The Taste of Blood

I want to see the SCUM obliterated tomorrow. I want them to be put in their place. I want them murdered on the pitch.

Almost exactly a year ago, we all witnessed one of the most sickening matches in recent history. While we can still rightfully claimed that they had not beaten us in ten years, it sure felt something like it. Certainly a loss would have been even worse, but that was bad enough.

That game singlehandedly stunted Gael Clichy and our Premier League season. We went into a vicious tail spin that made people wonder if Aston Villa was going to finish above us.

And one year on, a lot has changed.

Tottenham were on the verge of crumbling, but that draw saw their fortunes take an upturn and Harry Redknapp be proclaimed a savior. Now, they are seen as candidates to overtake us for one of the top four places in the Premier League.

Things have changed for us as well. We steadied the ship. Players like Alex Song have established themselves. We bought Arshavin and Thomas Vermaelen.

But the last two weeks were subtle reminders of the match from a year ago, and that kind of stuff must be stamped out of our team.

Three days ago, our Reserve/Youth team held onto a 2-1 lead against Liverpool and finished them off. What the youngsters know, the senior side must recognize.

Over the past week, I've had the misfortune of reading crap quotes from Redknapp and Robbie Keane. The media has gone into overdrive, because they think a sea change may happen. To which, Wenger merely said that once Tottenham achieved the type of consistency we've had over the past twelve years, we'll talk.

Last year, we went into the North London Derby expecting three points and bury Tottenham six feet deep. We did not.

This year, we go into the derby with vivid memories from last year in our heads. This year, we're in the thick of a title race that looks incredibly open. Arshavin, who has a tendency to drift out of small games, will be up for it tomorrow, knowing that God placed him in our squad instead of theirs. And Thomas Vermaelen is furious that we've thrown away points in the past two weeks.

On Halloween, our fangs are out and we seek Scum blood.