I’ve been to the Emirates a few times now but previously always as a guest of very good friends of mine who generously offer me a VIP seat with three course meal included when one of them can’t attend. I’ve thus had the opportunity to witness football of quality that we can only dream of at St Andrews against top European sides. It was interesting to be in the away stand therefore looking up into the Gods where I usually sit if invited. On the way from Arsenal tube station to the ground, I couldn’t help feeling that this was how the French aristocrats must have felt before their final appointment with ‘Madame Guillotine.’ After Arsenal’s systematic destruction of Blackburn Rovers in their previous home game it was difficult to not to see that a similar fate awaited us. I kept telling myself that I would hope we would defend a lot better than the men from Lancashire did but with Arsenal’s pace, power, slick passing and incredible movement I feared the worst especially with our lack of goal threat.

Sure enough two down on 18 minutes with goals within two minutes of each other I thought that the Gunners were going to inflict a six goal drubbing on us as well. Sadly, an excellent game had already been marred by an incident involving Liam Ridgewell who playing at left back produced a fair, well-timed tackle on Theo Walcott. It was robust and made at great speed causing the defender to slide through flattening the England forward in the process. The ball had been well won, studs were nowhere to be seen and it was the sort of challenge that has epitomised the English game for generations and which fans up and down the country wish their team to get stuck in with. Unfortunately, the assembled faithful let themselves down by chanting “there’s only one Martin Taylor,” a clear reference to the horrible injury to Eduardo two years ago. I love a bit of banter and will join in goading the opposition fans with the best of them but I felt embarrassed by this one and it has only served to open us up to criticism which is hard to defend.

Whilst I disagree with the ignorant moron who described our club as a scabby little team who the sooner we are relegated the better and are less than average Championship standard, I can understand his anger given our collective behaviour. Walcott appeared to recover after the tackle and carried on Wenger’s obvious instructions to exploit our left back berth where Ridgewell had neither the pace nor the familiarity with the position to cope. He went past the makeshift left back like he was standing still and I could only see an avalanche of goals coming as the game progressed. The two goals were class finishes; the first by Robin van Persie was poetry in motion. A lot of people were blaming Stephen Carr for not cutting out the pass but the pass was so fast, so accurate and so beautifully brought under control before being dispatched across Hart just in side the far post in one flowing movement that I defy anybody to have done much about it. Sometimes you just have to raise your hands and applaud a truly wonderful strike. The second came down Ridgewell’s flank and we were carved apart by fabulous movement between Rosicky and Eboue. It was a bit disappointing that the cross managed to go across our six yard box without a player in blue getting anywhere near it before Diaby dispatched the ball back into the side of the net from whence the cross had come but a lovely move nevertheless.  

At this point I thought we were in for a right good hiding but Blues rallied and to their credit knuckled down. Despite being under the cosh Blues had a brief spell of pressure that resulted in a goal back on 38 minutes. Mannone flapped at a deflected cross from and was impeded by his own player who along with Larsson challenged for the ball six yards out. The ball fell to Bowyer six yards out who made no mistake to give the travelling bluenoses a welcome lift. In the second half we were more competitive and had our moments; the best of which came on 83 minutes. Ridgewell found himself in the box with a clear site of goal. Rightly, he elected to slide the awkward looping ball on the half volley across goal to the far post where substitutes Garys McSheffrey and O’Connor were charging in. Mannone made a game saving intervention when at full stretch he just managed tantalisingly to push the ball behind both the incoming Birmingham forwards for the defenders to scramble clear. Blues were on top during this spell but it was to prove our best opportunity.

Chasing the game we were caught on the break and Arshavin picking up the ball 30 yards out drove into the area and despite being shown the outside managed to turn inside open his body and squeeze the ball through a space only just wide enough to find the inside of Paul Hart’s far post; another superb finish from a world class player. 3 – 1 was a fair result and the correct team won this game. They are better than us in most departments and we can have no complaints. However, with a little better fortune when it mattered we could have escaped with an unlikely point. I am glad that the score line didn’t disintegrate into four or five because Blues didn’t deserve that.

Our season will not be defined by this game. We have now played three of the present top four sides away from home and have been unlucky to have not had a least two points from those games but here is the rub; we have left with nothing on all three occasions and we are hurtling towards the bottom three and are only not there courtesy of goal difference. We have to find a way of picking up points at home if we are to survive. We must not lose against sides like Bolton which has been the worst result for us so far this season. Sunderland up next at St Andrews who are bang in form; whatever happens it is a must not lose game. If we do I fear the worst; let us hope that the promised millions in January wont be too late. I still believe we are better than at least three teams in this division and this season that is all that matters.

KRO SOTV