As the pubs filled up around the ground early doors, you just knew there was something special in the air.
It was 1pm and the Swan had only been serving for an hour but the pub was heaving – the bar 4 deep.
Other pubs up and down the Holloway Road were the same. The Arsenal had turned up; and turned up early.
Pre-game in the concourse you could barely move. This time not due to the clubs disorganisation but because of the pure weight of fans having it off. And the sound carried through to the terraces as the game kicked off.
It was non-stop throughout the game. We have not had an atmosphere like it in years. And I am not just talking about the last 2 years with Covid restrictions. I am going back to since the stadium has opened.
I can not remember a game where the atmosphere was better.
3-nil up at half time and again the concourse was a completely different place in comparison to that Chelsea defeat.
A late goal from Spurs did not dampen us and at the final whistle the celebrations began.
The sound echoed around the concourse once more as fans left the ground. Singing about Tottenham getting battered everywhere they go.
And despite it being a Sunday evening, the beer was flowing in the pubs.
A good 10 minute rendition of B’Jesus . No one wanted to go home.
I have seen a few people comment that Arsenal fans celebrations were over the top. That we were celebrating like we had won the league.
The worst thing is I have seen some Arsenal fans comment this.
These sort of fans just do not get it do they? They project their negativity onto everyone else and hate seeing others happy.
I imagine these fans were crying into their dodgy lap top streams on Sunday night whilst the majority of Arsenal fans around the globe celebrated.
People have been in lockdown for 18 months. Hardly been to a game. Many spent a period isolating.
To be back at the football was something special. To be back in the pubs with mates brilliant. And for The Arsenal to beat Spurs memorable.
Sunday weas a release for everyone in that ground. A release from the last 18 months. It was needed.
If you do not understand why Arsenal fans were so delirious on Sunday, then maybe live sport is not for you. Maybe stick to X-Factor or Peppa Pig or something.
We go on to Brighton where again our away support will be excellent.
I does feel this season that we are more up for it in the stands; home and away.
A little bit of Covid, a little bit of the press criticism making it feel like it is “them against us”. Whatever has changed, I love it. And I will ride that wave.
I did not even mind getting up at 5am this morning to commute to work on 5 hours sleep and 12 hours drinking!
Sunday, 26th September 2021. Kick-off time: 4.30pm
(4-2-3-1) Aaron Ramsdale; Takehiro Tomiyasu, Ben White, Gabriel Magalhães, Kieran Tierney; Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka; Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard, Emile Smith-Rowe; Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Substitutes: Bernd Leno, Alexandre Lacazette, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Rob Holding, Cédric Soares, Nicolas Pépé, Nuno Tavares, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Gabriel Martinelli.
VAR Team at Stockley Park: VAR Stuart Attwell; AVAR Constantine Hatzidakis
Attendance: 59,919
The first North London derby of the season, and just like all of the other previous ones, a win is paramount. Granit Xhaka returns to the line-up, whilst Nicolas Pépé is on the substitutes’ bench, other than that, the team is a familiar one to us, albeit at an average age of 24 years, 261 days, the youngest set of players that we have started with at a North London derby since 1988. Our line-up today is a strong one, and certainly the best that Mikel Arteta can put out as a starting eleven at this time: all we can hope for is a great performance from the team, one that can convert into a winning one this afternoon.
The visitors kicked off the match, after a well-observed round of applause from both sets of supporters across the stadium for Jimmy Greaves, who passed away a little while ago. A generally unsettled start to the match with a few reckless derby day tackles flying in here and there, but for the first ten minutes, it was us who were applying pressure on the Spurs goal with some good build-up play and one or two strikes on goal which came to nothing. Our passing was neat and precise, and on the twelfth minute, an unmarked Emile Smith-Rowe opened proceedings with a simple tap-in from close range after a superb cross from Bukayo Saka. We now started to dominate the match, with our confidence there for all to see. Thomas Partey and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were both unlucky not to score with long range shots, and although Spurs started to try to come back into the match, their attempts were fairly easily neutralised by our defenders. We were fighting for every ball, with our players moving into position in order to receive it, which was truly fantastic to see after all we have been through a month ago. After twenty-seven minutes, we were two up when Emile Smith-Rowe received a superb ball from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and ran down the left channel, leaving the Spurs defender behind; he crossed it neatly for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to stroke the ball home with his trusty left foot. We deserved our lead, as we were by far the most dominant team on the pitch today, and the sccoreline now reflected that. Seven minutes later, we grabbed a third when Harry Kane lost the ball to Bukayo Saka near the centre circle, who composed himself perfectly and ran through the Spurs defence, and despite being tackled, he swerved and jinked, then stuck the ball away past Hugo Lloris with some aplomb. Complete control now. Spurs are looking a mess in all departments, and we are looking both strong and confident, with six attempts, four on target, three goals. Coming up to the half-time break, we merely consolidated our play, and stayed in command until Craig Pawson blew his whistle to signal the half-time break.
We kicked off the second half with confidence and within a couple of minutes, Thomas Partey was unlucky not to score when his blistering shot went over the bar. And still we kept coming forward. We had a penalty shout denied by Craig Pawson, and although the subsequent corner went nowhere, it still showed intent. When the visitors tried to come forward at us, our “defence in depth” tactics appeared to be working well, and even when Aaron Ramsdale pushed away a shot from a long-distance Harry Kane attempt, Takehiro Tomiyasu was on hand to nick it off the feet of Son Heung-Min for a Spurs corner, which showed intelligene and top-class defending under pressure. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was unlucky not to score from close distance when a clever Emile Smith-Rowe free-kick found the Gabon international in space on the right-hand side. The match started to level out a bit, and although we still had control, we desperately needed another goal to cement our dominance. Bukayo Saka was unlucky not to score when he cut inside from the left-hand side and hit a low ball which was heading goalbound, but Hugo Lloris somehow managed to push it around the post for an Arsenal corner. With eleven minutes of the match remaining, Son Heung-Min grabbed one back from close range (whilst Granit Xhaka was lying on the pitch injured), and although Aaron Ramsdale got a hand to the shot, it was too powerful to stop. Granit Xhaka’s injury was such that he was unable to continue, so Albert Sambi Lokonga replaced him with nine minutes of the match remaining. And still we came forward; Kieran Tierney’s twenty-yard shot narrowly went wide, and although there were tired legs out there, we still kept our shape as Spurs started to attempt to knock on the door during the last few minutes of the game. Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith-Rowe were replaced by Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Nuno Tavares with three minutes to go, and there was a lot of firm tackles flying around in the final stages. During the five minutes injury time, Lucas Moura hit a looping shot from about twenty yards; Aaron Ramsdale just got his fingertips to the ball and pushed it onto the crossbar and away for a Spurs corner. Despite this, it was the final act of the match, and we ran out more than worthy winners on the day.
Wow. A superb performance by everyone; we completely dominated the game, and by rights, we should have got even more goals, but regretfully we didn’t. Emile Smith-Rowe and Bukayo Saka were truly immense and this victory against the old enemy must surely have given us the impetus to carry on and play in this manner from now on. The only minus point was that we tailed off a bit in the second half, but by then the match was won anyway, so in the greater scheme of things, it mattered not. A great win!
Remember everyone, keep the faith, get behind the team and the manager, as this season is going to be crucial for our future success in all competitions. Stick with the winners. Our next match: Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on Saturday, 2nd October at 5.30pm (Premier League). Be there, if you can. Victoria Concordia Crescit.
Steve
Too Dearly Loved To Be Forgotten: Arsenal v Racing Club de Paris 1930-1962 by Steve Ingless (Rangemore Publications, ISBN 978-1-5272-0135-4) is now available on Amazon.
We have become a one stop shop for any Arsenal fan with a home bar
It was 2014 and Harry Kane was a 21-year-old Spurs player struggling to make his break through.
He had been out on loan to Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich city and Leicester City. He had not set the world on fire. A handful of appearances the season previous with a couple of goals.
Tottenham were struggling. They had won just 3 of their first 9 Premeir League games.
Up front they had the misfiring Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado. The pair had scored 9 and 6 Premier League goals respectively the previously season.
Kane got his opportunity against Cypriot side in the Europa League, AEL Limassol scoring in both legs.
He would continue to get his opportunities in the Europa League and League Cup, netting against Nottingham Forest, Brighton and Besiktas. He would they grab a hat trick against Asteras Tripoli.
It was against Asteras Tripoli that the “Harry Kane, his one of our own” really took off.
Disillusioned Spurs fans were desperate for any sort of success. They were dissatisfied with Soldado and Adebayor and fully got behind a home grown talent scoring goals for fun in the Europa League.
His relationship with the spurs fans was clinched with a 90th minute winner against Aston Villa – his first Premier League goal of the season. The next game he would make his first Premier League start of the season and would never look back.
Kane went with the flow, portraying himself as the home grown hero set to save Spurs.
The PR behind it ensured Kane got his opportunities following his Europa League goals. And kept his place in the team despite just 1 league goal in his first 5 Premier League starts in 2014/15. He rode the fans wave into the first team and continued riding it.
But he was never really one of their own.
As a young boy, Kane and his older brother Charlie were regulars over Highbury.
Going with their dad, Pat, the pair would sit outside The Plimsoll with a Lemonade whilst their dad and his friends drank inside.
In 2004, at the age of 11, Kane and his friends went to Islington Town Hall to celebrate Arsenal’s invincible team. The moment led to the famous picture in an Arsenal shirt with his head died red.
That same year he join Tottenham’s academy, whilst continuing to go to Arsenal games.
As he progressed through the Tottenham academy, he would begin going less.
His brother Charlie would follow the path of many young Arsenal fans and started to do home and away going to as many games as possible.
The family only disappeared off the scene at Arsenal due to Harry’s progression into the first team at Tottenham. A decision was made to sever their ties with the club they all grew up watching for the benefit of Kane’s career.
An average striker who grew up in an Arsenal supporting family, who regularly went Highbury would not have the same impact as being one of Tottenham’s own. He would not have had the same backing from their fans that he got.
So the family kept everything very quiet. Shutting down any mention of their links with Arsenal. Furious when the picture of Kane celebrating in 2004 was leaked. Charlie bought in to being “the brothers hero” held on the shoulders of Tottenham fans as they celebrated in Chingford.
Friends who knew him from a young age mocked him for his change in allegiance.
And then we fast forward to now, and the transfer saga over the summer.
The Kane’s pushed hard for a move from Tottenham to Manchester City. They showed their true colours that they never really loved Tottenham. Kane was not living a boyhood dream playing for the club he loved.
This season he has looked disinterested. Unfit.
He clearly no longer wants to be at the club anymore and is barely breaking into a sweat on the pitch.
After 7 years, the honeymoon with Spurs is over. The fans no longer sing his name. His star diminishes with every lackadaisical performance.
Next summer he will be 29-years-old and will probably push for a move again. But who will willing to spend big on him, at that age, with his ankles?
He is probably now counting down to his retirement. To being able to buy a box at the Emirates and sneak back in with his family. Watching the team he grow up supporting with a cap pulled down over his head.
