Gooner Corner

[Guest]

The Away fans entered on the opposite side to the Arsenal shop,i am suprised you did not see them on the train afterwards.

Sometimes they keep the away fans back if they think theres going to be trouble,but Liverpool is not a problem,they would be free to leave anytime.

If you stayed a while after the game,which i am sure you did,as you saw the huddle,its likely as we had a two goal lead, they had all gone by the time you left.

Have you worn that video out yet?

I am off to Los tomorrow,so will miss a few games,at least i should be just getting in when Champions league kicks off,last time they lost the Sat link,i stayed up waiting for it to come back on,untill 4 am,,,grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[Steve]

CBK, I know they enter at a different gate, I was wondering why I didn't see any of them as I was walking outside the stadium before the game.

 

The old firm derby is a religious derby. Sectarianism is what I think you guys refer to it.

 

Man City 0 - Arsenal 1

 

Not the best performance by Arsenal but enough to secure the 3 points which, in the end is the most important thing. 'Citeh' came to play. I guess they were bouyed by recent good results and gave it a try. They certainly challenged every ball and committed a fair number of fouls. As I watched Anelka I couldn't help but wonder how good we could have been from about 2000-2001 if he had stayed and we partnered him with Henry, if it could have happened. He turned Toure` a few times and gave him all he could handle all day. If I had to pick a man of the match it would be Ash Cole. Not just because he scored, but because he was one of our few threats going forward and he did fairly well defensively. Shaun Wright-Phillips was dangerous all day and got the best of Cole a couple times but all in all Ash did as good a job as one could expect. A few changes on the day. Pires and Silva were hurt so Reyes moved to left wing, Bergkamp up front with Henry and Edu partnered in the middle with Paddy. Sol made his return back to the starting XI.

Edu didn't look good. Its his first full game so I will chalk this one up to his getting back into the swing of things and if he gets a run of games he'll be fine I think. Bergkamp was quiet all game. Henry had chances and seemed on the verge of scoring a few times. Reyes, surprisingly seemed like he dipped in form. Maybe its playing wide left instead of being up front or what, but he never seemed to be up to the same dangerous player he has been so far this season. Errant passes were the norm all day. Either too short, or too long or passed to a player who could not comfortable field it because a Man City player was there to challenge. I am hoping the upcoming trip to Norway for the CL game is what our minds were on (will we have trouble with Rosenbourg, Check_Bin_Krup?). Still, I don't want to be unfair to Man City, they played with a belief that they could leave with points. Lehman played well and I was just happy he kept his cool after being fouled incessently by Citeh. Opposing players are hoping he'll lose his cool like last season but so far it seems like Lens has learned his lesson. In the bundesliga, the keeper is sacrosanct and no one fouls them. Its rougher in the EPL and Lens knows the league will not adapt to him, he has to adapt to the league. He's on a club that is challenging for Euro honors so he has to make sacrifices.

 

'Boro 0 - Chelsea 1

Chelsea needed a late 2nd half goal by Drogba to get all 3 points. I was very disappointed in Viduka. The fat ass (arse to you guys) aussie wanker as he's known around the league didn't do anything. MacClaren should have yanked him earlier and put Job up front. 'Boro had good buildups at times but no final ball. Lots of time they hoofed it long to JFH hoping something would happen.

 

Scum 0 - Man Utd 1

At least the scum didn't completely bend over and grab their ankles and tell Man Utd to 'have at it boys' as they normally do (which I still think they lose to annually just to piss us off :: ). Man Utd got a penalty and I am biased so I won't say it was. He pulled on John O'Shite's shirt in the box but I really don't think O'Shite would have been able to score and I was hoping the linesman would have told the referee that, who was a PL rookie referee I think. Still, the scum didn't give up and had a couple late 2nd half chances and made it hard for the mancs. On a side note, I saw a cute girl in a Tottenham shirt at the pub and went up to her at half time and said 'Can you get a draw for us today?' She replied 'I'm hoping so' in an American accent and I asked how an American girl came to like the scum...er..ahh..I mean Tottenham.. and she said she lived in London for some time and was taken to a game. She asked who I supported and I pointed to the emblem on my baseball cap and she said 'Arsenal!! Yuck!!!'. I told her my story and how I came to support them and she said 'Well, your club picked you, I supposed if I was brought to an Arsenal game I may have ended up supporting them but I'm a Spurs fan forever'. Question, can a mix marriage work? Tottenham girl, Arsenal guy? She's cute. I have a fantasy of bending her over and saying Up The Arsenal!!! ::

[Saiphon]

There are religious undertones (Catholic v Protestant) in other derby matches as well as the Old Firm Glasgow ones - just not as intense or as pronounced, and definitely on the wane in England these days thank goodness.eg

 

Man Utd v Man City

Liverpool V Everton

Sheffield Wednesday v Sheffield United

 

Back in the sixties when I was at Uni, it was a standing joke amongst my Man U friends that Matt Busby phoned the Pope before making final team selection!! The club has also had a long-standing good relationship with Celtic.

 

By the way I don't understand your comment on the penalty in the Spurs v Man Utd game. You don't have to be in a scoring position for it to be a penalty if you are fouled. I know some commentators erroneously interpret things that way, but it's not correct. I can remember a game when a penalty was given for a foul when the ball was in the other penalty area. That ref must have had eyes in the back of his head!!

[check_bin_krap]

To the grounds I have travelled to, I always sit in the home section. I call and book tickets. Its hard to get a ticket on LU's away allocation from where I live. I would NEVER do what you did Steve, risk a trip upon getting ticket from some vague promise. I have used a ticket agency though, it all depends upon who we play.

 

I see supporters of both teams outside grounds, don't know about Highbury though. Trouble I experienced in my youth, was when wearing colours. Outside ground and in city. I don't think football is important enough to risk my health, so I have dropped that in my old age.

 

In Leeds I enjoy a pint or 2, with people from Leeds mailing list. Its been some time since I went, having my family in Viet Nam does eat into finances...

 

Cheers!

[check_bin_krap]

Saiphon, that undertone was news to me. I know Man.U. has good links to Ireland also. Interesting. In Leeds there is only 1 team, I guess thats why I have not caught up on such stuff.

 

Cheers!

[naughtyboy]

With so many foreign players now playing for Celtic/Rangers at least on the field there is much less historical baggage. There is no doubt however that both clubs have many fanatics of the wrong sort in their support.

Definite penalty yesterday for Man Utd. Another example of the stupidity of defenders. Anything that helps to discourage this jersey pulling is to be applauded. I cannot help feeling however, if a Utd defender committed this offence at Old Trafford, there would be no penalty.

[Steve]

Saiphon said:

 

By the way I don't understand your comment on the penalty in the Spurs v Man Utd game.

 

If you read my post about it I said this:

 

"Man Utd got a penalty and I am biased so I won't say it was"

 

The defender could have had a bat and struck him with it and I would have said it wasn't a penalty ::

[Fiery Jack]

When I go to Highbury, I always wear my ancient Arsenal scarf, but to away games I do not. I was nearly beaten up in the 1970s by a bunch of Leeds fans outside Elland Road.

 

It was during the Brady-Stapleton-Rix-Macdonald period, and Arsenal were spectacular that day and won 5-1. We were 4-0 up at half time, I think. The Leeds fans were streaming out of the ground in disgust after about half an hour and teaming up outside the section that we Arsenal fans were in, chanting merrily about how we were going to get our heads kicked in when we came out.

 

I had my Arsenal scarf on that day, but, when the game ended, I stuck it inside my jacket out of sight. :: We left the ground and the Gooners who were on buses and/or heading for the train station were all shepherded off en masse by the fuzz whilst the assembled Leeds yobs hurled rocks at them. I'd come from Stoke on my motorbike, so I headed off alone to collect it from the car park of a nearby pub.

 

I was nearing the boozer when a group of 7 or 8 large, tattooed, very pissed off and very pissed-looking Leeds louts approached me at an intersection. There was a fat slag of a bird with them :hubba: and she was pointing at me, saying "That cunt was standing with the Arsenal fans, I saw him in there. He's a fucking Arsenal fan...". Oh shit :: I thought, here we go. One of the louts got right in my face and started accusing me of being an Arsenal fan and how would I like a good kicking etc.. Luckily, I have a clearly Northern acent, and know Leeds city centre very well. I put on my broadest Yorkshire brogue and told him, don't be fucking stupid pal, she's mistaken, I live in Leeds, and I named a few local areas and pubs. This seemed to satisfy him that I wasn't a "Southern cunt", so he simply staggered manfully back to the fat bird who'd (correctly ) tagged me as a Gooner and gave her a good slap and mouthful of random abuse for being a "silly stupid ugly bitch".

 

Friendliest away fans/grounds I've been to are Nottingham Forest and Newcastle. I've been to Middlesboro (Ayresome Park and the Riverside ) a few times and never had any trouble, very friendly too, even when they knew I was supporting Arsenal. Leeds, during the late 70s, was a nightmare though ? all the dart throwing and fights before the match etc. My mate Jimmy got hit in the forehead by a sharpened 10 pence coin at an Elland road evening match and still bears the scar today: could've taken his eye out.

 

The Stoke fans are very friendly too, of course.

 

jack

[Steve]

A 'genuine' Man Utd supporter at the pub (he grew up within a stones throw of OT) told me of a time he almost got a beating but being military saved him. It was during the Falkans War and he was on leave and caught a West Ham v. Man Utd game. On the tube to Kings Cross he was stopped by a bunch of cockneys and asked a question. Knowing they'd recognise his Manchester accent, he said nothing. The guys asked him again and said 'don't worry, you're military mate, you're sorted'. He said 'Look, I have to report by 6pm I don't want any gyver' (not sure what that is but I didn't want to ask, anyone know? I assume it means trouble). One guy said, 'He's a manc monkey' But the leader said, he's military, I gave him me word and he ended up being bought a drink at a pub and told to give the Argies a kick in the arse for 'muvver England' and sent on his way. He said he almost felt badly for all the times in the past he had beaten up some of those 'nancy, soft Londoners' when they came north..hahaha..

[Steve]

Match not televised so I couldn't see it (only highlights). Match reports and Wenger's comments seem to suggest we still have a mental block. Freddie seemed to have played well. Edu was off from all reports. Reyes had one of his worst game of this season. A point is a point though. It seems we should have brought on van Persie earlier and probably Cesc for Edu for a 2nd goal. Some times veterans have a mental block about the competition. It appears ours has over the last couple years trying to replicate our domestic form on the continent. Players like Cesc, van Persie and Rooney and Man Yoo's (i mean that in a good way) to know they are supposed to be awed by the whole thing. That's why I think its not too crazy to make them a late subsitution. Maybe even at half time or at least after an hour in a game like this.

 

I just hope our malaise doesn't show against Charlton. We typically lack form after CL games and this is a derby. 3 points any way we can get it would be very welcome.