ARSÈNE WENGER PASSIONATELY believes that an Englishman should succeed Sven-Göran Eriksson, but he is not about to endorse the candidacy of Sam Allardyce, a man of similar convictions. For all his various spats with Sir Alex Ferguson and José Mourinho, the Bolton Wanderers manager is Wenger’s most loathed adversary. The pair can barely bring themselves to exchange contemptuous glances around the technical area, never mind Christmas cards.
Arsenal have had a problem with Bolton since they effectively lost the title at the Reebok Stadium three years ago, so it was little surprise that rancour should fill Highbury’s crisp winter air. With two-footed tackles, elaborate dives and contentious refereeing decisions, this game had everything, even before Wenger’s post-match tirade. The irony of complaining about time-wasting after seeing his team grab a 94th-minute equaliser was seemingly lost on the Frenchman, if not his opposite number.
“It’s swings and roundabouts,” Allardyce said. “When you get possession of the ball, the last thing you want to do is surrender it to Arsenal so they can pump it straight back into your box. You want to run it away, take it into the corner and take your time, as every other club does. Arsenal do exactly the same as everybody else when they are in a winning position away from home. Don’t let Arsène Wenger kid you that he does anything else.”
Wenger had called on the referee to show “more authority” in the face of such cynical tactics and he was not the only one unhappy with Howard Webb’s display, with Jens Lehmann complaining that he had also taken charge of the corresponding fixture in December. The Germany goalkeeper’s allusion to match-fixing in his home country was presumably a joke, although it was one lost in translation.
“We should have won and it is difficult sometimes,” Lehmann said. “We were wondering why we had the same referee and were quite unhappy he turned up again. It is difficult to play when you have problems with his decisions. What surprised me was the referee at the end of the game said to (Kevin) Nolan, ‘Come on, there’s still five minutes left’. I have not heard this before. But I am a German and I should not make comments about the referee because of our refereeing in Germany.”
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It is tempting to see the idealistic Wenger — “We never try to waste time, we try to play,” he insisted with a straight face — battling with Big Sam, the ultimate pragmatist, for football’s soul, although Bolton’s physicality disguises the fact that they can actually play. Although the visiting team impersonated a retreating army by falling back deeper and deeper in the second half, they dominated the opening period, with Nolan and Bruno N’Gotty both going close before the captain opened the scoring.
Nolan’s ninth goal of the season was a thing of beauty, a delicate chip from the edge of the penalty area, putting Allardyce in the unusual position of championing someone else’s England credentials. “He is our leading goalscorer from the centre of midfield, which says a lot for him and says a lot for us,” he said. “He is a young captain who wears the armband with great pride and plays like we want every player to play, with a lot of quality, a lot of passion and a lot of commitment. It is warranted that Sven should look at him to see whether he is good enough to get in the squad.”
After such a disjointed first-half performance, Arsenal’s youngsters showed commendable character to claw themselves back into contention and, were it not for a series of superb saves from Jussi Jasskelainen, would have won. Dennis Bergkamp’s introduction made a difference and Francesc Fàbregas was increasingly influential on moving into the centre of midfield, providing the cross for Gilberto’s volleyed equaliser.
“I’m very proud of my players because they never gave up and fought until the last second,” Wenger said, relieved at maintaining the two-point gap ahead of Bolton in sixth. “I feel that the team is starting again with many young players.”
With the fourth Champions League place still up for grabs, these squabbling managers are at least fighting for something tangible.