Ian Tanner
Whilst you were rolling around your living room floor, guffawing at the plight of Tottnum, for whom Europa League football beckons, I had reached The End of the Line. To High Barnet, then, as Arsenal Reserves were back at not-so-high Barnet’s Underhill, at one of the many ends of the Northern Line. The crowd was, surprisingly, smaller than for the recent 2-1 victory over Liverpool, when little Luke Freeman got his second with an unlikely injury-time header. We came to see Jens make probably his last ever competitive appearance in an Arsenal home game. Somehow I doubt stubborn Arsene will give him his 200th first team appearance, despite Almunia’s latest two calamities against Blackburn. Ho, hum.
Jeremie Aliadiere, reminding us of what might have been, got a goal and the vocal support of Dame Maria, without whose presence these occasions just would not be the same. Sunderland matched Arsenal for goals, chances and possession until, at 2-2, there was a double substitution after 65 minutes. We came to see Arsenal Past but also Arsenal Future; when Chuks Aneke and Emmanuel Frimpong entered the fray Arsenal suddenly dominated. Steve Bould has praised highly Aneke and Benik Afobe, currently doing wonders at his loan club Huddersfield, whom he may lead to automatic promotion. Aneke towers over team-mates and opponents alike and looks very confident on the ball. But it’s Frimpong who really catches the eye. If you thought Steve Williams could turn on a sixpence, which he could in another era, take a look at our Ghanian-Englishman. Just watching him twist first one way, then t’other, left me feeling dizzy; and he always had the ball under control. Moreover, please note, he ain’t afraid to shoooot and almost scored from distance minutes after his introduction. Doubtless he’ll have that unsightly aspect of his game coached out of him at London Colney. Sarcasm aside, it’s no wonder Arsene played him in every pre-season friendly before that terrible ligament injury. With huge physical presence, this Emmanuel is certainly not petite (geddit?).“We missed you, Emmanuel”, cried Dame Maria. But now he’s back; Diaby and Denilson had better watch out. As with his first against the Scousers, Freeman scored with another perfect top-corner strike. The Mackem ‘keeper could only watch. 4-2 and game over.
On Monday morning, compelled to spend a few minutes at my day job in favour of all things Arsenal, I read a line from Charles Mackay’s “Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds.” Apparently Mackay wrote: “Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one.” The excellent author quoting Mackay was using this human trait to describe people’s investment expertise, or lack thereof. Suddenly I was thinking again how mad were the crowds (in both senses) calling for Arsene’s head following the heinous crime of failing to beat Blackburn Rovers. I was as disappointed as the next Gooner but let’s not forget that our unbeaten Premier League run now extends to 13 games and our players don’t have the luxury of fouling like Nemanja Vidic, the retired Gary Neville, or, for that matter, any of their team-mates. Just like Underhill, it’s not a level playing field.
Keep the faith.
