Arsenal
Same Old Arsenal Taking the Poznan Arteta a Match Winner
Man of Match
By Boris Mellor
April 9 2012
One the greatest thing about football is the spectators; they are spontaneous and can produce magic moments of humour. Banter at its best is not abusive, it is witty and ironic. For the last few seasons Citeh fans have sung at us that we will win nothing and more recently that van Persie is theirs, fair enough but hardly rib splittingly funny.
Today Arsenal fans delivered the funniest riposte to such banter that I have seen in a long time, when Arteta scored the winner, with minutes to go, large sections of the crowd broke out into the Poznan. It hadn’t been on my mind, and it was a complete surprise to me when I was spun round by my neighbours and found myself looking at the back of the stadium, arms linked jumping up and down. It seemed to have broken out spontaneously, I had heard no plans for it; Arsenal fans then fell about laughing at the brilliance of their own joke.
This was followed by “Nasri Nasri tell us the score, although, “He plays when he wants Carlos Tevez he plays when he wants”, was probably funnier, and the old favourite “He sits on the bench Samir Nasri he sits on the bench” was sung just as enthusiastically as he was substituted.
Once again the atmosphere had been brilliant at the Emirates, the crowd have regarded Arsenal as an underdog this season, and apart from when playing the lowest of teams the crowd have been up for it. I have found it strange how all season those of us who attend the home games every match have been given strictures that we should get behind the team, I can only assume from those who don’t actually go (which isn’t a criticism). Indeed the crowd didn’t even bother to groan at Walcott today, but cheered him off with fervour.
No omen is a good omen.
Syd the Cabbie and me, had arranged to have a leisurely lunch in the local greasy spoon but on arrival it was shut. Syd feared it was a bad omen, but I was sure it wasn’t, and we found an al fresco Beef Baguette stall as commended by Jamie Oliver, with available seats at only £3.50 ago. I decided that it was a good omen. Syd was fortified by this divination and placed £25 mainly on Arsenal winning, and I put a few quid on an Arsenal 2-1victory. We weren’t the only ones feeling cocky the talk in the queues for the burgers before kick - off was that City would be demoralised by Utd going 8 points ahead and would bottle it. Ah the wisdom of crowds.
Syd nearly wasted his dough on one of those giant bags of Maltesers with the cardboard centre, at a mere £7.50 (Ok I am lying they are £3.50, and they aren’t that big.), instead he accepted my offer of half of my giant Easter Egg, which will help my diet no end, apart from Syd insisting I be rewarded with a hot chocolate. Thanks Syd.
Arsenal started off very well, and in the first 20 minutes made lots of chances. Vermaelen made up for last week poor defending with a brilliant header out from under the bar, averting a certain goal, pity it was at the City end and meant another week of drought for RvP. The rest of the half became pretty grim as City asserted a grip on midfield and the game became a stalemate, with Arsenal also being cagey very few players got into the box at either end.
City were not looking any more adventurous than the last time they were at Arsenal last season and tried to squeeze the life out of the game. Can Mancini help himself? Perhaps he had forgotten they needed 3 points.
The second half looked to be going the same way as the first, but with 20 minutes to go Arsenal really stepped up the pressure, and so did the crowd. Now the City goal was under constant bombardment, van Persie was unlucky to head against the bottom of the post as the ball beat Hart. Benayoun managed to shoot wide from 2 feet out, thus winning the Freddy Ljungberg Missing an Open Goal From an Incredibly Short Distance Trophy.
Wenger put on Santos, which saw the tempo of the team step up, then on came Ramsey, I don’t know why, ask Wenger. Finally on came the Ox, but far too late to change anything.
Arteta a Match Winner
With the clock running down it seemed that Mancini’s cynical tactics, or perhaps great defending, would gain a point, but Arteta broke the deadlock with a thunderbolt of a shot from outside the area. He will now be fined 2 weeks wages for scoring from outside the box. Who made the assist, well it was Arteta, he won the ball from the City defence, and pushed it forward to himself, then chased it down and smashed it past Hart. It was Arteta who took the game by the scruff of the neck to ensure a well deserved victory, a friend text me later that Sky had made him the well deserved Man of the Match
One nil to the Arsenal crowed the crowd as they then mixed the traditional with the novelty of the new, a performance of the Poznan. The mockery was too much for some and a few City fans walked out, and a few cried, but most stood there stunned. Once again the majority of the Arsenal fans stayed until the end to cheer the team off. Are you watching Tottenham they enquired.
In the pub afterwards someone said it upset them that the result had made red nose happy, but I was able to console them with the thought that in North London someone was getting more twitchy by the minute. There may well be dancing on the streets of Guildford this weekend, but as I passed by the Gunners on the way home they were still singing 1 nil to the Arsenal.
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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2012:04:12:00:07:31 by Padre Pio.
Can We Now Trust The Process 🤔🤷🏿‍♀️ or Should We Still Remain Cautious 🙇🏿‍♀️
"When we had to suffer the team is a lion because they suffer together." 4 July 2020 at Wolverhampton Wanderers
Arteta on his team's first away victory at a club above them in the Premiership since September 2015 at Leicester.
Quote:He will now be fined 2 weeks wages for scoring from outside the box.
"When we had to suffer the team is a lion because they suffer together." 4 July 2020 at Wolverhampton Wanderers
Arteta on his team's first away victory at a club above them in the Premiership since September 2015 at Leicester.
I reckon Wenger is holding on to Ox`s lead for a very good reason. He may well give the kid a run against `old` Chelski, who have a quick turn around, 3 days, that game week. And let that youthful exuberance have a free run.
Since the end of WW1, 1919, when the FA restarted its 4 tier football league, with Arsenal fc in the 1st div, there’s only ever been one club to have never been relegated from Div 1/ EPL.
Arsenal fc
Let’s keep making history
"When we had to suffer the team is a lion because they suffer together." 4 July 2020 at Wolverhampton Wanderers
Arteta on his team's first away victory at a club above them in the Premiership since September 2015 at Leicester.
Anyway he`ll either make the England squad and/or he`ll play on our Asian adventure before next season starts.
Since the end of WW1, 1919, when the FA restarted its 4 tier football league, with Arsenal fc in the 1st div, there’s only ever been one club to have never been relegated from Div 1/ EPL.
Arsenal fc
Let’s keep making history
Saw a lot of range rovers, cyclists and trees. And a fair bit of drizzle.
But no dances.
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