[video]http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17164940[/video] Anyone who says any rubbish about Arsenal V Spurs/Spurs V Arsenal not being the biggest games of the season for either club doesn't know anything about the North London Derby. I hear some crap spouted about Man U games being bigger etc, absolute bull crap. It is all about the derby game, if you are from the manor you know the truth
Very interesting insight there from Mabbutt near the start, in my opinion. You can tell that Parlour wants to tell Keown to shut up when he's making excuses, though! Cheers for posting this, Hothead. Interesting to see how the ex-players see it, without the need for a neutral voice.
I just noticed a very young Piskie wearing his Father Christmas kit ( he still believes !!) soon after Parlour starts talking. How sweet.
League table and position wise the Man Utd game is a bigger one for Spurs, like it used to be for Arsenal for many years. However for bragging rights and pure passion no other game in the PL comes close to the NLD.
One interesting comment from Parlour was that Wenger sets up his teams to play their way, rather than to stop the opponents playing. Apart from underlining what's ultimately wrong with Wenger's tactics, the fact is this comment isn't technically correct: Wenger's first Arsenal team had Viera and Petit in midfield to do just that, and its no coincidence they won the Double (plus the Charity Shield) that year, whilst Edu and Gilberto Silva in that role of the Invincibles team of 2004.
It's been one of Song's problems recently, in my opinion. He doesn't pay enough attention to playing the holding role. He's improved some aspects of his game, but at a cost to the team.
Totally agree, its a nice little insight into the game from their point of view. Keown was trying to be a little too diplomatic.
I think that Keown's a bit of a Wenger loyalist. He'll defend him to the best of his ability, even when he might not actually deserve it.
That's what Wenger has, as well as Dalglish and Ferguson, that most other Premier League managers don't - their Old Boys supporting them in the media. On the flip side, the constant chopping and changing of managers at Chelsea means none of them will ever get public support - except Mourinho, given the man crush the tabloid hacks all have on him.
