Deal agreed? Will Arsenal nab Isco? Got to feel sorry for Reading…..

Morning all.

Well that was all a bit too close for comfort, but to be honest, I wasn’t surprised at all.

Reading were up for it in every sense. A bit of bullying, a few elbows and whatever way they could, they stopped us from playing football.

Alexis was battered but he didn’t wince or make a fuss did he…. No, the little Chilean didn’t give up throughout the game and was suitably rewarded with both Arsenal goals.

Mesut Ozil at times was sublime, as was Francis Coquelin yet again…

I don’t think our boys were at the top of their game but we won and that’s all what matters, although I would say Debuchy and Gibbs looked rusty….

Reading were good, closing us down at every given opportunity in any which way they could and as long as it was allowed, they carried on in the same vein….

Alexis and Ozil combined for a wonderful opening goal, Reading pulled one back after Gibbs and Szczesny made an absolute hash of things and extra time, Federico had a horrid moment when Alexis shot at goal somehow found its way under the Reading keeper and into the back of the net. Well, it crossed the line….

There were dodgy decisions throughout the game, Reading will no doubt feel hard done by for not being awarded a penalty, Arsenal had two shouts of their own when Ramsey was pulled over in the box and later in the game when Walcott was pushed over. Although the latter looked just outside the box. Regardless, none were given.

Arsenal hit the woodwork twice. Federici was on fire in their goal, saving well at the feet of Danny Welbeck early on. He denied Mertesacker too by tipping his header around the post.

Jordan Obita tried his luck from 25 yards out but thankfully, it was straight at Szczesny.

We scored after some superb stuff from Ozil and Sanchez.

Half-time came and went and it wasn’t long before Reading were back in the game – McCleary shot, a deflection off Gibbs and Szczesny couldn’t stop the ball from going in. Poor stuff I thought.

Gabriel replaced the injured Mertesacker just after the hour and nearly took us into the lead with a good header but Federici, somehow pushed the ball onto the crossbar.

Chalobah fired a shot in from distance – Szczesny saved it unconvincingly. Aaron Ramsey could have got what would have been the winner but the post got in the way. Reading could have snatched a winner before the end too but Pogrebnyak fluffed his lines.

Extra-time came and Federici, for the only time in the match, got it wrong, badly wrong and every Arsenal fan at Wembley and around the world were no doubt relieved. Walcott to Ozil to Alexis – goal.

We Arsenal fans know what it’s like when the keeper makes a howler to lose a match. Ours was worse, it was the final moment of a Cup Final….

Anyway, that was the game over and we are through to a record 19th FA Cup Final. Just.

As fans said on HH last night, that game should prepare us well for next weekend when we face Chelsea, another team who will bully, harass and no doubt try every and any trick in the book to stop us playing football. No doubt we’ll get a referee who let’s them do it too.

Chelsea beat Utd 1-0 yesterday to go ten points clear at the top. We won’t catch them but at least their victory gives us a chance to go four points clear of 3rd place IF we win our game in hand.

All in all, not a bad day was it…..

Gossip:

Isco is up for grabs in the summer, apparently he’s going to be sold so that Madrid can get Pogba or Veratti and Arsenal are interested. Well, according to the Sunday People and a few other newspapers. Perhaps Mesut Ozil will have a word with the player and convince him not to go to City……

Arsenal have finalised a deal with Southampton for the transfer of Morgan Schneiderlin, according to reports in the Daily Star. Really?

Ok, I’ll stop there.

Have a good Sunday guys and don’t forget to cheer on Aston Villa….

230 thoughts on “Deal agreed? Will Arsenal nab Isco? Got to feel sorry for Reading…..

  1. rico says:

    Thanks Adam.

    I was glad when it was all over. Seemed a strange atmosphere at Wembley from what I could hear on the television…

  2. goonster says:

    Wembley wembley we re the famous arsenal and we re going to wembley. Wembley wembley we re the famous arsenal and we re going to wembley. COME ON YOU GUNNERS. YEEEEEEAAAAAAH.

  3. scottfromoz says:

    Morning all.
    Adam, yes it was….good post about a woeful game.
    Bloody terrible.
    Slow progression up the pitch.
    Little, if any, movement off the ball.
    It was very disappointing.
    Credit to Reading, but we should have rolled them comfortably.
    This may sound patriotic, but poor old Federici…..he keeps them in the game with some fantastic saves, but will be remembered for the howler.
    The life of a keeper.

  4. Adam says:

    Yes. Friends, who I gave my tickets to, rang and said the whole thing was awful. Wembley is like that though. A purely commercial venue with about as much natural atmosphere as Stamford Bridge. From a spectator point of view it was a complete waste of time and a total bore. A lot of strange decisions too.
    Still, we won.

  5. goonster says:

    Morning gooners….was up all night. Read every match report. Watched the individual highlights of sanchez and the ozster. Watched the fa tunnel cam. Watched arsenal fan tv for the upteenth time. Boy am I exhausted but will I stop?? Heck no cause we are going to wembley. Wembley wembley we re the famous arsenal and we re going to wembley. Wembley wembley we re the famous arsenal and we re going to wembley. Come on.

  6. rico says:

    To be honest, all I care about is the result at this stage of the season and in a semi-final…

    Really strange stuff going on with Atkinson…

  7. Wavy says:

    Balanced account Rico, more honest than some of the biased journos ‘stories’ in the national papers! Marvellous.
    I wonder how many of our players will report in sick, will it be more than 6, as has happened at Leeds? Disgraceful!
    Apart from Mertasaker I don’t think we are carrying any wounded players. Some may be a bit battered and bruised but they will be ready to go again at a malfunctioning chav side, with or without Drogba!
    It’s a game we really should win. It’s our turn! And we served our pulverising apprenticeship yesterday!

    Dull, overcast and cool here!

  8. scottfromoz says:

    Rico, I’ll repeat my post this morning…Wenger stuffed up by playing Gibbs and Debuchy.
    Szczesny did nothing wrong, and we know Wenger sticks with his second choice keeper in cup games, so no issue there, imo.

  9. rico says:

    Thanks Wavy – we’ve taken quite a battering in the newspapers haven’t we, yet the Chavs are being drooled over for their win with less than 30% possession… Odd…

  10. scottfromoz says:

    I’d sell Szczesny, and concede for three seasons I’ve been wrong about him, but there’s not a chance I’ll blame him for that goal.
    As for Isco…PLEASE YES.
    Now, I can’t track back three or four years back on HH, but I guarantee I said then I’d grab him.
    He’s quality.
    He’s not priority one for us, but damn, he can play.

  11. rico says:

    I can remember there was a lot of talk about Isco when we signed Cazorla, didn’t they play at Malaga together and we darn good?

    I’d sell Szczesny too, he’s another Nikki B imo. Thank goodness we have Ospina.

  12. bripriuk says:

    Hi Rico
    I didn’t have a problem with Arsene playing Gibbs, Debuchy and Szszszszy, I think the plan was probably to play Debuchey for an hour but Mertz got injured. It was good to have someone like Gabriel to come on – I remember the bad old days when it would have been Senderos.
    As usual the rags are all against us, no-one has mentioned how many times we hit the woodwork.
    Keep up the good work
    Brian

  13. rico says:

    Scott from Oz – Submitted on 2012/08/06 at 10:43 am

    If Malaga are used,we should be chasing Isco.
    He’s a great young player.

    😛 😛

  14. rico says:

    Hi Brian.

    It’s ok that we differ.. 😉

    Not sure who would have replaced Debuchy though as Bellerin wasn’t on the bench..

    Any news on Merts injury anyone?

  15. rico says:

    That’s not good to hear, well for him. Now Gabriel will start against Chelsea so not all bad… 😉

    Ha ha – not quite…..

  16. Joe says:

    Morning all, four mistakes where made in the run up to the Reading goal Debuchy for allowing the cross and Santi for not putting the ball out for a corner.
    Gibbs allowing to much space for the Reading player and as for Scz he should have done better with the shot.
    Sorry Scott I feel Scz should have done better but he was one of four players making mistakes leading up to Reading’s goal.

  17. Richard says:

    Nice piece, I feel sorry for Frederici he had an outstanding game until that point. However I was right in my thoughts that Wojech would cost us a goal he did. Anyway through to the final and a chance to retain it. Our game in hand is Sunderland so though it will be a tough one because Sunderland are fighting for survival it should be three points in the bag and we should have secured the position by then anyway. Yes we played slow and poorly yesterday but we had the best of the stats in every area I feel and a big hand should go to reading for making it such a difficult game. Now let’s go rain on Gerard’s final hurrah for Liverpool.

  18. rico says:

    I really like him Scott, pace, strength and very good in the air. Who said he couldn’t head a ball very well? 😉

    Joe, I thought Szczesny could have done better too, and certainly Gibbs could have…

  19. Joaquim Moreira says:

    good morning
    Sell Szesc? why? I think we have the the best couple of Gks of the League. Just my opinion.
    Gibbs – he defend worst then Monreal. Mostly of time he is not in the right and correct position. The consequence is obvously: many problems in back includig in the midfield.
    I’m very concern with the rigt side. Debuchy is not so faster then Bellerin, but the worst thing is Ramsey. He make all his movements to the center and stay there. Three consequences: he is never the first man on the rigth to defend; second, he is got tired quickly because he must do the righ side but plays in the middle and going late to ocupy his rigth positon on the rigth for defender; third, one more player in the middle, there are not enougth free space for Cazorla, Ozil, Sanchez built their football.
    Bellerin “disguises” but because it is faster than Debuchy, eventually fill faster the absence of Ramsey, turns out to be much more involved in the game, ends up being a “piece” most important in the game that Debuchy, even making more errors. And physically, in terms of handling the game, he is better then Debuchy

  20. scottfromoz says:

    Joe, no need to be sorry, but I can not see how it’s humanly possible to adjust when a ball is deflected 10-12 feet out.
    Bruce Lee didn’t have reflexes that good lol.
    No keeper in history could have made that adjustment, IMO.
    Again, I still say sell him.
    He hasn’t progressed one bit.
    JM….Gibbs is superb when he plays regular football.
    The trouble is, so is Monreal……not long ago, most said he was no good, but playing time has stopped that idea.
    We Gooners, in general, are too fickle.
    One week, a player is a star, the next, he’s no good.
    We were all jailing for Giroud to come on yet a while back he was a donkey.
    I won’t even mention Aaron 🙂
    Still, healthy debate is what makes us log in each day.

  21. Adam says:

    Rico. I make you right on Atkinson. He missed a lot of snide stuff from Reading who I thought were awful despite the fact that they ran around a lot. A typical Clarke mob. As for the team? I think that, for a Wembley FA Cup semi you should play your best team. Always. Otherwise, if you get an injury and are facing extra time, your options are severely limited.

  22. rico says:

    Thanks Richard and welcome to HH.

    Federici was outstanding and but for him, we’d have won a lot easier but same old with keepers against us. Feel the same re Szczesny, he’s always got a mistake in him. He’s never really improved…

    I hope Villa rain on Gerrards parade later….

  23. Joe says:

    Maybe if we are going to play Debuchy we need to play a player with pace in front of him Walcott, Wellbeck or Ox.
    When we play Bellerin we can play Ramsey because he didn’t seem to play as well yesterday without bellerian’s pace behind him.

  24. rico says:

    Morning JM.

    What is it about Szczesny you think is good? Just out of interest… I can see little good in him these days…

    Fickle fans Scott, surely not… 😉

  25. rico says:

    Adam. Nasty stuff aside, I thought Reading did rather well considering how they have been playing this season. Atkinson was just Atkinson, rubbish. Sure hope he doesn’t officiate our match next weekend….

  26. allezkev says:

    Morning All

    Morning Rico, great post…

    The papers, who the fcuk needs the papers?

    We know what we saw, we don’t need those idiots to tell us the obvious!

    Papars are an irrelevance, I wouldn’t waste my money or bother looking on NewsNow…

    That’s a bit of a worry losing BFG just before having to face Drogba.

    He might be old, he might be slow, but he’s still Drogba and he has the sign over us…

    I actually thought that Walcott did ok when he came on and hopefully Debuchy will benefit from having 90 mins under his belt.

    Gibbs worries me, he constantly looks as if he’s gonna make a balls up and leave us exposed at the back…

    I hope that Monreal stays fit for the rest of the season.

    Szczesny has a major balls-up in his locker in almost every big game.

    I really don’t feel safe with him in goal anymore. And despite Wengers policy of having a cup goalkeeper, I would go with Ospina in the Final…,

  27. Adam says:

    Morning Kev. I agree about Gibbs. You know my thought on him. Perhaps that is why we are being linked with another Spanish LB.

  28. allezkev says:

    Morning Adam, isn’t it better watching on TV than having to slap it up to that shut-hole Wembley….

    I would have loved to have been with my son, especially as he could have got me a ticket, but I really can’t be arsed with all that money-grabbing that surrounds an FA occasion….
    Frankly the FA can get stuffed…

  29. Joe says:

    Scott
    The problem with Scz is that we as fans now expect him to make a mistake so we are now looking for them. You are probably right on the deflection but I can’t help but think Ospina would have made a better effort.

  30. Marinello says:

    Good honest post Rico.
    I went to the match and sat next to the Arsenal bench. Interesting to watch Wenger’s gesticulations and body language as Reading became more confident after scoring.
    Gibbs was rusty and like you, always believe that Czesny at times has an error waiting to be made…
    Reading played a tough physical game but the likes of Giroud, Sanchez are not fazed by this and dig in.
    The result was more important than the performance yesterday.

  31. allezkev says:

    Yes Adam, I know that you’ve been concerned about Gibbs for a long time, and although he’s gonna be a bit rusty having been out of the firing line for awhile, you always sense a costly slip-up with him on the ball…

    He’s not a kid anymore either…

    Mind you Debuchy was also quite sluggish at times…

  32. scottfromoz says:

    Joe, I said to a mate that if Ospina conceded that goal, there would be absolutely no discussion.
    I think you’re right, and the kid has brought it on himself.
    Adam, Cech or Lloris, if available??

  33. rico says:

    Thanks Marinello. Agree, result over performance yesterday and to be honest, that goes for the rest of the season. If we claw a 1-0 in every game until the final whistle blows in the FA Cup final, we’ll all be very happy imo…

    Kev, have a great day….

  34. rico says:

    I’m not Adam, but the three you mention just won’t be sold by their clubs. I’d love any one of those three but it’s not going to happen surely…

    Or did you mean height…. 😉

  35. Joe says:

    If us as fans are now expecting Scz to make a mistake is it the same for the defense.
    As for Atkinson you have to wonder how this guy is a top flight ref because when ever I see him he looks inept to me.
    But it could be he refs a game the way the powers that be want the game referred.

  36. Dublingunner says:

    Afternoon, I actually don,t think we played that bad yesterday, It was a semi-final, it was always going to be tough, like Wigan last year. they are tough games, and I thought the supporters, fans were very good yesterday. I could hear them singing all through the game. And I wont be taking any bulls##t from people this week, Saying we were lucky, flukey goal. “You still have the score them, and make your own luck”, I say f##k the begrudgers,” Well Done Arsenal You deserverd it.”

  37. tsgh says:

    Good read Rico…

    Goonie is still as high as Sterling and the party gas.. 🙂

    Scott, yeah Gabriel is decent in the air. 🙂

    Where is Emma? She use to love Isco big time.

  38. tsgh says:

    Dg- I agree with your views on us not playing badly…

    I think players like AS17 and Ramsey initially let the stage go to their heads…; we should have stuck to our game plan; Ozil was truly very good…

    One ticket tout tried to sell a ticket for me for £150 yesterday. what a numpty…; he must have thought I was a tourist. 😛

  39. tsgh says:

    Gibbs just have a bad day… that does not make him a bad player imho…

    At the beginning of the season we all thought he was approaching the levels of world class; if there is something like that…

    Debuchy you would expect to be rusty; but as you would expect from AW and his treatment of his favourite players; he rushes them back when they could have done with another reserve game.

    I know I will be shot for this but…. Le coq really needs to work on his fitness; he was truly hanging after 75 minutes. 😉
    I won £20 from my bud who is ‘Coquelin lover’ when Coq was subbed…

  40. tsgh says:

    Rreading was set up very well- Scott
    Did Steve Clarkes’ WBA tem not beat us in 2012?Another Jose disciple…
    Yesterday was a perfect dress rehearsal for the chavs

  41. Dublingunner says:

    Semi-finals are always tense games, Credit to Reading, but i think the media have been very negative towards us. Frustrates me, and im sure others.We have reached our second final in 2 years. I think the media and the Anti-Arsenal,s should focus more on that. Now lets go and lift that trophy in May,and give Alexis, our player of the year, He,s first Arsenal trophy.

  42. Dublingunner says:

    Forgive me, for not remembering, Alexis has picked up a community shield, I suppose they all count, some to a lesser extent, but heh,

  43. potter says:

    Jm is correct , Ramsey kept going inside and leaving Debuchy alone . In consequence the right back was treading water after about 75 minutes. They were pushing up and we should have used more pace to spring their defence however as it seems always when faced with a packed brick wall in front of us instead of using space and getting forwards to run diagonals we tried to pass through the eye of a needle and play too close. Clark executed the Mourinho plan to a tee and it nearly worked for them. As neither of our fullbacks were getting down the line we were far too narrow . As I said Debuchy was knackered and Gibbs tried to play safe and cut inside and passed short 75% of the time and our usual attacking width went missing. Still we won and went through, hardly a game to remember lets hope we pick it up again and win out to the end of the season.

  44. potter says:

    Impressed I would like to see more of him and compare to Hayden. Would like to see him live as opposed to just on T.V. but he looked quick , powerful and not without a bit of skill with the ball at his feet.

  45. rico says:

    I thought he was pretty good too Potter. Many of my family are ST holders so I might get their views, not just yet of course as I think they’ll be pretty down hearted…

    He’s a London boy, from East Ham…

  46. goonster says:

    We ll rip this poop side to shreds. I ll rather we play them than villa. Don’t playing underdogs. They tend to raise their game to a different height.

  47. goonster says:

    Hahahahahahahahah steven mee have not touched the ball in 10 minutes. Hahahahahahah rico ll be loving this

  48. goonster says:

    Half time boy am I impressed with villa or what? They ve kept coontino and shisha sterling quiet all game. What a performance by cleverly. Am really impressed.

  49. Bt62 Gooner says:

    Hi Rico and Goonie,

    Rico it looks like i may have found the answer to 3pm KO, without using a laptop……

  50. Vegas goon says:

    Great post Rico…I agree with a few on here about the ‘safe hands’ of Sczeney. He’s a decent keeper, but I think his decision making is bad. Remember the first leg away to Bayern last season. His red card cost us that game IMO.We looked the more dominant team then his silly decision put us on the back foot. It’s like he switches off at the worst possible times.

    Schneiderlin and Isco would be awesome additions.

    Just my two cents.

  51. rico says:

    Bt, they are playing football and I think we’ll cope with that a lot better than the dippers did….

    Villa were good today and I don’t want to take anything away from them but the dippers were poor and all over the place….

  52. Vegas goon says:

    God I enjoyed that. Not sure how many of you on here are from my part of the world…but over here in the States the shove ManU and Pool down our throats (I’m sure Chevrolet and the American ownership has a lot to do with it).

    Good to be a gooner!

  53. goonster says:

    She wore she wore she wore a yellow ribbon in the merry month of may. Come on you gunners. Hahahahahahahahah I wish I can jump off a cliff right now. The look on Rodgers face is priceless. He looks like a freshly turned turd. Hahahahahahahahah oooh to oooh to be ooh to be a gooner. Come on

  54. andrewh1313 says:

    Hi Vegas, every TV station seems full of scouser commentators in UK. HAHA. They lost out on Sanchez and seem to have had an agenda against Arselal ever since.

    Toots pulled back.

  55. Bt62 Gooner says:

    Still would have liked The Dippers in the final, just to see Stevie G crying his lamps out at the end we they lost….lol

  56. andrewh1313 says:

    Goonster, stay well clear of cliffs! Brilliant eh!

    Best of all, if we were to lose, losing to Villa would be nowhere near as bad as to Pool. Not gonna happen though.

  57. goonster says:

    By you and me both but this is better hahahhahahahaha gosh I can’t breathe I can’t breathe. Hahahahahahahah steven mee mee mee *in Alvin the chipmunk voice*

  58. Vegas goon says:

    Lol yea Andrewh I get that completely. I watched the game today on BT so I heard Owen whine and cry and moan through the whole thing. The radio seems almost as bad? Talk sport? Lol…Adrian Durham? Talk about Arsenal hate.

  59. goonster says:

    Andrew I ll rather lose to villa than to those mugmashers. We won’t hear the end of it. Rico is right . There’s something putrid about that lot. They look like they ll stink of unwashed bodies. Hahahahahahah.

  60. goonster says:

    Wembley wembley we re the famous arsenal and we re going to wembley. Wembley wembley we re the famous arsenal and we re going to wembley. Come on arsenal. Come on.

  61. rico says:

    So did I Vegas, every minute…

    Bt- I have too many dipper supporting people nearby to play and lose to them in the final so I’m glad they are gone. Agree, Villa will be tough, very tough but if we aren’t destined to retain the cup, just glad it won’t be at the hands of the Scouse gits.

    I hate them with a huge passion, probably as much as I hate neighbours…..

  62. Joe says:

    Starting to look like a repeat of last year trouble with dealing with a championship team in the semi-final and we now have a team in the lower half of the PL in the final.
    Is that déjà vu 😉

  63. goonster says:

    Campeones campeones ole ole ole campeones campeones ole ole ole….that’s 3 trophies in less than 14 months. Whoa somebody slap me hard. Am dreaming. Come on you fucking gooners. Come on

  64. Bt62 Gooner says:

    Ditto on the Dipper loving,Rico…..It goes back a long way…

    As for the legality of the 3pm ko, i couldn’t possibly comment….lol

  65. Vegas goon says:

    2-0 down at the half? No thanks Joe but you’re right.

    And that sucks Rico. I know one person who supports pool with that kind of passion and I want to punch him every time he opens his mouth.
    So I can’t imagine what you have to deal with on the daily…

  66. rico says:

    Let’s hope so Joe… And the spuds, not my neighbours lol

    Sure does Bt, I can’t describe the hatred I have for them.

  67. Joaquim Moreira says:

    rico, opinions.
    For me, the second totss goal must be blow up by the referree. 2,3 or 4 players were off-side and interfering clearly, in the goal.
    Villa will be very dangerous. With Lambert was a team; wih Sherwood,a completely diferent one.

  68. rico says:

    Jm, and I respect all opinions. I hope ches can improve and show he’s got what it takes. I couldn’t wait for him to be our number one but something’s seems not quite right with him….

    Yep, Villa look so much better under Sherwood, well, they did today…

  69. Vegas goon says:

    Lol you’re right Rico…I will punch him next time.

    And if you tell me now well be 2-0 down at the half but we still get the win…I’ll take it!!

  70. rico says:

    Good Vegas lol

    Any win will do eh…

    Good to see you have stayed here on he Vegas, so many leave a comment and never seen again….

  71. Vegas goon says:

    Lol that’s silly. Why would they do that?
    I’m an Arsenal fan that likes discussing Arsenal with other Arsenal fans. Can’t have a ‘hit and run’ convo can we?

  72. tsgh says:

    Evening Rico et al again.

    Syg must be fuming with Benteke scoring goals now… lol

    Brenda’s face and his false teeth… 😉

  73. rico says:

    Evening Ts, never really understood the stick Benteke got. He’s a lump yes, but when he’s up for a game, he’s really dangerous.

  74. tsgh says:

    It looks like Ancellotti is going through a bad spell..

    Bale and Modric getting injured before the 2nd leg of the UCL… I pity him if he loses that game.

    The Shitty post is open to him though I guess…; once Pelle’ is ousted.

  75. tsgh says:

    Night Rico and all

    Micko,if you are about watch out for the Gervinho looking man 10 feet behind you. 😛
    Another earlier stats tomorrow…

  76. Micko says:

    tsgh, the ginger beard was a dead give away !

    Can’t blame Reading for the way they went about their business, they are 37 odd places below us in the league, sometimes we’re our own worst enemy on the day, normal service to be resumed next weekend.

  77. Adam says:

    Rico. Sorry. Had to pop out. No I missed Cyrus on TV but I shall mention your Paneer to him the next time I go to Cafe Spice. 🙂

  78. Micko says:

    Scott, maybe we could do a collection for the dirty cheating diving thieving scouser, would hate to see him miss out on the final for his birthday…..life’s a bitch eh !

  79. Hell Raising Devil says:

    Good morning Lovelies and Hunkies

    Seemed as if I missed all the fun yesterday. Well, I was having fun elsewhere and so missed both semifinals. I saw the highlights though. I was a bit pissed off that we had to go through with a Federici howler. Poor guy. He had such a good game and surely deserved different. I would have preferred it if Ollie or Aaron did not hit a post.

    Shit happens though and we have had enough our share of howlers in cups. So while we sympathise we still should have enough to celebrate. Unlike the dippers who were piss poor I read.

    Good match report boss.

  80. rico says:

    Morning Lee, Devil and all..

    So would I Lee.

    Thanks Devil, they were but Villa were pretty good to be fair. The final won’t be easy but then neither was the semi… 😉

  81. rico says:

    Welcome to HH John, sorry you were stuck in moderation..

    I hope AW plays Ospina in the final… Although I doubt he will…

  82. Hell Raising Devil says:

    I hope that in the final AW plays the best team. only one things counts…..WINNING it for the second time running.

    If we win it we will become the club with the most FACup wins. I hope AW takes note of that.

    Were Villa that good??? Or where the dippers piss poor and they made them look good???

    every match has its own story.

    We should have enough in our locker to bomb them.

    I would go with …….

    Ospina
    Bellerin, Per, Kos, Nacho
    Coquelin
    Aaron, Cazorla, Ozil, Sanchez
    Ollie.

    I would put in Aaron on the right because it allows more stability in the team and allows Bellerin to attack more safe in the knowldge that he is defended. Plus I like it when he cuts in to attack…..as he has a better chance to score.

  83. Lee says:

    Gibbs is 25yrs old and imho not getting any better as a player, that coupled with the fact he’s a perma crock……

  84. Hell Raising Devil says:

    Villa will have to attack us. They know its a cup final and Sherwood is not like Mourinho….who will not care if its his daughter’s wedding day….he will still park the bus in front of the wedding cake to spring a surprise. Sherwood will try to make Villa attack. which will open them up a bit. An that would suit us fine.

    If Villa sit back and try to be negative it will rebound on them especially if they fall behind.

    So unless our players fail to turn up any scenario that Sherwood will want to play will suit us fine.

    but that is the million sterling question……will the real Arsenal turn up????

  85. scottfromoz says:

    Morning all.
    Micko, let him buy his own present lol.
    The Reading game was a below average performance, but let’s not dwell on it, as we e been fantastic of late.
    Lee, I still say Gibbs is terrific, but again, as with Nacho, having the odd game here or there does them no favours.
    Some players can come from the bench and perform, but those two can’t, and it seems Debuchy can’t either.
    Rosicky….he can make a comeback at 64 years old and play the same way.
    Where was he, anyway?
    I thought the game was aching for him in the second half.

  86. Hell Raising Devil says:

    we are a different team than the dippers Rico. The dippers only play direct footy. we can mix it…..we can play direct football or else play the possession game in a match box with small intricate passes. yes they will try to sit back and hit us on the break but remember that if we turn up and Ollie buries his chances we will not loose.

  87. rico says:

    I know Devil, but I guess I just hope we don’t take Villa lightly as they have a few players who can cause us problems…

  88. allezkev says:

    Morning All…

    Morning Rico…

    Villa are only four points above the drop zone, so they cannot relax and rest players leading up to the final…

    Yes Coach, I would also go with your team.

    Interesting to see Arsenal linked with another defender from La Liga.

  89. scottfromoz says:

    We definitely can’t afford a start like seasons final.
    Lee, was he on the bench or not??
    We were so lethargic, he’d have changed us up a gear immediately.

  90. allezkev says:

    I hope the stories of Santi turning down opportunities to leave Arsenal and return to Spain are true.
    He does genuinely seem to enjoy playing for Arsenal and obviously his family is settled.

    Loved the Arteta comment of discussing a new contract in the summer – ‘it should take about 5 minutes’…..

  91. allezkev says:

    You cannot underestimate the influence of senior pros like Arteta, BFG, Rosicky, Santi and even new boy Sanchez.
    They set the tone for the whole squad and its positivity.

  92. Hell Raising Devil says:

    imo that is where AW went a bit wrong Kev. In the last 9 years he kept selling those who reached 29 years of age and only gave 1 year contract to over 30s. now he has realised that they are important as well. True, kids cost less to keep. but in terms of influence and experience kids are found lacking.

  93. rico says:

    Morning Scott & Kev.

    I’m not one who agrees re Arteta etc, old heads are good, but old legs don’t help the team… 😉

    New post up now….

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