All this bragging is a load of cups and balls…isn’t it?
Published: 2 December, 2010
ARSENAL
REGULARS will know that I haven’t always been a big fan of the Carling Cup [The Tottenham Cup]. It is clearly of minor importance to important teams.
If I ruled football, the point of winning it would be to get hold of that three-armed trophy, hop on the tube to Tottenham, place it in front of the entire Spurs’ team and their sappy supporters in their centre circle at White Hart Lane and then get the Gunnersaurus to batter the trophy to small pieces with a big comedy mallet. As their faces turned to horror with each crushing blow of the giant hammer, the big dino would cackle: “Ha! Have your Carling Cup.”
Stratford Hotspur crave no trophy like it – and the real magic of Arsenal’s cruise to the semi-finals of the competition is that they have done it in the old rival’s place.
It all stems from the Night of The Empty Seats back at White Hart Lane when Arsenal dealt out a thwacking and killed off Stratford’s desperate hope of winning the only trophy they have won in 19 years.
Arsenal only seemed to perk up in this cup when there was a chance to get one over on Harry Redknapp’s champions elect (NB: In their puny minds, they are not Top Four Tottenham any more, it’s gonna be Top One Tottenham in May).
That achieved, Arsenal are now the only team that can win the quadruple.
Not bad for a team which has supposedly had three or four crises already this season.
RICHARD OSLEY
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
I DON’T want to “Braga about it” – but doesn’t Tottenham have a better European record than Arsenal?
Now before you lot start laughing, I’ve got a question for you. In all their years playing in Europe, what have Arsenal actually won? Think about it, I’ll wait.
The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup doesn’t count! Well, I suppose it does if you really want it to – but we could easily go through the dates of failed attempts.
The 2-1 win against Liverpool at the Lane on Sunday and Harry’s comments about Spurs being title contenders made me smile, but I won’t get bigheaded about it.
I went to the game thinking we would beat Liverpool and coming from a goal down is always great – but winning the league? Even though passionate about my team, unlike some, it doesn’t blind or affect my equilibrium on life.
I’m a realist who finds objectionable the over-active egotism of any supporter, player or club. The condescending fan who believes it a God-given right to win things and when they don’t, still argues that fact. The player whose first thought is how much money they’ll get for wearing the ridiculously bright-coloured football boots and wants a £120,000 a week instead of the £100,000 they’re already paid. Or the club that tends to its corporate responsibilities before community ones.
By all means people, support your teams, just don’t lose your sense of humour over it.
TONY DALLAS