Arsenal’s Invincibles the one for Bingham
FOR Hamilton striker Rakish Bingham, the prime motivation today, as always, will be the well-being of his team.
As Accies seek to record their first league win in nine games against a Celtic side looking to claim a 16th straight domestic victory, only pretty much the perfect collective effort will do for Martin Canning’s outfit.
Scratch beneath the surface, though, and reasons for additional personal drive are not short in supply for the Lanarkshire side.
An Arsenal fan since birth, no one needs to tell Bingham how rare a feat he witnessed in 2003-04 when Arsene Wenger’s side went the entire league season unbeaten. Only Preston, way back in 1889, could lay claim to the same achievement.
In Scotland, the Invincibles tag has been no more common. Celtic managed it in 1898, with Rangers also going through an 18-game schedule undefeated the following year. All of which makes Celtic’s hitherto 17-game run this term — encompassing just one draw — a viable threat to history.
For a lifelong Gunner like Bingham, the chance to leave his boyhood heroes out on their own as the only Invincibles of modern times is gilt-edged.
‘It would be a big thing for me on a personal level,’ the former Hartlepool striker conceded. ‘But I just want to help us win more than anything.
‘I support Arsenal. I watched them when they went a season unbeaten. That was a key factor in me wanting to become a footballer.
‘You could see there were some games when they were down but brought it back and you could feel the pressure for them to make an impact.
‘It can put a little bit of pressure on you, but when you’re winning that many games, as a team you know the slightest thing can turn a game.
‘It could be the first goal to get you back into the game, your tails are up and you know you’re more than capable of going on to win.
‘Celtic will be flying high just now but they have to lose at some point. So why not on Saturday?’
The blizzard of fixtures Brendan Rodgers’ side has faced in December — today will be their sixth of eight games — has meant a degree of rotation, but one of those Arsenal Invincibles now plying their trade at Parkhead has still found game time hard to come by.
Kolo Toure’s last appearance came in the seven-goal thriller at Motherwell at the start of the month. However, Bingham would like nothing better than the chance to pit his wits against the veteran Ivorian defender, a mainstay of that legendary Arsenal side of 13 seasons ago.
‘I would love to come up against him,’ added the Accies forward. ‘He was on the bench at Celtic Park last week and, just as he left, I spoke to him, gave him a little tap on the shoulder and asked him for the shirt.
‘I didn’t tell him I was an Arsenal fan. He hadn’t played so I didn’t know what his mindset would be and just asked if I could get his shirt and he said: “Yes, no problem”. ‘I’d say he’s up there with the best Arsenal defenders. In his prime, he could play many positions.
‘Him and Sol Campbell were really solid at the back. It was an excellent back four. ‘I hold him in high regard. It would be unbelievable to play against him. It would be great to play on the same pitch as him.’
As a striker to trade, though, Bingham’s true heroes at Highbury and the Emirates were more concerned with scoring than denying others that joy.
His lifetime has spanned the careers of many of the club’s finest: Ian Wright and Dennis Bergkamp to name but two. But his personal allegiance lies elsewhere.
‘Thierry Henry — he was a stand out,’ he smiled. ‘His movement, his pace. For such a big guy, he had such great feet. His finishing was clinical. He only needed one chance.’
For Bingham, Scotland, for now, is the ideal platform to try to make the most of his own God-given talent.
Regardless of the fact Celtic’s dominance has rendered the title race a procession, the striker believes those decrying the competitiveness of the top flight from afar are blinded to the reality.
‘How it’s perceived down south is that Celtic are the dominant team that usually runs away with it,’ he added.
‘Coming up here and playing, you realise the game is a bit underestimated down south. It’s a lot better than people think. I played up here with Falkirk in the Championship a few years ago. That was a bit different but I think this is a very good league.’
Still just 23, Bingham still has time to pretty much be what he wants to be in football.
For his name to ticker-tape along the bottom of TV screens as frequently as so many of his Arsenal heroes may be asking a lot.
Score the winner against Celtic today, however, and a good deal more than 15 minutes of fame will be his.
‘Yes, any striker would take a boost from that,’ he said with a smile. ‘Why not? We have to believe we can and I think we’re more than capable.
‘It’s just a matter of seeing out games and being ruthless at both ends. We just have to put games to bed.
‘You want to test yourself against the best in the league and that’s Celtic. It would be a big achievement for me on a personal level.
‘I want to showcase what I can do against the best teams and score to help us moving forward. That would be massive.’