A very happy new year to you all.
I’ve been a busy boy over the festive period. Lots of partying, copious amounts of meat (and the subsequent sweats), rounds of TopGolf, epic sleeps and endless trashy movies. Oh, and I turned 31 on the 31st. Happy Birthday me. Nice.
In my last blog I had hoped for 13 points from a possible 15. Turns out we have 7 from 12 with Swansea away to play. Naturally, I would love for us to win this game but I suspect it could be a tight draw. Credit must be paid to their manager, Brendan Rogers, who has done a terrific job. Having had a successful spell as Chelsea reserve-team manager under Jose Mourinho, he opted for a crack at management. His ‘fascination with tactics’ and hard-work has propelled Swansea into the Premier League and they lie 12th in the table, boasting the joint-best home defensive record. To put this into context, Manchester United have conceded almost 4 times as many goals at home this season.
Back to le Arse. What a couple of weeks it’s been. In fact, what a crazy season it’s been. From the big-name departures last summer to the frenzy on transfer deadline day, from being mauled 8-2 at OT to smashing Chelsea 5-3 at The Bridge and now, the return of the King, Thierry Henry…
Those of you who know me well, will only be too aware of how difficult it is to shut me up. FK is very rarely left speechless. But, when he stripped off on the touchline and his number went up to replace Chamakh (taxi!), I couldn’t control my emotions and was left star-struck. Tears had filled my eyes. 68 minutes into a dire cup tie, the announcer shouted his name, he took to the floodlit arena and was welcomed by a deafening roar. Immediately there was a buzz. High energy and great expectation filled the Emirates air. Despite rusty first touches, two offside decisions and a clumsy fall, you could sense the presence of greatness. The team had suddenly become galvanised.
And the moment we had been waiting for came with 12 minutes left as Henry gathered Song's pass in his stride before sparking scenes of ecstasy on and off the pitch with a perfect finish to set up a fourth-round tie at home against Aston Villa. Thierry’s celebration was raw, visceral. From sheer delight to chest thumping, from crowd waving to an embrace with Arsene – it’s a moment nobody will forget.
I’ve been to a lot of games in my time, I have experienced some amazing moments but that night tops it all off. It was perfect; we needed a goal, a legend came on and banged in the winner. He lifted his arms to the heavens in relief and elation at the final whistle, then spoke humbly about how he now knew what it felt like, and what it meant, to score such a goal as an Arsenal fan rather than as a player. Made me also realise how blessed I am to have seen him live in his heyday.
As for the future, who knows? I expect him to be on the bench against Swansea and play cameo roles in various games. Incidentally, his last game looks like it will be Spurs at the Emirates. Tasty.
You’d be forgiven for forgetting that we’re almost mid-way through the January transfer window. Not much has happened thus far apart from Harry Redneck declaring interest in pretty much everyone. The sooner this mug gets sent to jail for fraud, the better. We’re in need of some full-back coverage and agents have done their best to link all sorts to our club. From Wayne Bridge to Eric Abidal. Neither of these two look likely though one option according to the tabloids is Aly Cissokho from Lyon. Personally, I would prefer a move for Leighton Baines and not just because he has wonderful hair.
And finally, some thoughts on the Manchester Derby. What a great advert for the Europa League. It was an electric game which ultimately saw City being dumped out of another cup that Samir Nasri went there to win. I must admit I didn’t think Kompany deserved his red at first but with hindsight and some educated debate, I’m now convinced it was a sending off. We also saw Paul Scholes make his first appearance since coming out of retirement to rescue United. A class act, my favourite non-Arsenal Premier League player of all time in fact. He came on after the hour mark and made 71 passes (97% complete) – more than any City player in the entire game. That my friends, and what we’ve seen from Thierry Henry proves, that form is temporary, class is permanent.
Until next time… au revoir!
xx
