them.
But, I’m really pleased that it happened organically, from him initially appearing on Stadio as a guest, to a second guest appearance where he told us he was a regular listener.
I had no idea at that point, but that would then spark chats which then lead to bringing in a podcast of his own to Ringer FC and Musa Okwonga and I being involved.
And he’s just amazing to work with: he includes everyone, values all of our input, and never makes it about him. Wrighty’s House has become very much a family already, where we support each other and the work we all do.
The way Ian is as a person has allowed for that to happen: everyone is equal, there’s no pecking order or special treatment, he just wants to be himself and do good work.
He’s been a huge supporter of the work Musa and I have done individually and with Stadio, and I feel extremely grateful to be involved.
What is your favourite ever Arsenal match?
That’s such a tough one, and probably something that changes between a few on rotation.
I remember the FA Cup replay in 93 although I was a bit too young to genuinely appreciate it. I think Old Trafford in 2002 when Arsenal won the league would have to be one. It was such a horribly fierce era of that rivalry and I used to feel sick before the games against Manchester United. Every single game felt so important.
Now you have a top six and they can all take points off each other but back then whoever won those two games would probably win the league. Or that’s how it felt, at least.
One favourite that I went to was the 2014 FA Cup final. (3-2 win v Hull City)
My dad and I went to the quarter final against Everton and then the semi-final against Wigan that went to penalties. I had to catch the last train back up to Manchester and had to leave my Dad alone at Wembley for the penalty shoot out. He was so nervous, bless him, that he could barely let go of my hand as I went.
But, we got through and were there at the final, although we were sitting a few rows apart. Obviously, it was not looking very good at the start, but being there for that turn around and ending the trophy drought brought a nice father-son moment.
I suppose, because of him being there as a kid, and that leading to my Arsenal fandom, getting to share those moments in Arsenal history together are special.