Who remembers Arsenal v Watford 1986?

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From Adam Katz : Arsenal v Watford

hi Myles,

Hope you are in fine fettle this morning.

I’ve been reading your work for many years now and find your incisive analysis and betting greengrocer engrossing .

Anyway I have a question for you and your galaxy of followers.

It is regarding two Arsenal fixtures against Watford in 1986.

Normally this would be as mundane a subject as you could imagine but these two games stand out as they were played on consecutive days –31st March and 1st April with no rest day.

I am puzzled how this circumstance could prevail and have no memory of these two humiliating defeats at the hands of ‘little Watford.’

Please could you or somebody out there explain the history behind these fixtures, as I am not sleeping at night over this anomaly.

Anyway, back to work- keep blogging the truth about the Emperor.

Myles says :

Wish I could be incisive this morning

In those games Brian Talbot , who’d joined Watford in the summer of ’85, spent a lot of time kicking Steve  Williams, who had replaced him in the Arsenal team. If you ever saw Steve play, you’ll know that Steve kicked him back.
 
When Steve Williams was great, he was phenomenal.
 
An athletic, skilful ball-winning half-back with superb passing ability.
My kind of footballer player: dynamic & classy.
 
The background that season was dire. Don Howe had left after the board’s attempt to sign up Terry Venables had been made public and I was in the press room after the match when Don told us he had resigned. That was something I had never experienced before. A shocker.
 
Steve Burtenshaw became caretaker until the end of the season.
The club was more than £1million in debt after Don had signed England stars like Paul Mariner whose best days were behind them, and crowds were down to below 20,000.
 
That was the backdrop against which George Graham took over a few months later.
 
That season the fixture list was compressed towards the end of the season to help England’s preparations for the 1986 World Cup finals. Our preparations didn’t include Lineker or Barnes punching the ball into the net in every practice match.
 
Had a chat with Gambling John last night, as it happens.

Three weeks ago we sat in the van as John explained his new system.

He now bets in play on a phone app that gives you real time data from all matches everywhere 24/7.

He loves BTS and Over 2.5 goals.

Last week he put £20 each on two games and won £525 and said he was lucky because his final game was 1-1 when it went into stoppage time.

After 92 minutes his phone screen went blank. That means it’s either the final whistle or a goal.

When his screen came back……. it was a goal.

Unlike some gamblers, John tells you when he loses as well as when he wins.

Last night John said, “I was unlucky yesterday. It was Werder Bremen U-19s against Borussia Dortmund U-19s and it was 1-1 in the second half and Werder got a penalty. But they miss it. Then, soon after,  they get another penalty. But they miss that as well. So the match is almost over.

But right at the end Dortmund get a penalty.

Dortmund missed as well – and John lost.