september 26th
07.36 – So Arsene Wenger apologised yesterday for the behaviour of the Arsenal players after Sunday’s game at Old Trafford. “We over-reacted on the penalty and after the final whistle, and I apologise for that. I’m sorry if we offended anyone and it will not happen again.”
Great, so that’s that then? No chance. Quite rightly in my opinion, the Arsenal manager went on to criticise the media and the FA for hyping this incident out of all proportion. “I have been in English football for seven years now and I have witnessed situations that were 10 times worse that were not punished. That doesn’t mean we were right but it does mean that some people get away with some things they shouldn’t get away with. Frankly, it’s laughable.”
On being asked to explain his comments about Ruud van Nistelrooy, Wenger said “I said what I said and I will defend that. I have heard other managers call our players cheats and they’ve never had to explain themselves to the FA.”
What’s also nice to see is that Arsenal will bring up van Nistelrooy’s history of foul play against Arsenal to make their point. Not to try and get our players off the hook, but to illustrate that the playing field is not level. The FA cup game last season saw Ruud take out Martin Keown, then go into a challenge elbow first on Lauren. The night we won the league at Old Trafford, he clearly punched Fredie Ljungberg in the stomach. Despite Arsenal fans repeatedly asking the FA to look at this incident they never have, nor have they ever provided an adequate explanation as to why they refuse to look at it. AW said “I will give you a tape of what he did on Lauren, what he did on Keown and what he did on Fredrik Ljungberg.”
I’m glad he’s apologised for the behaviour of the players, but equally I’m glad he hasn’t just sat back and allowed himself, the club and our players to be fucked over by the FA. Nobody could claim what happened at Old Trafford was violent, yet with the help of Sky the FA have managed to charge 6 of our players. But then this – a 15 man brawl in which the managers of Preston and Bradford were involved – gets only 2 charges. There’s something wrong there. The Arsenal manager has also indicated that the players would all face the charges at the same time even though that could see all six banned at the same time. “We are a team and, while we acknowledge that we’ve done wrong, that still means we must stick together and fight for our players.”
Good stuff from the boss. Yes, we were wrong, but we weren’t that wrong. I’m so happy he’s said what he’s said. He’ll get crucified in the media for it probably, but he’s right to say it. Of course, you know who can hardly wait to stick the knife in again. A perfect example of somebody with their own agenda. Just calling the events of Sunday ‘sickening, brutish and disgusting’ doesn’t make it so. A bit of pushing, a bit of name calling, and that’s it. If that’s what some people consider sickening and disgusting then they don’t get out much. Or they have another reason to keep going on and on about it, but that would be just conjecture and speculation. I’m sure Mr Lawton will spend days castigating the next players that dives, the next player that commits an outrageously bad tackle, the next club whose players get a bit too passionate in these days of bland, safe superstars like Owen and Shearer and Beckham.
People look back on the 70s and 80s in tennis when you had great characters like Connors, McEnroe, Nastase, Vitas Gueralitis, and recall the bad behaviour with a whistful smile, and bemoan the fact that the game is now filled with the likes of Sampras, Ferrero, Federer, Roddick, Safin etc – great players but without personality, boring. No fighting, no arguing with the officials, no displays of emotion – even Rusedski nearly became interesting with the kind of outburst that McEnroe would give you twice a set. Football is a passionate game, FIFA, UEFA, The FA, Sky etc have blandified it (like that word) with rule changes that make it a yellow card offence to take your shirt off in celebration of a goal. Premiership referees hand out yellow cards in a desperate attempt to maintain discipline when talking to players like adults and not treating them as school kids would be a far better long term solution.
Anyway, the point is this, I’d much rather Arsenal showed a bit of passion, a bit of life, some character rather than becoming a team full of faceless stooges. I played football for years, I know that if we played against our biggest rivals and the player on their team that we hated the most missed a dodgy penalty in the last minute, we’d have reacted just the same. The difference is their lot probably would have had a go back, like they should. Take that away from the game and you’ve got netball on a big fucking pitch.
Dennis Bergkamp is out of tonight’s game against Newcastle with a leg injury. AW says “He has a kick on his fibula and he has no feeling there.” I wonder is it’s anything to do with this…
Good news on the stadium front, it’s being reported that the finances are all pretty much in place and an announcement is expected at the club’s AGM on October 3rd. Don’t do it Luca. Always had lots of time for this guy, I really wouldn’t like to have to start hating him.
Right, last day in work. A few pints afterwards, then home for cake and football.
