Match Report
ESPNSoccernet: Sol Campbell endured a miserable return to the Arsenal ranks as Stoke clinched a memorable 3-1 FA Cup win at the Britannia Stadium.
Man of the Match
The broad that kept handing Delap his ball towel, she’s the most important person on that team. If the FA decides to outlaw towels on the sidelines, they will be putting that poor girl out of a job, while surely dooming Stoke to relegation, and Delap to retirement.
The Good
When Vermaelen came in to the team every player seemed to get a boost to their heading ability; I think I even saw Cesc win a few headers in defense early in the season. Just practicing with someone who is really adept at a skill can cause a bit of that skill to rub off.
Yesterday, apart from the first goal which was a lapse of concentration by one of any three players (Coquelin, Sol, and/or Fabianski) I thought the whole team headed the ball extremely well. Sol in particular was a monster at the back and deserves a ton of credit for keeping Stoke quiet. By my tally, Sol won 173 headers by himself.
In fact, the whole Arsenal team dealt very well with Stoke’s “direct play” and won a total of 231 headers while Stoke won a paltry 7 headers.*
Unfortunately, 2 of the 7 headers they won led to goals.
The Bad
I think that for all of Sol’s benefits, his two weaknesses were glaringly exposed yesterday: his lack of pace and his lack of match fitness. It’s not a criticism, I’m not saying he’s crap. In fact, Arsene said something similar about Sol after the game.
Rather, I’d like to point out he makes up for his lack of pace with his experience and this is tremendously useful. He saved several crosses with his tactical nous. In addition, he knows all the tricks to keep attacking players from winning the ball with their back to goal. He won pretty much every one of those headers. A lot of our young defenders could learn from this and in a pinch I think that Sol could come in and do a job, as long as he’s not being asked to play 90 minutes week in week out.
As for that match fitness, that was exposed when Fuller scored the second goal. Sol was in front of the man and just didn’t have the leg strength to get to the ball. The mind was willing by the body just let him down.
I don’t want to read too much into one performance but with Sol and Silvestre in the game it meant that there were no probing runs by the central defenders and the back line was not nearly as high as I’m used to seeing. Not really all that bad, but it was part of the reason that we were struggling in midfield. It’s a tactical change and something that I’m sure the boss is going to work on.
If Sol is suffering from lack of pace due to his old age then perhaps Denilson is lacking pace for his, erm, young age. Le Boss pointed out that around the age of 21 to 22 young players get a power boost. We’ve clearly seen that in both Cesc and Song who have added a lot of pace to their game this year and who are both 22 years old. Denilson turns 22 on February 16th, will he “level up” as it were on that day? I hope so, because getting beat by Sidibe is pretty embarrassing. What’s strange about Denilson is that while many have seen this month as a nightmare month for him, he has scored twice in three games.
Of course, many have faulted Traore on that goal and to an extent he’s had as bad a month as Denilson. He’s a tremendous talent but he’s got a lot of learning to do if he’s going to play full back at the top level. I have no doubt that Arsene can get the very best out of him. Either that or convert him to a striker: he’ll be the “Next Thierry Henry!”
You could single out a few others for having a poor game as well; Theo cut a lonely figure too often, Vela is really struggling and his cult following must surely be ready to jump on another band-wagon at any moment, and clearly we are dependent on the central defensive partnership of Gallas and Vermaelen.
The Ugly
The thing that gets me about yesterday’s game is the number of times that the announcers went on about Arsene’s team selection. This spiteful rhetoric was followed up by an afterbirth of a truncheon of articles decrying Wenger’s team selection and thus “disregard” for the FA Cup.
This was as obvious a pre-meditated assault on Arsenal as I have seen in a while and something you should be looking for over the next few months now that Arsenal are legitimate title contenders. Arsenal have 10 injuries at the moment and are headed into a run of 4 crucial games in a 17 day period. Make no mistake, Arsene Wenger had no choice but to play the guys he played yesterday. Would he have rotated anyway? You bet your ass. Instead of Eastmond, he would have gladly played Song or Diaby in central midfield. Instead of changing his entire back line he would probably have put in Eboue and one other player. Wenger felt the need to defend his team selection and said:
No, I had not much choice I must say. Bacary Sagna, Thomas Vermaelen and Gael Clichy could not play and I think Sol Campbell had a good game overall. If you look at our schedule you cannot always play with the same XI that is for sure. If you rotate and you don’t win it is your fault so I can only stand up and say that is the team I picked. We have 10 injuries and we are going into a period where we cannot rotate a lot in the big games
The fact is that we’re dealing with a lot of injuries at the moment and it’s not like Arsene didn’t play a competitive team, ala. Wolves against Man U. The fact that he played Arshavin, Eduardo, and risked Ramsey (who is coming back off an injury) when the score was 1-1 is almost all the proof you need to point to to shut these morons up. Arsene went for the win, plain and simple.
If you wanted to bolster your position you could point to the fact that we played Cesc for 90 minutes and basically risked his career as Stoke continuously tackled his Achilles for 90 minutes. Wenger knew that Stoke was going to try to cripple Cesc and he played him anyway.
Wolves’ forfeit against Man U was a disgrace on the game, Wenger risking his captain and remaining star players against a pack of ball washing shit kickers was the best team that he could field.
Conclusions
I’m not going to lie, I’m sanguine about this cup exit. On the one hand, we are knocked out of a competition for silverware. On the other hand, Stoke drew Manciti in Manchester and that would have been another very difficult game right in the middle of our 17 day difficult patch. Oh, and meanwhile Chelsea got their traditional easy draw in Cardiff City.
On the one hand, we got knocked out of the cup with a pretty spectacular 3-1 loss, Arsene’s first loss in this round in some 7 years. On the other hand, we didn’t draw level and don’t have replay next week, again right in the middle of a crucial run of games.
On the one hand winning cups like the FA Cup can be a springboard to greater success. On the other hand, winning the Champions League and Premier League double would be a HUGE feat and an even greater springboard.
And finally, on the one hand I like the FA Cup and hate to lose. On the other hand getting knocked out of the FA Cup means that the home game against Burnley on March 6th and the game against Porto on March 9th are pretty much set in stone. I’m booking my flight for that today!
So, as much as I hate to lose and see Arsenal lose, it’s not all bad
*This number is made up, I’m surprised I have to tell you this. (sigh)
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Tim, I think you just called me a moron.
[sarcasm] Also, I hope we get knocked out of the UCL so we can concentrate on the EPL. [/sarcasm]
January 25th, 2010 at 8:01 am
I was specifically talking about the press folks who seemed to marsh lock-step in the criticism of Wenger’s team selection.
What is your feeling about it? I promise not to belittle you, much.
January 25th, 2010 at 9:36 am
I think everyone can agree that Wenger deliberately fielded a weakened team to protect and rest his first team for the upcoming run of crucial EPL games. That said, we can also agree that the FA Cup is not a priority for Wenger.
Having said all of that, is the FA Cup now just a Carling Cup but for the 2nd half of the season?
Will Arsenal ever win the traditional double again?
I have a lot of questions and, if the first team falters seriously over the next 4 games, those questions are going to seriously weigh on Wenger.
I support Wenger in everything he does (except for maybe thinking Traore is a fullback) but I believe he dropped the ball here. It feels awfully like what Villa did last year in the Europa League. They ditched the Europa in favor of trying to finish 4th. They failed on both. I dread that happening to Arsenal this year. The FA Cup was there for the taking. It’s gone now.
January 25th, 2010 at 9:56 am
@Patrick, Which team should he have fielded?
Remember Vermaelen is injured, Sagna is injured, and Gallas has been taking some pretty heavy knocks. Clichy is just coming back in and there are injuries all over the place. You would have started Arshavin, Eduardo, Ramsey and Rosicky maybe? Fair enough I suppose, but we lost that match at the back, the left back more specifically.
And what would you be saying today if he had played Arshavin from the start and he came up injured and was out for the next three weeks?
That’s my point in the article. He didn’t completely rest his starters. He just a gave them a little rest and then when the match was there for the taking, he sent on three impact players who should have done more to win the game. He went for this game and risked all three trophies by playing Cesc from the start and bringing in Arshavin and Eduardo at the end.
I also disagree about the FA Cup being there for the taking. Chelsea’s still in this and Manciti are coming on VERY strong. It’s not like Stoke are the hardest opponents in the competition.
January 25th, 2010 at 10:09 am
I can’t comment on what line-up I would have played as I’m not aware of exactly who was available. If Clichy and Gallas were available, I’d have them in certainly. I would have started with the strength we had on the bench and maybe adjust the tempo of the game so as not to stress them too much. All I know is that, as Wenger admitted, this was a weak team that was not physically or mentally up to the challenge of a cup match away to Stoke.
Obviously it’s all moot now. It’s just terribly disappointing.
January 25th, 2010 at 10:00 am
I hate to try and relate one football to the other, but we just went through this exact problem in Indianapolis regarding the Colts. The entire city was livid when the staff decided to rest many key players as opposed to try and go for an undefeated season. We subsequently lost the final two games of the regular season, but ultimately it paid off, because we are now going to our second Super Bowl in 4 years and you have to say that it is always 50-50 when making these decisions, because you never know what’s going to happen, but this time, for us, it paid off.
I can only hope for the same out of the Arsenal.
Gah, my email was sent too late. And you’ve mentioned most of it here already.
Couple of points to add to the good.
The game turned after Wenger made those substitutions. Until then the patched up team was doing rather well.
JET struggled to make an impact up front but workrate can’t be questioned. He opened up the Stoke defense with a Cesc-like defense splitting pass. And on another occasion, he intercepted play on the edge of our box to set up a counter attack. Now I just wish we knew what his best position was.
Eastmond look committed with regards to heading and his general play looked good.
Negatives..?
Not so much blaming the players but Coquelin at right back. He had the energy to play there but the early mistake didn’t help him. Fair enough he was subbed but moving Eastmond there? It was tough enough for him playing in midfield and then asking him to play at right back? That is demanding a lot for a guy who has only had 3 games of first team experience prior to this.
About Denilson
Damn it, the guy had good pace when he first started. I don’t know, maybe the role of DM has made his movements more cautious. His lack of pace at present is baffling to me. He is making Cesc look like Usain Bolt and not too long ago we were questioning Cesc’s pace.
January 25th, 2010 at 8:00 am
They were good points in your email, but I publish before 7am (PST)
In defense of Denilson, I want to say that he wasnt full speed just before Sibide made the cross. He slowed cause he saw Sylvestre was going out to intercept, he just didnt arrive on time. It was a mental mistake more than being outpaced.( Dunno if that’s worse, tho.). It was sol who couldnt head the ball before fuller. 3rd goal was a matter of time due to no having a real RB. Anyway, we’re out. Lets concentrate on the matches ahead.
Re: Traore, a few days ago I asked what you guys thought of Clichy playing up front. I think patrick mentioned the lack of decent crossing as a cause not to. Maybe Traore LW and Clichy LB would work?
January 25th, 2010 at 9:50 am
Traore clearly believes he is actually playing LW because I’ve seen him actually stop rather than track back as he should as LB. Clueless comes to mind.
January 25th, 2010 at 9:59 am
@Patrick, Arseblog posted a great video of the third goal, where Traore (one of the fastest people in the squad) simply quit running after Dean Whitehead.
http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/4554745/
WHY IS HE STOPPING????
The FA Cup. Would winning the FA Cup this season save Arsene grief from supporters were we to fail in the Champs League and finish 4th in the EPL? I’m not so sure. Yes, we’ve been without silverware, but I’m not convinced Arsenal supporters would take an FA Cup win in exchange for a finish out of the top 4. I’m not arguing that going for the FA Cup would ultimately take our concentration off of the league title race and surely drop us down the table. I’m just trying to ascertain the importance of the FA Cup to supporters relative to the league race.
Supporters were quite upset yesterday, perhaps too upset, but in their defense, they have some legitimate concerns. I understand Arsene keeping his players with knocks on the bench, but when he’s spent nary a penny this January with us facing almost unprecedented bad injury luck and with us contending for the league title, I’m not sure Arsene can argue that there was no alternative. Unfortunately for Arsenal stakeholders, yesterday’s result was not only an embarrassing headline, but it also shone a light on the areas where supporters have been begging Arsene to bolster via the transfer market:
1) Goalkeeper – Folks are begging Arsene to spend some money here to buy a world class keeper. I think it’s fair to say we’d all be surprised if Almunia is on the club next year, yes? It wouldn’t be surprising if Fabianski is tapped by Wenger as the #1 going into next season. Obviously yesterday made that prospect a worrying idea.
2) Centre back – Another area to which many supporters are clamoring for additions to depth. There are varying opinions as to how Campbell and Silvestre fared yesterday, but I think it’s hard to argue that we can’t improve upon the geriatric duo.
3) Striker – What would United do if they lost Rooney for the year? What would Liverpool do if Torres were out for the year? Chelsea with Drogba and Anelka? Fact is, we’ve lost our Rooney in RvP. We’ve also been without Bendy for a decent period of time. To many supporters, we’re seemingly underestimating how much those two have meant to our team. Yesterday’s feckless appearances by Walcott and Vela did a lot to remind folks of their not so strong feelings of confidence surrounding those two.
4) Midfield – Well, it’s been quite obvious how badly we’ve missed Song. Thankfully he won’t be gone long enough to warrant a purchase in this area. Still, it’s clear that Arsenal have been most impacted by the African tourney.
So I guess my long-winded point is that a lot of us aren’t lamenting another FA Cup opportunity gone awry. Rather, yesterday’s match seemed to perfectly encapsulate and highlight the lack of aggressiveness with which we’re seeming to push for greater things right at this moment when they’re clearly in our grasp. We’ve got two of the best players in the world in Arshavin and Fabregas who both might not be long for staying at the Emirates. We’ve got the two centre backs clicking together, but how long will Gallas be here? Arsene has to know this doesn’t last forever, right? If we don’t seize the moment now while we have Arshavin and Fabregas and Gallas, are we going to feel good starting over? Or are we going to be lamenting the fact that since losing our table lead in 2008, we’ve spent less money than we’ve raised in sales? I wish we were stronger right now, but this team still has enough talented individuals to beat each of these next four opponents. That’s obviously what we’re all hoping for.
January 25th, 2010 at 8:27 am
@ArseChicago, 1) Agreed.
2) Disagree. I don’t feel we specifically need to strengthen. If Gallas or Vermaelen were currently injured sure. But there is no real need. Campbell will be fine alongside either Gallas or Verm, due to them having pace. But, if we have 2 CBs out (plus Djourou) we’d be fucked anyway. As 4 CBs (Song and Sly not included) is plenty, and no club really has the ability to have 4 CBs of world beating ability anyway.
3) What would Chelsea do? Buy someone. What would United or Liverpool do? Nothing, as neither have any cash. I feel Wenger will be tempted if we come out of the first two games of our next four worse of. But if we do well, then why bother? Let the system run it’s course.
4) Most impacted? Hardly. We’ve been most impacted by the shitty FA Cup draw. If Chelsea had drawn someone harder than Preston Fucking North Fucking End then they would have actually been tested. No I don’t think the ACN has really affected anyone, yet.
8 out of 12 minimum in the next 4 and we’ll be fine.
January 25th, 2010 at 8:42 am
Fair points. On #2, I don’t think you need an all-world reserve at CB. United’s got someone like Evans and Chelsea rotates Alex and Carvalho. Just not sure our #1 CB reserve is on par with those clubs. On #3, if United or Liverpool lost Rooney and Torres for the remainder of the year back when we lost RvP, they’d probably try and raise money somehow via sales of players (guys like Babel, Skrtel, Voronin, etc.). I agree, they’re tapped. I’m loving it, too; not like we didn’t see that coming. On #4, I was likely being hyperbolic, but since losing Song, we looked horrid against Everton and were lucky to get a point, and we looked soft in the middle in the Bolton games. And then yesterday happened.
8 out of 12 in the next 4 is a great goal, I think.
January 25th, 2010 at 10:31 am
Here’s Wenger on how Gallas is somehow defying the odds and getting through all these matches. With no Djourou and now no Senderos, we’re still okay here? Sorry, I should stop complaining, but centre back was such a sore spot last season.
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/wenger-gallas-has-been-on-edge-of-injury
Into extra time between Egypt and Cameroon…
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/africa/8479275.stm
Come on Egypt!
January 25th, 2010 at 10:01 am
@Patrick, goal Egypt
2-1
COME HOME SONG.
January 25th, 2010 at 10:05 am
@Tim, and now 3-1, one team’s swan song is another’s season re-defined
January 25th, 2010 at 10:11 am
@kevin, THREE – ONE TO THE EGYPTIANS, THREE-ONE TO THE EGYPTIANS, THREE-ONE TO THE EGYPTIANS!
January 25th, 2010 at 10:11 am
@kevin, oh, and CdI crashed out as well, giving us cover in case Sagna picks up some more injuries.
January 25th, 2010 at 10:46 am
@Tim, That also means Drogba and Kalou with that awful haircut back.
do you all think song can play on weds? after playing 120 min and then travelling i think he will be hard pressed to play again so soon, but his services are very badly needed against the villains. especially with diaby out. would hate to see him try to push it too hard and pick up a knock, however. i’m definitely of two minds on this one
January 25th, 2010 at 10:39 am
I’d be surprised if Song could make it. He’s going to need time to re-adjust. He should be back for United, though. I think Eastmond will get another start this Wednesday.
By the way, unrelated, but Tim, why do you think Stoke is trying to get David James? I ask because I know (or I think) you’re a fan of Sorenson.
Well, we get Song and Eboue back! Song won’t play Wednesday for sure but he should be ok for the weekend.
I first came to support Arsenal in the late 70′s when I was seven or eight or so back in Galway, Ireland. I watched Liam Brady on TV and I related to the skinny ball controlling midfielder. I wanted to be Brady. I wanted to stop time whenever I got the ball like he did.
When Pat Rice lifted the FA Cup in 1979 in the most dramatic game I’ve ever seen, even to this day, I thought it was the ultimate win in the biggest football tournament in the world.
At that time, Arsenal were not aspiring to win the league. Bob Paisley’s Liverpool were dominant. The FA Cup was the game.
Watching Arsenal losing to Stoke yesterday made my quite sad and made me pine for when the FA Cup really mattered. Now it takes a back seat to the EPL and the top 4′s obsession with the UCL.
Tim, I have to give props for the very apt graphic you selected for the post. It’s a effing hilarious movie as well. “What’s this day of rest shit… it doesn’t matter to Jesus.”
Also I’d like to highlight Ramsey’s refusal to lay on a safe pass to Denilson instead of an eye of the needle pass to Traore deep in the opponent’s half with lead to Stoke’s second. I think a midfielder trying to be top class should read the game better and not let your left back get in tough situations like that. Also Denilson almost got to Sidebe while Traore was no where near; isn’t he supposed to be the quicker of the two?
Finally, someone with a rationale take on yesterday’s proceedings. Maybe you & I just see eye to eye but I agree wholeheartedly with your report.
Yes we made mistakes but I thought that considering where were playing, who we wer playing and who was playing for us-we made a real fight of it. It is so ironic that we should concede right after bringing on the 3 established stars.
What you didn’t touch on was the manner of the substitutions and whether they were tactically naive. Would we have been a better balanced team with just bringing on one or two rather three all at once. I though JET was causing the Stoke backline trouble with his height and although he wasn’t all that influential (who was) he was playing ok. We lost his presence up front. I would have sent on AA fro Walcott & Ramsey for Eastmond. Coqulein had grown into his role as the game went on.
on the other hand, u have the other hand
Is it me or does the dude on the left look like Rio Ferdinad?
A lot of callers to ’6-0-6′ (big football phone in radio show in the UK, for those who may not know) were basically saying, once you read between the lines of their spitting rhetoric, “Arsene fielding that team has robbed me of my chance to go to Wembley for an FA Cup final” which interested me greatly.
Do those people want success for the club or for themselves? Or are the two inextricably linked? Is the club run for the fans? Is success judged by trips to Wembley any more (essentially the two cups) or by a longer-term approach (the two leagues)? I know which brings more financial reward – we all do – but the short-term hit of a cup would satisfy a lot of the fans getting restless for some – any – success to beat their chests about in the pub.
Personally I thought he had no option, given injuries, the ACN, and the forthcoming fixture list. It was a gamble, but a big one, like putting it all on red. He is the manager. He gets to decide. He lost.
Shall we move on?
January 25th, 2010 at 12:42 pm
I don’t know about you but the FA Cup means a great deal to me.
I’m sadly moving on.
January 25th, 2010 at 1:16 pm
@Patrick, One of my earliest and fondest memories as a Gooner is dressing up in my full Arsenal kit and watching the 1980 FA Cup final. So yes, it means quite a lot to me too. I don’t think it should be easily dismissed but I also don’t think that was what AW was doing. He was playing the percentages, and he came off worst, this time. I am sad.
January 25th, 2010 at 1:26 pm
1980 was a tough year. Brady left for Italy after it.
January 25th, 2010 at 12:43 pm
@fourstar, it’s also important to look at other team’s schedules: Man U will have had an entire week to rest ahead of the Arsenal match on the weekend because they had no mid-week game.
So, that’s another factor.
But your question is a biggie: what’s the point of any football club? Is it for me? Is it for money? For glory of “the club?” The manager? To train players to get into the English National team?
It seems to me like it’s just like any club, it’s for the collective enjoyment of the members. Which then begs the question: what kind of people are in our club? Who are we? Do we want them in our club? Do we want to be in the club with them?
Personally, I take a very long view of the club and feel like we’re getting great value for our money, especially if you consider the candyland view of clubs like Chelsea and Manciti. But I also recognize that there’s a huge element of the club who, like me, have only been following football for a few years and, unlike me, they are impatient.
It’s popular to mythologize the people who are “true supporters” from the people who are “fake fans” but the truth is that identity is malleable. Pompey John is certainly the exception, he will be Pompey ’till he dies, but for the rest of us, even people born at the gates of Highbury, there’s always something the club or the world could do to turn us off of Arsenal.
I just find it sad when that thing is something small like “Arsenal haven’t won anything in 5 years.” Those folks would have a different perspective if they had been raised in a different era no doubt and might be more willing to support the club through what will surely be seen as a time of triumph (despite any trophies) in an era of financial doping.
January 25th, 2010 at 1:25 pm
@Tim, Agreed, and I would ask the question of all of them, old and new: “Why do you think we have any right to any kind of trophy in any given time frame?”
Trophies have to be won; if we don’t have the right mix of talent, youth, experience, balls, nous, facilities, grit, balls, intelligence, cheek, leadership, fire, skill and (possibly most importantly) luck, we won’t win them. End of.
I, for one, am sticking by AW as I believe in his ‘project’ – for of course that is what it is. A long-term, book-balancing, club-steadying, youth-projecting, talent-enhancing project. If the fans don’t like it, they can vote with their feet. There are plenty of others more than willing to take their place in the 60,038 at The Emirates every (other) week. Me included.
January 25th, 2010 at 1:32 pm
Very well said. One could write a lot on this question, yeah? Supporting a club is like reading one big novel the rest of your life. You love and root for the protagonist (Arsenal) and hate the antagonists (United, Chelsea, Liverpool, City), all the while sometimes finding yourself questioning or criticizing what the main characters are doing, but never entertaining thoughts of abandoning them.
I wish I could say I grew up in Highbury and was an Arsenal supporter in the womb, but I took them up in ’02, sheerly out of my fascination with Henry and his playing style. Ultimately I grew to love the players, the manager, the style of play, and respect the tradition, the supporters, the story, what the club represents. But without really thinking about it much, the club support gives you part of your identity, gives you escape, gives you entertainment, gives you a tie to a past, gives you a tie to a future, gives you an entity through which you can hope to see the achieving of greatness and beauty in one of the most artful games on earth. It both makes a lot of sense and no sense, but compared to the world and the way it seems to be going, that’s saying a lot in football’s favor.
January 26th, 2010 at 2:10 am
@Tim,
Does’nt United have a Carling Cup encounter with City tomorrow? And for the look of it, they played almost a full strenght XI in the first leg…
And totaly agree with you about the announcers, it’s horrible to listen to! I just turned the sound down a bit… it’s something I actually getting used to, all that slating of Arsenal from the media. (Have you checked out the media coverage of Gallas the assaulter vs Rio the boxer?)
been a supporter since ’52 when football was the poor mans weekend release.AFC is now an international business, and what we think is of very little relevance to the Club hierarchy.Wenger stated quite categorically that he runs the club and takes no advice from anyone,possibly even his staff.to achieve his ends he has made a habit of throwing the ‘unimportant’ trophies for several years, obviously not being acquainted with the proverb’ A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush’and as for momentum being an important , and loss of the same being potentially disastrous ‘il ne connait rien!We didn’t lose yesterday through poor team selection we lost it through his habitual poor timing and use of substitutes. We haven’t won a trophy for five years , aren’t we lucky to have won one so recently, some teams have never won one, I was 13 when Newcastle won their last. Stoke won the FA cup or was it the league cup in the 60′s or seventies. I only vaguely remember that because we bought George Eastham from them who was their best footballer, and poor old tottenham (Boo hoo) are approachuing their 50th year since winning the League. Are we lucky or ARE WE LUCKY? 0202B02BAGOONER – semper fi
Hello Tim & Fourstar. You will have to forgive me if my comment tonight (sorry it is night here in London) seem a bit out of sorts. I have (with the help of some friends) been celebrating the demise of Cameroon in the ACN. We are not unmindful of the pain Cameroon must feel for going out. We are just so glad that Song Billong will be back for, at least 2, or maybe 3 of our difficult 4 game period. So, I am unusually for a monday night, a bit drunk.
Now both you and fourstar have got your (provabial) fingers on the pulse of the whole FA cup exit to stoke scenario. I feel that to attempt to re-explain the whole reasoning will be like repeating, albeit in a different expression, what you have both stated up there. I whole heartedly concur with your postulates and detail reasoning in your comments of 12:02 pm, 1:16 pm,12:43 pm and 1:25 pm. Thank you! Thank you!! And thank you so much for such a clear & logical perspective. God bless The Arsenal Football Club.
Sorry, I got my email address wrong up there.
“Hello Tim & Fourstar. You will have to forgive me if my comment tonight (sorry it is night here in London) seem a bit out of sorts. I have (with the help of some friends) been celebrating the demise of Cameroon in the ACN. We are not unmindful of the pain Cameroon must feel for going out. We are just so glad that Song Billong will be back for, at least 2, or maybe 3 of our difficult 4 game period. So, I am unusually for a monday night, a bit drunk.
Now both you and fourstar have got your (provabial) fingers on the pulse of the whole FA cup exit to stoke scenario. I feel that to attempt to re-explain the whole reasoning will be like repeating, albeit in a different expression, what you have both stated up there. I whole heartedly concur with your postulates and detail reasoning in your comments of 12:02 pm, 1:16 pm,12:43 pm and 1:25 pm. Thank you! Thank you!! And thank you so much for such a clear & logical perspective. God bless The Arsenal Football Club.”
I pretty much agree with most of your analysis. I for one do not blame Wenger at all for the team selection. In fact, I would have held Fabergas back probably. We have injuries and a really hard schedule coming up. To me I rather come in a close 2nd in the EPL than win the FA cup. Stoke is not a great team, and he made changes when it was 1-1, and I bet most fans like me thought we’d then go on to win. Or at least tie….And I also think we have to give some of these kids playing time to develop. When would we play them to give them this kind of experience?
I though Sol showed himself well, better than others out there. I know Walcott was rusty, but he looked bad.
I have to comment on Stoke though. I agree Delap’s time wasting drying of the soccer ball is a joke. And yes, they play a lot of long ball. But I actually had a positive feeling about them after the game. They really are an honest, hard working team. I did some tough tackles, but not the achilles busting play you saw. I have seen far worse. I never at one point thought, ‘wow, that guy really deserved a yellow card there’. And they did show moments of good football. Ethrington, to me, looked like he had some good quality, and was perhaps the best player on the pitch for the match. And Fuller, even minus the headers, showed some good flair. Tuncay looked good in his cameo. They may be anti-Arsenal in their play at this point in their development, but they seem to have a bit more quality when they surpised last season. That’s a hard working team they have put together.