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Date	Time	C	Opponent	F	A	R	S
28 Oct	3:00 PM	P	Everton (H)	1	1	Draw

As a Red member at Arsenal, I've been lucky enough to attend every game played at Ashburton Grove since it opened in August. Well, apart from the first two that is. And the Everton game.

Having made the decision with Jo to spend £66 each on tickets for the Liverpool game, we decided - with my mate Gabs keen to take his sister Louise to a match - to sit out on Saturday. Gabs was borrowing Jo's membership to take Louise, he subsequently asked to borrow mine. Assuming he was borrowing it for his fiancée Aileen, I acquiesced, and then found out that Gabs was taking Kevin, a mutual friend of ours, and an Everton fan to boot to the match.

So Jo and I decided to go down to the Twelve Pins in Finsbury Park to watch the game and we invited Luke, another Toffeenose along for the ride. Amazingly enough; despite the fact Luke would be putting himself in the line of fire, perhaps inspired by Kevin's decision to take on 57,000 Gooners, he accepted.

So it was that I arrived at the Pins around ten to two, and pushing my way through a few hundred of the 57,000 despite the fact that Gabs was already in the pub, I couldn't find him. The wonders of mobile technology allowed me to ascertain that Gabs had left the pub to collect his sister who'd been bamboozled by a diverted exit from Finsbury Park, whilst waiting for them, I called Luke to check on his progress, too cool for school, the boy was still at Richmond station and about to jump on the Silverlink north. He'd just make kick-off, I reckoned.

By then, Louise, Gabs had turned up and so waited for Jo to arrive with her membership card, which she duly did and at around 2.25 Gabs and Louise headed off to meet Kev, who was on his way up having played football earlier in the day.

It felt strange coming up to the Twelve Pins and staying there to watch a game, but it felt stranger still to be handing over cards to friends of ours and staying in the pub whilst they headed over to the Arsenal, to our home. How times have changed. Last season, trips to Highbury were the exception to the rule of the Pins. The last game Jo and I had watched in the Pins was the Parisienne heartbreak that put the full stop on our season. That said; with the cost of tickets, as Christmas approaches, the need to pick and choose games may come into play more often. But that's talk of the future.

It didn't seem like too long before my mobile was vibrating in my pocket, Luke had arrived at Finsbury Park and so I rushed out to grab him. He paid his £6 and we were in. As we took our spots, I noticed that the Chelsea match had been replaced by some Arabic advertisements, which could mean only that the match was upon us.

Lineups and formations quickly replaced the adverts and we were off. Luke was expecting nothing out of the game, so when Kolo missed his header early on and Tim Cahill smashed the loose ball into the roof of the net, he must have been ecstatic. He hid it well though, disappearing off into a corner as Gooners behind me shouted out things like "F'cking cheating c*nt!"

I couldn't honestly see what they were moaning about, but it was depressing how foreseeable and avoidable the goal was. Luke returned with a comic exclamation, "F**k it!" I wondered if Kev had been ejected yet, but he contented himself with texting Luke, "Get in!"

1-0 up was beyond their wildest dreams, and so it proved for the players of Everton who did nothing really to extend their lead, although Cahill might have from a free kick that he failed to connect with. Other than that, it was all Arsenal, with Rosicky again looking the pick of the bunch, but we weren't really troubling Tim Howard.

Thierry Henry's usual fireworks were being smothered in a ten strong blue blanket. I've been a big defender of Arsène's right to use 4-5-1 as and when he sees fit, but having conceded an early goal to a team that were always likely to sit, surely it was inevitable that the Everton defence would find Henry so easy to deal with?

Half-time arrived with the score still 1-0 and the only change in the game was Flamini coming on for Justin Hoyte, who is the latest victim of the Arsenal Full-back Curse - I think it's happened to enough of them to be a full blown curse now - "This surely, cannot be... just one of those things"? I had also received a picture message from Gabs, with Kev indicating the score to me very surreptitiously.

I doubted whether we would score, the Everton defence looked like they were having one of those days were they were all in the zone. Arsenal's attack, by contrast, were just having one of those days.

Anyway, drinks refilled, the second half began, shot after shot after shot, miss after miss after miss. It was beginning to get very frustrating, even the normally rowdy crowd in the Pins were silent, Henry put a free kick into the wall, van Persie blazed one over, Fabregas hit a long-range effort over- or was that me on Pro Evo 6?

It all blurs into one after a while. Rosicky - close, but not quite. Finally Carsley sent Rosicky tumbling to give away a free kick, fairly central. Luke and Kev (via text) opined that it was harsh, but Myles Palmer says it WAS a free kick, and that's good enough for me. van Persie managed to get Henry away from the ball and promptly rocketed it into the top corner. The Pins erupted and so did I. Then I remembered that I had my mate standing next to me, who was quietly seething about the free kick award, so I calmed down and apologised to him, albeit tongue in cheek.

I'd like to say it was an amazing strike and full reward for a good display from the Dutchman. But again his general play was unimpressive in my view. Clearly, playing on the left is not helping him, that said it was fantastic and more importantly it allowed Arsenal 20 minutes to try and win the game. Theo and Jeremie Aliádíère arrived for Johan Djourou and Alex Hleb, who I thought was one of our better players, as Arsenal went all out to try and win the game.

So we were treated to a final 20 with just Kolo Touré and Willie Gallas as recognised defenders on the pitch and Jens Lehmann playing a more advanced role than anyone in the Everton midfield, which was quite exciting as I've not seen Arsenal really go for a team for a few years now.

That said, Everton could have nicked it at the death (and it would have been daylight robbery as Luke said) when Andy Johnson broke free before running out of legs in the penalty area - perhaps if he'd been supported more fully during the game he wouldn't have been so knackered, but credit to Everton for withstanding a battering, they got what they came for.

I feel that with the attacking talent we have, not many teams will be able to survive in this manner. As it was, a draw was more Luke and Kev were hoping for at the start of the day, and with 20 minutes left more than I dared hope for. So, honour was satisfied all round and we could go and enjoy our post match drinking without anyone feeling like they had been robbed. Which is nice after a visit from the Scousers!

User Comments

Evan

Posted on 1 Nov, 2006 at 07:00 PM - Reply

Good article.

I'm new on the site, but I like it.

:)

Aussie Fan

Posted on 31 Oct, 2006 at 10:28 PM - Reply

Nice Piece

I Do however wish to raise a poor behaivor by sections of the crowd that Booed the Captain!! Can anyone tell me, who can play a lone striker role the same way Henry does? Having him out there is the equivalent of 12 men!! His pace,skill and decisiveness sets him apart!! And its the reason why we made it so far last year in the Champs League!! I Have never seen anyone like him who can fit into almost any system!! So for people to heckle him i thought it was dis tasteful!!
We seem to have short Memories, it was only last week, i heard the chants ring around the Madjescki Stadium of Have you ever seen Chelsea play like this!! And then the following Week he gets booed?/
We are being treated to some of the finest football ever seen, my guess is we will win a couple of Trophies this year!! and if we win it playin in this style well that is our new Legacy to Football!! We have left the Invincibles behind!! its now time to build a new Rep!!

Gavin

Posted on 31 Oct, 2006 at 12:22 PM - Reply

You what!

How could you have been to see every game so far if your only a red level member?

Please tell me as I am also a red level member but certainly have not been able to buy a ticket for anything other than Champions league games.

Being a Gunner

Posted on 31 Oct, 2006 at 09:45 AM - Reply

Nice post Paul. I have been a life-long Gunner and die-heart for the red-white team, and could almost fell the heart-bit of the crowd by your description though sitting at another corner of the globe - Australia. I was a bit disappointed too where Arsenal being held back after what seemed an impressive run of five-game victory. I think we just need that tiny edging luck.....

Good to be a GOONAH!!

Posted on 31 Oct, 2006 at 09:30 AM - Reply

interesting... I wrote about this on Sunday ... might have been me swearing...

http://arsenalrumours.blogspot.com/2006/10/i-turned-pub-blue-with-language.html#links

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