Now for the hard part...!
Much to my delight, United have done the double over the Gunners this season. To say I was happy was a gross understatement. I was elated. It was just my tough luck really, that I should be down with a cold and a sore throat to not be able to make it to the pub and watch that game, but I was again on live radio. I did catch the highlights show on BBC1 later on. Mikey actually did went down to the pub, but it appeared to him that they were not showing it. I told him it couldn't be, as I saw it written very clearly on the chalkboards outside the bar : "Arsenal v Man. Utd. TONIGHT". There just seems to be a communication problem with him and the British people. I mean, if you're already down there and in the pub, and if they appear to be not showing your program, does it even hurt to ask them about it?? Anyway, he went down at half-time, and we all know what happened in the second half, do we not?? I told you that was my lucky bar!! Every time either Michael or I or both of us were there, the results always go United's way!
I'm not going to comment on the pre-match incident in the tunnel, because if Gary Nev isn't squealing, who are we to say anything? There were several goals in the game (six to be exact), let alone incidents, that we really don't know where to begin. Chris said it was "some game." Some game it was! I felt United's defence were partly responsible for Arsenal's first goal by Patrick Vieira, but maybe we've got to admit to ourselves that it's not easy for the relatively short Heinze to outjump the "6 foot 4" Vieira. United's first, second, and fourth goals were especially technical to me and were all eye candies, all involving the talented lot of Paul Scholes, Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo. But when United drew level at 2-2, I had a feeling that if we do edge ahead, it'd be very difficult for Arsenal. A brilliant football team that they are, Arsenal are not exactly masters of the comeback game. But they did give me some bitten finger nails, though it proved ultimately futile for them. We not only kept hold on the lead quite comfortably despite having been reduced to 10 men, but John O'Shea added a sublime fourth to rub salt to the outgoing champions' wounds. That was the most beautiful finish of the night, and even he seemed surprised!
We can safely say it's all over for Arsenal now. I'm sorry but the Premiership nowadays is no longer the Premiership of 8-10 years ago. I remember back in the '96/'97 season, United won the Premiership having recorded five defeats. I don't think you can do it even with only three defeats now. The standard of the Premiership is now that much higher, thanks largely to Arsenal themselves and Chelsea, whom we will now call the "hard part". Arsenal themselves went unbeaten last season, making the possibility of not losing in an entire season very much real, let alone suffering a blip which means you might go on to lose three or four matches. Jose Mourinho's men will no doubt feel they can do the same thing and go all the way to the end without suffering the oft-mentioned "blip". So however you look at it, catching Chelsea will be the hard part. We need external help! We need teams like Blackburn (tonight) and Man. City on Sunday to help us. What are the odds on Kevin Keegan's team doing the double over Chelsea this term, i.e. what are the odds in them beating Chelsea this weekend??
Anyway, we can only hope for some of these other teams to think they can somehow beat Chelsea. Whether they need to park a bus in front of their goal or attack the Chelsea goal with a Ferrari, I don't know. United themselves have to beat Chelsea when they next meet in April, given Chelsea have not already won it by then! But, should Chelsea fail to win tonight (big SHOULD), we will be 8 or 9 points behind them with 13 games remaining, and logically, you'd think of course we have a chance! But like I said, the Premiership of today is not the Premiership of the 90's. There is a real possibility that Chelsea will not slip. Just our fingers crossed...that's all we the fans can do!
On another matter, between Liverpool and Everton, whom do I want in the fourth spot? People might guess I want Everton there, but I'm not so sure. I'm not suddenly developing a crush for Liverpool or something, but imagine the simple scenario. Liverpool failing to get in the Champions League, Steven Gerrard gets frustrated, gets ready to leave, a host of clubs come bidding, including Arsenal, United, Chelsea, Newcastle...did I see Chelsea there?? See the point? The prospect of Gerrard linking up with Lampard or Makelele is scary. Unless of course, someone at Chelsea feels crowded and decides to come to United. Or Stevie G follows Alan Smith's impeccable example and joins United...and be termed Judas* in the process.
*For more information on Judas, please visit www.concordant.org/expohtml/theproblemofevil/evil018.html.
I'm not going to comment on the pre-match incident in the tunnel, because if Gary Nev isn't squealing, who are we to say anything? There were several goals in the game (six to be exact), let alone incidents, that we really don't know where to begin. Chris said it was "some game." Some game it was! I felt United's defence were partly responsible for Arsenal's first goal by Patrick Vieira, but maybe we've got to admit to ourselves that it's not easy for the relatively short Heinze to outjump the "6 foot 4" Vieira. United's first, second, and fourth goals were especially technical to me and were all eye candies, all involving the talented lot of Paul Scholes, Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo. But when United drew level at 2-2, I had a feeling that if we do edge ahead, it'd be very difficult for Arsenal. A brilliant football team that they are, Arsenal are not exactly masters of the comeback game. But they did give me some bitten finger nails, though it proved ultimately futile for them. We not only kept hold on the lead quite comfortably despite having been reduced to 10 men, but John O'Shea added a sublime fourth to rub salt to the outgoing champions' wounds. That was the most beautiful finish of the night, and even he seemed surprised!
We can safely say it's all over for Arsenal now. I'm sorry but the Premiership nowadays is no longer the Premiership of 8-10 years ago. I remember back in the '96/'97 season, United won the Premiership having recorded five defeats. I don't think you can do it even with only three defeats now. The standard of the Premiership is now that much higher, thanks largely to Arsenal themselves and Chelsea, whom we will now call the "hard part". Arsenal themselves went unbeaten last season, making the possibility of not losing in an entire season very much real, let alone suffering a blip which means you might go on to lose three or four matches. Jose Mourinho's men will no doubt feel they can do the same thing and go all the way to the end without suffering the oft-mentioned "blip". So however you look at it, catching Chelsea will be the hard part. We need external help! We need teams like Blackburn (tonight) and Man. City on Sunday to help us. What are the odds on Kevin Keegan's team doing the double over Chelsea this term, i.e. what are the odds in them beating Chelsea this weekend??
Anyway, we can only hope for some of these other teams to think they can somehow beat Chelsea. Whether they need to park a bus in front of their goal or attack the Chelsea goal with a Ferrari, I don't know. United themselves have to beat Chelsea when they next meet in April, given Chelsea have not already won it by then! But, should Chelsea fail to win tonight (big SHOULD), we will be 8 or 9 points behind them with 13 games remaining, and logically, you'd think of course we have a chance! But like I said, the Premiership of today is not the Premiership of the 90's. There is a real possibility that Chelsea will not slip. Just our fingers crossed...that's all we the fans can do!
On another matter, between Liverpool and Everton, whom do I want in the fourth spot? People might guess I want Everton there, but I'm not so sure. I'm not suddenly developing a crush for Liverpool or something, but imagine the simple scenario. Liverpool failing to get in the Champions League, Steven Gerrard gets frustrated, gets ready to leave, a host of clubs come bidding, including Arsenal, United, Chelsea, Newcastle...did I see Chelsea there?? See the point? The prospect of Gerrard linking up with Lampard or Makelele is scary. Unless of course, someone at Chelsea feels crowded and decides to come to United. Or Stevie G follows Alan Smith's impeccable example and joins United...and be termed Judas* in the process.
*For more information on Judas, please visit www.concordant.org/expohtml/theproblemofevil/evil018.html.
posted by Keith at 7:45 AM
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