Match report 19 November 2009

A corker of a game. 9 versus 9

The Bibs: David, Andrew, Yusuf, John, Dan, Adam, Dickon, Pedro, Stu,

The Bibless: Ben, Paul, Dwayne, Francesco, Nick, Micky, Matt, Jacob, Danny

A fast-paced, high-energy encounter saw The Bibs come from behind to win 14-13. A lesser side might have cracked in the face of an early onslaught from The Bibless, but The Bibs's superior fitness saw them through.

David marshalled the side in the manner of Jack Charlton, combining tactical nouse and a no-nonsense approach; Andrew played a highly effective box to box role with the incisive running of a Clarence Seedorf; Yusuf as usual combined well in midfield and was the heartbeat of the side, often turning defence into attack rather like a young and injury free Kieron Dyer; John valiantly fought on in spite of injury and displayed the bravery of a Bert Trautmann; Dan was firm and solid at the back and displayed the strength and skill of Michael Essien; Adam showed relentless energy and the fine skills reminiscent of a cross between Kaka and Messi; Dickon was like a rock at the back and won more than his fair share of 50/50s with the effectiveness of Norman Hunter; Pedro strutted his stuff and was as deadly up-front as Van Nistlerooy; whilst Stu was on fire and combined powerful midfield play with deadly finishing in the style of Stevie G.

The Bibless had their stars too. Ben covered the park with the energy of Fabregas and sprayed the ball around with the composure of Terry McDermott; Paul had a fine game with numerous quality touches as well as important interceptions and passes reminiscent of Gareth Barry; Dwayne was superb up-front and tracking back to midfield with the persistence and skill of a Tevez; Francesco once more displayed his silky skills in attack with the flair that an on-form Andriy Shevchenko would have been proud of; Nick was unbeatable in defence, showing the tenacity and dependability of Jamie Carragher; Micky was superb in the middle of the park, winning the ball and distributing it with vision as well as relentlessly tackling back like a cross between Alan Ball and Johnny Giles; Matt had a splendid debut, constantly winning the ball bravely and then passing the ball with quality and incisiveness much like Carles Puyol; Jacob had an early injury that confined him to the role of keeper, which he approached with the aplomb and determination of Peter 'The Cat' Bonetti.

Joint men of the match tonight - one from each side: Adam and Micky.

Match report Sunday 8 November 2009

A low attendance this Sunday saw an action-packed contest. Francesco and the author took on Luke and Chris in a hard-fought game that would have struck informed passers-by (if there had been any) as remarkably similar to the 1970 Leeds v Chelsea FA Cup Final.

One minute Chris resembled Terry Cooper and the next 'Sniffer' Clarke, one minute Luke evoked Paul Madeley and the next Eddie Gray.

Meanwhile Francesco mirrored John Hollins meshed with Charlie Cooke.

Francesco duly walks away with man of the match.

Match report November 5, 2009

A hard fought 7v7 tonight where Dinamo were dynamite and won 10-4.

In an atmosphere worthy of the San Siro with fireworks going off all around there were also fireworks happening on the pitch with some of the classiest one-twos not seen since Keegan and Brooking.

The winning side had youth, flair and touch. It was like watching the great and the good from Arsenal's present and past: Flamini (Stu), Fabregas (Yusuf), Adebayor (Joel), Van Persie (Andrew), Sagna (Luke), Viera (Dickon), and Brady (John) all made their mark with fine passing and movement.

The objective fans would have said however that the other side were a touch unlucky and that the scoreline did not tell the whole story.

Appropriately for a derby atmosphere, it was a Spurs all stars style side that took on the Arsenal men.

Gary Lineker (Tomas), Paul Gascoigne (Dwayne), Terry Venables (Paul C), Ossie Ardilles (Paul O'C), Glenn Hoddle (Francesco), and Mike England (Nick) all put in strong performances.

Once again Tomas was a handful up-front and he linked well with Francesco who served up some lovely touches, Dwayne was magnificent at marshalling the side and finding killer passes, while the two Pauls showed boundless energy and enterprise in all areas of the park, Nick meanwhile was a stalwart at the back and set up many an attack.

Congratulations to all on another great game! And happy birthday to John.

Man of the match goes to Yusuf.

Match Report 1 November 2009

Difficult weather and pitch conditions saw a very even contest with nobody able to assert themselves fully. Remarkably for such bad conditions there were no real mistakes made and all the players came out with credit with the match ending in a draw.

After a degree of deliberation, Luke, returning from injury, wins man of the match.