OK Then, It Was A Bridge Too Far!

The morning starts well. The trains are running on time, so I hit the Broadway early and find a continental cafe. Well this is West London! A coffee and brandy under an umbrella in the rain. Only the English…
At twelve it is on to Bodeans BBQ where large portions of pig are washed down with some particularly agreeable Porter. A few pints of Dublin’s finest quench the thirst and it is time to take up position in the upper tier of the Shed. We are serenaded with words to the effect that we haven’t won a great deal in five years.  They sing that another couple of times over the coming hour and a half. We remind them that a supporters they are lacking somewhat, and we spend the rest of the evening proving it.
Arsenal start like a steam train and Chamakh goes close. Then Koscielny heads over. From the other end of the ground I don’t appreciate just how good a chance that is until seeing it again on Match of the Day. Arsenal are pressing, dominating possession, but that final ball is always frustratingly not quite in the groove.
There are shades of last season at the Bridge when despite controlling the ball we are unhinged by a couple of breaks from defence by a home team happy to soak it all up. The question is what can you do to change it? Part of the reason for the dominance is that we commit players forward to support each other, but that means leaving the odd gap.
Like a tired old television repeat we are unhinged against the run of play when Cole gets free and Drogba, who else, applies a truly special finishing touch. Those who lay any blame at all to Fabianski here are just plain wrong. Most are convinced we should get a free-kick before Chelsea, but that is the sort of fifty-fifty decision away teams don’t get.
Half-time produces the biggest laugh of the day. Not sure why, but Erland Johnsen, a central defender for the Blues in the nineties, does a lap of honour to some polite applause. The magnificent travelling support is quick to seize the opportunity. “YOU’VE NEVER SEEN HIM BEFORE”, is followed by a deafening round of “HE WAS HERE WHEN YOU WERE SHIT!”. Brilliant. Even the glory hunters the other side of the stewards applaud them.
At this point the ‘holic pound is very much on. I suspected the hosts might be ahead at the break, and now with a little bit of good fortune, and continued control of the football, we can do the business. Control the ball we still do, by and large, but Lady Luck is being particularly choosy with her favours today.
There is a point in many games when you know it is up. For me that moment arrives when Chamakh is flattened in the box. From the frenzied atmosphere of the Shed that looks a stonewaller, but it is unclear on Match of the Day, and is not analysed further. I’ll check it on ATVo later today.
To be fair our defensive mistakes multiply and Anelka should seal the points. He doesn’t, but when Koscielny is forced to concede on the edge of the area we are beaten for good by an Alex thunderbolt. There is much muttering of ‘the hole in the wall’ around us, but again no blame for Fabianski. Two good games in a row from the Pole. Slowly, slowly, is confidence built.
The top, top man who has sourced the tickets and brought lunch, then nails on his claims for sainthood by giving me a lift back to Paddington. The looming tube strike added uncertainty to the journey home, but it seems all of London is travelling by car tonight. I owe you fella.
On the train home I reflect on Friday’s arsecast. I hope, and still believe, that Blogs is wrong about the importance of the three points at this stage of the season. Plenty of time remains to recover the deficit, but I’ll accept there are worrying undertones of last season.
We have had too much of the ball not to score against a side that is set-up not to concede. Last season four matches were lost to our closest rivals in similar fashion. It is too simple to say we will address that with everybody available because it won’t happen. We have too many glass idols. I thought we had the squad this season to cover that. Chelsea’s faultless exposure of our naivety casts doubt.
I’m waiting to be proved right.