Will Arsenal Suffer New Stadium Curse?

Filed in archive Premiership 2006/7 on August 22, 2006

Arsenal failed to win at home in their shiny new stadium on Saturday. Not a disaster - Aston Villa were clearly up for it and Martin O'Neill wasn't going to mark his Villa debut with a defeat - but still...

Southampton struggled in their first few games at St Mary's, Derby's move to Pride Park didn't go so well. Neither did Leicester's move from Filbert Street to the Walkers crisp bowl (or whatever it's called).

Seems home advantage isn't just about fans. It's also about familiarity; with the pitch dimensions, with the dressing rooms, with your surroundings. Just the secure feeling you get from your home stadium.

Don't worry Arsenal fans, Soccer-Weblog isn't predicting terrible things for Arsenal at Ashburton Grove. But don't be shocked by a slow start to 2006/7, because a new home takes some getting used to.