from the factory floor
FA
CUP
Ashburton Grove
Referee: Mike Jones
Arsenal 3-2 Aston Villa 29 January 2012
Van Persie [pen 54, pen 61] Dunne [33]
Walcott [57] Bent
[45]
After 45 minutes this was a glass three
quarters empty. But after an hour the glass was quite full. The usual mistakes
undid us in the opening period, as the Arsenal set about this fourth round tie
with purpose if not precision. Vermaelen had a rocket of a free kick punched
away, Van Persie hit another into the wall, and we had yet another half of
possession without much threat. It was a low key morning with most of the 4th
round program taking place on Saturday and in general the mood at the Factory
was fairly amicable between us and the NY Villans. Inevitably, they went ahead
when one of their numbers infiltrated our grumpy inner circle to chat with
Barry.
Aston Villa looked dangerous on the few
chances they created but otherwise tried to concede possession and hit on the
break. Early on, the visitors singled out Coquelin, who did well without
looking fully comfortable, and Agbonlahor was proving a real handful. I think it was their first corner, and just
like in the Champions League earlier this season when Chamberlain got caught on
the right, Villa pulled a little training ground short corner routine, Keane
stood one up to the back post and Dunne hammered in the header over Koscielny
and a couple of other red shirts. I’d moan more if it weren’t the umpteenth
time it has happened in recent years. Then again, I’d moan because of that too.
That familiar feeling returned and I
have to admit I was expecting a second from them before anything from us. We
weren’t bad, but something looked labored in our efforts and there was a
distinct lack of movement to pull Villa apart in any meaningful way. There were
a couple of passes that seemed forced, just barely making it to their mark, and
each time we released the ball Villa were still getting in their challenges. They
were pressing well, but we were presenting them with opportunities to put in
those tackles. They certainly obliged.
On one such occasion Dunne arrived
incredibly late and went straight through the back of Rosicky. With my homer
glasses on I saw red, but it was a yellow in the sane world and the referee
made it so. Theo had also narrowly dodged a pretty hefty lunge when he was
entering the penalty area, but stayed on his feet and screwed a shot wide. We
discussed how he could have gone down but were glad he didn’t. While he moaned
at Mike Jones, TJ suggested that we’d get the next call.
It was probably his last calm moment.
He spent the rest of the first half going spare and the room seemed to go quiet
before his fairly regular outbursts about how much we suck. Barry, Ed, Michael,
Carissa and I were growing a little concerned. I recalled Carissa’s suggestion
that we record some of these sound-bites for segues on TJ’s podcast. I’m sure
the NY Villans were entertained. For all of the effort nothing was coming off
for us on the pitch either.
Naturally, Villa just absorbed the pressure
then hit us on the break with a three pass move that arrived to Bent via
Ireland. Fabianski did well to parry his powerful shot but the ball fell right back
in the striker’s path and from a more difficult angle he made a great finish. I
don’t think the keeper was having his best day, but it would be a little
churlish to criticize him for that. So of course I did. I never said I was
reasonable.
That was the last action of the first
half and most of the break was spent in a daze. The team was booed off the
pitch and a fourth successive defeat looked likely. Fear not though, because we
had Park and Arshavin on the bench ready to change that likelihood to a
certainty. No changes were made at the interval though and we didn’t expect any
before Wenger’s prescribed 70 minute mark.
I have to admit I am still a little
amazed by the turnaround. We just ran at them repeatedly and for once it wasn’t
our defense that panicked. From a corner kick the big friendly meat-sack beaned
the ball toward the back post only for the chinless wonder Stephen Ireland to
prod clear from the line. Barry bemoaned the smug look on his face and wanted
something to wipe it off. Our own Steven let loose with another dose of
vitriol. In a perfect storm Ed, Michael and I concocted a new name for TJ. Rise, the NY Gooners re-dub thee Tourette’s
Jersey.
In one of my rare tactical
masterstrokes I made one of the more foolish bets in the history of bookmaking
when Swansea was awarded that penalty a few weeks ago, wagering we wouldn’t get
one of our own for the rest of the season, in any competition. To this point we’d only got two of our own all
season, and one of those was against Villa in the League [the other at Old
Trafford.] Surely we wouldn’t get another against this same side? That’s what I
get for calling you Shirley.
Even though I have to shell out for a
nice bottle of bourbon, as I felt when I made the bet, I still won. In fact,
you can all thank me for that stupid bet because we got not one but two
spot-kicks in seven minutes. Sure Van Persie buried both times, low left then
high right, and took his tally for the season up to an even two dozen. But that
was all me ladies and gentlemen. You’re welcome.
I really don’t know whether we would
have delivered without those penalties on this day. I really didn’t even think
the first was a penalty, recalling the chance Welbeck had last week when
Szczesny came out and Mertesacker cleared. As with that instance, Ramsey made
his play on the ball before the tackle arrived and Given was already collecting
the Welshman’s heavy touch. But with the way they were getting their hits in
after the ball left in the first half, I don’t have too much problem with the
decision now. Except to say that if McLeish has an issue with Van Persie then
he should be thankful Dunne didn’t see a straight red for that, last man and
all, and already on a yellow.
It probably won’t go down as an assist,
but Song’s threaded pass to Ramsey to set up the first penalty was a little bit
special. He also played the one-two with Koscielny, who made a 50 yard run, to
get the second one. While I don’t think he had the best game, I have said
before that Song can pick a pass when teams that arrive at the Grove and sit
back. He still suffers from Arteta’s absence, but it’s hard to complain when he
was so involved in the comeback.
Theo had another one of those days.
Nothing much seemed to be coming off for him in the first half. To be fair that
could be said for everyone. I expressed my lack of concern about his contract
situation, even that I’d be glad to be shot of him, and got a serious skunk eye
from Barry. I still harbor deep frustration with him [Theo, not Barry], but I
have to admit he did very well to get himself into position to get that freaky
rebound for his goal. He for once took his man on, and in a move that nearly
duplicated Ramsey’s effort in the first half he went baseline and tried to nip
it in past the keeper at the near post. Given pawed it behind him onto Hutton
who tried to the sensible thing and blast it away only for it to ricochet off
an unknowing Walcott’s chest and into the net.
I’d say he just about deserved
something for that effort. Having a second look, had he scored on the initial
flick past Given it would have been a really special goal. Instead it was greeted from us with
disbelief, laughter, and a round of ‘we don’t know what we’re doing.’ He then
commenced with a loathsome little celebration by the bench that curried no
favor with us, but then again we are miserable old gits. There were more laughs somewhere in there
when a ball went out for an Arsenal goal kick but we couldn’t it back off the
traveling Villans who were having a pretty epic session of volleyball.
The rest of the game was frankly a Bass
fueled blur. Wenger puzzlingly removed our best midfield player once again but
after we had taken the lead this time. We weren’t happy to see Rosicky go in
honesty, because none of us thought the match was safe and with the fixtures we
have coming up, and the squad still pretty thin, a replay is not at all what we
would want, even if we looked out of it at the half. But it was a welcome
return for Arteta who did his usual calming thing in midfield. We could have
perhaps put the result beyond doubt after another good move by Walcott ended
with a very difficult chance from Van Persie just missing the target, but the
game kind of fizzled and we were granted the brief sighting of Henry and the
much more welcomed reappearance of Bacary Sagna.
I spent the rest of the day reeling
from the comeback. We had a very jammy goal sandwiched with some bread and
butter finishing from the spot, and now we sit in the fifth round of the FA Cup
with a trip to Boro or Sunderland on the weekend of the 18th. Barry,
having cajoled us to keep faith at the half, called it a little bit of highway
robbery. We will certainly take it though.
The games are now going to come thick
and fast against the likes of Tottenham, Liverpool, Sunderland, and Everton in
the league, and Milan in Europe. Hopefully this result can be the spark needed
to kick on. We only managed two wins in January, but if we could only win two,
we’ve won the two that matter the most, and in so doing, added a couple more
memories to the very brief history of the Grove. That is certainly enough to be getting on
with. Now, I have some rather important business to take care of. Which bourbon
will that be Jack?
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