Arsenal (H) - Wed 26th April, 20:00 | Pre-Match Thread

[Eric Hitchmough]

City v Arsenal April 10th 1937..

On this date City and Arsenal were fighting it out for the old Division 1 league championship and ,there are many similarities between their title fight as described by Philip Neale in his brilliant book " who says City Couldn't Play "
The story of Manchester city FC becoming league champions 1936/7.

Going into the game city had 17 succesiv6 games without defeat and had recently trounced Liverpool home and away with star striker Peter Doherty showing his class.
We were the only team in the division to have beaten Arsenal at Highbury ( a 3-1 victory..) and City had done the double against Arsenal the previous season..the omens were good.

Arsenal were top of the league and City ,2nd and a point behind..sought to beat them and overturn the points deficit,in what was descried,nationally, as the game of the season.It could not be described as a title decider,there were still too many games to go for that..

City's biggest crowd of the season assembled at Maine road,74,918 and Manchester police implemented emergency traffic laws to ease congestion around the stadium,dreaming up a one way system around the ground!

Arsenal started the better and for 30 mins sliced through the City defence like a hot knife through butter( gulp)..but Frank Swift kept them at bay and proved once again what a talented and dependable keeper he was.

After half an hour City supporters had grown nervous and restless,however a sliced clearance by an arsenal defender led to golden boy Peter Doherty ,who from an impossible tight angle ,opened the scoring..

As City took the lead the roar of the home crowd could be heard much further afield than the Moss Side district

The goal was a catalyst for a complete change in the pattern of play and the powerful Arsenal team,Inc the great Cliff Bastin,crumbled ..
Eric Brook came forward down the wing and found Toseland who struck the ball home and the murmurs of disquiet from the crowd were forgotten

City 2 Arsenal 0.

Come on you Blue boys tonight ,..a repeat of history from April 1937 is very much required..but without the opening 30 mins of nerves please!!

And yet within 10 minutes of the match starting those sad pricks will wheel out their favourite “shit club no history” song

 

[mac]

All depends on Rodri tonight imo. He's at it and we'll be ok.

Too right , generally if he plays well so do we.

 

[Crooked_rain]

Completely agree.

The atmosphere needs to be as hostile as we can muster,we need to ensure the ref is influenced as much as possible and that their game plan is sussed early doors.

The Arsenal players can be intimidated,they also have a couple of hot heads.....we need to exploit that while simultaneously playing them off the park.

Yeah, their arse's dropped at Anfield when their fans got going

 

[GaudinoMotors]

Too right , generally if he plays well so do we.

Exactly - he's the drummer on a galley ship. Hopefully "ramming speed" tempo.

 

[BlueMoonRisin’]

Reckon Viking Smash! will end his lengthy 123 minute scoring drought with a bang tonight.

We should have loan him to Ashton United when we had the chance Seb; )

 

[horlock_was_super]

I only saw one magpie on the way to work this morning....................

 

[micky_blue]

Saka,Jesus,Martinelli and Gabriel will be at their shithousery best.......and i wonder when their keeper will feign injury while the other 10 fuckers run across for a team talk by their shitehawk manager?

Every **** trick in the book will be on show tonight,expect a lot of stop/starts and not as much free flowing football as a game like this should produce.

If and when that happens, some of our players need to go and stand in the middle of them

 

[lancs blue]

I only saw one magpie on the way to work this morning....................

Old wives tale, I've only seen one at a time for the last 3 weeks, it's been more like a good omen.

 

[Chippy_boy]

Every **** trick in the book will be on show tonight,expect a lot of stop/starts and not as much free flowing football as a game like this should produce.

Funnily enough, I think it's going to be end to end, fast and frantic - especially as the game goes on and they get more and more desperate. I think it will be a cracker.

When I look back on many of our 7-nils, 6-1's etc, often they were quite tight games for the 1st half and then we score 1 or 2, and then when the opponents get desperate, their defending goes to pieces and the floodgates open. I am expecting same. I am hugely confident of a big win. I think we will batter them*




* Not tempting fate at all ;-) !!???!

BTW, Haaland to score 4+

 

[BufordUSABlue]

I only saw one magpie on the way to work this morning....................

I saw one as well so that's two!! We will be fine now mate !