Off The Bar

It’s twenty past five, Saturday March the 17^th. Supporters come filing in through the gates at White Hart Lane, as the stadium changes from blue seats to people’s faces of all cultures, races and religions. The reason they’re here? To witness an FA Cup Quarter Final, and a place at Wembley up for grabs.

For Bolton, it’s been a difficult season. Hovering above the relegation zone, the thought of Wembley and cup success may be their outlet and motivator to survive this season’s relegation battle. For Tottenham, a cup that has served them so well in the past, yet a twenty one year drought means the famous trophy is overdue its return to the Lane. Thirty five thousand supporters, of which around three hundred are Bolton fans, take their seats, with only the normal pre-match handshakes and team announcements to go until the ninety minutes between Wembley and home began.

Nothing unusual was encountered prior to kick off, yet now looking back, the mention of one name before the game will always be remembered. The Bolton team is hollowed over the tannoy by the stadium announcer. In number order, the starting line up is declared including ‘Number six, Fabrice Muamba.’ It was met with a small cheer from the Bolton fans, as they did for every player announced. The Zaire born, Walthamstow raised, former Arsenal player who Bolton signed from Birmingham for five million pounds in 2008 was making his twenty fifth appearance of the season. A near ever present, rarely would the former England Under twenty one international, be left out if fit or free from suspension. A driving force in midfield and scorer of possible goal of the season for Bolton against QPR back on the opening day, was, just like everyone else hoping for Bolton success and another chance at attempting to get to a Wembley final after a demolition by Stoke of five goals to nil, in the Semi-Final of the same competition last year where Muamba was present.

Yet, at this stage, little was anyone to know that this game would not last ninety minutes, in fact it would not last until half time. Little was anyone to know that people would be ushered out of the ground in an hour’s time, with the game abandoned and tears and utter devastation shown in people’s eyes and faces. Little was anyone to know that by 7 O’clock that evening, a Bolton player would be in intensive care, in critical condition and little was anyone to know that Fabrice Muamba would be fighting for his life.

Midway through the first half, Scott Parker is dispossessed in the middle of the field, and a Bolton counter attack appears. With the score poised at 1-1 after Gareth Bale’s fifth minute own goal was levelled out by Kyle Walker’s header, Martin Petrov breaks, up against Ryan Nelson. To his left, striker Ivan Klasnic waits, trying his very best not to stray offside. And then, coming in from the right, a typical bursting run from Fabrice Muamba, showing his athleticism over any player on the field. Petrov opts left to Klasnic who lashes into the side netting. No doubt, the better option would have been to go right to Muamba who seemed to have a much better angle at getting on the score sheet. The run typified the type of player he was. A fighter, a worker, a game changer. A weapon in the Bolton closet, that even the Scott Parker, who most recently captained England, couldn’t deal with. The finest specimen of a man, the role model athlete and fit and healthy looking figure that anyone would be happy basing themselves around.

Muamba carries on charging around, having a massive influence on the game. He challenges, distributes and creates chances yet on the forty first minute he is laying face down on the White Hart Lane turf, seemingly unconscious having gone down with no other player in close proximity. The severity of the situation was immediately apparent, the game was halted, paramedics swamped the pitch and players emotions visible through seeing the distressed twenty three year old laying motionless on the ground. Unlike most opposition players who dramatically fall and receive a bombardment of boos and jeers, the White Hart Lane crowd immediately watched on in silence. You didn’t need to be a health expert to tell how bad the situation was, and even though there was no clear view of the player who was obstructed by an entourage of doctors and paramedics, the reaction of everyone on the pitch told the story.

The silence continued. The constant sound of sniffing, where people were failing to hold back the tears echoed around the stands. Every now and again, the chant of ‘Fabrice Muamba’ worked its way around the ground being sung by Bolton and Tottenham fans alike. The noise of clapping and shouting appeared from the bottom of the East stand nearest the incident, where fans were trying to will him on. Yet the signs weren’t good. A fit, young man being resuscitated in front of the eyes of thousands will be remembered for many years to come if not forever.

He was stretchered off to a rapturous round of applauds and while waiting for further information on the future of the game, which none of the fans wanted to go ahead, along with the players, visibly distraught spectators found the comfort of others or spoke to close friends over the condition of the Zaire born midfielder. As the announcement was made, to abandon the game another distraught but enthusiastic round of applauds began. This was no longer about football, in fact that was furthest from people’s attention. This was about life and the well being of a son, brother, father and soon to be husband.

As people exited the stadium, and wandered back to their modes of transport home, a gloomy silence cast itself in the surrounding area. The noise of footsteps was the most prevalent sound, not the discussion of how good or bad their team was. A phrase which is to commonly associated with football springs to mind: ‘Life or Death’. Always used to describe an important football game, but this puts the sport into perspective. This was a real case of ‘life or death’ not a game where people kick a football into goals one hundred and twenty yards apart. This was the long journey between surviving and not making it.

Yet, of all the negativity of the incident, one thing is for certain. Football has come together. Whether you support rival teams, teams in different countries, different nations or even a different sport, everyone came together to pray for Fabrice Muamba. Bolton and Tottenham fans walked home arm in arm after the abandonment. Bolton and Tottenham players walked off comforting each other and those most affected and managers from both sides along with the referee walked off in full support of each other, all dreaming, wishing and praying for just one thing in the future: The survival of Fabrice Muamba.

Football has come together, sport has come together, the nation has come together and in a position of changing situation, one thing is all that people want at the moment. And that is the survival of a fellow human. The allowance to continue being a son, brother, father and husband. The hope that Fabrice Muamba pulls through and that all this praying has helped to allow a human to live a life past the tender age of twenty three.

I’m not a religious person, but in these circumstances: PRAY FOR MUAMBA! 

As a lifelong Tottenham fan that has witnessed the ups and downs and has attended games at White Hart Lane since my earliest memories, I am as excited as anyone to see Tottenham peaking towards the top of the Premier League table. Just ten years ago we had lost 2-1 to Ipswich Town in an FA Premiership clash at Portman road. Now, after a comfortable victory over Everton at White Hart Lane in the Barclays Premier League, can Spurs really dream of a first Premier League title and a first domestic title in sixty one years? Just two points off of top after twenty games and sitting in third place ten points above arch rivals Arsenal shows how much Tottenham have come on over the last five months since the start of the season.

At the moment, Tottenham fans are tight lipped, yet right at the front of their minds is the belief that they can achieve something that seemed impossible at the start of the season after a 3-0 defeat to Manchester United and 5-1 defeat at home to Manchester City. Yet why don’t they want to admit their beliefs and what are the reasons for Tottenham’s sudden up rise.

One of the main reasons that Spurs fans don’t want to admit their beliefs are because of the fear of failure towards the end of the season. It is very easy to drop off in the same way that you quickly gained positions, and as far as the Arsenal fans go, the dream of just finishing ahead of them in the league let alone winning it will makes the Spurs fans the happiest in the league, yet if they give it the big one and then flop towards the end of the season, the abuse from Arsenal fans will be huge. I suppose it can be called the fear of humiliation or embarrassment yet Tottenham have a reason to be confident. There are many reasons why they have been stronger this season than Arsenal and most teams. Firstly, they have a strong squad and not just one to eleven. They haven’t been hit hard by injury this season unlike Arsenal and Liverpool but when small injury dilemmas have occurred such as at Centre Back, they have the strength in depth to replace the injured player with just as suitable a replacement.

Being able to hold on to Luka Modric in the summer was a huge contributor to the team picking up results and although it took him a while to get his head back at Spurs, once he regained form, Tottenham regained form. Modric is a game changer; A player that has the ability to play for any team in the world. If Tottenham had given in to the temptation of receiving £25 million for the Croatian maestro and he had moved to Chelsea, the chances are that Tottenham wouldn’t have started their season so well scoring so many goals.

Another big contributor is the capture of Scott Parker from West Ham. Parker who has been linked with Tottenham on numerous occasions in the past, joined at arguably the peak of his career and along with Luka Modric held a solid midfield allowing the Croatian to move forward confident that his tracks would be covered by the hard working former, Charlton, Chelsea and West Ham midfielder.

A final contributor to the Tottenham work horse that has gained so much credit this season, are the work of the two wingers. Aaron Lennon has been at Tottenham since 2005 and has always showed great potential. Highs include representing Spurs in the Champions League, scoring famous goals against Chelsea and Arsenal and playing for England at two World cups, yet he has also endured some lows, where in some seasons his form has gone missing. Yet this year he has startled defenders with his quick skills and lightning quick pace. On the opposite side is 2010-2011 PFA player of the year Gareth Bale. In recent seasons, he has torn teams to pieces with his inch perfect directness and unbelievable speed. Notable performances against Inter Milan in last season’s Champions League sprung him to worldwide acknowledgement and this year has been no different making superb runs down the flanks providing for the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor and Rafael Van Der Vaart to convert.

So, the answer to the question is: yes. Yes, it is possible for Tottenham to win the league. Yet, can they throw it away as well? Of course. This season is all about luck and how you deal with the lows and how you build on the highs. For Tottenham, only time will tell if they can continue and finish the season the way they began. 

That traditional saying; ‘Football is a funny old game,’ has continued this season in another Barclays Premier League campaign that so far has not disappointed. In fact, the Premier League table is balanced on a knife edge with anyone of three teams still in with a chance of winning the title. In truth, a selection of teams in the top six could still be considered in the race and don’t be surprised if by the end of the season a new team has sprung a challenge.

I am writing this on the 9^th of January 2012, with the aim; to see how different this piece is come the end of the season.

For the first time since Chelsea won the title in 2005, the Premier League has an opportunity to see a new champion. Namely, Manchester City, who have been the force in this campaign. They have bossed the season and with their huge wealth from their Arab backers, City will add to their squad and go from new height to new height. Even Tottenham are in the race. Sitting in the top three and with more points than previous winners have had at this stage of the season, Spurs’ continuing rise could get even bigger. And who could write off Manchester United? The Red Devils are 19 time league winners and sit just behind City. Yet, after their 6-1 defeat in the Manchester derby, who would have considered them for the title? And of course, how could we ever write off Chelsea or Arsenal? Chelsea with big financial backing and Arsenal with top scorer in 2011; Robin Van Persie and the return of King Henry (The French striker that is!).

In truth this season has been the most topsy turvy ever. Manchester United beat Arsenal 8-2, Tottenham 3-0 but lost to City 6-1. City, added to their stunning victory over United by beating Spurs 5-1 away from home, and Arsenal at the Etihad. They dropped points against Liverpool who Tottenham beat 4-0 and lost to Chelsea who Arsenal beat. QPR, who were newly promoted beat Chelsea 1-0, whilst City lost 1-0 to Sunderland. Aston Villa also beat Chelsea 3-1, whilst United lost to Newcastle 3-0. Results are becoming unbelievably unpredictable and with just 6 points and games in hand separating the top three, anything can happen. Anyone could hit a bad patch dropping points and yet any team in the top six could hit a good patch really gaining ground in the table.

As the table shows, every position is vulnerable which makes it a second half of the season not to miss.

This bottom half of the table is looking interesting with three teams who have become integral to the Barclays Premier League in recent years fighting to avoid the drop. And with more unpredictability, no matter how successful a side has been in the past managers are still facing the axe. Neil Warnock of QPR has been sacked. Yet can they regroup in time to stay up? Blackburn have no faith in manager Steve Kean, despite victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford and Bolton face losing key players in the transfer window through the likes of Gary Cahill. Just like the top, the bottom five are separated by just 3 points.

The chances are that the Premier League table come the end of the season will look nothing like what it looks now, despite over half the season being played. Yet that is why the sport is the most popular in England and the Barclays Premier League is the best league in the world.

To view the Premier League table, open this link: 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/table/default.stm

Of all the names in football and all the teams, there are no better than Thierry Henry and his relationship with Arsenal. An absolutely unbelievable night that has sent a buzz around the whole of English football whether you’re an Arsenal fan or not saw Henry return to English football with a bang.

Not only did Henry appear as a sub against Leeds, who Arsenal played so many thrillers against during the Yorkshire sides stay in the Premier League but Henry scored the winning goal which is his twelfth in twelve against the Whites. The ‘return of a King’ is no doubt the statement of the day and in Henry’s 370^th Gunners appearance, he has bagged his 227^th goal and yet another winner against Leeds.

Yet even if you are a Leeds fan, or in fact a football fan of any team, tonight is a night never to forget with a Premier League legend returning.  Regardless of the goal, his return has sparked a new upbeat period for Arsenal, his presence inspiring Arsenal’s young squad and even if Henry played and made no impact what so ever, for football to just get a glimpse of Henry in an Arsenal shirt again is something to savour. Yet Henry always makes memories in style, and that is why his already high status has risen yet another step with his legend category entering a league of its own.

Will the form continue? Will he play regularly? Well these are all questions that will be answered soon, but one thing is for sure: Henry loves Arsenal and Arsenal love Henry.

Monday 9th January

Fa Cup - Round 3

Arsenal           1 - 0        Leeds United

78’ Henry

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/16381242.stm

Recently I made a tweet. It was against an English side and praised a foreign side that were underdogs but played football, which, if the English played would be talked about for weeks after. “Full credit to Rubin, they dominated with some fantastic passing moves and scored a fantastic goal. A force to be reckoned with.” For those of you wondering, it was after Tottenham’s defeat to Rubin Kazan in the UEFA Europa League group stages. After the tweet it got put on the BBC and for it I received some stick as my statement was apparently to strong and that ‘Spurs only played a reserve side.’ The typical English excuse which only seems to come into use over here. It seems the English can make so many excuses and they can be accepted, yet in truth they know they were defeated and are just saying this to comfort themselves.

I did receive at least one piece of support and that piece has stuck in my mind since that game on November the 3^rd. It followed the lines of the English always making excuses yet where has it got them? Nowhere is probably the answer to that question. And this anonymous caller stated that unless opinions change, England won’t get any success in the near future. Whether or not I agree with this statement is another matter, but what I do believe is that the English need to face the reality that from time to time, defeat is going to happen and if it does happen then it should be accepted and not made an excuse from. Whether a side plays a weak/reserve team with little experience or not, it’s the team that has been selected for that match and that’s the side that the opposition and fans need to respect. Therefore, if the opposition do win whether they play against a strong team or not, it needs to be accepted and learned from.

Ever since I started watching football, excuses have been a big part from an English perspective. Take the Carling Cup and UEFA Cup, which is now the Europa League. The English used these competitions to play weaker, less experienced players. That is acceptable in my opinion. Yet with a weaker side is a bigger chance of defeat. The opposition whether they play the game with an inexperienced or experienced side have the job of winning. The training in the build up to that match is all based on that game. Therefore, in defeat not only does it make an excuse for the defeated English side but it shows a huge lack of respect for the opposition.

I decided not to immediately post this piece as it may have looked like a heat of the moment rant. Yet, looking back on the event over a month later, I feel that this piece still very much makes sense. The English and their excuses will not only lead to a lack of development for players because people believe the defeat doesn’t matter but it shows a huge lack of respect to the opposition in this time of supposed respect to officials, opposition and supporters.