EXCLUSIVE
Arsenal legend Martin Keown could have added another Premier League title to his collection, had it not been for rivals Tottenham.
Keown has never hidden his love for the red half of north London and even now the former Gunners centre-back is only too happy to go to war for his former club.
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The 57-year-old won three Premier League titles under the guidance of Arsene Wenger but it could have been four if the fixture computer had not selected Spurs to play Manchester United on the final day of the 1998/99 season.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s side went into the final game, one point ahead and a marginally better goal difference than reigning champions Arsenal, in their quest to wrestle back the title.
The Gunners needed to better United’s result in their clash with Aston Villa at Highbury but sadly for Keown, his side were relying on 11th-placed Spurs causing the upset of all upsets and helping their bitter rivals claim back-to-back titles.
Arsenal scraped a 1-0 win on the day but it was United’s come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Tottenham that ended Keown’s title dream.
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“I remember in 1999 Spurs went to Old Trafford and we lost the league by a point,” Keown recalled. “We saw Spurs had gone in front and maybe they looked at that and thought we’re going to help Arsenal win the league.
“Their second-half performance was awful. They lost the game and Andy Cole scored a very good goal, you have to say. But he was allowed so much time and space it was ridiculous. John Scales should be ashamed.”
Co-host Simon Jordan, along with a number of disgruntled Spurs callers, challenged Keown on his view.
"So it's a conspiracy theory?" ex-Crystal Palace owner Jordan asked.
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Meanwhile, host Jim White said: "This is almost scandalous. You're suggesting, even way back then, Tottenham underperformed at Old Trafford to stop Arsenal winning the league?"
Keown responded: "We've got that situation coming up now, haven't we? We'll rely on them in the last week of the season."
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Keown, a member of the Gunners’ ‘Invincibles’ team of 2004, believes that Tottenham have a long-standing priority of aiming to stop Arsenal’s success rather than focusing on their own objectives.
The talkSPORT co-host was speaking ahead of Sunday’s intriguing north London derby which could see Spurs inflict a huge dent in Arsenal’s title bid.
But Keown has urged Spurs and the club's supporters to focus entirely on their target of finishing in the top four and qualifying for next season’s revamped Champions League.
“Whenever we needed to play Spurs it was always them trying to stop us,” said Keown. “It’s a really difficult game against your local rivals because this is a Spurs side that can blow anyone away at home.
“Their motivation was always stopping Arsenal from winning something. How about having your own set of ideals, your own goals. Set your own targets."
Keown continued: “It still is (their motivation). Look how many years these fans have been without a trophy? It has been nearly 40 years. It kills them every time Arsenal win a game. I know Spurs fans, they say it’s ridiculous that Arsenal keep winning.
“When they were on that 11-game run (at the start of the season), I was bumping into Spurs fans and I told them ‘you’re doing well, forget about us’. What is your motivation, Spurs fans?”
Keown's take sparked a flood of calls from Spurs supporters looking to challenge him.
Spurs supporter James told Keown: "We want to win every game we can until the end of the season. Do you really think our manager is unprofessional enough to say ‘right lads lets go out there on Sunday and do everything you can as long as Arsenal don’t win the league?' Have you forgotten what pride is?"
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Meanwhile, Tottenham fan Paul said: "To a certain degree we’d love it if we beat them. You were in our sights when we were in the top four and you were finishing nowhere. Yes, the tables have turned now and of course we’d love to beat you."
However, Keown had the final word and hit back with a cheekiest of replies saying: "But when you’ve had that dominance and gone above us, you’ve won no trophies. There isn’t a trophy for finishing above Arsenal."