Will Gunners Have Enough In Reserve To KO Boycotted Blackpool?
Jan 4th, 2019 by 'holic
Blackpool versus The Arsenal is a fixture that dates back to 1896/7. In the 1930s, 40s, and 50s it was usually a clash of the titans. Our first FA Cup date with Blackpool saw us defeated 2-1 at Highbury in a 1953 quarter-final, a championship winning season for us. That Blackpool team went on to win the Matthews Final (Google it if you don’t know!) Then in a 1970 third round replay Blackpool came from 0-2 down at home to win 3-2 in injury time. Am I scaring you yet?
In 1999/2000 the tide turned when we beat them 3-1 at Highbury, our sole FA Cup success against them, and of course earlier this season we squeezed past them 2-1 in the Carabao Cup. Let’s not think we just have to turn up to win, particularly with a shadow squad. Blackpool may be languishing in League One these days, having won a solitary point from their last five league matches, but they are free from any sort of expectation this weekend and could be inspired by the opposition.
The Arsenal team is likely to be without several rested key players, or they may just make up the substitutes bench. Petr Cech will presumably return as the cup-tie ‘keeper, but what of the defence ahead of him? Konstantinos Mavropanos trained yesterday and this game may have come too soon for him. Carl Jenkinson is a likely starter on the right, and Sead Kolasinac is likely to be retained on the left.
The central defenders could be anyone. Julio Pleguezuelo, Ben Sheaf, and Zech Medley are the youthful options and it’s possible that one may get the nod to possibly partner Laurent Koscielny, the skipper who needs to work on his match-fitness.
Ahead of them Ainsley Maitland-Niles could pair up with Mohamed Elneny. Juve bound Aaron Ramsey could play alongside Joe Willock and Bukayo Saka, and behind Eddie Nketiah? Like Mavropanos, Emile Smith Rowe returned to training yesterday and may be considered a little short of fitness for this one.
If that is something like the starting eleven expect the outfield options on the bench to feature Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Skhodran Mustafi, Matteo Guendouzi, Alex Iwobi, Pierre-Emerick Aubamayang, and Alexandre Lacazette.
The atmosphere will be unusual, to say the least. Blackpool supporters have spent many years boycotting the club due to the asset-stripping activities of the owning Oyston family. They have sold only 2000 of the 7000 tickets that have been snapped up so far for a stadium that holds 20,000. There will certainly be much more vocal support for the visitors.
In the League Cup tie at the Grove the Tangerines were playing mostly through the former Liverpool player, Jay Spearing, in the centre of midfield. He remains the major threat.
The ‘holic pound
Our surprise third round exit at Nottingham Forest last season demonstrates that nothing can be taken for granted in this competition that continually throws up a few surprises. I am reverting to my old friend, 1-2 to the Arsenal, at a boosted 17/2.
Have a safe journey all who are venturing to the chilly but dry north-west. I will again be watching from the warmth of the office/recording studio/box room.
Have a great one ‘holics.
44 Responses to “Will Gunners Have Enough In Reserve To KO Boycotted Blackpool?”
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2-1 to the reds I feel
Sad to see the press fawning over Man Utd
Good to see Liverpool get beaten
Hot down under today
40+ in south australia this week
Here in sydney around 30
Stay warm in uk
Sydney Red it’s a similar temperature here in Kent . 30 Fahrenheit !
Perversely I think we will beat them more easily than at the Grove. I think he will opt for a fairly experienced attack but will start Saka and Nketiah wide with Lacazette upfront . 3-0 to the Mighty Reds or whatever colour we will play in tomorrow!
Interesting historical perspective, Guvna. I’d be happy with 2-1 to the good guys though our squad needs to get used to winning clean sheets and it would be good to challenge the first teamers with the back-ups winning by a cricket score. A good run in the FA cup would be nice too. A man can dream.
Interesting to read this article which leans in Swiss Ramble’s figures suggesting that Arsenal are one of two Premier League clubs not to have a penny of owner financing in the last ten years . Middlesbrough are the other. Liverpool have had almost a quarter of a billion in that period .
Thanks Stan
https://www.101greatgoals.com/news/arsenal-fans-fume-at-stan-kroenke-after-figures-emerge-over-owner-financing/
Quarter of a billion to not win the league vs zero to not win it makes perfect financial sense for Stan. 🙂
I still think the Scouser jokers will bottle it this year as well
Nice preview H although I’m hoping for a lot more than a 2-1 victory I must say.
TTG. Not only has Stanley not invested in club, he has actually taken money in the form of payments out of the club. Wow, aren’t we the lucky ones?
It’s nice of Stan to teach us the
virtues of self-sufficiency.
I think the Scousers will bottle
it too. Hope so anyway.
I’m not sure where all the anti-Scouser sentiment is coming from – I like Klopp as a manager (we should have had him) and they are playing good football. Much rather them than a continual City procession or, heaven forbid, one of the other contenders!
As for Blackpool, I’m with TTG, 3-0 to the Arse.
UTA.
Noosa,
“I’m not sure where all the anti-
scouser sentiment is coming from”
Having grown up watching football
in the 70s and 80s I had enough
of hearing about the “Liverpool
Way” to last me a lifetime. I hope
they don’t win the league again in
my lifetime !
Perhaps it’s generational as my 20
year old son would rather Liverpool
win than Shitty, who he really hates.
Of course they would not be the worst
case 🙂
OM
I hear you. Generational certainly and the historical entitlement plays to that as well but given they haven’t won a league title for ??? has softened my stance. Winning the league at Anfield can never be deleted!
As for the worst case .. nah, unthinkable.
UTA.
OM@9, I’m with you 100% there. It’s the Hand of Nemesis that the Dippers haven’t won the league in 29 years and I sincerely hope that record continues for another 29 years. An insufferable shower.
Right, off to Blackpool. I think Delia’s going as well. Anyone else?
Have a great time Countryman, Delia , and all making the journey.
Nice wander down memory lane, ‘Holic. Our FA Cup record against Blackpool is indeed dire; only one win in three ties. Safe travels, C100, Delia and all others seaside-bound. I hope you get to see at least a 3-0 win.
The owner not dipping into his pocket is the definition of a self-sustaining business model, so no great surprise that Kroenke hasn’t.
Swiss Ramble’s post on how FFP is forcing Chelsea to wean itself off Abromovich’s largesse (he has put $1 billion into the club since buying it) is well worth the read, not least because they seem to be doing it successfully while rebuilding the team.
http://swissramble.blogspot.com/2017/01/chelsea-band-wore-blue-shirts.html
The virtues of self-sufficiency reminds me of the theory of trickle down economics as proven by the famous Laugher curve. 🙁
“Everybody” laughs except for the 99 per cent.
Cheers H.
I’m gonna miss this one as as I will be watching Arsenal defend tonight instead.
Hang on. That’s not quite right. Erm. Oh. Yes. Gimme a sec. Right. I’ll try again…
I’m gonna miss this one as I am watching the Pantomime at Stratford tonight instead.
Easy to see how those two things can be confused.
I think Mustafi is playing the Widow Twanky.
Fingers crossed. On both scores.
Ttg @4.
I have not read the post and I assume it is well worth a read if you posted it here.
I did however have a moment when my concern was not with our finances and the state thereof, but of reporting and our fanbase. Reporters sell what people want to buy. Apparently even financial analysis will get more clicks from Gooners if the headline begins with the words “Arsenal fans fume at…”
I’m always looking for something new to fume over, me. It’s either huffing deeply from an open can of petrol* or supporting Arsenal. And I made my choice long ago.
* Sorry Stan. I mean gas.
FA Cup? Hell Yes!
Blackpool? They are gonna lose.
Rambo? I want three FA Cup final winning goals you lazy, good for nothing sod.
Anything less and I’ll be fuming. ?
@16.
Crowd: he’s behind you!
Mustafi: oh no he isn’t!
*Opposition striker/midfielder/defender/mascot’s nan’s dog scores goal*
Mustafi playing the Widow. Why can’t he play the window, or the window play him?
The window could play a quick visit to the props department and don a beard if necessary.
@20.
He usually does play the window. The open window. His intentions are transparent and everything goes right through him.
@21.
If you are suggesting that a pane of glass with a beard could defend better than Mustafi then I would have to concur. I believe Gazidis did consider this option but Pane of Glass was demanding higher wages than Mustafi. Gazidis entered onto some serious, hard fought negotiations to get the most concessions possible from Pane of Glass. But we all know who cracked first…
I can’t believe we pay Mustafi money.
I’M FUMING!
Ned,
No doubt that largesse won Chavski the
league but I think Conte’s title was the
last hurrah from that huge influx of
bloodstained cash. They look to me to
be slowly slipping backwards to their
rightful mediocrity.
Hope I’m right 🙂
Personally, I think the Manc clubs are the
real dragons to be slain in the next few
seasons – according to the amount of
cash anyway.
huffing deeply from an open can of petrol
More appropriately, I always got my jollies from the exhaust fumes.
Until they introduced unleaded petrol that is, then I had to go round looking for pre-decimal coinage to suck on for similar highs.
my favourite time of year
the fa cup!
in the tavern just out of jail
an old leg sits with a pint of ale
he likes his food he likes his song
he likes the women to think he’s strong
Re: GSD @17 (and most of the others) I’ve got gas. 😀
Jenks in central defence. He has done pretty well there at times in the past as I recall.
If Emery is really playing him there that is. I just read the team sheet and have no TV.
Lichtsteiner, Jenkinson both in there.
Nketiah OUT 😉
Jenks is playing right back, bt8, due to Kos going in the fetlock in the warmup
JOE!
Cech, Jenkinson, Lichtsteiner, Papastathopoulos, Kolasinac, Elneny, Ramsey, Maitland-Niles, Willock, Iwobi, Nketiah
Substitutes: Martínez, Lacazette, Torreira, Guendouzi, Medley, Smith-Rowe, Saka
Looking at the length of the names of those defenders makes me wonder if we shouldn’t be trying to keep things simpler in more ways than one.
Kos injured in the warm up and
Medley on the bench. Why wouldn’t
you play him?
Licht in the middle and Jenks at
RN is ok but what happened to
giving youth a chance?
Cynic. Thanks for the news but bad news about Kos. 🙁
Willock makes it 0-1.
Maitland-Niles and Willock’s first senior goals (both of them were the first, I believe) within days of each other in the new year. A new beginning?
New. First.
Read those words often enough and you will feel refreshed 😉
Willock strikes again, side foots the ball into the net.
…JOE!
Iwobi scores the third from off side position. 0-3.
Why not bring in Saka much earlier, and give Iwobi more rest especially when we are two goals up.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>