What a Spanking Saturday

Another great Saturday. United and Liverpool spanked, Mark Hughes sacked, and then Arsenal manage to overcome Steve Bennett to beat Hull 3-0.

Liverpool have blamed injuries for their plight, now it seems United are doing the same. Do you ever hear Wenger offer it as an excuse when ours have been consistently worse for the ENTIRE season?  Or say something as confidence-sapping as 'the players are doing the best they can given the situation?' Not to mention how insulting it is to Fulham and their magnificent display. Have you ever seen the media give us that excuse in the way they have done here for United? Did the BBC count down our injuries the way they did United's? Don't be so stupid.

So United are missing seven defenders, we're missing four, and midfielders, and all our strikers, and 50% of the team playing are just returning from injury. I don't want to make excuses for our side, but I do want a 'level' playing field when it comes to criticism and the fecking credit we're due for maintaining while our squad crumbles.

Pah. 

The first half against Hull was quite even, with passions boiling over as it drew to a close. Samir naughtily stepped on a Hull players foot (and he did step it wasn't a stamp even though the player went down as if he'd had his foot amputated Taylor-style) but yet Barnby was allowed to lift BOTH his hands and push Nasri's head but was not even given a warning. Hunt and Fagan were booked and then allowed to foul and desent with impunity. Hunt, who had been going in late every opportunity he could soon backed the fuck off Nasri when Song came swinging at him and he couldn't get away from Alex quick enough. It was the highlight of the half and it carried on in to the tunnel but seemed to have dissipated by the start of the second. The only other incident which seemed to get Twitter all-a-flutter was the sight of all our subs tucked under a communal Arsenal blanket. And people say we're soft!

Then we started to play. We do take a while to get going don't we?

Diaby was man of the match without a doubt, closely followed by Song and Denilson. Even Silvestre had a good game. Eduardo looked as if he had some of his confidence back and managed to get a goal which should settle whatever nerves he might still have. Nasri got stuck in, Eboue performed well at right-back, and Gallas and Vermaelen were, well, Gallas and Vermaelen.

You would think that after the abuse I have been giving Almunia recently that I would have had no faith in him for the penalty which came from nowhere but there was something weird about it and I said to Garantia as she pulled a blanket over head unable to watch that it would be ok, the Spanish waiter would save it. I don't know why I thought he would, I just did. She was startled from her shelter with a giant roar of SAAAAAAAAAVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVEE. It was as good as a goal.

Not that it was a penalty in the first place. But when Bennett referees our matches he always gives penalties or sends someone off with the most ridiculous decisions. This time I'm with Wenger, and if anyone can show it to me I'd be obliged. You know you've been screwed when even Mark Lawrenson says it wasn't even close to being a penalty. For ESPN to then say Hull had been hard done by the entire match was ridiculous. I'll agree that the free kick for Denilson's wonder strike was soft (Diaby didn't even appeal), but it was 10 times more a foul than what they got a penalty for. The Hull player's knee clipped Diaby's leg. Bennett also pulled up injured and Phil Dowd was poised to replace him but Bennett struggled on. Something surely which should not be allowed. If a ref isn't fit or is injured he should be removed from the match.

After what I saw last week, and looking closer this, my concerns with Almunia now involve his health. He looks very, very ill. In his post-match interview he could hardly draw breath, he is very pale, losing weight, and under his eyes are black. Something is very very wrong and we are seeing that reflected on the pitch.

I don't think that is an excuse for him, he was never a superb keeper, but it could be an explanation for the rapid decline he has experienced this season. We know he had that chest infection, was it worse than that? His mother-in-law died, but surely he should be over that by now, or at least able to cope. And the club must be aware of it. I understand sticking by him, but that has to have his limits.

Some say he was great yesterday, but he made one save, collected one cross, and saved an ok penalty. He had very little to do and managed to do it without fucking up for a change. I won't reverse my demand for a new keeper after one match in which he really wasn't tested but I will give him credit for rising to the responsibility of the captain's armband and being more decisive. He still isn't the answer though.

ESPN were infuriating throughout the entire match. Slagging the attendance (even when the official numbers were released at 60,000 they said that included season ticket holders who weren't there as if Arsenal just guess how many are in the crowd) even though it was the last weekend before Xmas, travel was all but impossible for some due to snow and not one single ground would have been full to capacity. And did you hear anything about how Eastlands was empty at the final whistle the way they yap on about the Emirates? The BBC and Match of the Day gave Arsenal their obligatory 15 second discussion before moving on. Note to BBC - Portsmouth v Liverpool NOT more important than a team challenging for the title. Add yourselves to the list of 'people to look stupid come the end of the season', I believe there's a slot in between Sky and the redtops which is available.

As the second half drew to a close Brian Horton had made his way from the stands to wait in the tunnel, and you can't help but wonder what shite he'll come up with this time. Cesc was wearing the same 'disrespectful' coat as he had on during 'spitgate' and given that he's a multi-millionaire who can afford more than one coat you can't help but wonder if he did it out of badness. I hope he did.

It was three points hard-fought, hard-earned, and very well deserved. I was extra happy as I had a tiny bet on Diaby to score which he duly did. It was deserved and capped a superb display.

Seven points out of nine from two away games, one home, six goals, one clean sheet, and all in the space of six days. Throw in the fact that we're playing with a squad of broken pygmies and far from our best and you have to pretty satisfied.

Everybody is looking at Liverpool and Arsenal as being the one's who's place in the top four is at risk, but nobody seems to see how we are two points behind United with a game in hand and Villa are right up their arse as well. Man U and the world just seem to think that once the new year comes they will kick on and stroll to the title but I have serious doubts about their ability to be able to do that this season. With no Ronaldo, a crippled defence, and an over-reliance on Rooney, I honestly believe that United's place in the top four in under a huge threat. It might sound strange to say that with them sitting in second, but that's just a feeling I get.

It's like Liverpool last season. How many times did Gerrard or Torres snatch it for them? How many times did I say that wouldn't last forever? It's the same with Man U and this 'January rocket.' They can rely on it all they want, but there's going to come a time when it's just not going to work.

Everyone seems to think it will be only one of the 'top four' to go. I have a feeling it could well be two.

In other news, it seems that Arsenal and the Dutch FA will not be sending Xmas cards anytime soon as they state they will fight us in any compensation claim. In the keeping with the holiday spirit, a lawyer for the Dutch FA said

"Before Arsenal were shouting their mouths off in public, they should have studied the FIFA rules"

It seems that we should already have insurance for players away on (pointless) International duty, though why that SHOULD be the case is as beyond me as it is Wenger. Why should I pay insurance for you to drive my car across the world just for the hell of it? To be fair, I don't have a car, but I don't think Arsenal would be seeking any sort of compensation if the Dutch FA had sent VP home with a proper diagnosis. Added on top of the French FA's refusal to send an injured Diaby back because they didn't want to call another player up into the squad (according to Wenger) heaped upon the other injuries we've received in matches where top English clubs have withdrawn 'injured' players only for them to appear for their club, Wenger reached his fill and the Dutch FA are facing his backlash.

Mick McCarthy has ridiculously suggested that he has more integrity in his little finger than Wenger has in his entire body and if he devalued the league then so does Wenger when he fields kids in the Carling Cup. Ahh duhhh the Carling Cup had no value until Wengers started playing his kids and the fact that they could probably play in the Premier Legaue and finish above Wolves first team just makes him look like an even bigger idiot than he already is.

What annoys me is that while Wenger might often criticises other managers decisions, he never insults the manager themselves. It's a small, but important difference. More often than not, it results in Wenger being the person attacked which I think the boss handles incredibly well and always refuses to lower himself to personal mud-slinging. It's like calling someone 'fat' just because you can't construct a coherent argument. It's not big and it's far from clever. The journalists ask the questions, Wenger gives an honest answer, and then other managers jump on the 'Wenger-bashing' bandwagon. Did Wenger insult McCarthy or simply question his decision? Would managers dare say the things they do about Wenger in relation to Ferguson?

To hear Ferguson back McCarthy's decision is not unexpected, but for him to say that as they only beat the second string team 3-0 and both Arsenal and Chelsea managed to put four past the first teams proves that the reserves did better is just stupid. The only thing that proves is that Man U aren't as good as Arsenal and Chelsea.

The Mirror reports that we have been snubbed by Van Der Vaart, though to describe him as a 'superstar' in once sentence and then state his price as '£6million' leads me to believe this is yet another non-story. You can see how he snubbed Arsenal by saying:

"My intention is to finish the season here and see out the contract that I have with Real Madrid. I am very happy and believe I am playing very well at the moment."

Ouch! How could he reject us like that! I suppose you could spell 'Arsenal' out of the letters contained within that statement. But you can also spell 'Twat' which is what the author of the 'story' is.

Big Phil is again linked with Everton in a story which could actually have legs. The fact that he can't even make the bench with four defenders injured demonstrates his time at Arsenal is over. While it is being touted as a loan deal, the more painless we can make it for him the better I think. Not once has he complained or tried to force Arsenal's hand through the media, we should respect that and let him go.

So, another great weekend. Third place held, ground made on United and away from Liverpool. And all that without a left back, or striker and many who played only returning from injury. We might not be purring the way we were before all the injuries, but I'll take it knowing what we have to come. We're hanging in there and we know we can do better. Can United and Chelsea say the same?

I don't think so.

The title's ours if we want it enough, and I think this year the players might just know that. Laugh if you like, but make sure you add yourself to the list after the BBC.