London Calling

Maybe this column should have been called ‘Bloody Refs’…

I used to work with one (he was a ref in the lower divisions) a few years back. He was a great bloke – until it got to talking about football where he didn’t have a clue. We all used to talk on a Monday about what we’d seen live and on MotD and to be honest some of his opinions were mind boggling, bordering on absolute madness.

Anyway, drove down for the Thun game a couple of hours earlier than normal so I could meet up with an old friend I don’t see enough of for a while. I was parked up near Highbury by three and since we weren’t meeting ‘til four I though I’d take a quick stroll around the ground. It’s always a weird sight seeing a football stadium without crowds around it but even at that early hour there were people setting up stalls! A quick jaunt up the Piccadilly line from Arsenal to Wood Green and had a nice (and early!) meal at a place near there before doing the reverse in time to be at The 12 Pins by 7. For a pre match orange juice! Damn driving.

Despite my personal lack of alcohol there was a good atmosphere around and people were happy enough. It was a warm evening and it was only Thun. Predictions of 1-1 and 2-2 were made more in jest than anything, and whilst not expecting a spanking I’d say most people were expecting a reasonable comfortable victory.

(A stroll up to the ground involved walking past the biggest afro I’ve ever seen! The guy was combing it up and he could of done with longer arms – it was immense!)

It appears that the continuing security measures caused some disruption at The Clock End with some people not getting in until 10 minutes after kick off. Looking down from my seat there were certainly still people coming onto the North Bank but to be honest I got in fine about 20 minutes before kick off.

(I’ve tried not to comment on the ongoing security worries other than the direct impact it’s had on me because quite frankly, although I have my opinions (as does everyone else) I’m not a political ‘writer’ and that’s not why you chose to read this column. However, fans are going to get used to the fact that for the immediate future at least they’ll not be able to stroll in at the last moment. Unfortunate, but necessary.)

Back to football. Back to refs. There’s nothing like a diabolically unjustified red card to add to the atmosphere, and as you know we got that. You can’t help but feel sorry for Robin. A free kick, and possibly a booking, but the red was just plain daft (mind you I couldn’t agree with the constant booing of the player he ‘caught’ – that was just wrong). If I felt referees were equally incompetent in favour of each team then I wouldn’t mind, but when your player gets that and then one of their players blatantly elbows your midfielder (right in front of the lino) and nothing happens… Also, have you ever noticed how when an opposition player runs into our defender we concede a free kick, but the other way round our guy’s told to get up?

Having got that bitching out of the way all credit to Thun. They came with a game plan and stuck to it assiduously. Even us going down to 10 men didn’t make them more adventurous and it took a young supersub centre forward called Denis Bergkamp to force the winner home and lift the roof off Highbury. There’s nothing like a last minute winner in football. Absolutely nothing at all. I’ve heard some people saying he fouled their player in the build up – I prefer to say he used his strength. The important thing was the goal. I was talking last week about how if we’d scraped an equaliser against ‘Boro it could have been one of those moments that kicks a season into gear – well maybe we had that moment against Thun…

After the game it was all smiley smiley around the ground. Forget that we’d ‘only’ won 2-1, this was the smiley smiley of fans who’s seen 10 men get a deserved last minute equaliser. Credit to the Thun fans as well, they’re weren’t that many of them but they were friendly and up for a laugh.

Also, credit to Gilberto Silva. As someone who got loads of stick for doing an article about why he was so important to our team long before he was injured it does amuse me how popular he’s become (there was a chant going round pre-season, the gist of which was ‘We thought that he was crap, until he broke his back). Against Thun he was outstanding, he really stepped up and took control of midfield and was spraying the ball around. It has been noticeable this year that he’s accepted the role of senior player in the centre and is revelling in it. And he’s signed a new contract. Here’s to more of his mandolin music at Arsenal for years to come.

The reservation centre is in there somewhere!

And so to Monday, and Everton. I was staying down for a couple of days and (rather handily) I had an appointment at 5pm. No ordinary appointment either – I was choosing my seat for Ashburton Grove! Half an hour in a nondescript building a couple of miles away and my seat was booked in the centre of the seventh row of the upper tier at the North end of the ground. Paid the deposit of £100 and away we went. Actually, when I say ‘paid the deposit’ I should say ‘my brother paid the deposit’ as for once I actually got him to pay for something and me owe him! The only worrying thing was apparently the rest of my life is going to be spent watching Arsenal from block 101… hope that’s not significant.

Got My Seat ...

So, receipt in hand we trotted of to Highbury. Everton are on a dire run at the moment and after the 7-0 last term people were joking of 8’s and 9’s. On a personal note I was gutted we didn’t get eight last time they came. That’s the fifth time I’ve seen Arsenal score seven in the flesh – please get an eight lads!

Things were looking up before the game. A free t-shirt from the o2 ‘angels’ (well it says they’re angels on their shirts and they’ve got wings!) and the Arsenal credit card people had new hats. I was a quite sedate Jack Jones (ooh I’m such a militant) but I did think my brother was pushing it saying he was Charlie Corolli!

Now if there’s one thing that rates as low with me as refs it’s a Neville. I’m not Nevillist – I’ll hate all of them on principle, even the sister who I believe was a netball international. I suppose we should have pity on a gene pool with so little imagination they thought Neville Neville was a good name for their father, but I don’t. Scum.

It was never going to be a classic with Everton playing the patented anti-Arsenal

8-1-1 formation, but maybe the Thun winner did have an effect because there was a buzz about the players, especially Jose who’s been devastating recently. It’s come out recently that his (now ex) partner had a miscarriage last Christmas which would more than explain his drop in form. There was also the hoax call from the Spanish radio station for him to deal with – especially the distortion by the press over here. I know things get lost in translation but having heard the original tape in Spanish they must have got a German to translate it because virtually every answer was twisted to suit the story. ‘I’ve always wanted to play for Madrid’ he apparently said. I heard it as ‘Every child in Spain grows up dreaming of playing for a club like Madrid’. You get the idea – bottom line is he never slagged Arsenal or said he wanted to leave.

The goals possibly could be a sign of a shift in belief by Arsene. On top of the two from free kicks we could have got a couple more the same way, and coupled with the amount of shots from outside the box against Thun maybe Arsene has decided it’s time to start winning ugly.

Neville put Pires out of the game and set out on his regular mission to cripple Jose. That boys legs must be black and blue after every game (he was THE most fouled player in Spain) but I adore the way he gets hit and gets up again. Having said that I think every Arsenal fan enjoyed him getting Neville back, even if he got a card for it. In my opinion refs have to start clamping down on persistent foulers because there seem to be far more bookings for retribution than the actual fouls.

But the thing that really annoyed me was Everton’s total unwillingness to play football. Neville apart they weren’t particularly dirty, but even at two down they were still defending with eight! There were quite a few times when Arsenal attacks were met by a keeper and nine defenders INSIDE the box. I can understand why teams come to Highbury to defend and try and nick a draw but I can’t remember a team so refusing to attack when they were two down. Sad.

Finally, I’m going to make a request. Have any of you got any old sports kit (particularly football) lurking unloved at the back of a cupboard? If you have would you consider parting with it? An Arsenal fan in Argentina has appealed for any spare kits to be sent to her for the local kids who live in absolute abject poverty. Any kit, any size, so long as it’s in reasonable condition. If you have something please send it direct to: Jude O’Hara, Rodriguez Pena 1057 Depto 8a, Capital Federal, Buenos Aires, Argentina 1425. And you could always put a couple of packets of sweets in…

Come on you red(currant)s!