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Brown and out, and it’s been one Hull of a run-in to Wembley
YOU want to love Hull City for pulling themselves up from the depths of the football pyramid, but somehow their manager Phil Brown, with his call-desk earpiece and mindless chat, makes that so difficult. Kicking and screaming, they were booted out of the FA Cup on Tuesday by Arsenal... And good riddance. Now, it’s just like the old days: London’s top two teams are to meet in the semi-final at Wembley.
In the past, Spurs would be involved in such a glorious occasion, they even won it once.
Sadly for them that was almost 20 years ago now and Gazza’s chance free-kick has been avenged a thousand times over and nobody can even remember the last time Tottenham had even a sniff at winning it.
There are people who have been born, gone through school, come out the other side, tasted their first beer and got married since the last time Spurs even had a decent shot at it.
Given Spurs are often celebrated as a “cup team,” the fact they haven’t made an impression on the tournament for so long is a disgrace.
Whether through Tottenham’s incompetence or Chelsea’s big pile of money, the balance has shifted and Spurs have fallen in the London pecking order. The thing that stays resolutely reliable is Arsenal.
Even in a season supposed to be riddled with bad form and a weaker than normal squad, the Gunners are at Wembley. It can’t be so bad.
SO just when it looked like a rosy week for everyone in north London, Arsenal have to go and mar the enjoyment with a bit of alleged spitting.
Surprisingly Emmanuel “the goal machine” Eboue, (as Arsenal’s cruelly sarcastic announcer refers to him) was in no way involved in this week’s reported unpleasantness.
This time it was their talismanic tyke Cesc Fabregas, backed up unflinchingly as ever by the conveniently part-time blind man Professor Wenger.
In fact in Wenger’s 11-year tenure at Arsenal I’m quite sure he has never seen his side commit a single foul or infraction of any kind. In the years of Dirty Dennis and Vieira he no doubt had to stare at his shoes for entire matches in order to maintain this façade of ignorance.
The gentlemen at Tottenham this week exhibited a professionalism on and off the field that
Arsenal’s immature miscreants could learn from with a brilliant display against a worryingly worsening Villa side.
Of course north London is still a wonderfully happy place this week thanks largely to the superbly comical display of finishing by Nicklas Bendtner, Arsenal’s top choice best-ever striker.
If you are cruel enough to make your children watch Arsenal, at least have the decency to shield their eyes as Bendtner approaches goal.
He could destroy the future of English football single-handedly. |
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