Saturday’s FA Cup tie against Leeds United wasn’t the performance we were looking for. Credit to the Yorkshiremen for their performance but we were poor. It looked like we were going to be the second big Cup scalp in two seasons for the Elland Road outfit until a last gasp penalty saved our bacon and set up a replay on Wednesday week in Leeds. The game has now been confirmed as an 8.00pm kick-off and will be shown live on ITV. As pilots say,“Any landing you walk away from is a good one.” The replay may not please the manager with all the other midweek games we’vegot coming up, which I understand. At least the finance director will be pleased with our share of the gate money and the TV fee from Elland Road replay. I hope we can add the third round prize money to that.
I’m not amongst those Gooners who see the FA Cup as a distraction from the real business of the season. I love the old competition to bits. I’m MUCH happier with a replay than I would have been with being tipped out. We’ll have to be on our game in the replay to earn a fourth round home tie against Huddersfield Town.
Our endless horrible luck with injuries appears to be persisting. Sébastien Squillaci picked up a hamstring injury on Saturday against Leeds which is being assessed for severity and longevity. We’re now down to two fit central defenders at the moment, not somewhere we want to be with the run of games we have coming up. It was almost inevitable that this would happen after Squillaci provoked the ire of the gremlins back in November last year by saying we couldn’t afford any more injuries. That horrible little Yoda like gremlin is sitting up in the roof supports of the training ground complex at the moment cackling, “So! No more injuries you wished! Cursed forever with them shall you be! Yes!”
The central defence for Wednesday night’s Carling Cup semi-final first leg against Ipswich Town at Portman Road now pretty much picks itself – Johan Djourou and Laurent Koscielny. As I understand it recalling Kyle Bartley from Sheffield United isn’t an option under the terms of the loan agreement between Arsenal and the Blades. He’s being doing very well there. If Squillaci’s injury is anything other than minor we’ll have to think about doing what we did last season and bring in temporary cover. Sol Campbell’s return worked out very well for us in terms of his personal form. We were lucky that he was available for a short-term contract. We might have to rush into the market again. Let’s hope not.
So, a nice, comfortable game at Portman Road and a good lead to bring back to the Grove would be nice. I’m not banking on that however. Ipswich has finally given Roy Keane the push. Paul Jewell who did a good job with Wigan Athletic, where he was in charge when they beat us in the Carling Cup semi-finals in 2006. He had less success at Derby County but he’s still a decent manager. Most clubs who sack a manager seems to get an immediate boost when the new man comes in. The latest reports from East Anglia suggest that Jewell will not be in charge for Wednesday night however. I could do with a nice relaxed night out at the second leg at the Grove following a good result in Suffolk. As I said though, it being Arsenal, I’m not banking on it! We seem to have a talent for doing things the most difficult way possible.
Keep the faith!
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