Arsenal 5 Tottenham Hotspur 2; November 2012

First we had Reading 5 Arsenal 7  in the League Cup.  but then it was back to earth with  Manchester Utd 2 Arsenal 1 in the League.   The gods, we knew, were playing with us.

Then Schalke 2 Arsenal 2 in  Champions League Match 4, after being two up.   Gf60 ended his commentary with hopes of better to come against Fulham.  And we got…

Arsenal 3 Fulham 3

The review of that game ended…

We don’t have a great deal going for us at the moment as the players don’t seem to be really committed. Hopefully next week when I have to miss a live spud derby, as per last year, I’ll watch a revitalized Arsenal on the recording. A semi repeat of last season, though without the stress, will go down very well.

Which took us to the game with Tottenham on 17 November 2012.  It was played on the 110th anniversary of one of the early games against Tottenham on 17 November 1902 in which  Woolwich Arsenal beat Tottenham 2-1 in the London League Premier Division.

Were the augers bad or good after such a bumpy season?   Also on this day – 17 November 1969 to be exact Arsenal had beaten Wimbledon 2-0 to win London Challenge Cup for the very last time, and 17 November 1984 when Tony Adams started his first long series of games as Arsenal’s revival continued that years.  But then on 17 November 1990  the ludicrous two point deduction for the knock about at Old Trafford finally hit the league table, and it looked like the authorities would do anything to stop us winning the league.

So anything might happen.   And on 17 November 2012 it did: Arsenal 5 Tottenham Hotspur 2

Here’s how Gf60 saw it on the day.

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Oh dear. I’ve a sneaking feeling that for me, this particular fixture is best viewed on recording whilst one is already imbued with a surfeit of Merlot, lampreys and good companionship. For the second year in succession I miss the live game, watch a recording and once again we give the Tots a start, raise their fans hopes to the skies, put mine in despair yet come out covered in rose petals whilst the spudlets return to the slough of despond. Happiness is.

To be honest I think I preferred last season’s game as then we were trying throughout. This time we definitely took our foot off the gas in the second half when a potential massacre was there for the taking. And I’d so like to see the spuds massacred…8 or even 10 or 13. We haven’t even hit them for 6 since the mid 1930s.  And that seems unreasonable, especially when playing against 10 men. But I must not carp. AdeB, having put the spuds into the lead was caught being stupid yet again by Webb. Of the 4 red cards he’s received, Webb has given him 3…once when with us. That was a good laugh.

As indeed was the BFG’s equalizer. I’m still trying to work out how and why he was where he was when he nodded Theo’s cross home. Do we care? He actually jumped a couple of feet making him a very BFG.

There’s a nice bit of humour in Gallas’ deflection of the Pod’s goal well into the corner of the net. Two Arsenal rejects really helping the cause.

Our last of the half…oh what a goal. Santi well back on form, regained his balance having been fouled. Webb did well to play advantage and Santi took advantage…rounding another defender before squaring the ball for Olly to slam it home. That was tasty.

Time to get a bit nervous now. We’re two goals up. Not a good sign these days but we have half time to contemplate our navels and prepare ourselves for a spud comeback. Theo’s not going to have it so easy in the second half. He’s led Naughton a merry dance but he’s now substituted as is Walker with the spuds bravely/stupidly [delete one] lining up with a 3-3-3 format.

15 minutes in, it looks more stupid than brave as a lovely move involving Theo, Jack the lad and Pod leaves a virtual tap-in for Santi. Floodgates open !!! But there’s no water to pour through. We’re taking a rest and thinking of the mid-week match. Bugger!

Serves us right. The Tots gets one back and the lead is reduced to 2 again. Time to start biting nails. Surely not again?  Tots spurn an opportunity of giving Defoe a tap-in. Defoe kicks post in anger. Big relief.

Bigger relief…the Ox and Theo combine to give Theo the goal his game richly deserved. I’d love to be a fly on the wall when the contract negotiations start up again. Equally, you have to wonder why Theo is playing so consistently well after so many years of being the little girl with the curl.

Next up, Montpellier on Wednesday.

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