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*Official* English Football Season 2009-2010

sledger

sledger

Spanish_Vicente
Marcuss said:
Unless there's been some crossed wires here..

I wasn't suggesting that going out today would directly improve our league form, just that over the course of the season not having to play in the FA Cup may be of some benefit, even if we don't start with a bunch of first team players I'm sure that Cesc played 90 more minutes than Wenger would've ideally liked today and then Eduardo and Arshavin played 25 or so.
Also the fact we're out of the cup means it's less games where our players can seemingly injure themselves, there seems to be a new player on the end of the list after every game.

I don't see how going out today is going to have a negative effect at all, though it could be a blessing in disguise as I originally stated.
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Yes, this, entirely.
 
TT Boy

TT Boy

Hall of Fame Member
Negative effective is that Arsenal will finish the season with the same trophies as Blackburn, **** all. Cup was there for the taking and if Villa win on Wednesday, that's the league all but gone.
 
P

Pothas

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
TT Boy said:
Negative effective is that Arsenal will finish the season with the same trophies as Blackburn, **** all. Cup was there for the taking and if Villa win on Wednesday, that's the league all but gone.
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Not really. Would be a damaging result but no way is the title over for Arsenal if they lose to Villa.
 
sledger

sledger

Spanish_Vicente
The FA Cup to me is an entirely expendable competition these days, particularly for a club like Arsenal. I'm well aware of the fact that Arsenal have not won anything for nearly half a decade now, but an FA Cup victory for me, and a lot of other Arsenal fans I know would not be a satisfactory way of remedying this. For a team that was last season in the champions league semi-final and this year contesting for the premiership a win in the FA Cup would be nothing more than a consolation prize. Given the choice of winning the FA Cup and the team having a really good crack at the Premiership and Champions League (and maybe winning neither) I would opt for the latter.
 
fredfertang

fredfertang

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
sledger said:
The FA Cup to me is an entirely expendable competition these days, particularly for a club like Arsenal. I'm well aware of the fact that Arsenal have not won anything for nearly half a decade now, but an FA Cup victory for me, and a lot of other Arsenal fans I know would not be a satisfactory way of remedying this. For a team that was last season in the champions league semi-final and this year contesting for the premiership a win in the FA Cup would be nothing more than a consolation prize. Given the choice of winning the FA Cup and the team having a really good crack at the Premiership and Champions League (and maybe winning neither) I would opt for the latter.
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................ 'tis a different world from the one I live in - but who cares - don't recall the last time we were in the 5th round :)
 
Scaly piscine

Scaly piscine

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
sledger said:
The FA Cup to me is an entirely expendable competition these days, particularly for a club like Arsenal. I'm well aware of the fact that Arsenal have not won anything for nearly half a decade now, but an FA Cup victory for me, and a lot of other Arsenal fans I know would not be a satisfactory way of remedying this. For a team that was last season in the champions league semi-final and this year contesting for the premiership a win in the FA Cup would be nothing more than a consolation prize. Given the choice of winning the FA Cup and the team having a really good crack at the Premiership and Champions League (and maybe winning neither) I would opt for the latter.
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The FA Cup was a good chance for the CDMs if they'd gotten past Stoke. Away to Stoke was about as tough as it was likely to get before the semi or final.

CDMs are still an outside chance at the league and a long shot in the Champions League.
 
Uppercut

Uppercut

Request Your Custom Title Now!
sledger said:
More or less what I was thinking tbh. The run itself is pretty irrelevant, but going out of the cup means X amount of games and replays or whatever that the real first team won't have to play, and therefore remain fitter for the duration of the season. So many times have Arsenal been in the latter stages of pretty much every competition going only to fail to win any of them, not having to concentrate on 4 seperate fronts should be beneficial, imo anyway.
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The thing is, all of Arsenal's successful league seasons have been accompanied by good cup runs, and I can't remember United having many good seasons where they went out of the Cup early. Two years ago going out of the cup 4-0 to United changed the whole complexion of the title race, and while your reserves going out to Stoke doesn't have quite the same psychological effect, I don't think it'll make that much of a positive difference either. Unless there's a particular injury to a key player that was destined to happen if you'd gone through.
 
sledger

sledger

Spanish_Vicente
Scaly piscine said:
The FA Cup was a good chance for the CDMs if they'd gotten past Stoke. Away to Stoke was about as tough as it was likely to get before the semi or final.

CDMs are still an outside chance at the league and a long shot in the Champions League.
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I don't disagree, the FA was a very good chance to win something. But when there is a greater chance to win the league than at any other time for the last several seasons that for me rightly takes precedent over the FA Cup. I daresay if I followed a different side I would feel differently, but to the big sides I honestly feel that the FA Cup acts very much as a consolation prize when they have failed to win anything else, or as a feather in their cap if they have. I cannot for one moment imagine that the board at any of the top clubs in the country sit down at the start of the season and say "Right, let's make the FA Cup our priority this season", and with good reason.
 
sledger

sledger

Spanish_Vicente
Uppercut said:
The thing is, all of Arsenal's successful league seasons have been accompanied by good cup runs, and I can't remember United having many good seasons where they went out of the Cup early. Two years ago going out of the cup 4-0 to United changed the whole complexion of the title race, and while your reserves going out to Stoke doesn't have quite the same psychological effect, I don't think it'll make that much of a positive difference either. Unless there's a particular injury to a key player that was destined to happen if you'd gone through.
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That's true, I won't deny that, but the complexion of the Arsenal team that night was totally different to the one on display today, as you acknowledge. It may not have a postive effect per se, but it's one less thing to concentrate on, now less consideration has to be given as to when to rest X player or Y player, and like you say, the destined injury is also a massive concern. Though I wouldn't say Arsenal are a one man team, the fitness of Fabregas and players like Gallas and Arshavin really are crucial to their chances of success, esspecially with Van Persie a long term absentee anyway. I know they could all get injured next week in the league or at any other point. But not having to play in the FA Cup means fewer chances of this happening, longer breaks between games, and hopefully fewer chances of this occuring, and for me should be to their benefit.
 
Scaly piscine

Scaly piscine

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
As I say that draw the CDMs got was about as bad as it was likely to get for a while. Chances are they'd have got a much easier fixture in round 5 and 6 and they could have rested players to an extent. Then the semis and final are a big day out, the adrenalin, the morale, it's a big boost to the squad and carries them through.

Edit: Should also add it's a big experience for the players too, which will do them good in the long run.
 
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Craig

Craig

World Traveller
Robinho said he is going back to Brazil. I guess not letting the door hit his arse on the way out would apply here.
 
Ausage

Ausage

Cricketer Of The Year
Looks like Benni Mac is going to West Ham :cry:

Cue a 6ft4 lump signing to partner Bambi Di Santo up front for Rovers.
 
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