Credit where it’s due: Tottenham, you really are a knockout!
I’VE been stopped several times this week and it wasn’t all words of congratulations for the New Journal’s wondrous win against the Ham and High on Monday night.
No. Instead, it seems a few readers doubted the sincerity of my message of congratulations to Top Four Tottenham last week following their 5-1 win in the Littlewoods.
To those people, let me apologise. You did very well. Fantastic. Well done. I can understand you will be very proud at this time and I should have taken your profound joy at reaching the final of the League Cup, celebrated the world over as one of the finest football tournaments, more seriously.
As some people have pointed out, not all of the Arsenal players who played in the semi-final were reserves and it would be plain miserly of me to point out that just because Armand Traore, Justin Hoyte Denilson and Lukas Fabianski would walk into the Spurs team and be their best players, it doesn’t mean they are first choices at Arsenal.
Back to the proper stuff.
When it came to the FA Cup, er, genuinely celebrated the world over as one of the finest football tournaments, Arsenal powered through in typical style on Saturday and, rather inevitably, Top Four Tottenham limped out. The rest is all forgotten.
IT was with great anticipation that I turned to the back page of last week’s paper. What lucky Spurs fan would have the pleasure of crowing as the perennially smug Richard Osley tried to defend the Wenger youth who crumbled so easily at the feet of Tottenham? Although most of them spend a large proportion of their time playing in the first team, so hardly the reserves Richard!
Imagine my disappointment when his oppo turned out to be a Newcastle fan celebrating the return of King Kev. What was that all about? Perhaps Osley stamped his smug little foot, knowing how easy it would be for anyone but an Arsenal fan to give Spurs some well-deserved praise for their fine performance. It was no surprise that Mr Osley belittled the competition, but has he forgotten that just a week or so ago Monsieur Wenger was talking about going for the quadruple, surely attributing some kind of importance to the League Cup? Besides, I’d have thought the Arsenal trophy cabinet is crying out for a trophy of any kind. It’s been a while... Don’t let Osley have it all his own way. You missed the perfect opportunity to have him knocked down a peg or two, and boy does he – like his team – need it.
Arsenal at their best are a great side to watch, and who knows, they may yet raise a cup aloft this season. It’s just a pity that they and some of their fans are so ungracious in both victory and defeat.
