Today we waited in the tunnel knowing that the 86th minute shell launched by les dindons de coqs had landed smack bang on our hopes of another unprecedented year in the Champions League. Dusting off the feathers we ran out to remedy this against the best Super Hoops team ever assembled. Well, if you take cost into evidence anyhow. It was a tale of two championships, QPR already relegated could now go about their business of giving a shop window to their expensive talent in a bid to save themselves from the beggar's banquet that awaits them. So it was set for us to fail, a Spuds win and to be put to the sword by a team with literally nothing to lose and everything to gain by putting in their performances of the season.
It took all of 20 seconds. Step up Arteta, a nice little ball through the middle to Theo's feet. He paused and then slotted it under the advancing Green. Mayhem! For once I relaxed. We were going to win. Crazy I know, we would after all have another 94 minutes to play, but there was something about this team that I am beginning to settle on. The recent results, the subsequent media interviews our lads have given. The belief, the commitment. I flashed back to when "One nil to the Arsenal" was our terrace song. When Georgie Graham made it clear that if we scored against you it was time to surrender, because we would never concede... and so it proved. Though the R's did mount a credible second half tilt at us, it proved to be fruitless. I do admit to holding my breath when Chesney saved a Remy curler diving to his left and getting enough fingers on it to push it wide but apart from that, my resolve and conviction never wavered.
My pick for man of the match goes to Townsend, who gave Monreal a torrid time and a booking to show for it. Such was the magnitude of his performance it made Nacho look rather ordinary. In a world of "Daddy or Chips?" it was probably time for someone to stake a claim for daddies everywhere. The highlight of this torment being Nacho resorting to clutching at Townsend like a lover to a departing soldier as the boat took him beyond reach, steaming to foreign shores. Bit like where QPR will be going shortly. Ahem.
Anyway, we missed the potential Bale banana skin and the cut and thrust of the best mercenary team ever assembled since the like of Chelsea and those blue Mancs. We now have a 10 day break, which sees the Chavs and Spuds in action and points to be won, lost and a possibility seeing us going into the last game of the season numerically disadvantaged yet knowing that a win could be enough. Given our recent performances and a valid call for been there, done that, I expect it to go down to the wire with the season ending, much like my finger nails, down to the quick but victorious.
Almost time for us to look at what next season holds. Almost.
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