The Arsenal Great Dane Bites
ByWho said ugly stuff can’t be beautiful?
I’ve got to tell you, heart attacks don’t come any easier than when the Gunners decide to toy around with their duty of care towards their fans well-being.
Last time I contemplated taking pills to calm my nerves in the dying stages of a game was when Everton parked a HGV truck in front of our goal when they visited in early January. The ’never say die’ spirit and tenacity shown in that game was admirable as Little Mozart got Arsenal out of a sticky situation with a last minute leveller.
Perhaps it was a bit naive not to expect Hull City to unleash the customary brand of insalubrious football that we’ve come to expect. They didn’t disappoint at all as their game plan was dirtier than the local land fill site in Humberside.
Forget the heart attacks – and incidentally, Wenger also confessed that his team could have given him a heart attack too. The best part of the game for me was that Arsenal won ugly.
From the fading white lines on the pitch, I wasn’t sure whether the Gunners were playing Hull City football club or whether it was Hull Kingston Rovers rugby club. George Boateng, a serial violent offender against Arsenal was more dangerous than an armed robber lurking the streets of the underworld.
That the Hull captain didn’t knee cap Bacary Sagna is both a miracle and a mystery in equal measure. He got away with murder for his attempt to gouge out Bendy’s eye – so let’s just be thankful we still have the players we went to Hull with.
I was talking to a friend last night discussing the match and both of us concurred that we were elated with the win, regardless of the fact that it came ugly. Arsenal is so often accused of not knowing how to be pragmatic and not willing to compromise to reach our goals.
The funny thing also is that when Arsenal actually win ugly, we’re so often accused of not playing well, and not dictating the game as champions-elect would.
Yet when Chelsea or Manchester United win ugly and grind out a result – they are hailed as true champions material and their ability to play really badly yet come out with a result is seen as the stuff champions are made of.
Well, yesterday, I was so proud of this team for defying conventional wisdom and showing that they will fight tooth and nail until the last minute of every game. It’s nice to know that when it comes to goals scored in the last 10 minutes of matches, we’re at the top of the league with 15 goals.
You’d think that with that record, ’squeaky bum time’ would be something we’re used to. I think what’s different here is that the EPL title is actually up for grabs, and that alone, makes these late goals a cause for concern for my fragile heart.
I wouldn’t change it for the world though – this roller coaster of a ride will make any title we clinch the sweetest title I’ve ever experienced.
Most of all, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Phil Brown bitch about Sol Campbell still being on the pitch. He got a free penalty and he should just be thankful to the gods of the Humber bridge and shut his trap.
He was jumping up and down in excitement every time there was a 50-50 tackle hoping to will their players to ’take out’ more of us, but when it turns out that we too can roll up our sleeves and get out our knuckle dusters, then the whole world is unfair.
I was also very happy for Denilson, who despite his critics, was the architect of Nicklas Bendtner’s goal.
Nicklas Bendtner has scored 6 times in 5 Premier league appearances since his return from injury. I dare anyone to tell me a striker Arsenal could have bought in January for under £15 million who could have given you that return. A new cliché is out in town suggesting that Arsenal don’t have a recognized striker. Who actually defines what a recognized striker is? Because they clearly haven’t been watching the Great Dane.
When referring to Bendtner’s impact in this team, I hear a lot of people say ”he’s one for the future” or “he’s got really great potential”, etc.
Bendtner is here and he’s doing the job he’s paid to do. Those who have an in-built prejudice are finding it hard to remove the log in their eye that’s stopping them from seeing that Arsenal’s Great Dane is on fire.
Just like he did last season in big games by scoring the winning or match changing goals, yesterday Bendtner stamped his authority as an attack dog not to be ignored in this title race.
And as his new agent Stan Collymore says ”he’s one ‘ell of a massive unit up front”
8 to go in the cup final series. How’s your heart doing?
Tue 13th September 2011; 19:45, Dortmund
Sick n tired of the Skysports anti Arsenal bias, I sent this email regarding their INACCURATE & DISHONEST report of our match vs Hull to u2us@skysports.com It’s about time Arsenal fans deluged Sky with complaints about their anti Arsenal bias & dishonesty…………
‘Your report on the Hull vs Arsenal match which you broadcast every hour is factually DISHONEST as follows …………. With regard to Hull player Zayatte’s injury, the reporter says that a freekick was awarded but no yellow card to Sol Campbell. WRONG !! A free kick was not awarded to Hull City , play had continued until being stopped for treatment to Zayatte. Play was resumed with Arsenal having the ball back in their possession. Correctly it was therefore NOT a foul by Campbell & therefore a potential yellow card was not an issue. In any case it is clear that it was a fair tackle & therefore mischief making by Skysports who are continuing their usual negative & Arsenal bias. A copy of this email will be sent on to the Press Complaints Commission & Arsenal Football Club as this DISHONEST & INACCURATE broadcasting is unacceptable. Kindly have the decency to amend your broadcast accordingly’
Public announcement people: “Arsenal FC, should give out Pacemakers to safeguard the health of all its fans! Lest instead of a dream title celebration, we might end up with a day of global mourning and lawsuits.”
Why waste your time even writting to those idiots?
I’ve stopped listening to their commentaries and expert advice of Paul Merson and co.
It’s those misses late in the game that really fry one’s nerves. Being already wound up what with the clock running down at 1-1, you’re a sitting duck for these pranks. Awful.
But credit where it is due: This team fights to the very death. That Denilson was alert to the opening for a shot, and Bendtner was alive to the opportunity off the rebound, so late in the game speaks well of this team’s spirit. Heartening and commendable.
Love the post mate, and, so far I love the comments too. As an Arsenal fan, I’ve learn’t that there are 2 sets of rules/criteria applied to the game where Arsenal are concerned so its no surprise when we do not get credited for our endeavors. I just knew the numpties on motd would have come out in support of Sol tackle as he’s English, and that merely highlights the problem. Try as I do, to believe that race/nationality has nothing to do with some of the stuff said and written about Arsenal, I’m slowly changing my mind. Anyways 3 more points for the good guys. C’mon Arsenal
Sagna was indeed very lucky to get away unscathed Darius. That Boateng didn’t get a straight red, though, was an abomination.
Missing three games to a ban, with Hull seeking safety from relegation, would have been just the think to make him and his manager think about things a bit.
The sooner they start stamping out this aspect of the game the better. I hope it doesn’t take a player having his face kicked in for the FA to wake up.
The penalty Campbell conceded was an iffy affair. We’ve seen the like given and rejected in equal measure I suppose. But Phil Brown’s claim that it was a red card is, as you point out, nonsense. He’s looking a gift horse in the mouth with that rubbish.
Darius, did you ask about my heart? I say I am damn lucky it is still ticking. I was not afraid of Hull Spitty, but I was afraid they and the match officials might conspire to either derail our season or maime whatever is left of our almost decimated squad. You can never tell about those leg-damaging spitty tigers and their fake-tan, Orangy, prevaricating, spitty manager.
An ugly win indeed, which makes it a sweet-&-sour 3 pointer. My heart might just manage to hold steady if all end with three points for us.
I read the stats somewhere that when nik plays more than 60 mins for us, we win 76% of the games as opposed to 56% when he doesn’t . Couldn’t verify it, but certainly feels like it
For some reason, when we scored the late winner yesterday, I was reminded of a scene from the film “Jason & the Argonauts”.
It was one of those scenes where, because of their almighty fight against the forces of evil, Hera, one of the mythological greek Gods, lends Jason & the Argonauts a helping hand in their quest to obtain the Golden Fleece.
Perhaps the footballing Gods, watching Arsene & the Arsenal fighting the good fight against a coalition of evil forces within English football generally and this game in particular, decided to give us a helping hand in the dying minutes in order to keep our quest to land silverware on track.
Well done Kipmonster. Let us know if you get a reply. In my experience they ignore ‘unwelcome’ comment of fop one off with an anodyne reply that ignores your points.
Great win. Of course, as Sky said afterwards, “You’ve got to feel sorry for Hull”.
HA HA!
“I was also very happy for Denilson, who despite his critics, was the architect of Nicklas Bendtner’s goal.” Me too Darius. I am sick and tired of the stick this tireless Brazillian metronome has been receiving by ignorant clueless fans. Hence my personal campaign on his behalf. Apart from that big-time assist leading to our goal he contributed the following:
* 49 successful passes – the third most in the match.
* 5 interceptions – the second most in the match.
* 9 successful tackles – the most in the match.
Denilson may not be the biggest player on the field so he is never going to overpower most of the iron-pumping 200lb, six-footers on most EPL pitches. Nor is he the fastest. But he is a very intelligent, technically sound, efficient footballer. If EPL referees had the cojones to consistently penalize players who think it is legal to plow into the back of a player in possession of the football, Denilson at only 22 years, would be heralded as the EPL’s answer to Iniesta or Xavi.
Kipmonster.
Like Consolsbob, I also applaud your effort of trying to correct the pathetic lazy journalism that we’re now so often used to.
It may not seem important, but it’s actually a necessary part of citizen media.
I can confess to you that one of the main reasons I started this blog was because of the quality (or lack of quality) of sports media in this country. Sometimes its actually right to think of my motivation as a crusade against the establishment, but luckily, I enjoy banter on most things football and specifically most things Arsenal so I can temper my disdain for these cretins.
My wife was the one who told me that if I don’t like what they say or write, doing a better job than them is actually better than blowing a gasket.
It was either this blog or marriage counselling.
Ibbs…
Is Paul Merson an expert? I must have missed several years of punditry.
But seriously, I’ve made this observation – when it comes to former Arsenal players.
The players who talk a load of bbollocks about Arsenal and constantly deride the team are the players who got pushed out of Arsenal under duress by Wenger. They clearly didn’t want to move on, but Wenger didn’t think they were good enough.
Those who retired at Arsenal don’t seem to have a chip on their shoulder.
Also, Ray Parlour was dared on radio to say if he thinks Arsenal will win the league – and he didn’t hesitate to say an emphatic Yes. It was clear from the reaction of the presenter and guests that they didn’t expect the Romford Pele to go native.
Hear, Hear, Darius.
What I found most encouraging last night was that at the end of a day full of bad luck (finishing) and frustration (refereeing), the boys still found a way to win the game. The situation was desperately calling for a plan B: the direct way, and the only one who understood that was our unsung Brazilian hero, and the only one who brilliantly anticipated the shot and got in front of his marker was of course the Great Dane, whose finish was by the way far from the easy tap-in everybody thinks it was.
8 more finals now plus 5 in the CL – I think an unbeaten end of season run is definitely possible, and if that happens, come May we could well have the two biggest trophies in our hands.
Saloner.
We’re in the dog fight…and I love it. Arsenal is a confidence team – and winning begets that confidence, the confidence begets momentum; and the big Mo provides the adrenaline to push this team over the line.
I think it was a master stroke for Wenger to re-sign Sol Campbell. I think he provides more value off the pitch and around the dressing room than he does on the pitch. He is an Arsenal legend already, and the team look up to him – and more importantly, he provides that calmness and level head off the pitch that the team needs to keep focussed.
Boateng is just a thug and we’re lucky to have Sagna with us. Apparently, yesterday was the 3rd time Boateng has been sent off against Arsenal.
@LRV – buy a pacemaker my friend. This roller coaster ride is just beginning…LOL!
Maybe he’s just not the sort of lad you know.
Shotta – Denilson is our ‘scape goat du jour’. The most important thing is that Wenger doesn’t listen to diatribe when making decisions. All teams need a Denilson type of player who is efficient and functional and keeps the team ticking along. He doesn’t do razzmatazz – but then again, that isn’t his job on the pitch.
nice points again darius. Wheres your logo and main image gone?