2-1, innit...
Thursday, April 15, 2010 at 7:22AM In my match preview I stated the following about the north London derby:
It should be nothing more or less than the most important 90 minutes of any season. Blood, thunder, drive and spirit. And tenfold passion. How else can you possibly match the noise in the ground? If that can't elevate you then nothing can. And yes, bite me, I'm a football romantic, but to me these games should be defined by guile and tenacity of the players out on the pitch. And not because XXX is out injured watching from the sidelines.
To dare is to f*cking do, so just f*cking get on with it and do it.
The Gods, they finally smile down upon us. Where do I even start?
Immense night, immense result. We dug deep, deeper than we've ever dug before. I'm talking centre to the earth deep.
Sorry, this blog article is not going to have much of a structure as I'm just throwing various bits at it as and when I remember to do so. It's the emotion. I'm choking up over here. That and the fact that today will no doubt play out like a really really good (lol) M. Night Shyamalan movie where all Arsenal fans have suddenly disappeared off the face of the earth. No shocking twist at the end of this one. Bless 'em. The gutless geebags.
Talking of the geebags, I don't like to gloat. Honestly. It's something they do, and they do it without class or humour. But honestly, open forum lads. Your season, ended. At the Lane. What next then? I suggest you start taking the Carling Cup seriously. Honestly, it's a fun day out. With the pyrotechnics and flags and stuff. Honestly, 5 years without a club DVD? That can't be good. If this is Spurs punching above their weight, then don't mind me whilst I dance like Robbie Keane.
Was that a gloat? I guess it was. Eleven years ya know. I'm a bit rusty.
Gomes was magical. Dawson awesome. Bale and BAE storming down the flank. Sure, there were moments when you might have sighed at another misplaced pass or the lack of ball retention allowing them more time to neatly pass the leather around. But for all of Arsenal's pretty possession, they hardly did much to genuinely worry us in the final third. Well, until the final 15 minutes or so when I was too busy chewing on my hand to dare look up at the action. Although when I did, I caught glimpses of a flying octopus sprouting wings as it flew through the air at lightning speed to guide the ball away from the goal. This was no CGI effect. And I would gladly allow said octopus to sleep with my wife. If I was married. But he can have a go at my bird if he so wishes. As long as I can watch.
Even Kaboul gave effort beyond his means, even if he's lacking in so many other ways. And I'm not referring to the lack of depth in his eyebrows. But there is no criticism to be found for any of our players, not in these euphoric post-match hours.
Everyone gave it some. For the colours. There was heart and there was desire. Not so much composure at times, but plenty of it when it mattered most. And the second goal, just inside the start of the second half was like a point blank shot in the back of the head. Bale, the sneak, sneaking and slotting it for 2-0. Definitive moment that. And richly richly deserved that.
How many times have we buckled in the past against these jammy fuckers? Too many to mention. We might have struggled to beat them over the years, but some of the score-draws tell a different story. And in this case, it was simply not going to happen. Tired legs? I saw no tired legs.
Like some form of mystical sponge we soaked up the pressure and at times looked more likely to score on the fast break, in comparison to their 20 pass move that ended up with a goal-kick.
Shout out to Eidur Gudjohnsen. When he came on he was superb in possession. Should have made it three. But I forgive you Eidur. I forgive you.
King, Ledley. A man who doesn't train. Probably nowt wrong with his knee either. He's probably not even human. I'd hazard a guess and say 'bionic' in creation. The reason he only plays one game every three months is because we're busy recharging him in-between. Have to do it slowly otherwise we'll bring down the entire national grid.
Back onto Daws. Strength of character. Must have been devastating, Sunday. And yet what a performance. Commanding stuff.
Have I mentioned Bale? I have? Can I mention him again? What. A. Player. Confidence. If you could bottle the stuff it would sell for millions. In the meantime, if you get close enough, you'll smell it in his lush black hair.
Gomes and those saves. Billy the Fishesque.
Oh Danny boy, Danny boy...what a strike. Majestic. Beautiful. BELTER. A left-foot gem of a thumping yet graceful volley. Worthy of it's own DVD. Talking of which, I've checked the official website and I see no new release. Slackers.
LOL at people suggesting it was a goal-keeping error. Okay, so Alumnia is shite and he sort of dived under the ball when attempting to save it, but crickey, did anyone expect a player to strike the ball ON the volley from 30 yards out after the keeper punched it out? Do one playa-haters.
And let's not forget Harry. O knee-jerkers, knee-jerkers! Wherefore art thou knee-jerkers? Starts Pav and Defoe. Plays Danny Rose (okay, so this might have been textbook luck that no doubt Harry will play on, but it still took guts). Organised and focused, we defended like warriors. Granted, we watched a lot of the ball at their feet, but the pressing worked. Second half, two subs made. Tactical master-stroke. Not just the subs but the way we countered Arsenal. We didn't just shut shop on them. Hit them on the counter. Soak the pressure and hit 'em. I'd like to refer you back to the second goal. Even the first goal came about after sustained pressure from them.
Have we played better football, dominated possession - against them - and come away with a point or nothing? Many times. Which is why this is so so sweet.
Also, Mark Cluttenberg. We slate refs when they botch things up and always make sure we mention it. So, it's only fair I point out that I hardly noticed him in the NLD. He had mad flows. Considering the intensity of the game, credit. Just a little. Don't want him overdosing. And if we want to be critical, he should have waved his yellow card at some of the Arsenal players for the odd theatrical dive and elbow. Okay, so he's shit, but he's no Howard Webb.
Judas? He actually played well. Hope he enjoys the memory.
Somewhere in the midst of all this, the scum got a goal back. THEO (did he just guarantee his England place with that assist? Did he? Did he?) crossing in for...it doesn't really matter does it? They got dicked.
I'm off to Swansea Thursday morning. Work thing. And drink-up. So will be back on-line Friday evening, unless I sneak in a cheeky blog post at some point tomorrow. Will also announce the winner of the 'Spurs Cult Heros' book. More to follow for sure.
Enjoy your day.
COYS.
Reader Comments (137)
the best part was when the woolwich wanderers lost.
"The day a blind able to see.... he is gonna go crazy" .... A.M
That's what's happening to you spudies.
I enjoyed reading your comments and spooky's rant because it showed me how much we hurt you during the last ten years.
gooners coming here trying to make themselfs feel better, pathetic wank stains, weak squad of cheap assed foreign monkeys, lol 2-1 cry more about it faggots
AR2Ena1 still in mourning 2 days on LoL.
No! We don't want Paul Hart to join our coaching staff, he's the kiss of flipping death!
Funniest post of them all was calling Galas world class. You deluded stupid mother fuckers. Galas won't start for stoke but you're so shit that think he's good. Also you right we lost to a shit Pompey team , imagine how they would've beat your team if they beat us that are way superior to you, yes our reserve team that is . Brook , how much for your mom sweety
Brook
Not too bright are we, son?
Quality material mate. Special!
hey spudies, don't be too harsh on me now...! im already hurt by my own team this season after defeat by Manure and now by its lily-bitch!
you spuds lack pride and identity to the extent that you borrowed 'pedophile' chant from Manure! how lower can you go?
COYLB! make them happy!
Brook , wipe the cum off your mouth then post
I love how the gimp has refused to answer my valid points and qustions as to why the arses support is so diabolical. They all love their club apparently but in the stands they sit there in silence and in the streets errrr yep it's silence again (apart from the noise of there feet running away).
You have got the training ground, the stadium, the players, the manager, a solid enough board for now but who let's the anal down? What is wrong with your club? YOU are. You're fucking shit support hahahahahahahahaha
What was that about a blind man...
brook ... read the title of this article and wheep ..
2-1, innit ...
Brook - 'coz', class? humility? I think not somehow.
The case for the prosection rests.
the dvd is on the website now, a cheeky tenner, definitely not buying that
Brook, I know you're busy with the while multi-trolling the forums but do you know why you lot play with White sleeves...?
(wooden spoon starting to splinter)
as an Arsenal fan i will have to admit that the noise from you lot was unreal, so yeah ill give you the whole better support.... and its probabaly why you lot seemed to want the game more, workrate and tackles etc was just a touch above us.
However to say we are a team in decline is not true, were closing the gap on Utd and Chelsea from previous and we have secured 4th when in previous seasons it seemd that it was in jeopardy. if we buy 2-3 players & Chamakh coming in then we will easliy be challenging next year.
and "cl emabarrasment"? Barca seem to embrass everyone these days, only last week they beat Madrid on there own ground!
But skeletor why dont you properly address the points made by doglegz? Passionate support is a byproduct of having love for your club. So please explain why your support is so dreadful both home and away. That 'unreal' support could never never be reproduced by you lot. Whilst you debate where things are going wrong at your club, the one thing wrong is you as fans - frankly your a disgrace to your club.
You have one song that every club has sung for the last 30 years - pathetic
While I appreciate that you need to hang onto the "we have ten times better support than Arsenal" line considering you have been embarrassed on the pitch by them in the last decade and more, since when has that ever mattered when it comes to what goes on the pitch? Support base and how loud your fans are does not win you trophies. While we all like to bang on about having the greatest supporters in the land the fact is the majority of football fans are as fickle as one another, demonstrated no clearer than the comments in this post and that of the Portsmouth defeat where Redknapp has gone from a man who was not good enough, tactically clueless and who should be sacked to a tactical genius, full of bravery by playing Rose and able to motivate his troops.
As for the game, well done to Tottenham, an excellent and resilient performance that showed heart and courage - things you simply do not associate with the club. To say you outplayed Arsenal would be totally incorrect but as many of you picked up on and maybe should acknowledge the next time you're whining about having 70% possession at home to Wolves and 1001 shots; goals win you games.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptE8O2lmJhY
Chazza , Support does not win games but it motivates players to put in that lil' bit of extra effort. You can't deny that some teams win games on enthousiasm and effort and those two qualities are enforced by the roars from the stands
Football has lost its soul but sometimes the fans can put passion and believe in the game. I've been there on a few occasions and the crowd (as small as it is on my level) got our team going ... Installed that bit of extra belief and hunger.
i just noticed that that goon retard said sagna is world class.....bahahahahahaahah, and vermin, yah hes world class at getting injured and limping out of games.1 MORE TIME...SAGNA IS WORLD CLASS........LMFAO
Your clueless mate. I'm not hanging onto our support at all. I recognise your quality esp when you get everyone fit and think you have the makings of a great side. I also think we have the makings of a quality side once we get everyone fit and sandro arrives etc. Let me be clear i acknowledge that your a class side. But again please answer why your fans are so abysmal? You're right it has nothing to do with winning trophies (if it did you'd never win anything again) but great support should come naturally which is why im asking the question how two sets of fans that live together can be so different? One set passionate to the hilt the other truly pathetic. How is this so? It leads me to think that if the roles were reversed for these last ten years your gound would be a third full at best.
As i have said countless times as you consider on your blogs whats wrong with arsenal it maybe the lack of a few experienced players or wengers mad brain but make no mistake it is also YOU as fans.
For a moment I want to talk about Arsenal and Arsenal alone. Attention nitwit Gooners: I'm not comparing our clubs right now.
Arse are in decline despite whatever Gooners want to believe. Yes a few key signings could help matters but the same could be said for many teams including ours.
They clearly are NOT In the same level as Cheatski/Manure. To be fair those clubs are in a league by themselves. Look at the options Chelsea/United have with their second team and compare that to what Arsenal have. No comparison. Arsenal were punching above their weight as they like to say to us in believing that they really stood a chance in the PL against the dominant sides.
The dynamic of the top 4 is clearly changing and Cheatski/Manure had some hiccups (maybe too early to use the past tense with United???) this year but they are still dominant.
Like I always say, Arsenal are a relatively solid club who more often than not play beautiful football (though I do see Route 1 occurring more often than Whinger would care to admit.) I do admire the style on an intellectual/aesthetic level even though I find them lacking in soul and bottle. I think in whole it's the lack of clinical precision and depth that separate Arse from the big boys in the PL and CL.
Be happy with what you have Gooners. You do have a great, even world-class side. You're just not nearly as good as you would like to believe you are.
Go ahead and cling to your Sky 4 wet dream and your feeling of entitlement that somehow your position in the top 3 or 4 is your God-given right, but the reality is that a bunch of teams are coming up to challenge you. Forget us for a second and just look at City.
Right. I am currently stranded in spain thanks to the natural viking strength of a certain volcano in Iceland. Before I booked to come here I had to choose between missing the semi-final and missing the goon game. Clearly I chose wrong as we beat the goons for the first time in yonks and I now can´t get back for Chelsea. This season I have missed liverpool, united, arsenal and chelsea at home. Thank f*ck I was there for the 9-1.
Anyway, I thought we were incredible on Wednesday night considering injuries to key players and the fact we´d just ahd a hugely demoralising and draining 120 game 3 days before on a dreadful energy-sapping pitch. And how marvellous to see two of our kids - rose 19 and bale 20 - score the goals.
Arsenal can complain about injuries all they like but for christ´s sake we had no natural right back, our defensive midfielder was out. Huddlestone is still not 100% fit AND played the whole of the semi, Aaron lennon has been out for ages. King hadn´t played for nearly 2 months. I don´t remember being given much sympathy when we got mullered 3-0 by their full team and we were missing defoe, lennon, modric and bale. Arguably our best players.
If van persie was on from the start we may have struggled as he was clearly head and shoulders above anyone else on their team. I thought the tactics were spot on. Let them play 50 passes around the box but don´t let them get anywhere near the goal. How many times did rosicky slice his shots into the corner flag? ha!
I think the 10 year old arsenal fans coming on here trying to pretend it doesn´t matter and that it´s somehow amusing for them speaks volumes of their fanbase. I´ve read things saying they battered us all game. Do they not reember the 3 or 4 great chances we also failed to convert? we could have been about 4-0 up if pav and gudjohnsen had buried their shots in the second half.
This was a titanic result following sunday´s let down and keeps us in the hunt for 4th. City have to play united and arsenal. We have chelsea and united. Belive me, it is going to come down to the game at middle eastlands. I think liverpool are out of it now.
Oh and one final thing. Gomes. What a fucking HERO! I was one of the few at the beginning of his spurs career that saw the potential over the clumsy mistakes. I knew he´d come good for us and he has. I put a lot of that down to Harry and Tony Parks. When I eventaully get married he can sleep with my wife any day.
Bring on the blues scum!!
@ Belgian Spur - Yes, it can do but I think you are all exaggerating it's importance. Newcastle surely would not have been relegated if that was the case? Or we would still be talking about a "big four" that included Liverpool? Yes, there are special games where the supporters can play a part and be that oh so cliched '12th man' but these are few and far between. Ultimately it is the 11 players on the pitch who win games and have full control over the result, not the 30,000 people in the stands shouting a load of shit.
@ Tim - I don't support Arsenal so you are asking the wrong person but I will say you are talking an awful lot about absolutely nothing of relevance.
Chazza , i agree that's why i put sometimes ...
But it can also work the other way around , a booing crowd has a larger influence on the team than a supporting one ..
Support doesn't win games , i only creates an ideal atmosphere to induce the winning spirit within the team
I'd say Arsenal have improved this season....which seems quite funny as when you break it down its hard to see how. Their FBs are not quite so great as in past seasons, The central defence, beyond the first choice, is pretty ropey, their GK has been awful, their midfield retains a lot of quality but is carried somewhat by Cesc, without RVP their attack is pretty one dimensional......but the facts are they have more points than this time last season and still in the title race until the last month of the season.
I think they have learnt how to better cope with the physicalities of the EPL and stand up for themselves more. Games such Stoke showed character after Ramsey had gone off and i think that is where they have most improved.
Spurs have also improved but more so IMO. But this is because we have had more to repair. I compare it to a golf handicap. If you have a high handicap, say 16, getting it down to 12 or 10 requires a few lessons and some practice on the basics. If you are a low handicap, say 6, improving to get to 5 or less takes much more work on more specialist areas. We've cut our handicap dramatically under HR. We have improved their balance, their work ethic, their defending, especially of set plays, and have improved the physical presence of the team generally. We have the best home defensive record in the league, and the 6th best away from home.
Now that we have the basics just about sorted, and with a few necessary additions (like all teams) in the summer, what we need to work on is cracking open teams who park the bus, and slightly stronger mental attitude, while still working on the basics of course. This is fine tuning and that is where Arsenal have failed to kick on IMO. They need a plan B, what to do when the tippy tappy 30 passes around the edge of the area does not work, and they need some extra quality too.
Personally I can see Utd & Chelsea in decline. Utd are much weaker than in previous years. Rooney out for a couple games and their season goes tits up?? that aint strength. Rio is ageing and injury prone. Giggs, Neville, Scholes are old. Carrick is unspectacular. they seem to have a lot of workman like players - Fletcher, Park, O'Shea, but lack flair. Berba is a flop. They have an amazing winning attituide which really carries them at times, but the likes of Spurs, City & Arsenal are coming up fast on the rails.
Chelsea are very strong, but are aging. Where will Terry, Lampard, Deco, Drogba, Ballack, Carvalho, Cech, J Cole, malouda, Anelka be in a season or 2. All approaching or over 30. thats a lot of quality that needs replacing. Sure they can spend their way out of trouble but they need to start rebuilding soon otherwise their transition will be painful. With constant manager changes, transitions become nearly impossible. Not sure Roman wants to spend another £300m.
Making top 4 for Spurs is critical this year. City will spend whatever, but we can build, in a sustainable way and attract the players we need becuase of CL and not becase we offer huge sums to mercenaries. If we can be successful, I see the gap to the top closing and I think the Goons will also be closing that gap too. In a few years it will be Spurs, Arsenal & City slugging it out at the top COYS!
I was at the match the other night and can confirm the Arsenal support was shit.
They made more noise trying to drown out Ginola at half time than they did cheering their own boys. Or maybe they were just a little more audible because we'd all shut up? They got a bit noisier after their flukey goal, as you'd expect, but it was still pretty shit, and didn't last long.
So, in summary then, Arsenal fans are shit.
Have a nice day! :)
their flukey goal, which was also offside. how can he not be interfering with play when beiong offside has allowed him to be in a position to receive the ball in a goal scoring opportunity without having to move? stupid stupid rule. But oh well. we won.
I've lived down blackstock road and their support has always been carp
You would'nt even know there was a match on they were so quiet .
You could tell they would be just has happy at home clapping the telly.
Still onto the telly clapping extraordinares, Chelsea !
Sorry if this has already been posted (I can't bear to read through all the annoying pro/anti-Arsenal rants that bring the quality of the dialogue on here waaaay down), but thought it's a riot and worth sharing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goD1KT1g-pU&sns=em
Rosie,
Hadn't seen that yet...brilliant!
The gooners did not answer mine and doglegzs' points on their support...
PRICELESS :)
http://shop.tottenhamhotspur.com/spurs08/detail.php?productid=ST44441&proddesc=Tottenham%20Hotspur%202%20-%201%20Arsenal%20%2814/04/10%29&supercategory=BRN00067&branch=&wcategory=CAT00266&catdesc=&super=0030BRN00067~0040CAT00266&treecode=TRE00010
Unbelievable!!! LoL. Sums u lot up though i suppose.
Does the dvd have an alternative ending? Does it, does it?
No?
LOL
Why don't you see what I like and what sums us gunners up
http://www.gayemart.com/-/gay_adult_dvd_product_info/filmid=GDVD00149.html/-F880836E-74EF-4CDA-96C3-CEF26A75E924
This is my fav :)
ah 2 days on from the night that was & the gooners are still moaning like a couple of bitches !
Off topic I know, but theres an interesting article in the Mail online which reckons that over the course of 2 hours at Wembley last Sunday, Bale covered a distance of 9 miles.
This is twice the distance a full back would normally cover in a match.
I feel tired just watching him! He is our version of the roadrunner cartoon.
Hope Davspurs does not read the article!!!