THE London Derby Is Here Again
Oct 28th, 2008 by 'holic
It’s one of my favourite weeks of any season. The build up to the visit of the neighbours always gets the pulse racing, and circumstances have conspired to make this contest one of the most keenly anticipated in recent years, by both sets of supporters.
Like so many other big games this fixture doesn’t quite generate the ‘edge’, or the atmosphere, it once did. The age of all-seater stadia with restricted access to visiting supporters has definitely dulled the derby day experience. Still though this contest, and the clash with Manchester United which follows in ten days time, are the games that get the Grove crowd as animated as they are ever likely to be.
With all due respect to the nouveau riche at the Bridge and the other clubs in the capital this is the London derby, and the one where the enmity between the competing clubs is known worldwide.
Younger supporters today are astonished when I talk of the days when these games were not even all-ticket. 1971 at the Lane aside, nobody would be locked out either. Many was the time you heard the attendance given out as fifty or sixty thousand, knowing full well at least another ten thousand had gone over or around the turnstile after bunging the operator a few coins of the realm!
This particular game now has an added impetus that would not have been expected before the weekend. Tottenham’s expensively assembled squad was stumbling around the Premiership basement like a blind man in diving boots. The shock appointment of former Arsenal fan Harry Redknapp seems to have given them an immediate lift.
Arsenal have yet to face the big challenges this season, but already costly defeats to Fulham and Hull have made the need for three points absolutely vital. What side will be sent out? I don’t know, is the answer. It shouldn’t matter.
“Denilson is back in the group after a little inflammation in the back,” said Arsene Wenger at the pre-match press conference. “Sagna was back in the group at West Ham and Kolo is back too but you will have to wait and see the selection tomorrow night.”
The head is trying desperately to say all those sensible things about throwing the form book out of the window on derby day. Sorry, but the heart is winning this one. They may be attempting to double their longest winning run of the season, but the only way this poor Spurs side can get anything out of this game is if we have an absolute howler. It mustn’t happen, and I’m sure that will be drilled into those in red.
Needless to say the ‘holic pound will be placed on a home win. They haven’t beaten us in the League this century and it isn’t going to happen now. I’m going for 3-1 and we may even have to gift them the one. I can’t wait to get there. Come on you reds!
18 Responses to “THE London Derby Is Here Again”
With you all the way there mate! 3-1 to the Gooners!
5 Nil for me!!!! Its all the spuds deserve!
i am going for 3-0.i will pray God for a beatiful win not just a win bat classi win.go red & white army(not only red they are liverpool mate lol)
Would love if vela came and scored!!!
giovanni will cry!!!!!!!!!
4 – 0 for me.
Go Gunners Go!!!!!!!!!
A Spurs fan is walking along the beach when he sees an old lamp bobbing
about in the surf.
He picks it up and is just starting to clean it when – would you Adam and
Eve it – suddenly a Genie appears before him
“I am the Genie of the lamp and you have released me” says the Genie. “I
can now grant you 3 wishes, but be careful, as you are a Spurs fan and
therefore not entitled to any good fortune whatsoever, anything you wish
for will also be given to all the Arsenal fans in the world” (that’s
right, both of them!).
“Oh right” says the Spurs fan, “I don’t suppose you had anything to do
with that West Ham game the other year when all our players were struck
down with a convenient one-day virus on the last day of the season just in
time for Arsenal to leap-frog us into a Champions League spot?”
“I couldn’t possibly comment” says the Genie “anyway that’s got nothing to
do with this joke so get on with it and make your 3 wishes”
“Ok, ok” says the typically exceptionally good looking Tottenham fan.
“My first wish is that I have a wallet that has always got money in it”.
Then with a whoosh and a flash of lights a wallet appears in the Spurs
fan’s hand.
He opens it and it’s full of brand new twenties and fifties. He takes one
out and amazingly another one replaces it.
“That’s ace” says the fan of the 12th richest club in Europe.
“Ah yes said the Genie but now all the supporters of Arsenal in the world
have the same magic wallet.”
“Right what’s your next wish says the Genie”
“Ok then, I wish I had a brand new Ferrari” says the Spurs fan.
Sure enough a gleaming red Testarossa appears in front of his very eyes.
“Wow that’s fantastic” says our ardent supporter of the football club with
the 4th biggest fan base in the country (Deloittes 2006).
“Yes but remember – every filthy Gooner out there now has 2 Ferraris”.
“Surely that will affect the re-sale value of Ferraris worldwide and
ultimately the share price of Fiat with a possible knock-on effect across
the car industry in general?” says our typically astute supporter of the
2nd most profitable club in the country.
“Now you’re just being stupid” says the Genie “Hurry up and get to the
punch-line”
“What’s your next wish – and careful because every Woolwich Gypsie on the
planet will get double”
“Right then – I have got all the money I need and a fantastic car, which I
could have bought anyway but that’s beside the point. I think I would
like to give something back now: I’ve always wanted to donate a kidney!”
Boom Boom!!
Hmmmm… I’ll settle for a 2-0 to the Arsenal, and a packet of those Pork Scratchings… And a pint of Theakstons Strange.
3-0 Goons, Adebayor will score 2, Toure will score a nedder from a corner, I can see it now. I’ll have a JD on the rocks and a Pabst Blue Ribbon
Ive been waiting for this one since the Carling Cup semifinal.
6-0. Humiliate them.
PLZ let persie start! i want him to kill tott’ham
Totts will be up for this, don’t get complacent, 2-1 to the Arse.
How do ‘holic. Good blog as always, can’t wait till later… Will have a glass of red please. Come on you Gunners!
Hey, see you this aftie, my man.
Heart says 6-1 (to excise the ghost of the carling cup last year). Head say 3-0. We’re at home, we’re a better side and will prove too strong.
From what I’m reading, our lads in red are seriously up for tonights game and are more fuelled by the shambolic defeat of last years game than they could be bothered about who is Sp*rs most recent new recruit managing the side!!
C’MON YOU GUNNERS!!!!!!!!
5 – 0 to the arsenal
COME ON!!!! Let’s batter the Scum! I can’t wait for this.
Clichy slipping was the turning point. It cold have happened to anyone. You could feel the panic running through the crowd over the airwaves. If there were not 4 minutes of stoppage time we’d have won. Where those minutes came from though I have no idea.
What a mong fest over on the Arseblog arses though. You’d think the Spuds had just won the league at our ground.
Just got back from the game. Really really hacked off. I mean seriously fucking hacked off. Not going to let my emotions run riot but ask yourselves this question. If Flamini or Gilberto had been in that side at the end do you think we would have conceded 2 goals in the last 5 minutes? I know what I think…………..
Really not looking forward to work in the morning.
FUCK IT!!!
i dunno what to say!!!!
FUCK!!!!!