Tag Archives: Arsenal

The time Jamie Carragher threw a coin at a fan

Leave a reply

With 20 minutes of an incredibly bad-tempered FA Cup fourth round tie at Highbury remaining, Dennis Bergkamp found himself red-carded for a decidedly ‘stampy’ challenge on Jamie Carragher out near the touchline.

Bergkamp’s dismissal proved to be an instant flashpoint, with one particularly incensed Arsenal fan pelting a coin at Carragher.

The Liverpool defender reacted badly, picking up the coin and hurling it back into the crowd in the general direction from whence it came. Referee Mike Riley wasted no time in sending him off down the tunnel too.

This all coming a matter of minutes after Riley had sent off Martin Keown for a professional foul on Michael Owen. Tempestuous doesn’t even begin to cover it.

Anyway, Carragher immediately apologised for his actions after the game, accepting it was wrong for him to react in the way he had.

I regret what happened at Highbury because I let the club, the fans, my team-mates and myself down. No matter what the physical or verbal provocation, I shouldn’t have reacted like that I would like to apologise for any offence caused.

I was frustrated and did it without thinking in the heat of the moment. Anyone who has seen me play regularly will realise it was completely out of character but I’m not going to make excuses.

I was wrong and as a professional football player I should have known better. It’s a mistake I won’t make again.

The full and frank apology saw Carragher escape a police charge though he was issued with a formal warning and fined £40,000 by Liverpool for his sins.

Two fans who allegedly received injuries when the coin was thrown back into the terraces both declined to make allegations, and Arsenal pledged to issue a lifetime ban to the supporter responsible for hurling the coin if the club’s security team managed to successfully identify them.

For the record, Arsenal won the game 1-0 on what was, all in all, a pretty manic old afternoon in North London.

Keenos

Arsenal show their cojones

Leave a reply

Two wins in a row. Get in. Arsenal are on a fine run of form. Wenger In. Wenger knows best. Give him a new 3 year deal. Etc. Etc.

We live in a world where we over react to everything. Things are either brilliant, or they are awful. Players either the best in the world, or the worst. Arsenal beat Watford. It was only Watford. It does not change the opinion that Arsene Wenger need to leave at the end of the season.

But nor will I not enjoy myself. Not celebrate.

As I have said before, you can want Wenger out and still want Arsenal to win. Just because you have a view on the manager, or the club, does not mean you should not be allowed to enjoy The Arsenal winning.

Arsenal were impressive. The front 3 of Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrik Mkhytaryian worked well together.

The three work brilliantly together. It might be too little too late for this season, but 6 months of playing together and a full pre-season is cause for excitement.

It was interesting yesterday to see Wenger’s priorities change.

I know there were injuries, but a team that did not contain; Hector Bellerin, Laurent Koscielny, Nacho Monreal, Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere highlighted that this weeks 2nd leg against AC Milan is no more important than a Premier League fixture.

I am sure had we been in the running for top 4, some of these would have played. Instead none were risked as we focus on the AC Milan game.

After a 3-0 win, there were plenty of positives to take.

Alongside the above mentioned trio, Ainsley Maitland-Niles was excellent at right back.

He has shown this season that he has more than enough to his game to be part of any future Arsenal squad. Key to his Arsenal career will be his versatility.

Able to cover both full backs, and the middle of the park, into next season, his primary role should be to provide cover and competition for Hector Bellerin.

I remember Francis Coquelin breaking through the first time, and Maitland-Niles reminds me a bit of him. Coquelin would often for the youths cover both the middle of the park and the full backs. Maitland-Niles could forge a career similar to James Milner as long as he works hard.

He is much better technically than Francis Coquelin, and you have to think the decision to let the Frenchman go in January was the development of Maitland-Niles.

Arsenal also lost Macus McgGaune in January to Barcelona. The youngster refused to sign a new deal after “not being presented a clear path to the first team”. That is due to Maitland-Niles.

Petr Cech saved a penalty.

It is a moment of Arsenal history alongside 89 and John Jenson scoring against QPR. One of those moments that everyone will say they were there for, even though the ground was half empty.

Poor Troy Deeney, bottled it didn’t he. Just a pity no-one went full Martin Keown on him.

So on to AC Milan…

Keenos

 

Dr Jekyll returns as Arsenal triumph in Italy

1 Reply

Well who expected that?

Actually I did. I had written when the draw came out that AC Milan were fallen giants, no longer the force they once were.

Of course, Arsenal have had an equally poor season this year, so it all depended on which Arsenal and which AC Milan side turned up.

AC Milan has been massively bigged up by both the media and Arsenal fans prior to the game.

No defeat since December, an unbeaten run in double figures. Their league position was a lie, they were better than that.

They were baying for blood. Hoping that Arsenal would lose their 5th game in a row. I imagine the stories were already written.

And then Arsenal turned up and ruined the party. Won 2-0. And all the journalists had to re-write what they had been saying this week.

Suddenly it was a “brilliant AC Milan side” but one which was a shadow of its former self. The same idiots who were saying thy were going to thrash Arsenal are now saying AC Milan were there to be thrashed.

Arsenal are a Jekyll and Hyde. And yesterday it was Jekyll that turned up (or Hyde – which one was the good one?).

Free flowing attacking football mixed with defensive concentration saw Arsenal beat the odds and come back to London with a 2-0 win. Away goals and a clean sheet. Not much more you can ask for.

With how Arsenal are at the moment, the tie is far from over. If the Hyde Arsenal turns up in the home leg, the team that lost to Ostersunds. To Brighton. The side that has lost 8 times this year, Arsenal could throw it all away.

But I don’t want them negative thoughts. We are 2-0 up and showed AC Milan for the average team they are. We have one foot in the Quarter Finals.

Suddenly next Thursdays game looks much more appealing. It is sold out, will have a 60,000 crowd on a mild spring evening. Make the noise for the Arsenal boys.

We can win the Europa League. Regardless of your opinion on Arsenal, the only agenda you should have is for Arsenal to be a success. And winning the Europa League would be a success.

Keenos