The day before the day
There’s nothing that gets me going like the home leg of the Derby, not even sex and that’s nothing personal if you’re reading LB. Just reading the build up today makes me light headed. My fingers are twitching with typo errors (more than usual) as I haphazardly bash at this Bakery computer keyboard.
The Derby. Oh God it’s good. It’s the reason you go to watch football. The anticipation etched on everyone’s face, the expectation, the prayers, the fever, the noise - the sheer fucking noise, the whites of the players eyes as they come close to the sidelines with the fans screams in their ears, the clutching of your sweaty hands and the silent whispers to a God the only exists for 90 minutes a year. Please can we win today. Please.
Tomorrow is the 141st North London derby. We haven’t picked up three points on this encounter since 1999 or as the sensationalist wold put it, we haven’t beaten arsenal this century. Of course they seldom come away with a win themselves but this season it’s something bigger. Our dreams of the top four have taken a massive dent so far. Our bodywork gleaming from a good pre-season and the polish of belief and attitude is already tarnished and war weary but what better game to knock us back into shape and take a hammer to our rivals’ smooth running machine?
We can talk injuries, formations and players but it scarcely matters. For the record, King Ledley is still out, Little Aaron may return and Gallas, Senderos and Eboue are the absentees from the South Londoners. Don’t get too excited about a weakened arsenal defence. There’s still Toure, Sagna, Hoyte, Diarra, Song to plug the gaps and even a possible berth for the should-be captain Gilberto with a chance to lead the troops.
It looks like Little Aaron will play a part against The Bagel’s wishes. According to MJ:
“Aaron is Aaron – he gives us a lot of width and speed and that’s what you hope for - It’s his first game, he hasn’t played for the reserves and he’s lacking match practice, but we’ve overloaded him in the last couple of weeks and I think he’s fine.”
For me, none of this is a good recipe for either a good performance for the little lad or injury free 90 but we may well need that edge and as he says, Aaron is Aaron.
Our trump cards this season will be a better looking left with properly dangerous delivery courtesy of one Gareth BALE! BALE! BALE! and once again with a dangerous Dimi at the front. Stop him if you can. Where we’re going to struggle is where arsenal are strongest and that’s in the middle in the park with Fibreglass dictating the play and no Spurs player good enough or thuggish enough to cut of his supply. Our only hope here is a JJ with a point to prove and you never know what Big Bad Tom could come up with fresh from yet successful outing and yet another goal for Stuart Pearce and the U21s but admittedly that’s a bit of a barrel scraper.
Our real hopes are fate, luck and a sense of togetherness. Cue Ricardo Rocha:
“Our confidence is always high, we are a family all together and that is important because you always want the best things for your family. The best is winning and going forward - that is what we want.”
Actually, what I remember from my family is fighting in the back of the Volvo with my sister on the way down to France to the soundtrack of the endless Bananarama and Tina Turner tapes but if that’s what it takes then let’s get the Stock Aitkin Waterman trio out of mothballs and down to the Lane if Ricardo thinks it will help.
What I’d prefer to count on is a fierce crowd, a pumped up Spurs and a bit of old derby magic. Believe my friends, for remember what Dimitar promised us when he joined our club and look what he can do. Love the score…
“This is the bagel one. THE BAGEL ONE. The shake down. THE SHAKE DOWN. The pay off. THE PAY…will you quit repeating everything I say!”
The Bagel.
September 14th, 2007 at 7:53 pm
two words bagel; FUCKIN BUZZIN!!!!
September 15th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
1-3 done you again Spers enough said lmao:)
September 15th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
Just want you spuds to know that.
September 15th, 2007 at 8:24 pm
OOOPs we did it gain 3-1
September 15th, 2007 at 10:10 pm
If this isn’t a bad dream, kill me. Dear Christ.
September 15th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
it’s all quiet on hear today , i suppose your all drowning your sorrows!! well you should still get a uefa place once your players start taking there chances!! i have to say we were a bit lucky not to be 3-1 down before fabulas let rip….that was the difference today, taken chances! maybe next time lads!!!
September 15th, 2007 at 11:53 pm
Steven Spielberg! Ariel Sharon! Ruby Wax! Dustin Hoffman! Jackie Mason! Your boys took a hell of a beating! … Already.
September 16th, 2007 at 12:40 am
unlucky boys… not you should concentrate on the important job for your team… fighting relegation HAHAHHAHAHAHA SUCKA!
September 16th, 2007 at 12:51 am
joe.pessi……….mist is secretly a Spurs fan….Its true.
September 16th, 2007 at 1:00 am
Still think we’ll finish 5th, which aint bad but ultimately it will probably lead to Jol getting the boot at the end of the season……..and Berbatov leaving….:0
I hate football sometimes.
September 16th, 2007 at 1:07 am
If you arsenal wanksticks want to post here (’hear’ as the learned Pessimist writes), learn how to fucking spell.
September 16th, 2007 at 3:09 am
1-3, Jol is out of Tottenham!!! Man, without Henry, we can still beat you. What will it take for the scum to beat us? Play with no goalkeeper? This is what you get for all your arrogance, thinking you can beat us just because you signed Darren Bent for a ridiculous amount of money.
September 16th, 2007 at 3:09 am
Better luck next time.
September 16th, 2007 at 9:36 am
maybe now all you tottenham cocks will learn the first rule of being a fucking rooster…dont crow until the dawn! you keep having these false dawns lol
tottenham for a champions league spot… you’re having a laugh. well i know i’m laughing.
go you gunners!!! 3-1 3-1 3-1
September 16th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
Bagel, I don’t blame you if you leave it a few days until you post about this nightmare. Bloggers plus highly charged emotion and sense of what-the-fuck-is-going-on’ness equals poor quality article.
September 16th, 2007 at 8:52 pm
Sorry I’ve not been here to enjoy the build up - had a cracking weeks break in cornwall.
Let’s start with the obvious. Cracking goal for Bale, not sure if he would have got that goal past schmeichel or friedal, but it was a cracker anyway.
The pressure was clearly on your strikers and if we’re honest, we could say that they choked, if we were more honest, we could say that they have to field extra pressure due to a confused defence, a fault highlighted on here many times.
Bent should have perhaps kept his opinions about whether henry was cheap to himself, at least until he was actually comfortable playing in the team.
Again, his opportunity came from a hopeful punt, a similar assist to the ones he enjoyed at charlton. I was surprised to see dafoe not included as his pace would have perhaps enjoyed fruit against a weakened defence.
Last minute goals are something we rely on (a little too heavily?), but our fitness levels are extremely high and playing against that level of youth, dexterity and speed is very tough for 90 minutes, especially this early in the season.
Robinson earned some international credence from myself (if anyone cares), but possibly from a lack of suitable alternates than skill alone, I wonder of Craig Gordon can claim to be English(?).
For our sins, Adebayor scored a goal reminiscent of drogbas’ last year, and Cesc has been banging shots from 25 yards all season, (you should have known that !), Adabayors’ first was perhaps a little careless of the keeper, perhaps a little lapsidasical as we never score from headers.
MJ is obviously living on borrowed time, but you should win all 3 of your next 3 (PL) games, and it’s practically a bye in the Uefa cup (deja vu ?)
You’ll come unstuck at Anfield, then brood before going up (real) north a couple of weeks later. I’ll be surprised if MJ makes xmas, my money is on Gary Southgate for first chop of the season.
September 17th, 2007 at 3:14 am
There are more arse posts here than spuds!! It must be gut wrentching to have talked so much about your…. wat did Jol say? O yeah … ambition. Surely ambition for a spud is surviving his circumcision without his knob getting infected. Anything more is simply day dreaming. While you are owned by a shifty eyed creepy little freak like levy, nothing will ever be good.
Hopefully when Berbatov leaves in Jan he will come to us. He would be OK wioth a team around him. Then you only have to pay off Bent. Great buy BTW.
TTFN my little eternal failures.
September 17th, 2007 at 11:58 am
oi fightthefuture…..i bet you hate life sometimes aswell? but i suppose thats what being a yido is all about!!
mug!
September 17th, 2007 at 12:30 pm
somtimes i just feel like giving football up altogether, why do spurs have to put through so much pain……..