Arsenal America

Richard Hughes late in the second half puts one past Chris Kirkland, thus sending us to the South Coast and setting us up for another case of “twice in one week” between FA Cup and League fixtures. With as many times as we’ve had this happen to us this season (Middlesbrough, Chelsea and now Portsmouth), you’d think the Premiership was becoming the NBA and MLB, all these “series”…

The underlying subtext to all this, of course, is a game of empire building that’s been so prevalent all season long. Hughes as recently as today drove home not only a goal against Liverpool, but another nail in the coffin that will rest the corpse of the old Liverpool dynasty. Meanwhile, another army in blue was smacked twice in one week by, who was that?…oh yeah, ARSENAL; showing “contenders” to be mere PREtenders to the throne, and for one season at least, the crown will not be bought and paid for by Russian blood money.

But let’s ask Sir Alex, the current emperor, just how heavy the head that wears the crown is. As pretty much all of us have commented this week,,the man is, once again, losing it. Remember 2002, when his rants got more and more incomprehensible and outrageous the closer Arsenal got to the fortress walls? He still remembers how we took “his” title that He was entitled to in this, his RETIREMENT YEAR, when the Treble was his by DIVINE MUTHAFUGGIN RIGHT and all should bow down to his Scotsness! Well, we all know how that worked out, and thus did Sir Alex unretire, to stick around, like some strange Scottish Bobby Knight, just waiting for the “right” moment.

Meanwhile, we learned our lesson from last season, and have change our tactics on the mental battlefield. We learned the harsh lesson that talking $hit angers the football gods no matter what code you play under. Yet, as one dynasty is laid to rest and entombed, another fails to get off the ground, and another restarts its decline…

I can’t help but see another one rise in its place. 2002 may have been a false start, but it could merely have been signs and portents of what’s to come.

— Geoff