Should senior players be playing on Tuesday?

Wayno · Post by **Wayno** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 3:32 pm

TheOne2Smooth wrote:
Wayno wrote:
TheOne2Smooth wrote:walcott and bentner up front!
Is that what you reckon Smoothie or what you have heard? I would have though Eddy would have got the nod.
based on previous carling cup matches Theo didnt play and Bentner was a unused sub yesterday. so points out they will be our front 2

Nice sleauth work Smoothie

donkeywinsthe derby · Post by **donkeywinsthe derby** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 4:45 pm

Just to add another twopenneth....

One thing is for sure, sooner or later they will beat us. Let's face it, if we played Sainsbury's enough time with our 7th team, the liklehood is that even they would win one eventually.

And you just know that, whatever game it is, Spurs will say it was the biggest game of all time, that it completely wipes out the other 8,000,000 games in a row that they couldn't beat us and that it puts us in our rightful place as slaves to their footballing Gods.

There will be DVD's, commerative badges and requests for a new bank holiday. Grown men will openly weep in the street at the very thought of the great day they actually beat THE Arsenal.

So, should we lose (and this is why it would make sense for us to play an under 10 year old team...like last year) then just take time out to remind the silly sods just how far below us they really are when they consider beating our reserve/youth team as Giant killing.

Oh... and that we've the league title more times on their home ground than they have. That always gets 'em.

The tits.

Wayno · Post by **Wayno** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 4:54 pm

Fuck it then, thats it settled were putting out the Junior Gunner with Gunnersauras in goal

Post by **I Hate Hleb** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 4:59 pm

DONKEY,

NEVER A TRUER WORD SPOKEN (OR IN THIS CASE, WRITTEN!) MATEY.

THAT'S WHY - MUCH AS I WANT TO WIN THE GAME - I PREFER GOING IN WITH THE 'B' TEAM. I'VE BEEN TELLING MY SPUD MATES THAT I EXPECT TO LOSE TO THEM FINALLY, AND THAT IT'S NO BIG THING TO ME. THE 6 POINTS IN THE LEAGUE WAS FAR MORE IMPORTANT!!

HOWEVER, ONE THING'S FOR CERTAIN: THEIR FANS ARE CONFIDENT, BUT THEY ARE ALSO SHITTING THEMSELVES IN CASE THEY GET BEAT BY OUR RESERVES - AGAIN!!.

OH WHAT FUN THAT WOULD BE!!

gus ceasar is a legend · Sun Jan 20, 2008 5:03 pm

I totally believe we should carry on with the kids....with the insurance of a few senior players on the bench!

We have sod all to lose playing the kids........if we lose we are safe in the knowldege we have beat them twice when it counted already, the league games!

Iam also hoping Theo gets a start through the middle and scores the winner.....just what the little fella needs!

augie · Post by **augie** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 7:19 pm

It's a dilemma for sure. Going out to the spurts would be bad but thankfully they didnt beat us at the grove cos that would have been unbearable. I honestly dont think this "reserve side" has enough to do them on tues night but the problem is that the senior players that you might consider playing(cesc & ade for starters) play in positions where we already have players that need the games in that position(bert,bedtner,diaby etc). I would def play lehman and gallas if I were picking the team which prob means neither will play

To copy another sad individual .... I would love it if we beat them

gus ceasar is a legend · Sun Jan 20, 2008 7:34 pm

Augie I am going to disagree with you for once!

I think the kids with a select few senior players are more than good enough to beat the Spuds Tuesday!

Something was said on Sky Soccer Saturday yesterday that reinforced that belief.......the Arsenal side will play with absolutely no fear!

This is Spud's biggest game of the season and they will be bricking it.....Arsenal beating them at home in a cup semi-final playing basically a reserve side!

I know the first leg didn't exactly inspire confidence but any side can have a bad day ala the first team v Birmingham!

Good games from Diaby, Super Nic, Theo etc and I think we shall find ourselves on Push and Run forum laughing at our neandrathal neighbours!

the_gooner89 · Post by **the_gooner89** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 7:34 pm

personally i would stick with the youngsters.

maybe gilberto at the back with phillipe, then again thats sounds slow and worrying.

if we put the first 11 we have bottled it and it will feel to the youngsters wenger has lost a little confidence and we dont want tat.

I agree with a srong bench. clichy fabregas hleb rosicky adebayor.

Like last year we can bring them on if thngs get touchy

anyne agree?

donkeywinsthe derby · Post by **donkeywinsthe derby** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 8:52 pm

the_gooner89 wrote:personally i would stick with the youngsters.

maybe gilberto at the back with phillipe, then again thats sounds slow and worrying.

if we put the first 11 we have bottled it and it will feel to the youngsters wenger has lost a little confidence and we dont want tat.

I agree with a srong bench. clichy fabregas hleb rosicky adebayor.

Like last year we can bring them on if thngs get touchy

anyne agree?

I reckon you're about right.

If we do lose (and I don't think we will) then it won't be nice but what you need to remind them about (other than that they're shite) is that now you remember how it feels to lose to your nearest, geographical rivals...you wonder how they didn't commit suicide years ago.

Also, very good point about the younger players. Either they're ok to play in this competition or they're not. With just a little help from some of the senior players - who themeselves are mostly young - they have won some very tough games against top flight oppposition (Everton and Man City, both away..and, of course, the 6-3 against Liverpool).

Let's back the team all the way. If they simply try as hard as the Totts team do (and they will be trying very hard) then I'm sure we can do it.

But if we don't...well, probably saves us from getting beaten by Chelsea in the final again!!

EL-Z · Post by **EL-Z** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 2:30 am

See problem is alot of people are saying oh Tottenham are bricking it, they will bottle it etc etc. Their fans are gonna be viciously aggressive in their support and the team will throw everything theyve got at us cause they know without a doubt this is their best chance to beat us since they last won. I personally disagree that it should be a complete youth team. I would suggest one experienced player in each line. Lehmann in goal, Gallas in Defense, Hleb or Super Tom in the middle of the park and Ade up front. people will slam that but the one thing thats for sure is we will have to have a leader out there cause that told badly at the home leg. No one was leading by example especially at the back where Hoyte looked shaky at best and Senderos still has that look about him like someone just killed his cat. When Sagna came on it showed greatly. Another sad fact was the lack of production from Denilson. I dont say this with the intent of not believing he can make it cause hes so bloody young that would be foolish but after watching his CC performances last season i think hes gone off the boil and has become unnecessarily wild. Diaby cannot play on the left effectively enough either and Wenger will have to realise that if hes gonna play him. My selfish attitude dictates that I want silverware at any cost so I will of course be hoping for a good mix but i will not argue at any point that the youth players dont deserve to play cause they damn well do

Post by **Belfast Boy** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 7:58 am

EL-Z wrote:See problem is alot of people are saying oh Tottenham are bricking it, they will bottle it etc etc. Their fans are gonna be viciously aggressive in their support and the team will throw everything theyve got at us cause they know without a doubt this is their best chance to beat us since they last won. I personally disagree that it should be a complete youth team. I would suggest one experienced player in each line. Lehmann in goal, Gallas in Defense, Hleb or Super Tom in the middle of the park and Ade up front. people will slam that but the one thing thats for sure is we will have to have a leader out there cause that told badly at the home leg. No one was leading by example especially at the back where Hoyte looked shaky at best and Senderos still has that look about him like someone just killed his cat. When Sagna came on it showed greatly. Another sad fact was the lack of production from Denilson. I dont say this with the intent of not believing he can make it cause hes so bloody young that would be foolish but after watching his CC performances last season i think hes gone off the boil and has become unnecessarily wild. Diaby cannot play on the left effectively enough either and Wenger will have to realise that if hes gonna play him. My selfish attitude dictates that I want silverware at any cost so I will of course be hoping for a good mix but i will not argue at any point that the youth players dont deserve to play cause they damn well do

While I agree with you EL Z that the Spuds will not exactly be bricking it, I do feel there is a lot more pressure on them than there is us, they'll be at home, they'll be up against our reserves, and they should've put the tie to bed in the first leg and they knew it as you could clearly see how gutted Jenas and was it Keane or King were in the post-match interview when Jenas got the bottle of plonk, if they had won 3 or 4 nil it wouldn't have been an unfair result and instead we got a flukey late goal to even things up!
So I feel the momentum is with us, I don't think that we can possibly play that badly again and it's wasn't just Soccer Saturday as Gus referred to that thinks the kids are gonna come out on Tues and play like only they can, cos on both the Sunday Supplement and GoS the pundits thought the kids were goin to come out and do the biz, with the lack of fear issue bein cited as the main advantage, and I also think that AW will have some artillery on the bench!

burns718 · Post by **burns718** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 12:50 pm

according to arsenal.com the senior players on the bench v fulham will start and possibly gallas

donaldo · Post by **donaldo** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:00 pm

If Wenger was going to play his top players he would have played them in the first leg and put the tie to bed.I say play the kids if we lose we lose as IHH said earlier we took 6 pts off them this season which was more important.If we do lose we know the Spuds will only be beating our reserves. I"ve heard there"s a parade to the town hall if they beat us

Post by **SPUDMASHER** » Mon Jan 21, 2008 1:36 pm

donaldo wrote:If Wenger was going to play his top players he would have played them in the first leg and put the tie to bed.I say play the kids if we lose we lose as IHH said earlier we took 6 pts off them this season which was more important.If we do lose we know the Spuds will only be beating our reserves. I"ve heard there"s a parade to the town hall if they beat us

I hope the spuds do have a victory parade if they win. I've never seen one of theirs in colour

Magic Hat · Post by **Magic Hat** » Tue Jan 22, 2008 5:10 pm

I would go for a second string side, they have got this far, they should show they are good enough to be in the final. If we lose then at least it would be less awkward then if we had so many first choices in the team