Arsenal 0-0 Blackburn – 17/02/07 – (FA Cup) 19 February, 2007
Posted by lasagnechef in Cup Games.trackback
Sorry about the lack of updates recently. It should’ve given me sometime to think about what I can write about the game, but no. The worst game I’ve seen at the new stadium. It was a 12.30 kick off which meant I had to wake up at half 9 to get there nice an early but on a Saturday morning? No chance. In the end I got there just in time and early enough to get a 4 pound pie before the game, ‘cos I don’t want to be getting it while we’re playing or anything do I, incase I miss something? Even at that price, I wasn’t impressed with my pie. I’ve heard good things but I was disappointed. Hmm.
This is pretty much was this match report will be like.
Anyway I finished my lunch and the game was underway. It was a side featuring William Gallas making his return from injury. He’s been out of action for about 3 months and it showed. He started at left back and it didn’t take long for the runs down the left wing to stop. Before Clichy replaced him on the hour mark he was just strolling around the pitch totally out of the game.
It was the most surreal experience watching. Due to the short notice of the game it didn’t sell out and there must’ve been about 500 away fans there, no exaggeration. I just sat there, no noise whatsoever. It was a beautiful day and everyone just seemed so relaxed and watching the game. Most people I’m sure still nursing the Friday night hangover. As always the northwest corner were making an effort but it was dead everywhere else. I cannot recall any ‘highlight’ from the first half but personally I was content with the score line, confident we’d perform in the 2nd half.
It was so dire where I was sitting I decided to walk around the stadium to block 5 where everybody sings hoping to have a bit of a sing song. To be honest it wasn’t incredible there either. Well it was good but not like it normally is. You could put this down to the early kick off but there was nothing happening on the pitch to inspire the fans but if you think about it, it was probably vice-versa too.
The second half started as the first half began and you started to wonder whether we were actually going to see something exiting. The first chance came just before the hour when Aliadiere put Walcott through but Theo’s shot went into the side netting. Just after that Clichy came on and helped stop Blackburn taking the lead clearing Christopher Samba at the far post from Bentley’s free kick. Wenger brought on Adebayor and Rosicky for Ljungberg and Walcott to try and get the team actually playing and try to get that goal. I thought Theo was better on Saturday; he impressed me a lot in the first 20 minutes or so but let himself down after that. Before he came off he was looking dangerous and getting into decent positions but his first touch was letting him down.
Ade and Tom did help the team push forward. They both used the space out on the left well and threatened goal a few times. However there were still no clear-cut chances and I had a feeling a penalty might settle this. A few minutes later it looked as if we’d got one when Aliadiere was brought down by Warnock in the area. It looked like a decent shout but the referee waved the claims away. When I watched the replay on TV it was an obvious penalty and I can’t believe it wasn’t awarded. When you’re in the stands, you’re some distance away from the ball and when a decision like that isn’t given I accept there was probably something I didn’t see but I do not understand why the ref didn’t point to the spot. Martin Atkinson was a terrible referee all game; I read in the paper today he was extremely bias towards Arsenal, I didn’t really see it but I do know he didn’t have a clue.
We should’ve been 1-0 up now and the players were trying to make up for it. Friedel made a few good saves in the final stages including a one-on-one with Rosicky who was sent clear on goal. Also there was a bit of a goalmouth scramble that ended in Hoyte missing from 4 yards out. It was a slightly tight angle and I’m not sure whether he hit the side netting or it was saved but he should’ve scored.
At the end there were boos, I can understand them but I hate it when our players get booed by their own fans. Ok they were pretty shit but it’s not as if they didn’t try. There were cheers at the end from the one or two Blackburn fans that’d shown up and it was obvious they came for a draw. So it’s another cup replay and I’m going to be away in Scotland for it. I might be able to see it somewhere. It means the Man City game gets moved again. Hopefully we play much, much better against PSV. Build up to that one tomorrow.
What? You got up in the middle of the game? Heaven forbid! Ha ha…yeah we deserved to lose that game. It was pathetic. Its like our guys weren’t getting into the game. Hopefully this will be a wake-up call for them to play better.
the game had the vibe of players not wanting to get hurt before a champions league game and hoping to pass the ball around hoping it would get in the net somehow. can’t blame them, since psv is a much bigger game. but still…
freddie was actually slower than song, which is saying something. and theo’s bad patch is pretty patchy. it just feels like we’re replaying ourselves to death. more matches = more injuries.
man, we miss van persie’s shots on goals out of nowhere. ali was acutally pretty good but he doesn’t seem to want to pull the trigger like RVP.
onwards and upwards to eindhoven.
thats cuz he’s gotten so much stick from the fans. If he took all those shots and missed everyone would be on his back. I have always felt that Ali should be given his chance. More so now when we have so many games to play. He really is a decent player.
ever since this year’s carling cup, and given how much work he puts into every performance, I think people are warming to ali. chances are he’ll be gone at teh end of the year, but he can reallly help us in the run into the end of the season.
I would just like to say what is wrong with blackburn. A premership team playing for a nil nil in a cup game. Fucking disgrace if you ask me. 11 menbehind the ball and not even any effort to try and attack. They brought a striker on late in the game and be practically marked freddie and his best contribution was a clearance from right back all the way to our keeper. Arsenal played like a team who were scared of overexerting themselves cause of the champs league game midweek. And they now have a replay as punishment. They better atone for this performance with a cracker against psv
Agreed. The match was dire and there is not much to say about it. Reading your post, I thought at first you were saying you pie weighed 4 pounds and I was thinking that’s a very large pie for one person. Not much else to add. Friedel made two quality saves at the end, when Henry had a shot and than Hoyte followed it up, and that saved Blackburn. Did Blackburn even get a shot on goal, other than that weird air ball from Derbyshire?
was that even a shot?
DeiseGooner, can you really blame them for playing that way? It’s their only chance of advancing. If they actually try to score a goal, the Gunners will destroy them on the counter-attack. I hate their football but I don’t really blame them since they’re a pretty offensively challenged team.
I’m sure you know by now that the highlights for this game can be seen here, including the penalty.
Look as far as im concerned it was a cup game and you should at least expect the opposition to go for it. Like i say in the league fair enuff a point away from home is a good result for them. But a cup game is a one off where form can go out the window. The Arsenal wernt at the races on sat, you could see that, i could see that, 56K odd at the game could see that. Didnt Mark Hughes or the Blackburn players see it. They had a chance with us playing the way we did but still the ambitions didnt pass the halfway line. We might have picked up our game and won it if they changed their play or we might have lost by the 1 goal, who knows. But the fact that they didnt even have the balls to play football and attempt to score , i dont get that. Surely being a pro you play to win. I would have thought so.
And then for Sparky to get all upity what the Cesc called him on his teams tactics and performance. Sorry but if your team plays like that at your order then you deserve to be called on it.