A Holt to our Champions League hopes?

Arsenal 3 Norwich 3

I do not get the opportunity to take Emerson to The Emirates very often, so when my good mate Rob offered me two tickets to the final home game of the season against Norwich it was too good to turn down.

With a 12.45 kick off it meant an early start, so we set off from Darlington at 08.00. With the cheapest return train fare costing £156 I decided to drive to Peterborough and get the train from there.

The trip down the A1 was hassle-free and we arrived in Peterborough at 10.15, plenty of time to catch the 10.46 train to Finsbury Park. There were a mixture of Gooners, Norwich and Chelsea fans on the train, which made for a colourful and interesting journey. A group of Chelsea lads were making a day of it, going to the Arsenal match before then heading over to Covent Garden and on to Wembley. They seemed a decent enough bunch and were hoping to see an Arsenal win as they didn't want to see Spurs in the Champions League. Same here lads, same here.

We arrived at Finsbury Park at 11.54 and decided to pop into the Gunners Shop just outside the station as Emerson wanted a red and white scarf. A bargain, too, at £10.

We then set off up St. Thomas' Road before stopping at Piebury Corner for a quick bite to eat, enjoying the reggae music blasting out from the stand on the corner. I then bought a match programme and the latest copy of The Gooner fanzine before walking to the ground.

As Emerson had not seen the new statues, we had a quick stop off so he could acquaint himself with Tony Adams, Herbert Chapman and Thierry Henry before making our way inside the Home of Football.

Our seats were in the East Stand Lower Tier, halfway between the penalty area at the North Bank end and the halfway line, and the view was amazing. Emerson had never been in the lower tier before and was relieved that the seat in front of him was empty so he had a perfect view of the action.

Emerson in his seat with his new scarf

His pre-match prediction was a tense 2-1 win while I went for a rather more optimistic 6-1. Norwich have looked on their holidays in the last few weeks and I thought we would be up for this after the midweek results meant we simply had to win.

Things could not have started any better either, as we went ahead inside the first minute, just as we had on Emerson's last visit against Sunderland in October. Yossi Benayoun, on what could be his last appearance for us at the Emirates, cut in from the left before curling a marvellous shot into the top right hand corner of the net.

But that was about as good as it got until half time. We seemed to think the game was won and switched off, allowing Norwich back into it. They were level ten minutes in with a shot from Hoolihan which Sczcesney should have kept out, before taking the lead with a deflected effort from Grant Holt.

Ah, Grant Holt. Three years ago on this very weekend I saw him score for Shrewsbury against the Daggers in League Two and I am amazed he is now playing in the Premier League. What is even more amazing is that this was his 16th goal of the season. 16th! If he can score that many at this level then there is hope for us all.

More bad news followed as Bacary Sagna went down with a serious-looking injury which led to him being carried off on a stretcher, and we later learned he had broken his leg for the second time this season. Terrible news for the lad, who had been the best right back in the league this season.

Half time was spent reflecting on what had been an awful 45 minutes for us, made even worse by the woman next to me chatting incessantly on her phone about her dog, which was apparently barking in the garden and scaring her children! Perhaps she should have stayed at home to deal with that instead of being here then? Just a thought.

I was still confident we would turn it around as every time Emerson has been to the Emirates, Robin van Persie has scored twice, so I could see us winning this 3-2.

Robin, isolated up front.

After a shaky start to the second half, which almost saw Norwich go 3-1 ahead, we finally came to life. Gervinho, who had been getting a fair amount of stick up until then, suddenly began to get in behind the Canaries defence and looked the player we all hoped he would be.

Chamakh, who has been having a terrible time of it, came on for the once-again disappointing Ramsey, but he immediately made a difference, giving Robin the support he had been lacking up front. Hopefully this is the way it will next season, with Podolski playing this role, as Robin is desperate for more help up there.

But we were more excited by the arrival of The Ox, who replaced Benayoun, as Wenger really went for it. It was looking only a matter of time before we equalised as RvP missed two very good chances with unusually weak finishes, as we had the line of yellow defenders stretched time and again.

The equaliser eventually arrived fifteen minutes from time when Chamakh had an effort blocked and Song sent over a lovely ball for RvP to finish first time from ten yards. It is a combination that has worked so well this season and brought much relief to what was fast becoming a very restless crowd.

There was only going to one winner now and it looked as though it had arrived five minutes later. The ball fell to RvP in the area again, following a goalmouth scramble, and his shot went under Ruddy and into the roof of the net - his 30th league goal of the season. Queue delirium in our section, especially in the seat next to me as Emerson was going mental, manically waving his new scarf around his head! Once again he had seen his idol score twice. If only he came to every home match we would be Champions!

But we made the mistake of thinking the game was won, sat back, invited Norwich to come onto us, and paid the price when sub Morrison beat Szczesney from a tight angle six minutes from time. Very similar to the goal we conceded at Swansea in January soon after we had got ourselves level. Lessons again not learned. Frustration all around, apart from in the away section to our left, which was going as mad as we had a few minutes earlier.

We threw everything at them in the closing stages and how we didn't get the winner I will never know. Ruddy denied RvP and the Ox, while we should have had a penalty when Robin was clearly pushed in the back as he was about to tap into an empty net following a lovely cross from Ox. Quite how the referee and his assistant, the lovely Sian Massey, missed it was beyond us, but I guess we shouldn't have been too surprised as we have failed to be awarded a single penalty at home in the Premier League all season. Astonishing for a team who attacks as much as we do.

So, despite what had been a really exciting second half we had only drawn and apparently blown 3rd place. Surely Spurs will beat Villa tomorrow? I mean everyone else has beaten them lately.

It did lead to a rather subdued 'lap of appreciation' from the players at the end as most of the crowd had long since gone home. In fact many were streaming out with five minutes left with the score at 3-3. Honestly, what is the point in coming if you are not going to stay until the end? I can almost understand it at midweek games where you might need to catch a last train, but a Saturday lunchtime kick off? No excuses I'm afraid. And most were not even football tourists either, they were regular fans who have probably been coming to matches for years.

These are the same fans who will moan about the players showing a lack of commitment to the club yet they leave early and do not get behind the lads while they are there. If RvP leaves this summer perhaps all the fans who buggered off early and left the players to walk around a 3/4 empty stadium will be the reason. After the way the lads have reacted to adversity this season they deserved better. Damn it, Robin has been voted double footballer of the year, he deserved better.

But Emerson and I stayed to gave Robin a special clap as he walked past us with his children in tow. There is no doubt the guy loves this club but I couldn't help feeling this was his last goodbye. I really hope I am wrong but I fear this could have been his last match at The Emirates.

The last goodbye??

Emerson wanted to go on the Underground on the way back, so we walked to Highbury & Islington before catching the Victoria Line back to Finsbury Park. Although our train was not due until 16.25, we were there by 15.40 and a train was waiting for us at the platform.

We arrived back in Peterborough at 16.52 and I was really not looking forward to the two hour drive home now, but it was livened up by hearing Liverpool lose the FA Cup final on the radio. I could picture the Chelsea fans we saw on the train celebrating and I almost felt happy for them, even though it was only the lesser of two evils really. Emerson was slightly more philosophical, saying he was pleased Liverpool lost as they had already won the Carling Cup and it was good for someone else to win something! One day, I promised him, it would be us celebrating. Next year perhaps??

We finally got back to Darlington at 19.30, disappointed with the result but happy with what had been a good day out. I have not seen many more exciting 45 minutes of football than the second half, and if we had held on to win 3-2 it would have been perfect.

However, as it turned out Spurs only drew with Villa and Newcastle lost to Man. City so third place is still in our hands. Win at WBA this Sunday and we will do it. Sounds easy eh?

I am now on the look out for two tickets so Emerson and I can be there to witness all the drama. Not quite a title decider maybe, but with the prize on offer a guaranteed Champions League place, it is about as big as it gets for us.

Plus, of course, it would also be St. Totteringham's Day. Now that really would be something to celebrate...

Hi-Ho Wolverhampton!! A night in the Black Country

Traffic chaos, motorway tolls and a gap that needs minding.

Wolves 0 Arsenal 3

With Emerson off school for Easter, I decided to treat him to this midweek trip to Wolves. He cannot usually go to midweek games as he would never get up for school in the morning, so this was a rare opportunity and he was really looking forward to it.

We set off from Darlington at 3.30pm which meant we should have arrived in Wolverhampton by half past 6. But that was not taking into account an accident which had closed the M1 Southbound at Nottingham, which we did not find out about until we were approaching Leeds.

The closure was not until Junction 26 and we were turning off at Junction 28, but the traffic jams started just after Junction 29. That, however, was only the start of the problems. When we finally reached Junction 28, for the A38 , everyone had decided to turn off there as well so we crawled all the way to Derby.

By now our ETA had been put back to 7.16pm as we still had over 60 miles to go, and suddenly getting there in time for kick off was looking in doubt. Thankfully the traffic finally started to ease around the Burton area and we back on the road.

The next problem was the M6 Toll. Having not used it before, Emerson and I were trying to guess how much it would cost. He went for £1.50, although I'm not sure which decade he was thinking of. I thought it would be somewhere in the region of £3.00 so you can imagine our surprise when we saw a sign that said £5.50! Unbelievable! So, after paying over-the-top prices for fuel and road tax, we now had to pay another £5.50 to use a stretch of motorway.

Unsurprisingly it was empty. Having been struck on the old M6 around Birmingham many times in the past it was relief to have a clear run, especially as time was now against us, but five-pound-bloody-fifty??

Anyway, we finally arrived in Wolverhampton just after 7 o'clock and found a nice little estate to park the car, about a 10 minute walk from the ground. Having used the money I had set aside for parking on the toll, I now had little option other than to take my chances parking in a side street, but it seemed many Wolves fans were doing the same so I guessed it would safe.

I had not been to Molineux since the late 1990's and it has changed a little since then. The new stand, which is being build behind the goal at the North end of the stadium, will improve the overall look of a ground, which is decent enough by modern standards anyway.

We had to meet my mate Dan to collect the tickets outside the away entrance and Emerson was now getting very excited. He loves to get in the ground early to sample the atmosphere so we picked up the tickets and went straight in.

We were in the Steve Bull Stand, lower tier, situated opposite the Main Stand, facing the tunnel. Our seats were in the back row but virtually right on the halfway line which led to a great view.

View for our seats

It was 7.40pm now and the teams were about to come out. Emerson likes to play a score prediction game around this time and asked me what I thought the score would be.

''4-2,'' I replied, trying to remain positive.

''Well I'm going for 4-1,'' he said confidently. ''Wolves are bottom so we should thrash them.''

Oh the naivety of youth...does he not remember QPR?

Emerson had heard about the Sylvan Ebanks-Blake song the Wolves fan sing when he scores, so he was hoping the 1 would be from him. However, he was disappointed to hear the Wolves striker would only be on the bench.

The match kicked off and was basically all over inside ten minutes. Theo was brought down in the area by 5pur2 loanee Bassong, who was shown a red card, and Robin cheekily chipped home the penalty to equal a Premier League record of scoring against 17 different sides in one season. It would of been 18 too had he his goalbound header against City on Sunday not been cleared by Vermaelen.

Less than a minute later it was 2-0. Theo played a 1-2 with Robin before slotting home his 11th goal of the season. Yes, that's 11 goals he has scored this season, on top of the 13 he got last season. And to think many people say he has no end product...

Emerson was overjoyed as he had already seen his two favourite players score and we hadn't played more than 12 minutes. This, he said, could end up 10-0!

Emerson celebrating going 2-0 up

But we started to feel a bit sorry for them after that and took our foot off the gas, deciding, instead, to just keep the ball. The crowd behind the goal began booing Theo for his part in the sending off and it did seem to affect his game. After looking so dangerous in the early exchanges, he now appeared a little tentative and began making mistakes. Shame.

Despite that the Wolves fans did at least show some humour.

''How shit must you be, you've only scored 2,'' they sang.

I guess when you are in their situation you have to laugh.

Half time saw a penalty shoot-out between kids representing both clubs. Of course Emerson wanted the Arsenal kids to win but it was fixed so Wolves won 6-5. They even allowed a penalty to stand that had clearly been saved by the Wolves mascot who was in goal, but hey, even Emerson did not begrudge them a rare victory.

I was hoping we would really go for it in the second half and boost our goal difference, but we still appeared to be stuck in second gear. However, we could still have scored five or six as Ramsey missed two sitters, while Robin somehow fired wide from close range after good work from Ramsey down the right. Emerson could not believe he had missed.

''Perhaps he just did not want to score,'' he said.

The legend that is Theo Walcott in action

But we did get a third twenty minutes from time, and it was good to see Yossi get it with an instant shot on the turn from 18 yards. The Israeli had another great game and I would love to see him sign on a permanent basis in the summer. It also gave Emerson the chance to sing the Yossi Benayoun song, which is one of his favourites, and more than made up for the non-appearance of Ebanks-Blake.

Fair play to Wolves, they did not let their heads go down and Chesney was forced into two outstanding stops to deny Doyle and Fletcher, but this was as comfortable a victory as we have had all season.

With about five minute to go the travelling Gooners started singing 'Tottenham, Tottenham mind the gap' and Emerson loved it. He started jumping up and down, waving his arms about singing it and didn't stop until we had got back to the car. He had found a new favourite song and wanted everyone to know about it.

Another away win

I would like to take this opportunity to give praise to a player I have been critical of many times in the past. Although not put under an enormous amount of pressure, Johan Djourou had a very tidy game. He won most things in the air and had a calmness about him all night. Perhaps I was too quick to criticise him in the past and I am prepared to hold my hands up and say I may have got it wrong. He has been playing out of position at right back, or alongside the error-strewn Squillaci, so I think it is was unfair to criticise him. Yes, this was only one game against ten men for 80 minutes, but he looked solid and assured, so well done to him.

Another who has frustrated is Aaron Ramsey. He had another one of those games where he looks like he has bags of ability but seems unable to utilise it. He hangs on to the ball too long, runs around in circles a lot, and when presented with an opportunity to score, he fails to convert. At times he plays as the most forward of the midfielders but does not seem suited to that role at all. Rosicky, who has been playing there recently, does it so much better, as does Jack when he's fit.

On a brighter note, has there been a better central midfield partnership than Song and Arteta this season? The Spaniard has been the buy of the season and has brought another dimension to Song's game. The two were outstanding again here and makes the future look very bright indeed.

Emerson showing his appreciation for a job well done.

Anyway, after a stop off at Mcdonalds to allow the traffic time to clear, we set off on what would be another journey from hell. I decided I did not want to pay another £5.50 on the toll so we went up the old M6, only be told we could not enter the M62 as it was closed. Great! So we had to go the long way around, via the M54, before the long trek through the roadworks over the Pennines.

The journey was brightened up by a good old sing-song, with Emerson giving his rendiditon of the 'Mind the Gap' song about 50 times, before we switched on the CD and sang along to 'Crazy, Crazy Nights' all the way up the A1(M). Emerson just loves that song and it pretty much summed up the events of our trip. A crazy night indeed.

So, despite the travel problems it was a great night all in all. The win lifts us five points clear of 5pur2 with five to play and brings St. Totteringham's Day ever closer. Plus, I got home in time to see the goals again on Sky Sports News. The red card did seem a little harsh but it was only Bassong so who cares? Mind the gap...

Sexism in football, the truth!

Sexism in football? Really? Well, according to Gabby Logan there is, although she seemed to produce very little actual evidence to back it up in her TV documentary this week.

It appears that there are plenty of woman making a very good living in football, many in the media and business sectors of the game, not something that screams 'sexism' to me.

Apparently some have been confronted with a few 'industrial' comments, so to speak. In other words, banter. One such woman even said she wanted to looked on as 'one of the lads,' yet took offence when the banter was directed at her. Strange.

But this so-called sexist industry has woman on the board of directors at clubs, women running media departments and women even running the line in the Premier League. Yes Gabby, sexism is rife alright.

She opened the programme with the line 'football is a man's world' and then went on to explain the lack of opportunities for women. For a man's world I would say women have been made very welcome indeed.

The fact is most working women do not want to be involved in football at the top level, therefore of course most of the top jobs go to men. If 99 out every 100 people who apply for these positions are male, which does appear to be the case, then of course there is a massive probability a man will get the job. That's not sexism love, it's just the law of averages.

But the bigger issue, for me, is that women like Karen Brady and Gabby Logan appear to be using the men's game to advance their own careers. There is, after all, a thriving women's game that needs powerful women to take it on. However, as there is not enough exposure or money to be made from it, these powerful women prefer, instead, to latch onto the men's game.

I covered a women's match for the press a while ago and there was not one woman in the press box. In fact, apart from the players and coaches, I did not see a single women at the game in any official capacity whatsoever. Yet cover any men's match and you will find women everywhere. Surely that balance is wrong? Men are having to do these jobs in the women's game because the women are far too interested in getting involved in the men's game. Why?

Sian Massey has done very well running the line in the Premier League, but she should be reffing in the women's game, a game that is crying out for some good women officials. But she has been brought into the men's game instead, almost as an anti-sexism statement.

Jackie Oakley is another example. She became the first female commentator on MOTD last year, presumably because no one could come up with a good reason for her not to do it. Unfortunately it merely showed that a woman's voice is not suited to commentating on the men's game, and it has not been repeated.

I have heard her commentate on women's matches, though, and her style is far more suited to that. In fact I would rather hear a woman commentating on those matches than Barry Davies, who seems to get the gig rather too often for my liking.

So, there you have it. There does not appear to be any evidence that sexism actually exists in football. Yes, comments are made to women in the game sometimes, and Brady was complaining about being called a 'slut' by fans. Surely that is no different to Mike Ashley being called a 'wanker' is it? Not nice, agreed, but hardly a major problem. And if you can't take the banter...

You see that is the thing that really irritates me. Women want to be part of this 'man's world' yet are the first to complain when we act like men! So now we have to change the way we have always behaved to fit in around them.

Surely if they want to be a part of it they should fit in with us, not the other way around? Take the banter, take the knocks like the rest of us. Be 'one of the lads.'

Funny how woman are quite happy to use their gender to get them what they want, yet are quick to pull out the sexism card when they feel it is used against them.

So Gabby, instead of looking for an issue that does not exist, just be thankful you have a job in the game you profess to love, even though you only got it in the first place thanks to your father and your good looks!! Now, who said sexist does not exist in football??

A valiant effort from the Daggers keeps their survival hopes alive

Port Vale 0 Dagenham & Redbridge 1
by Ricky Butler at Vale Park

The Daggers recent revival continued as a second half header from Mickey Spillane gave John Still's side a very important three points at Vale Park on Saturday.

But it was only a superb late penalty save from goalkeeper Chris Lewington to deny Vale's top scorer Marc Richards that ensured the East-Londoners left Staffordshire with the victory that lifts them up to 19th place in the table.

"Chris is a young goalkeeper who has made mistakes, but we are not over-critical,'' said Still.

''We are a club who work with our players and help them to improve. He is improving and he's done very well to save the penalty, which has made sure we are going home with another very important victory.

"This is a tough place to come and Vale are in a false position after they had points deducted for going into administration. I'm absolutely delighted with the result.

"I felt we set up right because Chris hasn't had a lot to do until the penalty. He saved a couple of long-range shots early on, but we looked comfortable after that."

In a first half of very few chances, Vale threatened through the dangerous Richards and Louis Dodds early on, but it was Still's men who should have been in front at the break.

Medy Elito, who struck two vital goals in the recent win over Macclesfield, beat Vale keeper Stuart Tomlinson from 20 yards but his 44th minute effort came back off the inside of the left hand post and rebounded to safety.

After weathering some early Vale pressure at the start of the second half, the Daggers began to look more dangerous and they grabbed a fully deserved 65th minute lead.

Damien McCrory whipped in an inviting free kick from the right and Spillane arrived to send a powerful header beyond Tomlinson from six yards, sending the 114 away fans behind the goal into ecstasy.

The former Brentford man arrived at the club before Christmas as a defender but it has been his goals from midfield in recent weeks that have proved crucial for the Daggers survival hopes.

Vale, who went into administration last month, fought hard to get back on level terms in the closing stages but they ran into a resolute Daggers back-line, superbly marshalled by skipper Mark Arber.

However, with just eight minutes left on the clock referee Lee Collins spotted a push by Daggers substitute Charlie Wassmer on Josh Pope inside the area and awarded the hosts a rather generous penalty.

The Daggers npower League Two future was now very much in  the balance but Lewington, who's late mistake cost his side two vital points at Barnet 10 days earlier, was the hero this time - diving to his left to keep out Richards' kick before then blocking the follow-up from Sean Rigg.

The danger was not over as Arber was forced to hack the ball clear in the ensuing scramble but the Daggers held on to extend their unbeaten run to four matches.

"I thought the win was deserved and if we keep putting in this level of performance then we should be fine,'' said Still.

"I'm very happy for everyone involved with the club because 10 points out of 12 is a great return at this stage of the season."

The Daggers now host fellow-strugglers Burton Albion on Good Friday looking for the win that could see them move eight points clear of the drop zone with just seven matches to play - an incredible turn around after looking doomed less than three weeks ago.

Attendance; 4,127(114 away)

Equality in 21st Century Britain

It is not easy being a white, British male in 21^st century Britain. I cannot, for example, shout at the Asian guy who pushes in front of me in the queue for fear of being branded a racist. I cannot knock on my West Indian neighbour’s door at 2 o’clock in the morning to tell him to turn down his reggae music for fear of being branded a racist. I cannot gesture at the Muslim woman who pulls out in front of me at a junction for fear of being branded a racist. Yet all of these people can shout at me without fear of reprisal. This, my friends, is equality in 21^st century Britain.

I was branded a racist this week. And my crime? Having the cheek to say I do not think Muslim Extremists should be allowed to preach their hatred in this country. No, they are not racist for preaching that hatred; I am racist for daring to say it is wrong, even though Islam is a religion and not a race. The upshot of all this? Well, an organisation I have done voluntary work for over the last couple of years received a complaint, and they immediately said they did not want me to represent them anymore. They did not ask for my version of events, or even tell me what I had done wrong. They just said they no longer wanted me to do any more work for them. They heard the word racism and panicked. Would they have reacted like this had I been a black British male saying the same thing? I think we all know the answer to that.

The government want racial interaction and for everyone to get along. Great, that is how it should be. But have a look around you. Who is doing all the interacting? Who is having to adapt? Yes, you’ve guessed it, the white, indigenous population. And we have happily done so. Yet tell a Muslim woman to remove her Hijab and she will refuse. Where is the interaction there?

I am all for equality, but what does that actually mean? My understanding is that everybody of any race or creed should be treated equally. The same rules should apply for everyone and colour should not come into it. So if a black guy is not considered racist for saying he supports the fight against Muslim Extremists then neither should I. But we are not all treated equally and my colour has clouded people's opinions. So, perhaps the real victim of racism here is me?

But why should I have to constantly live in fear of being branded a racist anyway just because I am white? Why should I have to watch every single thing I say just in case someone, somewhere reads more into it than they should?

Don’t get me wrong, racism is a very real problem. It is all around us and we need to fight against it. But let’s keep it in perspective. 99% of people in this country are not racist. We have made giant strides over the last 40 years, so let’s not waste all that good work by looking to find racism where it does not exist. All that does is create further problems. Tackle real racism, yes, but let the rest of us get on with our lives.

So, if you push in front of me I will shout at you, whatever your colour. If your music is keeping me awake at night I will tell you to turn it down, whatever your colour. If you pull out in front of me at a junction I will gesture at you, whatever your colour. It doesn’t make me a racist, it just makes me a grumpy old man.

A cold day in Northern England part 2

After the pitiful performance in Milan on Wednesday night, Emerson and I were both hoping for better as we made our second trip to Sunderland on consecutive Saturday’s.

With my foot now better, and after the fun and games of the train last week, I decided to drive this time. Having played football near the Stadium of Light several times over the last few years, I knew a short cut and a good place to park (Southwick if you’re interested, ten minutes walk from the ground).

After the freezing temperatures of last week we both hoped it would be slightly milder this time, especially as all the snow and ice had long gone. Plus it was sunny when we left Darlington so Emerson decided to wear his new red jacket while I made the mistake of wearing one less jumper.

In short, it was colder. Much, much colder. The wind was freezing and while it had said 5 degrees in the car, it felt more like minus 5 on the walk alongside the River Wear to the ground.

We were slightly closer to the front this time, and more to the left of the goal, but that was not that the only change. Luckily we were not in the Scottish section and the atmosphere around us was pretty good, at least before the game started anyway.

View from our seats.

The team was announced and we were both happy to hear RvP and Gervinho were playing, but Emerson was a little disappointed Theo was only on the bench.
As he saw the team warming up, and the subs having a kick about away from the starting XI, Emerson thought Theo looked sad.

‘’Still, it’s his own fault,’’ he said, rather unsympathetically. ‘’After the last two games I think he probably deserves to be on the bench today.’’

Our usual prediction game was hard this time. I feared the worst but wanted to be positive so I went for a 3-2 win. With Fabianski in goal and Djourou at the back I felt sure we would concede, but I hoped RvP would do the business at the other end.

Emerson was less optimistic.

‘’1-1 or 2-2,’’ he said, but he did not sound convinced and I think he really meant 2-1 to Sunderland, although like me did want to admit to it.

After a bright start our injury problems returned as we lost a defender for the third match in row – Coquelin hobbling off with a hamstring injury inside 7 minutes.

That saw Squillaci come on to partner Djourou in the centre of defence so I knew there would be no clean sheet for us now. These two clowns have got to be among the worse centre backs we have ever had, and quite how we have got to the point where these are the best we can get goes some way to explaining our current problems.

Yes, we perhaps could have had a penalty when RvP went down under a challenge from O’Shea – Emerson, at least, was convinced it was a pen – and Gervinho was denied by Mignolet, but there was no getting away from the fact that we deserved to be behind at the break.

The half time trip to the toilet was less stressful than last week, although the atmosphere in the concourse was not great. Plenty of unhappy Gooners. Emerson just wanted to go back up to his seat, but it was much warmer in the concourse so I made sure we dragged it out until the teams had returned for the second half.

Emerson trying to look as though he's not cold.

I really thought we would come out with all guns blazing; a-la Villa in the last round, but it seemed we just had nothing left in the tank.
Having been critical of Sunderland’s style of play last week I feel it is only fair to give them praise this time.

They actually reminded me a little of Forest from the late 70’s/early 80’s. The two centre backs are not the greatest footballers but are very strong and well organised, they have two good, fast wingers, Lee Cattermole is in the Kenny Burns destroyer role, and they play on the counter-attack.

I guess that should not be a total surprise as O’Neill played under Clough in the glory days, and if I were a Sunderland fan I would very excited about the future. Unlike us then...

Despite being well below par, again, I kept thinking we would somehow snatch an equaliser. Wenger brought on Walcott and Rosicky for the injured Ramsey and Squillaci, moving Song back into defence. Why he didn’t just do that in the first place I don’t know.

We switched to a 4-4-2, with Theo playing up front alongside RvP, the very position I have been saying he should be playing all along.

Emerson, of course, was happy to see his hero, unlike everyone around us who started to show their disapproval almost immediately. Some were shouting at him almost as soon as he came onto the pitch. Yeah, nothing like giving the lad a chance eh?

The second goal, ten minutes from time, was again a disaster. I felt sorry for the Ox, who bust a gut to get back after losing the ball (you watching Arshavin?) and was unlucky to deflect it into his own net after it come back off the post.

That was enough for many fans, who started to walk out. I must admit I was tempted to do the same, mainly because it was so cold, and I wanted Sunderland to grab a third just to bring an end to the suffering. At 2-0 you know, deep down, you still have a chance, even though the reality in front of you suggests differently. But 3-0 would end all hope and you can breathe a huge sigh of relief it is all over.

Some guy behind us started shouting 'Spend some f**king money,' although quiet how we are supposed to do that now the transfer window is shut I am not sure. Maybe he just wanted his mate to buy him a pint and a burger.

As Wenger prowled along the touchline, the Sunderland fans started singing ‘You’re getting sacked in the morning’ and there were nothing much we could say in response. Of course he won’t be sacked but maybe it is time for him to do the honourable thing. I mean it is clearly not working anymore.

The last ten minutes were among the worst I have ever witnessed. At least at Man. United in August we had our excuses and the fans stuck with us. This was just a feeling of utter despair. And it was cold, so very cold.

Emerson always likes to guess the amount of stoppage time at the end of the game so I went for 3 minutes, but Emerson just said, ‘’I hope there is none at all so we can just go home.’’ Yeah, that sounds good.

As it turned out there was 3 and I was convinced we would score right at the end when it was too late to make any difference. But of course we didn’t. We could have played until next week and still not scored.

Coming out the ground we had to walk through all the happy Sunderland fans singing about going to Wembley. Emerson was a little upset and started undoing his jacket to show everyone his Arsenal shirt underneath.

‘’We are still better than you,’’ he said, although no one was listening to him.

We finally got back to the car and I turned the heating up to maximum as we tried to thaw out. It soon became clear I was far more depressed about the day’s events than Emerson, who now was looking forward to his McDonalds and thinking about the next match we could go to.

‘’Can we go to the Milan game?’’ he asked.

‘’No Emerson, it’s a school night.’’

‘’What about Liverpool away?’’

‘’Maybe, we’ll see.’’

After what I just witnessed, the last thing I wanted to think about was doing it all over again. Perhaps a win over Spurs on Sunday will renew my enthusiasm. Perhaps.

But of course it is hard to stay sad too long when I have Emerson with me, and by the time we reached McDonalds he had managed to cheer up.

''It's okay dad, we might win the cup next season,'' he said as we at down to eat our not-so-happy meal.

''Yes, Emerson, perhaps we might.''

A cold day in Northern England.

Sunderland 1 Arsenal 2

Since Thierry Henry returned to Arsenal in January, Emerson has nagged and nagged me to take him to a match so he could see him play live for the first time. Unfortunately it had coincided with my foot being in plaster so getting to a game was not easy, but when I heard this trip to Sunderland would probably be his last in England, I knew we had to be there.

With driving out the question, we had no choice other than to take the train. So we arrived at Darlington station at 13.00 for the short trip to Newcastle, before catching the Metro to St. Peters. Despite living in these parts for over 10 years I had never been on the Newcastle Metro before and Emerson was particularly excited.

''Will it be like the London Underground?'' he asked.

''Yeah probably,'' I replied, although we hoped the trains would be rather less rattley!

The first leg of our journey was livened up by the presence of a hen party heading to the Toon. Emerson did not know what to make of it all, but I found it hilarious. For some reason we found ourselves caught up in the middle of it all, and one woman - a Man. United fan - told Emerson Sunderland would win 2-1. Yes, she had been drinking...

As it turned out the Metro was not rattley at all, although it seemed to take forever to reach Sunderland. We played our usual prediction game to pass the time and Emerson went for a 3-2 win, although the only thing he really wanted was to see Henry score. I, rather optimistically, went for 4-1.

''Dad, are you serious?'' asked a shocked Emerson.

''Yeah, why not?'' I replied.

After a quick stop for chips, we got in the ground half an hour before kick off to see the atmosphere building up nicely. The last few minutes of the Manchester United v Liverpool match was on the TV in the concourse and I was shocked to hear the Arsenal fans singing 'Evra you're a c**t' when he appeared on screen. Yes, he is a loathsome individual, but come on, he was the victim in that little story.

View from our seats.

Once in our seats I soon remembered what I hate about games in the North-East. The away end is full of northern Gooners who rarely go to games in any other part of the country, so you have to suffer their moronic comments for 90 minutes. As luck would have it Emerson and I were in the 'Scottish' section. The last thing you need on a freezing cold Saturday in February is to be stuck with a load of pissed up Jocks. They really were the most miserable bunch you could ever wish to meet. One in particular, sitting just behind Emerson (wearing a kilt in -4 degrees, genius), kept shouting 'for f**k sake Arsenal, come on!' every time Sunderland got the ball.

Meanwhile, next to us were the Theo Walcott appreciation society. I am getting sick of tired of hearing so-called Arsenal fans constantly getting on Theo's back. Several times he was given a dreadful pass, usually by Song or Rosicky, and he tried his best to control it or keep it in play, but everyone immediately jumped on his back when he failed to do so. Shameful. Okay he didn't have his greatest game here but while he is on the pitch we should support him. Plus he has had a good season overall. Not that these clowns would know as they have probably only seen about 2-3 games. Anyway I digress.

The first thing that became clear was the state of the pitch. Yes, the weather has been bad but this was just a disgrace. There are park pitches in better condition. What is the groundsman doing? My initial thought was that they had made it that bad on purpose, to hinder our passing game, but I was later informed it was just as bad for their last home against long-ball merchants Norwich.

Unsurprisingly the first half was a low-key affair. We dominated possession but found Sunderland happy to sit back and try to catch us on the break. They had one or two half chances, while the nearest we came was a shot from Theo that flew across the face of the goal. I really wished it had gone in just to see the morons around me having to cheer something he had done. Hypocrites to a man.

Emerson braving the cold weather.

Half time led to a mission to get to the toilet. The concourse area is far too narrow for the number of fans inside, leading a dangerous bottle-neck as people queue for refreshments while others try to squeeze past. Just getting to the toilet and back with Emerson took up the whole 20 minute half-time break, so how anyone can manage to get food as well is beyond me. Oh yes, you leave your seat with 10 minutes still to play...

We showed a bit more urgency at the start of the second half, but all Emerson wanted to know was when Henry was coming on. I have been lucky enough to see the great man play many times, and score many, many goals, but Emerson's first match was not until 2008, the year after he left. Of course I have told him all about Henry and he has seen the DVD's, but now he just wanted to see him play in the flesh. He did not have to wait long.

The 'fans' around us were disappointed it was the Ox who went off and not their favourite Walcott, even though the teenager had contributed even less, but we didn't mind one bit. Just to see the great man in the team again was a magical moment, and it would much better later on.

But first things looked to be going wrong when Sunderland went ahead twenty minutes from time. Mertesaker, who had been having a decent game, went down when chasing the ball, twisting his ankle on the awful playing surface, leaving McClean with a clean run on goal.

After our recent poor run we simply had to get something from the match and Ramsey, who had just come on for the unfortunate German, equalised within five minutes with a shot that went in off both posts. Emerson was unsure who had scored until it came up on the scoreboard opposite us.

''Aaron Ramsey??'' he said. ''Isn't he usually rubbish?''

For an 8 year old he certainly knows his stuff.

''Yes, Emerson, he usually is, but not today.''

I felt sure we would win now as Sunderland looked to be feeling the effects of extra time in midweek, and Wenger made his third inspired substitution, finally taking off Theo (to massive cheers around us) and bringing Arshavin on.

It almost paid off immediately when the little Russian sent in a superb left-wing cross, but RvP could only head straight at the keeper. That appeared to be our last chance but, just as the fourth official had put up the board saying 4 minutes of stoppage time would be played, came the moment we had been praying for.

Again Arshavin whipped in a great cross from the left and Henry arrived to flick it home from 2 yards. Yes, Henry had scored. To say the away end went mental was an understatement. Emerson was jumping around like mad and we both ended up buried beneath a bunch of happy Jocks. It's not often you can say that...

It was only then I realised Emerson hadn't actually seen who had scored. He had only seen the cross from Arshavin and then everyone going mental. As he looked up at the scoreboard he could not believe what he saw.

''He has scored, dad, he has scored...'' he kept saying and almost had tears in his eyes.

It was simply the best moment I had ever experienced in over 30 years watching football and I found myself welling up too.

''Yes, Emerson, he certainly has...''

The players celebrate after a very important three points.

The final whistle brought joy and relief, while Henry came over to say his last farewell to the travelling fans. Emerson wanted to run down the front to get closer, but it was far too congested so he decided to stand on his seat instead, manically waving in the direction of his hero.

As the results came through on the scoreboard we were given more good news, as after Liverpool's earlier defeat, Chelsea had also been beaten at Everton. Therefore Henry's goal had not only won us the match but had moved us back into the top 4. Not bad considering the problems we have had this season.

Our next mission was to get back to Newcastle on the Metro. For some reason they decided to shut the northbound platform so everyone was told to go south to Sunderland, cross over, and get the train back. Therefore the northbound platform was over-crowded, the train, when it arrived, was over-crowed, while the southbound platform was completely empty. Madness.

The problem was repeated at Sunderland station, and by the time we got back to the Stadium of Light station, two stops back up from Sunderland, the train was so full no one else could get on. I'm not sure who organises all this but apparently it is the same after every match. Why not just open both platforms and ease all the congestion? Shame, as the whole train experience had been rather pleasant until then.

Once on the train we discovered that Spurs were 4-0 up in twenty minutes against Newcastle. Sound familiar?? Of course they ended up winning 5-0, which wasn't a bad result for us as it meant the Geordies stayed below us, although most Gooners seemed a little upset. Come on guys, we are not going to catch Spurs anyway and finishing in the top 4 is all that matters. Let them have their moment, finishing above us for the first time in about 17 years means nothing really as long as we are also in the Champions League next season.

But nothing could wipe the smile off Emerson's face. He spent the entire journey home talking excitedly about Thierry Henry and asking why he cannot stay a little longer.

''His club need him,'' I said.

''But we need him too,'' replied Emerson.

We most certainly do, and hopefully he will return again one day. But in the meantime we have to prepare for a crucial Champions League tie in Milan on Wednesday before making the return trip to Sunderland in the FA Cup next weekend. With my pot due to removed this week I think I will drive to that one...

Harry Redknapp, England's saviour?

So, Harry Redknapp was cleared of all charges relating to cheating the public revenue, but do no think for one minute he is innocent. The jury may have been fooled by Redknapp's tale of being an illiterate technophobe, but the facts speak for themselves.

Why would he pay the Portsmouth transfer 'commision' into an offshore account named after his pet dog? Why not just pay it into a normal account, pay the tax and be done with it? As he said, he had paid enough tax over the years anyway.

He claimed his accountant dealt with that side of things, but ultimately that makes no difference. The fact is the money was paid into an offshore account, and the only possible reason for that was to avoid the tax.

Of course all this is largely irrelevant now. He has been cleared by a jury and is free to get on with his life. However, the whole case leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. Redknapp claimed he was lying to the News Of The World journalist in an interview on the matter, so how can we now trust anything he says to the media again? This becomes an even bigger issue with the current England manager situation.

If Redknapp is given the job it will involve talking to the media on matters relating to the national team, but can we trust him to be honest with us? There will always be a feeling of distrust.

From a purely football point of view, Harry is without doubt the best candidate to lead the country into the European Championships and beyond, but is he actually the right man for the job?

Redknapp's own public admission that he took what can only be described as a 'bung', should rule him out straight away. It was, of course, the very thing that lead to George Graham getting a two year ban by the FA.

After the scandals of Eriksson, the disaster of McClaren and the circus that was Capello, it is vital the FA make the right appointment now. The game has been gripped by one crisis after another this season and the FA cannot afford to get this wrong.

The problem is the public, and the media, are crying out for an English manager this time, and Redknapp is the popular choice. Yeah, because all the previous Englishmen did such a great job didn't they??
But would he take it anyway? As things stand Harry can hold his head up. He was cleared of all the charges against him, he is doing a great job at Tottenham and has the whole country saying he should be the next England manager.

If he does take it on, the likelihood is he will hated by everyone within two years when it all goes wrong, as it inevitably will. Would the cheeky-chappy want that? I doubt it.

So where does that leave us? Personally I don't think it really matters who the next England manager is. The problems in our game are far deeper than that. The players are not good enough to win a tournament whoever is in charge anyway.

The only thing I would say is I hope it is an Englishman, someone with a passion for the country and the Three Lions. Other than that it doesn't matter. We will still be in the same position in 4 years time regardless. But the FA do not need another scandal, and Redknapp is a scandal waiting to happen.

The next few weeks could be very interesting indeed.

A day at Darlo...

A couple of unusual events led me to being at Darlington on Saturday afternoon, instead of watching the Daggers from the press box at Crewe, as had been the original plan.

Firstly, I unfortunately broke my foot playing football this week. So, with a pot on, I was unable to drive to Cheshire, and as I was unwilling to pay the £98 return train fare, I found myself at a loose end.

A Saturday afternoon without football is not a prospect that fills me with joy, but luckily my 8 year old son Emerson came to the rescue.

‘Why don’t we go to the Darlington match instead?’ he asked on Thursday.
He had been hearing about their plight on the news all week and did not want to see his local club go under.

'If we go it will help save them,’ he said ‘And I can put all my Christmas money into the pot.’
How could I not respond to such a heart-felt plea?

The town had been full of news of the club all week. After almost going out of business on Tuesday, they were saved by the late intervention of a fans consortium, and there was a buzz around the place for the weekend visit of Conference leaders Fleetwood.

The Northern Echo Arena

I had heard that fans from all over the country were planning on making the trip to help save the club, so Emerson asked if he could wear his Daggers top to the game. Under normal circumstances I would not encourage him to wear a shirt of a team he is not watching, but I made an exception on this occasion.

Despite being me hobbling about on my crutches, we made our way to the stadium to find a most unusual scene – a long queue for tickets.

With the scheduled kick off time of 3pm fast approaching we were informed it had been put back fifteen minutes to allow everyone to get in. Surely this was a first for Darlo, as the stadium holds 25,000, even if it is restricted to around 10,000 for safety reasons.

Amongst the fans in the queue were inevitably some from local sides Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Newcastle, but there were also some from further afield, such as Arsenal, Liverpool and of course Emerson and me representing Dagenham.

Once in the ground I was amazed at the atmosphere. Having been there several times over the last 10 years, there has never been much of a crowd and it always felt rather flat, but this actually felt like a proper football match.

I began to feel a little sorry for Fleetwood. They were second in the league and going for promotion but had arrived to all the drama surrounding Darlo. The local and national media were out in full force and it felt like the game was far more important than just a run-of-the-mill fifth tier league encounter. For Darlo, of course, it was.

Despite selling many of their best players, Darlington actually played really well. Yes, they lacked quality, particularly up front, but no one could question their commitment to the cause. They worked extremely hard for 90 minutes and manager, Craig Liddell, must have been very proud of each and every one of them. The fact that they announced Liddell and the whole Darlington team as man of the match at the end was the perfect tribute.

Darlo's Marc Bridge-Wilkinson (left), battles for possession with Fleetwood's Richard Brodie

A couple of early half-chances for Darlo brought the crowd to their feet, although I was unable to stand due to the pain in my foot, and had they scored at this point the place would have erupted.

But just before the break Fleetwood broke out to take the lead. A mistake from Darlo centre back Graeme Lee enabled Andy Mangan to run clear, and after his effort hit the post, Danny Rose followed up to smash the ball home.

Fleetwood did seem a little overawed by the occasion and rarely showed the form that had taken them into the top two, but their extra bit of quality had proved decisive when it really mattered.
Darlo’s best chance of the entire match arrived straight from the restart following the goal, but Fleetwood keeper Scott Davies produced a fine save to deny Ryan Bowman.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with Darlo huffing and puffing but rarely looking like finding an equaliser. They had their moments though, mainly from the odd goalmouth scramble in the closing stages, but it finished 1-0, although the day was not really about the result.

A crowd of nearly 6,000 should give the club the much needed funds to allow them to continue for a few more weeks at least, but I could not help but wonder why it had taken things to get this bad for the locals to finally show how much they care about their club?

Darlo fans show the passion they have for their club.

The fans singing ‘Darlo will never die’ obviously sang it with feeling, but if they had all bothered to come a little earlier maybe things would not have got to this point in the first place?

I actually felt a little guilty that I had not done more myself. Having moved to the area 10 years ago this was only the 8^th time I had been to a game here, and three of those were to watch the Daggers. Yes, my allegiances lie elsewhere, but Darlo are my local team now and I should have come here more often. The £30 Emerson and me put in the pot today will help, but it was far too little too late.

‘Can we come to more Darlo home games when we aren’t going to Arsenal or Dagenham?’ asked Emerson on the way home. While most of his school friends are only interested in Manchester United and the Premier League, he is more worried about the plight of his local club. A lesson for all of us there.

‘Yes,’ I replied, ‘Of course we can.’

The passion of the fans in the stands and the players on the pitch made us both realise just how important this club is. I just hope there will be many more games for us to go to in the future.

My top 10 footballing moments of 2011

This time last year I wrote a top '10 Football Moments of the Year' and the hardest part was restricting it to just 10. It had been a great footballing year and I had to leave out many great memories. But this year the opposite is true. Just finding 10 moments has been a struggle, but I will try.

1. Peterborough 5 Daggers 0 - May

It may not seem like such a great memory on paper, but it was a great day to be a Dagger. To see over 1,000 fans make the trip for a match in which we needed a point to stay up was amazing, and the team did not let us down. Yes, we got hammered in the end by a team that were promoted to The Championship, but the lads were magnificent in the first half, and the emotional scenes at the end will live with me forever. To hear the passion from both John Still and Mark Arber at the end brought home just how much the club means to them.

2. Thornley Celtic 4 Darlington RA 2 - February

A little self-indulgence if I may. Having left the RA the previous September, after a new manager arrived and brought in his own players, me and a few of the lads joined struggling Thornley so were looking forward to this match. Darlington were in the top 4 and we were bottom, but with four ex-RA players in our team we tore them apart. I had the best game of my life, scoring 1, creating 2 others and getting man of the match, as we got our own little piece of revenge. It didn't help in the over-all scheme of things, as we were relegated in the end anyway, but for 90 minutes we played like Champions.

3. Manchester United 8 Arsenal 2 - August

Again not an obvious highlight, but the atmosphere in the second half made up for what was happening on the pitch. Singing 'We love you Arsenal, we do' for virtually the entire second period, even as United kept on scoring, was superb and were rewarded with a ticket refund from the club and some new signings a week later. Even now Emerson still talks about that match and, despite the result, he says it is his favourite ever away game.

4. Arsenal 2 Sunderland 1 - October

My 30th Anniversary match and a magical free kick from Robin van Persie made it day to remember. He also scored the fastest ever Emirates goal, after just 28 seconds, which meant we had witnessed a little piece of history as well. Many things had changed since my first match in 1981, not least the price of tickets, but one thing that hadn't was the feeling you get from seeing your team win. Now that is timeless.

5. Hartlepool 0 Daggers 1 - January

Almost the perfect away performance, especially for me with my North-East base. We soaked up the early pressure and then broke out to win it in the last few minutes. It was the start of a good run that almost kept us in League One, but was memorable for me due to an encounter with ex-Premier League referee Jeff Winter. He was broadcasting in the press box and mentioned Emerson and me in his post-match blog, after we apparently 'barged' past him. Of course he forgot to mention the fact that he had caused Emerson to spill a hot cup of tea but, having seen his refereeing performances down the years, I guess eyesight was never his strong point.

6. Leeds 1 Arsenal 3 - January

I was lucky enough to be in the front row for this televised FA Cup replay and was spotted by the TV cameras after each of our goals. To make the night even better I managed to catch Szczesny's gloves at the end of the match, when he threw them into the crowd - a lovely memento for Emerson, who was not allowed to go as it was a school night.

7. Rolls Royce 1 Richmond Town Vets 2 - August

Another piece of self-indulgence. The first match of the season for the newly-formed Richmond Town Vets and I scored both goals, including a last minute winner, as we got off to the perfect start. In fact it has been Richmond Town that has given me most to enjoy this footballing year, as we go into 2012 five points clear at the top of the league.

8. Daggers 2 Gillingham 1- December

After a difficult year, the Daggers at least ended it in style with this great win over the high-flying Gills. Despite going a goal down early on we fought back with two great goals from Billy Bingham and Brian Woodall to move up to the dizzy heights of 20th place. Having beaten Barnet on Boxing Day as well it means we can now look forward to the New Year with renewed hope of avoiding a second consecutive relegation.

9. Wigan 0 Arsenal 4 - December

In a year of so few highs, a 4-0 away win just has to be included. It was actually a very good game and showed the new-found confidence in the team. The fact that Chelsea and Liverpool only managed to draw here in the following couple of weeks made this result all the more impressive, and it did lift us briefly into the top 4.

10. Daggers 3 Carlisle 0 - April

It was a toss-up between this and the home win over Charlton in March, but this just made the cut for the importance of the match. It was our last home game of the season and we had to win to keep our survival hopes alive. As it turned out we played superbly throughout and the game included the last ever goal for the club by Danny Green, which made Emerson's day. However he later received a red card and that proved crucial in the end as he was suspended for the last match at Peterborough, a sad way to end his two years with us.

So there you have it. Not a vintage year by any means. The Daggers not only got relegated back to League Two but have spent a vast majority of this season in the bottom two, while Arsenal went from title contenders in January to a laughing stock by August. Thankfully things have ended on a high, with two great wins for the Daggers and a series of good performances from Arsenal that has seen them back challenging for a place in the top 4. Meanwhile, of course, my Richmond Town Vets team have gone from strength to strength as we challenge for the title going into the New Year.

Here's hoping for a better 2012...