....and breathe.
Afternoon, My name is Ari and I'm addicted to stress. It's been 1 day since I last watched the Arsenal...
OK so there's no such thing but I'm beginning to think there should be. After again holding onto the football like a Leprechaun to his pot of gold we saw ourselves go one nil down to a rather well worked set piece. Cue the picking of the finger nails. It doesn't matter that the free kick should never have been given when a Canary tripped over his own clown shoes and was awarded for the pratfall with a free kick. It didn't matter a suspended BFG was not there to place a meaty forehead to the incoming ball. It only mattered that they put it in. So we faced an almost farcical situation again... being far the better team, having most of the ball and being a goal down.
At this point I think Norwich helped us out with their attempt to get into the Guinness Book of Records for 'Most Time Wasted in a Single Match'. (side note, the Norwich keeper Bunn is a boyhood Spurs supporter and no-one did more to achieve this record breaking attempt than him) The Crowd's nervy energy turned to anger and I quipped "Time for the law of return". As any good Wicca can attest, it is visited upon the transgressor threefold. While most muttered we just need a goal, a single point could after all prove invaluable, I held on for the win, the psychological weight this puts on our London rivals shouldn't be underestimated and even I was beginning to accept a point when a miracle happened.
Step up Kei Kamara. I'm sure the Olympic Judo selection committee will be in touch for what was a perfect Waza-Ari hip throw. Oli was lucky to be still wearing his top and the canary back slapping soon turned to incredulous cries of dismay and then anger as they mobbed the linesman. Penalty. Up comes Arteta. Boom, one all it is then and game on. Again it was good to see Arteta immediately grab the ball and hurry back. Shows the team wanted to win. I guess a few managers would have shut up shop, seeing the last 5 minutes plus extra time out, but to his credit, Arsene reacted to his team's obvious desire and drive to win this, making some attacking substitutions. The Ox had the assist for number two, but I admit I can't tell who put that in, Oli or Bassong. (Still we'll claim it for Oli, who I'm, not sure what else he has to do to get some supporters on his side... some of the so called super transfers we're in for according to the media have worse returns!) It wouldn't be Stress Addicts Anonymous unless we had a little more drama and Jonny Howson duly obliged, bringing out a wonderful stop by the Fab one. The last goal and the completion of the Wicca curse was a lovely curler through traffic by Poldi. It was sublime, not only for the goal, the win but the look on the Bunn man's face as his Sith like campaign of negativity was left in tatters by the 20 yarder. Priceless.
So we're 3rd. The pressure shifts to others now, but the desire to win has been there to see these last weeks. All we need to do now is keep winning. Simples.
OK, I'm sure it won't be as easy as all that, but in all honesty, looking at the games to play for the L3, I think this could be over mathematically by the time Man U play us. After the world and it's dog all but rubbing their hands in glee with the thoughts of us not being in the CL, its with some pride I look at the table and the true reflection of what our players have achieved the last 6 weeks. If it's down to a single speech, it surely must have been one of Churchillian order. I'm sure it's been a mixture of this, the support getting behind the players rather than waving black scarves and the sheer pride and quality the team have.
We know making the CL doesn't change the club issues, it rather detracts a further one and both sides of this debate have come to these issues through a genuine love of the Arsenal and want nothing more than to see us regain our former glories. I'm not touching this debate till the last kick of the season, till then I will sing, shout, clap and will our players to win. we have no divine right to do so, it will take an Herculean effort by mere mortals to pull this off. So sing you Spartans! Onwards... to glory.
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