Travelling Gooners To Enjoy A Day Out East
Oct 24th, 2009 by 'holic
I’m on my fourth pint of Badger Fursty Ferret, so I may just be even more bullish than usual in this preview of our trip to Upton Park. Not that there aren’t very good reasons for approaching the game with a fair degree of confidence, you understand.
I have to say I wish I was going, and that is something I didn’t think I would be saying thirty years ago. The trip east back in the seventies was a daunting prospect, and despite trying all four sides of the Boleyn I never found any spot where I actually felt comfortable. How times have changed.
A noisy Arsenal following should, on the face of it, enjoy a victory against a West Ham side struggling financially and stuck firmly in the relegation zone. The happy Hammers have only one home point this season, taken from Fulham, and their only victory came at Wolverhampton on the opening day of the season.
Now this has never been an easy game for Arsenal. The Irons will undoubtedly be motivated for a derby game, and we have suffered a couple of unexpected reverses on home soil in recent years, but Gianfranco Zola doesn’t have the options available to his predecessors in all honesty.
Having said that the hosts apparently have a clean bill of health to report whilst the Gunners will again be missing Denilson, Theo Walcott, Johan Djourou, Tomas Rosicky, probably Samir Nasri, and possibly Nicklas Bendtner. With all due respect that still leaves a very strong starting line-up for the side who will be looking to relieve the neighbours of third place just a week before that little club up the road comes visiting.
Assuming we have shaken off the degree of lethargy that cost us a late equaliser in Holland I expect this confident and free-flowing side to win, and win well. 3-0 is the ‘holic prediction, and the 10/1 offered by William Hill will ensure I take a little stroll to the local shops at lunchtime. As a back-up I’m also tempted by the 13/2 on offer at Paddy Power for Andrei Arshavin to score two or more goals.
To those who are going tomorrow I can only say soak it all up and enjoy the day in a way we couldn’t when I first started going there. The travelling support has been truly awesome this season and are worth a goal start, I’m sure. To those left hunting the web it seems to have been a good weekend for streams thus far. I particularly enjoyed watching Stoke winning away from home this afternoon, not that it ever looked in any doubt!
Enjoy the rest of the weekend ‘holics. Now, where is that fifth bottle?
15 Responses to “Travelling Gooners To Enjoy A Day Out East”
“Having said that the hosts apparently have a clean bill of health to report whilst the Gunners will again be missing Denilson, Theo Walcott, Johan Djourou, Tomas Rosicky, probably Samir Nasri, and possibly Nicklas Bendtner. ”
So missing our key striker Dean Ashton, midfielder Scott Parker, Welsh international regular Danny Gabbidon, The forever injured Kieron Dyer, Collison is a possible absnetee, Behrami et al is a clean bill of health!!!!!!!!!! erm, we have far more injury problems than you do as we don’t have the depth of squad a club as rich as you do so don’t give me the oh dear we’ve a few players missing when infact we have far more KEY players missing than you ever will.
Shows how many beers you’ve had idiot.
If you actually read the football news cOL you would have noticed Scott Parker is back. Oh yeh and Dyer and Gabbidon took part in training so they’ll probably play aswell. so you do have a clean bill of health
Just a glass of the Bordeaux of your choice tonight, ‘holic.
Thanks.
Sorry fella, I made the mistake of going to the West Ham website and reading “Team news
• Gianfranco Zola has virtually a clean bill of health for his squad ahead of the game with Kieron Dyer and Danny Gabbidon both taking a full part in training.”
I stand corrected. Mind, if those you have listed are key players you really are in the shit, aren’t you? 😉
Just ignore the wee tyke, lads.
I’m confident myself, but having just got out of my insecure pubescant stage at age 22, confidence leaves me double-doubting myself. Sure, we’re full of bravado now? But what if 5 of our players get banjaxed tonight? What if we concede 4 goals? What if Arsene Wenger gets a sniffle? WE COULD BE LOOKING AT A DUMB DRAW HERE, AAAAH.
Anyways. 3-0 will make me happy. A tawny port please, ‘holic.
WIN WIN WIN!!! Arsenal comfortably and a Liverpool win or draw would be a good weekend!
The Bordeaux of my choice tonight Ollie would be the ones that beat Le Mans 3-0 with Chamakh scoring again.
What?
Oh!
Glass of Bacchus tonight, feeling very nippy…
1-3 tomorrow, and on we go!
Fursty Ferret???? Might join you in a couple of those. Probably the only decent brew Badger actually do.
A good solid performance required tomorrow. No excuses. Chance again to show how far we have come. I do fancy a good victory and hopefully by 3. No doubt Vito will start again. He seems to grow game by game.
Now what have you done with all that Ferret????? Oh well, may just have to return to the 6X again.
Keep the faith.
I love it here. Come on you Gooners!
1-3 to the Gunners. Arshavin and RvP on the scoresheet. Maybe even Cesc to add to his tally so far.
No overlooking the threat from the opposition but we will prove too strong.
Had too many beers so far tonight so just a lemonade for me please ‘holic.
Sunday morning? Only just… good job the clocks went back.
I’ll have a pint of lunchtime ale please ‘holic. What are the guest ales?
There may be a drop of the Ferret left and some Tanglefoot too. Becks is available as a light alternative, and I appear to be well stocked with Guinness as per usual!
After that disinterested second half I’ll have all of them… In the same glass!
If Wenger ever learns to use substitutions correctly, I’ll quit drinking. Seriously, we looked so uninterested in the second half, why not bring on someone BEFORE they score two and try and bring us back up a bit? For example, you’d think Ramsey would relish the situation to give the manager a bit more to think about.