From: jmcbride@ccvax.ucd.ie
Newsgroups: rec.sport.soccer
Subject: Re: Arsenal Football Club
Date: 29 Aug 92 09:55:58 GMT
Organization: University College Dublin

In article <16851E02D.074SPOCK@Witsvma.wits.ac.za>, 074spock@Witsvma.wits.ac.za writes:
> The reason that Arsenal have been winning so many trophies in the recent
> years is because they are playing some other sport (Rugby I think ?).
> The other teams have been playing soccer.
>  
> So, it would be interesting to find out how many SOCCER trophies that
> they have won, NOT trophies in total. This should not exclude the
> special medals that they received for the fights they had in recent
> years with Norwich and Manchester United.


Do I sense ever such a little bit of resentment towards the Arsenal on this
list?  I wish someone would explain to me why they are hated so much in general,
because the Arsenal that I follow bear little or no resemblence to the one that
I'm getting a wee bit tired of seeing slagged off at every turn.

Since 1987, the Gunners have won the Littlewoods Challenge Trophy (league Cup)
once, and the English League twice, playing, at times, inspired football.  I
refer you, in particular, to three games in those triumphs:


March 1988, Littlewoods Cup final:  Liverpool take the lead midway through the
first half, Ian rush goal.  Up to this game, any time Rush scored, Liverpool
didn't lose.  Arsenal sneak an equaliser before half time, Charlie Nicholas
squeezing a Viv Anderson cross home.  The second half was drifting aimlessly
when George Graham put Perry Groves on.  He murdered Liverpool up the left wing,
eventually putting in the cross which bounced off Nicholas' knee and trickled 
past Grobbelar.  A deserved, if fortunate, winner.

May 1989, Anfield:  *The* classic title decider.  I watched this in the students
union bar in university college dublin, one of what seemed like three Arsenal
fans in a swarm of Reds fans.  Arsenal needed to win by two clear goals to take
the title.  Liverpool hadn't lost by two clear goals at Anfield for god knows
how long.   Again, Arsenal scored just before half time, Alan Smith nodding home
from an indirect free-kick.  Over the second half, emotions were high to
boiling in the bar, everytime Liverpool moved forward, a huge roar went up
around me, when Arsenal took the ball back, the noise dropped.  Up until the 
last few minutes, I was convinced there was no chance of getting the second
goal.  Not until I started to see Arsenal players, especially Kevin Richardson,
dropping like flies with "cramp", did I start to hope.  The longer they stayed
down, the more time would be added in injury time, the more time to squeeze a
second goal in.  And when Michael Thomas slotted Alan Smiths through-ball past
Grobbelar, well, this viewer was pleased to say the least.

April 1991, Highbury:  En route to what was eventually a comfortable second
title, Arsenal welcomed Liverpool for a Sunday match at Highbury.  The first
half was tight, nervous, and scoreless.  However, after Arsenal took the lead
midway through the second, they proceeded to take the piss out of Liverpool, 
and humiliated them like I've never seen Liverpool taken apart before.
Finding defensive gaps everywhere, Arsenal ran out 3-0 winners, but I remember
the game especially for the third goal.  The ball was laid off to Merson, his 
back to the defender.  With Alan Smith running the overlap, Merson back-heeled
the ball through the defenders legs, Smith was clear, with a simple
task to put the ball past, you guessed it, Grobbelaar.


Now, I know that nothing can even remotely persuade some of you out there that
Arsenal do play soccer, and play it damn well at times.  It's been a slow start
so far, but the season is young, and there's a long way to go.

As for the smart arsed comments about the fights with Man U and Norwich, I 
believe that Norwich got hit with a higher fine than Arsenal over that
incident, while Man U were definitely NOT passive victims in that bout.  So 
there.



james p mc bride

ps Ok, so there was a typo in the Littlewoods date, it was March 1987, 
unfortunately my editor doesn't let me make changes in the middle of files, or
I haven't found the right command yet.