By Tony Attwood
Yes indeed, here we go with the last game and there’s nothing to play for, since we have done it all. And since you are unlikely to read it anywhere else, I shall say it again… Arsenal have got over twice as many points as Tottenham this season. And Arsenal have a goal difference that is 53 better than Tottenham.
Quite a lot really!
1
Arsenal
37
25
7
5
69
26
43
82
2
Manchester City
37
23
9
5
76
33
43
78
3
Manchester United
37
19
11
7
66
50
16
68
4
Aston Villa
37
18
8
11
54
48
6
62
17
Tottenham Hotspur
37
9
11
17
47
57
\-10
38
18
West Ham United
37
9
9
19
43
65
\-22
36
And rather wonderfully, we have won the league, and even the BBC have said they might phone me up tomorrow morning for a word of two on Radio 5 (although don’t hold your breath, events can get in the way). Besides, it will only be a word or two, so nothing to demand a change of routine, but even so, it is nice of them to ask.
Thus, here we are with the first league title since the Unbeaten Season and oh how I can remember that sequence of games and indeed that very last game… We had won three and drawn four of the games running up to 9 May 2004, which was a 0-1 away win against Fulham. So our form was not at its best, but it was still unbeaten. Here is that run up, just for old times sake…
Date
Game
Res
Score
9 Apr 2004
Arsenal v Liverpool
W
4-2
11 Apr 2004
Newcastle United v Arsenal
D
0-0
16 Apr 2004
Arsenal v Leeds United
W
5-0
25 Apr 2004
Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal
D
2-2
1 May 2004
Arsenal v Birmingham City
D
0-0
4 May 2004
Portsmouth v Arsenal
D
1-1
09 May 2004
Fulham v Arsenal
W
0-1
15 May 2004
Arsenal v Leicester City
W
2-1
In that final game, Leicester took the lead just before the half hour, but Henry scored a penalty straight after half time, and then to crown the season, Patrick Vieira got the winner just after the one hour mark. So the league finished with Arsenal the unbeaten champions, and a lot of us were rather pleased. I can still remember…
But back to the present, what of the recent form?
Premier League Form (Last 6)
Pos
Team
P
W
D
L
F
A
GD
Pts
1
Manchester C
6
4
2
0
13
5
+8
14
5
Arsenal
6
4
0
2
8
4
+4
12
18
Crystal Palace
6
0
3
3
5
13
\-8
3
Yes indeed, it is rather droll that over the last six games we have won the league and the Mancs have had a better set of results. Oh well…
But I can still remember driving around the North Circular Road after the game in 2004, and there were fans dancing in the road, which, if you know the NCR, you will know that was pretty amazing. It was 5mph all the way around.
As for Crystal Palace, I don’t think they were in the top league at the time, so I’ll have to revert to contemporary matters now.
The current comparison shows what we might expect – a significant advantage for Arsenal in every statistic – Arsenal have won over twice as many, lost just over one third of the number Palace have lost, scored 29 more goals and conceded 23 fewer goals, giving Arsenal a goal difference that is 52 better than Palace. And just because the figures are so nice here, they are…
1
Arsenal
37
25
7
5
69
26
43
82
15
Crystal Palace
37
11
12
14
40
49
\-9
45
But as ever, of course, we need to compare home and away results just to make sure Arsenal still have a chance.
15
Crystal Palace home
18
4
9
5
18
21
\-3
21
1
Arsenal away
18
10
5
3
28
15
13
35
The figures clearly suggest an Arsenal win by a goal or two. Or maybe more, although we might also note that no one from either side is going to be so silly as to risk an injury just before they go on holiday. In their last six games, Palace have lost three and drawn three, including 3-0 defeats to both Bournemouth and the Mancs, although both were away games.
So my guess is they might not mind just getting this over and done with, although I do expect them to have the traditional courtesy of applauding Arsenal onto the pitch…