So Steve Bould steps into the hot seat this afternoon. He must be chuffed. Imagine managing the greatest team in the history of the FA Cup as they step out for their fourth round tie. No one has played more finals than us. No one has won the thing more often. Mr Bould has a lot of history to weigh him down but he has a great and proud tradition to buoy him up.
The disaffected fans who have for years been calling for a change in the Arsenal dugout have finally got their way. With Arsène facing an inconsistently harsh punishment for his instinctive actions of self defence against an out of control fourth official, we have lost his guiding and talismanic presence during this and the following three games.
I shall say no more on the subject because I don’t want to upset those who think he deserves this ban. Or that Taylor acted appropriately in provoking the response which led to the unfortunate incident. I won’t convince you and you won’t in a million years convince me so let’s just draw a veil over the whole sorry business.
Southampton are a good side. They will provide us with a proper contest today as they always do. The Saint’s heroics against Liverpool were either symptoms of an ongoing Mersyside malaise or a signal that the south coast club is coming into some decent form. Perhaps a little from column A and a little from column B.
That we will rest players was never in doubt and therefore hardly a talking point. That Southampton will also be at less than full strength is down to a formidable injury list. One fan tweeted yesterday that they’ll be without ten players including Ward-Prowse , Rodriguez, Van Dijk, Hesketh, Austin. So neither side will be at full strength and the big debate among Arsenal fans is whether we’ll see our skipper back in the starting line up or not.
I am a big fan of our big German and would be delighted to see him alongside Gabriel but then I like the look of young Noddy Holding too. With four highly experienced centre backs in front of him, these matches represent the youngster’s only realistic chance for first team football, so it’ll be tough for him to miss out. When you join a huge club that is the chance you take, he need only look to Alex Iwobi and Hector Bellerin to see that the gap can be bridged and so he ought to remain positive.
One imagines Alex will resume his understudy role if Mesut is rested and that either Theo or Lucas will start – and possibly both of them. Another player knocking on the door and wondering if an abysmal run of untimely injuries has robbed him of his chance is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
I may be a drooling, ageing imbecile but I seem to recall Arsène suggesting, some years ago, that AOC could end up playing in central midfield. In fact I’m certain of it so we mustn’t discount the possibility especially with Santi, Xhaka and Elneny all missing, Aaron still finding his way back after a long lay off and Coquelin recently injured.
The permutations are manifold and we can all have fun speculating or we can wait for the club to publish the team sheet, whatever floats your boat. One thing is certain the venerable competition still holds a very special place in the hearts of the fans. I was talking to a Man United supporting acquaintance yesterday. He and I agreed, with one notable exception, on absolutely nothing when football inevitably rose to the top of the agenda.
We both agreed that in spite of the greater rewards and prestige associated with the Champions and Premier League titles, there is something particular about the FA Cup. Something nostalgic and thrilling which trick the League Cup has never managed to master. Something which gets the heart beating faster in a way that the long haul of a league competition cannot match. I like the way we climb from the trenches of the attritional war that is our usual fixture schedule and face off in a straight forward, winner takes all bare knuckle scrap.
Of course I don’t need to tell you how important the FA Cup is. We all have our special memories both heart warming and heart breaking. For me, the first huge Arsenal moment in my supporting career was Charlie George’s goal in the final in 1971. I have since then endured Wrexham, Watford and Blackburn, suffered Liverpool’s horrible victory in the 2001 final, and don’t even mention Roger Osborne or Trevor Brooking. Each has burned a scar into the confused, emotional area of my psyche which processes my obsession with football.
However much those and other cup exits have hurt they pale when I recall Santi’s free kick, Ray Parlour’s sublime strike versus Chelsea, Anelka’s cushioned take down and consummate finish against Newcastle, the fireworks at the end of the ’79 final and of course Aaron’s moment of magic to bring the cup back after such a long absence.
So today can we perhaps forget our battles with each other, with officials, bureaucrats and other fans? Instead why don’t we just revel in the countless memories the cup has brought us down through the years? What springs to mind when you first hear the words FA Cup? Why not share your thoughts. Or not. It’s a free country after all.
I’m off to check the water levels in my pond, I’ll see you here for five thirty.
Positively Arsenal 
Thanks Stew. Decided to comment today because it’s my birthday and I’ve always flattered with some vague thought that Positively Arsenal shares my birthday. I can’t be bothered to confirm, sorry. Limpar’s Assist and Firstlady would be celebrating their birthdays today too. Thanks for this place guys.
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Happy birthday kadigah, hope The Arsenal give you the perfect present.
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And what about all those never ending replays Steww? Leeds, Liverpool, Sheff Wed.
The panic to get the results asap in the morning. I’m sure they had simply ‘orrid effects on my dreams!
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Oh and Happy Birthday Kadigah. The thought of an unhappy birthday is far too painful.
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Thanks gentlemen, it’s going to end happily, I can feel it.
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Thanks Stew, splendid stuff.
Happy Birthday, PA – 4 today! No idea how old Kadigah is but many happy returns to you, too!
The Football Arsenal Cup is self-evidently a very special competition; our lads will be raring to go tonight. Klopp might point out the expected windiness of the south coast but I couldn’t possibly comment (living almost 4 miles inland).
My only comment on Tunnelgate is to ask why, yet again, are the officials doing stuff to Arsenal they just don’t seem to anywhere else?
I’m sure I’ve never seen anyone harangued in the way Arsene was by a fourth, third, second or even first official before now. It is the Stadium Manager’s job to ‘guide’ dugout outlaws to the @fa allotted zone; if that doesn’t happen then into the ref’s report for a subsequent fine/ban goes the club, its’ administrators and Doris the Tea Lady as appropriate.
What is inappropriate is the sight of a fourth official supposedly focused solely on the game in front of him, preparing to raise his tragic number board for his moment of glory instead running up a blind alley in total dereliction of his actual duties.
Doubtless Arsene’s minder aka Taylor will have been suitably admonished behind the scenes after the televised fiasco but that is not the point. His wayward, unprescribed behaviour has gifted us a week of media miscreants calling for the whole gamut of over-the-top punishment for the old man.
So it continues. Odd behaviour, uniquely weird decisions against Arsenal, many of them game-changers.
Indeed, one set of badly applied rules for some, another set for us.
Still, at least it all evens out over the precise length of the season.
Doesn’t it?
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Another super, meaty and articulately written Post, Steww.
You manage to cover so much ground in your articles, and yet they are written in such a concise way that the end comes up too quickly — just when one is settling down for a lengthy read. More please in future! [lol]
[There is a minor typo at the beginning of para 9]
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Sadly AA, think you are right, Arsenal are treated differently. We can speculate as to reasons why, I think the agenda driven media are certainly part of it, and firmly have the impression we would get much better treatment under….say….Eddie Howe
Refs like Anthony Taylor, who seem to want their fifteen minutes are a big problem.
Still, hoping for a win today, though might be a tough game, Southampton are one of the teams schooled in…..special…tactics to get at Arsenal…..in fact, most teams are, and seem to get away with rather a lot
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Actually, I would like to join AA, in his summation of the events leading to Arsene being ludicrously banned and fined.
I think the FA ban and the fine handed out to AW were disproportionate, and Taylor showed no common sense or man management skills in dealing with AW, considering the game was in its exciting final and stressful moments, following the awarding of a somewhat dubious penalty to Burnley.
This all fed into the usual solipsistic world inhabited by some parts of the media, who then goaded the inadequate FA into covering their own rear ends by handing out a ridiculously lengthy punishment.
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Shh, HenryB, a Stew Black typo is a rare and precious thing and usually ends up in a sealed box somewhere within the deepest vaults of PA.
The last time one was spotted, several years ago, the price of typos globally went haywire, questions in the House, etc.
(Does anyone remember the old Monty Python sketch where a restaurant diner very politely makes the mildest complaint imaginable about the served up soup? Sketch culminates with the collective nervous breakdown of the entire waiting staff followed by the suicide of the chef.)
Stew – don’t be that chef.
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Andrew
Ha, you couldn’t resist. Don’t blame you at all (agree entirely in fact), but I’m gonna try * respond to Steww’s reasonable request and behave myself.
Let’s hope for a cracking contest. Shape of the game is a bit of a given with Saints now-
deep defence, a lot of hard running in midfield, dangerous counters, high level pressing- so I’m expecting a strong team from us who are well prepared to deal with that. Hoping Coquelin isn’t left to deal with massive spaces on their breaks.
My earliest strong cup memories are that bleeding Wrexham game and the Spurs semi with Gazza’s free kick. As a positive, I’ll pick out a goal I loved which I think of as quintessential Bergkamp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX8Fs_01b-Q
*I promise nothing when the games on if the whistler misbehaves
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And why not- Youtube directed me to the next game that year and it featured two beautiful goals which had totally disappeared from memory.
Bergkamp with yet another sublime moment in build up, and Ray parlour with one of my favourite types of finishes for 2nd
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPkaL068DR4
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Henry – thank you I feel such a dolt – the brain just corrected what you were polite enough to describe as a minor typo but which was actually me writing entirely the wrong word.
Can I add to the list of memories David Seaman against Sheffield United?
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AA — wish I could do an emoji — but [lol] anyway!
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Anichebe, Pienaar, Watmore, McNair and Cattermole ?
Spot on about Taylor Stew.
I can’t believe I’ve missed a typo . They’re come as often as Halley’s Comet.
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Steww,
As usual, you are being far too modest!!
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Great post Steww,
Yeah I love the cup too and I was ticking the boxes in my memory with those cup moments and it also triggered many more not just in finals. Orient in the semis to manure at their place excellent times. Given our struggles recently down on the south coast this an oppertunty to tell the world we actually like playing there.
I cant see Per playing as he only returned to full training on Friday, after such a long time out the risk would be to great. The Ox has played in the centre of midfield for us before and it would allow Danny, Theo and Lucas to play with maybe even Jeff starting as well. The last cup game with the saints was difficult because the team just didnt gel, many through balls didnt find runners simply because players wern’t on the same wavelenths. Whatever team we put out needs to play as a team from the start, Wengerball will win whether Arsene is on the touchline or watching from the stands.
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You spotted the worst mistake of the lot George. Copied and pasted the wrong list. Amended now. Editor shot.
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While you mention port vale, one of my greatest F.A. cup away days was beating brighton 1-0 (I think a rare Kevin Richardson goal) on a freezing cold day. The game itself was not great more a game of attrition but the day was brilliant. Arsenal sent an amazing amount of away supporters at a time when you didn’t need your grandads credits to get a ticket more just turn up.
The Police held us back and let us out just in time for the brighton supporters to greet us in the way rival fans used to in those days, after the initial clashes the police then deceided to chase us to the train station with dogs and horses and one of my mates jumped over a garden wall trying to get out of the way not realising the people had a cellar and the drop the other side was massive. They closed the station and I finally got home about 2 in the morning very very drunk. This may not sound a great day but it was a great experience and Port Vale knocked the spuds out at the same time which was wonderful.
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So here’s a link to my favourite FA Cup, I mean that Monty Python sketch – actually much funnier than remembered but I hadn’t seen it for about 30+ years! It’s also worth watching for mention of Gilberto …
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Thanks Steww!
Chamberlain came on as an emergency CM following an early injury to Arteta during the infamous 1-1 at Newcastle and he played well! Alongside Ramsey.
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Thanks Steww. Only this once, I will abjure your call to avoid controversy. As you so eloquently recounted, it is blatantly unfair and unprecedented for Arsene to be given a four game ban for that act of self-defence against being pushed by that pompous, officious non-entity Anthony Taylor. But are we surprised that the FA would hand out this disproportionate punishment?
My recent blog demonstrated with the benefit of irrefutable data that the refs are biased against Arsenal in the award of penalties, a province over which they have nearly absolute power, and in Part II, I will confirm the bias. As uncomfortable as this finding will be to those of us who believe the refs are honest blokes trying their best under difficult circumstances, the data demonstrates there is manifest bias and the sooner we as Arsenal fans accept this the better. Only then will we have a critical mass demanding a change in this unaccountable refereeing set-up.
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Thanks Fins. How Chelsea and Spurs have avoided the points penalty is a mystery.
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Good choice of clip Steww. Classic, and quite right the goal getters shouldn’t get all the remembering glory.
Finsbury, I’ll watch and enjoy that clip properly later on.
Never seen anything in the footage of that incident which shows why we got the unprecedented punishment nor what we did different to Utd.
Oh yeah, someone said our punishment was related to an earlier ‘brawl’. FA have of course abandoned that tough repeat offender stance now, despite pretending otherwise
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Think maybe our board should be using their power of appeal a bit more.
Didn’t at the time, but now think it was a big mistake not appealing Xhakas first red.
Could have appealed wengers latest ban as well, it set a precedent….ref two game ban for Alan Pardew…. and surely you need a stronger case than that for a precedent?
I know our lawyers have been successful in cases involving Eduardos alleged dive and Gabriel, know it might go against the grain, but our club should be as in yer face over such punishments…..and other issues , as other clubs would be……unless they have an extremely good reason not to be for issues we may not know about
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Testing
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Afternoon Stew, lovely piece. Great memories from of the FA Cup, especially the early rounds over the years, abiding themes of mud, damp and afternoon twilight.
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With regard to your data and it’s irrefutability I think what is indeed irrefutable is that, if one counts the total number of penalties awarded among the group of most successful clubs ( in the past decade three of which have been more successful if one looks at PL trophies) that the number for Arsenal is toward the lower end.
What I still don’t understand however is why that provides irrefutable evidence of bias rather than, for example, that clubs who score large numbers of goals tend to be awarded more penalties ?
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Erudite and generous Steww….
However, your appeal to all and sundry to bury the hatchet vis a visa the nature of support for our team has been roundly rejected by my heart. Any WOBs disappointed that Wenger’s ban was not harsh enough can go fuck themselves…
I expect a comfortable win….
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Klopp out by the way….
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Georgaki-pyrovolitis – I meant the hatchet to be buried between us here. I’d happily bury it in the WOBs
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I shall restrain my natural enthusiasm for a spot of crowing about Liverpool’s latest misfortune until about 7.25 GP – just to be on the safe side.
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Slept in this morning, and came straight here to read Stew’s excellent blog upon waking. Then turned on the TV just in time to see Liverpool get knocked out. I only saw the last few minutes of the game, but the commentators were falling all over themselves to praise the “hearty” defending by the Wolves. Looked more than hearty to me. Honestly, this is why I’m happiest when we play PL teams in the cups. It’s a no win playing lower league opposition. They’re just dying to kick the shit out of your fancy players and the commentators eat it up. And it’s win or else.
I expect a good test today. Hoping for not too many changes, if I’m honest. That never seems to work out well. On the other hand, rotation is a must. I’m glad I don’t have to decide.
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If it all goes ‘tits-up’ at the Lane even my icy self control may crack …….
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Nailed that team selection didn’t I? Except Jeff I didn’t see that coming. Very very inexperienced line up.
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Or rather unfamiliar with one another. Not inexperienced per se. But definitely hugely experimental to face tough Prem opposition. Chelsea the obvious target.
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four defenders on the bench means substitutions will have to move players about if things aren’t going well. I like the shape of the team and I’m looking forward to seeing Jeff in the no. 10 role. COYG.
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Anyone know anything about Southampton’s players? I only recognise one name. Is theirs a league cup 11 as well?
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steww
They’ve been hit hard by injuries but have also opted to rest a lot/virtually all first 11.
Never heard of keeper.
Gardos (experienced but missed nearly two years with injury; should’ve been sent off against us a couple of years back for hauling down Sanchez as last man) and Isgrove played and lost against our u23’s about a week ago. Jeff and Maitland-Niles played same game.
Martina I presume is the swine who scored that great goal in the 4-0 against us. Classie scored against us in league cup.
Hojberg a talented midfield player they bought for over 10 mill who once looked like he’d make it big at Bayern.
Reed will be tasked with Romeu’s ‘if it moves, tackle it’ role, I think
Sims another youngster- wide player- who has made a big impression in a couple of appearances.
Long the eternal pest of course!
Think our first team would almost certainly be too strong for such an inexperienced team.
Interesting stuff ahead. Too superstitious to attempt to predict outcome
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Once again I cannot disagree more with my dear colleague Andrew Nicoll. The data on referee bias is irrefutable. The penalties-against is even more alarming and will be published on Monday.
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Anyway, I want it in writing that I approve of playing youngsters/rotation
I’d have liked Ramsey in middle for experience/control but it makes sense to rest him (hopefully he’s just rested!)
Wanted that down to make sure i don’t complain if it doesn’t work out.
Let’s do this ,Jeff, Holding and co
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Lively start – both sides looking sharp
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WELBECK
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Had Eddy been banned fir four games ?
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I’m having major broadband connection problems, its been fecked up since wednesday.
theoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo 3-0
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Wonderful stuff.
Been impressed with both rookie CMs and Perez with another peach of a pass to Welbeck, and Walcott back in the goals too!
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Think Sanchez might need to resign himself to no football today lol!
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ah poor old danny mills, is so very very upset that Arsene Wenger did not get a stadium ban for his – physical abuse of anthony taylor – and is also upset that Arsenal are winning 3-0
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