FA Cup

[ArsenalTexan3]

Cardiff at Highbury

[Bergkamp_4_ever]

Great! Another reason to feel like SH!T when I head back home Jan 3rd (yeah, that's right...I'LL MISS THE ManPU match, both at Highbury and on TV)! :eek:

[The Grimster]

Cardiff at Highbury
A re-run of the 1927 Cup Final! I remember it well!

Damn you Dan Lewis!!

[carw2005]

Not an easy game , we couldve got an easier one this early on in the touney but we should get the win. the FA cup is definatly worth going for!!

Hopefully ill be able to get a coupla tickets! :)

[billyho96]

when will the Saturday or Sunday announcement be made?

[Gooner_for_Life]

We need to go for it. I also think we should go for the Carling Cup as well. Since our fantastic performance at Bolton left us further behind Chelsea might as well go for trophys that are a bit more realistic.

[carw2005]

We need to go for it. I also think we should go for the Carling Cup as well. Since our fantastic performance at Bolton left us further behind Chelsea might as well go for trophys that are a bit more realistic.

Agree, i dunno why we dont bother with the Carling Cup anyway. If the top teams have it as an aim, it would gain much more prestigue.

[jwaldman11]

Agree, i dunno why we dont bother with the Carling Cup anyway. If the top teams have it as an aim, it would gain much more prestigue.
Well, we can't throw all the first team players on the pitch for every competition, or they'll be dead by the end of the season. There's just too many fixtures that pile up and you have to pick out what the most important ones are. The league is always vital, the Champions' League is the most prestigious competition in Europe and the FA Cup is the most historic trophy in England (football-wise, I mean). That leaves the Carling Cup, which is a nice piece of silverware, but not on par with the others. Besides, it's nice to get the kids some experience in a competition, especially when several EPL sides still run out there first team.

And what is it with everyone's sudden infatuation with the Carling Cup? Up until this season, it's always been referred to here as the Worthless Cup.

[Gooner_for_Life]

Originally posted by jwaldman11
Well, we can't throw all the first team players on the pitch for every competition, or they'll be dead by the end of the season. There's just too many fixtures that pile up and you have to pick out what the most important ones are. The league is always vital, the Champions' League is the most prestigious competition in Europe and the FA Cup is the most historic trophy in England (football-wise, I mean). That leaves the Carling Cup, which is a nice piece of silverware, but not on par with the others. Besides, it's nice to get the kids some experience in a competition, especially when several EPL sides still run out there first team.

And what is it with everyone's sudden infatuation with the Carling Cup? Up until this season, it's always been referred to here as the Worthless Cup.

I fully realize what you are saying and just to clarify im not saying throw all the first team players into the Carling Cup games. Infact im glad Wenger takes the approach that he does and plays youth and reserve people. Im just saying if we win the next CC match maybe he should throw on a couple extra first team people in the Semis and go for the win in the competition. This year the league isn't vital anymore. Chelsea is continuing to dominate and for us to have a chance we need to WIN, not tie, every game from here on out and frankly to be honest and realistic i don't see that happening. So IMHO opinion the Carling Cup should be stepped up a few notches in importance in the Arsenal camp.
Also again to be realistic i don't see us winning the Champs League either. Sorry but our group was one of the weakest probably to date ever in the competition and we had some sketchy results especially against Thun. What do you think is going to happen when we play Juventus or Barca?

[DougG_ATL]

And what is it with everyone's sudden infatuation with the Carling Cup? Up until this season, it's always been referred to here as the Worthless Cup.

I say ANY silverware is valuable. The Carling Cup would be a great testament to Arsenal's youth program and would show up-and-coming young footballers that the club means business at all levels.

When you've got talents like Quincy and Lupoli waiting in the wings, I think it speaks well for Arsenal.

[billyho96]

And what is it with everyone's sudden infatuation with the Carling Cup? Up until this season, it's always been referred to here as the Worthless Cup.

I think Chelsea winning last year in a fairly dramatic final against Liverpool with Jose getting sent off and then the CL clash between the two really put it back on the map. Having won nothing for a bit, it was important to them and there is perception that the league is chasing them, and they wanted it, so everyone else does too now.

[Bluto11]

Well, we can't throw all the first team players on the pitch for every competition, or they'll be dead by the end of the season. There's just too many fixtures that pile up and you have to pick out what the most important ones are. The league is always vital, the Champions' League is the most prestigious competition in Europe and the FA Cup is the most historic trophy in England (football-wise, I mean). That leaves the Carling Cup, which is a nice piece of silverware, but not on par with the others. Besides, it's nice to get the kids some experience in a competition, especially when several EPL sides still run out there first team.

And what is it with everyone's sudden infatuation with the Carling Cup? Up until this season, it's always been referred to here as the Worthless Cup.
i think the Carling Cup is worthless, but it is good experience for the youngsters, so it'd be nice to see them play in all the matches, including the final, if Arsenal make it.

[michaec]

If Arsenal put out a youthful team with a sprinkling of first-teamers as we've done for the League Cup so far then I think progression to the semis in that competition is there for the taking. People look at Doncaster's victory over Villa in the last round and are making them out to be some kind of monsters. Our League Cup team has put out Premiership opposition in Sunderland and the Championship leaders Reading, as long as they treat the game with the respect it deserves I have every faith in them winning again.

As for the FA Cup, maybe stick in one or two more experienced heads for the Cardiff game, but I don't think we need a full first team by any means.

While it looks unlikely we'll be in the shakeup for the championship at the end of the season it's still important to finish as high as possible. That should be our focus, followed by the cup competitions.

[antifan]

If Arsenal put out a youthful team with a sprinkling of first-teamers as we've done for the League Cup so far then I think progression to the semis in that competition is there for the taking. People look at Doncaster's victory over Villa in the last round and are making them out to be some kind of monsters. Our League Cup team has put out Premiership opposition in Sunderland and the Championship leaders Reading, as long as they treat the game with the respect it deserves I have every faith in them winning again.

As for the FA Cup, maybe stick in one or two more experienced heads for the Cardiff game, but I don't think we need a full first team by any means.

While it looks unlikely we'll be in the shakeup for the championship at the end of the season it's still important to finish as high as possible. That should be our focus, followed by the cup competitions.
In my opinion, Wenger got the mix between youth and experience just right in the game against Reading. If he puts out the same players against Doncaster and Cardiff, i'll be happy. That said, maybe a little more firepower on the bench for the Cardiff game, i'd like to see us keep the FA Cup this year.

[carw2005]

i think Arsenal winning the league(Coca Cola) cup was my earliest Arsenal memory - im quite young!lol

im not saying we chuck Henry, Fab and Campbell out every game either, but RVP, Reyes, Senderos, Pires, Ljunberg etc making appearences cant hurt our chances!

[Val1]

And what is it with everyone's sudden infatuation with the Carling Cup? Up until this season, it's always been referred to here as the Worthless Cup.

Well, two reasons, I'm sure. One, is we don't really have a realistic shot at the Premiership at this point. And since the old chant, "Let's try to be number 3" rings kind of hollow, the League Cup has value. Secondly, we've got this supposed great crop of youngsters, and given soccer's limited subbing rules, we don't get much of a chance to see them. The League Cup is the only way for these kids to get some big game experience.

As for me, I've always preferred the League Cup (whatever the name of it) to the European league. But then, I prefer the Cotton Bowl to the Fiesta Bowl.

[Cannon]

I say let the kids still take care of the league cup. We don't have the depth to play our best in every competition. I also think the kids deserve to go as far as they can. No need to make Henry play the league cup. I'd like a mix of the squads that played against Sunderland and Reading for the next one.
Something like:
Almunia
Eboue-Senderos-Sol-Gilbert
Larsson-Song-Muamba-Quincy
RVP-Lupoli
Bench:Poom,Djourou, Flamini, JAR, Bendtner

Other possible for the squad to fill in for injured/tired players: Cygan, Connelly, Cregg, Stokes

[Skizz]

Full FA Cup 3rd Round Draw:

West Bromwich Albion v Reading
Fulham v Leyton Orient
Brighton & Hove Albion v Coventry City
Port Vale/Bristol Rovers v Doncaster Rovers
Sheffield Wednesday v Charlton Athletic
Torquay United v Birmingham City
Manchester City v Scunthorpe United
Newcastle United v Mansfield Town
Luton Town v Liverpool
Preston North End v Crewe Alexandra
Stoke City v Tamworth
Derby County v Burnley
Southampton v MK Dons
Blackburn Rovers v QPR
Arsenal v Cardiff City
Stockport County v Oldham Athletic/Brentford
Norwich City v West Ham United
Ipswich Town v Portsmouth
Wigan Athletic v Leeds United
Sunderland v Woking/Northwich Victoria
Chelsea v Huddersfield Town
Cheltenham Town/Oxford United v Chester City
Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspur
Watford v Bolton Wanderers
Sheffield United v Colchester United
Nuneaton Borough/Histon v Middlesbrough
Hull City v Aston Villa
Barnsley/Bradford City v Walsall
Burton Albion v Manchester United
Crystal Palace v Stevenage Borough/Northampton Town
Millwall v Everton

Serious shock potential:
West Bromwich Albion v Reading
Sunderland v Woking/Northwich Victoria
Chelsea v Huddersfield Town (of course)
Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspur

Thoughts?

bigg skizzle

[surfcam]

After Villa's League Cup match, they may be knocked out again. Also, Scunthorpe could take on citeh.

[michaec]

I think Citeh will have too much for Scunny, epsecially at home. The are quite a few Premiership teams away to Champpionship sides like West Ham away to Norwich, Portsmouth away to Ipswich and Bolton away to Watford as the most likely upset contenders.