Steve Ashford, The Highbury Spy
It’s 8.30 on a wet Bank Holiday morning and I should be tucked up in bed digesting everyone’s thoughts on yesterday’s debacle at White Hart Lane, but I’m so angry l feel the overwhelming need to contribute a few words to the online furore surrounding the match, so I’m knocking one out first thing in the morning if you forgive the expression.
It didn’t start well I have to say. I met my mate Terry in our usual away game watering hole and the Theakston’s Old Peculiar had been replaced by yet another nameless pop up craft beer. There’s nothing worse than going into a pub to be confronted by six hand pumps all containing craft beer monikers none of which you have remotely heard of and haven’t a clue what they taste like. The Hope and Anchor in Upper Street is a classic case in point. Why would you spend four quid on something you might, and probably will, find horrendously foul, and given that most of the craft ales taste like sewer water, you have to taste every one until you find one you like. In the unlikely event you do find one, they’re gone the next week anyway. Like pop up restaurants, pop up shops and everything else f***ing ‘pop up’. I wish pop up everything would just f*** off. What’s the point? Given that all the craft ales look like lager and taste like shampoo mixed with washing up liquid, we declined and swiftly moved on to somewhere that did Harvey’s Best Bitter, a reasonable beer you know that does the job. Punters do not want to be confronted by dozens of pop up craft beers they don’t recognise or care about and will never see again. And they wonder why pubs are closing!
As if that wasn’t bad enough we learned Arsenal’s team as we were tucking into our third pint of Harvey’s. Oh dear. If you didn’t think Wenger had lost the plot before yesterday, you certainly do now. After the magnificent and encouraging display by the three centre halves at Wembley last week, our clueless, senile imbecile of a manager decided to drop the best one (Rob Holding) play a left back (Monreal) in the middle of the defence in his place and persist with a lamppost up front (Giroud), when the mobile and speedy Danny Welbeck was ready and waiting. Arsene Wenger must’ve been the only Arsenal fan who wouldn’t have played Rob Holding and Danny Welbeck yesterday and his stubborn display of “Arsene knows best” arrogance got what it deserved. A big fat defeat.
If I was Rob Holding’s agent, I would be on the phone this morning telling him that if Wenger stays for longer than the end of this season I’ll be doing everything I can to get him a transfer. He’s clearly not appreciated by the idiot running this club and it’s a crime and an insult to us fans when you see our best players not utilised by the stubborn old fool.
Mind you, if I was the agent of Mohammed Elneny I’d be on the phone to him too, and Lucas Perez and Danny Welbeck. What has Wenger got against all his recent signings? Does he sign them for purgatory? Is he some sort of insane sadist who enjoys bringing excellent players to the club and then torturing them by never playing them? And he wonders why we don’t like him anymore and projections of ‘Wenger Out’ are beamed high, wide and handsome over The Emirates Stadium, Highbury and Marble Arch.
My God he’s even started to alienate Hector Bellerin now, who posted a picture on Instagram very critical of his team mates and Wenger. With City ready to pay £50 million for Bellerin in the summer, I’d be careful about upsetting him if I was OGL. And why do you think Hector may have lost his form since Christmas? I don’t suppose being coached by a Mr. Bean lookalike who’s way past his best has anything to do with it do you? Can you imagine? Bellerin must be licking his lips at the thought of playing for a proper manager like Pep Guardiola next season.
And why weren’t Lucas Perez and Elneny even on the bench yesterday? Neither of them have ever let the team down and they are 100% committed on the pitch ready to give everything for the club. Elneny covers every blade of grass and is a one man pressing machine which we could’ve done with against the Spuds, so why has he been ostracised? Perez has one league start this season and Welbeck a similar number. WTF is going on?
I’m not going to mention the game yesterday, you all saw it, with Mr. Bean doing his usual ranting and raving at the assistant referee. He looked like a man who had totally the plot after the game and we all know he f***ing well has. Please, Mr. Gazidis, Sir Chips and Josh Kroenke, please you must see what we see unless as you’re as deluded as the senile old fool running the team. For all our sakes, and for the future of our players and the club, you must ensure Silent Stan withdraws that offer of a contract and tells the old fool that his time is up. You’re our only hope, as he isn’t going to walk of his own accord, that’s for sure. Didn’t the thousands of empty seats at the home game against Leicester tell you anything? We’ve had enough. Time for Change.
Finally, I can’t end without a word for those morons who pretend to support Spurs who yet again attacked and surrounded peaceful Arsenal fans on the way to and from the game. Why do the police and Spurs officials allow them to congregate and wait for the Arsenal fans? It’s a disgrace and it will be even worse at their new stadium because there will be even more of them! Thank God we don’t have to suffer that sh*t next season. Let’s hope we turn up with a decent manager and a team that isn’t put together by a fantasist. Enjoy your one season ahead of us Spurs. The alternative doesn’t bear thinking about.
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