- The issue about sacking Arteta, changing the team, and sorting Arsenal once and for all
- The biggest scandal in football today is still unresolved
By Tony Attwood
So the criticism of Arteta continues hour by hour, with correspondents to the national media saying he obviously can’t win the league, so get someone else. As if someone else would want to come to Arsenal, where “fans” are so critical of Arteta. The top managers have a choice of every club – why go somewhere where the fans turn against a manager who has turned the club round so effectively? Better for them to wait for a job where the fans will be truly appreciative.
But this weekend we have to get on with playing the tiny totts away, Tottenham being a club that follows the model of hiring and firing managers regularly; Arsenal do the opposite. Here are the league positions.
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 27 | 17 | 7 | 3 | 52 | 20 | 32 | 58 |
| 16 | Tottenham Hotspur | 26 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 36 | 37 | -1 | 29 |
Throughout history the clubs have played each other 212 times in competitive games starting in 1896. 90 of the games have been won by Arsenal, 67 by Tottenham and 55 have been drawn. Put another way 42% are won by Arsenal, 32% by the Tots.
In the earliest matches, Tottenham certainly had the upper hand for games in the United League, Southern and District Combination, and the London League, winning five of the first ten such games, but once both clubs were in League Division One in 1909, Arsenal took the lead. And indeed, when we got to the 1930s, Arsenal were winning regularly, losing just one of ten games from 1934 onward.
The sequence of the last ten games starting on 14 March 2021 shows eight Arsenal wins, one draw and one defeat – Tottenham winning their one match of the sequence on 12 May 2022. I am told that is still a public holiday in the area. The last four games have been Arsenal wins with the goal total being ten goals to Arsenal and four to Tottenham. The most recent game I am sure you will remember was on 23 Nopvember 2025 when Arsenal beat Tottenham 4-1.
Tottenham have a problem this season that they have found difficult to talk about and even harder to resolve. That is the difference between their home and away form.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Tottenham Hotspur home | 13 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 16 | 18 | -2 | 10 |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur away | 13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 20 | 19 | 1 | 19 |
The simple fact is that Tottenham Hots hate playing at home, for the simple reason that their supporters are so critical of their failures. Indeed, anyone with even half an eye open will surely agree that for a team with visions of grandeur and winning stuff, just two wins at home out of 13 matches in the Premier League is a total and utter disaster. Their season ticket holders have been obliged to watch more goals scored by away teams than by the Hots at the almighty Tottenham Ho Stadium. Indeed, the list of recent games at the mighty new glorious but unsponsorerable stadium reads All games were in the Premier League…
| Date | Game | Res | Score |
| 20 Dec 2025 | Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool | L | 1-2 |
| 04 Jan 2026 | Tottenham Hotspur v Sunderland | D | 1-1 |
| 17 Jan 2026 | Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United | L | 1-2 |
| 01 Feb 2026 | Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City | D | 2-2 |
| 10 Feb 2026 | Tottenham Hotspur v Newcastle United | L | 1-2 |
Arsenal by comparison in thier last five away games show us a form that is not wholeheartedly better than the Tottenham form… but at least two wins and three draws away is better than two draws and three defeats at home.
| Date | Game | Res | Score |
| 03 Jan 2026 | AFC Bournemouth v Arsenal | W | 2-3 |
| 17 Jan 2026 | Nottingham Forest v Arsenal | D | 0-0 |
| 31 Jan 2026 | Leeds United v Arsenal | W | 0-4 |
| 12 Feb 2026 | Brentford v Arsenal | D | 1-1 |
| 18 Feb 2026 | Wolverhampton Wanderers v Arsenal | D | 2-2 |
So in a way it is interesting that day after day now, we are seeing people write on blogs etc suggesting that Arsenal should follow the Tottenham model and sack its manager. So bonkers is the notion of following the Tottenham model of doing things, I wouldn’t be surprised if those who advocate such an approach are actually Tottenham supporters trying to drag Arsenal down to their level.
Something has to change in some way, or else we are gong to see a goalless draw which Tottenham fans can celebrate because it is not another defeat and Arsenal fans can bemoan because we have not won, and quite possibly let ManC get ever closer.
It is indeed a measure of the two clubs just what will satisfy the fans of each side.
