The way the match started took us by surprise. We exchanged a look which spoke volumes. It was one of those moments for which the footballing book of clichés was conceived. The home side kicked off, a long ball forward, three runners breaking from midfield, bewilderment and confusion shaking the visitor’s defence, a leg outstretched in the mêlée, the keeper beaten. Less than a minute played, the score was already one nil.
Surely we were in for a rare feast of goals. If the hapless defending and powerful, direct running of the home side were to be repeated a few more times this could be an embarrassing trip north for the Wells City team.
Little did we suspect as we glanced knowingly at one another that thanks to some truly inspired keeping from the splendidly named Ed Baldy in the home goal mouth, we had, in fact, already witnessed the decisive moment. The result would be one nil, Odd Down had secured the points in the first seconds of the match and in truth never threatened the visitor’s goal again. Nor did they need to.
There were some nice touches, some bruising tackles, one moment which nearly resulted in fisticuffs and we strolled home feeling our six pounds had been well spent.
We are both Arsenal fans but for the day we had decided to go along and support my companion’s local team. And you’ll never guess what? The experience, despite over ninety minutes without a sniff of another goal, was easily the most enjoyable football related afternoon I can remember for many years.
After the howling insanity which followed what was no more than a disappointing result last week, returning to the simple pleasure of football for football’s sake was the perfect antidote. It made me realise how little I now care for the ridiculous overblown pomposity of Sky’s Premier League and its attendant hysteria. I’ve had enough. I’ll never stop caring about Arsenal, that thorn is sunk too deep to be easily pulled, but I can’t be arsed with all of the bullshit that goes with it any more.
Thank goodness then for non league involvement this evening. Thank goodness for the eccentricity of the FA Cup which can still throw up Sutton United versus Arsenal in an important competition and with a quarter final place at stake. This game at least feels somewhat removed from the usual fandangle and hyperbole that has all but poisoned any hope of enjoyment in the Murdoch Money Go Round.
I suppose I’m referring to the much vaunted ‘magic’ of the FA Cup and my God we could do with someone to wave a wand and give everyone back a little perspective in these febrile days of shameful self flagellation. With one non league side already through and destined to face the winner of tonight’s tie there is certainly enough romance for softies like me to reaffirm our love for this venerable competition.
Lincoln, I imagine, are torn between which outcome suits them best. If Sutton do to us what they did to Burnley then they will face non league opposition in the quarter finals and have the best possible chance to progress to an historic Wembley semi. If we manage to avoid being the fall guy in the biggest upset in the history of the tournament then they get to visit the Emirates – one of the greatest away days for any team. It’s win win for them really given the way the draw has panned out. If they do face Sutton and beat them they would probably meet Chelsea, Man City or Millwall. One of those they will fancy beating and the other two they’d be happy to share a pitch with. It’s fascinating stuff and whatever the outcome this has been a wonderfully unpredictable competition.
I assume we will see a similar side to that which last played in the FA Cup. This isn’t weakening our team as a mark of disrespect to either the opposition nor the tournament. This is realpolitik in an age where footballers are like racehorses brought to a level of fitness so taut that they are at once fast and powerful, and yet balanced on a knife edge with every fibre and sinew stretched to near breaking point. With vital league matches and a huge return game in the Champion’s League on the near horizon players have to be managed, rested and rotated.
Anyway, as much as I want to win, it’s just another football match and the nonsense I’ve witnessed in the aftermath of the Bayern game has made me ever more determined not to get sucked into the debate nor the histrionics surrounding it. Shout and moan all you like and the circus will roll on regardless. You had just as well demand an actor get sacked from the film you’re watching in the cinema as demand this player be sold or that manager brought in. Either way you’re living in La La Land if you think your voice matters.
Positive or negative fans have a simple choice; watch the game, or don’t watch the game. It will happen either way and it won’t notice you. Unless you come and watch Odd Down FC’s next home fixture against Longwell Green Sports. The attendance would then go from fifty to fifty one and I can guarantee your voice would get heard. I wouldn’t yell abuse at any of the players mind you. They’re big lads, and I don’t think they’d be quite as restrained as the Premier League stars you swear at on Twitter.
Positively Arsenal 
Thanks Steww,
I feel like I’m in good company.
Unlike those who have chosen to follow the schizophrenic construct of stating that one is “against modern football” whilst simultaneously demanding that the club launder and bung it up like the Chelsea’s and City Petro-laundrettes of this world, this is a blog and a space where people who love football and the Arsenal can simply follow their football club.
So thanks again for your efforts.
For us locals in n5 we don’t have many non-league options but the u23 games will do nicely, I’m planning to take my nephews to more of those then the first team games.
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Shotts,
Sorry about the late reply.
I had a look at the figures, interesting stuff.
Will comment some thoughts later.
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Shotts
< re the sage of Dublin,
Remember me and ole gunner being baffled by the glee with which the blogger used the Adebayor story, and how he celebrated the loss of a key part of the squad – it took until Giroud came in to fill the reliable target man role in the squad (nevermind that Adebayor retired from being a professional footballer as soon as he left the Arsenal if not a few weeks before…), it was all very odd behaviour for someone who wants to see their team performing on the pitch and competing with the mega-clubs. Bit like their attacks focused on Oxlade chamberlain on he start of the season: either they don't know what it is that they are gibbering on about, or they are just fishing for clicks…
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Some sane words about the Arsenal at last. Thanks Steww. At least we Positivistas can watch tonight happy in the thought that it really is “Us against the world”.Hopefully to be followed by “us against the world and its brother” in the next round.
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I hope we utterly anhiliatre Sutton tonight p, I really do.
Nothing to do with Sutton. But some team needs to be on the end of a right hiding from our boys, just to get some frustrations out of the system. 11 or 12 goals please.
Oh, and of course Sutton will be leading at half time. Just to wind up the WOBs.
The cunts are threatening to bring banners tonight. Just so they can get on the telly.
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Spot on Stew – I particularly enjoyed; “You had just as well demand an actor get sacked from the film you’re watching in the cinema as demand this player be sold or that manager brought in.”
Sutton are yet another team I have a very small soft spot for. Back in 87 I worked in Brixton with an old ( i.e. he was about 50) Irish bloke who was Sutton United’s “bucket and sponge” man by the name of Danny. And when I say “bucket and sponge” that is accurate. During their greatest ever game against FA Cup holders Coventry Danny duly trotted on and off the pitch with his bucket and sponge to minister to the fallen players.
At the end of the game on Match of the Day or the Big Match, or whatever channel carried the highlights, it is Danny leading the cavorting home bench on to the Gander Green swamp to celebrate their famous victory. AND he still has hold of his bucket and sponge! He was a huge football fan, and would talk football 24/7 but no big team supporter, Sutton were his one and only love.
I am almost sure Danny is long gone but the spirit of amateur football, local lads, buckets, sponges, doing it for love, muddy pitches, that one unique game that in 30+ years time they will look back on and remember, shines on.
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Thanks Stew and a timely reminder that watching sport is something that ought to be fun – and if it becomes anything more or less than that then perhaps it is not the right thing to be spending time and money on. Which is all very well and easy to say – but doesn’t change the fact that I’ve been nervous as a kitten all weekend about this evening’s game.
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In a parallel universe, Steww, I would like to think the author of today’s Post is me, and you are the one astounded by the sublime common sense and great writing that you have created — but in this universe, I simply have to bend the knee and say ‘Hallelujah Steww!’ lol
You said in the Post that in realistic terms “positive or negative fans have a simple choice to make:- watch the game, or don’t watch the game. It will happen either way and it won’t notice you.” Another gem.
Indeed that sentiment will also include fans, like me who are just ‘naked fans’, derived of a positive or negative or any other adjective, other than “Arsenal’. Yup, that’s me to a tee – An Arsenal fan. Thank you for reminding me. lol
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That is Danny, third from the right Ian ( sans bucket)
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anicoll @ 10 : 15
What a lovely story and fitting for an FA Cup preliminary chat.
For myself I am waiting with some curiosity to see their Roly Poly Goalie – a soubriquet worthy of a special cheer and a clap tonight.
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anicoll, @ 10 : 39
I think the player in the middle of the front row is holding it for Danny! lol
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The Magic of the Cup
well as things stand there is a real possibility that 4 of the top 6 will be in the FA Cup semi finals, yet I’m sure I’ve seen more articles and column inches than ever before written this season about the big teams disrespecting the cup. With the silly notion that the 4th CL spot should go to the FAC winners. The fact is, more lower half BPL clubs, and lower league clubs disrespect the cup than any of the big boys. But that little meme does not a good soundbite make.
the last non top flight club to win the FAC was West Ham all the way back in 1980, and since the setting up of the BPL only Everton, Portsmouth and Wigan with one win each, have won it outside of Arsenal, Man Utd, Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool.
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Goonerholic @TheGoonerholic 12h12 hours ago
Proper Arsenal will be in their seat supporting the boys against Bayern. Only one side of the argument is focusing on Wenger, not the club.
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Pep Guardiola “What I hear in the last 10 days, about how people, ex-players, journalists treat Arsene Wenger is unacceptable.”
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sutton player Craig Dundas has made it clear how they intend bridging the gap in quality with Arsenal
“We might try a few reducers early on.”
all we can hope is that the ref will not have bought into the magic of the cup, and will instead do his job and punish any and all of this sort of stuff.
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I was hoping Welbeck might play tonight, but looks like he wont be going to Sutton.
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Lovely Steww, it’s a real shame their playing us I would have liked to support them. The plastic pitch might actually be better for us than a muddy February pitch, at least we can play on the floor. COYG.
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Great stuff, Stew.
FA CUP… Love it. Struggle to ever see how people de-value it for any reason other than Murdoch’s influence. Transparent for all to see – those who care to look anyway.
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“Ars-some”, Steww.
I’m looking forward to the match having read your piece.
The preceding “stuff” from “thems” relating to almost everything about this round of the cup has been a turn-off for me. I find their talk of ‘respecting the cup’ – disrespectful, and “them” cannot disguise their agendas.
“in an age where footballers are like racehorses brought to a level of fitness so taut that they are at once fast and powerful, and yet balanced on a knife edge with every fibre and sinew”.
I’ve often thought that, (minus the necessary articulation). Funny how that’s ignored.
The cloggers love the FkCup. Kick and bash. Elbow and shove. The romance of the cup, and the Prem, and English footy. I don’t want to see our top players subject to that, although, cup or not, they’re subjected to it anyway.
QPR done so well on their plastic pitch. I wonder how many regulars from that team are still walking!
The lower league match you’ve described sounds like football to me. Plus a touch of romance.
COYG
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I expect Sutton have had a team meeting to discuss whether their best approach tonight would be to try to out football Arsenal, like Barcelona or Bayern say, or whether to go for a more physical game and “get in our faces'”, as Fat Sam would say.
I am sure Arsene is a puzzled as I am as to which approach the South London part timers are likely to adopt.
I see it is one of my favourite referees in charge, Michael Oliver, so I am sure he will keep a cool head. It would be a great pity if the spectacle were spoiled by an early dismissal.
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Fins: Arseblog is one of the worse clickbaiting whores among so-called Arsenal bloggers.
Why? Because, unlike LeGrove, he is a clever communicator, who hardly deviates from the mainstream media but never hesitates to find an appropriate scapegoat to focus the negative emotions of his readers. Take a look at his favorite targets over the years: Adebayor, Denilson, Song, Eboue. Note the common thread; foreign, black and certainly flawed to some degree. As someone who was a child of the civil rights and anti-war struggles of the 60s and 70s I can smell a racebaiting liberal from a mile off; a racebaiter doesn’t always don the robes of the clan or the Nazi symbols of the National Front. As Fins can attest I was one of the many protagonists of the blogwars of the noughties when some of us at ACLF denounced Arseblog and his dishonest scapegoating of the young, foreign, black players that Arsene Wenger had no choice but to press into the first team as he sold off the Invincibles to pay for the stadium. Thank god we had Frank at the spearhead and Zim Paul, who was veteran of the Zimbabwean anti-colonial war, as backup. They are all gone now. RIP.
By the way, it was interesting how Arseblog earlier this season tried to scapegoat Theo and Oxlade-Chamberlain but had to backoff, imo because they are Brits and it is hard to use the usual code words that get his readers lathered up. Yet The Ox according to Squawka Avg Performance Score is ranked 4th among Arsenal midfielders. Yup, 4th behind Ozil, Cazorla and Iwobi. Who would have thunk that?
Arseblog in his own deceitful way has done a lot to cultivate the current animus and disrespect towards Arsene Wenger inside and outside the Arsenal fanbase. He has embraced the strategy of the commercial media; promote Greed/Conviction on one hand vs Panic/Contempt on the other (see Investor Psychological Cycle). Without any regard to the far more wealthy competitors we face and a biased refereeing cabal (PGMO) he and others have cultivated the notion that Arsenal should be contending for the Premier League/Champions League/FA Cup/League Cup/Community Shield year-in, year-out vs the reality we are a top-3/top-4 team. From both his blog and podcasts this reality is all the manager’s fault and due to his failings.
When George asked me to do some blogging I decided the only way to expose charlatans like Arseblog is to scrupulously adhere to facts and data (the key to successful contrarian investors) which will slowly but surely demonstrate to our readers they are purveyors of “fake news” when it comes to Arsenal and Arsene Wenger in particular.
As for Sutton, I am cautiously confident. COYG!
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Walcott’s an easy target yet he still produces more goals and assists then comparative players like Navas and Pedro (better techniques bar in front of goal or when assisting),
However it was the attempt to anoint Oxlade chamberlain one of the bets Young British footballers as a scapegoat that really stank out the yard. Hard for me to take anyone seriously when they choose to go down (& out) upon that path.
But then: that’s exactly what we’ve seen with Ramsey! Anointed the best British midfielder at a tournament in decades by those who actually do count, many ginormous football brains and experts out there still don’t get it!
Re the stats for this season Shotts: I always expected a dip following Rambo’s first summer tournament, as seen with bale this season, and then we have to factor in his lack of protection as in the Liverpool game having an adverse effect on the player. Interestingly it was noted how the Tottenham players attempted to hack and go after Rambo in the England Wales encounter too. Opposition target this athlete following his previous injury, a shame the officials haven’t been up to the job, letting the game “flow” to a spurious or dubiously flexible code variant has done British football sweet FA all favours (pardon my French in Regards to the FA)
To conclude Shotts: nevermind the observable xenophobia against the footballers or players will the great and the good bloggers muster up the footballs required to call out the xenophobia against the manager by the likes of “le” grove or those with their transparent “au revoir” jingo bell banners that quote Tottenham fans/plundits in order to attack the Arsenal?
To be fair arseblogs guest writer Tim from 7am has done so but he has been the only one! Don’t agree with his understanding of the footy at times, hard to understand anyone that couldn’t understand Rosicky’s football on the pitch, but on that matter he was and has been bang on.
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I am once in a blue moon consumer of Arseblog but I have to say whenI do dip in, generally when it has been recommended by a PA comrade I think he writes well.
Of an underlying ‘racism’ ? Well the players who have come in for over the top and incessant dog’s abuse, far in excess of any shortcoming I’d say, in recent years I think are Eboue and Gervinho, and both were effectively driven from the club. Both were regularly boo’ed and groaned at before they had touched a ball, and even Aaron has never had to put up with that. Coincidence ?
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Fins: Great points about Rambo. As you know, very well, I am concerned about his form but as you observe he was kicked out of the Liverpool game and hasn’t been back to his best since. BTW, the deceitful Arseblogger has repeated ad nauseam the meme that for the game, because of the boss, the team was “criminally underprepared”. Apparently the boss should have rushed his signings just for the sake of one game or maybe he should have rushed Ozil and Alexis from their Euro and Copa exertions.
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AndyNic @ 2:55pm; Yup. He writes well and speaks well. I am sure he is a charming bloke. But from my 11 years of observation he knows how to press the race and xenophobic buttons of his readers. Thanks for the Gervinho reminder. The ridiculing of him was brutal. Like all the others, he was a good player but flawed. He was certainly no worse than Hleb in the goal scoring department and arguably superior. He was brought in as a tricky winger to replace PG’s idol, Arshavin, but he never stood a chance with Arseblog and the racebaiting xenophobes.
In the meantime, Arseblogger has single-mindedly grown the commercial side of his blog. Coincidence?
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I can accept a little bit of letting more go in order to…let the people have what they want?
A slightly better chance of an upset. A chance for players way further down the ladder to try demonstrate how far heart and work and passion can get you, in case the fancy dans don’t appreciate what they have (adequate protection? Riches, fame). Magic of cup. Uniqueness of English football. But, really, it shouldn’t be more than slight, if at all.
I have way less tolerance for it than I might do, if I hadn’t seen our players careers jeopardised or wrecked by that shite going too far in the last decade; or if i didn’t think we generally suffer from a similar phenomenon almost every week in the league. It’s one explanation :
‘will of the people’ refereeing, which has been very clear in the FA cup this year, subverted or perverted until we occupied the role of big shot or fancy dan, a team of questionable ‘englishness’, and our opponents were a sort of defender of the culture, entitled if not duty bound to test our mettle; with the ref pretty firmly on the side of the culture defenders.
Of course, a load of hypocritical bollocks, especially when the toughest guys like Barton also tend to be the ones most likely to try con a ref with simulation and the rest.
Anyway, believe it or not, I’m very much looking forward to the game. I just hope all the action and crap of the last decade plus hasn’t convinced Sutton foul really is fair for the evening; and that Oliver does his duty properly.
Maybe I should trust him to perform properly if the promised ‘reducers’ materialise, or if their player who is boasting anyone who goes past him is going down sticks to his word?
This isn’t a bad one at all from Martin Samuel for touching on these issues.
‘Foreign refs over here? No, we play by our own rules’. Indeed we do but it’s interesting times when that can be acknowledged by Samuels like and, more or less, accepted as good.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4240238/Foreign-refs-No-play-rules.html
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I enjoyed that very much, Stew. I have the day off today, as it’s President’s Day in the US. Not a day I’m particularly enthused to celebrate at the moment, but there you go. It does give me the opportunity to watch the match though, which is on TV here. So, I will watch, although as Stew so eloquently puts it, it will go on whether I watch or don’t watch. Also, romance of the Cup be damned…I want to destroy them. Come on boys.
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Some of us are sailing in dangerous waters today.
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I wander who?
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shotts
Without ever meeting or knowing the writer it’s impossible to tell what their prejudices are, I can’t be a telepath, but it is worth nothing that older gents that I know and who wouldn’t agree with you or me on anything regarding the Arsenal have told me that they’ve written to the arseblogger to comment upon some of his “bias'”. So, it’s not just you! Or me…
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Shotts again:
The outstanding Ozil stats for this season are testament to the stewardship of the physios over his (uninterrupted by injury) start to the season following a long summer campaign. And further testament to the “lazy” Ozil’s strong constitution.
However can we count Ozil as a CM in the vaguely 4-2-4ish set up?
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why is getting in the CL important
Pete O’Rourke @SportsPeteO Feb 18
Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool are in talks with players over summer transfers but admits Champions League football will affect business. #LFC
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Sutton’s ex arsenal lads
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Re the magic of the cup:
Monday night for what should be a family (or friendly) occasion doesn’t really do it for me!
I blame Venga!
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Come on the Gunners!
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Great piece Stew, no time to do it full justice commentary wise though of course it doesn’t need my tuppence worth to validate it in any way at all.
But I wanted to echo your enjoyment of non- PL/CL etc football, but with a slant. I was incredibly fortunate to live for five years equidistant between the Emirates stadium in N5 and our old Reserves home in Barnet. Some years, if I planned it right, my expensive season ticket could be supplemented with sometimes one or two games from the various age groups at Barnet (U17, up to U23s). Now the Barnet ground at Underhill is on a steep slope with spectators mere inches from the sidelines. The main seating area generally had a front row reserved for the home team and I regularly (and shamelessly) sat in the row behind them, listening to their chat and generally speculating on which of them would make the grade. From time to time Arsene would pay a visit which felt a little like watching royalty except from just a few feet away.
Clearly nothing can truly rival the excitement of the game in the big stadia but non-league games without doubt have huge attractions and my version of watching up at Barnet was pretty special. The incredible thing was that generally admission was entirely free or occasionally a couple of quid if an official FA competition.
Like Stew and Eddy (I think), and numerous others, I also am struggling to keep my enjoyment of the game going at senior level this season. It dismays me that whilst the Bundesliga and and MLS will be trialling vid tech next season (and two of our most senior referees are clearing off in the meantime), the Premier League appear to be doing nothing whatsoever on this front. I genuinely sympathise with the lot of the referees. And I despair for the integrity of the game in this country.
This non-adoption of even an experimental version of Vid Referees simply tends to confirm my worst fears regarding bias and semi-fixed matches I’m afraid.
Fears that hopefully do not actually apply to the FA Cup competition – so here’s to a great night ahead.
COYG’s.
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seemingly Mark Clattenburg is to continue reffing in the BPL, – part time
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AA,
Perhaps you will be cheered up with a less than secret trial of Video refereeing, as reported in the Daily Telegraph last May (?)
— ” Secret video technology trials are being conducted during Premier League matches this season, (2016/17) Telegraph Sport can reveal.
Unofficial tests have taken place that could herald the advent of live video referrals in English football as early as next season.
England has yet to sign up to formal trials that are already being conducted in other countries but Telegraph Sport has learnt non-live experiments began this season at the Premier League’s new Match Centre just outside London.
The tests involve two officials, known as video assistant referees (VARs), watching live feeds of games and practising how they might intervene were they in communication with the match referee.
The format of the trials is similar to the ‘man-in-the-van’ experiments which took place in Holland before football’s rulemakers, the International Football Association Board, gave approval for live testing of video referrals this year.
Non-live trials have so far been conducted during 12 Premier League games, which have flagged up between two and four decisions per match that would qualify for video analysis.”
So could be available in 2017/18. And as you know, Video technology (goal line (?) is even in use by the old fashioned FA this year in the FA Cup.
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Messi Minutes @MessiMinutes 4h4 hours ago
Tuttosport: Leonardo Bonucci has been fined by @juventusfc after his argument with Max Allegri during the 4-1 win over Palermo on Friday. In the last few minutes of the game, cameras picked up Allegri shouting “Shut up, dickhead! Fuck off!” at Bonucci who replied “go to hell!”
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HenryB how could the tests reveal between 2 and 4 incidents per game when the PGMOB say that refs make less than 1 mistake of any kind per game
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wonder if that team caption has lucas and theo in wrong positions
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If you have not heard, here is the Arsenal team:
Arsenal Team: Ospina, Gabriel, Mustafi, Holding, Monreal, Elneny, Xhaka, Perez, Reine-Adelaide, Iwobi, Walcott
Subs: Martinez, Debuchy, Mertesacker, Gibbs, Maitland-Niles, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sanchez
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I’m baffled – think how Sutton must feel !
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The wording says that 2-4 incidents per game that would “qualify” for video analysis – that does not indicate the referee made any avoidable or unavoidable error – simply that they could be looked at again.
Sounds about right to me.
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Eduardo,
The short answer is that I do not know. However, you have misread the report.
The report said;–” Non-live trials have so far been conducted during 12 Premier League games, which have flagged up between two and four decisions per match that would qualify for video analysis.”
The key point is that between 2 and 4 decisions were — flagged up — that would qualify for analysis, not that they were wrong — perhaps the refs decisions were all upheld.
As to what the PGMO say — I do not give a stuff frankly.
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