We win because Tottenham put out a team made up of the players that some of the previous managers have bought for £millions – from Bentley to Bale, Eduardo to someone else whose name I have forgotten.
Arsenal put out a team of 17 year olds. Jack Wilshere was out with an ankle injury, Fran Merida wasn’t there (maybe he’s on the bench tomorrow), while we had Luke Freeman on as sub – him having become an Arsenal pro a few days ago on reaching the grand old age of 17.
In a rare attempt to be honest I have to say Bentley’s goals were very good, but here we have a player who transferred for £17 million to Tottenham (in order to get lots of first team football and European experience). He was up against a 19 year old goalkeeper, Wojciech Szczesny – Arsenal’s fourth choice.
The first half looked a lot like boys against men, which it was, but in the second half Arsenal Children did the club proud and really took the game to the Totts.
God knows what the Totts think they are doing playing this bunch of has-beens and never quite made its. Are they imagining that scouts from around the globe are out looking at them? If so, what a waste of time, (no one knows where the Orient is guys). What they could have done is what Arsenal did – play their youth team and start building their own new squad.
But this is not Tottenham’s way. Why give a 17 year old a chance to play when you can go out and spend another £17 million on a Bentley?
And spare a snigger for Gareth Bale. While Arsenal have signed Theo and Ramsey, Tottenham got Bale with all the same amount of fuss – and now play him in front of 500 people at the Orient. He cost them £5 million with more to pay if anything happened. People said we were going to sign him – on this display I doubt it. He looks like he is heading to a club with even less chance of winning anything that Tottenham.
When he signed for the Tinies, Bale said: “I’m just excited to be coming to a massive club like Spurs. It’s pushing forward and I want to be part of its future.”
So it goes – bad signings, poor judgement, no continuity, no hope, no wonder kids of talent won’t go within a mile of the club. Instead they go down the Seven Sisters Road.
As I say, we lost, but we won.
And here’s a postscript. Alex Hleb came on for Barca against Bayern with 13 minutes to go. Glad to know he is getting some football where it matters. 13 minutes to go and you are already 5-1 up.
(c) Tony Attwood 2009
Ian Wright used to be an Arsenal hero of mine. And you know what? I hate the fact that now I say used to be.
What is wrong with the fella? Today he expressed an opinion that fourth place is not good enough for Arsenal. Well, fair enough. But why say it now? Couldn’t he have waited until the end of the season to say so?
Why has he chosen to come out with this article at the beginning of the most important week of Arsenal’s campaign? What is his problem?
The funny thing about the situation is at the beginning of the season he said Arsenal would struggle to make it into the top four. Now he says it’s not good enough.
Growing up as a kid I worshipped the bloke. He was my hero. Nowadays I can’t help but think he uses the Arsenal to sell his column.
Why didn’t Ian Wright use his column to say how well Arsenal were doing recently and that we have a real chance of winning the FA Cup or Champions League?
I know there have been times Arsenal have been poor this season. I know we haven’t won for a trophy for a long time. But lets wait until the end of the season and then maybe discuss the campaign. Who knows, we might have come third and won both trophies by then!
I’m sorry Wrighty. I think you are bitter towards Arsenal, maybe more towards Arsene Wenger. Since you have left the club your opinions and columns have proved that.
And that, from an Arsenal legend, makes me sad.
Fellow gooners, what do you guys say to Wenger approaching Mathieu Coutadeur? I’ve seen him play once and I didn’t get too much from that some ten minutes of play.
Has anyone heard about him he’s meant to be a real prospect with clubs such as hamburg and Stuttgart interested. He’s a central midfielder and is “known for his passing”.
This is probably not the solution as a Defensive midfielder whom could add steel to the middle of the park SHOULD be a preferred option. Inler has also been linked although the club is ransoming over something like 22.2m…Forget that.
Well, we’ll see in good time what Wenger does. Honestly, i think he will transform a player whom plays in an other position and change him into a DM like he’s transformed Henry from a winger to a striker and Flamini into a versatile player with him even playing at Left-back
I think that’s Bale’s first win in a Tottenham shirt! the Totts haven’t won a senior game when the Welsh ‘Wizard’ has been playing. Fact (I think, last time I checked in February)
Good post, Tony.
I watched the match on ATVO and ws thinking exactly the same as you! Most of the players are 17-18 year olds with a couple of 16-year-olds sprinkled in. Only Randall is older – 19. And most of the stars of the reserves are out on loan. The kids did well, especially in the second half, and with a bit more composure could have scored three more goals.
What the ***##@**!! are you doing here Fungunner! Have you told them about yourself and your evil mind over here? I thought not.
What’s the deal with above? Spill the beans on the gossip….
James Le Beak – Wrighty is and always will be an Arsenal legend. But like many Gooners he has a short memory. Wrighty joined just after the start of the 1991-1992 season. He lifted the league championship trophy in 1998, almost seven years after joining the club. I don’t recall him saying that it wasn’t good enough for Arsenal then.
Like many fans and ex-players he judges Arsenal on the standards set by Wenger, not the standards of the club over the last 40 or 50 years.
You make a point Ian but i think it is more that he likes the limelight and being one of the gang. He just hasn’t the intelligence to analyse our club properly nor the courage to fight our corner against the prevailing myths of our ‘weakness’.
Sorry Brain. I couldn’t possibly repeat stories, no matter how true, about a ‘lady’