By Walter Broeckx
Sometimes you don’t believe what you see with your own eyes. That was after 36 minutes. Arsenal 4-0 down after what must have been the worst 36 minutes of an Arsenal team. The midfielders didn’t pressure the Reading players, the defenders didn’t attack the players or the ball. Reading went deservedly 1-0 up. And then Reading got a bit lucky. A cross deflected from the knee of Koscielny in to his own net. Those things happen. But this was not the right time for such a thing to happen.
And a bit later Arsenal let a Reading player wander in the penalty area without really attacking him and his shot was punched in his own goal by Martinez. I think he will have wanted to disappear under the ground the young Argentinean keeper. That didn’t look good at all.
And after that we slowly got our act together. But it was just playing the ball around with no real intent or threat. Arshavin was running his socks off and trying to bring some order in to our game. But he was preaching on an island at that moment. And when Reading made it 4-0 all seemed lost. One of my sons who was just leaving asked me: do you really keep watching to this? Of course I said: this is Arsenal. This is my team. In good or bad. I’m here (in a manner of speaking of course as I was at home watching on my computer) to support them.
And how I regret not adding what I was thinking at that time. I was thinking: one goal and we can still win this game. But even for me as a super optimist most of the time..that was one bridge too far at that moment.
And then when Arshavin sent Theo away seconds before the end of the first half I thought to myself: Come on Theo, score and we are back in to this game. And blimey ..he did. What a nice finish.
So in we went and out we came and the first minutes Reading was strong. But then we brought on Giroud and Eisfeld. And allow me to say that I really think that Giroud was the man that turned the game completely on his head. From the moment he came on he looked sharp and he was determined to get it right. He came close a few times and used his body and his power very well. And then a Theo corner and Giroud headed in superbly. 4-2 Still some 25 minutes to go. And Arsenal did all they could to pull another one back.
But chances were missed, the ref tried to stop us at all means by within seconds judging two similar situations completely differently and both against Arsenal. That was his clear pattern and the way he laughed and joked with the Reading players it looked as if he had a lot of friends over there on the field. But let us not waste our time on the ref; at least not now.
With almost normal time up we got another corner and lo and behold this time Koscielny headed home to make it 4-3. Can you believe that at that moment in the game I just felt proud. We were not winning this game but I felt proud for the way we had come back after that disaster of a first half.
Reading was wasting time (no card for them time wasting from the ref) but even he felt that enough was enough (and rightfully so) and after another substitution in injury time he gave us the deserved extra time.
And then came an extra ordinary moment…Giroud headed the ball to Walcott who took it with him and shot past the keeper. A Reading player stopped the ball on the goal line with his hand, the ball went further and went over the line but neither the assistant or the ref gave a goal or a penalty. Lucky Jenkinson put it over the line but that is what the reporters told me about who scored at that moment. I always look on mute but turn the sound on when something strange has happened. Later it looked as if the ref had given the goal from Walcott?
In extra time chances on both sides in the most crazy game of football you will ever see. And after 13 minutes the unexpected happened. A nice move involving Arshavin once again and Chamakh got the ball outside the penalty area and his low shot went in. 4-5 to the Arsenal.
But this game wasn’t over yet. Just, but only just onside Pogrebnyak headed home the 5-5 with 5 minutes to go. This game was more than crazy. This was the ultimate and most open football game I have ever seen. Both teams almost running on their knees but both looking for the win.
And then Arshavin went past his man on the left and he could have pulled it back first time but the little Russian wanted to score himself and he would have but his shot was saved on the line. But the ball came out to Walcott who lashed it home. 5-6 in the last minute of extra time.
Reading again threw all they had forward but Martinez claimed the cross and then he made almost a big mistake and made Wenger angry by releasing the ball with a long punt up to Giroud but the ball ended up with the keeper and Reading could go forward again. But Arsenal cleared the ball and as Giroud came back from offside he cleverly didn’t make any attempt to go to the ball and so Chamakh could go on goal and with a nice lob put the ball over the keeper. 5-7 in the 122th minute.
WHAT A GAME!
I know people will moan about the first half hour. Yes that was bad. But a game is played over 90 minutes. And when you can get up from 4-0 down to even come close again you have done yourself proud I feel. And when you can equalise you have done a very remarkable thing and that without any help from the ref!
But when you can win such a game after having been 4-0 down, then you have produced a miracle. I have seen a miracle with my own eyes today.
After 89 minutes I felt proud of my team for having put up a fight after such a bad start and some silly mistakes and own goals. I can’t really describe the pride feelings I feel for this moment. My English isn’t good enough for this.
Just say my oh my, oh what a night, late October 2012… well done boys. Very well done!
PS: But please next time think of our poor heart will you. Just score the goals without conceding. Thanks.
The books…
- Woolwich Arsenal: The club that changed football – Arsenal’s early years
- Making the Arsenal – how the modern Arsenal was born in 1910
- “The Crowd at Woolwich Arsenal”: crowd behaviour at the early matches
The sites…
- Referee Decisions - just what are the refs up to this season?
- The weight loss programme: The only guaranteed wayto stay fit
- Looking for a terraced house in Northamptonshire?
- For all your football betting try these Bookmakers with free bets.
Sorry Mandy, my previous comment was for Stuart and not you.
Walter, love the piece esp. your last line!
Since I live in Canada, I only caught the highlights via the Internet and despite the win, I am concerned about the combination of CJ – JD – Kos in the back with Coq as DM. This was the combination we were forced to start at OT last season and both occasions resulted in a significant number of goals against. It looked like the Reading player shrugged off Coq rather easily in the build up to goal #1 and with Kos not fully paying attention, Roberts was able to slip in behind to get his foot on the ball — maybe Miguel was guilty of watching as well?
Walter and others who saw the game, is there something missing in the back when neither Per nor TV5 are playing and directing/organizing the defense? I would have thought either JD or Kos would be taking charge but it appeared neither did last night.
Also, did Coq and Frimpong work effectively together when they were on the pitch? Seems to me both are more suited to play as DMs. Although I understand both needed game action, it did seem strange that Wenger would play them together.
Mandy Dodd,
On the strength of what your eyes tell you: Are you in on “gambling” AFC money on Theo’s further development toward excellence? Or do we stay silent so as not to pressure management in the current standoff? Or do we bet on a substitute: the rapid development/deployment plan of the bargain known as Gnabry? Cheers
Nice article Walter, reading it tonight brought the match back to life again. There were many positives for us once the team found their rhythm and some have been commented on. One I would like to further emphasize was the influence of Giroud – he made a massive difference up front. Also having two tall strikers up front made a big difference at set pieces – something for AW to think about?
Overall the spirit of the team was fantastic and they had to overcome not just Reading but the officials.
Well done guys.
Sam,
I call them plastics because they only have interest for trophies as opposed to the game, team and club. They masquerade their support of trophies using Arsenal.
no worries Sam.
Bob, personally I would like to negotiate towards some middle ground with the aim of signing him up…if that is indeed possible, but I have a horrible feeling a deal is all but done, with one of our rivals again.
I do not think Ox or certainly Gnabry are yet ready to fill Theos boots, if we do replace him, we need someone ready made…and we know Wenger is highly unlikely to raid the EPL in Jan, so more than likely a player from abroad will not be completely ready.
Losing Theo to a rival would not send out a great signal, unless we went out and bought say a Ben Arfa. Our critics are right on one thing, we have got to stop losing our top players as soon as they peak, this affects fans, and puts huge pressure on the team and manager. I know it is not always the clubs fault they lose these players….but I get the feeling they are still more relaxed than some clubs would be at their exits.
What is your take on the Theo situation?
Is Johnspur still with us? LOL
Hahaha, Mr. Johnsplat. Told you you shoulda worried about your game, you didn’t listen did you? Tottenscum
I know you’ll be too embarrassed to get back here.
Interesting result, like us, the spuds lost at Norwich, yet some arsenal fans told us that makes its really shite, these same arsenal fans have spent the last year saying how fantastic spurs are. Will leave it to them to explain that one. From other games this eve, looks like we are not the only team with erm….defensive difficulties….after all, the aaa darlings uTd have let five in, yet we are constantly told fergie would never allow that sort of thing.
Bradford away, no disrespect or grounds for complacency, but will take that!
Great article Walter. I felt just as you said; when we were 4 – 0 down I thought, I am giving this match my full attention to support the team. Strange thought when you are only watching it on TV.
Anyway, we all got our reward. What a fantastic match! What an exciting event! And some great goals.
It was really worthy that I decided to continue watching after we were 4 goals down. Late pretty in to the night I somehow had the flicker of hope.
Finally it was worth the wait and the sleep that was missed.
Re Walcott, late in pre season AW mentioned in response to a press question that the situation was still ongoing – BUT THAT HE WAS NOT INVOLVED – SO FAR. This was very revealing and unusual for AW to mention such a thing. My take on it is that the Walcott negotiations have been solely run by Gazidis and AW is distancing himself from the complete horlocks that it has been. Gazidis HAD TO either give him his demands or really offload him last summer, otherwise it is Flamini all over again (promising to sign, but sloping off at the end of his last season for a signing on bonus elsewhere). Walcott’s carefully worded statements of enthusiasm, etc have been no different. The last card is to bench Walcott in the hope that he will sign (as opposed to playing Flamini every week which also didn’t work). So does Walcott wait until next summer and a sign on bonus and the wage he wants, or take the lower wages on offer and no guarantee of being the striker. I think he’s going for the former.
Interesting view on wenger from quite a well known spurs fan
https://mobile.twitter.com/Lord_Sugar/tweets
As I have always said, there are some discerning spurs fans who appreciate wengers qualities more than some of our lot
Above, just realised that link leads to all his tweets, was referring to the one that starts ” spurs lost we don’t have the fighting spirit. We should take wenger as coach”
Mandy Dodd,
I agree with you that selling our top talents as soon as they start to peak and never replacing like with like is a (to me) huge emotional burden to place on fans; because what fans do is bond with players of real talent, especially one whom we have seen grow up before our eyes, and this one is on the cusp of becoming a world class player. Was that not the point all along of having nurtured those very talents? I say pay him as Exhibit A in what being a young player who develops under AW can achieve. What message does this send to every young talent if AFC does this when AFC by its own admission can afford to keep its best. Repeat, AFC can afford what he is asking. Instead AFC devours its young once it actually threatens to finally fulfil the promise.
Imo, there is an X-factor at work which repeats this pattern as you well know. And it vexes me greatly (to put it politely) when mouthpiece Gazidis FINALLY acknowledges – but a few weeks ago – that Arsene has the money. Ffs, when is the last time a player had a hat trick and AW had barely [thismuch to say in his praise? AW usually waxes when someone turns in that good a game winning MOTM performance. I think jbh is right to call it horlocks and to notice AW’s distance (with a touch of a cynic’s smile at it all). Imo, keeping Theo is well-placed ambition. For me, dumping Theo and bringing in Falcao is the only solace I can imagine; but then again, that would be splashing the cash, wouldn’t it – a big no-no amongst tribalists of a certain non-analytical stripe, if you catch my drift.
Mandy, there is money to play with and Theo is deemed a euro too far. Fleeting words like at the end of my tether do cross by. I detest discount hamburger served up when affordable sirloin is in hand and appetites for something both nutritious and delicious have been whet.
@Mandy, selling our best players and reaping the financial rewards, isn’t that self-sustainability? I’m not sure paying Gazidis a nice fat bonus and a significant pay rise which I think makes him the highest paid football executive of a club who have won nothing with him around is so self-sustainable. This constant draining of our best players affects players as well as fans, the latter are wondering why watching Arsenal costs more than any other club in the land, and yet investment in the team is niggardly, the former are hungry for success and wonder when it’ll come.
It’s all very well calling people plastics because they want to win trophies but isn’t that what a club the size of Arsenal are meant to be doing? We have a rich history because we have won trophies or would we rather swap that history for Stoke’s and have one League Cup to our name?
I’m sure Wenger would rather win a trophy than forever finishing as also rans. Although a man of Wenger’s intelligence must surely see that the team is not good enough to win the league or CL.
Arsenal are in a quandary, they don’t know whether to stick or twist.
Agree withthe fast that we have to stop the constant drain of our bestplayers, as now we can afford to. I know all the valid points on wage caps, putting theo on say 90gpw might lead to increases for other players but so be it, still cheaper than losing him for peanuts and going out and getting even a mid priced replacement….assuming that is actually what we do. Having said that, there are some very tasty wide playing contract rebels out there.
But Ivan says we now have money, a youth policy supplemented by exciting experienced quality is what is needed…and in fairness, I thought this summer and players like Mert and Arteta alongside Ox have gone some way towards this.
Falcao….I wish, but the likes of Ben Afra, Kiku or Lopez would be good starts!Cannot see us forking out £20m for the palace player.
As for the quandry,Gazidis is stating very strongly that the days of patience arecoming to an end…they may surprise us, still, if I had my way, we would keep Theo….if we possibly can. 90-100g may not seem so much when new deals start coming in and a player Messi rates as dangerous reaches his peak years.
Rupert,
There are so many possibilities. Wenger could be acting under orders or he could be making these decisions, we could be churning out player after player and selling them on at such a rate because we are waiting for that lucky moment when it all clicks and we get a Scholes, Beckham, P & G Neville etc moment from our academy. All plausible explanations, the list is endless and what we are told should not be taken at face value as it is usually a diversion from the real truth. (This applies to every aspect of life so why not in football?)
very true Stuart – who knows what goes on for real. Stans record suggests he is not the worst, but nor is he maybe the most transparent, like a lot of owners these days.
My own pet theory , for what its worth is that the board, worried over Usmanov offered Stan a few more sweetners to take over than they let on… – possible resulting in a degree…and only a degree of reduced spending potential over what was planned resulting from the move. Then there is our adhering to FFP – a genuine policy..or an excuse not to spend to much? Does Stan want a bit of a cash mountain behind the club , not especially to asset strip…but as a source of security? Do the board have more say than they make out on wages these days…and have we lost signings over that? Has Wenger been told to cut the overall wage bill – with hard to move on players delaying more fruitful investment? Maybe Wenger is more adept…possibly even more content than most operating in such an environment, is there the unity between him and the board over current spending that Ivan talks about…my guess, there may well be.
Mandy Dodd,
And when AW says today that the away fans should NOT boo RvP at Old Trafford, no why would that be? They travel that far and should then not express feelings on van Pursey? Perhaps because it would also indict the AFC policy that sold him; rather than say no (like Mancini said no to wantaway Tevez), and keep his goal-scoring machinery on our side (rather than give Don Fergus last season’s top two scorers)?!
hi bob
I’m glad to see that you are ok despite the hurricane. Good to see you here..
As regards your last post..AW has always said the same about his ex players. Whether they be Gallas or Flamini or Adebayor. I think you read too much into it. If I were at the game, i would give RVP all the hell I could. Regardless of what Wenger says
Shard,
Amen to your message! Good to cross paths with you.
It’s been so tough here, but afloat.
bob,
Not literally I hope
who knows Bob, and who knows what Wenger really thinks. Is he fully behind our transfer/wager policy, or is he a loyal employee doing his best but slightly miffed that he is not allowed to use his full resources and taking the blame for board restrictions rather than his own. Are we responsible/ sustainable, or do we take it too far to our detrement?
An interesting read on A Cultured Left Foot today on this very topic…pure speculation of course, but still ..interesting…
Mandy Dodd,
Parish, the co-owner of Crystal Palace (who controls Wilfrid Zaha, the newest next greatest player on earth they say) has just said this about TV rights: “All the teams have got to understand that you get £60m in TV money if you get into the Premier League.” If he is right, then that plus the CL qualification (supposedly worth 25M Euro), plus the real estate sale this year and the zero transfer balance via unloading Song and RvP, etc., means that money is no object. As well as Gazidis basically saying so. So, no more obstacles, unless people are so keen on defending parsimony because it makes them feel on the side of the angels. Imo, not to spend and meet our needs and to gamble on the absurdity known as injury-free competition is not simply a matter of being foolish. There is policy at work, whatever it is. And that policy is defeating the purchase of quality insurance at many positions, as well as springing for like-for-like talent (when we [allegedly] can’t say no to the wantaway rebels) when we chronically give up our best – and fan favorites. As long as tribal instinct defends this pattern we who love this team too much to boo them are left to gnash our teeth, hope we get more from less, and being played for our sincere loyalties. Mandy, I hate to see it this way and feel that the current standoff – getting Theo to settle for less (unless both sides, with AW a possible 3rd side) or dumping him for a mega deal to feather the nests of our management betters – is to do real damage to our attainable championship prospects on the pitch and turn the heralded self-sustaining model into a cash cow that perhaps will turn into a record-beating mega-sale. I don’t predict this, but that it is at all thinkable does sadden me.
sorry, CL qualification has been said to be worth 35M (euro, I thin), not 25M (as I incorrectly understated above).
Mandy Dodd,
The Nov. 1st Cultured Left Foot piece you recommend is very good, and that writer (Yogi) does love AFC. For anyone interested, here’s the gist of that analysis:
“It is one thing for the club to be unable to buy the very best players on the market but quite another to be unable to retain the best players, as this opens us up a whole new front of vulnerability to the activities of predator competitors.
If the club is now unable to retain its key players – and the loss of those key players cannot be explained by Spanish DNA or exceptional Dutch greed – then the lack of will power or perception of our financial weakness by others, could conceivably threaten the longer term security of the club.
Many of us, with good reason, refuse to welcome the long-term risks inherent in getting into bed with a Sheik or Oligarch in favour of short-term glory. Equally, if Stan’s rigid position is such that we are now too nervous to freely sign players on longer-term contracts, then that is as risky to our interests as anything else.”
I think he’s right, and that devotees of blind tribalism would pooh-pooh this at our collective (fans) peril.
@Stuart, I agree there are so many imponderables. We, as fans, can only guess at what goes on behind the scenes. Gazidis though has come out and said that Wenger has 35 million to spend, which isn’t much in comparison to some clubs, but surely enough to bolster the club sufficiently to ensure the Holy Grail of fourth place. I never trust businessmen like Kroenke, after all they’re businessmen first, supporters second, and exactly when did Kroenke become an Arsenal fan? I’ve heard his teams in the US are hardly models of success.
The amusing thing, and frustrating too, is that Arsenal’s biggest shareholders together dwarf Abramovich’s wealth and if they decided to spend like he does we’d blow Chelsea out of the water. And if Usmanov was a true supporter why doesn’t he just give 100 million to the club to spend on players? He says he wants us to be winners.
And there’s that taboo word “winners”, at least for some fans. I maintain that a trophy, even of the lowly stature of the League Cup (whatever it’s called this week) will give the players some self-belief which I think we’ve sorely lacked in recent years, and the fans a great day out. We’ve got a chance as only the mighty Chelsea are a real threat (conveniently forgets what happened in the 2011 final). It all depends whether Wenger wants to take it seriously.
Success breeds success. In my view failure has been rewarded at Arsenal by paying huge wages to mediocre players and if failure continues to be rewarded then success will not be forthcoming.
I would certainly take the league cup for starters Rupert, might get a few off our backs….as long as we get in the top 4 at least as well.
Completely agree Bob, we should not now be letting fiscal over-caution ruin our future.The signs this summer were good, what happens when we lose Theo remains to be seen….but the whole Song issue worried me. Ivan has talked of Wenger keeping powder dry…..are we saving up for a rainy day,is there a fear of spending…is this cash marked for a new manager…or are we just missing the point and worrying about nothing? That article does make you think though.
We just do not know…fertile breeding ground for supporter civil war. We may get a clue in whether Wenger signs a new contract or not…and if he does not, who we get in and what Wenger does nest…should he leave.
Rupert Cook
Yes, £35 Million is peanuts really considering when he has that to spend that means it also has to cover a players wages for the duration of their contract as Arsenal never make a commitment they cannot cover (stadium excepted of course). Of course, that is if £35 Million is there.
Stuart,
The payments are annualized, as we know. So the duration of a contract is not a one time calculation, but spread over the duration of the contract. I’m saying the obvious here, but unless I read you wrong (which is highly possible, and I’m not clear on your exact meaning) you seem to be deducting the entirety of a player’s contract from a single year’s budget. Anyway, please clarify for me. Cheers
Mandy Dodd,
Is it fiscal over-caution or is that smoke behind which a cash register goes kerching? I’d like it to be the former, but I suspect the latter, and I don’t feel that serves us on the pitch.