A good innings

Dear oh dear. So it's happened. It's finally happened. In a nine year span which has seen 22 encounters, the inevitable has more then happened to be fair... and do you know what?? I've shocked myself how calm I am with the whole thing.

Text message after text message, phone call after phone call, I think it’s fair to say I have had some stick that’s for sure. But, some how, I have managed to laugh it off in most cases. Regular readers will know that last week I said it would be hard for me to find the need to feel so down after a Trottenham defeat. Don't get me wrong, I don't like them or anything; in fact I hate the Spuds still. It wouldn't bother me if all the players woke up this morning with a newly discovered mutated illness made up of both leprosy and Hepatitis B. In which the only method of survival was to have a live televised castration performed by Sol Campbell, and only Sol Campbell, on the pool table of The Gunner Pub, Blackstock road, Finsbury Park way. But can I ask how can any one genuinely feel the need of dwelling on a result against a club which we have had so much success over for the best part of ten years?? I'm not trying to talk down our rivalry with the Spuds, but merely suggest in a list of most hated clubs at present they would be languishing in third, some 15 points off ManUre in second, who are two or three wins off the only table our fellow Russian counterparts will top come May.

I for one find it almost impossible - and certainly don't feel the need to "hang myself" as a very good Gooner mate of mine text me late last night. Poor Simps, actually, I should get in touch with him this morning, just for confirmation he’s still alive. The score line hurts a little, but for some reason it doesn't hurt me as much as maybe if a different team would have beaten us. Surprising and quite controversial I know, but a lot of people tipped the Spuds to beat us over two legs, and I myself had a gut feeling this could be there chance to do so. Where as, if we would have been drawn against Everton, Villa, Man City, Pompey or someone, we would have been expected to win, and then a 5-1 defeat would have been most depressing.

Right. I have to stop. I'm sorry. I seem as if I’m trying to play down the whole situation. So for those of you who want to read what your thinking, here it goes...

A 5-1 defeat??

Spurs??

Semi final??

For f*ck sake, what a bunch of useless Minge sacks we were, I fucking hate the kids, and I fucking hate playing them in huge games. If we would have had a full strength team out, we would have battered them, no question... Shitty Seven sister twat sacks!!

There, I’ve said it, rant over.

The truth is I really don't feel like that, hard done by or anything. I believe we made the right decision to keep our Carling cup policy by playing the U12's - albeit with a few first teamers chucked in - I believe we picked the right side out the squad, and in all honesty, we wasn't by any means appalling, and that was no where near our worst performance of the season. Every single goal we conceded was on the Spuds counter attack, apart from the majestic Bendtner own goal - who was pretty poor on the night - the possessional percentage of 61% with only a handful of shots on target tell the story really.

The thing I’m more worried about is not the future abuse from the Spud fans, seeing as there’s few knocking about these days, as most will have either hang, shot, stabbed, or overdosed themselves at any point in the last 10 years we have played them. But I think we will field a similar side to what we did last night in the FA Cup Saturday, and I sure as hell hope with a score line like last nights, it doesn't sit on their minds too much. I don't think it will though, I don't think Wenger would allow it, but a score line like that for a few of the little whipper snappers must be tough to digest.

My thoughts on the game itself?? I think the game was a testament to Mathieu Flamini, and just how fucking important he is for The Arsn'l. Flamini would have single handedly pre-heated the fan oven at 180, doused Jermaine Jenas in a sort of Buffalo Wing Smokin’ Satan hot sauce, cooked him for half hour, and gobbled him up whole - still with enough room for a Huddlestone topped in a rich warm Belgian chocolate sauce in the final 10. The difference in what Flamini brings to the side compared to Gilberto is as big as what Robbie Keane is a C*ntbag Gilberto’s tracking back on Lennon’s goal summed up how much he has left the club already in my opinion. There is no way Flamini would have allowed Jermaine Penis or that Tanio fella see as much of the ball as they did. The difference with Flamini to Gilberto is that Gilberto wins second balls and occasionally intercepts... Flamini tackles, fucking tackles. Hard. Extremely hard. Bone crunching even. But fair, and wins the ball. He allows Cesc, Hleb, and Rosicky, the “play” players to play, whilst he just sits, hold, and like the Predators multi-spectrum vision enhancement, pick off his targets one by one by any means necessary.

Fabianski was poor, probably his poorest display in goal so far, and you can only hope it won’t be too much of a confidence breaker. He won’t start Saturday though, Lehmann will. So maybe it will give him time to reflect on where he maybe went wrong on one or two of the goals – Lennon's especially. Gallas wasn’t great, Hoyte was poor, the full backs were all over the show, little width, nothing to break up the play, and no real attacking presence. Overall not the best performance you would have gathered.

I’ll reiterate the point from my column a fortnight ago –

“We have gone so many games without defeat that the inevitable will happen, and eventually we will lose one. Whether it’s tonight, the second leg, or next season, they will eventually have the upper hand in one game, and as much as they will dance, sing, and jump around in sheer delight, it won’t bother me as much as perhaps it would of a few years back. We have consistently ripped them apart, scored exceptional goals, beaten them at our ground, won at there ground, knocked them out of semi finals, even won titles against them – all of which add up and contribute to the murdering and mauling of a side who have been in transition for some 20 odd years, having not beaten us in nine. If they knock us out if this competition, of course I won’t like it, but only as much as any other side knocking us out. As a whole Arsenal own this derby – and it will be a long long time before the Spuds contribute half as much to the fixture as what The Arsn’l have.”

Never a truer statement spoken.

Back to winning ways Saturday, Gooners don’t fear… FA Cup 4th rounds here.

Until next time, keep it red…

ScottyDavisGooner