Boxing Day, Tuesday 26th December
Happy Holidays. Boxing Day, and after the manager’s last post-match metaphor, we are hoping for a fight that goes the distance. Only one club (West Brom) has been bottom of the Premiership at this time of year and avoided the drop; they too had only won once in the first half of the season so we are not without a precedent for survival. There’s been talk of two possible signings: Marek Saganowski, a Polish striker at French club Troyes who we’ve already sent home after a trial and Billy Sharp of Scunthorpe, who’s netted more than a few in Division 1, including a winner today. I’d rather we got Earnshaw from Norwich but have no idea if he’s willing or available.
I could’ve missed today’s game having left the flat without my season ticket (too busy packing presents to think of football) but Jun checked before we’d passed the point of no return. Then, at the station, there were no mainline trains. Fortunately, with a role as Santa in mind I’d left early enough that a Metropolitan Line tube to Rickmansworth and a taxi on from there still gave us sufficient time to deliver presents to Jake and Teigan at Terri’s before I met Joss on the way to the ground.
The match kicked off at 5.30 and so, ultimately, we were 7 minutes early rather than 8 late (it was billed as 5.15 even on the programme) and we got in and began warming up the vocal chords. Watford started quite brightly and looked quite assured but Arsenal’s speed on the break gave pause for fear even as Foster showed his class again, keeping us in it. Nevertheless, the Gooners were ahead through Silva, man of the match, 20 minutes in after we failed to defend a corner properly. Within 2 minutes though, Young had attempted a clever lob and another 2 minutes later, Hameur Bouazza beat two men and crossed for Tommy Smith to get his first goal for the Horns since his return from Derby.
Arsenal, unsurprisingly, had more possession but we went in at the break even. Not for the first time this season we let the opposing team come out a minute or so before us but any psychological advantage was evidently minute. We kept up the pressure in the second half and Arsenal lost most of their fluid swagger but, worryingly, both Bouazza and Danny Shittu went off injured. I led the Rookery in “Aidy Boothroyd’s Yellow Army” for a good ten minute spell but
to no footballing advantage and Van Persie, who’d been the target of Curly-led “Robin’s a rapist” chants (I didn’t join in) did what he and his team do in the 83rd minute and raced down the right after a defensive clearance, cut inside and put the ball beyond our keeper to give them all the points. Exactly half of our games have now been played and, 9 points adrift, there is so much to do.
Joss (and his new shirt with his name & age on the back) and I walked back and joined the 8 others at Kerry’s for food. We lied and told them Watford had won just so Trevor and Sarah would not be able to boast (Watford-born Gooner fans who don’t even follow the team don’t deserve any better). Presents were distributed and Jun and I had a quick game of “Twister” with Beth (5) and Ethan (7) but there wasn’t enough yellow to keep me interested. Still, you need to play games with kids just to appreciate the time of year. When you’re speculating about whether you can “do a WBA”, Xmas doesn’t seem that merry otherwise.
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