By Myles Palmer
The more I think about the Liverpool game the more I realise that this is the game where Arsene needed Francis Jeffers.
Such a shame his ankle went again after he scored so many goals for the reserves.
With the Spurs-Bolton game waterlogged,and other matches in the South postponed, some Arsenal fans are worrying about the downpour forecast for Sunday morning.
But I’m not too bothered about that because I once talked to groundsman Steve Braddock about the drainage.
I was with someone, another reporter, can’t remember who,when or why, and we were standing on the touchline of Braddock’s award-winning lawn, and he told us that there are, below the grass, wide trenches full of pebbles which run parallel to each other down the full length of the pitch.
If it rains heavily the day before the match, and on the morning of the match, a huge volume of water will drain away quickly.
I seem to remember that he said the only danger would be if it rains continuously for two days and the rain continued during the match.That seems unlikely.
Nobody is buying Vieira T-shirts any more because everyone thinks he is leaving.
The top seller on the T-shirt stalls these days is Freddie, with Thierry second and then Dennis.
There are whispers that Arsene will start Wiltord.
Instead of Bergkamp? Or in Ljungberg’s position?
I’m not gonna call that one. I’ve made too many predictions that were wrong. I’m not even gonna say what I would do.
Still think Arsenal will win, but will miss Freddie.
Great piece on Jerzy Dudek by Rob Hughes in Sunday Times – don’t miss it.
26th January 2002.
P.S.
One good thing about music, when it hits you feel OK. One good thing about middle age is you have teenage kids who tell you things you don’t know.
Michael’s department were given a week off university, so he’s been back with us.
Two nights ago he says,”Did you know there’s a hidden track on the David Gray album?”
“Is it at the end?”
“No, it’s at the beginning.”
“How do I access it?”
“Go to track 1 and skip backwards.”
So next day I find White Ladder and skip backwards for one minute and 49 seconds and find this little song that sounds like Velvet Underground’s Loaded album with a vocal that seems to be a Bob Dylan pisstake.
If you have the CD, check it out.