The way I see it - Arsenal v Bolton Wanderers

Last updated : 17 September 2004 By Jason Hogan

And I would bet good money that there were hundreds, in amongst the thousands of Arsenal fans, doing just that whilst trudging out of Highbury at around ten o'clock on Tuesday night even though we had seen off PSV in our opening Champions League game.

Well yes, I know that the Arsenal didn't put on a vintage display. Yes, I know that the result will not send shockwaves throughout the rest of Europe and yes, I know that the press and the media were sadly predictable in that they used both of those facts as ammunition to have a cheap pop at us.

However, my fellow Gooners, it's at times like this when it often pays to have a fairly long memory because I for one can remember all too vividly two occasions where we have come out first time up in the Champions League, played ten times better than we did on Tuesday night and failed to win at all.

The first occasion was six years ago when we went to Italy and played Fiorentina. We played the Italians off the park, made chance after chance, Kanu missed a penalty and we ended up drawing 0-0. We paid for that later on in that campaign because when we played them in the return fixture at Wembley, we again dominated the game only for Gabriel Batistuta to pop up late on and score the goal that not only won Fiorentina the game but put us out of the tournament.

The second occasion came a year later when we went to France to play the then French champions, Lens. Again, we absolutely murdered this lot, again we made chance after chance and the fact that we were only leading by a goal to nil come stoppage time baffles me to this very day.

Then what happened? Lens went and bundled in an equaliser from a corner with the very last kick of the game. And, just like Fiorentina did the year before, Lens came to Wembley later on in the campaign beat us 1-0 and again we were out of the Champions League.

If the doom and gloom merchants amongst you all haven't grasped what I am driving at yet then allow me to spell it out for you. Would you all rather that we went through a repeat of the scenarios I have just mapped out? Or would you have even liked us to start off the way we did last year against Inter Milan and come back form the dead just to make the knock out stages? I know I wouldn't.

The fact is there are times in life where you have to lighten up and be thankful for what you've got because sometimes the alternatives turn out to be far worse and that, more than anything, was why I was delighted that we won on Tuesday night.

And even if you STILL do not wish to take my word for anything, I remember reading an interesting quote on Teletext that was credited to PSV coach Guus Hiddink after the game and my loose interpretation of his comments was that he believed there will be days where Arsenal will not come up against the sort of tactics his team used and that we could end up wiping the floor with a few teams as a result.

Well, given that these comments were coming from the same guy that led PSV to European Cup glory back in 1988, managed Real Madrid and lead South Korea to the semi-finals of the last World Cup, I think you could say that Hiddink I think that he is far more qualified than most in footballing terms to know what he is talking about.

The funny thing is that Tuesday's game could turn out to be a far more useful exercise than most people would think because when we resume hostilities on Saturday in the Premiership we will be up against Bolton.

Now, there are a lot of people that think the sun shines out of the backside of Sam Allardyce but personally I don't agree. I honestly don't make a habit of saying this about people I don't really know but there is something about the guy that I have never really liked and that was long before it came to light that Old Purple Nose is one his biggest cronies. And, the fact that he makes no real attempts to hide his lack of respect for Arsenal certainly endears me to him even less.

Allardyce has always been quick to have a pop at us whenever he saw fit and in a derogatory reference to our boss, he is one person who actively refers to him as being Arsene Whinger. Why do the words "pot", "kettle" and "black" suddenly spring to mind?

Still, putting that all aside I suppose that you have to give him credit for the way that he has moulded Bolton into a pretty solid Premiership outfit over the last three or four years on a shoestring budget and his ability wheel and deal has to be commended.

It would be easy to be flippant and suggest that Allardyce is running football's answer to an old folk's home these days given that he has recently acquired the services of people such as Fernando Hierro, Les Ferdinand, Gary Speed to go alongside the likes of Ivan Campo but it doesn't take a genius to appreciate how much experience these guys bring with them and I would bet pound for pound that certainly Ferdinand, Speed and even Campo are as fit as anyone else at the Lancashire club.

For all that I think that when it comes to Saturday I think that subject to availability there are three potential key men and no, Jay Jay Okocha isn't one of them.

The first is the Bolton keeper Jussi Jaskaleinen. I really do rate this lad and I honestly don't think that there is an awful lot between him and his fellow Finn Antti Niemi.

The lad has reflexes that are second to none and though some blamed him for the late equaliser ManUre stole off Bolton last week, he is a keeper that makes very few mistakes.

The second chap we will have to keep an eye on is Henrik Pedersen. I have really been impressed with what I have seen of him this season so far. He hasn't been playing as a central striker as such but in a slightly withdrawn role behind the main striker on the left hand side. However he symbolises what Bolton are all about with his aggressive and direct style.

Last but not least, the third man to watch I think has to be Kevin Davies and I tell you why. I can see him being earmarked to play the kind of role that Gerald Sibon played against us in midweek for PSV. The difference is that Davies is not only far more mobile than Sibon he is also far better technically on the ground and purely because of his ability to play up front on his own and hold the ball up I think that he will cause us more problems than the hapless Sibon did in midweek.

As I suggested earlier, I don't think that Bolton will set themselves up any different to what PSV did. Allardyce may have thrown the gauntlet down earlier this week when he claimed that the secret to playing is Arsenal is not to give us too much respect but I can hardly see him sending his team out with a gung-ho approach. They will have to be watched very carefully at set pieces though because in the likes of N'Gotty, Hunt, Nolan, Speed, Ferdinand and Pederson they do not lack for height and ability in the air.

Bolton's record at Highbury isn't as good as their near neighbours Blackburn but in many ways they have often made life just as awkward for us whenever we have played them in recent times. And, much as I would love to see us give Allardyce's men a pasting, I don't expect that to change on Saturday.