Wednesday away on a Tuesday? No wonder we were confused

I HAVE SEEN some dire Arsenal performances over the last 34 years but the one at Hillsborough last night certainly takes some beating.

The early injuries to first the Ox and then Theo left us woefully short of creativity and in the end the youngsters from the Academy were unable to match the hunger and desire of the Wednesday players.

Not that I should have been surprised. Prior to this Capital One Cup tie I had seen Arsenal play at Hillsborough on eight occasions since the mid 1980s and seen us score just once, a header from Steve Bould in a 1-1 draw back in November 1991!!

But this is one of the last remaining classic English football stadiums. Of course the mere mention of its name brings back images of that horrific day in April 1989, but this is one of few stadiums left in this country with any real character.

And when it is full, as it was last night, what an atmosphere is created. Everyone goes on about 'You'll Never Walk Alone' but that just sends you to sleep. Here, the pre-match, 'Hi Ho, Sheffield Wednesday' is a real sight to behold and makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. No wonder they have not lost here since February.

And the poor Arsenal youngsters just could not cope. Yes, if the Ox had not been forced off inside five minutes and his replacement, Theo, not followed him to the treatment table fifteen minutes later, it may have been a different story.

But take nothing away from Wednesday, they were nothing short of magnificent from start to finish. Forget the fact that despite an experienced back four and goalkeeper we gifted them all three goals, the Championship side fully deserved their victory.

Hopefully this will be the springboard for them to get back to where they belong. This is certainly one of the biggest clubs in the country and one that deserves to be back in the Premier League. While small clubs with awful stadiums like Bournemouth, QPR, Wigan, Blackpool and Spurs have all enjoyed spells in the top flight in recent years, poor Wednesday have had to suffer the depths of League One.

In fact my last visit here was for a match in the third tier against the mighty Dagenham and Redbridge in 2010. Of course my team didn't score that day either, losing 2-0!

But back to 2015 and an away day that will not live long in the memory. The travelling fans, some 5,000 who had made the trip up the M1, did not stop singing in the second half and certainly deserved better than this.

However, after the early injuries it soon became clear that we were probably not going to see us score. Lacking any creativity in midfield poor Giroud may as well have stayed at home such was the scant service he was provided with. At least he will be well rested for Saturday.

The opening goal was a classic counter attack. Some good work down the left and a lovely pull back was dispatched past Petr Cech by Ross Wallace. But it was the second goal, five minutes before the break, that did for us.

Caught out by a short corner, we never looked likely to deal with the cross and a simple header from Lucas Joao left us with a mountain to climb.

I am not sure what Wenger said at half time but the team were back out early for the second half. 'Maybe we will be up for it,' I thought. But no. Within six minutes we had conceded again thanks to some more sloppy defending from a set piece, and that was that.

At 3-0 down I just wanted to see us score on this ground. Not too much to ask after a wait of almost 24 years!! But the nearest we came was a Mertersaker header which was saved by the Wednesday 'keeper and a late effort from Joel Campbell which curled just wide of the post.

In the overall scheme of things this is not a defeat that we should be too concerned about. In fact being out of this competition may well do us a favour, and if we have won the Premier League come May no one will even give it a seconds thought.

But the performance was a little worrying. If these are the best lads we currently have coming through from our Academy then we really are in trouble. But worse than that was the display of the senior players.

You would imagine that those who are not playing regularly in the Premier League, such as Debuchy, Gibbs, Chambers and Flamini, would have been keen to impress. But the phrase 'going through the motions' pretty much sums up their performances and that quite frankly is unacceptable.

And while we are on the subject, what the hell has happened to Debuchy? When he first arrived from Newcastle last summer, the French right back looked a terrific player. But since his injury and subsequent loss of his place to the excellent Bellerin, he has been nothing short of abysmal.

Last night he did not look like an international footballer. In fact he barely looked like he had even played the game before. You could have dragged anyone from the crowd last night, except me as I had played 5-a-side at lunchtime and was knackered, and they would have done a better job. Not sure how much he is being paid but the guy is cheating a living if this is the best he can produce. Wenger, sort it out!!

The only real positive on the night was the performance of young substitute Kyrstian Bielik who looked a decent player when he came on. Much is expected of him and on this evidence he could well fulfill that promise.

And the less said about the weird kit the better. Why on earth did we not play in red and white as we have done on previous visits here?? 

So the quadruple dream is over. To be honest I'd have settled for the treble anyway.

Footgolf - the Infoserve Open 2015

COMBINING TWO of your favorite things can often be the recipe for disaster. Tea and gravy, for example? So whoever thought of combining football with golf was clearly off his rocker. Or was he??

This weekend I experienced the new phenomenon of Footgolf for the first time and I have to say it was an unparalleled success.

The idea is simple. Basically, you kick a football from tee to hole in the least amount of kicks possible. In other words it is golf but without the clubs and with a larger ball!!

To experience it at its best you really need a large group of you, preferably most of which will have little or no footballing or golfing ability. Being proficient at either sport is not going to help you here, I'm afraid!

So on Friday afternoon, the work gang and myself made our way to Knotty Hill Golf Centre, near Sedgefield, for the first annual Infoserve Open! Entrants on the tee were Mikey Weston, Pete Ironside, Eddie Copland, Darren Cronin, Damo Wheelhouse, Nicky Taylor and myself.

Pre-tournament favourite was obviously footballing superstar Mikey, although the fact he was unable to head the ball was clearly going to count against him. Me, I fancied Pete to do well. When he has his competitive head on he takes some stopping.

The outsider was clearly Nicky, although she certainly came dressed for the part; looking every inch the golf pro in a cool black tracksuit combo!!

The first hole was a simple par three so inevitably we all struggled to get below a 6!! Mikey's tee shot ended up in the trees to the right, quickly followed by Eddie, so it was Pete who grabbed an early lead with a steady 5.

The next two or three holes were fairly straightforward as we all got into the swing of it, mostly scoring between 4 and 7. Although Eddie's 12 at the second left him with some work to do. I was handily placed in the top three at this stage and was confident of a strong late run to the finish.

The fifth hole, however, changed everything. Situated half way up a hill the size of Roseberry Topping, the scenario was clear. Miss with your putt and the ball would roll further away from the hole than when you started!!

No one scored well here although there was no excuse for my atrocious effort!! In my defence my 6th shot had hit the pin and bounced out while my seventh then rolled around the edge of the hole before disappearing back down the hill. But after about an hour I finally managed to sink it on shot 22 to ironic cheers from the gallery!!

It was now becoming a three horse race between Mikey, Pete and surprise leader Toe-punt Darren. Darren ended up in the bunker on the next hole but recovered well for a good 4, while Mikey and Pete kept in touch with a 5 each. So the final three holes would decide the winner!

My concern was trying to avoid the wooden spoon but barring a late collapse of Biblical proportions from Eddie and Nicky, this was an honour which was looking unavoidable! Just as well my ego is small enough to allow it. I mean can you imagine the face on Damo, Pete or Eddie if they had finished last??!!

The final hole was a monster par 5 which suited Mikey and his massive defensive clearances. Needing to score lower than Darren and Pete to secure the prize, a tidy 5 was enough to give him the gold medal.

In the end Darren held off the challenge of Pete to finish second, while Damo finished in a very satisfying fourth. At the other end of the table, Eddie held off Nicky to claim fifth while I finished last thanks to that nightmare hole on the hill!! Even now, four days later, I am still waking up in a cold sweat seeing my ball rolling slowly back down the slope for the 15th time!!

So all-in-all a very enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours on a sunny, autumnal evening. The banter was flowing and the game itself is actually really good fun.

However, next time I will come prepared. Mikey, you have been warned...that title will be mine!!!