Arsenal’s ‘James Bond’ bodyguards and embarrassing fans - Sutton experience modern football
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Updated 21/02/2017 at 09:20 GMT
The FA Cup whirlwind has swept past Gander Green Lane, leaving behind a club reeling from the realities of the modern game.
Sutton United – Arsenal
Image credit: Twitter
The visit of Premier League giants for a glamour FA Cup tie should be the highlight of the year for a non-league club like Sutton United.
But Monday night’s cup clash with Arsenal wasn’t the fairytale that Sutton boss Paul Doswell would have dreamt of – and not just because his team were beaten 2-0.
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Theo Walcott leads Arsenal out of the tunnel against Sutton United in their FA Cup tie
Image credit: Reuters
It all started when the draw was made and the attention of the nation’s media focused on little Sutton United in the suburbs of south London, bringing with them all the attendant social media pressure and tag-along ‘fans’.
As much as it's been great for the club, it's not been the best three weeks of my life. It's bizarre, it impedes everything that you do. This social media world is not all it's cracked up to be. People will criticise you for whatever you try to do. I'll be glad to get away from this, from a personal point of view, to just go back to the normality of living my life.
With the stands packed full of both regular Sutton fans and those hoping to lap up the big occasion, there was always the threat of some poor behaviour. And so it proved, with smoke bombs going off and a fan running onto the pitch wearing just underwear and a giraffe hat. Doswell added:
I saw some odd stuff on Twitter; what people were going to do when they got here. You saw that idiot run on the pitch. That was the big moment in his life.
Arsenal seemed to snub Sutton by failing to swap a pennant prior to kick-off – although the non-league club have subsequently been keen to stress that the Gunners have been more than generous with their gifts and cash donations.
But there was no bigger indication of the contrast between the status of the two clubs than the arrival of the players.
Sutton’s left their coach as it stood stranded in a traffic jam, walking through the crowds individually. Arsenal, meanwhile, were unwilling to leave the safety of the coach and arrived late with a cordon of security, while – according to Doswell – the Gunners had “James Bond” style bodyguards with them off the pitch throughout the evening.
Arsenal walked in with bodyguards. My lads were driving round their bodyguards to get out. They took over the tunnel. We didn’t even get to say ‘thank you’ to our supporters at the end. It’s a different world, can’t say any more than that. My lot are going to work tomorrow. They (Arsenal) are movie stars now, not allowed to speak to them, can’t get near them. It’s a different world from when I watched first division football when I was growing up, 14 or 15. It was bizarre, to be honest, seeing James Bond security around us, even though it felt quite safe. It's a very strange way that football’s gone.
And then of course there was the farce of Wayne Shaw and his pie-eating betting stunt.
But it wasn’t all bad for Sutton on the night, as they restricted their big-money visitors to just two goals and hit the bar in an all-round impressive team display. Doswell said:
We have done the non-league proud. They (Arsenal) are 105 places above us in the pyramid. Those lads (Sutton) won’t walk probably tomorrow.
The memories may be tinged with disappointment and disbelief over the gulf between non-league football and Premier League glamour, but Monday 20 February 2017 was still the night that Arsenal came to town and Sutton's manager, players and fans will remember that for the rest of their lives.
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