'I once saw an Arsenal player stub out his cigarette as he ran onto the field' Ray Davies on his lifelong obsession with Arsenal, from the era of "boring, boring" era to the liquid football of Wenger

Sir Ray Davies is one of the few figures in the history of British rock, to have truly captured the grit and romance of the English soul with his music. Long before The Kinks were redefining the charts, young Ray was honing his craft on the uneven pitches of North London, dreaming less of the Marquee Club and more of the hallowed turf of Highbury.

For the man who penned Waterloo Sunset, the beautiful game isnt just a hobby, its the foundational rhythm of his life. He belongs to the generation of supporters for whom football was a sensory experience: the smell of heavy wool jerseys, the clatter of studs on tunnel floor and the sight of players stubbing cigarettes out on the sole of their boot before they crossed the white line. (More of that below).

A lifelong Arsenal devotee, his loyalty has outlasted managers, stadiums, and musical trends. He has seen the Gunners transition from the "Boring, Boring" era to the liquid football of Arsene Wenger, observing it all with the same sharp, sociological eye he used to dissect the British class system.