by
Ryan Clement
Congratulations Arsenal on winning the Premier League 2025-26. I have often said that, if I had a second team, it would be Arsenal. I have supported Liverpool for almost my entire life, since I was about seven. How I came to support the Reds is a story for another time. Growing up in West London and going to school in Fulham, I spent most Saturdays at football matches from the age of 10. Unless Liverpool was playing in town, my friends and I—mostly Liverpool or Chelsea supporters—would take the number 30 bus to Highbury, the 220 bus to Loftus Road or a gentle stroll to Stamford Bridge. Occasionally, we would go to Craven Cottage.
When I became a quantity surveyor and later a barrister, I restricted my matches solely to seeing Liverpool around the country whenever I could. I love the beautiful game, but as I focussed on building a practice, I rarely went to matches unless one of the teams was Liverpool. For me, it was always Liverpool above all others. That changed when Arsène Wenger arrived and transformed Arsenal and, to some extent, English football. By the 2001–02 season, I was living just around the corner from Clissold Park in N16, north London, also known as Stokey Village!
I recently spoke in Bournemouth, which is ironic because the Gunners effectively clinched the title tonight as Manchester City failed to beat The Cherries to keep the race alive to the final day. I told the story of how I became an Employment Law barrister as opposed to one specialising solely in Construction & Engineering law, which is why I left the world of measuring off architects’ and engineers’ drawings; Bill of Quantities; Valuations; Practical Completions; JCT contracts etc.
After that season—featuring Henry, Seaman, Adams, Campbell, Cole, Vieira, Pirès and Bergkamp, to name just a few—the victory parade was set for Sunday, 12 May 2002, just a short walk from where I lived. My friends, along with around a quarter of a million others, were heading to Highbury. However, I was not! After my first major employment case attracted media attention, another big case led me to Norwich Employment Tribunal. So, in the spirit of professionalism, I packed my blue Toyota Celica and drove to Norfolk to begin a two-week trial. I missed a glorious day in the Highbury sunshine, but this case helped establish me as a specialist in an area of law in which I still practise today.
So, with my own team falling short in this year’s title race, I am happy gracefully to hand the trophy over for a season while we adjust to life without Mo and Andy. We’ll be back, but for now, the hour belongs, rightly, to the Gunners! Congratulations! 🏆
Copyright © Ryan Clement 2026
Ryan Clement 