Jesus, that sacrifice hit me this morning. I stropped around the house telling an uninterested girlfriend that 'the lads will be on the M6 by now,' 'they'll be parked up' and 'I wonder who'll be at the Sandon Wall now'. I love opening day and to miss this one with spare tickets flying round like Sven's loyalty it was hard to stick to my guns. First games set the tone for the rest of the season. Spurs away last season was a kick in the teeth that led to seventh while Sunderland the year before offered plenty. Going back to 2003, when nouveau rich Chelsea visited it was clear that a party was starting somewhere and we hadn't been given the address.
The game itself was petrifying as the best games always are. We didn't cave in to the early pressure and hopes started rising once the midfield got to grips with their passing triangles. We were nowhere near scoring but neither were they and that was fine with me. All I wanted to see was a lot more passion and a bit of nice interplay. Dirk annoyed the hell out of Clichy and Milan mixed things up with a bruising run that took me back to Heskey's better days and there's nothing wrong with that. Ask Rooney and Drogba.
The sending off was harsh. Sky can gob off all they like but this 'two feet in the air' talk from Merson and his band of mouth breathers is ridiculous. It was a yellow at best. Had that tackle been committed away from the baying hordes of Gooners (and, to be fair, we'd have been the same) it might have seen a different outcome. Welcome to Liverpool, Joe.
Another downside of my Pyrrhic boycott is the reliance on Sky for the home games. I was still confused by the sending off so made sure I saw as many replays as possible at half time. For those fortunate enough to miss the coverage, Sky missed it too. They replayed Johnson's shot and then cut back to the Arsenal fans and their lad on the floor. They showed one slowed action replay and then many more close ups of the red card just to make sure that we didn't miss Cole's expression at the big moment. Now, bearing in mind that this is nowhere near the pundits box Merson and Redknapp must have relied on the same pictures. Even handed Paul Merson couldn't send him off quick enough. Andy Gray, the stormtrooper of fairness, felt the same but 'Joe can feel a bit unlucky there.' Huh? A sending off but an unlucky one? Surely that can't be right, Andrew. It gets better. At one point Hairy Hands asked the panel if the referee should take into account the player's character when deciding on the colour of the card. What next? References? Even Redknapp screwed his face up at that thought. This man fronts the biggest football show in the nation and he thinks that personality is a factor in distributing. 'Kick away, mate. I know that you're not like that really.'
Still, I suppose it works for Paul Scholes…
Full marks to Carragher for not just avoiding the post match 'please slag Rafa off' question but for pointing out that that was the point. They really are the biggest collection of imbeciles gathered in front of a camera. The BBC are no better. Hodgson's response to the red card was that he could understand why Cole was sent off given his position on the pitch. Their pull quote? 'Hodgson can understand Cole red card'. Not quite the same thing is it? I stopped getting angry about the press years ago as it's a battle I can never win but the shameful act under the guise of objective broadcasting still rankles with me. If anyone sees Sky as impartial they should listen to Gray's bullshit chuckle at the aforementioned Scholes apologising to whichever poor bastard he's just decapitated.
So, that was day one of Hodgson's New Waves of Light. Not perfect but pretty impressive. No one had a bad game, Johnson had his best ninety minutes for a year, Mascherano didn't hide and Ngog now has goals against Arsenal and Man U. Not a bad start for a kid who might end up at West Brom. Pepe will have an uneasy night but he's done far more good than bad. A win would have been great but a draw with that performance is good enough. City are beatable and if we play like that we'll have a chance.
I should stay away more often.