Arsenal News » Sunderland 1 Arsenal 2

That’s how close it was – we had two shots on target, they had one.

So it goes – we did an experiment with an experimental line up, and it didn’t deliver.   If it had, Wenger would have been the greatest genius of all time, the wonder kid, the inspiration of a generation of managers – at least until tuesday.

It didn’t result in a victory.  But it wasn’t a flop or a major set-back as some of the blogs are saying this sunday.  “Massive Setback to Title Hopes”.  Oh come on.

It was just one of those things that someone did not quite come off. The ball never got to Eduardo, Rosicky and Nasri together didn’t quite look right, and because of previous evils done upon our team Denilson, Vela and Theo were not quite ready.

If you really want to know who beat us, it was UEFA and FIFA with Van Persie crocked, Gibbs crocked, Arshavin tired.  And evil Birmingham.

But let’s look on the positive side.

Denilson had another few days rest.  Vela and Theo had a quick run out, and they can see how they reacted and perhaps have another bash on Tuesday before meeting the Evil Empire of the KGB next weekend.

I had hoped for more – but shit happens, so we move on.

We ended the game with a record identical to Manchester United after the same number of game…. except for two things – a better goal difference, and a better financial position.  They also have internal rumblings we don’t.

Sometimes I think I should stop writing my history site (www.blog.woolwicharsenal.co.uk) and write a future of football site instead in which Man U are playing FC United in the Conference and Liverpool have become the focus of the import of baseball into the UK.  (Actually there is a bit about the future of football in MAKING THE ARSENAL, in which Jacko invents a story in which 12 separate countries invade Britain at once and the local population go out and sell the grounds and supporters to the invaders.)

So we move on to Tuesday night, and the Lord Wenger will shuffle the pack a little, and work out who what where and why.  Maybe the whole game was just that.  Maybe he was trying to get Eduardo to do something new.

Certainly it was a shame that Arshavin was not ready – but now that the total and utter insanity of playing fixed international matches under the guidance of the most bent and corrupt organisation since Saddam Hussein’s Ba’ath Party, is over for a while, we can have our players play for us.

Sadly some of our top men will be in South Africa for the world cup, but at least Arshavin won’t be, so he can have a break, and with a bit of luck Mexico might get knocked out early so Carlos can come home early.  Theo might be deemed to have had too many injuries (caused for the most part through the insanity of England playing him in the under 21 and full team at the same time), so maybe he’ll miss out and hopefully that Cole fellow will go at left back, leaving Gibbs at home to rest and watch TV.

That must seem harsh to anyone who supports the world cup and the corrupt Taliban-FIFA.  (OK I’ll be fair, FIFA don’t indulge in suicide bombings and that comment was totally over the top, but I’ve got a stinking cold, a load of work to do, and my brain won’t function properly).

If you do support that event (the world cup, not suicide bombing), then we are simply of different opinions here.  You support Arsenal and the World Cup as an institution (or perhaps whatever country by chance you were born in or ended up in) while I support Arsenal.  I was born and brought in north London of English parents and grandparents and don’t support England.  So it goes.

That’s not quite all for Sunderland though.

Floods willing Arsenal play Sunderland again in the women’s league today (Sunday).  Now I know this is considered an irrelevance to many – and the best the women can hope for is a round of applause when they do their tour of the ground on the last day of the season having won four trophies as usual.

If this is your view, I would beg you to take a little more notice.  Not least because in a year and a bit, women’s football is going to become a summer game, and you will be able to see Arsenal play during the summer break – which is rather nice and really ought to get more people watching.

Here’s the situation.  Because of some dozy set of internationals in which Germany beat us (yup those bastards get everywhere – and by that I mean FIFA not the Germans) we started our season about a month after everyone else.  We have played six and won six.  Scored 29 and let in five.

But despite that we are only third – with obviously 18 points.  On 19 points is Sunderland who we play on Sunday, who have played 12 (yup 12) and have 19 points) and the KGB in Fulham who have played 9 and have 22 points.

So it is looking good.  If you ever get a chance to go to a women’s game, you really should.  They play on Sundays, and apart from the Women’s Prem League they play in the FA Cup, League Cup and European Cup.  Take a look at their European results if you want to be impress.

There are 12 teams in their league, from Sunderland in the north to Bristol in the west.

And if that ain’t enough take a look at the under 18 men’s league table.  We’re top.  And motoring.

It really isn’t as bad as you think.

Couple of PS bit now.  First please buy a copy of MAKING THE ARSENAL for someone you know who has got everything Arsenal – because they almost certainly won’t have that.   www.emiratesstadium.info or else Amazon.

Second, thank you to our friends in India who wrote the piece about supporting Arsenal in their country.  A great range of responses – including from many people who don’t normally write to the blog.   If you live outside of England and would like to contribute an article about supporting from your country, please do write in.  Send the article to Tony@hamilton-house.com as a Word document (please as a Word document, not as part of the email) and I will try and run it.

This blog was read by over 100,000 in October, and looks like November will be our biggest ever month for readership, and I believe it is because of the positive nature of the blog in general, and the great way we are able (through the contributions of others) to bring Arsenal supporters from around the world, together.

(c) Tony Attwood 2009

PS: Did I mention MAKING THE ARSENAL?  We’ve had one order from Norway, and one from New Zealand, so we are indeed reaching out across the multiverse.  As it were.