Excited about tomorrow? I mean really excited? You know – butterflies, dreams, stomach-clenching anticipation?
I can’t speak for you but I feel none of the above. Looking forward to it? Certainly. Aquiver? No.
We are about to play a Wembley Final against a wonderful team and potential Champions. Surely this is enough to get the blood coursing?
Why am I not exhilarated?
Could be any of the following or most probably a blend of all:-
- It’s not a proper Cup. Can you name who won it two seasons ago? I think MU won it last year. Apparently Spurs won it 10 years ago and even they don’t mention it as sliverware. On the other hand, it would look fine in the trophy cabinet.
- The continual change of name. This year it is the Carabao (ridiculous). It was the League Cup when it meant something. Littlewoods, Milk, Carling , Rumbelows, Coca Cola, Capital One, Worthington etc etc. takes some of the shine off.
- Wembley has lost it’s sparkle. Started with the FAC semi-finals being played there. Now it is The Miscreants home ground. The great stadium has sold it’s soul.
- The PL clubs play their reserves until the semi-finals which gives an indication as to how highly even Stoke value it.
- This is The Big One for me. The final is too early in the season. Finals are for sunny, warm days not a ball-shrivelling February Sunday afternoon. It is not May.
Come kick-off time BR will have his loins girded (writing the PM will help), be totally involved and I guess, so will you.
written by BR
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
I realise this may well be a minority view but what can we do? We needed a filler post 😀
Perfectly good filler post.
Excellent filler post, BR.
I’ll always be fond of the League Cup because of 1987, beating Liverpool when Ian Rush scored first (never been done before) and kick starting Gorgeous George’s haul of trophies.
The name change does cheapen it. This week they’ve been carting the trophy around grounds and taking pictures of ex players alongside it. When they say that Don Rogers won the Carabao Cup in 1969, it’s complete bollix as the drink wasn’t even invented until 2002!
I’m still not keen on the new Wembley but have grown more fond of it in recent years. 🙂
I can’t even remember who we’ve played in the competition this season but have a vague recollection that they were pretty tedious games narrowly won.
Finally, you’re bang on about a Final in February. I have just been thinking about tomorrow and the Green Man hostelry. Two choices – either freeze your tits off outside or be continually jostled inside. Shorts weather it will not be.
With you on this BR. Would love to win it, but it doesn’t feel like a big final.
Maybe, at full time, I will feel different.
Carabao Cup…..
Cheers Big Raddy.
Who are the blokes in the photo?
In
https://twitter.com/FourFourTwo/status/967379194928869376
1.04 ??? Is it a friendly or has he been on the funny powder?
Going the opposite way. Can only win what is in front of you.
Taking $h*ty down another notch will always have me cheering for the Arsenal. Too many people have fallen for the puP trap,which is so obvious. He only goes to where he can win and outspend everyone 3-1.
Go to Swansea and show us how it is done puP.
Anyway. look forward to Ramsey being in the squad and putting in a damn good shift at Wembley Stadium.
It could change the atmosphere in the Club to a more positive tone, adding another trophy would be great and get everyone more fired up about AC coming to town.
BR
Here’s an explanation for 1:04 from a Duisburg fan at the game today.
“What isn’t heard in that video because it’s a replay is that the goal music was still running.
Duisburg’s scored a goal that was disallowed, but the goalmusic still ran, it was running ~until the ball was at Nauber (Duisburg CB) who heads the ball towards Flekken.
Flekken thought the goal was given. He didn’t realize that it was disallowed and play continued. That was my assumption from the stands at least.
Everything happend really quickly, many fans hadn’t even realized it was disallowed, as the music kept playing.
Sidenote, just 5minutes earlier Flekken saved a penalty. He actually is a great keeper for us.”
I think I understand
England rugby team got shafted by a Welsh ref with VAR. worried about tomorrow
Al. GIE, Ant and a bloke who could be me but is one of the Chas clan
No footy till Thursday -what are we going to talk about?
I like it thick and black.
https://twitter.com/videocats/status/967591683197108224
Mornin’
Thanks Erik for yesterday. All you say about Wembley losing it’s mystique and allure is correct, and playing the semis started it. I blame Emmeline Pankhurst
As for todays game, of course it’s a shit cup but would look so much nicer in our cabinet than in City’s
And that’s how I view it. A game against City where both First XI’s will be playing, so winning would be fabulous
In fact the thing I’m most looking forward to is simply watching Mesut and Auba again (and Nacho of course)
Chas
You’ll have blazing sunshine, but temps dropping from 4 degrees at pre-game drinking time to near zero for celebratory bevvies
Flasks for you and Ants. Shnoods and mittens for the players
Morning All,
Positively warm day at Wembley. Sunbathing weather for us Northerners
Just putting my thermals on.
Thermals and Cup Final shorts?
Proper Noresefolk go bare breasted as an intimidating display of hardcoreness
I miss Santi’s two footedness
Ant and me have an overnight stop just outside London tonight, so I won’t be able to do anything in the match report department for tomorrow, regardless of the result.
Ha, I’ve just noticed that the graphic above has BlackScarf on it.
Maybe that’s why Wembley still has twin towers.
We Want Our Wembley Back!
I don’t know how I can get excited about the game, I just cannot. Not only that it is a micky mouse insignificant cup, but it is going to be made significant by the result, ie thumping of the Gunners.
No, I am no a doomer (not always anyway), but I watched the team all season and they are shite. With a couple of exceptions they either got lucky, or scrapped a point or lost. City on the other hand are awesome. In a nutshell? We don’t stand a chance.
Please chas, don’t remind me they have lost to Wigan and that they have all the oil money in the world, I know all these. And I still think we are shit.
Eddie
We were shit last season and still beat City and the chavs to win the FA Cup.
There’s always a chance.
do you want a bet? 50 quid
City are odds on, we’re 2 and a half to 3 to 1 against.
Do I look like I have ‘MUG’ tattooed on my forehead? 🙂
Chas @ 8:24 ROLF
Itinerant musicians and women of doubtful reputation
That’ll be two AA’ers locked out then 🙂
Come on Eddie, what if in the first 10 mins Granit flukes a 25 yarder into the top corner
Then on 20 mins, one pings off the Auba backside just inside the post
LAMOW
yeah, me is laughing too. Let’s laugh till 4:30 🙂
Soz, got to go and get into the sort of state where if you don’t win it doesn’t matter but if you do win, it’s effin brilliant.
I will be laughing all day though, thinking about intinerant women of doubtful musical abilities.
Bottom line is, Eddie, I’d rather watch our First XI playing a City than a WBA (no matter what competition) or for that matter our 2nd XI playing a bunch of artic dwellers
arctic 🙄
simple pleasures and all that. I am more complicated.
I think the phrase is ‘high maintenance’
Me too. This could be an exciting game. We have little expectation of victory which will make a win sweeter and a loss more palatable
There is a New Post.
Not the rousing call-to-arms I was hoping to write but a New Post nonetheless.
See you all on the other side.
COYRRG