Patrick James Rice, a true “Gunners” Legend. Player and coach, culminating to over 4 decades of fantastic service! Farwell Pat! Thanks for all the memories.

This weekend the Gunners will play West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns, where the final chapter of an incredible season for my beloved team will be scripted and the story closed. It has been one hell of season, we haven’t had the success and the silverware that we all so desperately crave and wish for, but the trials and tribulations that we have been through, have been superb and the way the team has responded time and time again is equally so, and makes me very proud to be a Gooner! For us fans the season has been a painful one, not good for our health that’s for sure, but the curtain we hope will be closed in a very positive manner this Sunday, and this I look forward to with happiness and excitement.

As well as the season, another thing that will be coming to a close is the fantastic contribution of Mr Patrick Rice of Northern Ireland, to our equally fantastic club.  Having joined the Gunners in 1964 as an Apprentice he has been at the club (apart from 4 years as a player at Watford) ever since, and his service and tutelage of the club through this period, should not and will not go unnoticed, this will be remembered. He has served us with distinction is his role as a player, as a fantastic fall back as Youth Team Coach, as a caretaker manager for a time and of course more recently, for the last 16 years at least, as Mr Arsene Wenger’s right hand man, as his assistant coach! Bringing together 42 years of fantastic devoted service to our club.

The man is quite simply a legend! He goes, we are led to believe, as a result of chronic knee trouble which I am told causes him huge pain and he clearly feels that now is the time for him to “hang up his boots” or perhaps more apt “hang up his clipboard” for good. This chap certainly deserves it because of his undoubted contribution to Arsenal over the years, now is the time for him to move on and to pave way for the next generation of former Arsenal players come Arsenal Legends to take up his mantle as a coach for the team, alongside Arsene.

Pat served us with distinction as a player winning many titles and plaudits along the way, as a relatively young Gunners fan I never got to see him play for us, but I am told by my Father that he was fantastic and one of the top of his generation and what I have read about him since certainly points to such an acclaim, he will go down no doubt as an Arsenal Legend and I look forward to seeing his face at club events and occasions in the future, where he will considered as the aforementioned words of "Arsenal Legend"!

Thank You Pat for your service to our club and all the best!

All that leaves me to say now is that, if it is as we are led to expect, big Steve Bould will come in as his replacement, (another Arsenal defensive legend), we wish him also all the best in his role and look forward to him having all the success he deserves, furthermore we thank him for his fantastic work as youth team coach, helping to bring through cracking protégés such as Jack, Wojiech and the like!! Finally I watch on with interest as to which Arsenal Legend will take up his mantle as Youth Coach, as we are told by Arsene that he prefers to appoint men from inside the club, people who have been involved in the club for long period of time, jobs within the coaching team, at the club!

Do follow me on twitter @Mr_arsenal_blog - i do reply to all your thoughts. What are your over-riding memories of Pat, and his Arsenal "legacy" if you like?