Today is the 9th anniversary of probably the most amusing day in my long Gooner history. What could be better than seeing the N17 mugs crying whilst we take their first attempt at the Champions League away?
May 6th 2006. Lasagnegate.
Let’s set up the day …..
Martin Jol’s Spurs had been on a fine run and needed to just match Arsenal’s result to ensure CL qualification – a prize valued at above ￡10m at a time when ￡10m bought you a Ronaldo not a Peter Crouch. They were away at a dismal West Ham, we were at home to Wigan.
Spurs thought it would be a good idea to take their team to a hotel for the Saturday night before the game and being the small club they are chose to stay at the Marriot West India Quay ( an upmarket Travelodge) in Canary Wharf whilst Arsenal stayed down the road at the 5 star Four Seasons.
The Hapless Hotspurs were having their best season for 11 years inspired by a strike force of Keane and Defoe allied to the midfield skills of Carrick, Danny Murphy and Edgar Davids.
A buffet dinner was arranged in a private room – the Marriot advertised it would “satisfy the most discerning palates with a fresh approach”, most players chose lasagne ……
A little after midnight Carrick, Edgar Davids, Taino, Dawson, Lemon and Keane had a nasty dose of Montezuma’s Revenge.
Daniel Levy phoned the Premier League officials to arrange a postponement, they refused.
It was a 13.30 kick-off and Jol was unable to find enough fit players to fill the bench plus some of those playing were dehydrated and suffering from the effects of a night of the Tottenham Trots.
Within 10 minutes of kick-off we were one up and Spurs one down. A future Arsenal hero Yossie Yossie Benahoun delivered the coup de grace as the Hammers beat the Hapless Hotspurs. TH14 scored twice as we beat Wigan 4-2.
Levy applied to the Premier League for a replay citing not just misfortune but also possible skullduggery at the Marriot. They even went so far as to call in Tower Hamlets Environmental Health Officers to investigate (the lasagne cook was a big Gooner) but they found the Marriot had no case to answer.
The days that followed were full of glee and guffaws as we found out what had happened. Not just the joy of beating Spurs to the CL when it seemed unlikely but also the manner of their defeat. It was further proof that Spurs are meant to be “forever in our shadow”
And that is how it is to be a Spurs fan. Every year there is hope and every year it is dashed. How many times do we hear them bleat about how “this year will be the year” – it never is.
Never.
written by Big Raddy
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
Ha Ha Ha
This has to be up their in the pantheon of great posts
Top Grade ROLF
Thanks Raddy. Made my day.
Did the chef ever receive complimentary club level seats?
Aah, bless their blinkered little hearts! They are the gift that keeps on giving. Replay after replay of crowing, boasting and bleating, but the reality is that when they last won the league the coloured television was still in its infancy! It was indeed a priceless day of comfort, joy and deep filled lasagne goodness!
Cheers, BR.
I almost felt sorry for them; in between the tittering.
Love it !………………The Chef deserves a bronze statue outside the Emirates !.
We take it for granted, but if you could think from a neutral position…..20 years being above the Spuds is a fcuking long time !….two decades !….not since the 20th century !……half of Totnumbs support have never experienced being above us !……think how they must feel ?, 20 years of being gutted and having The Samaritans on speed dial !……..add to that the time not to far back when they took a decade to win a game against us !…………..Goonerism….loving life !.
Lovely Grub ! Memories of a wonderful day and a fitting way to finish at Highbury.
Big Tone was celebrating for days after.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNG3KkaCnvQ
Chas/Micky, [from earlier]
In answer to your question – the more correct English sentence construction, and punctuation, of the following sentence, depend’s on whether or not the dog’s name is Caesar, or is the property of someone called Caesar and whether you are referring to the singular or plural of ‘dog’.
‘The hairs of Caesars the dogs swingers’
– Caesar’s dog’s hairy swingers… or, Caesar’s dogs’ hairy swingers…
* The hairy swingers of the dog(s) of Caesar.
Finally, the unusual construct of naming the dog, lends itself to keeping the longer format without an apostrophe;
* The hairy swingers of the dog, Caesar.
Basically it is whatever gets the message across clearly. 🙂
A very good and amusing Post, Raddy, I enjoyed it, and the memories it brought back. 🙂
RA
depend’s ?????????????????????
You’re taking the pish, now.
I never liked sitting over the back wheels before.
http://www.ninex-customs.com/s/cc_images/cache_2432901201.jpg?t=1363193152
Raddy – thanks for reminding me that day! I was laughing all day long 🙂 I have bad memory but can remember distinctively getting up very early in the morning, switching the radio on and hearing the Spurs had shits. I texted all my Gunner mates immediately and some of them replied asking for the punchline, nobody took me seriously!
Totts were hot favourites to finish above us, best chance is some 20 years? And they shat on it 🙂 I remember player after player going off the pitch and running for the loo, ooooh what joy 🙂 Still makes me smile
Spuds celebrating St Totteringham`s Day with a late night BBQ !.
In the Cat Elections, Top Tory Catnidate….Tiddles Catmeron ponders life after a heavy loss Labours Eddie Meowband !.
That’s a fine post Raddy, ah memories.
I have two football related memories that will stay with me for ever, Monday May 3rd 1971, Beating the Spuds one – nil to clinch the First Division title at White Hart Lane, and a few days later Saturday May 8th completing the double by beating Liverpool two – one in the FA Cup Final at Wembley.
A privilege to be in the crowd for both games.
Growing up an Arsenal supporter in an Arsenal supporting family, Spurs have always been my bete noir, but I later came to despise Liverpool too.
Now it’s hard to decide which I dislike more. I think it’s Liverpool, Spurs are more deserving of pity than hate.
Some misplaced despising there, NG !…………I can assure you that any true Spud will not have an ounce of pity for us, only loathing and any other team will be far from the top of their hate for us .
I like to reciprocate these feelings in the way that it is said…..”keep your friends close and your enemies closer !”…………..so I have a locked cellar full of the scummy bastards !. hahaha
For those of you with scummy Spuds relatives, it must have been quite easy for you to keep your enemies closer and with the added bonus of not having to pay for some chloroform …..quids in !.
20 years and counting. I think my next door neighbour is sick of me bringing it up every year, it’s a wonder he hasn’t moved.
No Cockie, it’s the ‘Pool for me. I have just two surviving relatives who are Spurs supporters, one a cousin, a few years older than me, who I see only nowadays at family funerals. The other my wife with whom I hope to celebrate our fiftieth year of marriage next March,
She’s the one who deserves the pity……so she keeps telling me, and that’s got nothing to do with football. 😀
Know what you mean Vic`s !….I bring `em up once per year from the cellar just to show them the league table ! ………”that’s enough vitamin D, see you next year !”.
You`re too much of a Saint, NG !……tell me when you`ve had enough of them as there`s more room in my cellar !…..I don’t do this out of the goodness of my heart you know !…..they have their uses……their stench keeps the rats away !. 😆
Brilliant Raddy, thank you.
They didn’t eat nothing dodgy, they just shit themselves naturally. Some people are like that. ,y cousin stave had to give up blind dating for shitting himself during the first course. That was a good date for him, in order to stop the bird escaping after viewing him, he could only meet them in a restaurant without toilet windows.
To be fair most of them know there place now. Took them a long time but there now resigned to there fate. Must be a horrible feeling, bit like your shrink of twenty years constantly telling you “Your two bob” and “The only women you will ever get are those with staples across there stomach”.
Unfortunately, when ever I think of them i have images of Steve Archibald. Thats why I am still slim. The bastard puts me off my dinner and induces a nervous tick which burns 5000 calories a day. If Archibald was cloned, the worlds obesity problem would be solved over night.
He was also the inspiration for that crap Lord of the Rings trilogy,. costing me a fortune in Gollum memrobilia to satisfy my youngests cravings. I should have just showed her a picture of Archibald, that would have dulled the appetite.
To be honest, I cant stand anything about Totnumb. I have plenty of them as “friends” and it goes back a long way. But even to this day, as they are telling me about there holiday or work etc, I have a strange compulsion to punch them in the face.
Hi YA Cocker……..the same said neighbour is currently having an extension built. I’ve kindly wrote on the roof support ARSENAL 4 EVA, IN RED. (just before it was covered up) 4 of the young boys building it are GOONERS.
When he gets round to having the opening party I’m going to tell him exactly where the words lay. Despicable me. LMFAO
Am I the only one who feels nauseous at the sound of Jose Mourinho’s voice?
No LB you are not. I tend to get more angry with a background hint of nausea. He has become a caricature of himself to the point where I think he puts on the accent with the long pregnant pauses now. He is a bit like how Ray Winstone has become more Ray Winstone than ever before and ditto with Danny Dyer. Mourinho is now closer to the fast show representation of himself than his true self.
Great post Raddy and I was there that day. A day to remember. I may be wrong but I thought TH14 bagged a hat-trick that day???
The other thing that sticks in my mind was when Dennis came on and the stadium erupted. He clapped all 4 corners thinking it was for him but it was that the news had filtered through that WHU had scored. Bad timing for Dennis as he certainly deserved an eruption anyway.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRHVIcesOH4
yes LB, nobody in the right mind listens to that front bottom
I have just had the opportunity to read the headline post, great stuff BR
Evening all,
20 years of finishing ahead of Tottenham and we still make fun of them, what’s the point. When we can beat the Mancs and the Chelsea’s or even some of those in Europe on a regular basis, we can start crowing, until then we are similar to Tottenham, Habitual losers.
Had a shit day, Steve?
🙂
Chas, 😀
Chas,
Are you and that handsome hunk Ant ( 🙂 ) doing an Ant and Duck show next Monday — or are you ‘ducking’ your sacred duty?
The latest rumour — and I am very choosy about my rumour-mongering — is indicating Arsenal will swop Campbell + Cash for Carvalho.
I might like that. 🙂
Can I belatedly say ‘Hi’ to that tricky Trio, VCC, Terrydactyl and Cockermouth – good to see you lads on the blog together – bit like measles, mumps and chicken pox. 🙂
After launching a very good Post, I note that the Tourist Terror, happy, hippy Raddy has buggered off and left us asking for more! 😀
Well, that has boosted the blog comments – COYG. 🙂
Bloody brilliant BR 😀
“The Tottenham Trots” – genius.
Redders
Can’t stop, but I’m staggering round New York at the moment and I miss our time together here 😳
Me too, Rocky – and I miss you more than I want the AAers to know! 😀
Looking forward to the game tonight
After watching the Pep tantrums, I’m definitely wanting a Barca win, as I’d love more of that.
Plus, if the little pip squeak starts to fail badly, it’ll remove any chance of him ever succeeding Arsene.
RA
Ant’ll be driving on Monday, so ducking it again, I’m afraid.
Neymar, Suarez, Messi
Top shelf filth
Micky,
‘To shelf filth’ — have you even tried to say that out loud? 🙂
That’s disappointing, Chas, one of the highlights of my ‘gameday’ enjoyment. 🙂
Great first half
Now, chocolate. Where the hell am I likely to find it?
I go look
Wow, that was nearly as good as watching The Arsenal on Monday. 🙂
Cheers, RA,
I’d imagine it gets on most other people’s tits. 🙂
Pep showed some innovative tactics there. I don’t know about a plan B but he certainly changed it about
True RA,
Shelf filth….not easy at all
Mmmm, minstrels. Not bad at all
Rasp
Which is more than that wenger bloke ever does 🙂
Kidding Sensitives 🙄
Actually, minstrels are a bit sicky after about 15
I go get something more sophisticated like Lidl Dark chock orange
Belgian milk chocolate with raisins and almonds — always have a bar or two handy, Mickish. 🙂 Mmmmm
I have some chocolate Micky – Anton Berg dark.. Mrs Raddy is unhappy that I left some on the sofa for her to sit on. Don’t understand the problem myself.
Goof first half. We would be three up against either of them
I’m dipping a moistened finger into this box.
It’s all your fault, DidIt.
https://twitter.com/fumbucker/status/596037364545388544
Flakes
Ooooo
RA Is from Lidl. Cracking store. Really
Mmmm. I love Prestat chocolates especially their Violet creams.
violet creams
so in touch
😀
That Messi bloke is quite good ins’t he? Wonder if he is on AW’s radar
Messi
What an utterly extraordinary footballer
Shame the 2nd leg becomes a bit redundant, but what a game!
Goetze for Muller – strange.
Suarez, great footballer but utterly loathsome.
Messi leaving Boateng on his arse – priceless.
I might watch more of this Association Football
Is it always that good 🙂
Chocolategate at this end. Best go lie down
Great evening. Thanks Gents.
https://twitter.com/PhilMVM/status/596051688047431682
I enjoyed that game a lot and last nights equally.
Now put a Maureen team in the semis, only one game would have been watchable and that’s why they are boring.
People could accuse Pep of being naive but given his record I think that may be a bit harsh. He was courageous tonight and tried to go toe to toe in the Nou Camp. Brilliant football.
Raddy fine post, the day us Gooners stop crowing over Spuds being in our shadow is the day we finally lose our soul.
Election Day
Today could easily herald the most seismic change in British Politics in our lifetimes
Exile
So true about a Maureen side in the cl semis.
Didn’t Abramovich give Jose the boot because of watching other sides play football such as last night? Nasty thought, wasn’t it at the same time that he went out and bought Torres
Morning All,
Post election day. ….. same old same old
They dont need a player like Torres. They already have Diego.
Raddy
Did you get the violet cream out of the sofa fabric, or being Scandinavian, are they slippery white plastic and therefore spongeable down
Chas
What I meant was that RA steamed out and spent £40M (back when £40M was quite a lot of money) on someone he thought would help Chelsea play good football
🙂
No. Unfortunately the same style as yours and in dark blue linen type fabric. Not the first time I have committed this heinous crime and almost certainly not the last.
I wish it was violet cream but they are unavailable over here and I was forced to enjoy an Anton Berg dark chocolate bar. Did have some Toblerone as well, just for variety.
Bale?
Mmm, trouble for Abramovich is that Chavs already have good footballers in Cesc, Hazard and Costa and yet STILL Maureen manages to kill the game
Farage’s cum face
Micky made this comment @ 7:25
— Chas
What I meant was that RA steamed out and spent £40M (back when £40M was quite a lot of money) on someone he thought would help Chelsea play good football.
I will be consulting my lawyer 26M, when I can find him, to take action on this calumny!!
And I hope you have all been out and voted for the Ümlaut Party. 🙂
yes, Messi’s second was disgusting as Micky would say, nobody should be allowed to do such things.
And as usual I am not disappointed that we are not at the receiving end of Barca’s knives. We have no chance against them what so bloody ever
now to more serious staff – did you guys see the handbag dog terrorising the staffie? When that happens in a park people shout at me that I encourage dog fighting 🙂
one more for you – staffie teaching the pug how to roll over
https://vimeo.com/home/myvideos
Eddie
It looked like they were playing tug of war to me. Don’t all dogs do that?
so what do we think will happen in politics today
I am sure Conservatives will win
and as for Chelsea and Jose’s anti football – I’d say thank feck for that, I would be gutted if they played better than us. As it is everybody will tell you that Arsenal play the most beautiful game
chas – thanks for Vimeo. Did you not hear the pug growling and jumping to bite staffs neck? Poor Bambi’s neck is full of scars from evil Romeo’s teeth
Exit polls, swingometers, love it. When does the action start.
“Actually, wind back Didit, did you mention a swingometer?”
EXIIIIIIIIILE
Appropriate day to have a recap as to what Exile’s swinger predicted in Nov and then in Feb
Definitely need a review of the accuracy of Swingo’s predictions as the season progressed. I bet we’re only just out of the bottom three.
Ha ha ha ha, love the Eddie vid
“staffie teaching the pug how to roll over”
Err, no. Nothing happening whatsoever. I’d sign up to watch an Eddie dog training vid every morning, where it begins with Eddie announcing today’s trick, then just the same old shit. Two dogs charging about a field, ending with Eddie shouting “stop”, at which point they carry on
andy gray
Who’s with one of stevepalmer1’s lovely carp?
“The Pug Whisperer”
Paxo on Channel 4 for me tonight.
Eddie’s Chef?
poor micky, you don’t have a clue about dogs 😦 When the pug is doing rounders with his tail down he is laughing his little head off!!! Proud as a punch he can do a roll over too. Staffie is defo demonstrating how to do it and fattie follow
you are wasting your whole life on cats
follows
ok, I failed miserably to impress you with pride of my life 😦
back to politics – predict, predict, predict – over
.
several clubs have offered to donate proceeds from one game to the Napal disaster fund. Good idea. All should do it
No Eddie
I bloody love your vid
Eddie
Pleeeease will you make one for tomorrow with another trick
Please
My favourite bit of that video is when the staffie wees on the pug’s head.
Oooo yeah, a daily dog vid; BR will be happy.
you bastard 🙂 no way I will try to impress you again!
have to go, house build starting on Monday, have to choose bricks and roof tiles, hate it already
chas – I was hoping nobody will notice that part 🙂
Nobody notice!!!
To the untrained eye, it was the ONLY thing that happened.
This is why we need a daily vid. Education. How else will we ever appreciate dog management and training skills
7th May 2006
pee off Didit 🙂
laters, off to record lesson number 3 for tomorrow
God, I pray it’s going to be the “heel, sit” episode
Morning all
New Post everyone ………………………
Hi there, I want to subscribe for this weblog to take most up-to-date updates, so where can i do it please help.