Listening to TalkSport or Sky in the aftermath of 'Survival Sunday' last weekend you would think we had just witnessed the greatest season in Premier League history. But does an exciting relegation battle really equate to a good season?
I have to say I was as enthralled as anyone by the final day drama. The bottom three seemed to change by the minute as the goals went in all over the country but don't kid yourself it meant the league was better as a result. In fact I would argue quiet the opposite is in fact true.
In a 'normal' season the relegation battle will come down to two teams fighting over one place in the last week. The fact that this year saw five teams challenging to avoid two places on the final day simply means there were more poor teams in the league than usual.
The pundits would have you believe that the gap from top to bottom has shrunk - as Wolves could beat Manchester United and West Bromwich Albion could beat Arsenal for example - but in truth it merely meant the top teams were not as strong.
Take the previous years' Champions Chelsea. They scored over 100 Premier League goals in the 2009-10 season as they won the double. Were they as strong this season? No. An average Manchester United side, certainly in terms of their great sides of the recent past, won the title by nine points and lost just four games yet they looked far from inspiring for much of the campaign. In the end they were able to win games when it mattered but do not kid yourself they are a great side, as we found out when Barcelona taught them a lesson at Wembley this weekend.
Manchester City won the FA Cup and finished 3rd, but with their squad and resources you have to say they under-achieved, while Arsenal and Spurs both dropped down a place to fourth and fifth respectively. Hardly an improvement.
Further down the table sides like Everton and Aston Villa were nowhere near as strong as in the past while Liverpool needed a strong finish to end up in the top six, having been in the bottom three at one stage. So no, the gap is not closing, the top sides have just got worse.
Meanwhile, at the bottom, any one of eight or nine teams could have gone down the standard was so poor. West Ham United ended with the stigma of finishing bottom of a bad bunch while the likes of Wigan Athletic, Blackburn Rovers, Wolves and Stoke City all survived despite being no better than average Championship sides at best.
But while the quality was certainly lacking it did lead to one of the most exciting seasons for many a year. Mistakes led to more goals, there seemed to be a thrilling late comeback almost every week, while 4-4 and 3-3 draws were not out of place. Similar to most local pub leagues then...
But what makes a for strong league anyway? The fact we had three teams in the last 8 of the Champions League and one in the final for the fifth year out of the last six? Possibly, but I would argue the strength of the bottom sides determines how good a league is, and when the likes of Stoke and Sunderland finish in mid-table it can only mean one thing. The league is nowhere near good as Sky and TalkSport think it is. Exciting? Yes. Competitive? Certainly. But until we can produce sides capable of playing the type of football we saw from Barcelona at Wembley on Saturday evening we can forget all about being the best in the world.
Sunday 29 May 2011
Monday 23 May 2011
2010-2011, the good, the bad and the ugly!
So, a season that began with a last minute equaliser in the sunshine at Liverpool back in August ended with a last minute equaliser in the sunshine at Fulham in May. And boy oh boy what a ride inbetween!
Despite some strange results, like home defeats to newly-promoted West Brom and Newcastle, and worst of all to Spurs after leading 2-0, we somehow managed to be in the race for all four trophies heading into February. We were playing some good football and looked virtually unbeatable at that time but then came the fall. And what a fall it was.
It all began at Newcastle in mid-February. Leading 4-0 at half time we somehow managed to cling on for a draw after Abou Diaby was sent off, and our quadruple dreams disappeared within weeks. The Carling Cup Final will go down as one of the most frustrating days in our history. Once again we capitulated to inferior opposition on the big stage, and as much as I love Wenger I have to say this has happened far too often during his reign. Galatasary 2000, Liverpool 2001, Chelsea in the Champions League quarter final 2004 all spring to mind and there have been many others as well.
That last minute defeat finally killed what little confidence we had left. Okay, the defeat away at Barcelona in the Champions League was unlucky in as much as the sending off of Robin van Persie, with us ahead on aggregate, was a complete joke, but the fact we managed not a single shot on target over the entire 90 minutes perhaps suggests it was the right result in the end.
Our FA Cup dreams again suffered an unlucky defeat at Old Trafford in a tie we dominated for long spells, but there can be no such excuses for our Premier League capitulation. The writing was on the wall with consecutive goalless home draws with Sunderland and Blackburn, sandwiched inbetween a 2-2 draw at West Brom - where we had found ourselves 2-0 down. A 3-1 win at Blackpool briefly raised our hopes but the Liverpool match summed it all up. Only this Arsenal side could go 1-0 up in the 96th minute and still not win!
Then, after throwing away a two goal lead against Spurs for the second time this season, it was all over when Tamir Cohen headed a last minute winner for Bolton. The last few games did not really matter, hense how we managed to beat Manchester United one week but then lose at Stoke and at home to Aston Villa, to not only miss the chance of finshing second but to end up 4th in what had, for so long, been a two horse race...
But it is easy to let the last couple of months cloud your judgement on the whole season. The period between November and February increased expectation and had us all believing but did this group of players over-achieve then or under-achieve in the run-in? Possibly a bit of both.
Overall it was a strange season. Manchester United were far from convincing in the early months yet looked set to go unbeaten until defeat at Wolves on the day of our Newcastle capitulation. Cheslea set of like a train only to suffer an horrendous winter before finishing strongly to take the runners-up spot. Liverpool spent some time in the bottom three, Blackpool some time in the top six. Meanwhile we often looked good but flattered to decieve and possibly paid the price for going for all four trophies with a squad not capable of winning one.
But this summer could be the watershed for Wenger. The chants of 'Where's the f**king money?' at Fulham show exactly how the fans feel and unless he spends big in the close season the pressure will really be on. However I believe this squad are very close to greatness. The return of Thomas Vermaelen will help shore up the defence next season, as will the emergence of Wjoceck Szczesney in goal. Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere will only improve while there was no better forward in the second half of the season then Robin van Persie. With the addition of a centre back (Gary Cahill or Chris Samba perhaps??) a holding midfielder (Scott Parker??) and a naturally wide player (Stewart Downing or Adam Johnson??) we could have the resourses to really push for honours next season. But it seems more likely we will sign some unknown young foreign players who may or may not be good enough but will no doubt be much cheaper.
So that was 2010-11. The good (Chelsea and Barca at home), the bad (the Carling Cup Final and almost everything that followed) and the downright ugly (Newcastle away). Not the greatest season, granted, but not the disaster many fans would have you believe either. It saw our first major cup final at the New Wembley, a great win over Barcelona and lots of wonderful, wonderful football. Yes, that elusive trophy once again eluded us but things could have been a whole lot worse. Couldn't they??
Despite some strange results, like home defeats to newly-promoted West Brom and Newcastle, and worst of all to Spurs after leading 2-0, we somehow managed to be in the race for all four trophies heading into February. We were playing some good football and looked virtually unbeatable at that time but then came the fall. And what a fall it was.
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| Tiote makes it 4-4, the moment it all went wrong |
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| Defeat at Wembley hurts |
Our FA Cup dreams again suffered an unlucky defeat at Old Trafford in a tie we dominated for long spells, but there can be no such excuses for our Premier League capitulation. The writing was on the wall with consecutive goalless home draws with Sunderland and Blackburn, sandwiched inbetween a 2-2 draw at West Brom - where we had found ourselves 2-0 down. A 3-1 win at Blackpool briefly raised our hopes but the Liverpool match summed it all up. Only this Arsenal side could go 1-0 up in the 96th minute and still not win!
 |
| Kuyt scores the 100th minute equaliser |
But it is easy to let the last couple of months cloud your judgement on the whole season. The period between November and February increased expectation and had us all believing but did this group of players over-achieve then or under-achieve in the run-in? Possibly a bit of both.
Overall it was a strange season. Manchester United were far from convincing in the early months yet looked set to go unbeaten until defeat at Wolves on the day of our Newcastle capitulation. Cheslea set of like a train only to suffer an horrendous winter before finishing strongly to take the runners-up spot. Liverpool spent some time in the bottom three, Blackpool some time in the top six. Meanwhile we often looked good but flattered to decieve and possibly paid the price for going for all four trophies with a squad not capable of winning one.
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| The surprise package of the season? |
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| Beating Barca, the highlight of the season |
Monday 16 May 2011
Bent double adds to the Gunners gloom
Arsenal 1 Aston Villa 2
by Ricky Butler at The Emirates
If ever a match summed up a season it was this performance from Arsenal as they concluded their home fixtures with a whimper on Sunday afternoon.
Having seen all four trophies slip away in recent weeks, Arsene Wenger's side looked a pale shadow of the team that had thrilled us through the autumn and winter in an opening 20 minutes as poor as anything they have produced in 15 years under the Frenchman.
With the fans staging a pre-match demonstration over price increases and lack of investment in the team, it was exactly the start they could have done without as Darren Bent, the finisher who many feel Arsenal lack, showed exactly what he could bring to The Emirates with two cool finishes in the opening quarter of an hour.
Yes, the defending for both goals was nothing short of shocking, but it should not take anything away from Bent who took his goals with the confidence of a striker who passed the 20-goal mark once again.
But after such a poor start Arsenal rallied and went on to dominate the next 70 minutes without ever really looking like getting back in it. Robin van Persie, who has been in sensational goalscoring himself, struck the post while Aaron Ramsey, in for injured skipper Cesc Fabregas again, felt he should have been awarded a penalty after a firm challenge from Richard Dunne left referee Michael Oliver unimpressed.
As the team went off to a chorus of boos at the interval, Wenger changed his system, bringing on Marouane Chamakh for Sebastian Squillaci, and threw everything forward. The bold move almost back-fired within five minutes of the resumption when Bent made use of the extra space at the back but he showed the other side to his game with a weak finish that presented keeper Wojceich Sczesney with very few problems when he really ought to have completed his hat-trick.
That was a rare foray forward from Villa in a second half totally dominated by the hosts but in a now all-to familiar tale, Arsenal passed and passed their way to nowhere in particular.
Van Persie almost created a goal for Kieran Gibbs, who was denied by veteran keeper Brad Freidel, when he could have taken the chance himself, while Ramsey and Theo Walcott also came close to giving them a lifeline.
Wenger threw on Nicklas Bendtner for the once again disappointing Andrey Arshavin and Arsenal did finally get the ball in the net with fifteen minutes left - Chamakh heading home a cross from Backary Sagna - but Oliver upset the home fans again by disallowed it for a pushing offence that only he spotted.
But in a grandstand finale, van Persie forced the ball home from close range after Bendtner had burst into the area, his 21st goal of the season and his 20th since January 1st, but it proved no more than a consolation as Villa held out for a rare away win.
The lap of appreciation at the end took place in a half empty stadium as the Arsenal fans had long since had enough and you feel this summer could be the most important of Wenger's reign. His side are close to giving the fans the trophies they crave and with a little tweaking here and there they could do it next year. But with Manchester City, Liverpool and Spurs all ready to challenge it could be a difficult time ahead for Arsenal.
Wenger, however, was only looking to next weeks final match at Fulham. he said: "We want to do well next Sunday. I want to finish on a better game than that.
''For the first 20 minutes here we were non-existent. We were not focused enough. Were we a bit scared after recent bad results? I don't know.
"We want to give the fans what they expect and when you don't do that they are entitled to be unhappy. But let's not go overboard, we are not fighting relegation.''
Maybe not but a seventh season without a trophy may well be one too many.
Arsenal - Szczesny 6, Sagna 7, Vermaelan 6, Squillaci 5 (Chamakh 45 7), Gibbs 7, Ramsey 7, Song 7, Walcott 6, van Persie 8, Arshavin 5 (Bentdner 62 7).
Aston Villa - Friedal 8, Young(L) 7, Dunne 8, Collins 8, Walker 8, Downing 7, Delph 6 (Heskey 90 5), Petrov 7 (Bradley 80 6), Young(A) 6, Reo Coker 6, Bent 7.
Man of the match - Van Persie. Did everything possible to lift his team.
Referee - Oliver 5. Failed to give Arsenal a blatant penalty and disallowed the Chamakh header for reasons known only to himself. The youngest referee in the Premier League and it showed.
Attendance - 60,023
by Ricky Butler at The Emirates
If ever a match summed up a season it was this performance from Arsenal as they concluded their home fixtures with a whimper on Sunday afternoon.
Having seen all four trophies slip away in recent weeks, Arsene Wenger's side looked a pale shadow of the team that had thrilled us through the autumn and winter in an opening 20 minutes as poor as anything they have produced in 15 years under the Frenchman.
With the fans staging a pre-match demonstration over price increases and lack of investment in the team, it was exactly the start they could have done without as Darren Bent, the finisher who many feel Arsenal lack, showed exactly what he could bring to The Emirates with two cool finishes in the opening quarter of an hour.
Yes, the defending for both goals was nothing short of shocking, but it should not take anything away from Bent who took his goals with the confidence of a striker who passed the 20-goal mark once again.
As the team went off to a chorus of boos at the interval, Wenger changed his system, bringing on Marouane Chamakh for Sebastian Squillaci, and threw everything forward. The bold move almost back-fired within five minutes of the resumption when Bent made use of the extra space at the back but he showed the other side to his game with a weak finish that presented keeper Wojceich Sczesney with very few problems when he really ought to have completed his hat-trick.
That was a rare foray forward from Villa in a second half totally dominated by the hosts but in a now all-to familiar tale, Arsenal passed and passed their way to nowhere in particular.
Van Persie almost created a goal for Kieran Gibbs, who was denied by veteran keeper Brad Freidel, when he could have taken the chance himself, while Ramsey and Theo Walcott also came close to giving them a lifeline.
Wenger threw on Nicklas Bendtner for the once again disappointing Andrey Arshavin and Arsenal did finally get the ball in the net with fifteen minutes left - Chamakh heading home a cross from Backary Sagna - but Oliver upset the home fans again by disallowed it for a pushing offence that only he spotted.
But in a grandstand finale, van Persie forced the ball home from close range after Bendtner had burst into the area, his 21st goal of the season and his 20th since January 1st, but it proved no more than a consolation as Villa held out for a rare away win.
The lap of appreciation at the end took place in a half empty stadium as the Arsenal fans had long since had enough and you feel this summer could be the most important of Wenger's reign. His side are close to giving the fans the trophies they crave and with a little tweaking here and there they could do it next year. But with Manchester City, Liverpool and Spurs all ready to challenge it could be a difficult time ahead for Arsenal.
Wenger, however, was only looking to next weeks final match at Fulham. he said: "We want to do well next Sunday. I want to finish on a better game than that.
''For the first 20 minutes here we were non-existent. We were not focused enough. Were we a bit scared after recent bad results? I don't know.
"We want to give the fans what they expect and when you don't do that they are entitled to be unhappy. But let's not go overboard, we are not fighting relegation.''
Maybe not but a seventh season without a trophy may well be one too many.
Arsenal - Szczesny 6, Sagna 7, Vermaelan 6, Squillaci 5 (Chamakh 45 7), Gibbs 7, Ramsey 7, Song 7, Walcott 6, van Persie 8, Arshavin 5 (Bentdner 62 7).
Aston Villa - Friedal 8, Young(L) 7, Dunne 8, Collins 8, Walker 8, Downing 7, Delph 6 (Heskey 90 5), Petrov 7 (Bradley 80 6), Young(A) 6, Reo Coker 6, Bent 7.
Man of the match - Van Persie. Did everything possible to lift his team.
Referee - Oliver 5. Failed to give Arsenal a blatant penalty and disallowed the Chamakh header for reasons known only to himself. The youngest referee in the Premier League and it showed.
Attendance - 60,023
Tuesday 10 May 2011
League One, thank you and goodnight...
The biggest game in our history. How many times have we heard that over the last few years? Well they say the most important game is always the next one, so after beating Carlisle this final day trip to Peterborough was the biggest game of our season at least.
I had spent the week in a state of flux. One minute I was convinced we would get the required result and stay up, the next I was convinced that Walsall and Notts. County would both win, against Southamton and Brighton respectively, thus sending us down. Then, all of a sudden, it was Saturday morning...
The trip was a fairly straightforward one for me, just 165 miles south down the A1, so after setting off at half-past-ten, Emerson and I arrived in Peterborough just after 2pm. After parking up we made our way to the ground to collect my press pass. I had been in two minds all week whether to sit in the press box and 'work' or stand with the fans in what was sure to be a great atmosphere. In the end the press box won, mainly because I was unsure if I would doing this again next season so I wanted to make the most of it in case it was the last time.
We collected the pass from the club shop and were then admitted to the Main Stand via a side entrance. The press box was, as is usually the case, situated at the back of the stand on the half-way line and this one was enclosed in what appeared to be a polyester box. With ten people in there it was like a sauna with hardly any air to breath and was not the most comfortable place to be in on a warm May afternoon.
Now I am not one who is against women being involved in football, and I have met some very knowledgeable and intelligent woman in the press box before (particularly the one working for Rueters at Oldham - smart and fit, the perfect combination!!) but the two in here put the argument for woman in football back 20 years.
One was working for a local radio station and every so often she would shout updates into her microphone with the most inane nonsense you have ever heard. She clearly had no understanding of the game or any of the players, and while I would never question her knowledge of the offside law, she was the biggest argument against women ever being given jobs in football.
Coming a close second however was the other woman, who I later found out was working for the Football League Show. Strange then that she kept shouting out updates from the Premier League games. 'Everton are winning! she screamed. We don't care love, we are only interested in Walsall and Notts. County.
Anyway back to more important matters, and by now the players were out warming up. However, after consulting my team sheet I realised Abu Ogogo was not playing. Thankfully the guy from the Barking and Dagenham Post was sitting next to me and informed me he had been injured in training earlier in the week, but with Greeny suspended it meant we had a new-look right side - Phil Ifil and Darren Currie.
More bad news followed when Femi limped out of the warm up and suddenly it seemed everything was going wrong. Damian McCrory, who had not been named in the squad, was asked if he was fit but he clearly did not fancy it so it seemed Doey, who had also been out injured, was being prepared. However Femi emerged a little later, walking slightly gingerly, but we were told he was fit to start. Maybe things were going to be okay after all...
The atmosphere in the away end was building up nicely now and it seemed the rumours of us bringing 1,000 were not going to be far off the mark. With kick off less then ten minutes away we were entertained by a mascot race and with the Daggers fans going mad behind the goal, Digger won by a mile. Yes, it really was looking like being our day!
With my laptop wired up to the BBC Sport website for news of any goals from Southampton and Notts. County the game kicked off and we were immediately under pressure. With Ifil looking off the pace and slightly (??) overweight it was no surprise when their opening goal came from down our right. The tricky Mendez-Laing outpaced both Ifil and Arbs before firing under Robbo, who appeared to slip as he came off his line.
But we responded with one of the best performances I have ever seen from a Daggers side. We simply ripped them apart and created six, yes six, clear-cut opportunities to score before the break. Currie hit the post twice, Akinde missed two one-on-ones while Romain and then Akinde fired wide as we dominated the team who had finished 4th.
Yes we missed the chances but it was exciting stuff and had all on the edge of our seats. Plus Walsall were 2-0 down, no thanks to the Football League Show woman who seemed totally uninterested in the Football League.
Half time saw a Peterborough steward pass around a plate of sandwiches, which Emerson and I were only to happy to accept, but Emerson was now wanting to sit with the fans for the second half so he could 'sing the songs.' With his older brother Rees standing behind the goal I said he would not see anything if he moved, so after a short debate he decided he would stay in the sauna with me for the second half.
As you all know things did not quiet go to plan after that. Peterborough played much better and we could easily have been 3 or 4 down before they inevitably scored a second. CMS looked as though he did not want to score as he missed a couple of easy chances but it was a shame he hadn't told McCann to miss too as he didn't think twice about smashing home from the edge of the area.
We brought on Bas and DJ Green and really went for it, and had we scored at this point I really think we could have done it. Romain saw one effort cleared off the line while Nursey then missed a gilt-edged chance with a close range header ten minutes from time. That proved to be the turning point as they finished us off with two goals in two minutes, CMS finally doing the wrong thing to make it 4-0. The good thing was it gave us all ten minutes to accept our fate and at least it meant I could stop looking at the Southampton score.
The final whistle brought the inevitable tears both on the pitch and in the stand, although not in the press box where Emerson was surprisingly chirpy. 'We played well though didn't we, Dad?' he said and I had to agree. It was hard to feel upset when the lads had given everything.
So while the players and management team went over to applaud the fans away to our left, and throw various bits of kit into the stand, we went down to pitch-side to try to grab an interview or two. We were told to wait as the players wanted time to recover their composure but within ten minutes Arbs had emerged looking totally devastated. He said how disappointing it was but he was proud of the performance and said it was never a 5-0 game. He also said that he loved all the lads but if we had a player like CMS we would have been safe. Finishing on a slightly brighter note he said he was now going home to his wife and two boys who would try to bring a smile to his face. He looked at Emerson and smiled at him as he said it and I have to say that brought a lump to my throat. The lads had given everything all season but it wasn't quiet enough in the end.
I then saw Darren Ferguson emerge from the tunnel and gatecrashed his interview with the local press. He mentioned something about getting Scott Griffiths back on-loan from Chesterfield for the play offs after an injury to all the other left backs at the club and he said that he knew he could come in and do a job for him, but the arrival of John Still soon cut short my encounter with Fergie's son.
No doubt you will have heard the interview he gave on the BBC but the one thing that stuck me was how proud he was. We had been relegated but he wasn't feeling sorry for himself or the team, he was just immensely proud of what we have achieved. After shaking hands and having his usual little chat with Emerson, the great man disappeared back down the tunnel and we prepared to make our way out.
By now the ground was empty so the only way out was through the players entrance and we could see a few Peterborough fans waiting behind the barriers to get autographs of their heroes. In front of us was the Daggers kit man who was getting ready to load the stuff onto the coach, and as he emerged through the doors the Peterborough fans gave him a loud round of applause. Next through were Emerson and I, both in our Daggers shirts and me with my bag over my shoulder. I'm not sure if the Peterborough lot thought I was someone far more important but as we went out we also got a round of applause! Emerson of course loved it and was grinning madly but I felt slightly embarrassed, although I politely smiled as we walked past them. But it was a wonderful end to what has been a wonderful season...although there was more to come.
We then met my older son Rees and his mates in the car park but they wanted to wait for John Still to come out. Eventually he did and was only too happy to stop for a chat and have his picture taken with Emerson and Rees, which of course made their day! And with that we left for McDonalds where the five of us had kick about in the car park with a football we had found, before leaving Peterborough and League One behind....hopefully not for long!
I had spent the week in a state of flux. One minute I was convinced we would get the required result and stay up, the next I was convinced that Walsall and Notts. County would both win, against Southamton and Brighton respectively, thus sending us down. Then, all of a sudden, it was Saturday morning...
The trip was a fairly straightforward one for me, just 165 miles south down the A1, so after setting off at half-past-ten, Emerson and I arrived in Peterborough just after 2pm. After parking up we made our way to the ground to collect my press pass. I had been in two minds all week whether to sit in the press box and 'work' or stand with the fans in what was sure to be a great atmosphere. In the end the press box won, mainly because I was unsure if I would doing this again next season so I wanted to make the most of it in case it was the last time.
 |
| London Road, the venue where our fate would be decided. |
Now I am not one who is against women being involved in football, and I have met some very knowledgeable and intelligent woman in the press box before (particularly the one working for Rueters at Oldham - smart and fit, the perfect combination!!) but the two in here put the argument for woman in football back 20 years.
One was working for a local radio station and every so often she would shout updates into her microphone with the most inane nonsense you have ever heard. She clearly had no understanding of the game or any of the players, and while I would never question her knowledge of the offside law, she was the biggest argument against women ever being given jobs in football.
Coming a close second however was the other woman, who I later found out was working for the Football League Show. Strange then that she kept shouting out updates from the Premier League games. 'Everton are winning! she screamed. We don't care love, we are only interested in Walsall and Notts. County.
Anyway back to more important matters, and by now the players were out warming up. However, after consulting my team sheet I realised Abu Ogogo was not playing. Thankfully the guy from the Barking and Dagenham Post was sitting next to me and informed me he had been injured in training earlier in the week, but with Greeny suspended it meant we had a new-look right side - Phil Ifil and Darren Currie.
More bad news followed when Femi limped out of the warm up and suddenly it seemed everything was going wrong. Damian McCrory, who had not been named in the squad, was asked if he was fit but he clearly did not fancy it so it seemed Doey, who had also been out injured, was being prepared. However Femi emerged a little later, walking slightly gingerly, but we were told he was fit to start. Maybe things were going to be okay after all...
 |
| Danny Green, a big miss. |
With my laptop wired up to the BBC Sport website for news of any goals from Southampton and Notts. County the game kicked off and we were immediately under pressure. With Ifil looking off the pace and slightly (??) overweight it was no surprise when their opening goal came from down our right. The tricky Mendez-Laing outpaced both Ifil and Arbs before firing under Robbo, who appeared to slip as he came off his line.
But we responded with one of the best performances I have ever seen from a Daggers side. We simply ripped them apart and created six, yes six, clear-cut opportunities to score before the break. Currie hit the post twice, Akinde missed two one-on-ones while Romain and then Akinde fired wide as we dominated the team who had finished 4th.
Yes we missed the chances but it was exciting stuff and had all on the edge of our seats. Plus Walsall were 2-0 down, no thanks to the Football League Show woman who seemed totally uninterested in the Football League.
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| John Akinde, had the chances to save us. |
As you all know things did not quiet go to plan after that. Peterborough played much better and we could easily have been 3 or 4 down before they inevitably scored a second. CMS looked as though he did not want to score as he missed a couple of easy chances but it was a shame he hadn't told McCann to miss too as he didn't think twice about smashing home from the edge of the area.
We brought on Bas and DJ Green and really went for it, and had we scored at this point I really think we could have done it. Romain saw one effort cleared off the line while Nursey then missed a gilt-edged chance with a close range header ten minutes from time. That proved to be the turning point as they finished us off with two goals in two minutes, CMS finally doing the wrong thing to make it 4-0. The good thing was it gave us all ten minutes to accept our fate and at least it meant I could stop looking at the Southampton score.
The final whistle brought the inevitable tears both on the pitch and in the stand, although not in the press box where Emerson was surprisingly chirpy. 'We played well though didn't we, Dad?' he said and I had to agree. It was hard to feel upset when the lads had given everything.
So while the players and management team went over to applaud the fans away to our left, and throw various bits of kit into the stand, we went down to pitch-side to try to grab an interview or two. We were told to wait as the players wanted time to recover their composure but within ten minutes Arbs had emerged looking totally devastated. He said how disappointing it was but he was proud of the performance and said it was never a 5-0 game. He also said that he loved all the lads but if we had a player like CMS we would have been safe. Finishing on a slightly brighter note he said he was now going home to his wife and two boys who would try to bring a smile to his face. He looked at Emerson and smiled at him as he said it and I have to say that brought a lump to my throat. The lads had given everything all season but it wasn't quiet enough in the end.
I then saw Darren Ferguson emerge from the tunnel and gatecrashed his interview with the local press. He mentioned something about getting Scott Griffiths back on-loan from Chesterfield for the play offs after an injury to all the other left backs at the club and he said that he knew he could come in and do a job for him, but the arrival of John Still soon cut short my encounter with Fergie's son.
No doubt you will have heard the interview he gave on the BBC but the one thing that stuck me was how proud he was. We had been relegated but he wasn't feeling sorry for himself or the team, he was just immensely proud of what we have achieved. After shaking hands and having his usual little chat with Emerson, the great man disappeared back down the tunnel and we prepared to make our way out.
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| My new mate Fergie Junior! |
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| The great John Still with my lads Emerson and Rees. |
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