Beef Bagel

It’s not the result, is it? It’s the way we played. Actually, it’s the result as well. It all seemed to be going ok until the first goal. We looked solid enough at the back and there’d even been a good effort from Steeeeeed with his run down the left and shot on goal in just the kind of way we’d hope from a man playing in our problem position but it all fell apart. We never seemed to get hold of the ball and on the few occasions that we did we either got dispossessed for our lack of urgency or panicked a wayward pass. Every move we made was under the immediate pressure of a red shirt and nowhere on the field did we get the better of our oldest of enemies. We were quite simply out thought and out played.

I’ll let you into a secret today. Let me tell you a little something about The Bagel. As well as being a many faceted, multi-talented joining of bun and beef, you’re man here has some experience of professional theatre. Many years ago I was involved in a comedy production that, although a very funny piece, one night got no laughs at all and as some of you may know, when you don’t get laughs, where usually do or think you should, it has a tendency to knock one’s confidence a little. So, what do you do? You try harder. You’re waiting in the wings and you can see the actors in the scene before you dieing a death and vow that you’ll burst onto the stage and pick it up. You’ll save the show. But no matter how good your intentions, no matter how much you charge yourself up, the minute you walk out into the lights all of a sudden you feel like you’re wading through treacle and the more you fight it the more it holds you back. Your efforts become desperation and the play slips further away from the cast. That is what I saw in the Spurs performance on Saturday.

After the first goal went in, every second on the ball seemed far too important. Each player was convinced that each touch on the game had to be crucial, that they had to supply the perfect pass and there was a cohesion lost in our play. There was very little team. There were instead eleven players trying to put in their own separate perfect performances. It was only after the third goal went in that they really seemed to stop trying.

That’s the generous way of looking at things. Focusing on the players themselves, you can argue that if they’d really, really wanted it, they could’ve over come anything or perhaps more to the point have come out with all guns blazing, with the ferocious determination that we saw against Chelsea. Where was it? Were the team too aware that on paper, this was a ‘weakened’ Arsenal side; that they weren’t altogether comfortable at their new home; that we had already won the impossible win; that perhaps we did not need to play at 100%? Or were we the fans being unreasonable, asking our team to claim our first three points away from home in a fixture we haven’t won in thirteen years?

No doubt MJ will be giving his own version of the hairdryer treatment as we speak. He probably just stares at the players from very close range until they break down in tears. Failing that he brings out his sharpened clogs and ‘goes training with the boys.’ I’d be glad of such action. The Bagel would agree but MJ needs to take that same long hard look at himself. One could question his tactics. A more physical approach to the game may well have been of some use. To attempt to play Arsenal at their own game on their own turf is probably the hardest way to play them but then one may argue that it was the players, who did not follow their scripts.

“You get caught up in the game and the emotions of the game and don’t always do the right things,” said Ledley, “we didn’t do the things we were supposed to do and we got punished.”

So, that may well have been the case but there is no saving our head honcho for his choice of team and bench. A midfield of Lennon, Malbranque (groin), Zokora and Tainio is not going to be our most solid XI and if this was to the calculated risk that it appeared to be, why was JJ brought on when reverting to the safe option instead of a more defensive Davids or Huddlestone? I was pleased to see Jenas play well but we needed the ball and the big lads are the ones to play that game.

One can also look closely at the decision to throw Tainio straight into the starting line up after coming back from injury, when Big Bad Tom had been working well with Didier Zee and in a game where fitness levels were going to be of paramount importance. Our engine room was the area were we were weakest of all.

I wont be bringing you any transfer news today, although there is a great deal. No true left winger or change in personnel would have made any difference to Saturday’s game. Instead, I congratulate Arsenal for playing on a game well won and trust that the first leg of the derby is something that will stick hard in the minds of our players and our coach and indeed ours too when we come to host our neighbours in April’s return leg. Let’s make it unpleasant.

But just so you don’t walk away wanting to shoot yourselves, The Bagel would like to bring you one small thing that I hope will put a small smile in at least the corners of your mouths and a little faith back in your hearts. Have a look here and a listen too. Genius.

Put another dime in the bagel baby.

The Bagel.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 4th, 2006 at 2:51 pm and is filed under Match Reports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.