Preview from the BBC. The good news is that Giggs might be out. The bad news is that the always unpredictable Jeff Winter is the ref: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/2740035.stm Question: Does anyone around here really *want* PBP for this one? I'll be up to watch it, and I'll be glad to do PBP, but I'll be equally glad just to sit and veg instead of sit and type. The game's so damn early that I'm wondering if anyone's going to be out there.
I think you may have earned a break, dwink. I'll be glued to the set, so I won't need the PBP. I would think anyone who did could get it from BBC, right?
In my mind the always appreciated PbP are best for weekday games. I think if it's the weekend, it's every man/woman for themselves. I'm a bit underwhelmed by the level of talk around this game. By this time tomorrow one of the favorites for the Cup will be gone. I still consider the FA Cup a legit trophy, is it just not that big a deal to the rest of you?
Of course it's a legit trophy, unless you come from the "money is what's wrong with football" school. I am hoping we'll win it. Dan, you are the patron saint of people without PPV, and you have indeed earned a break. Sit back, and down a couple of favorite alcoholic beverages when we come out of this in a 2-1 win. Vive le AFC! OPArsenal
This is huge. Every match now seems to be the biggest match of the season so far. Winning the FA cup is legit, but any time we play ManU is huge on its own. If we don't put in a good showing, they're going to come to THOF in April with truckloads of confidence, which I don't really care to see. Sounds like Giggs and Veron might be out due to injury. By the same token, Freddie and Gilberto are unlikely. I reeeeeallly would like to see van Bronkhorst get a start. He has done nothing but impress since coming back from the knee thing. There's no disputing that he adds a dimension off dead balls, and he's scrappy in the tackle. Anyone else waking up pre-dawn to catch this at a local pub?
I'm about an hour away from the closest pub showing the match live at 7:00am, and it's supposed to be snowing/icy mixture weather starting at 9:00pm tonight. I guess I'll wake up at 5:00am and make the decision then....
I'll be at Fado's by 5am to watch this one. Not only is this a big FA Cup match between the favorites, but will be little teaser of what's to come on April 15th. Should be a good one.
More pre-match news No Freddie, no Oleg, no Gilberto: http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/030214/80/dt91u.html Sir Red Nose unhappy that Veron played the entire Argentina friendly: http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/030214/80/dt8qq.html
Rick, it's definitely a big deal - in fact, I think it's a bigger deal than the Ajax games. But I've got a sense of dread about this one. Maybe I'm flashing back to 1999, when our season went in the crapper* after losing that game to ManU. I wonder if Dennis Bergkamp thinks he has something to prove tomorrow? [size=1.5]*Relatively speaking, of course. We all know that almost every other team in the league, including our supposed chief rivals, would take our '99 results in a heartbeat.[/size]
Re: More pre-match news Well, he didn't play it all--75 mins or so--and the broken toe out of might have factored into things.
Re: Re: More pre-match news You mean Ferguson exaggerated a bit? I'm shocked - shocked! - to hear that. We got done by Brazil's coach, who chose to fly Gilberto all the way to China and then play him the full 90. Actually, he was always a long shot to play Saturday so maybe it wasn't that big a deal.
This is the worst possible draw for us. If Arsenal win, it will help them get over United's overwhelmingly dominant performance in their first match. If United win, well, how many times can you beat a team as good as Arsenal in one year?
Good luck Arsenal. I reckon this will be an awesome game but you'll understand if i admit i'd like a Man Utd win. Am looking forward to Vieira vs Keane/Butt.
Yeah, it's the worse draw for both teams but this is what the FA Cup tourney is about! I would prefer this to be the final or semi but you deal with the cards you have. If Man U wins, Man U will have a huge psychological lift (look at 1999). You guys are going for a quad. We're going for a treble. If either team loses, yeah, they'll probably get over it and concentrate on the Premiership Race and Champs League but the winner may just have that extra confidence to carry them through every competition. An Arsenal win will obviously have a huge lift for them too since it's at Old Trafford. Anyhow, IMHO, whoever wins tomorrow gets the FA Cup. Too early to say? I just can't see either team losing if they win a match like this. Man, maybe the hype is getting to me but I'm quite excited about this game - I'm going to watch it at 4:15am over here (being on the West Coast). Don't know if I can catch a few winks - probably will watch the late show for DareDevil!
I'm hoping for a great game like the start of the NewCastle game. Hopefully, there won't be any controversial calls by Winters so we don't hear excuses. May the best team win. Looking forward to watching with fellow Gooners and Man U fans at the same pub . . . we're probably going to outnumbered but oh well. Friendly harmless teasing and bragging doesn't hurt . . .
Dwinkler, I'm assuming you ordered this game through PPV? I was looking at the tv listings to see if COX is offering the game on PPV but doesn't look like it.
Do you ever think that maybe the draw is rigged. The FA, thinking that interest may be waning, decides that they will pair the two leaders in the 5th round. It ensured that you get the two to play plus it leaves the "cinderella" option open in the final. Probably not! Arsenal down 2-1 score two in the closing minutes to win 3-2. Oh thats been done before, oh well Ill take it anyways. We must come out blazing. If we sit around complacently, we risk looking nervous and frightened like the last time at Old Trafford. Exploit G. Neville for a goal early. He will leak like my faucet and we can score more on him. I believe the Old Trafford faithful will abandon him and he will drop that jaw to his chest.
Yeah. I've got Dish Network so I was able to order it through my set-top box. I don't know if any cable systems are making it available - don't know why they wouldn't.
Oh, you got the dish. I got digital cable and I just found out iNDemand isn't offering the game tomorrow. However, they are offering Stoke City vs. Chelsea. Amazing. Oh well, looks like I'll just have to follow the live commentary on soccernet.
You seem to have not noticed Gary Nevilles form since his naff game at Man City. He has been somewhat good. Obviously you'll disagree but you're foolish to do so. Still, its good that all your hopes of winning lie in Gary Neville. I just hope you're disapointted
Let me be the first to deliver the good news: Man Utd. 0-2 Arsenal. Edu and Wiltord with the goals to knock the Devils out. In one of those moves that has you question his sanity, then marvel at his brilliance, Arsene didn't start either Henry or DB10 up front. Instead, he started Jeffers and Wiltord up front, with Parlour sliding into Wiltord's spot on the wing and Edu partnering with Viera in central midfield. Arsene has to be the most daring and creative man in all of football for that one!
The return League match is what I'm really waiting for, but this will do for the time being. No quad for them, still a meaningful threesome possible for us.
Ah, nothing quite like a victory over the Red Devil scum to start a weekend off right. And in the cup no less. I must see this miss from Ryan Giggs, it really must have been one for the ages.