24th and 27th April 2002

[Craig_H]

Just watching Premiership Years and those two dates were so pivotal...

on 24th April, Arsenal beat West Ham 2-0 at Highbury. But while the score was 0-0, Kanoute scored a perfectly good goal, which the officials decided to rule out, because they didnt think the ball crossed the line - replays were conclusive and the ball DID cross the line. That win put Arsenal on 78 points, with us on 74 (Man Utd on 73).

Then, on 27th April, we went to Spurs and lost 1-0.

Had things been differently, Arsenal would've lost and remained on 78 points, we would've won and moved upto 77 points. Who knows what may have happened...

Obviously ifs and buts, and it was 5 years ago, it's been and gone etc...

But it just goes to show how fine the margins are and emphasises the importance to get off to a good start next weekend. Every point can make a difference, even those earned in the early months. They all count come May.

We have to get off to a winning start. The other 3 all have easy home games which they'll win. Ours is the 'tricky' away game and if any of the top 4 are to fail to win on the opening weekend, all fingers would point to us.

Psychologically, it's so important to win at Villa.

All hands to the pump, we've simply gotta go for it this season and look at these type of games as ones to WIN, rather than to just not lose.

Over to you Rafa!

[rushscored4]

All hands to the pump, we've simply gotta go for it this season and look at these type of games as ones to WIN, rather than to just not lose

Our record in the Premiership against the other teams in the "top four" has been pretty awful in recent years. The so-called experts go on about how far behind we are but had we beaten Chelsea home and away the season before last instead of losing both games we'd have finished on 88 points ahead of them on 85 and Man Utd on 83. The Chavs won their first nine league games that season (2005 - 2006) whilst we only won two of our first nine, both 1-0 home wins against Sunderland (who finished bottom) and Blackburn. Our first away win was the same weekend Chelsea lost their first match in November. We drew at home to the Mancs that year but a very late winner from Rio Ferdinand at Old Trafford in January ultimately meant we finished third instead of second.

As you said, Syd, it's all about "ifs and buts"...

[andyinswinton]

Thats an interesting post and goes to show that sometimes the difference between success and failure can be very fine indeed, sometimes you can trace something back to one particular point.

That was the season that Houllier said we was ten games from greatness wasn't it and the season where Arsenal won around a dozen games in a row towards the end?

I think the closest to winning it was when Roy Evans was in charge when we lost at home to Coventry on a Sunday when United was faltering. If we had won that game, we would have gone on and won the league.