By Myles Palmer
A good win over Newcastle would represent closure on the October blip. Maybe.
It’s been a worrying time for Arsene lately.Don’t be fooled by that half-smile he uses in interviews.
Four defeats, then a lucky win at Fulham last Sunday, courtesy of a jammy own-goal by Steve Marlet, who miskicked a miskicked corner by Thierry Henry.
Arsenal had chances to win by more than 1-0.
But referee Jeff Winter had a shocker, missing three penalties for Fulham.
There was a gasp in the press box when Sol took out Boa Morte the first time.It was like a rugby tackle off the ball!How did Winter miss it?
The second trip was less obvious, because of Boa Morte’s scrapping,stumbling style.
And there was a third shout late in the game at the other end, all fouls by Sol.
Campbell is not the same player without Keown.He’s better on the left, and he’s been shaky ever since that mistake for England against Macedonia.
But they beat Fulham 1-0. Yes, a win is a win is a win.
But Arsene thinks his team is better than that.
In attack they are. They can be sparkling and fabulous when scoring goals in open play.
Trouble is, can Arsenal defend?
The reserves obviously can’t, throwing away a 2-0 lead against Sunderland, conceding three headers.
So they need a good win against Bobby Robson’s passionate, resourceful side.
Newcastle are not so hot without Craig Bellamy,everybody knows that, but Shearer will relish the absence of Adams and Keown.
Jermaine Jenas might become one of my favourite players. He’s 19, lanky, good engine, a skilful passer who did well against Juventus.
Jenas is an excellent kid who is doing what West Ham’s Michael Carrick always threatened to do,play effectively against top class opposition.
Vieira and Gilberto, two giants, two World Cup winners, should overawe Jenas, should dominate him, terrify him. But don’t bet on it.
Arsenal need three points, a clean sheet, and a performance against Newcastle.They need to restore the faith of the crowd, staff, everybody.
They need a couple of convincing wins to banish neurotic memories of those four 2-1 defeats, and to begin, in that horrible American slang, the process of “closure”.
After 12 Premiership games, what can we say about Liverpool compared to Arsenal?
Well, Houllier’s squad is too big. And he doesn’t play his best team all the time.
And they still kick it long to Owen.They don’t play the beautiful game.
They play the physical game, the percentage game, with a few frills here and there.
However, in the absence of Henchoz, Traore has blossomed. He was their best player against Valencia. They were outclassed by the best team in Europe, but they only lost 1-0.
It’s humiliating to be outclassed, but conceding only one goal demonstrates their determination.
Liverpool are a rugged, hungry team, still evolving, still lacking class, but becoming a formidable machine which can grind out result after result.
They are very strong spinally.That is the key. They have a powerful, consistent spine.
They have Dudek and Kirkland, two keepers who are better than anybody at Arsenal.
Sami Hyypia, a great skipper, is the finest centreback in the Premiership by a country mile.
They have Didi Hamann, a tenacious anchorman,but not as talented as Vieira.
Oddly, Houllier played Gerrard wide against Valencia. Hamman and Diao were solid, but never made a creative pass.
When right winger Rufete scored after 33 minutes Houllier should have moved Gerrard inside immediately.
Like Joe Cole, but unlike Beckham, Gerrard does his best work from the middle of the field.
But, clearly, there is something about the Gerrard-Hamann axis which Houllier does not like,some kind of imbalance.
These Liverpool players have never been champions.So they really want it.
And they have the most improved Premiership player over the last 18 months, Danny Murphy.
I watch Liverpool closely to see if they are improving week by week, slipping back, or staying the same.
They may drop points at Middlesbrough because they are thinking about Basle. But Basle are rubbish. I’m 95% sure Liverpool will win over there.
Rob Hughes was in Switzerland two weeks ago and saw Basle draw 2-2 with Valencia and he told me Valencia were playing at 20%.
ROBERT PALMER was a guest on BBC Breakfast when I was on the bike without wheels today.
He said that his current record label Universal has bought his previous labels, Island and Phonogram, so he can now put out a good compilation.
While I was watching this I realised that Robert Palmer has been one of my favourite singers for,wait for it, 30 years.
A considerable artist and a great rhythm singer, maybe the best rhythm singer the UK has produced.
I remember Robert in Vinegar Joe, a group I saw many times in clubs and colleges, a sixpiece which included Elkie Brooks, whose version of Lawdy Miss Clawdy rocked as hard as Little Richard.
One night I was at the Albert Hall and Jethro Tull were a bit too loud, so I got a cab to the Music Workshop, a club behind Oxford Circus, where Vinegar Joe were playing a late gig.
I was friendly with Elkie and Pete Gage, her guitarist boyfriend, and knew they had been playing in Wales the night before, so I asked Pete,”How was Swansea?” He paused and then said,”It doesn’t get any nearer.”
After the gig the group gave me a lift. As we bombed up Seven Sisters Road, Robert was banging out an infectious beat on a table in the back of the van, singing a Dr. John number, everyone wailing along, great music, good fun. They dropped me outside the Rainbow in Finsbury Park at about
2.a.m. .
When Robert went solo, that was the direction he explored. I’ve seen three of his gigs and all were excellent, esp. the Town & Country Club.
Nostalgia,the vice of the middle-aged.
Especially late at night, like this.Denis Law, Cassius Clay, Jock Stein, Elvis – those were the days….
November 7th 2002.