Being the last away game of the season, lots of Arsenal fans decided to do this one in fancy dress. Which made it something of a comedy group of supporters, watching a comedy football match, with the winner even scored in the last minute by a comedy footballer (Emile Heskey, for the uninitiated).
An end of season kickabout with (literally) nothing to play for. Arsenal could only finish in second place whatever the outcome, and had the somewhat more important matter of the FA Cup Final the following week. Birmingham had little to play for either, safe from relegation, couldn't qualify for Europe, so were confirmed mid table non-descripts whatever happened.
Of course, none of this prevented the Brummie fans, who along with Portsmouth, must be the biggest bunch of small-town inbreds in the Premiership, from behaving as if they'd just won the Champions League. I guess that such a reaction, being ecstatic even beating the mighty Arsenal in a meaningless game, is a reflection of relative ambitions. But it sure can be annoying, as opposition fans try to rub your nose in it, when you really couldn't give two hoots. They must have thought we were as upset as they were happy - sorry chaps, Birmingham City just don't inspire those sorts of emotions in me. Manchester United next week, now there's another matter. The Brummies can watch it all on TV.
Lastly, a strange insight into West Midlands rivalry. Huge surprise in the away section as the news of West Brom's Premiership survival was greeted with massive cheers (akin to a goal celebration) by the Birmingham fans. Some further discussion on this revealed a strange alliance in the West Midlands - Birmingham and West Brom against Villa and Wolves. That got us all thinking of how something similar in London might work, but the thought of a love in with Chelsea, Spurs or West Ham was just too far-fetched to consider for long.
The car journey back from this one was interesting, as all routes south towards London seemed to have huge crashes simultaneously. So, a detour via Oxford, Reading and the M4 meant that we could all see some B roads for a change.
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