Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat

Results

Date	Time	C	Opponent	F	A	R	S
12 Dec	3:00 PM	P	Liverpool (A)	2	1	Win

Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat at Anfield in the manner that we did is decidedly un-Arsenal like.

When was the last time we 'won ugly'? It's a foreign concept for Arsène Wenger's Arsenal team and I think it took the players by surprise as much as the fans.

I remember how I felt after we'd beaten Utd in the 2005 Cup Final. It was an unfamiliar feeling; we'd been completely out-played and deserved nothing from the game and yet we had won and – better still - we'd beaten Man United in the Cup Final. This was a boyhood dream come true. So why did I feel slightly uncomfortable? I struggled to process the feeling to be honest. I knew I should be over the moon, but years of watching us be the better team but losing valiantly when it came to the crunch had taken their toll. I'd forgotten the importance of actually winning. Like the players, I was preconditioned to aspire to the 'good' of playing beautifully, rather than the 'good' of victory.

Fast-forward 12 months and, as I trudged away from the Stade de France straight after the final whistle, I reflected on the contrasting emotions: eloquence in defeat vs clinical in victory. I knew for absolute certain which was preferable and have longed ever since for a victory – any victory - no matter how scrappy. The irony, of course, is that Arsenal have been the 'Cinderella' side ever since. The players don't know how to win and, in the case of the vast majority of them, I question how much hunger they actually have to win. Wenger protects his players regardless of the success they (fail to) achieve and rewards mediocrity by giving new contracts to players that have done nothing to deserve them (Carlos Vela being the latest case in point). The message is clear: "play how I want you to play and, even if we lose gallantly, you will be rewarded. Victory is not an absolute requirement."

A growing number of empty seats at Ashburton Grove each week is evidence that perhaps not everyone buys into that philosophy.

Moving on, did anyone see Alan Hansen's comment to Gaby Logan on MoTD on Saturday night? It was priceless. Whilst at a loss to comprehend the schoolboy Stoke City defending, he exclaimed, "even you'd know what to do in that situation Gaby". Even a girl would know!! Brilliant! Say what we're all thinking Alan: why is there a woman presenting a programme about football?

Earlier I'd watched the Utd game and was beside myself with glee as Man Utd failed to do 'a Man Utd' in the final moments. All the ingredients were there: the early away goal, mountains of pressure, attacking the Stretford End, Fergie turning ever-bluer with each passing minute, a 4th official under pressure to hold up a double-digit number for time added on. But somehow, it just didn't happen. Having backed Utd at halftime, we watched the game with Oddschecker open to see if it was worth hedging out when they scored. But get this: with less than 10 minutes to go, defending a 1-0 lead, Villa were still evens! Evens?! It seems everyone was expecting the inevitable. But the inevitable never came.

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