I was reflecting yesterday on days past, football memories and others. The exercise probably the result of too little motivation to get on with real work on a sunny Friday afternoon. Some great days and vivid images flooded back. More often not the pivotal moments of a day or an event, but the incidental and personal details are what stick.
Having gathered my wits we come to a day that will, five years, ten years, twenty years (crosses fingers) hence join that pantheon of historic days with the long awaited FA Cup Final.
The paths to this final for our club has been challenging but comparatively smooth. Difficult matches against Liverpool, Everton and our neighbours but all at home and, even allowing for a slight rose tint to the specs, all easily enough won.
Plucky Coventry came and went, the highlight of the Friday evening a demo among the visiting supporters about something or other. At the Ems we are never a crowd to ignore a good demo.
Then….. and then ……. Wigan………. (frowns contemplatively). Obdurate opponents, yes. Well capable of causing an upset as Citeh know, it’s true. In the end put away through a combination of good keeping and penalties on our part, and poor penalties on theirs, indeed. Our performance that day on both sides of the ball did not however do us justice. I have formed fifty plausible reasons for the hiccup, and read and heard a hundred convincing explanations from fans, pundits and everyone in the global village who has access to a keyboard or a telephone. I am unpersuaded on cause. One of those inexplicable afternoons that as a fan I must accept as penance for my hubris. I believe there is an explanation when there is not. Still, better to have it at the semi final stage than find the engine has seized with the Cup with ribbons on and ready to go.
So today, the team(s), who plays where, who I fancy to score and who I see as our killer player and their weak link I shall say nothing as it would antagonise Fate. Anyway you can read that sort of stuff in 50 other blogs and in the papers, and to be frank most of it is factually better informed than I am.
Two final points.
First, I am determined to enjoy today, and drink in the reward our great football has bought this season. I hope to see a great display of football from both teams, a hard, fair fought contest decided by a flash of goal scoring skill or gravity defying keeping. I hope we win but if not, and the goddess has decided that it is Hull’s turn, then so be it. My day, and the small details stowed away to be retrieved in due course, will not be spoiled.
Second, somewhat off topic. I have watched Hull at Wembley twice before, the rugby league club and they won one, lost one back in the early 80s. The city is a great stronghold of the northern game with two sides, Hull FC and Hull Kingston Rovers, expending the usual family splitting mutual hate. You might think, just once and with the city’s football club stepping onto the pitch at Wembley for their first ever final, that the implacable detestation might be shelved for a few hours, set aside to cheer on their round balled cousins in their first ever final to land a real trophy. If not cheer then at least watch the game. Not a bit of it. The 222nd Hull derby kicks off today at 5 pm.
We shall speak later !
Once again we have Andrew ( @anicoll5 ) to thank for today’s article.
Positively Arsenal 
We did it Positively Arsenal! We did it! We never stopped supporting. We never stopped believing. We stuck by our team when the weak-willed and and the slippery middle-of-the-roaders turned against the manager and the players. Arsenal, FA Cup champions.
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Good season. Next will be better.
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phew lads what a match never the easy way actually was a bit sick with nerves but it’s done. could not buy a penalty, what is that about? yaya strikes me as a brave dude. thanks for all the posts, loved the desi gunner post speaking for us overseas
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No trophy for the last 9 minutes – Wenger out!
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Phew!!!!!!
We don’t know how to do easy do we?
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Thank God my heart survived!!!!!
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Let us big up that wise old positivista, Andrew Nicoll, for an immaculate blog which set a perfect tone for the suffering and exultation we all felt today.
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Incredible. I wish for once that we could go and win an important game the easy way but that’S probably not in our DNA. In the end, we deserved to win. I don’t even want to talk about the 9549659 penalties we should’ve been given, it’s bloody Hull and we had to win either way. And we did. Brilliant to see Santi scoring, Koscielny (who ALWAYS scores important goals. Scored to send us fourth, scored against Bayern, scored against ManCity couple of seasons ago to draw the game, etc.) and then finally Aaron James Ramsey. A true hero and I hope an Arsenal player for life. It was just a year ago that a vocal minority wanted him gone, saw him as the personification of everything that’s wrong with Arsenal. Turns out, our Welsh wizard is now a cup final hero, an Arsenal legend forever. While I wish each and every Gooner merry celebrations, I do hope that those choice few that wanted Ramsey gone, that booed him, that moaned when he misplaced a pass just after he had been back from injury and on the path of recovery to take just a short moment to reflect on their behaviour. This isn’t what a club of our class deserves, this isn’t what those players and the manager deserve. We are entering a new era, one that will hopefully be marked by many successes, but we as fans, we as supporters can do better. This is the first step, the boys have done it but now the fans have to follow. Lets go and win the league next season. COYG!
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GP are you still going to the Tollington? I’ll see you there. I’m wearing a “bring your A game” T-shirt and red and white Puma trainers. We’re by far the greatest team the world has ever seen!
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Wonderful after match pictures, Arsene tieless, shirt untucked and soaked, Sagna thanking his god, Gibbs on his back in tears, Ramsey unfurling a Welsh dragon.
Well done Arsenal. Tough encounter, but it had to be. 3 clearest of clear penalties denied, hit the bar, open goal missed, half a dozen chances. Yikes.
So proud of the lads, and the manager, who looked the happiest I’ve ever seen.
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CONGRATULATIONS ALLLL!!!!;
GLORY GLORY ARSENAL…….
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Zim: Jeez those missed chances at the end nearly sent me to the Emergency Room. (A&E in Britain). 1st that sitter blasted by Gibbs into Row Z, and 2nd Giroud’s perfect header unto the crossbar. I felt it was going to pens as Ramsey just kept firing away in futility until he proved once again the top-top class he is.
Evil: As much as I wish and hope our own fans will stop tearing down the world class players we are trying to build, there always will be knuckle draggers and spineless, weak-willed fans in our fan base. Thank heavens we can expose and ridicule them here at PA and exult in our inevitable success.
Arsenal. Simply the Zgreatest Club Ever!
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Can’t be happier for our manager. For me, the best thing about the win was not that the drought was over but how the players loved on AW. These players fully believe in what he is doing. I love it!
Onwards and upwards.
Arsenal!
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Oh Passenal……I was swooped away by an old friend who drove by. We are at his restaurant “Gigs” in Fitzrovia just behind Goodge Street. If you are close by ask for Aggie the owner
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Paul you should have heard the cheer for him at the Emirates – the real supporters absolutely love the man!
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If there was one Positivista I wanted to meet its Passenal
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Never mind GP I’ll catch you another time. Have a good evening – I know I will, I’m on the red wine now, but hope to be sober enough for the parade in the morning!
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Congratulations!
🙂
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Let’s meet at the Parade. Where will you be?
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One Arsene Wenger
Hehe
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Congratulations to the team, to the manager, and to all of you! It was a tough, tough, match, but who would have expected it to be any other way? Hull did not come this far to roll over. And I thought Aaron’s performance in this game just mirrored his rise to the world class (there I said it) player he has become: Slow start, a bit shaky, some mistakes, but all heart. Then back out for the second half, he began to grab hold of the game, and then finished the damn thing off. You could not script it. And now, he has become a legend. So proud of him, and so proud of this whole team.
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yes yes yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We won against hull and the ref… We won the arsenal way. as someone said somewhere… 0 days since arsenal last won a trophy. LOL
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alabamagooner at 8:53 pm
Absolutely spot on Kelly. Aaron is arguably 1st or 2nd best attacking midfielder in England today. Only Yaya Toure comes close or better. That makes him world class in my book.
The thing that is so chilling is how we could easily have been cheated out of victory today; 4 nailed on penaltes waived away by Probert. We had to be 2-3 times better than Hulll to say. And the f*ckers would all say we choked. Tells me we have to be ruthless and efficient to overcome these referees in England. That’s for next season. Lets enjoy this!
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“Let’s meet at the Parade. Where will you be?”
Not sure yet, but leaning towards outside the Armory
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The Armoury name the time
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Passenal, I could hear the cheers for the man though the TV. Well deserved, I say.
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Our Yaya was The man today, that kid is a fighter…the game changed once he came on. Rosicky also made a huge impact.
I am also overjoyed for Fabianski. Job well done young man.
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come on sagna and fab… stay!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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this team just needs to stay together.. only leaving should be retirements… only additions… we are build towards trophied years ahead!
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This is a red letter day in my book.
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whats with the blue and pink boots?
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They can wear ruby slipper from now on if it means more days like today.
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OH WAITER, one order humble pie to folks there at the new era . Com please.
Make sure to stay there and see to it they consume every last bit please.
Oh you mangy one, you sure got that one wrong in a big f••••••• way.
There’s only one ARSENE WENGER.
ONE ARSENE WENGER.
walking along
Triaging along
Walking in the winter wonder land.
You were right GEORGEE. you were right all along. Bloody hell.
I’m so proud of all you stalwarts and everyone on that team.
F•••••• take a bow….
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I’m glad we can finally get that monkey off our back. Get ready for an Arsenal with the hand break completely off next season, haters. We’re bearing the fruits of our shiny stadium. This is just the beginning of a long run of victories and trophy laden seasons.
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@ PG/ LOL… come on don’t be lazy… investigate!
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Its the new Puma deal TS
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Just finished watching (as live). What a team. What a manager. Sanogo is the man: no, they were all the man. But as for the ref……
We did it: we absolutely did it!
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Foreverheady, we did it despite the referee! Absolutely shocking performance from Probert!
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@ PG, you are pulling me legs right? We are not playing all games in that combo?
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“The Armoury name the time”
As long as I get up in time, I’m planning for 11 am – I will post on here when I get there
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Passenal
Have a good nights sleep you need it and so do I. I look forward to tomorrow
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this day is only missing steww and Frank.
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Happy cup thing
normal brain activity will resume work on sunday afttenoon
or so the surgeons promise me.
Steww, we love you! say helllo
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SHOTTA
boom shakalaka boom boom . mate
We did it.
D••n. I’m plastered. thank you ARSENAL.!!!!!!!
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fu••••• he••. Good omen. ANDREW must do all our future cup pre.match reviews. In the years to come.
So shall it be written…..
So shall it be done……
Is there anyone left whining??? go f••• yourself……
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Where is DJ CACOPHONOCS???
bloody heck. Missing in action….
😉
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being your A game , indeed.
GP
I need a prescription for something that keep me this happy but let me get a few winks. Can you help, please????
😀
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Fabulous! Thrilled for the team, supporters everywhere and for the manager. He looked so happy! Warms my heart. Thierry Henry looked very loose and celebratory too at the Toronto FC match. We were wearing our Arsenal shirts and three gooners in the row in front of me and two behind! Everywhere in Toronto gooners have been saluting me! Arsenal, you are a mighty club. Bigger than even I knew! This is the start of even bigger things next season.
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The haters are still hating. Based on the response, things aren’t going their way.
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This must be a nightmare for Pedro and his LeGroan acolytes, Myles Palmer and his sycophants and every other WOB cunt……
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