Chelsea may be going to Highbury as reigning Champions but our League record is absolutely diabolical and even though Chelsea, or we fans, have 'The Special One' at the helm and still living only marginally with the famous two words synomynous with Chelsea FC, GLORIOUS UNPREDICTABILTY and the fact that The 'Nal' are SEVENTEEN POINTS behind us (LOL) a result of any nature is difficult to call.

Forget for the time being, probably Chelsea's greatest ever result at Crybury... ooops sorry Highbury and that was the Wayne Bridge's winner in the Champions League Quarter-final, forget that and as an after thought forget the 5-0 victory in the League Cup (as good as it was) during Luca's tenureship at Chelsea.

You have to go back and I mean way back to the 1989/90 season and Saturday March 17th to be precise when Chelsea last won at Highbury in the League and that was the old First Division. Do you know who scored the winner? Now London Black Cabbie, John Bumstead. was the hero for the Blues and if my fading memory is not playing tricks on me the goal was scored from a thrown-in pass that John received and he shot into the net in front of a 'wooden painted' audience of non-human North Bank characters. Well no difference there then. I am sure that this game was one of many where the bosses of The 'Nal' decided to have a huge mural of painted supporters to help with the atmosphere whilst the North Bank was being redeveloped. Obviously 'plastic' fans do not and have not existed since....... just wooden and painted then??

My favourite memory of going to Highbury was back in 1984, Saturday August 25th. Chelsea had returned to the First Division after six or so years away in the Old Second Division. The Clock End was packed and swathed in Blue on a HOT Sunny afternoon and Kerry Dixon, legend to be at the time, scored Chelsea's equaliser in front of the Clock End and equalised an earlier Arsenal goal. What makes this goal and performance most memorable for me was watching TV highlights later during the weekend, where the late and great football commentator Brian Moore spoke for me these immortal words. 'Dixon, Dixon again.......... Kerry Dixon......... Its Arsenal 1, Chelsea 1, Kerry Dixon.' I did have the tape once upon a time, but along with 25 years plus of other Chelsea memorabilia, was alas destroyed in a fire.

I can even go further back for another Chelsea memory at Highbury. It was a League Cup game in 1976 when the luckless Chelsea midfielder Brian Bason broke his leg, not too far away from the touchline on Chelsea's left. Why do I remember the unfortunate incident so well? Simple really. I heard the bone in his leg break. Chelsea lost that night 2-1.

When you look at Chelsea's league form at Highbury over the last how many years you want to - in the last three years we have drawn twice so therefore recently we haven't lost which we have done more so in the past than any other result. In fact 'The Special One' has not lost to Wenger yet. But until we played Man Ure earlier on this season, Jose had not lost to SAF either (Porto included) and we all know 'how lucky' Fletcher's header was, don't we?? LOL!

Despite the 'apparent' negativity within this article, I think Chelsea will win at Highbury on Sunday and this is because Chelsea have beaten Arsenal twice this season already. Arsenal are without Cole (we don't want him), Vieira. Cygan plays somewhere defence I think. Arsenal have got the 'wooden painted North Bank' oops didn't that get pulled down years ago. My 'Gooner' work mates will be watching the game on the telly and finally 'The Special One' is SPECIAL.

Plus John Terry wants it!!

40 Years A Blue