Morning, all.
Blogs is out of motion so I’m overlaying this morning.
As a few of you who comply with me on Twitter will know, I’ve a long-standing disdain for Leeds United. It dates again a few a long time to a pub in Harrogate and an incident with one among their followers who labelled me, “Harry Potter Speccy Twat”.
It’s honest to say, I didn’t take too kindly to that and I’ve been wishing absolutely the worst for them ever since. And look, I’ve had a fairly good run of it…to the purpose, I’ve satisfied myself I could have cursed them. In case you’re going to get in comparison with a wizard, you would possibly as properly channel that vitality. Proper?
There was at all times one thing about Leeds I didn’t like. I reckon I suffered some type of PTSD off the again of all of the FA Cup replays within the early 90s – regardless of what number of occasions you killed them, they simply wouldn’t die – after which, after all, they fucked us twice throughout title run-ins in 1999 and 2003. Solely after the latter, which occurred the identical 12 months as ‘the incident’, did we flip a nook.
When Leeds visited Highbury in April 2004, it was private. From my seat within the North Financial institution Higher, I felt like I used to be conducting Thierry Henry’s masterclass. On the way in which to a 5-0 win, every of the Frenchman’s 4 objectives crossed a line by means of my undesirable alias. Harry Potter Speccy Twat.
“Electrifying, electrifying” was how Martin Tyler described Henry. It actually was. That win will endlessly be one among my favourites at Highbury. We performed with the strut of a workforce that was on the verge of successful the championship and Leeds appeared like a facet destined for relegation. Their destiny was sealed not lengthy after and for 16 years they remained principally out of view, at one level dropping right down to League One and flirting with administration. Oh, how I laughed.
Once we did should face them, the scripts for cup video games had been equally satisfying. Leeds thought that they had us crushed in 2011 just for Cesc Fabregas to disclaim them a giant-killing win with a stoppage-time penalty. After which my private murderer, Henry, did for them a 12 months later, capping his return from America with one of the vital outstanding moments the Emirates has witnessed. I’ve at all times sensed Titi hates Leeds too.
As you’ll be able to think about, when Leeds returned to the highest flight in 2020, I wasn’t greatest happy. Worse was that everybody appeared to have forgotten what despicable cunts they had been. Positive they performed some good soccer below Marcelo Bielsa, however spare me the weekly 5,000-word lengthy reads about it, I believed. My solely consolation was Covid denying their followers the possibility to observe a half-decent workforce in individual.
When Leeds went down a 12 months in the past, I saved my fingers crossed for an additional tumble down the English pyramid. It hasn’t come to cross. In such circumstances, you simply should refactor your expectations. What can be essentially the most painful end result for them, I requested myself.
How about squandering automated promotion, making it to the play-off closing after which dropping at Wembley? That’ll do.
All of which is to say, this morning I’m doing my greatest Nelson Muntz impression – pointing my finger within the common path of Leeds and shouting HAHA.
I used to be out of city yesterday, so I didn’t watch their showdown with Southampton, however because the outcome was confirmed and my practice edged nearer to London, it dawned on me that King’s Cross can be full of depressing Leeds followers making an attempt to get again north.
Positive sufficient, because the doorways opened, there they had been. They got here in all sizes and styles however had one factor in widespread; the unhappiness of their eyes.
I couldn’t assist however grin as I weaved between the white and yellow shirts on my option to the Victoria Line. Sometimes, one would let loose a defiant roar, however his phrases would simply cling within the air like a rancid fart. No one cared to affix in.
I’m a 41-year-old man. This sort of factor shouldn’t make me comfortable. But it surely does. And it at all times will.
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As you could have guessed, it’s a deathly quiet on the Arsenal entrance. After every week off most of the gamers have worldwide friendlies arising. I hope we’ll hear from a few of them this week in any other case it’s going to be bloody quiet on Arseblog Information.
Elsewhere, the massive story to drop yesterday night was about Pep Guardiola doubtlessly standing down as Manchester Metropolis supervisor on the finish of subsequent season. I’ll imagine it once I see it, however can properly think about he’d moderately be elsewhere ought to something come of the 115 expenses which were levelled at his membership. There’s speak of an unbiased fee reviewing the case subsequent spring with a call to comply with a number of months later. Who is aware of what that can convey? Carnage, hopefully.
In the interim, all Arsenal can do is give attention to themselves and, for me, meaning tying down Arteta to a brand new deal and sustaining a stage of stability that places us in the absolute best place to fill the void ought to they be penalised with a factors deduction or extra.
As we all know, Arteta’s present contract ends in a 12 months’s time. Hopefully, we will kind that out sooner moderately than later.
Proper, that’s your lot for right this moment. As I discussed, it’s a financial institution vacation right here so I’m going to profit from it by trawling some Leeds boards.
Have a very good one. Blogs shall be again tomorrow. 
