Only an idiot would sit there and deny that Tottenham have been on an upward trajectory in recent years while Arsenal have been either sliding in the opposite direction or, if I’m being particularly generous, have stagnated. They have an impressive squad of players, a manager who for all his faults seems to actually know what he’s doing and at times, play the kind of football we all enjoy watching but sadly can’t simply because it’s THEM who are playing it. In this bizarro Premier

Sing when I’m winning! Tottenham observations.

I wont even pretend that the rare moments that I am prepared to put pen to paper… er, finger to keyboard these days to scribble my writings about The Arsenal are when we win. Unlike Mean Lean, Wenger Boy and the rest on here, I will unashamedly go into hiding when things are going badly and only resurface during the good times! What? “I’ll write when I waaaaaant….”

North London is ours

Only an idiot would sit there and deny that Tottenham have been on an upward trajectory in recent years while Arsenal have been either sliding in the opposite direction or, if I’m being particularly generous, have stagnated. They have an impressive squad of players, a manager who for all his faults seems to actually know what he’s doing and at times, play the kind of football we all enjoy watching but sadly can’t simply because it’s THEM who are playing it. In this bizarro Premier League world which is dictated by whoever has the biggest checkbook (although, seriously, does ANYONE still even own a checkbook?) Spurs’ relative success and the fact that they have kept as close to the summit as they have done for so long should theoretically be applauded. But alas, because it’s THEM, I’m sure I’m not alone when I say they can stick their progress where the sun doesn’t shine.

I’ve often said that the most irritating thing about our current failings is the fact that they happen to be doing so well. It grates that they happen to be so good in the year when we face the greatest threat to our top four status. Why couldn’t our horrible period coincide with the years they were floundering around the lower half of the division? By the same token, I would have been slightly less begrudging of their lofty position had it been in the years when were smashing records and winning titles for fun.

This perceived crossover and change in fortunes between the two clubs has led to them acquiring those much sought after ‘bragging rights’ (which as we all know, is the most important thing about supporting a football club) that we had for so long. For a lot of North Londoners, some our closest friends, co-workers and even family are unfortunately afflicted with the genetic defect that makes them support Tottenham and as such, the ‘banter’ flows on a fairly regular basis. For the last two decades, we have readily been able to mock, chastise and ridicule that lot from a position of overwhelming superiority. I was often seen walking down the Tottenham High Road wearing nothing other than a crown and royal robes while sipping apple juice from my gold goblet and I goaded the paupers – Until I was temporarily sectioned of course, but that’s beside the point. As I say though, things have changed in recent times. After an unbeaten run that stretched nearly ten years and the notion that even a draw against them was considered a bad result, recent seasons has seen the tide turn for the worse. Since Harry Redknapp took over there in 2008 all we have had to shout about is a solitary 3-0 win at home a couple of years back in the league (as well as an extra time win in the Carling Cup at their place last year). In that time, they’ve beaten us three times (including just last season, a first victory on our patch since 1993) and salvaged some unlikely draws along the way. They were only one defeat in seven against us as the clock struck 13:29 on Sunday.

Such was the absurdity of the current situation that most people – gooners included – had Spurs down as favourites going into the latest game. Walking up Holloway Road felt like walking the last mile before execution. All I could think about was how bad things would be. As I took my seat in the upper corner of the Clock End, the sense of nervousness among the home support was obvious. Songs were sang with a feeling of tension rather than any optimism. Any pre match apprehension was justified as Spurs took the lead within 3 minutes thanks to some terrible defensive positioning and an unfortunate deflection. At any level of football, it’s a pretty basic instruction to try and keep things tight in the early exchanges. Vermaelen instead decided to go walkabout and allow Saha the freedom of Islington. In fairness, the Belgian recovered well but by the time he was back in position the former Everton striker was already well placed to give them the lead. I’d be lying if I say I didn’t fear the worst at this stage. These were/are the kind of basic defensive errors we have made for years yet never seem to learn from. It was suicidal to be so open against a team that attacks with the pace that Tottenham do.

What followed however was a 20 minute spell of dominance by Arsenal but it very much resembled a softcore porn movie. A lot of thrust without any real penetration. Brad Freidel made one of the saves of the season from a Rosicky header and RVP dragged a chance wide but there was little else to show for all our possession. As we tried to push them further back, we continued to leave ourselves exposed to the counter. Gareth Bale sprinted into the box and [insert generic acting/Oscar joke here] dived to win Tottenham a penalty. He Who I Will Not Speak His Name made no mistake from the spot and somehow it was 2-0 to them.

One of the many justified criticisms this Arsenal team has faced down the years is a supposed lack of fight and seeming willingness to curl up and die when things aren’t going their way. They went some way to busting that myth with the kind of fightback you only ever see in Rocky movies as a Bacary Sagna header and a typically sublime Robin van Persie goal restored parity almost immediately to make it 2-2 before half time. The scoreline was certainly an unfair reflection of the game. Aside from a nervous five minutes at the start, it had been all Arsenal and two goals was the least the boys deserved for their efforts. The team was in the ascendancy so there was a worry that the half time break came and the worst time in terms of killing momentum. Thankfully, the players realised that the game was there for the taking and picked up where they left off after the restart. Banayoun almost immediately made it 3-2 but for another decent save by Friedel. Arsenal were not to be denied as Rosicky soon got on the end of a Sagna cross for 3-2 before Theo Walcott took centre stage to make the scoreline all the more emphatic with a deft brace to make it 5-2. Yes. Arsenal FIVE – Tottenham TWO. Even when we were good and they were awful we never saw a scoreline like this. Tottenham hadn’t been devastated this badly since the riots last summer…

2-0 and you f*cked it up

Obviously because I’m horribly biased, I consider the North London derby to be the best in the country. For sheer excitement in matches, I don’t anything else comes close. Very, very rarely is there a dull game between the two sides and when van Persie curled the ball inside the left hand post to make it 2-2, it was the SIXTH time since 2004 that one of the two sides had surrendered a two goal lead (and subsequently failed to win the match).

Wenger Wonderland

While there are many areas in which we can heap praise on the team for such a fantastic victory, firstly and most importantly, a doff of the cap must
go to the manager. As an aside, I’m no ‘AKB’ and therefore take no satisfaction gloating to fellow gooners saying ‘I told you so’ as many seem to be doing today. By the same token, I’m not screaming ‘WENGER OUT’ at the top of my lungs every five minutes to the point at which I give myself an aneurysm. I’m probably somewhere in the middle (Yes, this fence is very comfortable before you ask) and have little time for anyone that vehemently sits in either the pro or anti Wenger groups that they are unable to see the other side’s point of view. Hashtag: Fascism.

He certainly isn’t the genius he was once perceived to be but he is also clearly no fool when it comes to football management. He gets things right and he gets things wrong but on this occasion he got things oh, so right. Like most, I balked at the team sheet when I saw that Benayoun was selected to start. Since he signed, I, like many, perceived ‘Yossi’ to be nothing more than a reject from not one but TWO of our rivals who should never even be considered for us if he isn’t good enough for them. Whether that is indeed the case, he went some way to changing that view with an almost flawless performance drifting in and out of that wide left position in a way that had it been a certain Welshman, most pundits would be reaching for the Kleenex. Looking back, it was an inspired to decision by the manager to pick a hungry player who was determined to show exactly what he is capable of.

Wenger also showed his nous by refusing to panic when things weren’t going our way. Managers are often praised for the decisions they make to change games but on rare occasions, it’s the things they don’t do that deserve credit. At 2-0, it would have been easy to try and reshuffle things but his patience with the team was rewarded as the they fought back almost immediately. Yes, it is true that oftentimes Wenger’s reluctance to change things can be a huge flaw of his but on this particular occasion, the team were not playing badly so the ‘stubbornness’ to stick rather than twist paid off. Perhaps there is still some sparkle in that magic hat after all.

There was one player in particular that many wanted to see replaced following a wretched start which brings me nicely onto…

Walcott the Enigma

I’ve never been a fan. I can see what he has but what he has isn’t enough as far as I’m concerned. There are many players out there who can do what he does, only better. Gone are the days when speed alone could con people into thinking you are a decent player. There’s a bizarre sentimental attraction towards Theo Walcott and why not? He’s English but not a self-centred twat, he speaks well, he’s friendly, sensible and he has grown from boy to man in Arsenal colours. For these reasons, most of us genuinely want to see him succeed. The only problem with that is he isn’t very good. Whether that is just for now or for the rest of his career, nobody really knows. It’s less frustrating that his game is riddled with basic errors you wouldn’t expect to see in League One but more the fact he is seemingly cemented as first choice now and not really showing much in the way of improvement.

The way he stunk up the place in the first half, he should have been banned from even watching football let alone being allowed to lace up a pair of boots and actually go out and play. Yet, in the second 45 he produced two finishes to put the gloss on the victory and further humiliate Spurs which makes you wonder if actually, there is a decent footballer in there somewhere. His first strike was almost a microsm of his ability as a player; An ok first touch, a vomit-inducingly poor second touch and a superb chip over the keeper for the finish. I’m certainly torn as to whether Arsenal should persist with him as there has been unquestionably more bad than good about his career to date but for his goals in this game alone he deserves props and one can only hope that if he can do this on a regular basis he will either finally develop or at the very least mask a lot of his other deficiencies.

Myth busting

This match was great for debunking certain assumptions about Arsenal and showing defiance in the face of regular, although not unfair, criticisms. Arsenal cant kill teams off? Done. Arsenal don’t respond to set-backs? Done. Arsenal only know one way to play? Done. The most frequent accusation levelled at the club these days – and with good reason – is that Arsenal are a one man team. Yes, RVP was phenomenal yet again but I think it would be wholly unfair to attribute this result solely to his overwhelming, jaw-dropping brilliance. Ignoring the fact that Vermealen looked like something approaching his best as he dominated HWIWNSHN in the second half, this north London derby was won and lost in midfield. Arteta was superb but I don’t think that anyone should be surprised by that. Song picked up after a shaky start and managed to nullify any threat from Luka Modric but the star of the show in my eyes was Tomas Rosicky who gave Scott Parker and later Sandro the run around all afternoon. Little Mozart was the go to guy for a lot of the play and seemed to make everything happen from the number 10 role he is clearly best suited to and could have arguably made his own since his arrival in back in 2006. Undoubtedly his finest ever performance in an Arsenal shirt and capped off with his first goal since flared trousers were popular. Like Walcott, more of the same, please.

Make some Noise

Since we moved to Highbury 2, I think it’s safe to say the crowd have never rocked like that. I wasn’t at the Barcelona game last season but people who were say that this game probably shaded it in terms of crowd reaction. I’m not going get wrapped up in cliches about the 12th man and all that bollocks but I think this weekend showed the importance of vocal support and getting behind the team. If we as fans can generate that kind of atmosphere every home game, I’m almost certain we will soon see the effect it has on the pitch. Maybe.

Looking ahead

While beating the scum was obviously fantastic, when we look back on this season, one would hope we aren’t simply thinking about isolated moments because that is certainly how it has felt thus far. We can bask in the glory of this victory for now and will surely continue to do so for years to come. Looking at the bigger picture though, we’re still very much embroiled in a battle for a top four finish. One of the main things to emerge from the game is that the gap between us and them is now down to 7 points and once again we might, just might, be able to put on our best frocks to celebrate St. Totteringham’s Day. However, if that is to happen, this match should serve as a galvanising factor for the team to push on because if we fail to capitalise against Liverpool and Newcastle in the coming weeks then the victory quite simply counts for nothing other than the fact we beat Spurs. As happy as we are, I would think we would all hope that this win actually counts towards something.

Finally, In the pointless way I often like to make tenuous conclusions for coincidences, this victory marks exactly a year since the disaster at Wembley which, let’s face it, set the tone for the last 12 months. Hopefully, beating Tottenham can have the reverse effect.

COYG!!!

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