Goonerholics Forever

An away ticket to Bournemouth is one of the most eagerly sought amongst the Arsenal away going fans. Why? Because there are so few of them. The tiny Vitality stadium only has a capacity of 11,300. So for a standard Premier League game we get 5%, or just under 600. There are 1000 fans on the away scheme. So they rarely go to anyone not in the away scheme (which has been closed to new entrants for about a decade) and there are very few if any tickets left. The Boxing day game sold out at 65 credits (the max anyone could have at this time of the year is about 67 and that means you’ve been to every away game for three years). In the FA Cup we get 15%, or 1700 tix. This game still sold out at 50 credits, way above my current 24. However I was lucky enough to be offered a spare by a North Bank buddy and so as I made the journey south I was quite excited to be making my first visit to AFC Bournemouth.

170 mile drive through pouring rain and so to my parking spot. I get my parking spaces on other folk’s drives via the JustPark App (others are available) and this was a honey. Mostly when people say it’s 10 minutes walk to the ground, you can guarantee that it’s 15. Well the owner of this spot also exaggerated, but the other way!  You could see the floodlights from her house. She said 5 minutes to the ground but it was more like 90 seconds. Into the area around the ground and a very civilised looking eating area. Not for the likes of me though – Home fans only! I was directed round the back of the stands to a very sorry looking tea stand, where Bovril and a pie were consumed. It’s not always the best curry house in Leicester.

Into the stand. With our increased allocation we got the whole of the Ted McDougal stand. Good views (I was in row 5 behind the goal) and a crinkly tin roof which always aids the singing (think Craven Cottage). The team comes up on the BBC site and Arteta has picked a strong, but young team. Nobody making a debut but lots of up and comings. Eddie Nketiah started for the first time since coming back from Leeds. Strong bench including Laca and Ozil. Auba and Luiz suspended. Arteta loves this competition. He won it twice with us and knows what it means. He picked a team to win this game.

I was in early enough to watch the warm up. This was interesting. I’ve seen it at home in recent games as well. Instead of circular games of one touch football, not taken at all seriously by the players, we had several players, usually Eddie, Martinelli and Willock, exchanging passes from the half way line, then putting in a ball “behind the fullback” to Saka and continuing their run into the box. Saka picked the ball up and fired in crosses. Eddie managed to miss at least four from six yards (perhaps, like Gary Lineker, he doesn’t like to waste goals in warm ups). But this training ground practice was to pay dividends shortly.

So to kick off, but first a word about the away support. Magnificent. We started singing before the teams came out and sang continuously for the whole game. It made for a great atmosphere and this is why I love away game. We started at 100mph. Bournemouth sat off us and we filled the space with pace, skill and verve. After 5 minutes we were ahead with a lovely goal. Willock rolled Gosling just in their half and drove forward, Thomas Rosicky like, into their box. He slipped it to Martinelli, who rolled the ball beautifully into the path of Saka who absolutely blasted it in at the near post. Van Persie or Poldoski in their prime could not have hit it better with their sweet left feet.

5 mins. Bournemouth 0-1 Arsenal

There was only one team in it as we continued to play fluent passing football, with Saka and Martinelli down our left flank combining really well and Willock driving into space in midfield. After another 20 minutes we scored another great goal. This time Joe Willock flung it out wide to Saka on the left wing who made some ground before playing that ball from the warm up towards the penalty spot. Martinelli took the defence away with his fine run, leaving space which Eddie ghosted into for an emphatic left footed tap in. For some obscure reason there was a long VAR delay but eventually the goal was given.

26 mins. Bournemouth 0-2 Arsenal

This was definitely Bukayo Saka’s break through game. Already a goal and an assist. He is 18 years old, English from the leafy suburb of Ealing, London W5, and a winger by trade playing at left back. On the club website he is not even listed as a first team player, but is on the Academy list. What a prospect.

Bournemouth came back into the game in the last 15 minutes of the half. Martinez had to make a good save from Gosling. We started to give the ball away. Xhaka (who otherwise had a good game) played a trademark cross field pass in our half straight to an opposition player. Wilson was booked for foul on Eddie. The game got scrappier, with Guendouzi doing most of the scrapping.

This continued in the second half, which was riddled by players going down for injuries and the physios saw lots of action. Martinez collided with Mustafi who fell heavily clutching his ankle and had to be stretchered off. He got a sympathy song and had, in all fairness, had a good first half. Rob Holding came on the a loud chorus of

Rob Holding
y’know
he’s better than Cannavaro!

Great to see Rob back. Brilliant in the Cup Final against Chelsea, barely played since due to injury. But if Mustafi’s injury is serious we have a centreback crisis that needs resolving somehow.

Bournemouth were much better in the second half and we made little progress going forward. They looked dangerous from set pieces and Martinez flapped at bit at crosses, creating opportunity for them. Dani Ceballos (drinks Estrella, eats paella) came on for Pepe who had been bright, lively (he even crossed a ball with his right foot) but with no end product again. Hector went down winded from a great aerial interception. Saka went down, Gosling and Sokratis clashed heads and went down. All these injuries made for a very disjointed game. Xhaka got booked for time wasting. 8 minutes injury time went up on the board.

Finally our defence was breached. An innocuous looking ball into the box eluded everybody and fell to sub Surridge who slipped it into our goal in the 4^th minute of injury time.

94 mins. Bournemouth 1-2 Arsenal

In the end 11 minutes of injury time were played but we held on. Job done and onto Fratton Park, Portsmouth in the next round. I thought our stand out players were many: Saka; Willock; Martinelli; Eddie; Guendouzi; Bellerin; Sokratis and Xhaka.

Back into the car. Home about 1am thanks to empty motorways. A thoroughly enjoyable away day.

Arsenal visited the bus stop in Fulham standing in twelfth place at kick-off with only one win in five PL games under Mikel Arteta and only six wins all season. Mikel had said we needed to win to keep a CL place in our sights. Our last win at the bus stop was in October 2011 when both tonight’s head coaches played in a 5-3 victory. The starting eleven showed only one change from the team that had started against Sheffield United only three days earlier. Hector Bellerin returned to take the captaincy after six weeks out due to an injury that cut short his return from last year’s long cruciate-induced lay-off. Mustafi kept his place suggesting that Sokratis hadn’t recovered from illness. Aubameyang was still suspended.

An early run from Martinelli gave us encouragement though the cross from Saka was overhit. Pepe also raised spirits with some early mazy runs. However, the first serious threat came from Chelsea with nice one-touch play in our area leading to a Kovacic shot bravely blocked by Mustafi that poleaxed him and causing Atwell to stop play for treatment. This was followed by a pair of Chelsea corners and Christensen heading wide. Saka was struggling to cope with Azpilicueta and Hudson-Odoi as Chelsea concentrated on our left flank and closed off our routes forward. At 15 minutes Leno saved Abraham’s point-blank header from a Hudson-Odoi cross then had to see a Hudson Odoi cross-shot over his bar. We were looking distinctly second best except in the fan noise stakes.

However, Pepe was still causing problems with mazy dribbles and after a series of hacks Emerson saw the yellow card. Another series of Chelsea short corners (they had 8 by 22 minutes) put more pressure on our defence while our progression through midfield was repeatedly interrupted by poor passes and interceptions. We lacked any penetration into their box and our midfielders and forwards were struggling to have any impact on the game.

Just before the half-hour, the roof fell in. Mustafi who had already misplaced a couple of forward passes made a short pass back to Leno. Abraham latched onto it, rounded the keeper and was bowled over by Luiz as he was about to shoot. Luiz received a red card and Jorginho placed the penalty kick low to the left just out of Leno’s reach. 29 minutes: 1-0 Chelsea, Arsenal down to 10 men. Xhaka dropped into the back four.

Leno made an athletic save from a Hudson-Odoi right-footer as we attempted to find some composure. Chelsea were the more dominant team before their goal but after their goal they lost momentum. At 38 minutes, a spirited run from Martinelli made a chance for Pepe who couldn’t get his feet organised and the moment was lost. Our first corner since early-on came to naught but was followed by a spell of Arsenal possession and pressure. It looked as if Holding was coming on for Martinelli but Mikel changed his mind (good call, boss). 

We then started moving the ball better and our defensive structure limited Chelsea’s laboured build up and threat. The game certainly didn’t have the atmosphere of a London derby as the first half drew to a close. We had had absolutely no shots from Arsenal in the first half for the first time in four and a half years but we had more possession than Chelsea.

Despite Holding appearing poised to replace Martinelli at 35 minutes, there were no substitutions at half time. Early in the second half, Christensen barged Martinelli off the field as he broke clear and mystifyingly escaped sanction. Arsenal players were competing far better all over the pitch and the travelling fans were in good voice. Saka was the next breaking player brought down without sanction.

At 54 minutes the somewhat anonymous Ozil was replaced by Guendouzi. As the hour approached Chelsea began to move the ball around more briskly and threatened but again on a break-out Lacazette was taken down by Christensen who finally received a yellow card. Of course, that should have been his second yellow, but, you know how it goes…..

Xhaka made numerous important interceptions and tackles as a stand-in centre back as we soaked up Chelsea’s pressure. It was an impressive performance from the whole rear-guard. Suddenly, Martinelli broke out from our box from a Chelsea corner, could not be hacked down, ran 67 yards and slipped the ball sweetly past Kepa, just 13 seconds after that Chelsea corner. Our first shot came in the 63^rd minute! 1-1. Thanks Mikel, for changing your mind on that substitution. 

Lampard brought on Barkley for Kovacic and Mount for Kante, aiming to pile on the pressure. However, Arsenal seemed more confident with crisper passing and Lacazette netted from Pepe but was sadly offside. Leno then saved confidently from a close-range Willian piledriver. The game began to feel more like a derby as 10 Arsenal men dug deep to match 11 opponents. Guendouzi clipped Mount near half-way and was of course booked without hesitation. From the free kick Leno dealt with an Abraham free header.

Breakouts were getting rarer, Lacazette wasting one with a poor pass towards Pepe and in the 79^th minute Leno saved a Barkley header low to his right. With 10 minutes to go, Holding finally came on to replace Pepe and immediately had to head a cross clear. The Chelsea pressure was mounting as they pushed repeatedly forward and we simply punted clear. Then bad luck struck again at 85 minutes as Azpilicueta toe-poked a cross from a short corner past Leno. 2-1 Chelsea 

Arsenal immediately went back on the offensive. After constant pressure from the kick off, Hector curled a beautiful left foot shot into the far corner from the edge of the box. 2-2 At 88 minutes Batshuyi poked a cross wide under pressure from Xhaka. Willock came on for an exhausted Martinelli with 4 minutes added time to play. The home team pushed for a winner with a bit more urgency but Arsenal ran the clock down and saw the game out. 2 shots, 2 goals. FT 2-2

A superb performance by the 10 men after the early catastrophe. Martin Keown said, “The passion! The spirit! We’ve been waiting for a long time!” Rio Ferdinand added, “This could be a turning point, the way they’ve come back from a goal down and going down to 10 men. That demands character, spirit and a certain mentality and adding quality in vital moments.” Mikel Arteta added, “Time will tell!” Feet on the ground. I like that man.

Tenth place, 10 points off fourth.

A pellucid day dawned in Cambridgeshire, a fabulous day for football. I normally drive to games, but due to the Holics forever dinner later, I was on the train. Clearly the train companies had caught wind of this because the dread words “replacement bus service” appeared all over the schedule and I was forced to go via Cambridge, not my first choice. However soon I was on the train and heading down into North London, thanks to Mrs Countryman who chauffeured me both ways to the station. Thank you dearest!

I had arranged to meet BtM at a pub new to me. Having lived in the Highbury/Finsbury Park/Crouch end area I thought I knew most of the boozers. However a favourite of BtM and Bathgooner is the Faltering Fullback. I was intrigued just by the name! Just north of Finsbury Park station it is a rambling back street pub, with equal elements of Arsenal and Rugby memorabilia. Superb pint of Guinness, correctly poured. BtM eventually turned up, having consumed vast quantities of Moussaka as part of his fitness plan (he burns it off by 100 laps a day in the pool and 100 of miles a week on his bike). We put the world to rights while enjoying watching Watford harass Spurs. If only Deeney had the cojones to have scored that penalty ….

A 25 minute walk in the crisp winter’s air to the ground. As I stood on the North Bank it felt very isolated around me. Where was everybody? Turns out that everyone arrived 10 minutes before kick off and there was a 15 – 20 minute wait to get into the ground. By ten past the hour the ground was full. And I do mean full. I couldn’t see a single empty seat anywhere. Our new Basque boss is clearly enthusing the locals. Although it didn’t reflect in the atmosphere which matched the team performance in the first 15; very quiet.

Sheffield United were clearly difficult to break down through the middle. Our first great chance came as Laca, who worked his little French socks off, held the ball up on the half way line, spun and put Pepe away. He ran at the defence and then crossed to Martinelli, clear on the back post, who maybe should have done better. Lovely move. Then, right on the cusp of half time, we were ahead. Again Laca involved. He played a lovely one-two with Saka on the left who supplied a delicious cross to Martinelli  who had a tap in. One nil to the Arsenal.

We came storming out of the traps in the second half, with Pepe and Saka tormenting the Blades’s faltering fullbacks (heh). But Sheffield were doing well to stop our cut backs having got to the line. We couldn’t apply the coup de grace. Then, with about 20 minutes to go, came the pivotal moment of the game. Pepe again danced down the right wing and into the penalty area. He beat two men and then was clearly and deliberately tripped. Everyone howled for a penalty. Mike Dean (natch) waved it away. VAR will confirm it, we thought. No. A very short check, 10 seconds max and decision confirmed. A decision described by Shearer and Wright on MOTD as badly wrong. That would have been 2-0 up with 20 to go. Sheffield United would not have come back from that. Now in the previous drinks some esteemed colleagues have suggested that’s it’s our fault for not scoring the second. But if that clear penalty had been given, the whole mood and agenda would have changed. Remember it’s only paranoia if they’re not out to get you.

Shortly afterwards we got a free kick just outside the box. Pepe time! But no, Laca took it (why?) and launched it high into the North Bank. He was then immediately subbed for Eddie. The crowd rose to give Laca a tumultuous reception. He had put in a shift and a half. He looked touched and pleased by the cheers.

Of course you know the rest. In the 83^rd minute (same as Chelsea) they scored what was, in all fairness, a really good goal. Bollocks. And that was that. Another home draw.

On the positives, I thought Laca, Saka, Pepe, Luiz, Martinelli and Torriera played really well with lots of heart, although Pepe is looking more and more like a one trick pony. Ozil was anonymous. Mustafi was strange. Really good for 95% of the game, but two awful brain fart moments that could have led to goals. Plus ça change, plus c’est la meme chose.

It felt very disappointing. We trudged back to the Faltering Fullback with mood low for a pre prandial with fellow Holics. The mood soon lifted as the Guinness went down. Then a short walk to our destination, an Italian restaurant mentioned several times by the departed landlord and a firm favourite of Bathgooner who made the reservation. Toasts were made to the Guvna and to the Senator from Santa Cruz who had generously and kindly provided the wine in absentia.

Good food, good wine, good company. Holic in recent years wrote that in recent years, he usually enjoyed the social part of the day more than the football. This was one of those days, and his legacy is new friends meeting in his memory and enjoying themselves. The greybeards present had many decades of watching the Arsenal and the stories flowed and the laughter was frequent. A life affirming meal. Hopefully there are many more to come.So to Tuesday night at the Bridge. I felt we really needed to win yesterday. Clearly that’s even more true about Tuesday. It may be that we now accept mid table in the league and play our best side in the Cups, while giving our great youngsters opportunities in the league. Certainly Ceballos, Holding, Willock and Bellerin, all on the bench yesterday, may return. The new injury to Reiss Nelson is a huge blow. We were so close to beating Chelsea a few weeks ago. It would be sweet if we could do it over at the bus-stop in Fulham.