Them Little Feets Was Going Like This

from the factory floor

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE

Ashburton Grove

Referee:  Martin Atkinson

Arsenal 1-0 Manchester City    8 April 2012

Arteta [87]

For this crucial fixture, before heading to the Factory I tried to soothe the PMT* with some eggs, biscuits and delicious bacon, and took in some of the United-QPR match. Not to be outdone by the poor officiating in the Chelsea-Wigan match, Lee Mason and his crew offered up an encore with another crucially incorrect offside, compounded by the shameful dive [that still today no one will call a dive ‘cos he’s English, innit?] of Ashley Young.

I’m not saying United couldn’t handle QPR at home without the advantage, but that doesn’t make it any more tolerable that they were once again benefactors of generous officiating at Old Trafford. That makes 8 penalties for them at home this season in the league, 8 more than the Arsenal have enjoyed. I tweeted before our match that I hoped the home cooking would continue at the Grove. If you’re thinking that’s foreshadowing, you’re right. Sort of.

It would only take 15 minutes to realize that hope of home-cooking was wasted. Kompany barreled through the back of Van Persie for as clear a penalty as you could get, and we only got a corner kick out of it.** If the hand on Young’s back was a sending off then Kompany should receive a season-long ban for the amount of contact he made in comparison. From the ensuing corner, RVP pinged a header off the crossbar via an unwitting Vermaelen.

Little Mozart

Rosicky sticks it to the Scum

Tomas Rosicky signed early in the summer of 2006, and took the number seven shirt previously worn by Robert Pires. Then he celebrated joining the Gunners with a 30 yard rocket  and a deft second against the United States in first round of the World Cup in Germany. After a subdued debut season he became an integral part of the best midfield quartet in the 2007-08 Premier League, alongside Cesc Fabregas, Mathieu Flamini, and Alexander Hleb.  That season the Arsenal led the league until February with a game based on quick passing and swarming pressure in the middle third, and Rosicky was a key component until late January, when he suffered a hamstring injury that would keep him out of the Arsenal side for the better part of two years.

Four years later, only Rosicky remains from that midfield and it’s no surprise that his return to form has coincided with the longest winning streak Arsenal have enjoyed in the league since that season. Perhaps due to his injury absence, he doesn’t have the best numbers in terms of goals or assists. In fact he endured a seemingly endless drought in front of goal in the League for Arsenal. Endless that is, until Spurs arrived at the Grove heavily favored to pull of a league double against the Arsenal.  His inclusion in the first XI at that time was surely down to his return to fitness and form, aided in no small part by Aaron Ramsey’s reverse trajectory in both departments.

All Good Things Must Come To An End

from the factory floor

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE

Loftus Road

Referee:  Mike Dean

Queens Park Rangers 2-1 Arsenal         31 March 2012

Taarabt [22]            Walcott [37]

Diakite [66]

Upon arrival at the Factory I discovered that despite the awesome gigantitude of our new flag [let’s be honest, because of it] we were shunted upstairs once again to the main floor, where tourists to New York probably don’t want to see a big fucking cannon. In the end it was probably better that way. In our last four encounters with Herr Barton in the League we have dropped seven points and received three suspensions.

Instead, we were spared the ignominy that defeat to Joey Barton was sure to bring from other supporters clubs, particularly the Chelsea mob downstairs. There are also delicious IPAs on draft behind Liam’s bar, even if he has to walk a country mile to get to them [of course we ordered them separately to force multiple journeys]. So, if you’re going to lose to a pseudo-intellectual twit bossed by a pseudo-managerial twat, at least you can drown your sorrows in a nice ale. Or eight.

Easy Does It

from the factory floor

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE

Ashburton Grove

Referee:  Phil Dowd

Arsenal 3-0 Aston Villa  24 March 2012

Gibbs [16]

Walcott [25]

Arteta [90]

Saturday morning arrived and I packed up for my first trip to the pub in a while. Huge flag. Check. Bottle of Woodford. Check. [There is a certain symmetry that on the day I honor this bet, we play Aston Villa]. Regina joined me this time for a rare foray into the sweary, smelly nether regions of the Factory. I introduced her to Liam before heading downstairs to hang the new NY Gooners flag. He apologized to her. It’s what most people do when they find out she’s my girlfriend.

The game barely got going enough to realize Djourou was in for Koscielny before Heskey clocked the former in the face with a deliberate elbow. Predictably TJ and I disagreed. Also predictably, as with most Phil Dowd officiated affairs, I’m right [Then again, he’s got all that podcasting nous and I just make meticulous drawings of joyous Arsenal moments to dull the pain of the recent barren spell]. 

Sir Chesney

best. keeper. ever.

Wojciech is badass. Anyone who can break both arms and then come back in a couple of years to take the starting goalkeeper spot at a top club has to be. There were noises for some time about the maverick Pole and his abilities, but when he went on loan to Brentford in 2009 the noises were substantiated by a string of fine performances. At a time when there was a distinct anxiety in the Arsenal back four, fueled by a lack of confidence in our two first choice keepers and their inability/unwillingness to communicate and organize, here was an authoritative and cocksure 19 year old who had no problems shouting at his defense, and even less problems making spectacular saves.

His dad took a swing at Roberto Mancini. He’s a bit mental. He clearly enjoys defending penalty kicks. At Brentford in his second game he saved one. In his Premier League debut he faced Wayne Rooney at Old Trafford and put him off enough to sky the kick. Against Udinese this season in the Champions League qualifier he saved a crucial spot kick by Antonio Di Natale to protect our advantage and secure a position in the group stages. And most recently after a taste of divey Suarez, he just got up and made a double save on Dirk Kuyt at Anfield to set the tone for our defensive display, and maintain the momentum from the thumping derby triumph in the previous match.

Speaking of the scum, he also hates simians. Better than that he just loves Arsenal. Who can forget the Barca celebration? Or the way he sang with the away support at Wigan? You can overhear someone call him a legend in that Wigan clip, and you’ll get no argument from most Gooners, even though the kid will only be 22 next month and is still just in his first season as our number one.  Szczesny’s form in the first part of the season saw him produce a world class save just about every match, and has completely squashed the nagging calls for Wenger to dip into the transfer market for a world class keeper. We’ve already got one. His name is Sir Chesney. 


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