Ok admit it. Who forgot to give Arsenal the script? We are resurgent. A team on the up. We are playing well and the pundits have tipped us for safety. The Gunners skulked into St Andrews after a couple of defeats and offered themselves for sacrifice. They are not even in the FA Cup! Minnows!
Apart from the odd decent player I couldn’t name half their team. No, really I couldn’t, as demonstrated by my attempts to read them out before kick off. Emmanuel Adebayadebaybayouror. He got his own back by scoring the first goal and forcing me to have another go at it. I just mumbled ‘Adebola’ and hoped no one noticed. He had funny hair anyway.
For the first fifteen minutes we gave a good account of ourselves and if the big German Lehman hadn’t tipped Jiri’s shot around the post it may have been a different game. His shorts are too tight anyway. He looks like an extra from a seventies adult film. So does Lehman in fact.
Just recently we have gone a goal behind on a number of occasions. In the past it was the cue to head for the exits regardless of the amount of time remaining as there was no chance we were going to score. Things have been different over the last few weeks and there has been a little Dunkirk spirit.
The big fella Emile got booked for looking at the ball. There are times when you want to put the game on pause and ask the referee a question. Ok here’s your starter for ten ‘how do I control a football without looking at it?’ Perhaps the bonus round could involve questions along a similar theme regarding heading the ball without looking at it and also ‘is it possible to jump to head the ball whilst keeping your arms pinned at your side in a Riverdance style?’
As the game progressed and the crowd bayed for the Blues to get an equalizer we all knew one thing. Don’t leave Henry with any space to run into. Moments later Henry had space to run into, Taylor ducked and the game was over. I guess it was a touch ambitious to expect the team second from bottom to pick up points against the mighty Arsenal but with current form as an indicator I am sure many of us were hopeful and many of us disappointed at full time.
Reading came and went in a rain soaked match on Tuesday. It was nice to see Mikael score and the winner from Gray spared us all extra time. The kids played well and the experience will auger well for the future if they are called upon to assist in a forthcoming time of crisis. Oops too late, we’re already there.
There are now four big games on the trot (as opposed to unimportant games?). West Ham, safely nestled in mid table and having just spanked out £7 million on Dean Ashton, Sunderland fresh from a Brentford spanking, Middlesboro nicely tucked in the relegation fight having just been spanked by Villa and the Baggies who ruined this sentence by spanking Blackburn.
Forssell reckons that we need at least seven points out of those games. I quite fancy all twelve. But I’m greedy. The importance of these four games cannot be stressed enough. In four matches time we will pretty much know our destiny.
Keep right on. Remember, in a space suit no one can hear you fart.
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