Can you remember May 11th 1993?

November 20, 2010

Yesterday I had the great pleasure of describing my path to the Light, and my close encounter with The Dark Side. Today is an opportunity to reflect upon past games against The Stratford-Bound Spurs (please Mr Levy take them there – you will be lauded forever in the anals of history – deliberate spelling 😉 )

Let us start back in Black and White. Not that wonderful Spurs double team of ‘61 but the supposedly as good side of ‘71; Gilzean, Chivers, Peters, Mullery, Perryman, Knowles and the best keeper of his generation Pat Jennings  formed the basis of their team with Mike England the cornerstone of their defence. We mullered them at WHL to take the League title with Raddy and Kennedy heroes of the night. The next week Charlie George secured our FIRST double.

Then there is the classic 5-0 at WHL in Dec 1978 with that wonderful Liam Brady goal. Or the 1-0 in the Cup semi-final at Wembley when TA gained our revenge for that awful day two years previous, when Gazza and Lineker’s goals sent me on a truly depressing drive home on the North Circular.

Thinking of great goals. Has anyone scored a better goal than Thierry in 2002. Receiving the ball in his own half, and weaving his way at speed through an increasingly bewildered Spurs defence before finishing with aplomb and running  Adebayor-esque up to the stunned Spurs fans in the Clock End. Sliding up to them on his knees the picture taken from his back towards those saps is one of the images of the decade.

Have we won the League at White Hart Lane just once? 2004. We arrive needing just a point to win the Premiership. Vieira scores in the first half. Pires adds a second. The Spuds jammed one from Redknapp (he used to play football) and get a second to force a draw through a dodgy penalty in the 93rd minute, by which time the only fans in the ground were wearing the Red and White.  The lads parading the champagne and the Cup around White Hart Lane was a delicious moment.

Then there was Fabregas’s classic at the Grove just a couple of years ago. The commentator had this to say “one of the greatest solo goals in Premiership history”. And Fab is better now….

Can you recall a victory for Spurs at our place? Would it surprise you if I told you it was 11th May 1993? I was at the game along with a paltry crowd of 26k. It was the last game of the season and we played our reserves, included in our team were Mark Flatts, Neil Heaney, Scott Marshall, Lyderson, Alan Miller and Gavin MacGowan. Why? Because we were playing Sheffield Wednesday on the 15th at Wembley where we won the Cup Double. Teddy scored for Spurs that day as he was to do so often down the years. He remains my and most other Arsenal fans most disliked player.

But let us think about that. 1993 against a reserve team. More than 17 years ago.

And before that? According to the Spurs website it was in January 1985, with goals from Garth Crooks and Mark Falco !! To say that we have dominated is a misnomer – we have ruled the North London divide for 25 years.

We have heard yesterday how the pendulum is/has swung Tottenham’s way. Where is the evidence for such a ludicrous statement? Is it in the table where they languish 5 places below us. Is it in their goalscoring record? No, we have scored 5 more than them already. The defence? Can’t be –  they have conceded 5 more than us. Is it their attendances – don’t be silly. The only evidence I can come up with where they are ahead of us is that they have spent tens of millions more than Arsenal in assembling their squad – but then they always have, so I can’t see the pendulum swinging.

As was pointed out in the comments, it is Liverpool who have suffered from the upturn in Tottenham’s form, but will they be able to maintain their place in the Champions League? In my opinion Everton, Villa and City are the frontrunners for 4th. Spurs are below Bolton and Sunderland yet their fans remain delusional!!

Spurs will consider leaving with a point a major victory and further proof of their improvement, whereas we will consider it two easy points thrown away.

One further point – a good refereeing performance is essential in a NLD, today we have Phil Dowd, a ref who is a disciplinarian. Let’s hope the game doesn’t rest on one of his more controversial decisions

Could today be the day when Spurs finally break their hoodoo?  What do you think?

COYRRG

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Posted by Erik the Red

Little and Large …….The Perfect Striker Partnership

November 13, 2010

Written by Neamman

Wright, Henry, Van Nistelrooy, Shearer, Drogba, Cole, Owen, Ronaldo, Rooney  ..   all players who you would expect to score more than 20 goals a season when in their prime. We haven’t had a player like that since Henry left.

Don’t get me wrong, I like Chamakh and Van Persie, but a look at their history tells us we will never see more than 15 goals a season from them at best. That’s not a criticism as they both bring so much more to the team but they are superb support strikers and not the main man. They are a Wiltord to Henry, a Skolshar to a Van Nistelrooy, a Sheringham to a Cole. We have not yet found a striker who truly puts fear into our opponents defense.



All is not lost however, I actually think we have them on our books in the shape of NicBendtner and Theo Walcott. Big Nic, in his breakout season two years ago, scored what..14 goals.. but he has struggled for fitness since. In an injury plague season last year he scored 9 goals and started off this year with two goals in his first two appearances.

Theo, after a restful summer, also has been hot knocking in 7 goals plus he has hit the post a couple of times in his last few games.

They are both young and are perhaps a year behind where they should be because of their injury plagued last 18 months. If our fitness gurus can keep them on the field I am quite confident we can see a minimum of 20 goals each from our Little and Large. It may mean a switch back to 4-4-2 so that they can play up front together, one small and lightening fast, one big and strong. I truly believe that they would terrorize most defences and when backed with Chamakh or RVP we will see Arsenal dominate the scoring charts yet again.

Before I close I cannot help but ask… why are players so prone to injuries? If it’s the boots not protecting metatarsals, surely some company can design a better boot??? To be fair it is not just us, more and more clubs are suffering from injuries it seems.

Football clubs are investing a lot of money in their stars and we need to see them on the pitch much more than we do.

Just imagine if Nic and Theo had played all of last season and the beginning of this… I cannot believe we wouldn’t have stuck a few more goals past the Toon and West Ham!!! So lets hope in the FA Cup and the League Cup we start to see our Little and Large starting together and building an understanding that should lead them to dominate the scoring charts for the next 6 or 7 years.

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Wenger unbalanced again

October 5, 2010

In seasons gone by, Gooners would look upon a defensive set up by the home team on trips to the bus stop in Fulham or the Theatre of Snores, as a mark of deference to our attacking prowess, but more recently this Gooner sees this as evidence of how easily a pragmatic manager of a (possibly) slightly inferior team can beat a more talented and creative side.

Sunday’s match demonstrated that Ancelotti’s team (even though Ray “Butch” Wilkins was in charge of preparing Chelsea for this game this was very much the way Carlo would have done things) could adopt a cautious and slightly defensive approach to the game. This stemmed more from a confidence that Arsenal would allow gaps to form behind the attacking line which-if possession was conceded-allow the home team to break at pace, due to our tendency to build up attacks slowly, while more and more midfielders/forward players get involved.

While it’s true harking back to the halcyon days of TH14 and the pace he gave us is of little use when our paciest player has only recently started to develop into a goal scorer, there must be an alternative to the tendency by the team to dwell on the ball and persist in attempting to find the ideal pass through a claustrophobic central portion of the final third of the pitch.

Think back to the games at the Theatre of snores and our place last season against the original Manks – again the opposition played with a lone man up front and crowded the midfield, but more importantly they were happy to concede possession in midfield knowing that the tortuous forward progress of Arsenal attacks would not threaten their goal unduly.

Back then it would seem the obvious interpretation to this would be Fergie acknowledging his team couldn’t match our midfield passing, but as I now believe it is more that Fergie didn’t see us as having meaningful or effective possession that would be of material danger to his team’s chances of victory.

So the two teams who have consistently beaten us in recent years have worked out a way to exploit our predictability, however how much of this perceived weakness can be attributed to Wenger’s approach, if any?

While I don’t agree with some who say that Wenger does not place much emphasis on the defensive side of the game I feel there is some truth in Wenger being fallible to the human trait of concentrating on that part of a task that is most interesting to him. It’s this enthusiasm for creative midfielders that are small, nimble and technically gifted that has made the possession game a hallmark of Wenger’s team; however when a strength becomes so overriding it can become a weakness.

So sometimes things are ahead and sometimes they are behind;
Sometimes breathing is hard, sometimes it comes easily;
Sometimes there is strength and sometimes weakness;
Sometimes one is up and sometimes down.
Therefore the sage avoids extremes, excesses, and complacency.
Lao Tzu (c.604 – 531 B.C.)

In my opinion great teams always have a combination of skill and power which allow a flexibility and adaptability to counter differing types of opposition and match conditions.

There is no denying when all parts of the Arsenal passing game combine and/or are allowed to combine by the opposition and/or referees the team is unstoppable however a saying I’m fond of “The bigger the front the bigger the behind” is relevant here.

This means that, for example, the more a person seems to be arrogant and has a lot of “front” the more likely it is they are in reality nervous and lacking in confidence and have the “behind” of self-doubt. With regards to our passing game the more the reliance on that one aspect of our game the more debilitating the effects of not working on our ability to win matches and play the game our way.
The question is firstly has Wenger actually presided over the development of this teams makeup so it is over reliant on a methodical and measured build up to attacks orchestrated by midfielders of a certain type?
If so then why has he done this? I feel perhaps the zeal to create such an identifiable playing style is being given undue importance.

Perhaps a little pragmatism from our no doubt deep-thinking manager would go a long way however having worked in Japan for a number of years in which he gained an appreciation for the oriental way of life and thinking I feel he may figure the solution to the squad balance conundrum out for himself.

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Posted by ChärybdÏß1966

Arsenal Crush Blackpool 6-0 – written by London

August 22, 2010

What a great day, a day that sent me through a whole gamut of emotions, starting with goose bumps when the stadium first came into sight, pride as I saw how the Arsenalisation had progressed (Gazidis, not having the pesky irritant of the transfer market to distract him has obviously been able to focus on this during the summer). We now have photos of all the Arsenal captains, large murals of Cesc, the stands have been renamed; I now sit in the West Stand, we no longer have that dirge of an Elvis song to listen to as the players come out but best of all we have the clock back.

The club tried to turn this into a historical moment by letting fire works off as they announced its return; the fire works were a bit tame but the atmosphere that it created was up there with some of the best I have experienced at the Emirates so much so that I must confess it brought a few man tears to my eyes and if that wasn’t enough emotion for one grown man to cope with the players then took to the field wearing a proper Arsenal kit…..happy days.

It’s hard to imagine a more perfect opposition for our first home game of the season. Blackpool not only failed to park the proverbial bus but they foolishly tried to play football, the result being a six-nil mauling which sent them and their vocal supporters packing back up the motor way, tails between their legs while at the same time sending our confidence into orbit.

Wenger must be delighted; every single player got exactly what he needed from the game whether it be fitness, minutes on the pitch, scoring goals or the boost of confidence that comes from simply doing your job properly.

There were no stragglers in the Arsenal team everyone put in a shift, although, there was one who went beyond the call of duty, beyond what we have come to expect of him: Walcott put in a performance to silence his critics such as me, a performance to make us proud, a performance that easily justifies the award of Man of the Match.

The cynic in me still wants to see him prove that he can shine against more reputable defences before being totally convinced but as the saying goes “you can only beat the team that is put in front of you” and today Theo tormented anyone who went near him, scoring a hat trick along the way and setting up so many chances for others it was hard to keep count, although, three gilt edged gems for Chamakh, which he missed, remain in mind.

Arsenal took to the field in the confident knowledge that they were superior in every department to Blackpool and a comfortable win being the only acceptable outcome. Within minutes of the start slick Wengerball was on display which quickly led to the first goal; some superb inter play between Chamakh, Rosicky and Arshavin who rolled the ball to Theo to side foot home with power, the pressure was off and the teams settled into their expected roles.

Blackpool tried to make a fist of it coming close shortly after when they sent in a high ball to the far post which was met by one of their players who should have brought the score level. I do not expect Blackburn to be so generous next week.

Still, there was a game to be won; well, a game of sorts, as any resemblance to a competitive match was snuffed out when Chamakh was brought down in the box resulting in a penalty and a red card which reduced Blackburn to ten men. Arshavin dispatched it with ease but what gave me the biggest thrill of this goal was that he actually celebrated. I pay good money to watch the games and I want to enjoy the goal scoring experience as much as possible and someone putting their finger on their lips as if to signify silence does not do it for me, I’m a jump in the air kind of guy and I want our players to do the same.

Where was I, ah yes Theo’s second, our third, now this was class, one of my biggest criticisms of Theo is that he cannot operate in tight spaces, well that went out the window when he swivelled to score this gem.

Half time came and beer was dutifully drunk, out came the good guys for the second half and just when it looked like we might have a player to moan about up pops Diaby to half volley a very well taken forth.

Theo shortly after got his third from yet more great interplay and a very cool finish. Five nil up on the first home game of the season and you may ask how much fun can one set of supporters have in an afternoon, a darn sight more is the answer to that as Arsenal prepared to bring on Fabrégas and Van Persie, there was a moment of humour as Blackpool seemed to be doing anything they could to avoid the ball going out of play which would have enabled the change but eventually, of course, it did and on came our two World Cup finalists to a humongous reception.

It was difficult to top this but in an attempt to do so someone came up with the novel idea of scoring a goal from a corner, what I hear you say, Arsenal don’t do that, well they did yesterday, a beautifully flighted ball from Van Persie which was powerfully headed home by Chamakh. This went some way to make up for his earlier misses, although, this wasn’t a day to start pointing fingers but there is no doubt that the goal was an important confidence booster for him.

Six nil and a fine day was had by all. This only leaves one outstanding question: which knickers did Peaches choose to wear to the game? We won didn’t we; the answer is obviously the old lucky ones (clean of course).

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Posted by LB

South Africa 2010 Will Not Be The Send Off OUR Thierry Henry Deserves

June 12, 2010

SCREW YOU BARCELONA! SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW YOU!

Ahhhhhhhh I’ve just wanted to say that for some weeks. What a proper pain in the arse they are – first they buy Overmars, Petit, then Henry, then the ice-cream man and now they want Cesc. Stop trying to be us!!

Cesc should know better than want off to Spain – okay you might win a medal or two but your personal career could slump, just ask Hleb or indeed Thierry Henry.

We are all upset that Titi decided to up ship and move to Barcelona in 2007, he should have been Bergkamp MKII, the guy who ended his career in North London. Henry moved on for a meager amount but honestly you know it and I know it, he was never the same Henry.

Rumours abound that Henry failed his medical at Barcelona but they signed him regardless albeit for a far lower price for a player who had been the best in the world (although never recognized) for the previous couple of seasons. Just as when PV04 left, Wenger knew parts of Henry’s body was broken – we had got his best years.

Never at Barcelona have we really seen the Henry that electrified Highbury, the EPL, Europe, the world. The sad thing is, Henry may well not get the send off he deserves either – his career has seemed to just peter out, fading away to be replaced by memories.

Henry’s problem comes in the way he plays the game. Bergkamp, Cantona, Zidane could all go out on a high because their bodies let them. Their game was based on being five seconds ahead of everyone else – Henry’s is based on GETTING THERE five seconds ahead of everyone else. So while Bergkamp could play the game in his head, Henry had to play it with his body and now his body is broken.

Sadly, Henry knows this better than anyone else. Why else would he feel the need to handle the ball twice against Ireland in the World Cup qualifier? The REAL Henry would have stretched out those never ending legs of his, nipped the ball back into his body and stuck it into the net. But not this time, this time he couldn’t – he had to cheat to help his country.

Now, this isn’t a whine. Yes, I’m still upset that the Rep.Ireland lost out but my anger is not aimed at Henry (though it was at the time) my anger is aimed at the idiot that calls himself the French manager and the muppets at FIFA and UEFA who chose to overlook what Henry did saying they couldn’t challenge the referee’s decision – funny how they felt differently when it came to Eduardo’s “dive” against Celtic isn’t it?

What is most upsetting is not what Henry did, or who he did it against, its most upsetting that he had to do it. Besides, while it was a sly handball we all know only one man can handball in a match and I’m going to leave it to my man Kanye West to say it best:

*NOTE

So now its World Cup time and it could be a ignominious end for the great man. Commentators and critics won’t let him forget the handball. The Captain’s armband has gone to the ever unlikable Patrice Evra while Henry has been dropped to the bench in favour of Nicholas Anelka.

France have a good side, a side capable of beating anyone on their day – but they have a dreadful excuse for a manager who I once heard couldn’t manage his way out of a paper bag. They might get through their group but despite it being easy on paper I’d not be so sure.

Nasri is already sure of a long summer while Diaby, Sagna, Clichy and Gallas could have an extended one too. Its said that Henry is off to New York after the tournament – his sitting on the bench while Jeffran came on against Inter Milan suggests this is true – the death knell to any hopes of a good send-off.

Henry’s career might end quietly but lets make sure its always remembered. Screw the handball and screw Barcelona – lets remember and make sure the world remembers the goals against Manchester United, Spurs and Real Madrid. Lets make sure the world remembers the Henry stare after he scored a goal. Lets makes sure the world remembers that for three seasons he was the best player to grace a football field because from Arsenal fans, that’s the very least Thierry Henry deserves.

*NOTE: If you don’t get the picture check out “VMA, Kanye West, Taylor Swift” on youtube.

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Posted by criochnaithe

Captain Material – sorry, not Cesc any more….

June 9, 2010

I’m a great admirer of Arsène Wenger, but apart from his apparent myopia when it comes to assessing goalkeepers, it has been some of his choices for captain that have perplexed me the most. It’s as if he doesn’t really respect the status of captain. It should be the pinnacle of any player’s career to captain his club. To use the captaincy as a tool to boost a player’s confidence (Almunia) or to help persuade a want-away to stay at the club (TH14) devalues it’s standing.

We’ve had some magnificent captains over the years peaking (in my opinion) with Tony Adams followed by Patrick Vieira, but I’m sure some of our long-standing supporters will tell me I’m wrong.

Here is a list of our captains since the 1960’s, excluding stand-ins when the captain was unable to play.

Terry Neill N. Ireland Defender 1962 – 1967
Frank McLintock Scotland Defender 1967 – 1973
Allan Ball England Midfielder 1973 – 1975
Eddie Kelly Scotland Midfielder 1975 – 1976
Pat Rice N. Ireland Defender 1976 – 1980
John Hollins England Midfielder 1980 – 1981
David O’Leary Eire Defender 1981 – 1983
Graham Rix England Midfielder 1983 – 1986
Kenny Sanson England Defender 1986 – 1988
Tony Adams England Defender 1988 – 2002
Patrick Vieira France Midfielder 2002 – 2005
Thierry Henry France Striker 2005 – 2007
William Gallas France Defender 2007 – 2008
Cesc Fabregas Spain Midfielder 2008 – 2010

Adams and Vieira had it all. They possessed the qualities I expect from an Arsenal captain. They were inspirational leaders, father figures to the younger players, big buggers, onfield enforcers, not afraid to take a red card for the cause. They were world class players who led from the front. When they spoke, the players listened. When they stood opposite their opposing counterpart in the tunnel, you felt confident. They epitomised what a captain should be and unsurprisingly, they held trophies aloft at the end of the season.

Some would say that being British is important but I don’t agree, the majority of the squad are foreign – which British player could captain our side at the moment?

All this brings me to our last 3 captains; taking them in order:

Theirry Henry: Vieira was a tough act to follow. Henry was already the subject of transfer speculation. As a striker he wasn’t best placed for the captain’s role and his increasingly petulent displays towards the end of his time were not the conduct expected from a leader. His performances would often lift the team, but he was not ideal captain material. There weren’t that many other candidates for captain in the side, but I’d probably have given it to Gilberto up until his departure.

William Gallas: He didn’t last very long and we all know why – a quite appalling dereliction of duty. Did it even occur to him while he was sulking on the halfway line that if the ball had rebounded off the post from the penalty, that he should be hovering to make the clearance?  I’m not sure he ever commanded the respect of  all the players, but he would have lost it after that Birmingham game. He should have been stripped of the captaincy immediately, not at the end of the season.

Cesc Fabregas: As with TH14, I believe Arsène used the captaincy to help keep him at Arsenal – and if it gave us a year or two more it would have been worth it. He is a born leader – more by example, but what an example? The burning passion with which he despatched that penalty against Barca was awe inspiring; the way he ran through the entire totnum defence from the halfway line to score, was magnificent;  coming off the bench against Villa with a 25 minute 2 goal cameo to win us the game showed how he could pick up the team by the scruff of the neck and almost singlehandedly turn things around.

Should Cesc remain captain if he stays? In my opinion no. Although I would expect him to give his all for the Arsenal for as long as he wears the shirt, I don’t see how he can command the full respect of the other players when they know his heart is elsewhere. Who would be a worthy recipient? I would give the armband to Vermaelen or van Persie.

If you wish to give your opinion please place your vote in the poll below.

Footnote: all the best to Swiss Phil, had things been different, he could have been a great player for us. Maybe the way his confidence was destroyed by Drogbreath is a lesson on how fragile a young player can be when put into the spotlight too early.

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Posted by Rasp

Could Cesc become a Legend?

June 3, 2010

Posted by andy

This post was written by andy before Barcelona made their offer and Arsenal told them where to shove it .

What makes a legend ?

All this talk of Cesc leaving got me thinking of his standing in comparison to some of his predecessors. Is Cesc a legend ? and what makes a legend ?

I was born in 1972 so my opinion of The Arsenal greatest players probably varies from that of some of the older and some of the younger guys (and girls) on here, but here goes…

I probably really started taking an interest in the team in the mid eighties and can remember Sansom and Anderson but to me then the heroes started to emerge. O’leary as a father figure bringing on the ultimate in Tony Adams.

If I had to name legends to me it would be Adams, O’Leary,  Merse, Rocky, Bergkamp, Pires, Freddie, Bould, Smith, wright, Parlour, Dixon, Vieira, Henry but why ?

Is it just the time that you were at your most interested or is it that they were better than what we have now. My thirteen year old son thinks Cesc is the best thing ever but to me I personally wouldnt put him up there with the greats that I remember. If I think back to the side of the late nineties i’d struggle to fit him in. It may be that as we get older we think of the past greats with far higher esteem than perhaps they deserve and I do remember old guys talking to me as a young man about players of the past who were legends at the time but quite frankly look s**t compared to the players of today.

Maybe its attitude, I’m not great with stats so dont bother to dis-prove me but O’Leary played over 600 games for us, Adams his entire career. Dixon, Winterburn, bould, Seaman over 400 games each.The likes of Bergkamp, Pires. Henry and Llungberg were foreigners who made The Arsenal their club and we made them heroes.

So is it this that makes you a legend or winning trophies?

Do I remember Rocky because he won ‘X’ number of cups? No.  Could I tell you how many winners medals Adams has? No. So is it about being successful?

Is it commitment? Adams = Arsenal, Pires , Bergkamp and Thierry still talk of the Arsenal with absolute love, not for the honours, but for the memories.

In my opinion there is no rule for whether you are a legend or not. It isn’t about success, it isn’t just about time served. I personnally think it’s about belonging. As a fan its about a player looking like he’s fulfilling your dreams (sounds a bit wanky I know but thats the best way i can descriibe it).

If i could have 1 wish it would be to play for The Arsenal (It could never happen coz im crap) but I want to see those there play like its an honour to wear the shirt.

Is Cesc a legend. IMO not yet. But he could be ? Who would be your Arsenal Legend?

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Arsenal Odds On To Win The Title

April 11, 2010

I picked the winner in the Grand National yesterday. It was, I have to say, an informed bet, not my usual pin in the names, red and white riding gear or ‘Red’ in the horses name. I had been casually listening to talk of the race the previous day and heard that Tony McCoy had not won the National in 15 attempts and was riding a horse called ‘Don’t Push It’.

It was a great race especially if you had money on the winner as he was nowhere until about the 4th fence from the end. Conna Castle went out in front pretty early on and was tagged by Black Apalachi and at that point I considered not watching any more as two of my other horses had already fallen. Then I heard his name and that of ‘State of Play’ which I also had a bet on and so watched the remaining few minutes as ‘Don’t Push It’ came storming through to take the race.

It was in fact a very exciting race but it was over in about 12 minutes. My horse came from nowhere to win even though he was one of the favourites. I began thinking about whether its more exciting to be leading a race from the start or to come through the ranks to be the winner.

So far, Arsenal have won the premiership three times under Arsène Wenger – 1998, 2002 and 2004. In 1998 Arsenal went on an unbeaten run of 13 games to take the title from the manks by one point finishing on 78 points. That was exciting.

The 2001-2002 season  was even more exciting as the race appeared to be wide open at the start but in the end we won it comfortably, taking the title from the mancs, winning at Old Trafford in the penultimate game to be crowned Champions with 7 points spare.

In 2003 we had a pretty cool team and our manager had set down the unlikely marker of going unbeaten for the whole season the year before. This team were magic, they oozed class, they were wonderful to watch – everyone said so and we all basked in their glory. The nouveau riche chavs were our main competition as they now had a sugar-daddy who’d given them £100m to spend on players but we went unbeaten and in May 2004 were champions with 90 points from the chavs 79.

There were seasons in between where we came close but had thrown away large leads early on to end up runners-up. Do we remember those? No, we don’t even want to think about them. How much more exciting is it as a supporter to be in it at the end? This time last year although we were in the semi-finals of the champions league we were out of the title race. Come April I’d much rather be in with a shout for the premiership, how do you feel about it?

So here we stand with 5 games to go, five season defining games. There’s no margin for error now, we just have to crack on and show the kind of determination that Bendtner did when heading home the winner against Wolves last Saturday and power our way through the pack just like my horse did yesterday.

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Posted by peachesgÖÖner

Something About Henry

April 6, 2010

As The Arsenal’s pending trip to Camp Nou draws closer, let us spare a thought for the largely unsung heroes, The Away Fans, always outnumbered, but never out gunned. Week in, week out, they follow their beloved team around Blighty & Europe, always providing that little piece of home for the players and management when away on their various crusades.

On Tuesday April 6th 2010, a few thousand Gooners will set up their battle standards in a small pocket of enemy territory, somewhere in Catalonia, and with this, I cannot help but draw upon another famous date in English history, Friday 25 October 1415 The Battle of Agincourt.

For those who are not familiar with the Battle of Agincourt, it was a major English victory against a larger French army during the Hundred Years’ War. The battle occurred in northern France. The victory brought France to its knees.

The battle is notable for the use of the English longbow, which Henry employed in very large numbers, with English and Welsh longbowmen forming the vast majority of his army. The French army numbered some 50,000, whereas the English and Welsh amounted to only 8 to 10,000.

One English account describes the day before the battle as a day of remorse in which the English soldiers cleansed themselves of their sins to avoid Hell if they died. By contrast, the French were confident that they would prevail and were eager to fight. The French believed they would triumph over the English not only because their force was larger, fresher and better equipped, but also because the large number of noble men-at-arms would have considered themselves superior to the assembled commoners (such as the longbowmen) in the English army.

The French suffered heavily.

Fast forward some 595 years. Barcelona, although they won’t admit it publicly yet, believe they will triumph over The Arsenal not only because they are a bigger club and their players are better equipped to play total football, but also because they think La Liga  is superior to the Premier League.

So, I say, bring it on Barcelona. History proves that a Champion Team will beat a team of champions. And for those few thousand Glorious Gooners who stand proud at the final whistle, may we salute your conquest as we would have the long bowmen all those years ago. Give’em the old V sign, complimented by a nice big raspberry.

But may we also give praise to the name Henry, even though this time round  he will be on the losing side.

Regards GG9

Footnote: The French claimed that they would cut off the arrow-shooting fingers of all the English longbowmen after they had won the battle at Agincourt. But of course, the English came out victorious and showed off their two fingers, still intact.

I wrote this piece prior to the Brum draw, & things have changed since, especially with respect to personnel. With respect to this, may I add the line made famous by Winnie the Pooh (Churchill)

“Never was so much owed by so many to so few”

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