The Right Attitude And Application Will Take Us Back To Wembley
Apr 17th, 2015 by 'holic
Wembley, again. We make the short journey to our second home again this weekend for an FA Cup semi-final appointment with Reading. We are obviously massive favourites to progress to the Final but history provides many reminders of just why we should not take the outcome for granted. That is why I was pleased to hear Arsene assuring the press ahead of the match.
“Last year we went to penalties against Wigan and we have learnt from that. The urgency level will be high in our team. We have prepared well since the start of the season for this game and we know exactly what will face us. I think the team will have the needed focus.”
Listeners to this week’s Arsecast will know I am of the opinion that the only change to the team that has featured in our last two Premier League victories will be in goal. Wojciech Szczesny has already been named ahead of the match and he will be looking to earn himself a place in the Final that was denied him last season. As the Arseblogger and Andrew Allen pointed out the boss has a history of rotating in cup ties, but normally he says as much beforehand. This time he has been less open.
“I’m concerned about finding a collective balance. That can include some of these (squad) players or not, but honestly, I haven’t decided who will start the game on Saturday.”
Certainly we have a number of options open and the competition for places on the bench will be as big a teaser as who to start for the manager beforehand. With the likes of Mathieu Debuchy, Gabriel, and Jack Wilshere added to the squad it will be very interesting to see who doesn’t even make the bench.
Of course whatever team we put out should have too much for a Royals side in the wrong half of the Championship table and without a win since beating Bradford City, themselves conquerors of Chelsea, in the quarter-final. Their experienced and highly-rated manager, Steve Clarke, was honest in his pre-match assessment.
“I think we have to play the perfect game. We have to defend well, we have to be solid, we have to be mentally strong. It’s a game where we can’t make too many mistakes because if you make mistakes against the top teams they punish you. So we’re looking to play the perfect game. If we can do that, we can have a chance.”
Reading will make the journey to Wembley with a fully fit squad on Saturday, barring experienced defender Anton Ferdinand. Loanees Nathan Aké and Kwesi Appiah are cup-tied and so will also be missing. They have experienced players, the likes of Pogrebnyak, Mackie, and Robson-Kanu, who will surely threaten the favourites if given any sniff of an opportunity.
I’m loathe to predict a comfortable victory for the ‘holic pound, mindful of the hard work we made of beating Wigan and Hull at the same venue last year. However there is something about this team right now. Eight consecutive Premier League wins plus rolling over Manchester United at Old Trafford is a powerful argument in favour of the hot favourites. I’m basing a 3-0 scorecast on the Gunners patiently stepping up the pressure as the match progresses and the Royals wilting late on. Paddy Power match the market best of 7/1 against that outcome.
To those who are going have a wonderful day. I’m hoping the forecast sun shines down on a beer garden in Harrow pre-match, and that the shared journey home with Chelsea and Manchester United supporters, as well as Reading fans, is a good-natured one. To those less fortunate I hope you still get to enjoy the game live and on Saturday evening we will all be celebrating another Wembley date in May.
Have a good one, ‘holics.
170 Responses to “The Right Attitude And Application Will Take Us Back To Wembley”
aaaahhhhhh
well in me
howdy ‘hol
howdy all
.
by way of catching up
cheers zico – crackin’ ny post
and
cheers ned – crackin’ monkly doin’s
.
proper good bar this
.
UP THE ARSENAL
Nice write up, ‘h
Looking forward to it. I think we might take them to the cleaners tomorrow, hope so anyway.
See you in Harrow,
NACANFPB
Nothing to add or take away from your, as usual, excellent preview, Maestro.
I’m not one to offer advice to Arsène or to criticise his decisions, but I’d be surprised if Woj for Ooooospina was the only change. I’m not sure what other change or changes there will be, but I’d guess at least one, maybe two.
I’m also not a fan of predicting scorelines and this one is harder than most. As well as playing the perfect game, Reading will need some luck, and if that comes in the first half of the first half, we could find ourselves one down at halftime facing a nervy second half and ending up feeling lucky to get away with 2-1. On the other hand, we could easily have one of those purple five-minute patches early on, score three goals and all end up feeling obscurely disappointed at running out 4-0 winners. It’s a funny old game, and like Oskar in the last bar I’d actually be happy with a 1-0 win.
Have a great time, all who are going.
COYG
Sensibly measured preview, Guvna.
Have a great day all who are going.
I am sadly double-booked and committed to a fine dinner at kick-off followed by Death of a Salesman in Stratford. So no chance of seeing one iota of the match live. However I will do my very best to keep an eye on the scoreline.
COYGs
Play to your potential.
yer such a football fan cliche , bath
😉
Aye, probably, cba.
fine dining ?
oooooh !
.
square sausage en croute
.
keep it real 🙂
made myself hungry now
a pan fulla lorne
a giveaway of a happy drunken home
mmmmmm
fried entrails and meaty sweepy uppys
*has to make do with stupid sausage shaped sausages*
.
booooooo !
fine preview, holic. i’d have to say oskar’s 1-0 to us will satisfy, though i’d like to breathe easier than that so i’ll take your punt in a heartbeat.
saturday 930 am is the perfect time for a guinness. with my bacon and eggs.
I’m very much with you Guv’nor about this. I think we will see a very similar team to our recent run but if he does rotate it might be at full back . We have two candidates for right back rotation but he won’t bring Debuchy back cold into a semi but he might use Gibbs at left back. Chambers may come in instead of Bellerin but I think he may go with Hector. I’m not sure he needs to use Ramsey out wide for this one but sadly for OTD I think Theo will be on the bench.We can field a very strong bench tomorrow.
If Reading can hurt us it will be with the pace they have out wide . Young Chalobah is also a very useful player in midfield. Big Pogre…something or other will cause problems if he gets a supply of crosses so we will need strong application and try to boss the game without going too Gung- Ho. Knowing some Reading supporters they HATE playing us but it will be the thirteenth time we have played them so those of a superstitious bent may fret….!
I think 3-0 might be a decent shout and I hope it is a fun afternoon for us but these games rarely are.
Selection problem? Let’s just play 12 and take one of them off after the referee notices. 🙂
Cheers H.
No idea what line up will start tommorow, like you I’m hoping there aren’t too any changes, but I fear there will be a few. Would be very surprised if Theo doesn’t get a start in this one, I think Welbeck will be in there too, afteralit was his goal that got us there.
Gabriel and Gibbs may come in at the back, while Belerin has competition from Debuchy and Chambers for his berth………
Bloody hell, we are almost spoiled for choice.
Whoever starts, we need to be focused and on our game, this is Reading’s biggest match in donks so you can bet your back teeth that they’ll be up for it. Play our game to our potential and we’ll be fine.
She wore, she wore……..
Re the blog title, I thought we’d be going by coach…
*ahem*
Get your coat, Cynic…
Do you recall the last cup tie between Reading and the Arsenal? If that’s replicated, there wouldn’t be enough crash carts available to minister to the supporters.
Nothing remotely similar will occur; forecast calls for 3-1 to the Arsenal. Le Prof will opt for more pace at the start, selecting Theo and Gibbs for their added speed and familiarity with the venue.
AW is a principled man, so no surprise to see Chezza in goal. But, I’d be surprised to see Theo or Danny-boy starting tomorrow.
You dance with the girl who brung ya (especially when she’s wearing [only] a yellow ribbon).
BMBD
cba, I really, really hate Lorne sausage.
Sausage shaped sausages are far better.
I hope you enjoyed them.
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=vGOEUo_sLxY
.
O
fuckin yes
Cheers H! Have a great day tomorrow. All the best to Tone and Jackster, and if you see True Storey, tell him he owes me a pint! Only joking. Enjoy it mate, I’m quietly confident you will. And fuck the journey home – rub the cunts’ noses in it.
Trying to think of something clever and insightful to write but can’t come up with anything, really. I just want it to be tomorrow morning so I can head off to the pre-match party!
Anyway, let us hope we get to celebrate tomorrow evening. Up the Arse!
May our goalies be like catzny : http://i.imgur.com/whm75Vh.gif
😀
Oh Jimmy Jimmy!
Which North London team hasn’t been winning the league for 54 years and (precisely) 1 hour?
I expect a right rogering of the Royals.
It’s the Republican in me. 😉
night night
je suis yeah
.
http://m.youtube.com/?reload=7&rdm=1if0u07d0#/watch?v=9Y-0nWVdBH4
zeee
shoooosh
Nice preview H.
The last time I was present at an Arsenal v Reading game we were 4 down within 30 minutes. We came back to win 7-5 in one of the most bizarre games I have ever been present at.
I have never been a fan of not playing our first choice keeper in games of such importance. One of the plus points has been the calmed reassurance that Ospina seems to have brought to the defence, as expertly highlighted by Trev after the Burnley game. I’m sure Shezza is an able keeper but I do wish we wouldn’t chop and change for games like this. That said, we should have more than enough for Reading.
Hopefully the game will be comfortable and I can keep one ear on what is happening at the bus stop. Is it possible to want both teams to lose??
May catch up with a few of you there if you are going. Let’s hope it ends with celebrations. Enjoy boys and girls.
Ned. Great piece in the previous post. An enjoyable read.
zico,
cba,
🙂
Giroud to score at any time. Probably not very good odds against it.
Giroud to score two. Wouldn’t bet against it either.
Arsenal to win. Now there’s a bet I can really handle. 🙂
Cheers, H.
Excellent stuff in the last drinks from Ned.
Just win baby!
Up The Arse!!!
While I said I’d be happy with 1-0 to us, Pangloss, that was only insofar as it was a win. In fact I’d find 1-0 a bit disappointing, and 3 or 4-0 seems more likely. It depends how we start, how early we start scoring, and how much effort we put into it thereafter.
And also the attitude of the players. One thing that doesn’t fill me with confidence is the usual assurance from AW that we won’t be taking Reading lightly, having learnt from the Wigan experience last year. How many times have we heard that before, only for the team to come out playing the kind of carefree (careless) football we love to watch on Hackney Marshes of a weekend?
4 behind after 37 minutes, we were indeed Steve. Just as well we had Theo to score a hat-trick for us that day, right? 😉
Öskar
Dear Mr. Holic
“Countnho is not fit to be Santi Cazorla’s butler”
Brilliant
Must be the quote of the season
fuck me
strangely hyper bout today
proper christmas excitement here
playing arsenal songs from half six didn’t annoy anyone either
mmmmm
why are they being nice to me ?
maybe they’re having me adopted
anyhow
and
anyhoo
.
UP THE ARSENAL !
yeee haaaaaaaa !
Cent, Steve T, cheers.
Sun is shining. Still 4-1 today for me.
here’s hoping ned
here’s hoping
please fuckin god put in a proper shift today fellas
A good 8 hours to kick off.
Looks like I’m gonna have to put in a proper shift too. 😉
be rude not to join ye h2h
cheers big man
🙂
Cheers mate.
Shirt and scarves various washed, rolls for the train made, bag packed, woke up at 04.00hrs, too much excitement. Gooner Kevin’s chariot arriving 10.30 for the trip to Peterborough, another weekend of engineering work on our line coupled with Cambridge station car park being out of commission.Hope this is not a bad omen.
Arsene not too many changes please, having TPIG is quite enough in defence thank you. Perhaps Danny for Rambo but I doubt AW will drop our Welsh Wizard to the bench.
Enjoy the day all of you who are making the trip. As Holic said it might not be much fun rubbing shoulders with the Chav and United folk on the train journey home. Hoping for a 3-1 victory and an evening free from stress!
COYRs
Just win baby, just win.
can’t fuckin get bbc here
gonna have to trek barwise
bastardin chelseamanure
gonna take precedence
on the wee telly i’m guessing though
.
there may be bloodshed
Cheers Holic !
Have a good day – and all the other attending Holics.
Not there myself today but will be glued to the TV – so at least I’ll get a proper idea of what’s happening on the pitch. 😉
Reading 0-4 Arsenal for me.
Slightly worried Ned might be spot on with his 4-1 though.
…: http://i.imgur.com/wZhtacZ.jpg …: http://i.imgur.com/EwMBhYG.jpg
!
http://i.imgur.com/1HUf6qD.gif
Up The Arse!!!!
😀
The example to follow is the Middlesborough match . They came with an understandably strong reputation and we demolished them with a high tempo game which they just couldn’t deal with. Frankly they looked out of their depth and had their goalkeeper not been superb we would have won by a street instead of a small cul de sac! 😉
I saw some of their game at Norwich last night and they were excellent defensively so it goes to prove there is a big gap in quality. We have to establish that from the outset today . If we do and don’t begin like we did against Hull and Wigan we should be fine. Giving them a four goal start is not to be recommended though
I miss the days when both semi finals took place on the same day, with no telly coverage apart from highlights, at 3pm on a Saturday. Sitting in my mate’s car on the way home from a match and hearing on the radio that we’d beaten Orient 3-0, banging my head as we both bounced up and down with delight on the back seat and being told to “Sit fucking still or fucking walk home”.
Today I’ll be sat on my sofa, probably bored rigid, with a glass of Coke or eating a pizza.
Watching Chelsea v Man U 😉
Cynic. That’s classic. 🙂
trev
ya cheeky bugger
let oskarplasmagate go
🙂
barbecue fired up
sausage shaped sausages gonna get sausaged
(bath – what I love about lorne is
you only turn them once
what with all the flatness
a real sausage shaped sausage requires diligent attention
lack of corners a major factor in same)
.
anyhoo
.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pnPaOi6F4wc
on the turntable now and half an hour since 🙂
.
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
Paulaner No. 1…
Let the good times roll.
Swoosh!
cba
Check Eurosport if you get that, here in Switzerland it’s sceduled 🙂
The car in question from my 47 was one of these classics.
http://classics.honestjohn.co.uk/imagecache/file/fit/730×700/media/5461471/Ford%20Escort%20Mk2%20Estate%20(1).jpg
In burgundy. Good old days.
Nothing happening here.
I’m off to have me some proper moan on LeGroan.
Don’t click that link it worketh not
This one
http://tinyurl.com/ke9wq9x
a handsome wagon cynic
🙂
cba,
will do, just as soon as he stops going on about Theo.
Ner ner ni ner ner. 😉
Oh, and you stop telling us what you’re going to do with your sausage.
😉
Cynic,
Did you actually have to bounce up and down on purpose to bang your head on the ceiling ? 😉
And how did it finish up in the middle of that field ?
Probably the Irish “no brakes” model. 🙂
ooooh
.
get her
.
cheers dat w s
i will
appreciate that
On a packed train in the spring sunshine can mean only one thing??
We’re the famous Arsenal……..
Join in if you know the words.
what were you doing opinion burgundy, cynic? i’d rather have thought you’d be in a deux chevaux than a ford escort.
Have a good un Steve.
fuckin mighty steve T
.
lets have a fuckin cracker
.
COME ON THE ARSENAL
she wore
she wore
still a goodun 🙂
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PuAJ9Y3VgSY
I would never tell somebody what to do with their sausage.
Not even the Queen herself. 🙂
Woj, Deb, Per, Kos, Gib, Coq, Rmy. Oz, Crz,Alx, Wlb
Subs
Osp, Gbr, Mon, Fla, LJW, Feo, HFB
Really thought Theo would start.
His exlcusion from this one speaks volumes.
got a fuckin stream
now
COME ON YOU GUNNERS
.
COME ON
Apparently this has been a high scoring game the last four times the clubs have met. I wouldn’t want to miss the first few minutes, or the rest either.
I didn’t have much choice, Scruz. I was 13 years old and didn’t own the car.
cynic
now is not the crimpolene
twin set and pearls time
.
WE ARE THE ARSENAL
evening all, lets win this one! streams
http://www.livefootballol.com/streaming/english-fa-cup/18-04-2015-reading-arsenal.html
COME ON YOU REDS!
Come on you Reds !!!
Clearly going to tear ’em up with pace. 😉
4-0 to The Arsenal !
COME ONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!
BBC commentator with bad verbal diarrhoea. Hasn’t shut up for two seconds yet.
Think he must be a radio commentator – telling us every single thing we can see for ourselves. Drives you nuts. 🙁
@81
And he has told the Coquelin ‘on loan at Charlton’ story. Compulsary listening.
YES
Ozil-Alexis!
😀
COME ON!
get up them stairs
yeee haaaa
Ozil to alwexis.
BOOM!!
got a stream in the house
nerves wrecked
i dunno
chelsbeatinmanuretoo
ahhhhhh
My ears hurt.
Great goal from the Ozil-Alexis combo.
And just after commentary boy told us they had to get the ball to Cazorla – he’d be the one to spot the opening – and Alexis hadn’t had a sniff all day.
Haha – shut up foe gawd’s sake.
Just this once, cba, i don’t mind Chelsea winning. We’re not realistically going to catch them and it will help us into second plCe.
Sorry to state the bleedin’ obvious – it’s the commentator in me ! 😉
I’ll take 1-0 cause we didn’t create all that much given all of the possession we had.
Ramsey and Gibbs have to get the ball moving quicker down the wings. If they do, the 4-0 is well within grasp.
We’ll get more in the 2nd half.. they’re bound to throw caution to the wind soon…
COME ON!
outside of mancland trev
the north of ireland has always been manure territory
yup
surrey included
i’m old enough for the george best shite
any blatter of those cunts is glorious
joyous
indeed
AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
We are asking for it
Gibbs.
For a big man.. Sczesny should have more presence.. ah well, the deflection certainly put him off!
COME ON!!!!!!!!!!
Alright arsenal. Wake the hell up and play football.
Time to step up a gear… !
COME ONNNNNNNNNNNNNN!
Gibbs lost his man, Szczesny fumble at the near post – no change there then.
nothing coming off for Santi today :S
Mert seems injured… Gabriel coming on!
Commentator’s a pain.. sound off!
COME ONNNNN!
We seem to be playing in second gear.. step it uppppppp!
Oskar,
We do need Theo on !
Or Welbeck wide and Giroud on.
Gabriel can sure head a ball… he’ll get a goal..!
COME ON!!!!!!!!!
REf..come on that’s surely a foul on Ozil!
Martin atlinson. Disgraceful today.
Both fullbacks swapped and Ramsey nominally on the right (hardly) have left us with little width. That Mert subbing has also tied Arsene’s hands a bit too. We look dangerous from set plays though.
This is bloody tight. Come on Arsenal!
To be honest, arsenal looks really poor.
An open game Like this we should be shredding them.
Has he really sat Theo down and put Monreal out to warm up, or am I seeing things?
What a bell.
Oh he’s still out there but appears to have stopped bothering to warm up as he knows he’s not getting on.
You have to be kidding me
Wait for the genius substitution for extra time. Monreal on for Gibbs.
Debuchy going to play the full 120? That’s a risk given his time out.
Gibbs and debiluchxy starting were huge mistakes. OG shulda started.
The chemistry of the side is obviiously wrong.
Wih a week until the next match rotating now is absurd.
It’s there any match more important than this one this remaining season? Why start your rusty back up gk. Wenger is foolish or stubborn.
why do we always make such a hard work of these games, granted, its fa cup semis but still..its fucking Reading. Atkinson allowing manhandling of our players does not help but on the other hand we got away with quite a lot too..just win please.
Well, from block J, row 41 that did not look all that great. Too many changes, little cohesion and a lack of inventiveness. Need to sharpen up massively. Ollie G made a difference.
Come on you reds.
About fucking time. He was desperate not to have to use Theo. Tough shit, Wenger.
COme on THEOOOOOOOOO!
Oh dear, keeper.
Cock up!
ALExxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxiIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIsssssssssssssssssssss!
GET IN!!!!!!!!!!!!
😀
Alexis!!!!!!
We’re in!
😀
Fuck’s sake.. relief.
Ospina for the final please. No more Woj.
Not pretty whatsoever but I’ve seen us play better and lose I’ll take it
typical, gut wrenchingly beautiful Arsenal…whew!
Oh thank the maker.
Alexis you beauty.
That foul was in the box! Atkinson screws up my wager.
phew….
all about the result….taking Coquelin off almost made me vomit
REf was content to let them kick us off the field.. blatant fouls on Ozil left unpunished.
It was a Semi. They are never pretty. Result is what matters. Result? Never in doubt.
Tim – Coq was clearly injured, he had to take him off I suppose and we needed a goal, hence Feo. Saw us play better but at least it was not penalties like last year.
If we were playing Rambo on the right then we needed Bellerin to give us drive and width. If we were playing Debuchy (who did very well to play 120 mins) then we needed some pace on the wing but also some defensive help- so not Theo. AOC would have been a good call if available. Maybe Giroud up top and either Welbz or Sanchez on the right. But Rambo and Debuchy was a mess.
And with Gibbs instead of Monreal and Schezza in goal there was too much change in the back. Despite this and contrary to Danny Murphy’s musings our bringing in two international fullbacks and an international keeper was not disrespectful to Reading. It did seriously hamper our rythym though.
The Mert sub was a pain as a think we would have seen Theo sooner otherwise. Giroud did well. And we did not want an injury when we had no subs left if extra time came up. I think AW did not get to make the subs he would have wanted to so made the best ones he could under the circumstances. I understand people who would have liked different subs but I was happy enough. The problem for me was in the setup- not the tinkering.
Still, doesn’t matter now. We won. We know who we are and where we are going. If only we had some sort of song to mark the occasion…
I just don’t remember her being totally nude.
I am sure I remember seeing some piece of cloth on her.
I mean, I am quite sure she had something on.
Might have been yellow.
That’s just a vague recollection though.
So I guess I have to ask:
What did she wear?
Disappointed with both Gibbo & Welbeck today. Danny needs to do so much better with holding up and link-up play when he is put in the middle. Giro’s arrival immediately sharpened our forward play as well as midfield rhythm.
Gibbs had too many awkward defensive moments, still showing signs of nerves after all these years, and now clearly behind Monreal in terms of composure.
Starting with Debuchy on the right without Bellerin even on the bench was a big call. Debuchy looked a little rusty but great to see him manage 120 minutes in the first appearance. Would be interesting to see who starts against Chelsea.
Theo looked excellent in his cameo. Dropping deep, helping Debuchy out, some scorching runs, showing composure. Still has a big part to play in closing out the season.
Every time I watch an Arsenal game played at the Wembley, the pitch somehow seems quite heavy and our players always look like they have put more weight on their passes…
As mentioned by other esteemed drinkers of this fantastic bar earlier, semi-finals are all about the result. The manager has a history of rotating for Cup games and he did the same today. The problem was the right wing where we sorely missed the energy and pace of Bellerin. Debuchy did alright defensively but didn’t offer much going forward and understably so after such a long injury lay off. That coupled with Ramsey playing wide on the same flank took away the bite from our right flank completely. If Ramsey plays there, Bellerin has to be in the team. Otherwise Debuchy-Welbeck would be a better option…
Agree with NBN, FA Cup Semis are always a bit shelter-skelter and clumsy. That said, we did hit three shots on the post (just like in last year’s semi when before Per scored it looked like one of those games).
Szczesny is being blamed for their goal…it deflected off Gibbo and changed both direction and pace, not sure how much the GK can do.
In everyone remains fit, I am sure we will start our best team in final but with Szczesny in place of Ospina, like last year.
Hard game to watch, positive result though and once the dusts settles and all the pundits stop stroking themselves about the plucky underdog’s performance, negating the fact that we hit the woodwork three times, we will have won the game and progressed to the final and that is al all that matters.
Not gonna get into individual perormances or who was played where and why, but I just hope and pray that Arsene wll finaly learn to play his best team in games of this magnitude. It’s not friggin’ rocket science, we went into this game on a briliant run, why change it up? If only there was a saying that could help him learn this lesson, something along the lines of refraining to tinker with a victorious line up.
Wembley here we come… again.
By the time I could finish typing on my mobile phone keypad, GSD & Doctor Faustus had already made the point about Debuchy and the right flank…. Heh that’s the reason I end up posting so seldom. Anything I want to write is already there and much more.. There is nothing new to add at a all… Fantastic bar this one… cheers to all…
BTW, we had 72% possession, 23 shots, 9 on target, Federici made a couple of excellent saves and we hit the woodwork three times. Surely we were not our best, and Reading deserves credit for hard-work and application, but our win was lucky?
Some football commentators really need to learn to think for themselves.
H2H: Was interesting to note there was no regular RB even on the bench — neither Chambers nor Bellerin — so Arsene must have seen enough of Debuchy to trust with the start-up. I think for the final sprint with Ox out injured we will a Debuchy-Theo right side line-up more often. He probably — and rightly — would not trust Theo and Bellerin together defensively.
It was risky move today, especially both full-backs being not with much match practice recently…on the other hand Gibbs need to play now and then. Hard to keep a big squad happy. TR7 was not even on the bench.
Plucky underdog agenda is what the so called neutrals want…
Or so they believe.
The Beebs commentry team was god awful, the term “Reading will be hapy with this” was trotted out after 90 seconds and repeated up until we scored. The pundits were twatty too, Jason Roberts, the no mark knob, took umbridge to something AW said in his post match interview and had a total hissy fit, the little bitch. That waste of shirt, Shearer stunk the place out too, but that’s par for the course.
Like I said, Doc Faus, I’m not going to get bogged down on the who started where and why. It just baffles me that in a game of that importance, regardless of the opposition, we don’t put out our strongest possible XI. We had a whole weeks rest and we won’t play again for 8 days.
Why risk it?
To answer H2H’s rhetorical question @145.
Risk Szczesny for Ospina because Wenger is a man of his word and he said he’d play one keeper in the League and one in the cup.
Risk Gibbs+Debuchy for Monreal+Bellerin because if someone gets injured it’s better if his replacement has had some practice.
I don’t have a glib and obvious explanation for bringing in Welbeck for Giroud but I’d guess it was to try playing a slightly different system.
And finally, if you feel you need to make changes, it’s better to do it against as weak a side as possible.
The above doesn’t necessarily mean I agree with all the changes, I’m simply suggesting reasons.
Toby@136 – I can’t immediately recall what she wore, but I think it was long flat and narrow; you might be right about the colour.
COYG
Brother Holland knows. Very much with you on the team selection front. It amazed me last year and continues to amaze this year.
Still on the way home and looking forward to the end of May.
Paulaner No. 16…or 14……
Superdrunk & Superyob!
Livin’ La Vida Loca.
H2H,
Couldn’t agree with you more on the Beep commentary. I actually turned the telly down it was so biased. I wouldn’t mind but Reading for all their so called “dominance” (according to Shearer & co) had maybe one or two shots on target all day long? I just thought we played poorly and tinkered a little too much with the team selection. When we did play – we created chances hitting the post twice.
Thats said I can understand why Debauchy played. I think Wenger wanted to have a look at him ahead of Chelsea. And on that performance, he’d be stone mad to play him ahead of Bellerin. He looks a long way off.
I moaned quite early in the drinks about the commentary. I’m quite used to the bias and could even handle that if it were not for the fact that neither commentator nor sidekick can ever shut the Donald Duck up for two seconds.
In case that utter knob of a commentator drops in here, we can see that Ramsey, Sanchez or whoever is wriggling and turning and then passing the ball out wide and then scratching his arse and on and on and on ….
We probably also know that if a Reading player shoots 30 feet over the bar it is a goal kick, and we’re damn certain it is to Arsenal.
What we might not know instantly is that the centre half we’ve never seen is called Hector, or the bloke in midfield doing the Alex Song impression is called Williams. I’d actually already forgotten but my daughter luckily had not !
In most cases a mere name will suffice – see YouTube for fine examples from Mr Brian Moore – or, please, do us a favour and get back on the radio.
Whoever that twonk was today completely ruined the game – not forgetting the almost equally bad Danny Murphy. Shame, as the latter is normally one of the better pundits.
Just returned from what seemed an interminable journey from Wembley. Typical nervy semi- final not helped by the row in front of me scarcely watching the game and rushing in and out of the stand every few minutes.
I haven’t back drunk to seek other views but from my perspective unfortunately our problems mostly came from our rotation. It was a gamble to play a rusty Debuchy. He did just about ok. Gibbs seemed very fallible especially in the first half. Woj was not reassuring at all and the game changed when Giroud came on. OG was probably our best player. Sanchez wasn’t at his best but still is a match winner and I thought that Gabriel did extremely well after he came on.
As we wandered through St. Pancras some Villa fans promised they’d see us in May. I flipping hope so. I couldn’t stand the Stevie G love fest which BBC will lay on.
TTG @ 151: I thought Gabriel did pretty well too. There were a few poor decision making but overall the tackling, clearance, composure and the pace to press up and quickly drop back really helped. Thought Rambo grew well into the game, especially after Giroud came in who I agree with you had one of the surest touches today. What did you make of Theo’s cameo? I thought it was very good.
Photo of the season.
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03272/ZFedericiGETTY_3272612b.jpg
TTG@151, thanks for reminding me about the forthcoming StevieG lovefest, which I’d managed to forget about. 🙁
Trev@150 – You also forgot to mention that when a Reading player shoots 30 feet over the bar we all know that it came from some dreadful mistake by Arsenal, whereas when an Arsenal player shoots 25 feet over the bar he really should have done better. Commentators, fuck the lot of them.
COYG
Just saw the stats from the Chelsea-ManU match! Even by Moaninho standard that is some bus-parking at home against a good but far from great side. Guess the same tactics would be tried at Emirates, Arsene might have some surprises up his sleeve. Or do we go with the starting eleven from our last league matches?
Dr Faustus,
What the goalkeeper could maybe not do, is throw the ball to a player who is immediately under pressure in the first place.
There is a calm about the defence when Ospina plays that was missing again today. I also think a top level keeper should be able to adjust enough to somehow beat out that deflection, if not hold it cleanly.
The problem began with the throw out though and was compounded by Gibbs being unaware of where his man was.
Maybe we need a bit of pantomime chanting from the travelling faithful for our struggling left back.
“He’s behind you!”, as, sadly, is often the case with Kieron.
Benik Afobe scores 11th goal in 16 games for Wolves today.
Do we have a buy back clause ?
Could we swop for Sanogo ? ( even though he’s a “handful” ) 😉
Dr.F
I thought the game was crying out for Theo . Extra time at Wembley, big pitch, tired defenders and he did quite well. He actually played quite deep but his run right at the end showed him at his best. I was certain it was a penalty and thought Atkinson had incredibly acute judgment to decide that was outside the box. Or he got lucky!
Ramsey is much more effective centrally. He lacks the pace and trickery to play out wide but if the game taught me anything it is that we are twice the side with Giroud leading the line. He is extremely strong nowadays and has a silky touch for a big fellow ( and I’m not referring to his dalliances in hotel rooms!)
I would play Ospina in the Final but I think Wenger will honour his policy of rotating for the Cup) . I think it will be Woj’s last game for us.
Interesting to see his full back combinations in the Final. Nacho played so well at Old Trafford he must have been gutted to be left out.
I watched Ozil very carefully today. I thought his work rate was exceptional and he is so much more effective at this moment than he was a few months ago.
Just back from Wembley. Through the wringer once again but semi finals are about winning. Remember Peter Storey’s penalty back in the day? Some drinks a bit negative for my liking but that’s free speech. Me and the boy, we’re very happy and now have interest to the very last kick of the season. Ozil magnificent today (I dared to critique him here a few weeks ago – today I bend the knee, he was superlative). Giroud – complete game changer, must start in the final. Sanchez didn’t actually have a great game, but sometimes forces the ball over the goal-line by sheer force of will.
Oh and the fellow Gooners in Block 131 never stopped singing …….. many old songs as well as current including one old to me but new to the boy about running around N17 with ones dress in a state of confusion…..
The brandy is helping mellow me down and sooth the sore throat.
Let’s stuff the Chavs next weekend huh?
Pretty much what I expected after AW assured us they would be taking Reading seriously, having learnt from the all too casual game against Wigan same time last year. Well they’d learnt nothing apparently … starting with resting OspinO, Nacho and OG in arguably our biggest match of the year (since CL debacle).
Let us hope we never again see a non-scoring striker leading the line and our best box to box player stuck out on the wing in a must-win match. Where does he come up with these irrational ideas?
OTOH a lovely through ball from Özil for the first goal, and welcome back Debauchery in the back row. That too must have been a risk, but it was like he’d never been away. Not too impressed with much else frankly.
Per injured and Kos seemed to take a few knocks, I hope our CDs will be up for it next week. A bit of a cushion thanks to the chavs win, but we have two biggies remaining while everyone else seems to have just one. At least a draw next week will keep the morale high, and morale has to be key from here on in.
Öskar
I’m still rooting for an atmos only commentary option so real fans can watch the game as it happens without the biased, filtered interpretation of myopic, know-it-all, self-opinionated former players and never-kicked-a-ball-in-their-but-still-legends-in-their-own-lunchtime BBC office boys.
I was delighted earlier when someone linked to a match with John Arlott commentating, but my fav TV commentator, albeit in cricket, was Jim Laker. I know he’s dead but I’m sure he could still turn his hand (and voice) to football with great effect because he rarely said anything at all, and certainly nothing that didn’t add something to the vision. Nowadays it seems to take a panel of cricket commentators to say a lot less frankly.
Öskar
Trev @ 156: All fair comments. And I think I didn’t disagree with you or other in this forum when you had earlier pointed out the mistake — I was reading comments in other places where his performance was being dubbed a disaster and how his time at the club must end etc. It is noticeable that he again played behind a relatively unstable defense today. He evidently doesn’t have Ospina’s calm maturity, not yet, but I think put behind our first defense he may do very well over the course of a season, just as he did last year. Right now he is a very good second choice keeper for us.
TTG @ 158: Yes, I think Rambo works on the right only if we have Bellerin’s pace and dribbles and against Liverpool particularly they worked very well together. My guess is that on the right side we will probably see a Debuchy-Theo combo in some of the matches, especially say against Chelsea where against Hazard-Oscar-Cuadrado and their abilities and gamesmanship someone like Debuchy would hold up better defensively. Remember against ManU the referee was almost tricked into a second yellow against Bellerin and Arsene wisely brought Chambers. Not a criticism of Bellerin — his rise has been superb — but that against Chelsea or ManU in this final sprint we probably would be better served by Debuchy’s guile and experience. And then we can start/play Theo up front more frequently, especially with Ox injured. I think Santi and Rambo would probably rotate a bit more, and against some lesser oppositions we may also see Alexis getting some rest. As he showed today even when he is not playing that well his relentless runs and movements and ever positive goalmouth approaches can make all the difference in a cup game.
Trev @ 157: Between Dons and Wolve he probably now has 35+ goals across all competitions in this season. When he was sold to Wolves in January TTG and I were exchanging posts that we may have been a bit hasty with that. But I think more than to accommodate Sanogo it was to facilitate Chuba’s growth in the first team in the next season. And Afobe already having lost more than a year to injury probably was not willing to be out on loans for too long with unsure future. Hopefully Wolves get a promotion and we see him in PL next season. He is definitely enjoying his football and if he makes a top level career he can come back to the fold, I suppose. 🙂
Oskar @ 160 — This is purely a conjecture, and not an apologia for Arsene’s team selection, but unlike you or me or the majority of the fans I don’t think Arsene considered today’s match to be the biggest of the season. Especially with the trophy monkey off our back, objectively speaking he would prioritize finishing #2 (and in the process building confidence and belief) and a good squad chemistry ahead of winning the SF very convincingly . Once we are in the final he would start with the first 11 but against a Championship side objectively speaking he should not be afraid to rotate a bit and still be confident that we will make it to the final. If Giroud is fit I don’t think he will fail to start him in final but Gibbs might yet start in final, especially given his heroics last final. He does need to rotate the team now and then, otherwise it would be hard to keep players like Gibbo etc. match fit and motivated when the inevitable demand calls for them. It is alarming though that for a year or so how Gibbs had gotten stuck in a place and failed to cut off the same problems and mistakes.
Oh I agree, Dr F, AW has taken a long time to see the FA Cup the same way we do, and I wasn’t at all surprised to see players rested. Personally – and what do I know ? – I would have started our best side, secured a winning position, and made earlier substitutions. And of course I would never have started a CF who is the equal of TGSTEL in that position only on his very best days. But I’m not going to labour that for fear of upsetting Trev. 😉
Having reached the final I have no doubt he’ll go all out to win, starting with starting the best available XI. And Gibbs heroics or no I hope Nacho gets the start.
Öskar
Completely agree about the commentary.
Had to laugh at Danny Murphy. Sniffily described Ozil as inconsistent and made it clear he didn’t think he was much good. When we brought Giroud on he suggested Fishgod should make way. Chuckled to myself when Mesut laid on a world class assist and left the pitch having broken a record for chance creation in an FA cup game. Thank god for the experts, eh?
The half time punditry was a treat too. “Well, they’re one nil up, but what would we have been saying right now if they hadn’t scored”. Actual quote. Why stop there – why not imagine we’re a couple of goals down, while we’re doing fantasy. Still, good to have Alan Shearer and Jason Roberts on hand to tell the lads how winning FA cups is done. Likewise, I bet Ozil counts his blessings that a stellar talent like Murphy is chucking out a few pearls of wisdom. Maybe one day Mesut will get to play for Fulham if he really pays attention.
Meanwhile, we played badly, Reading played great, yet we had 70%+ possession, nine shots on target and hit the woodwork three times. Something doesn’t add up.
Our performance was horribly wiganish and our team selection, while understandable on one level, invited trouble. It was certainly a game that enhanced Giroud’s reputation. At least there will be some fresh legs for the Chelsea game.
Onwards and upwards. Here’s to a second place finish and retaining the cup, that’ll do me. Title next season.
COYG
Oskar – Is it necessary to have this derision for Danny just to defend your favouritism of Theo? Okay Danny might not be your favourite player but to compare him with TGSTEL is highly inaccurate… And don’t forget Danny led the line reasonably well when Giroud and Theo were both unavailable in the earlier part of the season. His workrate and attitude have always been top class – something TGSTEL never had even when he was in prime form…
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