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InPerson

 ANYTHING BUT FLOORING 
TOMMEE O’HARA
Arsenal: Hope, hurt, repeat cycle

I’m a flooring contractor and a lifelong Arsenal supporter, although the team’s
inconsistent performances often leave me tearing my hair out

OOTBALL, at the moment – that really grinds my gears. I’m still got a Paul Merson signed shirt tucked away somewhere at
an Arsenal fan and, even when things are going well, they home. Looking back, we were probably just kids hanging around
Fstill find ways to test your patience. Football is one of the a workplace, but at the time it felt massive, like we were part of
few things I properly take to heart, so when you’re winning it something.
feels brilliant, almost like everything’s aligned in life, and for the But Arsenal still have this habit of putting supporters through
past six or seven months it genuinely felt like that. the wringer. We were genuinely challenging on every front –
We were flying. You get a bit carried away with it, start everything looked like it was coming together, like we were the
thinking this could actually be our season, then suddenly a team nobody wanted to play against. There was real belief we
couple of performances or results make you question everything could win it all. Then a few frustrating results suddenly changed
again. You end up emotionally the mood and everyone started
investing half a year into it and questioning whether we’d let it
riding every twist and turn like it slip again. That emotional swing
actually affects your daily mood. is the frustrating bit more than
My dad was an Arsenal fan, anything – one minute you feel
so it’s very much family bred. unstoppable, the next you’re
I’ve supported them since I convinced it’s all falling apart.
first understood what football Tommee O’Hara is managing
actually was, so it’s always been director of Bridge Flooring
part of growing up. EDITOR’S NOTE: Not long after
Some of my earliest memories CFJ’s interview with Tommee,
are going to Highbury Stadium pexels.com Arsenal FC was crowned
with my granddad, who sadly Arsenal: vital statistics Premier League champions for
isn’t with us anymore. He used the 2025-26 season, ending a
to take me and two of my Here are some of the depressing occasions that have driven Arsenal 22-year wait for the title. The
cousins when we were probably fans such as Tommee O’Hara up the wall title was effectively secured
Arsenal’s heaviest Premier
about six. At that age it was just 1 League defeat came in 2011 with 6 Bayern Munich knocked them when Manchester City FC
out of Europe in 2016–17
overwhelming in the best way – an 8–2 loss to Manchester United. with a 10–2 aggregate defeat. dropped points in a 1-1 draw
the noise, the crowds, the scale 2 The club’s famous 49-game 7 Away form hit a low in 2017–18, with AFC Bournemouth, making
of it all. It just stuck with me. unbeaten run was ended by with 10 league defeats on it mathematically impossible for
I didn’t really understand the Manchester United in 2004. the road. them to catch Arsenal.
tactics or anything like that, but 3 the club remains the 2003–04 8 The 2020–21 campaign ended I messaged Tommee to see if he
The last league title lifted by
I do remember the feeling of with an 8th-place finish, their wanted to change his tune. ‘The
being in that environment. Invincibles season. lowest in decades. weekend just gone was a good
In 2017–18, the side finished
We also used to hang around 4 6th – their first time outside 9 FA Cup success in 2020 came one,’ he agreed. ‘I certainly feel
in contrast to a poor league
the training ground quite a bit, the top four in 20 years. season finishing 8th. better about them today.’ But he
in and out. We’d see lads such 5 2019 Europa League final denied 10 A disastrous start to 2021–22 was content to leave his original
trying to catch players coming
A 4–1 defeat to Chelsea in the
saw three straight defeats
view intact: ‘Things can change
as Tony Adams, and I think I’ve a return to the Champions League. without scoring a goal. again lol.’ 

www.contractflooringjournal.co.uk 27
@CFJMagazine CFJ July 2026