Stone Cold Friday: The Nervy Road To Arsenal’s Vindication

RIP Alex Chilton. Here’s another Big Star, Darius…

What do West Ham United, Sol Campbell and ‘A Cultured Left Foot’ have in common?

You may not know this, but the first blog post on ACLF was written on the day after Sol Campbell walked off the pitch at half time, straight past the home dressing room, and into the solitary confinement of Gary Lewin’s medical room.

Perhaps Lewin didn’t understand why an uninjured Campbell opted for his office instead of the half time team talk down the corridor during a match that was still very salvageable. Clearly, Sol was convinced that his issue would be better dealt with by Lewin than by Wenger.

Campbell’s subsequent actions baffled the footballing world as the Arsenal colossus then walked straight out of Highbury and into the central reservation. It forced Wenger to turn to 20 year old Seb Larson to complete the game at centre half.

I suspect the events of that day may have influenced YW to start this blog, and if it did, then there’s clearly a silver lining to every cloud. (YW – Ain’t that the truth, Brother! Just re-read the first post, as close a teetering towards the ‘Dark Side’ as ever there has been)

Apart from being the last team to beat Arsenal at Highbury, West Ham were also the first team to win a match at the Emirates stadium. They also seem to have the knack of scoring against Arsenal in recent times.

The visit of the Hammers tomorrow evening easily qualifies as a nervous affair for many supporters. My sense is that it’s not necessarily because Arsenal have an intrinsic fear of our unpredictable cousins from the east end of London – it’s more to do with the fact that there’s another 3 out of the remaining 24 points up for grabs, and there’s no margin for error.

I think that if there’s one perception the ’Invincibles’ left on our psyche, it’s perhaps the expectation that winning the league title can be a straight forward affair.

It’s not strictly true however, for even with the ’Invincibles’, there were some nervy squeaky bum times, not least the 2-2 draw at White Hart Lane that secured the title that season.

Much has been made about Arsenal’s supposed easier run-in compared to our title challengers. My sense is that suggesting that we have easier games is perhaps the first symptom of vanity, a slippery slope that we’re best kept away from.

The truth is that regardless of who we play, the fewer the games between us and that finishing line, the more nervous and fragile we get. Arsenal’s impudence in refusing to go away and literally defying the odds as title challengers has shortened the distance between aspiration and reality.

I’ve said before that the biggest strength and weapon that this Arsenal team have had this season is the fact that people haven’t seen the team coming. Let’s face it, the players have even blindsided critics within Arsenal ranks who gave this team no hope whatsoever at the beginning of the season.

What has intrigued me the most over the last few weeks is the slow but sure vindication of Arsenal’s strategy to grow organically by focussing on developing a core of young players.

Call me a sadist, but the recent exits out of the Champions league by Real Madrid and Chelsea were cause for celebration in the footballing world. Those defeats were the triumphs of good over evil (the evil of financial doping) within a game that required an industrial dose of reality check.

Somewhere along the line, the game lost the plot and arrogance and vanity took over. Sustainability and long term stability got laughed out of football administration as clubs up and down the land chased the Queen’s shilling.

For some sanity to be injected back into football, it’s extremely important that Arsenal continue to rack up every available point until the end of the season. It’s not an easy job, but someone has to do it.

I noticed that after the Hull game this past weekend, there’s been a lot of talk about Arsenal finally maturing as if maturity is an event that can be measured by the flick of a light switch. Far from that, Arsenal has proven that this season, they are a team with formidable mental strength and the character to last the distance.

Our nervousness around the remaining games have more to do with the prize at stake. And it’s not just the trophy at the end of the road – it has more to do with the realisation of Arsenal’s vision.

Victory for Arsenal come the end of the season will do more for the future of football in this country and in Europe than anything Geldof or Bono ever did for Africa (note my cynicism and contempt at the thought of the fate of a continent being dependent on two aging rock stars).

With every game, the belief within the team grows, and the character and determination strengthens. The confidence of the team is the counter-balance to the frying nerves many an Arsenal fan is left with on match day.

We’re light years away from the events on 1st Feb 2006, and Sol Campbell returns to the centre of Arsenal’s defence tomorrow evening to exorcise the demons of that night.

Apart from Arsenal providing the source of redemption for Sol, the team have the opportunity to make Chelsea and Manchester United nervous when they play on Sunday. It’s also an opportunity to move closer to the realisation of an audacious vision that will go a long way in vindicating Arsenal and Arsene Wenger.

West Ham are a dangerous proposition for the simple reason that they’re fighting the demons of relegation. This is a club that was willing to ’lend’ Portsmouth £10 million to guarantee that they don’t lose 4 points.

We shouldn’t forget that on the flip side, Arsenal is also seen as a dangerous proposition for the simple reason that there’s a title to be collected at the other end of the terrain.

’til Tomorrow.