Birmingham City 1, Arsenal 1: Colin Tattum's big match verdict
Mar 29 2010 by Colin Tattum, Birmingham Mail
WHEN it comes to Arsene Wenger, I can’t help thinking of that classic Kenneth Williams line from Carry On Cleo.
‘‘Infamy! Infamy! They’ve all got it in for me!”
Wenger couldn’t help himself again at St Andrew’s, a ground that has turned into Arsenal’s temple of doom.
He will have you believe that sides like Blues try to boot them out of the game.
Allude to Martin Taylor – yet again – and voilà! Arsenal are the wronged, the untouchables.
To paraphrase Kenneth Williams this time, I wish he would stop messing about.
Wenger watched a Blues side a mirror image of his own in the first half. Blues passed the ball around like it was an object to be cherished.
Arsenal committed two cynical fouls that earned yellow cards as they struggled to get into their rhythm in the period. Blues’ approach is no longer based around an ice-hockey manual.
Sure, they don’t hold back, they harried and hassled. Craig Gardner’s challenge on Cesc Fabregas – which Wenger brought up afterwards – was described as ‘‘robust’’ by Alex McLeish, just as robust as Denilson’s that scissored Gardner at waist height in the centre circle.
Even Fabregas, in a pre-match interview, praised the change in Blues.
‘‘I like their style ... they are trying to play,’’ he said.
A shame, then, the juxtaposition of Wenger raking up the Taylor-Eduardo incident of two years ago, saying he still didn’t forgive him and that Blues’ fans were ‘‘stupid’’ to sing songs backing Tiny at the Emirates.
They do that, Arsene, because of the way you have assassinated a decent man’s character, the way Eduardo claimed Taylor never bothered visiting him – and the lack of grace and humility you show, witnessed yet again here.
And it’s why, when Wenger threw his arms out wide in that mock victim-like pose after a couple of decisions didn’t go Arsenal’s way, thousands of Blues fans stood up and copied him, mocking: ‘‘Let’s all do a Wenger, la, la, la, la’’.
It’s a funny chant and dance that ridiculed such pomposity and, you can bet, will be soon adopted by fans around the country.
All this is a shame, really. It doesn’t have to be this way. I like Wenger’s philosophy, his teams can be a thing of beauty.
