A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

22nd March 1994 Arsenal 2 Manchester United 2.

This game was one of the most extraordinary games I have ever attended. The atmosphere an ugly and tense one, the weather dark and bitter as Man Utd arrived dressed in their new black looking like Nazi storm troopers. Amongst their ranks the villain of the moment Eric Cantona, the cod philosopher who had been sent off four days earlier, and deservedly so, against Swindon.

United led twice in the game courtesy of Lee Sharpe this meant having to endure the sight of him doing that awful Elvis impersonation at the corner flag. Twice Arsenal struck back via an own goal and a superb Merson drive. Save for a wrongly ruled off side winner from Arsenal this game would have resulted in an Arsenal victory.

http://youtu.be/1Ch4NZIkBrY

Merse

We were fresh from our victory over Torino and United were in a poor spell, but United were at that time the most hated team in the land and the atmosphere of hostility transmitted itself onto the pitch with one or two unsavoury challenges.

Then the peak of animosity was reached when Cantona was given his marching orders for a clumsy challenge on Adams; I have never heard a player so roundly vilified by an Arsenal crowd until Ashley Cole on his first return to Arsenal with Chelsea.

At the final whistle the crowd knew that they had taken part in an extraordinary night of football. It felt like a boxing match between two sluggers who would not drop.

Manchester United went on to win the League and FA Cup and Arsenal achieved the improbable by winning the European Cup winners Cup. Both teams were soon to undergo major transformations.

But this was a night that was and is unforgettable

Arsenal (4-3-3): Seaman; Dixon, Adams, Bould, Winterburn; Jensen, Selley, Davis (Campbell, 69); Smith, Wright, Merson. Substitutes not used: Keown, Miller (gk).

Manchester United (4-4-2): Schmeichel; Parker, Bruce, Pallister, Irwin; Giggs, Keane, Ince, Sharpe (Robson, 83); Hughes, Cantona. Substitutes not used: Robson, Sealey (gk).

Comments

Reasons to be cheerful?

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"IF WE BEHAVE LIKE THEM, THEN WHAT IS THE POINT IN WINNING? "- John Connor

"The future has not been written. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves. I wish I could believe that."-John Connor To overcome Skynet was not easy, it involved time, belief and an indomitable human spirit. To beat a machine equipped with superior weaponry and a ruthless access to resources to increase its arsenal took ingenuity and a "never say die" attitude. Abu Dhabi is the ground zero of Skynet and Manchester CXV are the Terminators. The thing about Skynet is that there are no qualms about what their aim is, there are no notions of fairness. "Listen, and understand! Manchester CX are out there! They can't be bargained with. They can't be reasoned with. They doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And they absolutely will not stop... ever, until someone stops them flagrantly breaking rules"-Kyle Reese In a landscape where one team dominates it is up to a resistance to topple them, this is made hard when using resources that were ga...

HATE

Then Now Earlier today Captain Kirk sent me the following video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sG1f-v88-kU&sns=em To say it is both disturbing and upsetting is an understatement. We see the beautiful game as something of a mirror to society and try to look on the community of supporters as a positive force. A set of human beings with some values borne out of an understanding of what this great sport of ours can give us. However, it takes a certain amount of myopia from the Football Authorities to proclaim that all is well. The issues that were amplified over the weekend at Old Trafford cannot be trivialised when we see the full extent of hatred; in any form. The violence is shocking as we see people attacked on a basis that is a result of flawed thinking, and the powers that be proclaim all is well; all is not well. So when I look at those images, I have to ask myself this… http://youtu.be/6RVDQgVxprE

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