When I last visited Southampton it was to play at a venue called the Brook. It’s a cracking place both to perform and to see a band and an easy drive for me and it made me think rather warmly of the place. This of course put me in a minority among my peers. The rest of the band, from Portsmouth to a man, looked upon Hampshire’s biggest city with much the same love as you and I might reserve for a Spurs supporting Great Dane with diarrhoea that had just evacuated twelve pounds of semi digested Pedigree Chum onto our best Axminster.
My football memories (there are precisely two) of Southampton go way back. The first comes with a wholly unsavoury confession which I hesitate to make public here. You see, back when I was still in short trousers and newly arrived in England, I decided to choose an English team to support. I was already fascinated with football and Chelsea had an extremely photogenic and exciting team and I briefly flirted with the idea of supporting them. Can you imagine? It was a bloody close run thing as well, what with them defeating the universally despised Leeds United in the FA Cup final that season. Just the kind of behaviour to turn a young boy’s head. Then, as now, Southampton was the closest top flight club to my home town and as a treat my dad took me to the Dell to see not the home side but the visitors who included the likes of Bonetti, Harris, Osgood, Hudson, Cooke and Hutchinson. It was, on reflection, a heck of a thing for him to do because he was a Pompey fan himself and while neither Chelsea nor Southampton was destined to be my team, the occasion, the crowd the sheer bloody excitement of the thing were massively significant if not fundamentally instrumental in sparking my lifelong obsession with the beautiful game. Not that watching Chopper Harris repeatedly kicking Joe Kirkup six feet into the air could be classed as a thing of beauty, but I’m sure you catch my drift.
I didn’t visit the Dell again until Arsenal came to town for a League Cup 4th round replay in November 1985. It was a wonderful night. We won three one, Charlie Nicholas scored and we successfully wound up Peter Shilton to the point were he nearly climbed into the crowd to sort us all out. In a neat symbiosis Spurs also travelled to the south coast in the same competition and lost to Portsmouth. Life can be sweet at times. I went down with my mate Jon in my shiny new Skoda 120LS which, unfortunately for us broke down in Buckland Dinham on the way home, moments after the village pub shut for the night.
The only other part Southampton played in this old man’s misspent youth was beating Man United in the FA Cup final of 1976 and for that and all the other reasons above I harbour them no ill will. I don’t wish them well this afternoon of course, that would be a step too far, but the way they have gone about their business this season has, quite rightly, drawn plaudits from far and wide. When you consider the appallingly unambitious, lowest common denominator football some of the smaller clubs have practised over the years, all of them dragging out the feeble excuse that it is the only way to guarantee survival in the Premier League, it is a joy when teams come up and try to move the ball around and get forward in numbers.
Obviously the silly talk of us being underdogs today is just a symptom of the disease of exaggeration, hyperbole and over reaction which infects so much of today’s media both social and professional. Southampton are coming to the home of the league leaders, who, on their day can beat any team in the world, and they know they will need to be at their very best and Arsenal at their worst to create an upset today. I am not belittling the opposition, I hope I may never be accused of such premature triumphalism, and I know that the kind of disjointed, insipid display we put on in the first half at Old Trafford will not be good enough if our visitors do play to the best of their abilities, but I am very positive about today. As Arsène said yesterday, there were lessons to learn and the team have learned them. It’s all about self belief and imposing your game on the opposition whomsoever they might be.
As far as the squad is concerned it’s one step forward one step back. Flamini suspended and Theo returning from injury is, I think , indicative of the change in approach the team needs to adopt in the light of its last outing. We need to get at and behind sides with pace. We need to start frightening teams, putting them onto the back foot in the style of the great Arsène Wenger teams of recent years. I have no qualms about our defence, we look very solid with either Arteta or Flamini in front of our back five, I think we just need to play a little more in the other teams half. Of course, we need to pass the ball quickly and accurately as well and for me the key player is Tomáš Rosický. He keeps things moving and ups the tempo in a way nobody else does. He may be back from his illness, we shall have to wait and see. If he is fit then guessing the team selection is all but impossible as there are too many undroppable players on the list. It’s a problem I’m sure Arsène is delighted to have and one he’ll have in spades when everybody is fit again.
The wingless wonders have done us proud up until now. With the return of genuine width and pace we become an immediately more threatening proposition and with the option to rest tired legs and replace them with authentic quality I am really looking forward to part three in what is shaping up to be the most intriguing Premier League battle in many years. More than anything I’m just bloody relieved that despite cheering Chelsea on to that FA Cup win back in 1970, something happened in the summer and I decided that the team for me played in red with white sleeves. It was, as I have said, a close run thing.
Positively Arsenal 
Steww
Another great read makes for a great start to the day. Thanks…..
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Heh, hey, the first to comment today…well I can thank the very spicy Siciliano pizza I consumed last night for my early morning antics…..COYG…..
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the saints are a good side and have some good individuals. They are coming to us on the up and pose the same threat as ball playing west brom and the like have in the past. This season we seem better equipped to deal with such imposters and once again this is a “test” most of us are confident we can pass. First goal as ever will be important but if our movement and tempo is right the 3 points should be added to our total COYG
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gp ive commented 3 times already but unfortunately it was on the last post before you owen like come in stole my thunder oh well…….
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good ref report on untold today apparently refs hate Southampton as much as they do ARSENAL http://blog.emiratesstadium.info/archives/32655
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Don’t spoil it for me A_B I wasn’t to know…..
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im just jealous
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interesting to see although we perceive November as not one of our best months chelski view it even worse and lost to the hammers 3-1 this time last year
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I’m looking forward to the Scousers derby….
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The read is lovely as ever,but the picture of Tomas at the end cheered me up no end.
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What a wonderful narrative by Steww. His stories maybe personal but everyman can relate to the underlying theme, a quality of the best writers. That admission of a brief dalliance with Chelsea reminds me of the affection I once had for the Scum in my foolish youth. I am speaking of the days of Ardilles, Villa and Hoddle, a time when the world was in love with Argentinian football. Admittedly, my relationships with English football clubs have been from a long distance so my dalliance was never serious. Once I discovered the Arsenal and the football of Professor Wenger I was hooked for life. Thanks for the reminder Steww.
As for Southampton, I cannot emphasize enough that this is a dangerous team. They have come-on leaps and bounds under Pochettino. This is not the Nigel Adkins team we trashed 7-0 last year. I am amazed by the triumphalism of bloggers and tweeters hyping an easy victory, some by margins of 3 goals. This is a team who have not conceded more than 1 goal in a game all season and are fully capable of scoring and shutting-up shop. I concur with Steww, we need to be at our very best.
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shotta 100% right first goal and tempo will be very important today. im hoping the saints will be a victim of their own recent success and that international call ups are not something they are used to dealing with. Im hoping Southampton fade massively in the second half, as a pressing team fatigue could affect them more than sides with different styles
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What another wonderful Post, Steww, evocative of the childhood circumstances that I guess we all go through when fate or whatever decides which team we support (and lucky for us on this site we all became Gooners) and you then neatly segued into a discussion of today’s game. Loved it. 🙂
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Another team I have a soft spot for with Ted Bates in a tweed jacket with leather buttons and honest Terry Paine beating the full back
I fancy a tight game today, patience required with Bendtner popping up in time added on to secure the points
Ole
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Lovely post – here’s hoping the boys share Steww’s splendid form.
Remarkably, I too almost supported Southampton as a youngster with the southern city being the nearest side to the family home (in Kent); I was saved by a) Dad being a lifelong Gooner and b) me being born a Londoner.
Phew.
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I remember writing to Bertie Mee and suggesting he purchase Mick Channon
Got a nice letter from Bob Wall back – a real one – thanking me for the suggestion
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I was only about 10 but the penny dropped
Fans support
Managers manage
Valuable lesson has stood me in good stead
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Lovely, Steww.
I’m a touch disconcerted as I too liked Ardiles, Hoddle, etc, but as a youngster I liked every ****ing one and every ****ing team! Mind you, going to all of the London grounds it seemed I was just looking for abuse, whether from fans towards players or fans towards other fans. For me it was just fear – dressed up as excitement. Or vice versa.
Obviously I’m so glad I settled for Arsenal, and that’s despite them then being rather crap, and nobody I knew liking them.
Perhaps we’ll get one of those “this is what I’m thinking whilst the game’s being played” posts from you, next, Steww? Anyway, thanks for this one.
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http://www.101greatgoals.com/blog/bravo-arsene-wenger-1st-manager-to-speak-out-on-qatar-working-conditions-and-has-contacted-trapped-player-zahir-belounis/
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What I like about Southampton is that they built a new ground by themselves and they like to churn out players, like some kind of crazy football club!
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Gains,
Following on from the other day, I agree with you on Holland but I see more depth in the the young Spanish class coming through. Isco and others like Munian, there a lot of them! We managed to hijack Özil because Real Mad chose to go with some young Spanish players. They can’t afford a team of XI “Galacticos” anymore.
If Pearce had not been manager of the English U21s for such a mind numbingly long period, perhaps if there had been that cultural change at the FA that everyone ( as in everyone) wants, a few more young players might have made it through, players like Chamberlain spotted by his set up before they moved to Arsenal (takes effort to miss promoting a player like that!) , that kind of thing. Southampton are interesting, three England U21s that should also play along with their seniors. Good players. They’ll play well I have no doubt. Hopefully it won’t be good enough!
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Come on the Arsenal!
Not sure if Rozza will start, don’t think he’ll be 100%, so it won’t be surprise to see the Gnabster given a starting berth. COYG
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Lukaku…..
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Lukaku……
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This Liverpool derby’s proving entertaing – and diasappointing for the visitors, 3-2 Everton.
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We need a draw…..
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Deloufeou is a decent player
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Phew….final whistle…..best outcome for us….Come of you Gunners….
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Actually an Everton win would have perhaps been a little better…..
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Morning all. Feeling a few butterflies this morning. How in the world did I get to the point where I get physically nervous before Arsenal matches?! Ah well, I’ve taken my blood pressure meds, so I should be OK. This is going to be a tough game, but the boys can do this!
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Deloufeu can become the next Arteta in a few seasons.
Fin, they have a lot of quality coming through, but it’s always been like that with the Spanish team. The question is whether they can be as good as this Barça dependent side has been. It will be interesting to see what happens when Xavi retires. I don’t think a midfield containing Mata, Isco and Thiago is bad at all.
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Morning Kelly – yes, pre-match nerves are perfectly healthy and normal for fans of all ages! I think it’s meant to be enjoyable, too.
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AFC looking very good with two superb efforts going close.
One-way traffic so far …
Jack down.
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Some of the interchanges were terrific.
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The Ferrari has been in the shop for two months. I can’t wait until they take it out of the garage today.
Ramsey’s back heel chance had shades of Zidane. I’m just going to put that out there.
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How did Mikel get injured?
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What a relief. I don’t enjoy listening to the game on Arsenal online….
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Very competent performance.2nd gear
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Relief
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That as was one of the most mature, professional performance by Arsenal for the past 8 years.Make no mistake, Southampton is a very good team.
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Not a bad post-inter lull victory.
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Giroud is not good enough. What, aside from scoring, goals, giving assists, winning headers both up front and at the back and running his socks off does he ever do? Where is the 30 goal a season striker we have demanded, Arsene?
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A new book is being written this season: “How to control a game – By Arsenal”
Giroud for MOTM?
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Outstanding from Giroud. He was being clattered by a strong defensive group, but won headers, held up te ball, closed down and deserved his goals. Was very important on defensive headers as well on corners and kicks. Twice it looked like he might have suffered a bad knock. He’s a rock but does need some relief. Hopefully that will come with Theo and Podolski returning.
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Sets us up well to be confident and determined to put Marseille away and start a good win streak v. Cardiff and Hull before some top half of the table clashes and the big Napoli game away.
Excellent reaction to the loss and interlull. Come on West Ham!
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We may look back on these kind of performances and see that a new kind of Arsenal has emerged. Second gear, control, no over exerting ourselves prior to a big European night. Of course it could just be a very good Southampton side prevented us from going through the gears. Who knows?
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Who knows Steww? Arsene does.
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Bon point George
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I think we finally have the excellent goalkeeper everyone has been asking for since Lehmann. Szczesny has been majestic this season.
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I do have a complaint about Arsenal….they could have recruited a physio that is as effective as Chelsea’s. You know the one…….
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