One Good Draw Deserves Another

Gripping stuff, wasn't it? Porto and the Gunners stretched each other to the limit in a scintillating 0-0 draw tonight, and don't let me hear you sniggering at the back of the class Henry!

The two Champions League protagonists shared four shots on target, although the hosts managed to whack six high or wide compared to our one. The corners too, at 5-4, showed the nature of the contest.

No nasty tackles or tempers fraid, hence no bookings, and Markus Merk has taken another step closer to the top of the refereeing ladder. 41,500 fans had a bit of a jeer at the end but I doubt anybody will be asking for their money back. Both teams qualified for the knockout phase and will be satisfied with a job well done.

Now comes the hard bit. As group winners we cannot draw Porto again so the seven candidates are...(you'd better sit down before reading on)...Barcelona, Inter, PSV, Roma, Real Madrid, Celtic, or Lille. The two Italian sides cannot draw AC Milan, and the two Spanish giants cannot draw Valencia, both group winners. Statistically the chances of us pulling one of those four out of the hat is pretty damned good.

Should we be worried, especially after getting Real at this stage last season, and in the words of Bob Hoskins, "Madrid, we've shit 'em!". We've got some time now to heal aching bodies and build confidence in the system that Wenger will want to carry into the knock-out phase.

Let's put it out of our minds and concentrate on the little matter of plundering three points from the Tapping Up and Shunters Social Club on Sunday.

An update on the polonium story. Apparently the ground was given the all clear last Friday, but investigations resumed after Saturdays events. A number of visiting supporters left the ground long before the end of the game, complaining of synptoms such as feeling sick, and hair loss! The authorities have put it down to S.A.D. disorder (Spurs Ashburton Defeat).