I’ve Passed This Way Before – Jimmy Ruffin
Dec 15th, 2016 by 'holic
Too early for a preview, but I can’t take three nights off this side of a Christmas when I may well be conspicuous by my absence. I ask mates for their suggestions for a post. The creative juices were clearly flowing. Picture this strapping Welsh lad suggest in that oh so lovely brogue “Try a romantic comedy Dave”. Then they all pile in.
“Arsene & Koeman”
“There’s something about Ronald”
“Mustafi gone – the organisation went to rat shit”. No wait. I think that last one was a genuine comment on the match. The first defeat in Premier or Champions League since the opening day of the season was compounded by good results for all the teams we would rather have clipped our heels as we fell and tumbled over too.
Again in the era of social media it is easy to get dragged into a world that seems full of people who will suck the life from your soul. Instead I follow just a handful who I know have the club in their heart. Actually if I think about it there were matches in the pre-internet era that might have generated similar endless circular debates, and I would have understood completely.
They roll around in this cursed memory of mine, one which forgets the names of people I met yesterday but can still picture Jim Furnell getting manhandled by Jack Charlton to allow Terry Cooper a free crack at the volley that decided our first Wembley Final in my lifetime. I think people would have understood that one a little better. Leeds under Revie were a coming power and mixed silk and steel to intimidate teams before beating them.
A year later 60’s Twitter would have been an awful place to inhabit after we were beaten at Wembley by a Third Division club. Ian Ure’s Arsenal career went south that day. The boo-boys needed a scapegoat. Never mind that a bug had raged through the squad in the week leading up to a match, that went to extra-time, on a quagmire of a pitch ruined by the Horse of the Year show. They were ‘excuses’. URE OUT!
Fast forward to September 1970. The Gunners, fresh from winning their first trophy in seventeen years, were making a serious challenge to Leeds for the title. In the first dozen matches the only defeat came in a bad-tempered affair, on and off the pitch, at the bus stop in Fulham. Manchester United had been thrashed 4-0, and Tottenham 2-0 with a Geordie Armstrong brace.
In the week before a trip to the old Victoria Ground in Stoke we had toasted West Brom 6-2 and successfully cleared the first hurdle of our defence of the European Fairs Cup against a powerful Lazio team. This was when relations with the Potters weren’t as bad as they are today. Tony Waddington had put together a promising blend of youngsters and more experienced campaigners, like our very own George Eastham.
Stoke’s centre-forward, the battle-hardened John Ritchie, thumped in a header, then added an impressive solo effort as Stoke built up a head of steam in the first-half. 2-0 wouldn’t last, surely, we thought. It didn’t. Terry Conroy, a ginger haired Paddy (who’d a thought it!) smashed in a third which won the MotD goal of the month award. We were being run ragged. A young Jimmy Greenhoff, who would go on to star for Manchester United made it four. The disaster was complete when Alan Bloor, a central defender, thumped a Bob Wilson parry into the net.
Can you imagine how low people were on the specials back south that day? Those survivors of that double-winning team will tell you that we won the title as a result of that day. On the Monday the players locked themselves in the Highbury equivalent of Anfield’s famous boot room. Every player was given his say, and many home truths were aired, digested, and put right in the coming weeks and months. Frank Mclintock had pulled off a masterstroke that day, but there were no selfies of the event, no Snapchat videos to becalm (or indeed further enrage) seething supporters. We saw the effects unveil themselves slowly but surely.
So let’s pray that we see the same determined, sustained reaction to Tuesday night in the coming weeks and months. Starting, preferably, at the Emptihad on Sunday. If we are as wounded as those boys in 1970 we should see the evidence of it this weekend.
Let’s have a happy ending to this one, please Arsenal.
21 Responses to “I’ve Passed This Way Before – Jimmy Ruffin”
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First again???
Sign me up…
Now to read the post.
Nice Stuff H. Had the chance of two free tickets for Sunday, behind Enemy lines. Circumstances and the festive period meant I had to decline.
Like everyone I hope we can bounce back with some style. I guess that by Sunday evening we will all know the answers.
Up The Gunners.
Cheers H!
Hope you’re right.
One I remember is losing at home to Blackburn, 1-3 from memory, in December 97. When me and Big Steve put the world to rights during the course of that evening, the fact we would complete a double 5 months later, was quite ridiculous.
But it happened.
UP THE ARSE!
I was going to add that Esso. Tony Adams defining moment in many ways. If that day hadn’t happened we wouldn’t have won a second double and possibly all that followed. No internet, but Wrighty having a pop at Gooners in Avenell Road.
Hear hear to your lead, ‘holic.
A fine Agincourt-style call to arms based on our history, Guvna. I hope someone forwards it to the squad this week.
Courage mes braves.
A tot of Dutch courage on the bar for all the waverers.
Was 1970-71 the season in which, introducing an MotD featuring(?!) Huddersfield Town v Arsenal, David Coleman remarked that nothing was certain except that Huddersfield always got beaten by the Arse? No need, I am sure, to mention that we lost 1-0 that day – to a penalty awarded when Frank McLintock fouled someone outside the box. Plus ça change…
COYG
URE OUT!
Better than Ure In…
That’s a piss-poor pun, Cynic.
I’ll get my coat…
Amidst the bad weather I’ve seen men, quite a few who could hold fort against enemy lines. Though a few Knights of this parish are amongst the walking dead, there are reliable generals who can take the battle and return with the spoils.
While I agree we were knackered for the last game, that we need fresh legs, I strongly believe we have psychological issues. Who remembers “Pinky and the Brain”? We need that fearless spirit of Mustafí & Alexis spread around the team. The ruthlessness & aggression that scares the opponent once the fixtures are announced. The type displayed by the Pires, Viera, Lehmann et al.
If only the Coq & Xhaka can give us that week in week out.
Am optimistic of a positive result against Shitteh.
Pangloss
It was a 2-1 defeat but I remember it well and painfully
as I remember blowing a comfortable lead over Liverpool in two home games against Derby and Wimbledon in 1989,leaving us to go to Anfield and win by two clear goals. Who’s ever done that ??
The loss to Anderlecht where we had once been three goals down in the tie is another . And who can forget being deducted two points at Old Trafford and leaving Liverpool miles ahead in 1990.
I love this blog because it always gives you perspective and that Stoke game came upon us completely unexpectedly . I can still remember the astonishment at that result. We even lost 6-2 at home to United in the League Cup the year we clawed back Poo’s lead in 90/91.
So the moral is:
We are the Arsenal and we will never accept anything as a lost cause .
Coq & Xhaka
Sounds like a Pataks chicken sauce.
Sp*rs next favorite lasagna topping?
http://www.plummarket.com/store/patak-s-butter-chicken-simmer-sauce-15oz.html?p_id=10222&gclid=CPGQs72a-9ACFVaewAodOUQDcg
Think Chelsea are playing like champions …. their defence is winning it for them , it’s the clean sheets along with Costa that I think is going to do it for them
There seems to be a stability about them when they are leading 1-0 as compared to the chances we give to the opponent’s when leading by the same score … it seems as though if we have to win , it has to be got with a large scoreline and scoring many goals which I think is not possible all the time and that I think is where our down fall would be this season
Chelsea will go a bad run sooner or later.
But is any team good enough to capitalise? That’s the real question.
Billy Ketkeophomphone – Angers striker.
Buy him Arsene…now!
We’re gonna call him Billy the Phone.
Amazing that players as relatively poor as Cahill and Luiz- neither is a remotely top class defender – can perform so effectively in a system that suits them. I think one has to wait until they have a run of tougher fixtures until suggesting that they are definitely going to do it and if Costa was injured for a long time it will hurt them very seriously.
We have a lot of pressure on us now and it is time for leaders to come to the party. I’m hoping Mesut will play at his very best tomorrow and that Sanchez is unplayable. It’s a winnable game but Id prefer to face it with Cazorla and Mustafi in our team
“if Costa was injured for a long time”
Sounds like a call for a hitman. 😉
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