[Archived] Fa Cup 5th Round

[mike at picture]

How sad for us Hayseeds that we have been denied a short trip down the A666 for an adventure in the North's most important city btw i wonder if "Zulu" will pay the mb a visit.

[des]

The one good thing is that we will have a good pay day, what 60,000 people and a tv fee rovers should be on a very good earner.

This should go on the funds for new players next season

[Fife Rover]

We're doomed!!

[G Somerset Rover]

AS some have said-how our tired, lightweight midfield can possibly cope with Arsenal is beyond me. Throw in some indecisive defending and lacklustre attacking (Roberts like a headless Chicken and Benni just not being bothered) and I honestly think we're in for a tonking....

....but hey this is the magic of the FA Cup!

[Rovermatt]

We'll get absolutely buried against that Arsenal team. Each one of their forward players (even a 'work-horse' like Diaby) can ghost past multiple opponents at will. It's truly terrifying.

[Rovermatt]

I am amazed by the young talent everytime I see Arsenal. I know a lot of the members on this board dislike Arsenal, but have always quite like them. And watching a game like this seeing young players given a chance and take it like Denilson has (quite a few times now) makes me a happy football fan. I mean the lad is 18 and got so much skill and football smarts its unbelievable.

I do fear they will rip us apart come saturday if we play like we did against leverkusen. Leverkusen just walked right through aur midfield creating deep pass after deep pass. Exactly what Arsenal do best....

Ah well, well just turn on the bully boys style...

I have to agree, I'm a big admirer of Arsenal (in spite of their more cynical traits). They play the best football in the league by miles.

[mike at picture]

it is a frightening prospect and I'm not looking forward to it. Even so I'm glad the Pigs were dispatched last night-a victory for football.

[Ronin]

For the first time I was hoping Bolton would win, would have more of a chance of progressing if they did. But after seeing how L'Arse was playing, it's going to very very very (repeat to inifinity?) difficult to get anything out of Saturday's game. Hoping it's not a massacre on the telly, keep it close and who knows, we may nick it. Magic of the Cup and all that!

[joey_big_nose]

What kind of a side are we going to put out? We are going to get absolutely killed! Arsenal are probably the best team in Europe at exposing the lack of bite we have in the centre of the park...

Tugay and Dunn unfit, Savage and Reid injured. Things don't look good. The only positive is that Mokoena looked a good sight better than he has done recently yesterday.

For what it is worth this is the team I would go for:

---------------McCarthy-------Nonda

----Warnock------Dunn----Mokoena----Bentley

-------Berner----Nelsen-----Zurab-----Emerton

-------------------------Freidel

Dunn goes in for Tugay as, while patently unfit, he is willing to close down players more regularly. I suppose I would give him and the Turkish wizard a half each and hope they keep going. The combination of Berner and Warnock down the left should be reasonably secure and I think Steve will be able to make a decent fist of midfield- he has a lot of pace and direct running. If Arsenal have any sense they will run at Emerton at pace. Emo had a good game last night and defended well but you do get the feeling he can't do it for the whole 90 minutes.

I am generally a positve guy but I will be happy if we can come out of this losing by only a goal. I wouldn't actually be massively suprised if we lose by four though. Why why why why why didn't we sign a Savage replacement?

[Hughesy]

Mokoena is improving with each game, however i dont think he is good enough for the Arsenal trip away.

Id go with a team of:

Friedel

Emerton - Nelson - Samba - Warnock

Bentley - Dunn - Tugay - Peter

McCarthy - Nonda

Now i know for a fact he wont play that team and will probably play some muppet like Gallagher but i think the team above is fairly balanced and i think its time that Tugay hit some form again.

I also feel that Nonda must be given his chance as again last night he proved he has the ability with his finish! Also i feel he would of got on the end of one of the earlier chances which Roberts managed to miss.

[Silencio]

Everytime I've seen Denilson for Arsenal he has impressed. He could be up there with Fabregas. What a player he is, brilliant touch, engine and passing. England never produce players like that in midfield. Aliadiere was superb when he came on last night. Would love to see him at Rovers. Think his class is coming through now and he will end up doing well either at Arsenal or somewhere else...

[brfcjon]

Everytime I've seen Denilson for Arsenal he has impressed. He could be up there with Fabregas. What a player he is, brilliant touch, engine and passing. England never produce players like that in midfield. Aliadiere was superb when he came on last night. Would love to see him at Rovers. Think his class is coming through now and he will end up doing well either at Arsenal or somewhere else...

my sentiments exactly. I was thinking of the Fabregas comparison but decided not to. Glad you did though. But England shouldn't feel sorry for themselves in that respect. No one but brazil, and the Argies, produce that. And even by brazilian standards he is a special talent. Something I havent seen since.... Fabregas turned out for Arsenal the first time... What makes those two stand out, beside their skills and engine, is the smarts. They never seem to loose concentration and somehow they manage to choose to do the right thing more often than not. Brilliant brilliant and a joy to watch.

I will however hope that the talent is taken out with say... a dead leg early on saturday. An injury that will prevent them for playing but have them fit for the next game....=) Seems fair to me anyway=)

[Hughesy]

Birmingham seem to have clicked onto Arsenal's talent by taking a few on loan and then by trying to make them permanenet.

Maybe that is an option Hughes should look at in future. That Aladiere fella would of been a great loan signing for the remainder of the season.

[Jan]

You might get to stick Derbs and MGP in the mix for this game

[Hughesy]

Where have you heard that? I thought Matty was out for about 3-4 weeks and Peds for at least 1 week.

[CAPT KAYOS]

England never produce players like that in midfield.

Simple IMO - any nous of talent in midfield gets supressed in favour of turning a player into a combative and more defensive player (akin to what Souness tried to do to Dunn) instead of letting them develop their skills.

[gazsimm]

not looking forward to this one, i just can't see us getting anything down there.

I think we might have to cope with Henry and Fabragas on Saturday as well

[daveoftherovers]

In the first half (Bar the first 5 mins) they ripped them apart, breathtaking speed and passing, lots of the quick double touch passing that kills team set up "To find fat lad up front"

Great lesson in defence (Until 93rd minute) in how to counter Bolton's tactics

i.e. Try not to give stupid free kicks & throws away around the area, WIN the 2nd Ball and break away at breakneck speed.

The biggest frightening element is who they have left to come back into the side, I see old Mr Magoo building an invincible empire again, Chelski & Manure are gonna be in deep cack next season I think, especially if the guy at Barcelona comes to beef up their front line. ( I don't want to even contemplate Saturday, on telly as well !!! OMFG!)

On the flip side, we'll see a better "Football" game than last night as both sides will want it on the deck and not just 1 of them.

I hope Brad is up for it.

[Jan]

Where have you heard that? I thought Matty was out for about 3-4 weeks and Peds for at least 1 week.

Mark Hughes said it in his interview last night (although he was talking about next week I'd already heard they aren't a milllion miles away from Saturday as well)

[gazsimm]

Mark Hughes said it in his interview last night (although he was talking about next week I'd already heard they aren't a milllion miles away from Saturday as well)

good news, but i do hope we don't rush them back though for Saturday, when they havn't fully recoverd from their injurys and they break down again and miss the inportant game next Thursday

[Rovermatt]

especially if the guy at Barcelona comes to beef up their front line.

Who? Eto'o?!

[DudeAbides]

how negative are bolton....

all they do is stifle play,

anyway cant see us gettin much on saturday.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Wigan showed what can be done last Sunday, on another day with another official they would have won that game. If we are prepared to put in the graft it can be done but we don't seem to have a pressing game we just wait for the opposition to give us the ball back, well with Arsenal we'll have a long wait. Only Derbyshire of our front players puts the back four under pressure and our midfield won't chase never mind tackle. We'll have to be marking runners into our box better than last night , Arsenal are masters at getting midfielders at your throat.

My Team

Friedel,

Emerton, Zurab, Todd, Nelsen, Warnock.

Mokoena,

Bentley, Dunn,

Nonda ,Mc Carthy.

[frosty]

Drove past Brockhall today, saw Pedersen with a coach doing some fitness training. Pedersen was doing flat out sprinting, so they may be trying to get him fit for saturday, or Leverkusen.

[beanie]

You are right england do not produce players like these as the other poster said they tend to like players who can run all day and put a foot in like savage as the center midfielders while any player who shows any hint of being a flair player is shunted out wide. in my opinion we wont win the world cup or euros until this is addressed.