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Spurs vs Arsenal
15th September 2007 - Premier Leaque - Shite Hart Lane What do I wear today? I’m not wearing colours that’s for sure. I don’t want to stand out in any way. Hooligans in the 70’s & 80’s wore designer gear so I need to be careful. It’s really hot today so in the end I go for shorts and a white polo. On the train I start to feel a little apprehensive as I hear it can be a bit naughty after the match with Spuds fans waiting for the Arsenal fans. Do we really need this in Football, have we not moved on? I should be thinking about the match. On current form you would think it will be an easy 3 points for Arsenal, but history shows that it will most likely be a score draw. I think Tottenham would be happy with a point, and at the start of the season I probably would have settled for that too, but not now I want the win, all 3 points and the bragging rights! It’s pretty much the same journey for me as if I was going to the Emirates. Even the same delays and tube closures! Victoria Line at Vauxhall is closed so I have to go to Waterloo where I get the Bakerloo Line to Oxford Circus and pick up the Victoria Line from there. When I get on the tube there are two Gooners, about 20-ish, on-board in full colours. Their brave I thought, but because I don’t know where I’m going I’ll follow them to the ground! The tube goes through Highbury & Islington, my usual destination for the Emirates Stadium and then through Finsbury Park, my usual destination for Highbury. I’m now on new territory and I’m getting a nervous butterfly feeling. The train stops at Seven Sisters and off gets the two Gooners, followed a little bit behind by me. It’s a trek to the ground. I reckon around a mile and a half, a good 20 minute walk. I feel like a detective investigating a target as I follow the two Gooners. I needed to keep them in sight but without the possibility of anyone suspecting that I was with them. If anything kicked off then sorry lads you’re on you own, it sounds bad but I’m looking after number one today. I’m naturally a fast walker and the two Gooners are not. It’s probably quite funny that as I got too close to them I would stop and tie up my shoe lace to put a bit of distance between us. I must have done this 5 or 6 times! Inspector Clouseau! The area is a shit hole. I’m not just saying this because is Tottenham, although this doesn’t help! You’re not going to find Tottenham High Road listed in any publications such as “Places to visit before you die”. No. It’s more likely to be “Places to visit if you want to get mugged”. There only seem to be three different types of shop there; Haircuts, Take-away and cheap telephone calls around the world. I’m OK for all of these thanks so I just continue with my stakeout. As we approach the ground a big, mean looking fella shouts something at one of the lads that I have under surveillance and I shit myself as the guy punches the Gooner before walking away. Fucking hell. I look at the ground as he walks past. Outside the ground there are loads of police. Police vans, Police Horses and Police in riot gear. I feel safe for the first time as I rush towards the Away section, keeping my head down. I get searched first and then through the turnstile into the concourse. There are a lot of people already there but no colours anywhere! I understand why. I head to the bar but there is no beer on sale to away fans today so I settle for a bottle of water. We can’t be trusted to hold a plastic bottle so there’s an additional delay as the bar staff poor my bottle of water into a plastic pint glass for me. While waiting I see the guys that I was following and got chatting. Actually it turned out that he wasn’t punched, he was just pushed. Still out of order but apparently just after he was pushed a real Spurs fan went over and apologised. There was about 20 minutes to go before kick-off and I waited in the concourse. I was worried that I’d standout in an empty Arsenal Section and then perhaps get recognised on the way home. You shouldn’t have to worry about this kind of shit. I sat in the lower tier just by the corner flag in Block 38 Row 7 Seat 173. I was actually only 3 rows from the front because rows 1-4 were for supporters with disabilities and these were at a lower level. Surprisingly these we’re not segregated so you had a bunch of Tottenham fans in Wheelchairs sitting directly in front of 3000 Arsenal fans who were slagging of their team (not them I should make clear) throughout the whole match! The match started at a high tempo as you would expect. Both teams look better attacking than defending and as a result there are quite a few chances at either end. After around 15 minutes the Spuds win a free kick from just outside the box. Arsenal put a wall in place and new boy Yid Gareth Bale steps up to take it. It goes over the wall and straight into the left of the goal (the ‘keepers’ right). The stadium erupts and for the first time in the match the Tottenham fans can be heard and the Arsenal fans are quiet. 1-0 to the Scum. We start to control possession but are wasteful in front of goal, as are spurs and numerous chances are wasted at either end. Adebayor is not playing well and is the worst culprit for the missed chances. Gilberto is having a nightmare in defence too. Giving the ball away cheaply and in dangerous areas too. It’s not the match that you want to have a mare in. During Halftime I head down to get another water but after 10 minutes queuing I give up and head back to my seat empty handed. The Gooners are entertaining themselves by singing “Moscow….We’re on our way…..” A bit premature considering we haven’t even played had a match yet so I sit this one out. I guess that it’s to remind the Yids that we are in the Champions League again and they are not, again. The second half is underway and I feel that is more likely that Spurs will score again rather us an equaliser. After some more wasteful finishing from Spurs we equalise. We have a free kick in a similar position to where Bale scored. Cesc takes it and whips a good ball into the box. Adebayor jumps higher than anyone else and heads it into the back of the net passed a badly positioned Paul Robinson. It goes mental! I’m being hugged by strangers, and hugging them back. I hit my knees on the back of the seat in front but don’t care. I felt now that we would go on and win the game from here. Ironic chants of “England’s, England’s Number 1” are sung by the Arsenal Fans to Paul Robinson the hapless England goalkeeper followed by “You let your country down”. There’s a lot of abuse between the fans now and I start to think about the journey home again so I don’t participate in anyway and avoid eye contact with any of the scum fans! At the other end the overrated Berbatov takes the ball around Almunia and it looks like a goal but some how Kolo blocks the shot and the ball is cleared. Fuck me, it looked like 2-1 there but luckily it’s still 1-1. It’s an even game with both teams having chances. It’s exciting for the neutral because it’s end to end. When it’s our turn to attack the ball is passed around a bit and it goes to Fabregas outside of the box, quiet central. He launches a powerful drive which bends around Paul Robinson into the top left corner. 2-1 to the Arsenal! If it went mental after the first goal then this celebration should be in Broadmore (Prison for mentalists)! More hugging strangers, more pain inflicted on my knees and lots of gesturing to the Home fans. It doesn’t get much better than this. There are 10 mins left. It is similar to last years match when Arsenal came from a goal down to lead 2-1 but that match ended up 2-2 after Jenas 94th Minute drive. It can’t happen again can it? It look’s like it might when a long ball gets to substitute Darren Bent. He can’t miss from there, he does! What a let off and what a terrible shot! Us Arsenal fans are as sympathetic as always with chants of “What a waste of money”!!! Amazingly there are 4 minutes of added time. Exactly the same as last time and I already mentioned what happened then. The 93rd minute comes and there’s another goal. This time though it send the Home fans home as they stream out the exits. Adebayor again. This time he chips the ball high before volleying it into the back of the net. An excellent goal, probably the best Adebayor has scored and required more skill than I would have given him credit for. The fulltime whistle is blown and it finishes 3-1 to the Arsenal. Excellent, now I just have to get home in one piece and it’s been a brilliant day! I head straight out of the exit as the whistle blows and am greeted by a wall of police in riot gear. They are separating the Arsenal and the Spurs fans. This continues onto the High Road but it has to stop somewhere. It does and on the other side of the police there are loads of Tottenham fans, intimidating more that anything. I merge into the crowd and try to look like my team has just lost the derby, their Cup Final, 3-1. I keep my head down as I walk up towards the Underground. There are minor scuffles and shouting around me but I ignore these and keep walking. It seems much further on the way back but as I get to the Station the crowds have dwindled. On the platform I recognised an Arsenal fan from my row. He had the same pretend “we’ve just lost” face too! I get off the tube at Oxford Circus and merge with the shoppers. I’m no longer a target or in fear for my welfare. Another successful away game! |
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