Arsenal on Boxing Day down the Tube, Arsene

How’s your luck, eh? Pretty impressive at City and get nowt. Pretty ordinary at Villa and sneak a win. That’s football, though, right? At least we battled on last night and were trying for force the victory until the death. What is it AW says about spirit? Well, we’ve got plenty of it anyway.

So please for the Yossi Benayoun. Always admired him as a very tidy player, a player who you couldn’t really dislike. Perhaps he needs more opportunities. It was heartening to hear his name replace that of Nasri in the “na na na” song.

As for the issue of persistent standing…er, well where I was everyone persistently stood. The stewards didn’t once ask us to take our seats, although they were quite hot on standing in the aisles. Let’s face it, enforcing the rules laid down by Brum City Council is impossible. So, will we receive a reduced ticket allocation next season? Time will tell.

Lots of decent banter at the game and I couldn’t help but smile as the away support belted out: “We are the Arsenal, we’ll stand when we want!” Such rebellion! I do hope the bloke who had a fit at half-time recovers well and fair players to the stewards and police who attended him.

We looked jaded last night – AW admitted as much but the proof was in the eating of the pudding - and I wonder if the decision this morning to put back the Boxing Day game by 24 hours has been influenced by that? The industrial action on the tubes may or may not take place but it is a handy excuse to allow our troops an extra day’s rest isn’t it? Has AW pulled a fast one? And why not? Or is it just my conspiratorial mind?

So, we’ve got Boxing Day at home for a second year on the bounce then? Me? I shall now be at the Nye Camp for the biggest derby clash in world football: Bognor Regis Town v Worthing. Come on you Rocks!

CARL ELDRIDGE – Digging out my Rocks rattle on Twitter @eldomedia