Good morning all Positives,

The NLD matched my expectations yesterday. 94 minutes of sporting combat, two good teams playing football, trying to win the game, every loose ball, every tackle, every header contested. Both sides coming into the game after a hard week’s football. By the end the game was always going to be matter of who had the stamina to endure. That is the way football should be played. No buses, no clawing at the opponent’s eyes, no shrieking when you are touched.

The opening ten minutes I thought we started well, but having huffed and puffed we had not managed to even rattle the windows of the Spuds house. Somewhat relieved they got back into the contest, began to knock the ball about with a bit of purpose and took the game to us. We seemed to shrink a little, Santi apparently “dizzy” (?). Sanchez and Campbell worked hard but with no end product. Not often you see a player as limited genetically as Kyle Walker have a good game when facing a player with the quality of Alexis. Olivier was locked out by Alderweild and Vertonghen. Not able to get boot to ball.

The goal came and, given the balance of play overall in the first half probably, a deserved lead. More disappointing was the lack of a single effort on target or Lloris required to make single proper save in the first half. Fair play to the visitors they were blocking every through ball, that we managed. On the few occasions we got to the edge of the box no one shot. As toothless as I can recall from us for a long time. Most odd.

A shrewd and seemingly necessary substitution brought the Flamster into the contest We immediately set about getting back into the game with more energy and that little bit of serrated Gallic steel the player has in his boots. Chances were created at both ends, Cech again saving well from Kane and Alderweild, Olivier centimetres out on three occasions.

No idea whether it was pure chance or shrewd tactics on the part of Arsene and his players but the moment we started putting in the high ball and putting the Spuds central defence under pressure they cracked. No reason it should have worked, as we are hardly kings of the high ball, but from being confident and in control at the back Tottenham lapsed into hysteria.

75 minutes gone and I was beginning to feel a little uneasy, with a second and probably decisive goal for Spuds looking as likely as an equalizer ! The introduction of Kieran Gibbs I admit did not quell the butterfly that was hatching. One glimmer of light was that Spuds were beginning to tire.

Fool that I am , you all saw Kieran put away what was a slightly scruffy finish. Walker nowhere to be seen. Scruffy counts just the same though. That I could have doubted for a MOMENT.

And for the final 17 minutes we had ‘em under the hammer, pressing forward against an increasingly desperate defence. Sanchez suddenly much more effectively playing inside. Mikel stroking the ball as only he can. Only one winner possible during that final phase but……… Our visitors mightily relieved when Atkinson below for the end. Even with multiple injuries we endured better than they did.

Fair result, both sides did enough to win so a point apiece the right result.

Good on our side ? Debuchy showed the quality he has, match sharp at last even if he ran out of gas a little short. Flamini again spoiled Spuds day, great effort from Giroud, never gave up.

For them ? I was impressed with Lamela – ridiculous I know but every dog has his day. Dembele was also a smooth, impressive operator.

Since the last international break we have played seven games, four wins, the draw yesterday and two defeats. Not perfect but pretty damn good.

We go into the NLD full of fear and trepidation. Well I say “we” when I mean me. No change there then ! I go into every game in this state of mind. My positive nature is suspended as each match day approaches. I hope for the best and fear the worst.

Off the back of the spanking of our depleted troops by probably the best club team in the world the result and performance is anything but predictable. I can imagine just about any outcome. Anyone that thinks the result is a sure thing, does not understand the nature of football, let alone an individual match.

The greatest fear going the rounds seems to be Debuchy playing at Right-back. Once again we see a very good player, returning from two long term injuries, being written off by our knowledgeable ‘expert’ fans, just as Monreal and Sagna before him were. Not to mention Ramsey, Jack, Rosicky………….shall I go on ? It takes any player a run of games to get back to their level. How people don’t grasp this would surprise me, if those people didn’t have a history of gross stupidity.

The Debuchy problem,(if there is one) is exasperated by not having one of the six players that would be expected to play in front of him fit. For me that would be Ramsey, Welbeck, AOC, Theo, Jack and Rosicky, in that order. So I expect it will be Joel. He did well enough against Swansea, so we can but hope and wish him well.

There is a debate as to whether it will be Per or Gabriel partnering Laurent, personally I think it will,and should , be Per.

Due to the lack of options from the bench I feel we will have to win it in the first 60 minutes or so, as the last half hour could be a problem.

To many of our fans this is the single most important game, to not lose, that we will play in any year. Given our league position its a game we really really really want to win, regardless of the opposition. Going into the international break level on points with the league leaders, with a few of the short term injuries due back afterwards, will be a great way to do it.

All I know is that if Arsenal play at their best, they will win, so lets hope for that.

Right, enough of my incoherent ramblings, the NLD would not be the same (and my old mucker Mel would not lend me his Kirk Stevens white suit again) if we don’t have the masterpiece Frank wrote for us when we started up. Wherever you are Frank, we miss you and love you.

Today we revisit a classic tale where Frank looks back, more in sorrow than in anger, to re-tell a chilling tale of a long-lost summer of love, terrible betrayal and lots of super furry animals. 

Today’s page turner …

I was mugged in Seven Sisters.

To be accurate I was attacked in Seven Sisters since nothing was stolen.

Cold bloodedly gratuitously attacked.  A summer afternoon several decades ago spent with a friend and I was heading home to Tufnell Park.  It was an early evening in July but I could hardly see as I turned into the tunnel heading for the tube, eating sausage and chips.  Out of nowhere something hit me on the back of the head and just as I turned, a fist hit me in the mouth.  I fell to the ground in a daze and the protagonists proceeded to kick the living shit out of me.

There was a lot a ‘fackin’ this’ and ‘kantin that’ as the boots went in and afterwards just the sound of nasal snickering.  Before I passed out I caught a glimpse of two of them.  One in white trousers and a bowler hat with ‘Tottenham Droogies’ written across the back.  The other had calf-length faded jeans, docs, white tee shirt, braces …. and a tattoo on his forearm.

A tattoo of a cock and ball.

I must have been out for a while because when I woke up, the ends of the tunnel were dark.  The reek of urine and unwashed bodies was only just bearable.  I was surrounded by squashed chips and, nestling in the gutter by the wall with not a bite out of it, was my sausage.  My head hurt like hell, split lip, bumps and bruises all over but I seemed to be OK.

I’d got away with it.

Could have been killed.  Could have been maimed or paralyzed for life.  Thankfully I had done what most blokes who are being kicked in the head do, I protected my privates.  Death is preferable to castration.

I had survived.

Slowly I got up.  I just wanted to get home.  Brushed off the fag ends, chewing gum, dog shit.  Stretched out my arms and then my legs, moved my head from side to side.  Tested my aching bones.  Nothing broken.  Lets go home, Frank.  Then someone behind me coughed.

I spun round afraid that they had come back to finish me off.

But there standing in front of me was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.  She had on an ankle length yellow dress and sandals.  She had long, long tresses of red hair and her smile was extraordinary; it could fill a room, or, in this case, a tunnel.  Her smell was intoxicating and as she touched my face with her hand I just knew that she was an angel.

I was dead and on my way to heaven.

She asked me if I was okay.  She asked me if I was in pain.  She asked if there was anything she could do for me … and before I could answer she passed me her guinea pig and started mopping my brow.

Guinea pig?

What the feck?

She gave me a guinea pig?  Well yes she did.  She handed me her guinea pig.  Cleaned me up.  Took her guinea pig back.  Held my hand and took me to Tufnell Park.

That is how I met Maude.

Oh Maude, Maude, Maude – you were perfect.  She took me home to my apartment and stayed for three weeks.  What a three weeks!

Idyllic.

Walking on the Heath.  Drinking in The Flask in Highgate.  Strolling through Waterlow Park.  Saying “hello” to Karl Marx.  Wearing each others’ clothes.

Actually she wore mine, I didn’t wear hers, I really didn’t.  Getting drunk together on Grand Marnier and sick together afterwards.  Listening to a friend play folk songs outside the Admiral Mann.  I even started to read poetry, although it didn’t last.  Mostly though, we just made love.  Anywhere and everywhere.

In that time I was treated to a parade of animals.

Guinea pigs, rats, hamsters, geckos, turtles, tortoises, parrots, budgies, kittens, puppies, fish, snakes, you name it.

Every day she would disappear for a few hours and return with different animals.  Only on Sundays would she return without an animal and on Sunday evenings she was always very tired.  The explanation turned out to be a bit crazy but I could deal with it.  She let on that she was into animal liberation and spent much of her time nicking animals from pet shops and domestic animal stockists.

Her aim in life was to free them all.

Create an animal utopia where they could all live free from human bondage.  How she managed to get plastic bags of tropical fish and a twelve foot python out of a shop without anyone noticing I have no idea.  But she did it.  Insane of course, and I loved her all the more for it.  We were madly, stupidly, giddily happy.

Until that fateful day in early August.

So far we had lived in my flat.  It was OK.  But I was getting more and more curious.  Where did she live?  How long?  What was it like?  Was she sure that she was not using the animals as a cover for her sneaking back to a long time live-in partner or husband?

Joke, sort of.  What was she hiding?

After much cajoling on my part she finally agreed that we could stay at her place.  She lived in a flat on the first floor of a Victorian house on the A10 near to the junction with Clapton Common.  She had been on her way home when she found me in the tunnel.

So off we went.

We spent a pleasant few hours in the Spaniards’ Inn and went to a party with friends in Stoke Newington.  Caught a taxi to hers.  Let ourselves in.

Her living room was full of no-longer-soon-to-be-pets.

It was smelly and it was noisy, but she cleared a space  and we sat and drank tea and chatted amongst the boxes, cages, baskets and tanks.  Finally we fell into bed exhausted.  The following day was Monday and neither of us needed to get up early.  We were very soon fast asleep in each others arms.

We awoke on Monday morning refreshed.  She made cups of tea and brought them back to bed.  Gradually we began to get interested, the way you do.

We kissed and cuddled …

Then Maude whispered that she would like to make love in daylight amongst the trees and birdsong.  Her garden was beautiful at this time of year, she said.  She asked me to open the curtains and open the window.

Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes.

About as excited as I have ever been in my life I leapt out of bed, hopped to the almost full-length sash window and threw open the red velvet curtains to let the sun in …

The No 149 bus route has been transporting the residents of that area to the City for many years and I believe that it still does to this day.

In the days of the old Routemasters, in the rush hour the bottom deck was crammed full of people, many standing and some dangling from the platform at the back.  Upstairs was calmer and those fortunate enough to get a seat were able to read the paper or a book, do the crossword, do the Pools, knit, or in most cases just sit and watch the world go by.  There are a number of points on that journey where the bus comes to a standstill for quite a while as the traffic gets well and truly jammed.

One particular point is just outside Maude’s flat.

The floor of the top deck on those buses is roughly about the level of the first floor of that particular block of houses, and the windows of the bus are about six feet from the residents’ windows.  You can see awful lot from the top of that bus and on that day passengers had a real treat.

As the curtains opened they were greeted with … think of Leonardo’s Study of Human Proportions according to Vitruvius. 

But weedier and in a state of arousal.

For my own part I just remember seeing an endless stream of tickets coming out of the Clippie’s machine and thinking thank goodness they can’t see my feet because I’ve still got my socks on.  I turned to shout at Maude for setting me up, and as I did so I noticed something.  Something very serious indeed.  Something which caused me to shut out the embarrassment of the last few seconds completely.  I couldn’t believe it.  I froze.  The blood drained from my face and obviously from other places.

The bottom fell completely out of my world.

In the lower right hand corner of the window was a sticker.  Not a very big one, about the size of a bob-a-job sticker.  But this particular sticker had a motif on it.  A dreadful symbol.

A cock and ball.

We just hadn’t discussed football.  People had the summer off in those days.  No transfer activity.  I turned to her and just shouted “TOTTENHAM” at her at the top of my voice.  At first she completely misunderstood and she laughed and shouted:  “YES. YOU TOO …?”.

But before she could finish, she realised.

It was probably me screaming “YOU ARE A FARKING SPUD” that gave it away.  Her beautiful face contorted into an ugly grimace and in a vicious whisper she spat “Arsenal.  You are a fecking Gunner?  You bastard”.

I couldn’t stay.

I needed air.  I grabbed my clothes, putting them on as I scrambled through the menagerie in the living room.  I got to the front door and slammed it to, shutting out the cacophony behind me.  I headed for a café on the corner of the block, ordered coffee and just sat in a window seat sipping and smoking.  I half expected her to follow and to be honest I half hoped that she would.

But I realised it was over.

I could take the pet rustling and I could even take being humiliated in front of a bus full of people but I could not take the fact that she was a SPUD.  That could never work.

But that was not quite the end of it.

As I sipped my third coffee, having smoked half a pack of cigarettes, two panda cars and a police van arrived at her flat.  Maude was led out in handcuffs and for the next hour policemen loaded the back of the van with her contraband, Noah’s Ark fashion.  I felt bad about that at the time as I watched her driven away in the back of the police car it seemed unjust that she should go down for stealing animals when she had such good if not misguided intentions.  It turned out in court about six weeks later though, that every Sunday she ran a pet stall on Club Row.

She had been nicking pets and flogging them on.  She also stole them to order.

I will always remember Maude though and if I ever meet her again, which is very unlikely, I know exactly what I will say to her……………

“CARMON ARSENAL CARMON ARSENAL CARMON ARSENAL

ARSENAL, ARSENAL, ARSENAL….ARSENAL, ARSENAL, ARSENAAAAL…ARSENAL, ARSENAL, ARSENAL….ARSENAL….ARSENAL”

Good Morning Positive People from a misty brown and gold Norfolk this Sunday,

I think we all approached yesterday’s game with a healthy respect for Swansea, a wariness earned on the back of some good games between the clubs and the six points they removed from our locker last season.

I expected a stiff challenge. In spite of some fairly dire recent results for Swansea the Liberty is no easy place to win points, as Stew explained yesterday.

I had the benefit of radio coverage and for the first half, with the roar of the Jacks each time the ball crossed the halfway line it seemed that Cech was the busiest man on the pitch, a virtual one man display.

Having now had the opportunity to watch the game on TV that impression was wrong, but the home side did put up a good display, a combination of good passing, solid defence and disrupting the possession when we broke with niggling fouls and barges. Fair to say though while he might have the perfect profile for radio Shelvey was actually good in that first 45. Had Gomis shown a more confidence in his own ability, and/or Hector dawdled a millisecond longer, the half time banter might have been sheer anguish. What a difference confidence makes to a striker !

Watching the rerun on the box also illuminated that Per should keep his hands/elbows lower at free kicks, an incident totally missed on the radio, not to mention by Mr Friend.

A little flutter as Giroud went to ground writhing just before half time. It was nothing, he is French after all.

Thereafter with the half time break behind us, and as has happened often in recent weeks, we set about the opposition with much greater purpose. An excellent header from Giroud rocked the locals back before the Bovril had be drunk, and we took control of the ball and the game. The 2,000^th goal under Arsene, remarkable record. We shall not see that longevity again, or at least I won’t. Incidentally since making his Premier League debut on 18^th August 2012, Olivier has scored more headed goals than any other player in the division, 15.

Gradually we pushed Swansea and the threat they offered steadily withered away, Montero ineffective and well policed, Gomis faded, with both eventually replaced. Ki was lucky not to receive two yellows, and Naughten was lucky to get away with a telling off.

Bit of controversy about the second goal. Not sure what Fab was doing, or thought he was doing ? Goalkeeping error though. No hiding behind the referee for Lukas. After the second any hopes the locals had of a return from the game evaporated. The third came within five minutes, Swansea cut open, well finished by Joel through a crowd of Swansea players in the six yards box. Both sides went through the motions for the final 15, each with eyes on the ‘next’ fixture.

Our outstanding players ? The usual suspects, Cech (for what was a good first half display), Nacho, Hector and Kosc, Mesut with an almost perfect second half display, Giroud for hitting the decisive opener, and Joel. A special word for Joel in fact as he has the full scrutiny of the Arsesphere as well as the media on him yesterday, and stood up admirably. Push on from yesterday’s performance son, in Munich and against the neighbours, and who knows when or even if you will be lose your place as our injured limp back into action.

Right that is it. A decent break over the next three days before the small matter of taking on the current best football team in Europe. Toodle-pip ‘til Wednesday.

Morning All Positive Arsenal fans,

I shall keep it brief.

First, and as young DC pointed out last night, well done to Sheffield Wednesday. A memorable night for them, a deserved victory and hopefully another exciting Capital One Cup tie beckons to them in the draw with one of the ‘glamour’ teams. A full Hillsborough is still an impressive ground.

As for our performance inn South Yorkshire?

Having read the mainstream media this morning and seen Arsene’s words of explanation of last night’s result he hit the target as I expected. Our young lads across the middle Kamara, Iwobi, and Bennacer did not quite have the strength or the nous to overcome the experience and energy of the Wednesday midfield.

Matty did his best to galvanise the boys around him and I never doubted their heart. The effort was there, the cutting edge was not. It must be terribly frustrating for them to play in the reserves and sit on the bench patiently for their chance to come, and when it does for the opportunity to turn to ashes within 51 minutes. It was a game in which we very, very rarely put the home side under any pressure. Apparently we had two shots on target ?

I sense it is probably a hard lesson for young players to learn, that they still have loads of knowledge and experience to acquire before being genuinely equipped for PL football, but it may a necessary one.

Of the performances of our more experienced players Cech had a blameless evening. Giroud had very little ball so can be excused, in my book. The remainder, like me, endured an evening to forget. Every man of them knows he has more ability than was on show for much of last night.

The injuries ? Clearly worrying but it did seem both players went down immediately following their recognition of a muscular twinge rather than a great ripping of tendons and flesh. No doubt investigations will be underway with four days to go before our game in South Wales.

And finally a bright spark ? We got to see Krystian Bielik after many a long month of sightings in the second teams he finally made a real first team appearance. Not an auspicious result for the boy but I liked the half an hour I saw. He has confidence and is tall. That is two boxes ticked.

So enjoy Wednesday and the remainder of the week. A 3.00 kick off on Saturday, which is a novelty. I shall be primed and ready to go again.

It looked like a day more suitable for diving equipment and rubber ducks than playing the beautiful game. After the effort put in against Bayern on Tuesday it seemed rather unfortunate that Mother Nature should give Everton a weather  advantage to go with many tired legs on our side. Even our Duracell bunnies seemed a little off the pace. But this Arsenal is a different animal to many we’ve seen before and fully deserved the 2-1 win.

With three changes to the side, we still looked sharper than the toffees and Mesut proved he has one of the finest football brains on show. Equally Petr Cech proved that he is truly in a class of his own with some outstanding keeping.

And what about Olly Giroud? Replacing Theo in the line up he also had a stunning game which deserved better reward than his one headed goal from the Wizard of Oz’s pin point cross. His shot that hit the bar in the second half deserved a goal.

Within a minute or so, Kos doubled our lead from Santi’s cross and bearing in mind their performance against ManU perhaps some of us started thinking back to the 7-0 hammering we gave them several years ago.  This was not to be regrettably and  from one Everton breakaway started by the Ox’s mistake, Barclay went through and scored via a massive deflection from the Archangel who in my mind should be credited with our 5^th OG of the season as Petr had the ball well covered. In fairness, Barclay probably deserved to be credited with the goal, he played as well as he was allowed and Gabriel had such a good game that to sully it with a negative may be an unfair reflection. Certainly his late in the game tackle on Lukaku followed by such a happy flashing of his tombstone teeth was a joy.

A thought on the Ox…is he perhaps trying too hard? He’s a far better player than his performances suggest and neither his attacking nor defensive roles are in tune at the moment. He probably needs a good run to get his confidence back.

Despite going into a far more defensive mode in the second half, we still created several chances and apart from Olly’s hitting the bar, Oz was also unlucky with a shot that clipped the outside of the post. The defensive duties were ably carried out by all concerned, Le Coq unperturbed by a soft yellow card that Mason gave him early doors, maybe in retaliation for the second card that he hadn’t given him earlier in the season.

Barry getting a red card was unfortunately too late for us to take advantage.

So top of the league for the time being, a chance to rest many against Wednesday and maybe to see some new faces, and then the Swans. A definite need for a bit of payback there.