So grim up north for rudderless Gunners

AFTER clocking up close on 1,000 miles schlepping all over the country the previous week, I don’t mind admitting that I was struggling to find the enthusiasm for an arduous trek to the North-West.

In truth, in the absence of so many significant players, I half expected us to struggle against Man City and this defeat wouldn’t have been nearly such a body blow, if we’d gone down with all guns blazing, following a display that demonstrated our appetite for the battle. But to go out with a whimper, giving fuel to William Gallas’ disparaging comments with yet another flaccid performance, was seriously depressing.

Having often pondered the absence of non-white faces amongst the crowds at many clubs, I guess the answer lies in the story I heard from one Man City fan I met on the train north. He revealed that Leeds was his local team but that as an Asian, he wouldn’t dream of subjecting his kids to the sort of racism prevalent at Elland Road. When I enquired about the newly promoted Hull, he said “you must be joking, they’re even worse!”