Up For Grabs Now

I figured I’d blow the cobwebs off this old lady and take the time to respond to some of the pessimism surrounding the 4-4 draw away at Newcastle. I’m not going to defend the team’s performance in the second half. Arsenal should not be in the business of conceding four goals in a match, let alone one half, against anyone. However, I also think some perspective is called for. We had a bad half. A cataclysmic half. Every team has these from time to time – passages where the whole lot just fall to pieces, and your team seems to turn from Champions League contenders into kindergarten retards. It’s never fun to watch, as Saturday reminded us.

But but but. We still drew. Our worst passage of play of the season and we still drew. We conceded four but we’d already scored four, at a canter. If we had been 1-0 behind and equalised at the last minute, nobody would really be grumbling about a draw away at Newcastle – particularly not after they beat us at home. In fact, how many of us would have swapped a draw for a Manchester United defeat? Arsene spoke after the game about the potential psychological impact of the second half, but it won’t be nearly as powerful as the impact on Ferguson’s jolly band of smelly, er, professional footballers. Every team in the league will have a go at them now, and some of them will be successful. United will drop more points. Every team in the league was already having a go at us, and so far we’ve more or less batted them off.

We’re hot favourites for the Carling Cup, we’re still in the FA Cup and, as far as I’m concerned, we’re favourites for the Premier League too. We’ve arguably the best attack in club football, and though our defence is not what it could be, we still look much more up for a ruck than we have during the past few seasons. That said, if nothing else Saturday proved once and for all that Diaby will never be Alex Song. (And who, four years ago, would have imagined that sentence ever being credible?). But there is more to be happy than sad about.

Now all we’ve got to do is breeze over those Catalan chancers next week, and my Quadruple accumulator will be looking rosy once more. Chins up, Grabbos

Quite a change that weekend was, I think we’ll all agree. 3 points clear in 4th, goals from everywhere, and a great sense of momentum. I much prefer this sort of weekend.

Once again the optimism of this blog proved accurate, as we pushed the Geordie bastards aside with a skilful, satisfying flourish, deftly evading the temporary threat provided by Steven Taylor and his gigantic bag of cuntite thuggery. The BBC thought it was the best half of football this season, but then those live text guys always seem a bit annoying, like they’d be the slightly annoying friend of a friend in the pub who you’d tolerate but prefer was absent. The Guardian thought it was boring. I thought it was somewhere in between, which I’m feeling pretty post-revisionist about. Particularly good was Manuel the Spanish waiter goalkeeper’s saving of Martins’ penalty. Nothing better than your keeper saving a penalty, is there? Particularly from Martins, a player whose performance for Inter Milan four years ago lives long and hauntingly in the memory. The length and hauntingness of this memory are slightly lessened by the fact that Martins is now rather shit, except for in Pro Evo where he’s still quicker than God. But still.

Anyway, with Liverpool brushing aside Aston Villa, the bus of whose wheels are falling off at an alarming hilarious rate of knots. I think Martin O’Neill must have a recurring nightmare in which Nigel Reo-Coker is a very simple man with a very simple job who suddenly ends up in a position of great power and kills the world. It’s the Emmanuel Eboue dream (don’t tell me you haven’t had it) to the nth degree, and no wonder O’Neill looks stressed. I still like him though, I must confess, despite my greatly enjoying the flaccid end to Villa’s season, and see him as a potential Arsene replacement one day.

Not that I want Arsene to go anywhere. Just as our faith in him is rewarded, so his faith in his players continues to prove enlightened. Despite his ineptitude in front of goal last weekend, the Great Dane is becoming better by the game, and given he’s only 20 I think we can expect good things from him. Remember the other strikers, reputed to be exciting, he showed off – Stokes and Lupoli both spring to mind – and perhaps we’re beginning to see what Arsene’s known all along.

Arshavin was his usual dynamo self. I think the square-figured Russian is going to become a real favourite. He’s skilful but doesn’t mind getting knocked about a bit (Russia for you), and he runs to the end. Newcastle are in real trouble now, but we’re three points clear, and how nice does that feel, particularly with United in difficulties. This season is really playing havoc with one’s loyalties, isn’t it? First you want Spurs to beat Villa, and then you want Liverpool to beat Villa. I remember in the olden days when Villa were everyone’s second-favourite team…

Anyway, a good weekend for us. A shame about Theo’s injury, but he’ll be back, hopefully alongside a revitalised and refreshed Cesc Fabregas. What a nice thought that is…

A little while until the next game, but in the meantime why don’t you amuse yourselves by entering our new Philosophy Football competition? All you have to do is answer the following question: Which formation did Herbert Chapman pioneer at Arsenal? Send your answers with your name, t-shirt size and address to admin@philosophyfootball.com

I’m wearing mine now, and Grabina says I look very fetching…

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