BFTG - Arsenal

[Norfolk Royal]

Someone mentioned earlier in the thread that the upper tier seemed to be singing a lot more than they were at the Swansea final. I was in the upper tier for the Swansea game and yesterday, and would agree with this.

However, don't forget there were extra drinking hours yesterday and we were three-nil down early on in the Swansea game which took wind out of the sails, as it were.

The other thing was that I thought the T-shirt thing was a great idea and made people further up in the Gods realise they were still part of the action.

[Royal Lady]

Tony is correct - was a substitution, Walcott came on.

Although frustrating the added time was valid. Time board does not need to be displayed.

Just watched Scottish cup semi final and 4th official held board up for added time at end of both ET halves - so not sure why English FA can't do the same - then no-one is in any doubt and can't slag the ref!

[Snowball]

Went there, enjoyed it very much, thought we were brilliant.

Now have watched the TV replay. I'd like to up my opinion of Gunter in defence. He was excellent and made some important blocks and clearances.

Took 475 looks at the so-called offsides and we had two (one each for Mackie and Pog) that were shown to be on-side. Both would have resulted in a one-on-one, so we can count ourselves unlucky with them.

IMO we were denied a clear penalty. It looked like deliberate handball to me by Debuchy, and not merely ball-to-hand.

Agree Mackie should have sprinted right when we had the two on one.

Don't think we got much advantage when the ref played on after Mackie was hauled down.

Despite the possession stats (the nature of Arsenal's game) it was almost an even game and we really could have won it. Many of Arsenal's so-called shots were high and wide from 20+ yards. Feds made a few saves but he was hardly under pressure at any time in the game.


Make no mistake this is a good Reading team (with Chalobah's class the magic ingredient) and Chalobah-Williams works well (as would Karacan with either of them.) I guess we may lose Hector and Obita in the summer (and Feds unless he takes a pay cut) but I fully expect Steve C to be running a highly competitive side next year.

We might miss out next season, altho' I think we'll be, at worst, close to the POs, but if we do, the following season will see the expensive players gone (or on cheaper contracts) and the already-promising youths blooded and probably ready.

I hope Clarke stays a long while as I think he has great qualities, really knows the game, and the academy is really beginning to bear fruit now. We are going back to the Prem!

[Ascotexgunner]

http://arsenalist.com/f/2014-15/arsenal-vs-reading/um-check-%20out-what-the-russian-announcer-just-called-mertesacker.html

Haha just got posted the above. Check out the commentary

[Portsmouth Royal]

Watched the game on tv. Really not been able to stomach a return to Wembley since 95.

Thought we were great.

Special mentions to Hector who was immense (may have to turn a few interesting bids down in the summer) and Williams. On form his driving runs from midfield are so important to us.

Thought Clarke got things pretty spot on tactically yesterday.

As has been said can't really moan at Feds, his fantastic save towards the end of the 90 got us to extra time.

My only gripe really is that this group are clearly capable of playing a high intensity pressing game and troubling one of the best passing teams in the country...so where has that been all season? Don't think its been a management issue, fear its a mental thing with some of our current group. Lets pick up one more win then see what the summer brings in terms of new personnel.

[Royal Rother]

IMO we were denied a clear penalty. It looked like deliberate handball to me by Debuchy, and not merely ball-to-hand.

Never in a million years.

[Snowball]

IMO we were denied a clear penalty. It looked like deliberate handball to me by Debuchy, and not merely ball-to-hand.

Never in a million years.

The TV pundits said he was moving his hand towards the ball

[marlowuk]

Well done SWLR on the "so you're all from Hertfordshire, we support our local team" comment on the train from Marylebone.

Don't know the origin of this but I'm from Hertfordshire and support the team I supported as a kid in the town of my birth and will always support them wherever I live now and in the future!

So I arrived home (in Herts) from the match and immediately watched the TV recording of it! There's not much new I can add to what others have said but, in the last analysis, it is the furthest we have ever gone in the FA Cup in our history so there is much to be proud of. Hector and Williams have been, rightly, picked out as our stand-out players but I would like to include Pearce with them. I don't think he made a mistake all match and he looked more comfortable with the ball than I have ever seen him.

Let's hope the team can lift themselves, physically and psychologically, for the game on Wednesday. They looked knackered by the end of the game! And, although I am a fairly quiet person by nature, if anyone starts a 'There's only one Federici!!' chant I'll sing my heart out with them!!

[LWJ]

Did anyone record the full game? Could you send it to me if possible, thanks.

You can download match in full here: https://kickass.unblocked.pw/motd-match ... .html#main

Thanks

[Dave_Kitson]

The game is available on BBC IPlayer.

[genome]

Villa through... hope they stuff Arsenal but I would've fancied us against them if we had won yesterday and played anywhere near the level we did against Arsenal

[TFF]

Villa then. Just makes it worse.

[MmmMonsterMunch]

Villa through... hope they stuff Arsenal but I would've fancied us against them if we had won yesterday and played anywhere near the level we did against Arsenal

I know. That would have been a 50/50 game no doubt about that. Just makes it all the more heartbreaking.

[Man Friday]

IMO we were denied a clear penalty. It looked like deliberate handball to me by Debuchy, and not merely ball-to-hand.

Never in a million years.

The TV pundits said he was moving his hand towards the ball

No they didn't.

[Man Friday]

Nothing to add from what's already been said except I wish they'd get time sorted out. No added time and yet the ref plays on for another 30 seconds. If we had had the ball, wonder what would have happened...

On some occasions refs blow up before the full amount of added time. Just random., make it up as you go along stuff.

Anyway, well done every single player, and the coaching staff.

Oh, the train situation was a complete fiasco...virtually no signs and a young girl on the tannoy that you could only hear if your ear was right against the speaker. Perhaps they've never had an event at Wembley Stadium before.

[MmmMonsterMunch]

I certainly won't use the Wembley Stadium station again. Absolute carnage.

[RoyalBlue]

P*ssed off at the way that the Wembley Stadium PA guy clearly belittled/insulted us just before kickoff by speculating that the record for number of goals scored might be broken and that we might see the first hat-trick in a semi-final. You can guarantee that he would not have said that if the Arse had been playing a 'bigger club'.

[RG7Fan]

Did anyone record the full game? Could you send it to me if possible, thanks.

You can download match in full here: https://kickass.unblocked.pw/motd-match ... .html#main

I downloaded this and randomly checked various points during it for porn. Unfortunately its all football - some amateur team in red being dicked by players in blue & white. Obviously this was for research purposes only.

[RG7Fan]

Oh, the train situation was a complete fiasco...virtually no signs and a young girl on the tannoy that you could only hear if your ear was right against the speaker. Perhaps they've never had an event at Wembley Stadium before.

You obviously werent at Wembley Stadium station (train not tube), where the same loud announcement was made every 90 seconds that was getting on a lot of peoples t1ts. We were going out to Gerrards X and the queue moved quickly - 15/20 mins for us. I can imagine going back in to Marylebone would have been busy.

[Ian Royal]

IMO we were denied a clear penalty. It looked like deliberate handball to me by Debuchy, and not merely ball-to-hand.

Never in a million years.

+1. You've seen them (wrongly) given. But if you want to apply the laws correctly, no chance.

Just re-watched the match on IPlayer and a few comments.

Robson-Kanu had a poor first half going forward, though not all of his wayward passes were entirely his fault, sometimes left with piss all option. His defensive workrate though was far superior to normal though. Second half, bar one, maybe two poor passes, he was much more of a threat as McCleary faded out a touch and we went left rather than right.

Gunter seemed to have gone AWOL for their first goal, somewhere in midfield leaving McCleary covering and getting turned by Sanchez. Not sure if that was justified or not based on chasing the ball out from full back and getting caught. Otherwise, Gunts probably put in his best performance of the year.

Hector was fantastic. Pearce rock solid. Williams was incredible. Mackie too. Their energy, work rate and drive was just sensational. Chalobah faded a bit before being subbed and I think it showed that he (and to a lesser extent Williams) didn't have enough in the tank to keep up that exceptional level of pressing and running all game.

Our set pieces were once more atrocious. McCleary and Obita played some criminal balls from them.

Fed really let in a howler and I don't see any sort of significant deflection. He should save that every single time. But seeing as he pulled off some marvelous saves to keep it in us, and has had a cracking season, I'll not complain about it.

Mackie's run across Pog late on was the wrong option. I think he should have gone right to allow Pog to go left. But when he went left, Pog should have played him in immediately, or shot better. We had enough chances to win the game between Williams' strikes, Chalobah's effort and a couple from Pog. The officials played their part too with some poor offside decisions when we were clean through. Basically, what I'm trying to say is, Federici may have made a mistake and let a goal in, but there were at least 4 or 5 mistakes in attack that meant we didn't score, and two at least from the officials too. The others' errors are easier to gloss over and forget than Feds, but he is absolutely, 100% not responsible for that result.