Saturday’s 5th round F.A Cup tie at Old Trafford brings together not only the current league’s #1 and #2 teams but also the two best teams in the history of the F.A Cup.
The two titans:
Man Utd have the most F.A Cup wins with 11, followed closely by Arsenal’s 10 victories. Both have also have finished runner’s up on 7 occasions each, with Man Utd finishing second best to Chelsea in last year’s final.
Ever since Arsene Wenger took over Arsenal, they have been THE dominant team in the F.A Cup. In the 11+ years under Wenger, Arsenal have reached the F.A Cup final 5 times out of the last 11 years, winning 4 titles. No team can match this result in the F.A Cup over the last decade. Man Utd on the other hand have reached 4 F.A Cup finals since 1997 and won on two occasions. Under Ferguson’s 21+ years, Man Utd have reached a total of 8 finals and have won 5 trophies.
Arsenal’s Freddie Ljungberg also holds the joint record of scoring in two successive finals with goals in the 2001 and 2002 finals. Freddie’s goal in the 2-0 win over Chelsea (in 2002’s double year) was an absolutely beautiful curling shot.
Arsenal and Manchester United have also been the two best teams in the 15 year history of the Premier League. So needless to say, there have been plenty of fiery encounters between the two and numerous stars who have delighted their supporters while frustrating the opponents. The league and F.A Cup ties have featured plenty of debating points ranging from kicks, shoves, punches, red cards, penalties, dives, beautiful goals and even a pizza toss. But the rivalry would not be what it is today if not for the two managers.
You talking to me?
For two managers to develop a rivalry, they have to be employed long enough for their respective teams. In that regards Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger have had plenty of time to get acquainted with each other. Currently, the two are not only the longest serving managers of a team in England but also in Europe. This was not the case three years ago when Guy Roux was easily the longest serving manager of any European team. But after leading Auxerre for a remarkable 44 years, Roux finally stepped down in 2005.
While Ferguson and Wenger have not been reduced to physical blows yet, they have exchanged plenty of memorable verbal battles. It all started in early 1997 when Wenger uttered the following words: “It’s wrong the programme is extended so Man Utd can rest and win everything”.
But Ferguson decided he needed to make his usual ‘intelligent’ reply:“He’s a novice and should keep his opinions to Japanese football”
Ferguson was always annoyed that Wenger never stayed for a post-game drink with him and that Wenger never gave Man Utd the respect Ferguson thought they deserved. So it is not a surprize he said this about Arsenal’s 2002 double winning team:
“They are scrappers who rely on belligerence - we are the better team”
Wenger’s perfect weighted reply was truly memorable: “Everyone thinks they have the prettiest wife at home”.
And then there was that infamous Old Trafford match in 2003 when a little shoving took place after the final whistle. Even a year after the incident, Ferguson talked about the game: “They got away with murder. What the Arsenal players did was the worst I have witnessed in sport”
Wenger summed up Ferguson’s intentions perfectly: “Maybe it would be better if you have put us up against a wall and shot us all. I hope that he will calm down”.
Yes that would certainly have made Fergie happy.
No wonder the Oct 24, 2004 game was such a high octane kick and cheat fest. But not according to Fergie: “In the tunnel Wenger was criticising my players, calling them cheats. Arsenal are the worst losers of all time”
Wenger’s reply: “I will never answer any questions any more about this man. In England you have a good phrase. It is ‘bringing the game into disrepute’”
In the last few years, there have been some other remarks by Wenger. For example, Wenger did confirm that when he runs into Ferguson at the airport, atleast they don’t tear the place apart: “When we meet in airports we don’t fight. Those meetings are even funny”
The following Wenger remark was directed towards Fergie: “I’m ready to take the blame for all the problems of English football if that is what he wants”
Maybe Ferguson will say in the future that since Arsenal sign so many non-English players, the team’s scouts spend so much time flying about and are destroying the environment. Climate Change might be Arsenal’s fault!
Recap of those old games:
The last F.A Cup meeting between Arsenal and Man Utd was in the 2005 F.A Cup final when Arsenal somehow managed a win. Despite being dominated for the entire game, Arsenal survived until the penalty shoot-out when Jens Lehmann saved a kick from Scholes and captain Patrick Vieira scored with his final kick for Arsenal (sniff sniff) for the 5-4 shoot-out win. The game was also the first F.A Cup final to have been decided on kicks. The footballing gods were kind to Arsenal that day feeling they had to make things right after Arsenal were hard done by earlier in the season when a fake penalty gave Man Utd a win and halted Arsenal’s 49 game unbeaten run.
In 2004, Arsenal lost 1-0 to Man Utd in a F.A Cup semi in one of the toughest fixture week for the Gunners. A week before the semi, Arsenal were held to a 1-1 tie with Man Utd. And a few days after the 1-0 loss, Arsenal met Chelsea in the Champions league 2nd league tie before a title deciding match against Liverpool at Highbury. Seriously, who came up with that fixture week? A computer corrupted with a Man Utd program? Unfortunately, Ferguson could not be reached for comments regarding this manner.
Then there was the Old Trafford tie 5 years ago on Sat, Feb 15 2003 when once again the soccer gods aided Arsenal when a deflected Edu free-kick and a Wiltord goal gave Arsenal a 2-0 win. Giggs missed a gapping net that day and that win meant that Arsenal made up for an earlier 2-0 league loss at Old Trafford, in a game which ended Arsenal’s 55 game scoring streak. Ofcourse, had Pires’ lob not gone a few inches wide earlier in that 2-0 league loss, it might have been a different game.
Giggs miss in that 2003 F.A Cup tie balanced the books so to speak because in 1999, he scored a super goal to beat Arsenal in a hard fought F.A Cup semi-tie. A penalty save that day in the 90th minute proved to be a turning point for a Man Utd win.
So…on to Sat
A packed crowd at Old Trafford would not care that Wenger believes the F.A Cup is third priority this season for Arsenal as the Man Utd fans cheer their team on. And given how the Man Utd players have wildly celebrated their wins over Arsenal in recent years (especially 2004’s F.A Cup semi win & the league game in Oct 2004), beating Arsenal means a lot to them. Every time a newspaper or a commentator mentions ‘beautiful football’ and ‘Arsenal’ in the same sentence, certain Manchester players must get irked because the first comments made by some ManU players after the 2-2 league draw earlier this season was regarding Arsenal’s ’so called beautiful football’.
Arsenal’s growing injury list will mean many players will be unable to partake in Sat’s game. As per Arsenal.com, the following will not play on Sat: Djourou, van Persie, Diaby, Almunia, Denilson, Rosicky, Walcott, Clichy, Sagna and Senderos. Besides the injuries, the team selection might also be altered keeping in mind next week’s Champions league game. On Man Utd’s side, you can be sure that Rooney will play as he loves scoring against Arsenal. He has found the net 3 times as a Man Utd player and 2 further times as an Everton player against Arsenal. Ofcourse, he scored his first league goal against Arsenal as well, ending Arsenal’s 29 game unbeaten run. In recent years, Ronaldo and Scholes have also found the net three times each against Arsenal.
Thierry Heny looooved scoring against Manchester. He scored 8 times against them (all in the league), including a bullet of a goal in the unbeaten season, a fantastic looping goal in 2001 and ofcourse that winning goal in a 2-1 league win last season. That 90th minute goal was the second last goal Henry scored in an Arsenal shirt and the last time he scored a winning goal for the Gunners. With recent reports that Henry has been in touch with Adebayor and giving him advice might hopefully mean that one day Ade takes up Henry’s goal-scoring record against Manchester. Ofcourse, Ade already has a winning goal against Manchester in a 1-0 win last season. But it is unsure if he will start on Sat.
No matter who starts, it will be an electric atmosphere. Not one for the faint hearted and that even includes fans following the game via tv or the internet!
February 15th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
2-1 to the good guys! We need to field a decent side. No holding back. 3 days to recoup for the struggling (Ronaldoless) AC Milan.
Come On Gunners!!!!
February 15th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
With an injury-ravaged roster, Wenger claims he is down to 14 bodies for selection of tomorrow’s team. As always, injuries will not be an excuse for The Professor. One important point that jumped out of the article in The Times (where both managers were interviewed): with only 6 EPL sides left in the competition, those that advance this weekend will have a decided advantage towards making (and possibly winning) the FA Cup. Most teams will be happy that either ManUre or Arsenal will be out after this round … as El Presidente’s recap show that they have been the two most dominant teams in FA Cup competition in the past decade.
For me the key player is Adebayor. With his current form and run of goals, if he is healthy enough to start AND play the type of game of which he is capable, then Arsenal have the advantage … even at Old Trafford.
February 15th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
yup u are right mike. ade with 12 goals in his last 9 games can cause damage to Man U’s currently fragile defence. at this moment he is pretty much unstoppable.
if fabregas and adebayor play i think we might win.
but then again traore and hoyte will play 2moro, so all bets are off.
ronaldo and giggs or nani will spank traore and hoyte into a stupor.
hopefully eboue and song can protect them.
fingers crossed on this one.
February 15th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
I think that there will be too many first teamers missing, particularly in defense. Clichy Sagna, and maybe Senderos are out. I assume Toure will be back, but I haven’t heard anything. The idea of Traore or Hoyte vs. Ronaldo, Tevez and Rooney doesn’t exactly fill me with hope. I don’t think Arsenal will win, but man, wouldn’t it be great if they did? There isn’t much of anything better than sticking it to ol’ red nose.
February 15th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
i am deeply suspicious of Wenger’s friday press conferences and rarely see the truth behind them.his priorities clearly do not lie with the FA cup and he is merely using feigning injury on the part of his players to protect them for wednessay or else in order to appease the English media who would criticise him of devaluing the cup.i have no doubt that if we were playing, for example, a league game versus a middle-tiered team we would be rolling out the big guns.
these presumptions may be inaccurate but we have seen Wenger’s over-protectionist and conservative stances before (Van P, walcott…who i imagine is not injured but suffering for form and confidence at club level, etc).i am not critical but rather in awe of wenger’s ability to conceal these hidden truths from the media and even his own players. For instance an unhappy player would come out and contradict these apparent injuries(minor as they are) and declare himself fit for selection.the wonders that wenger works in blanketing these things from the media astound me.
it is all part of the modern game with massive squads and rotation. fergie has a large squad but he has no qualms leaving fletcher,o’shea and co. rot on the bench and play his strongest,or close to that, team.
team predictions are useless here because we have no idea what wenger will do.predicitons are also impossible to make.lets just hope the team will reflect wenger’s faith in his younger reserves and show us we truly have strength in depth
February 15th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Very interesting match… with all the injuries and issues we have with the current line-up, I am worried to say the least.
Hard not to remember the shambolic display from FEBRUARY 2001 at Old Trafford, when our make shift defense was embarrased in a 6-1 loss!
I hope Ade plays… and I hope the defense holds.
I think its about confidence.
If you give professional athletes an excuse to lose, they will usually take it.
February 15th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
I’m thinking..who is going to start tomorrow? I’m thinking…what are the key areas tomorrow? I’m thinking …Is Arsene thinking…”How can I box smart with such few fit players”…I’m thinking…”What effect on AC Milan”…What effect on a title race will this game have? I’m thinking…How long can Adebayor carry this team?One by one….
Lehmann
Hoyte Toure Gallas Traore
Eboue Gilberto Cesc Hleb
Eduardo Bendtner
Subs: Ade Fabianski Flamini Senderos Lansbury…..???
Key areas:
I’d be more optimistic if Sagna and Clichy played; coz without them Ronaldo will probably play a half decent game with a tap in for good effect. This unless Bert/Song stick and man mark him out of the game…but thats not our style is it?? Rooney will also probably score…he always does..and if they score 2…can we score 3?? at Old Trafford?? If Cesc scores..YES..If not then NO…coz Ade will probably score one tomorrow as well…
Box smart:
Who the hell is fit at all to box smart? Does Arsene even have a choice? Ideally I’d rather have Mozart instead of Hleb fit for this one coz he’ll probably get kicked left and right here. Still given the situation the whole game is centred around our playmakers…can Arsene afford to take a risk and play people through light injuries? What chances does he have of having a bigger squad to choose from in the CL? How much can he risk in the FA Cup? I dont know..this is where Arsene earns his money..bigtime.
Title Race:
I think we’ll be fine even if we get whopped tomorrow. I really do…the kids know that we can lose and have lousy days….and that you have to come back after a loss ..so no I dont expect a season ender this time..
Adebayor: If he gets injured now..before Mr.Glass comes back…I’m not sure NB is going to be up for the fight or if he’s capable enough. Big Ade has been immense this season…and has made all the doubters eat humble pie..bigtime. How long can he do it? Drogba did it last season…Ronaldo has done it this season..Ade has done it for 3 months…Can he do it for 3 more? Maybe not…maybe a bit too much to ask. Then again ..you never know…
Cracking quotes Sachin BTW…brings back all those wonderful memories….How I wish Fergie had gotten whopped along with that cunt RVN on the field that day…I hate ManU … I hate them…..more than Spurs or whoever….I just hate them….
Sadly though…I’m not feeling too confident today…and I’d be delighted to be proved wrong…but I think….and its not often I predict an Arsenal loss…but there are too many bodies missing…and the “unimportant” missing fullbacks ( Fred
) are going to cost us this time …IMHO
ManU 2 - Arsenal 1
February 15th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
FYI…Usmanov has increased his stake to 24%…he’s the largest shareholder now. Or is that old news? I hate Usmanov as well…along with ManU…
February 15th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Rather Bendtner plays than Ade. Save Ade for for Milan’s ageing defence. He’ll give them a right going over but needs to be rested and refreshed. It’s time for Bendtner to step up.
Wish the full backs were playing, I think this is where we will lose it. Ronaldo could have a stormer.
Flamini should be rested with Gilberto coming in, but Fab and Hleb should play I think. Altho without the full backs I would probably rest one of them as well as I think we will struggle. If Clichy makes it, then game on, I would rather have Hoyte covering Sagna than Traore covering Clichy.
February 15th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
if you think about it we may have the best two full backs in the world…pity our cover in that area is so bad.
sagna’s ability in the air is crucial..he will be a loss at set-pieces.he has one of the biggest leaps going.also hoyte’s timidity(he did show some fight against keane in the corner against spurs) pales in comparison to sagna’s
February 15th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
This maybe a classic.With starting regulars missing on both sides it may open up the game a bit and the stand-ins will have a point to prove,especially a certain…..
……Jens Lehmann.
February 15th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
btw, nice write up keep it up :clap
February 15th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Thanks LDE, hakyn.
LDE, I think I echo your sentiments about ManU. I usually go crazy during these games. I don’t think I celebrate more against any opponent for a win. Thinking to some older memories…I was in a packed pub watching the 1-1 league tie in 2004. I so happenned to be sitting next to an older ManU fan. He didn’t think much of Arsenal but we had some nice chats/debates throughout the game. I was delighted when Henry scored but furious when ManU tied. Seeing how frazzled I was, he said most politely “settle down son. It is only a draw.” and then went on to say that Arsenal were the better team and I shouldn’t worry. I often think of that incident. He was too upset with Fergie’s team selections and why Saha was not brought on earlier but he still managed to calm me down instead of being happy that ManU tied the game up. Ofcourse, last year I met some very different and rougher ManU fans who stormed out as soon as Henry headed the winner. Me jumping up and down in front of them didn’t help matters either. But I go overboard with my antics in these games.
I am damn nervous for tomorrow more so than for the 2003 F.A Cup tie. But that day I was in disbelief that Arsenal won. Tomorrow, I am in pure hope mode.
February 15th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Go Gooners…
I see there’s a lot of new reg posters since I’ve been gone
February 15th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
LDE, I could be wrong but I think Lansbury went on loan somewhere. Didn’t he go on loan to Norwich with Gibbs? I could be wrong but that’s what I thought I had heard.
February 15th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Yes. echoing sentiments from above… its United that I believe our biggest rival is. These matches mean more to me than Spurs or Chelsea or Liverpool. For me its always been that way.
These are the matches I remember most.
3-2 win at Highbury in 1997.
The loss to Giggs’ goal when we were up at man in the FA Cup.
The win at Old Trafford 1-0 on the Wiltord goal.
Winning on penalties with Vieira’s last kick in an Arsenal shirt winning it…
These games mean a bit more… I’d imagine they do to most of the players as well… and you either step up in these type of games or you get over-run, because the intensity levels are usually HIGH.
February 15th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
i m gonna let the picture do the talking. see the tidy photo on the top left? that’s how i feel about Manure! There is only one Martin Keown, one Martin Keown!!
February 15th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
btw, to the webmaster MikeK and co: if we are going to have a Avatar here, why on earth it’s so small?! come on guys, make it bigger! LOL!
February 15th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Le Boss will have the boys play this one out like the run to the champions final 4-5-1 and get a draw to take the return leg back to Ashburton Grove where by that time a few of the lads would be fit. Maure 0 Arsenal 0. Return leg Arsenal 3 Maure 2.
February 15th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
I’ve got to say that being at this point of the season with so many decisions for the club to face is one of the best feelings I’ve had as a supporter. Do we go for the treble, is a double a reality, or shall we just work at taking the league. What a wonderful place to be.
For me the FA is important because I know so many people in the UK only watch this Cup if they watch any football at all. I want it!
The Champions League would be great in developing our clubs history and it’s rightful place in European Football. I want it!
The EPL title is the true test a great season and all other Cup matches only pale against winning the league. I want it!
Damn, I want it all but then reality sets in and I realize better a bird in the hand than two in the bush. Just now as a fan the EPL title means a lot to me and I want it! Then again I’ll take any two of the three as long as one is the EPL title. I want them!
February 15th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
Curt@15, Lansbury is still with us, it’s Randall and Gibbs who have gone to Barnsley and Norwich.
Yeah nice one Sachin. The best preview I have read… It was so interesting I read it from top to bottom which is unusual for me. The Fergie quotes! shocking… He must have felt like a right idiot calling Arsene a novice and then Arsene wins the double in his first full season. To say that we relied on belligerence is so hypocritical considering the tactics they used against us when we won the league at Old Traffford. I twas so obvious that they were trying to kick us off the field to stop us playing our fluent football.
Like most of you who have commented i have a special deep rooted dislike for ManUre I have hated that team since I was a boy. Thats probably why I hate the sight of Cristiano Ronaldo so much. I only got to really dislike Spuds because of their annoying fans who hate Arsenal with such a passion it is insurmountable. Really you will never understand how deep this hatred in sport can get until you meet a die hard Spuds fan. They are from another planet! bitter and twisted, full of unadulterated hatred and unacknowledged jealousy.
I cannot bring myself to say will lose this game no matter what I am thinking. I wonder if the talk of injury is really true or Wenger is just playing politics and making an excuse to field a weaker team.
Apart fro the CC cup final last year I have not seen Traore have a good game defensively, he was quite woeful n the reserves, however I think he would make an excellent left winger. I want to see Eduardo against ManUre he is a key that will unlock the door with Ade or Bendtner beside him. However Ade’s work ethic will be missed immensely if he does not start. Toure and Gallas in the centre is crucial for us to win this game, I trust Hoyte to be OK on the right if Giggs does not have a particularly good game. However the centre mid will be a big problem if Flamini does not play, there is no one to do the job effectively as Gilberto’s form is so suspect, and Song is probably still injured. I would like to see Diaby play in the CMposition in place of Cesc if need be. It will be an interesting game I am sure Man Ure will be really up for it, I hope we will be too, as I do not want another Carling Cup performance and result against Man U.
BY THE WAY I AGREE WITH ANDEZ @ 18 BiGGER AVIATORS PLEASE! Most of them cannot be seen with any clarity, and we all got broadband now so no need to worry about page loading speed. I want everyone to see how tightly Lauren had gripped Phillis Neville by the throat!
February 15th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Evidently Ade is now an injury worry for tomorrow. Squad is starting to get REALLY thin. I never thought I’d say it, but I’m glad Eboue is back. At least he can cover at RB instead of Hoyte.
February 15th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
Arthur, i thought it was Campbell in ur aviator!
February 15th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
Yeah, I’m with all the KUDOS to you Sachin G. A great preview and a really interesting read. Loved the whole package. Thanks, you should get paid.
FA CUP - I want it!
CL CUP - I want it!
EPL #1 - I really want it!
To sit in a private box slurping down Boddingtons with Martin Keown at Old Trattford on Saturday - I want it!
A bigger, bigger or even bigger avatar - I want it!
AN ARSENAL WIN - I WANT IT!
February 15th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Thanks arthur3sheds. My story of disliking spurs is similar to yours as well. I was ok with the derby until I met a die hard Spurs fan who always hated Arsenal. When I asked him why he hated Arsenal, he simply said he was born into it as he came from that area of north london. I had to tell him the history of the derby. It surprized me that this was a grown man (early 30’s) who hated without questioning. Only then did it hit me what this hatred means. But the game which truly made me dislike Spurs was when Teddy celebrated tying the game at Highbury in 2002. Considering Spurs had rolled over against ManU 4-0 at Old Trafford few weeks earlier made Teddy’s celebration even worse. Had Lauren not put away that penalty in the 86th min (I think) to give Arsenal the 2-1win, I am not sure if I would have calmed down for weeks.
And then my dislike of ManU is probably similar to most fans here as well. Regarding C. Ronaldo, I have to admit I was surprized when Wenger said that he could have signed for Arsenal had it not been for ManU’s assistant coach (Carlos Queiroz). It didn’t surprize me that Wenger was tracking him first but I always thought that Ronaldo only signed for Man Utd after their team played a friendly in Lisbon and the players insisted on the flight back to Ferguson that they should sign him. But that may not have been the whole truth.
I suppose I like the fact that Wenger never comes out and publicly says who he is interested in otherwise other teams would jump on the player just because Arsenal are interested. Maybe one day Wenger should throw out a few fake names just to stress everyone out
February 15th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Thanks Stoned. You are too kind.
Actually it would be interesting seeing the game with Martin Keown. I like the article that hakyn posted in the previous Blackburn game thread about Keown talking about his feelings and emotions regarding the 2003 game. I believe he said he would be covering the analysis for BBC tomorrow?
February 15th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
seems that fat, murderous criminal, usmanov is still creeping in the shadows waiting on us. i swear he is like that dark lord sauron in LOTR casting a f-cking large and dark shadow on the club’s future.
i really wish he can get into some sort of trouble with some of the tin-pot “politicians” in his country - so he will have other things to worry about.
February 15th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
anyway with adebayor now “injured” we can as well just rest fabregas and hleb….close our eyes real tight and pray hard!
pray that they pummel us but only manage to score one and then we fluke one late in the game.
February 15th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Sachin, great preview!!
It will be a tough one with so many players out, but if we can pull out the win hopefully it will drive the stake into ManUre a little more.
February 15th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Did any of you guys see that ArsenalTV is now available online at no extra cost if you subscribe to arsenal TV online and live outside the UK. Didnt see any big announcement about it on Arsenal.com, but if you go to ATVO and hit live you will get to watch the UK TV channel. I was excited and thought i would share, in case not everyone had seen that.
Cheers
Come on you gunners!!!!
February 16th, 2008 at 12:44 am
My nightmare scenario for tomorrow would be that it is 0-0 late and then Ronaldo dives in the box and wins it with a late penalty.
Wenger will field a weakened team, so I do not expect to win. But I just don’t want Ronaldo to score the winner.
February 16th, 2008 at 2:06 am
I think Wenger will field the best team possible… we have so many out injured, we just have to play a bit more defensive than we normally do, and try to hit them on a counter. If we can keep from letting up an early goal … I think we can get a “result”… be it a draw or win.
But an early goal against will bury us… as we’ll be forced to come out and score.
We have enough talent to get a result regardless. I am cautiously optimistic… or hopeful at least.
Need big games from Cesc Hleb and Toure/Gallas at the back.
If we create a clear chance, we have to bury it.
February 16th, 2008 at 3:15 am
Thinking about the match today….my mind goes back to the FA cup final a couple of years back….that was an awful match to watch for an an Arsenal fan..we were totally outplayed..AW was playing a 4-5-1…but the end was probably one of the best :)) ….. when PV slotted home that final penalty..i just about went crazy……getting a feeling that it is going to be another one of those days.
Cheers,
February 16th, 2008 at 3:16 am
I didnt watch this game…does anybody remember it? Any details…it seems that ManU for a long time know that they cant beat us playing football except when we’re completely off the boil…and kicked us even then…assholes…bloody cunts…
okay here’s the ANR article:
I cant believe I hate something so much….
http://www.anr.uk.com/articles/m-2003-02-16-16-39-07.html
February 16th, 2008 at 3:40 am
@Wayne: Where do u stay/work in Mumbai? Cud meet some time…lemme know if u care
February 16th, 2008 at 4:21 am
Yes Sachin@25 that’s what they’re like, they’re born into it. Did you know that Arsenal fans never go to White Hart Lane wearing the colours? They will always look for Arsenal fans to beat up after the match, ALWAYS. They ahve a nasty bunch of thugs, they usually try to catch Arsenal fans out by saying saying something like “Oi Gooner” and if you have the misfortune to turn around you have had it. Actually I worked with a man in his early fifties, a Celtic fan who went to White Hart Lane to watch a testimonial involving Celtic with his son, they kicked out at least four of his front teeth.
Funnily enough I know quite a few people from Tottenham who support Arsenal, it is so close to Arsenal anyway. Much of their hardcore support come from surrounding areas such as Enfield, Edmonton and Hertfordshire.
As for Teddy he has a special dislike for Arsenal because of the amount of stick Arsenal fans have given him over the years. Although he is a Wet Ham supporter, he has always been an icon for Spuds, extremely popular player for them until he left for Man Ure. Our fans even made a special song for him when he left Spuds to play for ManUre and won nothing in his first season. So I fully understand Teddy’s over exuberance, that’s the only way he can get back at our fans. I remember that game.
February 16th, 2008 at 4:56 am
Andez@23 No it’s Lauren, part of the same incident that is pictured in your Aviator. Campbell would never get involved in that sort of thing, you have to really wind him up, he is just not that aggressive. However the AVIATOR IS SO SMALL that you miss the beauty of it. The look of uncontrolled incensed aggression and the pathetic look of submission on Phil Neville’s face as Lauren’s iron like grip is placed securely around his throat; is a joy to behold! No seriously our boys were really out of order that day but that picture symbolises my immense dislike of ManUre.
LDE@15 I remember that game quite well, no one expected us to win, not even me forever the optimist. I remember Edu playing but I cannot rememebr why, someone important missing from our midfield it may well have been Patrick (I have just re-read the article it wasn’t patrick). However Edu when he got a start for us used to take a fair amount of free kicks probably because he was left footed, however he used to make a hash of all of them, he did with this one as well only a lucky deflection wrong footed the keeper and the ball went n the net.
Sometime before that my heart was in my mouth when Giggs rounded our keeper and either by divine intervention or complete stupidity he decided to sky the ball just over the cross bar when he could have literally walked it in if he so chose. I cannot remember Wiltords goal much. But I can now recall the rough stuff, their tactics were so obvious it was obviously a Fergie directive. But Arsene never used to make a meal of it like he did commenting on Blackburn but I think it was far worse when we played United, in fact I think they set the trend that Blackburn and the like followed, that old English mentality; “let them know they’re in a game”. Never quite understood why Thierry did not start and I think that was one of the reasons behind my negativity, although at he time the Arsenal faithful had not realised how woeful Jeffers would prove to be. Wiltord came up trumps again that day although he was not at all highly rated by the average Arsenal fan. However Wiltord will always by respected by us after his goal at Old Trafford to win us the league. Top, top fellow Sylvain! will always hold a special place in my heart.
February 16th, 2008 at 8:30 am
5 years back when we won 2-0 at OT, didn’t we hold a 5 or 8 point lead in the league and then lose it? This year, I would happily lose today if that means winning the league.
I don’t think that playing for a draw and a replay is a bad idea. Yes, it means more games. But by then, we should have more players back from injury and will know out CL status a lot better. That might be a much better time to decide between the CL and FA Cup.
As for predictions, very difficult to say anything without having any clue as to who will play.
February 16th, 2008 at 9:56 am
Aggregating opinions and responding to them-
Re: jizzyk’s #5- “i am deeply suspicious of Wenger’s friday press conferences”
Haven’t seen the squad announced but I have to agree- any idea who the 14 players he was referring to? If it is only 14 1st teamers fully he take another kid.
Related- What is the story with K. Gilbert- he eventually lost his spot at Cardiff last season, went to League 1 (Millwall?) and didn’t get playing time there either..
KCGunner #30- the addition of ArsenalTV would make it worth considering. Remember last summer when it was dropped from GolTV- a sad day. My $5/month to Comcast got me a lot of Arsenal games at one point. Now, not so much with Setanta hogging a lot of our matches..
Re: Stag133 -”But an early goal against will bury us… as we’ll be forced to come out and score.”
Nah, not this team. we will go about our business for 60/65 minutes if only 1 goal down esp. with the first teamers in midfield.
Some else mentioned Eboue at RB- I would gladly take it. Where did he play in the ANC? His pace would be important but I expect him at RM- we need Flamini and Fabregas in the middle not wide.
I think away Wenger will try and keep it close making opportunistic forays forward but keeping the defense solid. With Tevez, Rooney, and Ronaldo their counterattacks could be devastating!
Still, Middlesnbrough aside this squad is full of miracle workers. Man U at home against a depleted Arsenal side should be favorite but like Stag I too am cautiously optimistic!!
Go Gunners!!!
February 16th, 2008 at 10:21 am
I would start with Hleb, Adebayor, and Fabregas on the bench. If by some miracle we’re still in the tie after seventy or so minutes we can then think of introducing them to the fray. Other than that, just leave them be and fresh for the two more important games next week. What we don’t need is those players running themselves into the ground for a match which would be an almighty struggle with our first team anyway. Trivialise this game as much as possible in case we lose, and then if we manage to win it, it will be crisis for United. It’s impossible for them to trivialise the game. So, we should go on to enjoy this as long as we don’t concede an early goal and fall for their bluster.
February 16th, 2008 at 11:13 am
Thanks tarias.
Eurosport is showing the following line-up:. I am not sure if they are guessing based on who is travelling or if that is the official starting 11?
For Arsenal — Jens, Gallas, Toure, Hoyte, Traore, Hleb, Flamini, Cesc, Eboue, Eduardo, Adebayor.
For me the only surprize is that Wenger will start Ade right from the start. I had expected Bendtner to start but maybe Wenger did not want Ade to come on and tell Bendtner a thing or two
For ManU: full strength squad as expected.
2 hours till kick-off.
By the way, today is packed with football across Europe as all the Champions League teams are in action.
February 16th, 2008 at 11:19 am
arthur3sheds @36. Actually I was warned about not wearing an Arsenal shirt (or colors) during my visits to Higbury with the same reasons as you mentioned.
February 16th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Sachin -
This is perhaps the best preview ever. THANKS. The big games bring the best out of the Gooner Nation.
Agree with others - Ade might win this game by himself up front. He has become that kind of player.
But, I predict a draw with a replay at the Emirates.
February 16th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Teams:
Manchester United: Van der Sar, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Fletcher, Carrick, Anderson, Park, Rooney, Nani
Subs: Kuszczak, Saha, Scholes, O’Shea, Tevez
Arsenal: Lehmann, Justin Hoyte, Gallas, Toure, Traore, Eboue, Fabregas, Silva, Hleb, Eduardo, Bendtner
Subs: Fabianski, Senderos, Flamini, Clichy, Adebayor
Referee: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire)
Should be a good game.
February 16th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Holy Cow…Barnsley just scored at the Kop end in stoppage time to beat Liverpool 2-1
February 16th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
The magic of FA Cup still alives! Barnsley beat Liverpool with a last minute strike. I love the giant killing!
February 16th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Enough first team players to expect a positive result but enough backup players to fear a negative one too.
February 16th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Relieved no Ronaldo with the selected FBs. Just spent the $16 to watch at home. Rooney and Tevez combo can be lethal. Saha no slouch either when fit.
Indeed a good game and balanced enough that result could go either way.
Go Gunners!
PS Watched the last 15 minutes of the Liverpool-Barnsley match. No penalty needed! Amazing. Loudest reaction from me for a non-Arsenal game. If Benitez’s position was suspect what about now!! Liverpool have definitely unperformed compared to expectations..
February 16th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Imagine Senderos had done what Gallas has just done ???
February 16th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Wtf!!! 2-0
February 16th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Oh boy, 2-0 down, need to keep our cool.
February 16th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
@48: You should get refund after this display
February 16th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Is it time to panic now? Worst fear realized. And not even half-time yet. Where are those damn footballing gods? Arsenal need you…
ps: thanks thompson gunner for the nice words.
February 16th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Rooney is having the time of his life. Maybe Toure is not yet at full sharpness… Senderos might be the answer lol!!! or is it Flamini’s absence we are missing. Can’t seem to stop the mancs from attacking us..
February 16th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Yaikss………we got do something.
February 16th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
If a few more Lehmann kicks go straight to ManUtd, I think Gallas might launch himself at Lehmann and in turn Jens might fight back.
Great, 3-0 now. The crowd is letting Arsenal have it. oh man.
February 16th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
flamini, clichy and sagna are being missed big time
February 16th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Fucking embarrassment. Wenger has made it quite clear he doesn’t give a shit by naming this line-up, so the players follow suit. I’ll be fucked if I’m going to watch another 45 minutes of this crap.
February 16th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
it’s the same sceniro like the Spurs game, the biggest problem is our forwards can’t hold up the ball. we kept losing the possession on the final third.
our strength this season is Adebayor, but it’s also our weakness - for without him, we look like a different team.
February 16th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
So what now? Damage limitation? Because ManU are not going to let up and it can get even more ugly.
February 16th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
3-0 down at half time. Anyone else have recurring nightmares of the Spurs game?
Rooney is terrorizing the defense. The midfield is mostly anonymous. We are giving away the ball too much and it’s not Gilberto. Hoyte and Traore are being skinned alive. Hoyte couldn’t mark Rooney on the first goal. Hoyte was caught out of position for the 2nd one, although it was Cesc who gave the ball away and Gallas should have done a lot better. Traore then fails to track Nani on the third.
Get a grip.
February 16th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
It pisses me off when players like Fletcher score against us. Ever heard of Eboue scoring against ManU or CHelsea or Liverpool.
February 16th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Well deserved.. Carrick is on fire
This might turn out to be another thrashing like the spurs carling cup game. Maybe next time Wenger wont play children like Traore. He really looks lost out there and I think Gilberto has shown that he has very little left to offer on pitch
February 16th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Very reminiscent of Spurs, but we responded well enough to that loss so hopefully we can bounce back from this one as well
February 16th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
I would love to see stats on how long the Arsenal players spent on the ball. Has Eboue even touched the ball?
February 16th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Turn it off - game over. The players’ attitude is a fucking disgrace and Wenger is to blame. 9000 fans have paid a lot of money to travel from London to Manchester to watch this shit - they should all be refunded.
This is one of the worst performances I’ve ever seen in terms of lack of effort. The Tottenham thrashing was bad enough, but this shows a serious disregard for the supporters and the competition.
February 16th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
The Spurs defeat was followed by Newcastle at home, twice. This game is followed by Milan. Hoping for the best. Need a good second half before we think of the next game.
February 16th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Wow.
After watching Liverpool … my thoughts were, they have no passion, and are playing like they don’t really care about the match.
They were playing HOME v. Barnsley… and figured it would be a walk in the park.
We are AWAY at ManU.
PATHETIC.
Who on the team is playing this match like they actually give a feck at all?
The defending is HORRENDOUS. The back 4 is an absolute joke today.
Nobody playing with any grit, determination or pride.
I’d take Martin Keown and Ray Parlour please. At least they have pride. Somebody needs to knock a United player on his ass. How about ONE hard tackle on ANYBODY. Jeezus.
Hard to stomach and hard to watch.
United aren’t exactly trotting out there best team. But we are playing like we don’t care at all.
Inexcusable display.
The pitch.
What the feck? Why does the richest team in the world have a pitch that sucks that bad? Thats ridiculous.
United have to play on the same bad field, so its not an excuse, but it is an observation. They are quite obviously superior in the air, and we like to play the ball on the ground. The ground. Its a mud patch.
AWFUL.
February 16th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Actually guys, this scenrio is not entirely a surprise really. Reading the pregame comments, i can tell a few of us were worrying a sceniro like that would happen.
but what exactly AW could do? should we risk Adebayor (who carrying a bit of a tight hamstring, and Flamster, who’s carrying a knock)?
let’s just say our squad is not strong enough to challenge on third fronts yet. Bendtner is still learning his game. And currently he’s not good enough. but there is really nothing else the manager could do about it.
February 16th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
One way traffic. Can we shoot the piano player because we’re going to need this team on Wednesday. Even a broken down aged AC Milan must be licking their chops after this abysmal performance. The FBs are young, etc., etc., etc. but that being said, they suck today and they sucked against Sp**s. That being said, our CB duo are woeful today. There is plaenty of blame to go around. Nobody (and I mean absolutely nobody) on Arsenal are showing me anything right now. Nice guy Fabregas should have kicked Anderson’s head off and taken the FK instead of allowing him to set up Rooney. Gallas jawing about how easy it is to cover C. Ronaldo couldn’t cover Darren (f**k**g) Fletcher. Gallas with his arrogant gallic ‘tude should have kept his mouth shut before this game.
The most disheartening thing about this game is we can’t pass to save our lives. The second most disheartening thing is that without our 1st team FBs we are in deep doo-doo. That is an eye opener for Wenger.
I just hope we can bounce back on Wednesday.
February 16th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Blob.
You watched that 1st half, and you have a comment directed at Gilberto?
Really?
He wasn’t close to being one of our worst performers in that first half.
Not even close.
February 16th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
As soon as I saw the pitch I thought we would be in for a long afternoon. For a team of such lauded technique it’s amazing how we cannot pass for shit unless we’re playing on a carpet.
Andez, the problem is Hoyte, Traore, Gilberto and Eboue. Gallas cannot function with such shit around him. The same thing happened at Spurs.
Eduardo and Bendtner have actually looked quite threatening.
February 16th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I didn’t mention Flamini critical absence because we all know that Gilberto ain’t s**t and these FBs can still develop here or somewhere else.
February 16th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
I cant believe the score line. As much as I hate losing to spuds this will really hurt
February 16th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
I am thinking more of that 6-1 thrashing when a make-shift defense was torn apart by ManUtd. But back then the score was worse at half-time 5-1. The line-up that day wasn’t exactly weak: Seaman, Luzhny, Ashley Cole,Grimandi ,Stepanovs,Pires ,Vieira ,Parlour ,Sylvinho ,Wiltord ,Henry
February 16th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Even I thought that Eduardo and Bendtner have done ok. Just about everybody else, except Lehmann, has been poor.
February 16th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
It’s nothing to do with the players on the pitch, we were always going to lose with those two dummies as full backs and Gilberto with one leg in Italy - but the lack of effort is completely inexcusable.
February 16th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Can we dress up Barnsley in Arsenal colours because they sure as f**k showed me something today. Even Huddlefield has a goal on Chelsea.
February 16th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Sell that stupid cunt Eboue.
February 16th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Eboue finally gets what he has deserved for many a game now.
February 16th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Yeah, Arsenole. I paid to watch this disaster. Nightmare.
V. unfortunate Wenger couldn’t play our strongest backline. The passing has been poor and they seem tentative perhaps b/c of the pitch. If we make it a 1 goal game then consider Adebayor otherwise why bother?
Fletcher’s goal was down to 2 of our players being/becoming static for a moment while he was still active- Gallas turned off for a 1/2 sec. and Fletcher attacked the ball
3rd goal was dreadful on Traore’s part esp.- Nani was too far ahead.
No one is passing well. Only way subs come on is to punish the poor performers.
February 16th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
you this red card might have been exactly what this team needs. maybe this will be enough to light a fire under our ass
February 16th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Surely why did Eboue come back… I wish he had stayed in Ghana. Why does Wenger even play him in such important games. He is a poor player
February 16th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
why are u guys all over your head spouting? what exactly were you expecting??
it was 100% CERTAIN that if ALL 3 of traore, hoyte, and gilberto play we will be f-cked. so why are you all acting surprised.
the problem is NOT with the strikers.the problem is that we have 3 players who are black holes!
notice how the midfield is utterly non-existent - because gilberto comes in for flamini.
notice how ALL attacks down the wings is emergency sort of danger.
stop acting surprised and hope it stays less than 5 and that we can get a goal or two in consolation.
February 16th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Pointless and immature to get that red card. Frustrating. But yeah Eboue has a tendency to do things like this.
February 16th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Fred is right..with this loss and the Sevilla loss, its hard for me to get all that upset because Wenger trots out the B (or C) team against more than capable competition
I’ll just trust he knows what he’s doing and we’ll be back firing on all cylinders Wednesday
February 16th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Nothing to do with that Fred, for me the midfield should be shot - Hleb, Febregas, Gilberto and Eboue all played in the first half like they don’t give a shit. We were always going to lose, but you expect 10 times better than that fucking crap.
February 16th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
I ‘m not surprised. I’m disappointed that my feelings of foreboding were so correct. I’d rather be correct about lottery numbers than Arsenal getting raped and pillaged.
February 16th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Good to see Wiley showing Rooney the yellow card for not giving up the ball. Refs are getting stricter on the ManU striker and that’s a good sign.
February 16th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
its GREAT that eboue got a straight red. he now misses our next 3 domestic games. AWESOME! i hope the FA also slap him with a charge and extend the ban to 5 games.
guys, calm down. i am SURE we wont get off track by this defeat. plus Man U will now have more fixtures to contend with than us. our squad was always too weak for us to even be dreaming about the treble anyway!
i mean with traore and hoyte and gilberto as backup we should not even be thinking about treble.
calm down. we will be back by midweek. i am almost sure of that.
February 16th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
atimes it looks like they are just toying with us
February 16th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
The worst part of Eboue’s sending off is the some player will get more tired for the Milan game.
February 16th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
I want Eboue out of the club forever. A piece of shit like him should not be associated with a club of Arsenal’s class.
February 16th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Hopefully non of the subs get injured for the next game.
February 16th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
I have the flu, and now I am vomiting. Ade with the dive….
February 16th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
gallas kicking nani was unnecessary. this team does not fall apart piece by piece, it just crumbles.
February 16th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
It seems like we get so childish as things don’t go our way.
February 16th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Hope Gallas is not penalised by video for that stupid thing to do.
February 16th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
I hope this isn’t the beginning of last years’ ten-day crumble.
February 16th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Nani deserved it. Prick.
February 16th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
We are a disgrace to football today, I have seen MLS teams play way better, and with more passion. Disgraceful. I hope Wenger says this to the media: “we were a disgrace today.”
February 16th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
how the fuck did saha get through
February 16th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Never mind. Let them have the fun. We will beat them in the league tie!
February 16th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
I have one important question.
When Wenger puts the team sheet for this game and the Spurs CC leg, does he tell the team that he doesn’t care about the result or the team know it without Wenger saying anything?
February 16th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Not to get smug, but something told me to save the $15.95 and get out the house anywhere, fast - actually it was Costco. And it was still more pleasant than reading the live report. OMG.
Why is we are either great, or completely hopeless. When was the last time we lost narrowly? Boro outplayed us. Spurs danced all over us. And now ManUre unzipped and pissed on our collective heads.
Clearly, Wenger is saving the best for Milan, but once again it does show we need better defensive cover than Hoyte and Traore. Bring them on for the last 15mins, sure. But throwing them into Old Trafford for the full 90 is a suicide note.
Let’s hope we get the defibriliator going for Wednesday and Brum.
Sorry to your guys who bravely watched it. Britney is trainwreck enough for me right now.
February 16th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Well we knew AW cared more about the CL than the FA Cup. This performance cemented that for sure. However we didn’t crumble after the Spurs defeat and with a home CL match against Milan coming up I’m sure that AW will have this team fired up and ready to go put this embarassment behind them.
February 16th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
don’t be stupid nipuna. Man U rested a few players as well, do does it mean Fergie told his players it’s not important?
It’s very simple why we lost - we just haven’t had strong enough depth.
whoever we played tonight, they are in our SQUAD. They are in our squad cos they were supposed to offer us support when we are competing in different competitions. We couldn’t possibly play the first XI in 4 competitions every game. So they were supposed to do a job when called upon. But they couldn’t. End of story.
February 16th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
I am crawling back into bed with my electric blanket knowing that this result will extend my flu until the midweek game. AC Milan are having a laugh at our expense now. You could have the English and Italian giants coming in to the most anticipated CL game in a few years on terrible form. Unbelievable.
February 16th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Now that the domestic cups have been a wash-out, can Arsenal get back to business? No more second string squads. Only wins from now on?
stag you make a good point about the pitch. I am sure it will be like this come April but hopefully by then Arsenal are in a much better position.
February 16th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Just a quick question, does anyone know when the ManUre - Arsenal FA Cup match begins. I watched a game where ManUre played but I didn’t see the Arsenal anywhere on the pitch. Ouch!
That was too painful for words.
February 16th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
@ 101: please, we didnt play any worse than against spurs …and wenger didnt say anything negative.
four players have to go, gilberto, traore (on loan), hoyte and eboue.
once your defense is leaking on the wings NO team has a chance in football. so calm down. all this game has confirmed is that we have disaster wingbacks and DM.
hopefully with only prem and CL matches left we will not have to see hoyte and traore again.
i really wish gilberto and eboue could TAKE over the injuries of RvP and rosicky. that is pretty much the only positive thing they can do for the team right now.
February 16th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Andez, I don’t mind the defeat at all. But the first half, only Lehmann, Eduardo and Bendtner showed any passion for the game. A similar thing happened at WHL in the CC. Sub consciously the team knows that a defeat does not matter. Imagine Fergie if his team were beaten 5-1 or 4-0.
February 16th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Clearly a tank job.
I just wish we could have disguised it better than that.
Even though I felt we would tank it, because of other priorities, the flagrantly obviousness of it all is embarassing.
We will all forget it soon enough - but based on this (lack of) effort, we better beat Milan.
February 16th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
@113, and more importantly win the league (or at least finish 2nd), or the media hacks will have a field day
February 16th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Actually Stoned, there was a serious mix-up. The ground was not in the greatest shape so intially both teams were told to kick it about to see if the pitch could settle a bit more. The ref then indicated that an actual game had begun but the arsenal players didn’t hear the ref. So after 45 min, some Arsenal players were surprized to learn that the kick-about they were having was an actual game. Which explains a lot actually. For Arsenal that means the game ended before it began actually.
February 16th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
On the bright side, we got to read an excellent piece by Sachin and I agree with him #109 - ONLY WINS FROM NOW ON!
February 16th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
If we can only play on perfect pitches, we are not going to win anything. When we won at Burnley and I said that our midfield was not functioning in that game, Danny suggested that I don’t know much about football because the pitch was poor and our midfield couldn’t string together our trademark passes. Are we going to dole out the same excuse today?
February 16th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
i think AW’s game plan (in both CC and FA Cup vs spurs and man u respectively) was for the lineup he put in to hold the game, until second half to bring in the regular starters like Ade, Flamini to kill the game off.
That way, he could rest his players, while trying to win at the same time. otherwise he would not have put Ade, Flamini the likes on the bench.
What upset me was in both games, we were already 3 goals down half way into the first half.
I agree with Fred, i think Hoyte and Gilberto’s days with Arsenal are numbered.
February 16th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
no matter how painful this defeat seems, it is a GOOD thing for our season.
we are NOT strong enough squad-wise and injury-wise to go for a treble….and if we had attempted to we would have come out of this season TROPHYLESS.
this is a blessing in disguise.
February 16th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
I don’t care if Wenger plays a weakened team or not, but I cannot abide lack of effort. It appears Fred you cannot tell the difference. My anger is not over the team that was put out but more the fact that players just simply went out there and put in 50% of the effort they should have.
How does Traore and Hoyte being crap excuse Fabregas, Hleb and Gilberto standing around with their hands on their hips whilst opposing midfielders run past them for fun and take pot shots for almost 90 minutes.
I’m not exaggerating, but were it not for Lehmann, 8-0 would have been a fair result - that’s how bad Arsenal were.
If Arsenal sod up against Milan, Wenger will look a right tit for chucking this competition down the drain.
February 16th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
i agree nipuna, the pitch was definitely NOT the excuse. the players just didn’t do their job.
February 16th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
@119-
I agree (which I think explains the don’t give a sh*t) attitude today.
But, we had better win the league now.
February 16th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
I had expressed surprised when Traore didn’t go on loan in Jan. He struggled against Burnley, what hope did he have against ManU?
February 16th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
nothing against nipuna here, but if the only thing we could consider as a good sign today was rooney getting that utterly stupid yellow card, then that says it all. after we went down 2-0 inside 20 mins, it was game over and the sad thing is i could sense that was going to happen since the first minute. this was pure classless, heartless shit. period. end of story.
lets hope the team learns from this (since its obvious they didnt from the spuds game), and we move on to fight for the 2 trophies that obviously matter to the professor. not that we could do much in terms of team selection with all the injuries, but when you put on an arsenal shirt, especially against one of our main rivals, there is no excuse for lack of effort. none.
still, in big picture terms, this horrible result is the same as if we had outplayed manure all game long only to conceed a last minute winner. we are still 5 points clear in the league and we will go back to old trafford again. and we have to forget about this and move on to ac milan.
and what’s worse? defeat away to man u and still having a 5 point lead over them in the league or defeat at home to championship barnsley?! things could be worse for us lads and they can only get better after today, espcially when we welcome back our injured players!
keep your head up!
February 16th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
“If Arsenal sod up against Milan, Wenger will look a right tit for chucking this competition down the drain.”
@Danny, but i thought u said you dont’ care if AW plays a weaken side or not?
once again, i m with Fred here. i can’t see us competing in 3 fronts, at least not this season. the first XI have matured a great deal, but the 2nd tiers, they got quality make no mistake, but they are far from the finishing articles.
to rely on the regular XI to try winning 3 competitions, we might end up winning none.
February 16th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Fesoco, Rooney’s yellow card was in a larger context. He gets away with too much but he got booked for diving at Spurs and not giving the ball away today. Something I have not seen before. This can only be good in general. Remember he missed the City defeat because of the yellow at SPurs.
February 16th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
That’s it after todays match I’ve decided to sell all my ManUre paraphernalia - dang, I just remembered I don’t have any!
I already know the expression on my bosses face come Wednesday. He’ll mince into the studio and it will take every ounce of my strength to look into his face after today’s match. He’ll probably hand me a ManUre key flob or some not so subtle ManUre keep sake. Well damn I’ll be selling that then.
February 16th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Thinking about the argument of the previous thread, maybe our indispensables are Clichy and Sagna, not Cesc and Hleb, who were very poor today. Anderson totally out maneuvered and out hustled Cesc. I think Cesc needs to increase his speed, I know he’s not known for his pace, but he needs to pick it up a bit, he’s a tad bit slow. Hleb, on the other hand was totally lost. Worst performance I have ever seen of Arsenal. I have to give it to United though