The latest entry in my sporting diary of 2018, as Arsenal lose another away match, and the world of football pays tribute to Cyrille Regis.
Another weekend, another defeat for Arsenal. People seem genuinely amazed when I express my lack of surprise after defeats against the likes of Stoke, Watford, Forest, and Bournemouth. Nothing this Arsenal team does surprises you anymore. Well, maybe taking a 1-0 lead and successfully shutting up shop would be a bit of a shock. But it's hard to see that happening.
If one player could sum up Arsenal, then step forward Theo Walcott. Bags of potential, shows flashes of promise, yet ultimately fails to deliver. It's hard to be too critical of Theo, though. He gave us 12 years of service, and there were some good memories along the way; two goals in Cup finals; Anfield '08; his stretcher moment against Tottenham; getting that coffee machine from his wife. I hope he does well at Everton (but not against Arsenal, obviously).
One tiny bit of positive news for us Arsenal supporters was the fact that Manchester City lost their unbeaten record in the Premier League against Liverpool. I'm not going to gloat about City losing - they're a fine team, and could conceivably win four trophies this season - but it does go to show that Arsenal's 2003/04 achievement should never be under valued.
You do have to feel a bit for Preston when discussions about unbeaten seasons kick off. In this "since the Premier League began" era of Sky, their Invincibles are often forgotten. I know they played 22 matches and that the modern game is completely different from the 19th century - unless you agree with Jose Mourinho about West Ham's visit to Stamford Bridge in 2014 - but let's show Preston a little respect, as Erasure put it.
I've always said that one day cricket is much more important than Test matches (that's a lie). So I'm glad we hammered Australia in the first ODI, or the real Ashes as I'm now calling it. Also good that Europe beat Asia 14-10 in the EurAsia Cup, or the real Ryder Cup, as I'm now calling it. It might be a bit of a stretch to convert the Carabao Cup into the Champions League, though.
The sad news about Cyrille Regis really hit me hard. Growing up, I only really had eyes for Arsenal players, but there were a few exceptions such as Neville Southall and big Cyrille. Regis really did lay the foundations for black footballers in this country, taking the heaps of abuse that he received from the terraces and using it in a positive way. Silencing the racists through his performances, it seems staggering that Cyrille only made five appearances for England.
I always recall that he came across as a real gent in interviews, and this has been reflected in all the tributes that rightfully came his way this week. It's also telling just how many football supporters have declared their admiration for a player that didn't even play for the club of their choice. When someone like Cyrille unites football supporters in this way, then you know this person was special. RIP Cyrille.
I went to watch Boreham Wood v Gateshead in the FA Trophy on Tuesday night. I'm not sure if it's my age, but I've never felt so cold at a football match. My teeth started chattering at one point, and the combination of the wintry weather, a pint of Guinness, and my weak bladder, meant I was constantly nipping off to the toilet. No one told me about all these issues when I was a lad.
My mood was not helped when Gateshead turned a 1-0 half-time deficit into a 2-1 win. Throughout the match I felt that Boreham Wood needed that second goal, and I was a little anxious when a number of chances were spurned. You always leave yourself open to a sucker punch, or two. Looks like I have to cancel our trip to Maidstone now. That's a sentence I never thought I'd write in my life.
I'm not sure when football jumped the shark, but news that Alexis Sanchez might be getting wages of £400,000 a week at Manchester United made me wonder if one day people will wake up and think enough is enough. The amount of money in the sport at the top level is obscene, and it's normally supporters who have to foot the bill.
How much money do these people (and their extremely lucky agents) need? They bang on about how short a career they have, but maybe they should get another job after their footballing days come to an end. I'd love to see Lionel Messi running a pub, Cristiano Ronaldo working as a postman, or Neymar having a window cleaning round. Sadly, a messy night in the Messi Arms isn't likely to happen any time soon, though.
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