|
· Last Year's Game - Arsenal 1 Spurs 0
· Last Year's Spursometer - 61%
· This season's home game - Drew 1-1
· Spurs' recent record in Derby games
· This week - last year
· What happened in the Premiership in Match 36 2004-5
· Spurs beat Villa 5-1. Arsenal beat West Brom.
Full Record of Spurs -v- Arsenal
Prem Pl W D L For-Ag Pts
Home 14 4 7 3 18 -18 19
Away 13 1 5 7 9 -18 8
========================================
Total(Prem) 27 5 12 10 27 -36 27
=======================================
Football Lge
Home(Div 1) 55 24 12 19 93 -83 63
Away(Div 1) 55 16 12 27 65 -85 46
========================================
Total(Div 1) 110 40 24 46 158 -168 109
========================================
Total(Prem) 27 5 12 10 27 -36 27
Total(Div 1) 110 40 24 46 158 -168 109
========================================
Grand Total 137 45 36 56 185 -204 136
========================================
Last Six Premiership results:-
Arsenal
Arsenal 2-1 Liverpool
Arsenal 3-0 Charlton
Arsenal 5-0 A. Villa
Man Utd 2-0 Arsenal
P'tsmouth 1-1 Arsenal
Arsenal 3-1 West Brom
Spurs
B'mingham 0-2 Spurs
Spurs 2-1 West Brom
Newcastle 3-1 Spurs
Spurs 2-1 Man City
Everton 0-1 Spurs
Spurs 1-2 Man Utd
Pos P W D L F -A GD Pts
4 Spurs 35 17 10 8 50-35 15 61
5 Arsenal 34 17 6 11 57-27 30 57
It will be "High Noon" at Highbury this Saturday! Do not forsake me, oh my Tottenham!
Was it by design that the powers that be decreed that the penultimate Premiership visitors to Highbury would be the mighty Spurs? Whether or not that was the case, those that organised the fixtures could not have envisaged that the occasion would be marked by yet another of the most crucial of North London Derby matches in the history of this particular fixture. (The term North London has been used in its loosest context here)
Public Order fears probably dictated that Spurs could not be the last visitors of the season, and I expect the policing and stewarding will be of a high level to prevent any early dismantling of the stadium.
The very first recorded match against "Royal Arsenal" took place on Tottenham Marshes on November 19th, 1887. The visitors scored a "lucky goal" within ten minutes, but the game was halted fifteen minutes from full-time "due to darkness", with Spurs 2-1 ahead. You could say that "the darkness" has never gone away, and until recent years the "Lucky Arsenal" tag lived on.
As is well known, our opponents changed their name and their venue several times in their early years. The last time we played "Woolwich Arsenal" away was in December 1912, when Spurs won 3-0, thanks to two goals by Jimmy Cantrell and one from Steel. Due to our relegation before the Great War, and their "election" to the First Division after the war (despite the fact they had not earnt a promotion), we did not meet again till the 1920-21 season. Both matches were played within a week of each other in January. Spurs won the home match 2-1, and in what must have been the first meeting at Highbury, the home side edged it by 3-2, in front of 60,600. Jimmy Cantrell scored one of the Spurs goals on that day too! Spurs did have the last laugh that season, and having been promoted the previous year, we finished above the gooners in the final reckoning.
Many years have passed, and Highbury has hardly changed, but the crowd figure of 60,000 is of course what they hope to have at The Emirates Stadium next season. (I wonder if we'll be early visitors next season)
It would of course be folly to try and ignore the recent years of embarrassing superiority "The Others" have generally had over us. In recent seasons, one or two Arsenal web sites have celebrated the day that the league table dictates that Spurs are unable to finish above the "Dark Side". It is different this year, and the simple fact is that if Spurs can get a draw or even win this Saturday's game, then we, not they, remain in control of our claim upon fourth place.
The maths are as follows:- A draw would leave us needing to win our last two games, to hold Arsenal at bay, whereas a win would leave us needing just three points from those two games to stay above them. These figures assume that the gooners will not slip up anywhere, but with opponents such as Sunderland, Man City and Wigan, it's better to assume they will win those games.
It is genuinely a shame to hear that "Judas" will not be appearing for the home side this week, as I am convinced the venomous chants of the away support would pysche him out, just as it did when we met at The Lane in October. Since his "self-substitution" in the West Ham game, many gooner fans have invited us to take him back, but of course we have footballing centre-backs in our squad. C**pbell would surely be a risk to England in the summer, with Terry, Ferdinand and Carragher currently above him in the pecking order. Maybe even our own Michael Dawson could get a late call-up, although Ledley is hopefull of regaining fitness for the World Cup.
This is a good time for us to be playing Arsenal, as Mr. Wenger will surely have to ring a few changes to rest players between the two Villarreal games. Let's remember that whoever we face, any player at that club can play one-touch football at pace. Ledley is out of course, and Mido and Gardner are described as doubtful, with Davids and Tainio carrying knocks, but likely to be fit.
Spurs have not won at Highbury since May 1993, and that was an end of season run-out with the hosts resting players for the Cup Final. You could say that the last time Spurs won a league match at Highbury in anger was on New Year's Day, 1985, when the result was 2-1 in our favour, thanks to goals by Garth Crooks and Mark Falco. Clive Allen was part of the squad, replacing Glenn Hoddle as substitute.
There will be plenty of anger about on Saturday, but there must be loads of discipline on the pitch, where, if Spurs can play as well as they did against United, they can surely gain at least a point, going on to win their last two games, and demand that the gooners win the Champions League to play in that tournament next season.
History is there to be made this week. I was looking at a programme for this fixture played in September, 1951 - 55 years ago, when Spurs played as League Champions and were greeted as "friends" in the programme notes. A man called Murphy (Peter) scored the Spurs goal in a 1-1 draw. Could Murphy (Danny) get on and score for Spurs this week? We'd all be wearing ear-to-ear grins if Spurs scored the one goal to decide the game!
The match referee will be Steve Bennett, in whom I have more confidence than most.
COME ON YOU SPURS!
Top of page | Index to 2005-6 Match Reports
| 
