An Adebayor hat trick, five more goals shipped, none scored. Welcome to life on the road with Derby.
Emirates. A stadium built with waves. Curves crash into corners, light spills through behind back row seats, think cricket stadia, think style, think one day all grounds will be like this. We find red seats, padding, high backs, leg room, everything that the new Wembley lacks apart from colour.
We kick off, predictably our fans taunt. “Engerland, Engerland, Engerland”.
On the pitch Griffin flounders, Davis is done for a kipper, number 2 Abou skates past four and Bywater dives oceans away. Ten minutes gone and it's one nil. There's more to come. We have little doubt.
“Are you Scotland In Disguise” chirps cockney accents, it's rather unfair on those north of the Border.
Two, Adebayor outpaces Davis and dips his bread. Leacock looks on. Bywater pats Davis . What more can you say.
You could say at this level we are not good enough but that's just stating the obvious.
Other obvious points, we don't compete, Pearson apart. We don't even chase shadows. We stand and watch. Not even men and boys. We're babes in arms. Not a single shot in anger. Lewis languishes on the line, Teale works hard with Mears to no great effect. Whilst Miller and Howard look for all the world like lovers drifting apart.
Two then at half time, same as Liverpool . Food bars become bars only, all hot food sold out even before the ref blew for the break.
Restart and Oakley pulls a shirt, it's a little tug so Eduardo falls in the box. A soft penalty to concede. Adebayor gets his second from the spot and the Arse's third. Are we bovvered? Not really. On the terraces we are loud.
“We Are Derby . We Are Derby . Super Derby . Super Rams.” Belted out at full volume.
Fabregas, the Gunners star player scores a deserved fourth. Even during the celebration we crank up the volume. The result unimportant. The support is king.
Giles Barnes, on for an unhappy Howard, more threatening in fifteen than the previous eleven in seventy five.
Five. Adebayor hat trick. “Five Nil And You're Going Home” we chorus.
We applaud after the final whistle.
What else can we do.
We Are Derby. Super Derby. Super Rams.
Homeward bound and rumours of late night drinking till 1.00am before the match at the Docklands Marriott emerge. Maybe we are Scotland in disguise.
Player ratings:-
Bywater 5 - A couple of good saves, in no mans land for the second, not aided at all by a defence who stood off.
Mears 5 - Tried to get forward to link with Teale, a tactic which predictably left Abou with acres of space to exploit which he did.
Davis 4 - A poor game, allowed his marker to run straight through on too many occasions.
Leacock 5 - Didn't go missing but had a torrid time.
Griffin 4 - Somewhere it was written this week that Andy missed his preseason, he is only just gaining full fitness and that the Derby fans haven't seen the best of him yet. Perhaps the remark should have been saved for after the Arsenal match.
Teale 5 - Effort faultless, worked hard without the ball, when he had it……
Oakley 5 - Overrun with too many players having off days for our Captain to shine.
Pearson 7 - The one player who looked dangerous running at the Arsenal defence, could have scored but for a bad bounce of the ball.
Lewis 5 - Like a milk float, loads of width no acceleration, it's hard though to criticise when a player is doing his best.
Howard 6 - A typical performance from Steve, hard work little end product.
Miller 5 - Foraging too far away from Howard to benefit from headers won.
Subs:-
Feilhaber 6 - Won a free kick with his first touch, added some flair but lightweight in the challenge.
Barnes 6 - Fifteen minutes on the pitch, gave us hope for the future.
McEveley 5 - Replaced Miller when we were 5-0, the point of which escapes me.
Man Of The Match: Pearson on the park, the fans off it.
Referee: Martin Atkinson 8 - Let the game flow, no silly bookings and was largely anonymous, always the sign of a good referee.
Attendance: 60,122.
View: Row 15 by the corner flag. A fantastic stadium, seats of corporate standard, only slight gripe is the low rake of the lower tir and the lack of hot food. At least we know who ate all the pies though. Locals knowledgeable and friendly at the Twelve Pins beforehand and afterwards on the trek to the tube. Ground Rating 9/10 – sort out them pies, guys!