The way I see it - Tottenham v Arsenal

Last updated : 23 April 2004 By Jason Hogan

Whilst our victory turned out to be emphatic, it also came about in what I thought was a very strange match. Leeds had won the last two league meetings at Highbury despite hardly having a kick in either of those games yet they came to Highbury on Friday, outplayed us at times only to end up on the wrong end of a hammering. Strange, this football lark, ain't it?

Mind you, strange is definitely not a word that springs to mind when you talk about Thierry Henry though. Extraordinary is a lot closer to the mark. It's a distinct probability that he was already destined to become the Footballer of the Year for the second consecutive time long before he ever got stuck into Leeds but, even if I say so myself, I've got a feeling that his four-goal salvo against them might just have helped his cause just a little bit.

The award ceremony is on Sunday night and by the time Henry has swapped his football boots for a tuxedo, both he and everyone else connected with Arsenal could have plenty to celebrate before the night is over.

That's because, my fellow Gooners, if "the Russians" fail to win up at Newcastle this weekend we could win the title at White Hart Lane. Can any of you think of a prospect more mouth-watering than that? I know I can't.

It's at this point that I am going to do something I never thought that I would ever do by saying that I would absolutely love to have a penny for the thoughts of the average fan of the Totts right now.

Now, I know that I have been faced with one or two galling scenarios and gone through countless days feeling frustrated as an Arsenal fan over the years but I can't honestly think of a time when I have felt totally humiliated. I wonder if our poor relations from up the road can say the same with their hands on their hearts.

Don't laugh (oh well, go on then if you really want to) but I know that if things were the other way round and the Totts were coming to Highbury seeking to wrap up the title for a second time I know full well that I would probably not be able to sleep at night for constantly waking up in a cold sweat.

There is also the Sol Campbell factor to add to this of course. He has already been totally vindicated in his decision to leave the Totts and join us at Arsenal but can you imagine how galling it would be for the Totts fans to see him, a man they once adored and worshipped as their captain celebrating his second title with Arsenal in his old back yard of all places? The mind boggles as to how the poor Totts will feel about that.

Of course the strange thing is that by the time both teams step out on to the White Hart Lane pitch, the prospect of us winning the title could probably be the least of the Totts' worries in some respects because if results do not go their way over the weekend they could find themselves sucked right in the middle of the scrap for relegation.

If things turned out that way, there would definitely be a part of me that would love to be a fly on the wall in the Corner Pin (the pub across the road from the away end at the Lane) after the game at least for a little while that's for sure. But, there is also a part of me that is not allowing myself to look forward to this game without at least a touch of caution.

If everything goes to plan up in Newcastle then for once Arsenal will be going into a match (albeit a derby match) with plenty to genuinely gain.

But, whilst I would love to see us roll up at White Hart Lane and do a serious number on them it would be naïve to underestimate the fact that they will be playing as much for pride as well as much needed points.

In other words, whilst I am not entertaining any thoughts of seeing the Arsenal lose to this lot, I also know that if we are going to get a victory there we are going to have to earn it.

I haven't decided yet whether I am going over to Highbury to watch the game in one of the pubs on the manor but whether I am there or not I hope that come 6 o'clock on Sunday evening the pubs round there will be full of Arsenal fans enjoying the kind of celebrations that the regulars in the Corner Pin can only dream about.