IT IS safe to say that Arsene Wenger will find managing Arsenal a novel experience. Certainly last night they showed just how hard they are to put down.
For much of the first half Arsenal were outhought, outpaced and outmanouevred by David Pleat's burgeoning, young Sheffield Wednesday team. They fell behind to Andy Booth's goal after 24 minutes and could have been three down by the half hour.
The evening promised Arsenal little more than a scrambled point. So much for logic. In the end they won 4-1, Ian Wright completing his season's first hat trick with his 100th league goal for the club, and his 150th in 226 games in all competitions.
Wednesday, so optimistic at half time, were plunged into the depths of despair before the hour. Having lost one of their centre backs, Dejan Stefanovjc, with a bruised foot early in the second half, they then saw the other, Des Walker, who had been booked earlier, sent off after fouling the onrushing Paul Merson just as the Arsenal player was about to shoot.
The ensuing penalty gave Wright his opening goal and Arsenal the lead, David Platt having equalised four minutes earlier. During the hiatus between Walker's red card and the kick being taken Nigel Winterburn appeared to bad mouth a Sheffield Wednesday supporter sitting in Highbury's disabled section.
Wenger will not have had to deal with this sort of thing in Japan. Certainly, as Arsenal's manager elect kept saying yesterday, his new team is, full of spirit, albeit the wrong kind at times, but Winterburn's behaviour offered further evidence of a canker that needs to be eradicated, even if the defender did applaud the same section of the crowd at the end.
Who better than a Frenchman to sort out the farce at Highbury? Once Arsenal had four managers in 47 years. By the time Wenger takes over they will have had four in seven weeks. Pat Rice was in charge last night; at least he has a 100 per cent, record and, for the moment, he is staying.
Wednesday, the early Premiership leaders, had a chance to leapfrog back to the top, but they had not won at Highbury since the autumn of 1962. In recent seasons, moreover, Arsenal have tended to enjoy themselves at Wednesday's expense, beating them 5-0, 7-1 and 4-2. And now 14-1.
As if to emphasise how little was going right at Arsenal these days a break in the power supply to some of the turnstiles meant that last night's kick off was delayed by 25 minutes. With Dennis Bergkamp nursing a hamstring injury the threat of another sort of power failure was already there, quick passing movements and swift counter attacks have characterised Wednesday's football - this season and they dictated the early pattern and tempo of the football, especially in midfield.
When Arsenal did gain more possession their football became too frantic for its own good. Bergkamp's ability to pause and take stock was missed as the headless chicken school took over.
Not so Wednesday. Midway through the first half Whittingham wasted two opportunities, putting an attempt to chip Seaman over the bar and then directing a free header straight at the goalkeeper. But in the next minute, the 24th, Nolan's through pass from the left caught the defence square, enabling Booth to burst clear and guide the ball into the net off the right hand post.
Then Collins, sent through by Blinker, miscued with only Seaman to beat, and soon after this Hirst's fierce volley bounced down and out off the underside of the bar.
Now Rice introduced a portentous Gallic influence, Patrick Vieira, Arsenal's pounds £3.5 million signing from Milan. On the stroke of half time Keown's header was cleared off the line by Collins. So long as Merson was finding spaces and angles for passes and shots Arsenal, lived in hope of gaining something from the evening. As it turned out they did not have to live long.
Twelve minutes into the second half Platt ran 30 yards to meet Hart son's low square pass and drive the ball past Pressman. The penalty followed four minutes later, and after that only Pressman's saves kept the score down.
