By Bulldog Drummond
Previously: How Tottenham used the Leicester’s model to become masters of the gentle tackle
Tottenham Hotspur will be “trialing the use of the NHS COVID Pass to verify the vaccination or COVID status of supporters attending our men’s and women’s matches against Arsenal on Sunday.” [The spelling mistake is a Tottenham website error, and for once not mine.]
All attending adult supporters on Sunday will be asked to present an NHS COVID Pass, via the NHS App, to enter the stadium
- Pass will confirm whether supporters are either fully vaccinated or have received a negative test result no more than 48 hours prior to kick-off
- U18s are exempt and will only require a valid match ticket for entry
I’m presuming that means that the club is not accepting the printed paper pass which is also available from the NHS although this is not made clear. If anyone knows of finds out, please can they write in so we all know.
What I’d really like to know is if the process slowed down access to the ground by having to have a ticket for the game, and a covid form. If anyone who attends is able to tell us, that would be welcome. I am not at all sure clubs have thought this through, largely because its only the stewards outside who see how the fans get into the grounds.
I should add however I am not suggesting that Arsenal supporters can gain access to the game, indeed the Tottenham website clearly states that, “Tickets will not go on sale to away supporters for this fixture. Tickets will be sold in line with current Government guidance – should that guidance change ahead of the fixture, all bookings are subject to alteration and we shall contact anyone affected as soon as possible.”
I would also like to add that Tottenham does have a very clear and positive piece about supporting MIND. I am not sure if Arsenal had such a message, but if it did, I missed it, but I’m really glad to see the Tottenham statement.
“Demand for Mind’s services, including its Infoline, has increased exponentially during the pandemic, with latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics showing one in five adults experiencing symptoms of depression, compared to one in 10 prior to the pandemic.
“Mind’s own survey of 16,000 people during the initial lockdown also found that two in three young people (68 per cent) and three in five adults (60 per cent) said their mental health had got worse.”
Of course being an Arsenal fan I don’t praise Tottenham very often, but credit where it is due.
Back to the match, and despite an upturn in Tottenham’s fortunes of late they are still quite a way behind us in terms of winning derby games.
Arsenal have won 83 matches, Tottenham 66, and there have been 54 draws. So on the basis of two league games a season and a cup match every six years, if they won every game from now on in league and up, they could catch up by the end of this decade. It would however take them to 2030 to win the league as many times as we have, if they won it every season from now on.
On the other hand they have been doing better than us in the last ten games
| 30 Apr 2017 | Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal | L | 2-0 | Premier League |
| 18 Nov 2017 | Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur | W | 2-0 | Premier League |
| 10 Feb 2018 | Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal | L | 1-0 | Premier League |
| 02 Dec 2018 | Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur | W | 4-2 | Premier League |
| 19 Dec 2018 | Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur | L | 0-2 | League Cup |
| 02 Mar 2019 | Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal | D | 1-1 | Premier League |
| 01 Sep 2019 | Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur | D | 2-2 | Premier League |
| 12 Jul 2020 | Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal | L | 2-1 | Premier League |
| 06 Dec 2020 | Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal | L | 2-0 | Premier League |
| 14 Mar 2021 | Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur | W | 2-1 | Premier League |
Three wins to us, five to Tottenham, and two draws. Not like the days of Mr Wenger. I wonder why we got rid of him. We have of course got a range of videos featuring Arsenal wins over Tottenham across the years on the Arsenal History Society site.
But the truth is we have only won 11 out of the last 31 games between the two sides, having not lost a single game out of the previous 21 between the two teams. We did only win four out of 16 in the early 1990s, but that doesn’t make it feel any better.
We’ve had other bad runs in the past of course (one win in ten in the early 1960s) but the key thing to remember is that these bad runs always come to an end one way or another, otherwise we wouldn’t have won 83 to their 66.
More on the game anon.
The statistical enquiry of 2021
- Which PL clubs foul the most and which are fouled the most?
- Behold: The dirtiest teams in the PL last season; and the one that were fouled the most
- Making up statistics about Arsenal is ok… until someone bothers to check.
- New fouls and yellow card data suggest refs are reacting to club ploys.
- Arsenal keeper to be replaced by 8 year old who’s never played football
- 2020/21: The key data tables
