PREVIOUS FA CUP FINALS

[StuartL]

If Arsenal win we will equal the record number of FA Cup victories in 11 (Man Utd also)

If Wenker is a successful manager he will equal the number of wins as manager with 5 (Fergie)

No Arsenal player has (yet) scored more than 2 goals in Cup Final's - Ljungberg, Wright, and Reg Lewis

My record is pretty damn good, with 4/5 wins, so fingers crossed I get sorted eh

v Sheff Weds 1993 + Replay

Hard to imagine now but Sheff Wed were actually pretty good back then and had a half tidy team, with Woods in goal, Sheridan, Waddle, Harks, etc. We had already beaten them in the Coca - Cola final (Carling now) and in the first game it was fairly even I recall, Wright scoring a header from an Andy Linighan assist.

http://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=A2KLqIl2 ... A0CKhFoZ0-

Wednesday however found an equalizer with a deflected shot and we were back the following week for a replay, with plenty of empty seats in the Wednesday end.

Smith sets up Wright with a lovely through ball and the ball seemed to slow down to prevent Woods coming out to claim it and if you see it from behind Merson has his arms aloft in celebration before Wright tucks it home, so confident is he that Wright will do the job

Wednesday equalize again through Waddle but in injury time at the end of extra time up pops Andy Linighan to head home from a corner to win the cup for Arsenal

http://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=A2KLqIl2 ... A0CKhFoZ0-

v Newcastle 1998

The cup final to complete "the double" against a Newcastle team, whose main threat was Alan Shearer and with us missing Bergkamp through injury. As I recall it was a relatively straight forward victory with Overmars putting us ahead from a Pettit chipped ball, Shearer missed one good chance after Keown messed up but Anelka used his lightening pace to clinch it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1x1jcKx ... r_embedded


v Scousers, Cardiff 2001

This was one of my most enjoyable finals, apart from the result, obviously, we had a stunning day weather wise, spent the night before at hotel in Cardiff and had after match hospitality (free beer !!) lined up. We pulverised the bindippers, missed loads of chances and then up popped Freddie - all was good until Owen robbed us blind with 2 goals in the last 5 mins to spoil the whole event.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p ... wE3h0iMjY8

v Chelsea 2002

Another Cardiff final, this one more enjoyable against a decent Chelsea team that had our old boy Pettit playing for them - a fairly tense encounter was settles by two fantastic strikes, firstly by Parlour hitting home from 30 yards and then Ljungberg shrugging off Terry and finishing with a fantastic curled shot to seal the trophy and strangely the first part of another double with the title still to be decided. (keep an eye out for Dixon behind the goal celebrating)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p ... cE2RCKXK7I


V Southampton 2003
Our third cup final in a row, still at Cardiff.
Should have been straight forward but we made made hard work of it, creating few chances, till a good move with Henry, Bergkamp set Ljungberg up his blocked shot fell to Pires, who tucked home. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p ... RGiMoRforg




Didn't make the Utd final in 2005 although had a ticket lined up.


Over to you for your cup final memories

[northbank123]

I'm 4 from 5 as well. I was very young for the 1998 final, have fond memories of it though. Cracking weather and absolutely loved Wembley. From what I remember of the game it was a typical Newcastle no-show.

Nothing to say about 2001 but the Chelsea final was another absolutely cracking day. Cardiff filled with Gooners with red stripes sprayed in their hair a la Ljungberg and "It's only Ray Parlour.....". 2003 was a pretty poor game, probably not as memorable as the others and certainly didn't quite have the buzz of the previous year after we threw the league away.

2005 was a bit of a travesty, not that I really give a fuck. Taking a red for the team was the 2nd best thing Reyes did for us after knocking the Chavs out of the FA Cup the previous year. I remember chanting USA USA USA as Scholes went to take his penalty... how times have changed! Still can't really believe that was the last thing we won.

As a day out Cardiff was brilliant. Bet it was inconvenient for those travelling down but the stadium being in the city centre is a dream. I'm undoubtedly a bit biased but I generally hear very positive things from visitors about going out and about in Cardiff, shame I was too young to booze for any of the finals! It's a crying shame that they spunked about £1bn on the Wembley project but there is still fuck all nearby. I went to the 2009 Chelsea semi and as a stadium it was vastly unimpressive imo.

[Mistical92]

The thing really gets me about the Freddie goal (and lots of similar Henry finishes) is that when he opens up his body, everyone know where it's going and even though the keeper knows, he can't get to it. Cudicini just gives up a quarter-way through that dive.

Lovely stuff, as Partridge would say.

[SteveO 35]

My first 'being there' FA Cup final was the first Sheffield Wednesday game in '93 and I'd been lucky enough to have gone to the League Cup final against them that year too. I was a wee nipper for the '78 to '80 cup finals so whilst I can still remember sat watching Alan Sunderland score that magical late winner with my dear old granddad it never beats being there

Was there for Newcastle and the wins against Southampton and Man Ure at Cardiff. I wish they would hold the semi finals at Cardiff - my best memories of the whole 'day out' were those wins at Cardiff. Great stadium and city to host the final.....better than that Club Wembley bollocks that cost £900m to build, still can't offer up a pub worthy of the name within walking distance and has the same sorry old 2 hour shuffle back to the tube station

[Grant jones]

Love Dixon celebrating before it's even gone in!!!!!

[augie]

I travelled over from here in '98 in the hope that I could get a ticket on the day of the game but sadly didn't manage to do so

I did make the cup finals in Cardiff against the victims, the chavs and manure though - naturally the victims game ended in total disappointment, whilst the second one was great throughout but the 3rd one seen us with a backs to the wall almost all day but we still sneaked it at the end

Back in '78 my family ran a pub on Finchley rd and we were full of Gooners before the game and when they were gone my father brought me into the toilets to show me the graffiti they had sprayed all over the walls. My dad is an old school gaelic games supporter and would be anti "soccer" and in his own way he probably thought that seeing the damage would turn me away from The Arsenal but I was 8 years old and thought that it was fairly cool tbh

[1989]

We've got a great record in FA Cup finals. Could the law of averages bite us on the arse next Saturday? Worried tbh.

[Bradywasking]

I travelled over from here in '98 in the hope that I could get a ticket on the day of the game but sadly didn't manage to do so

I did make the cup finals in Cardiff against the victims, the chavs and manure though - naturally the victims game ended in total disappointment, whilst the second one was great throughout but the 3rd one seen us with a backs to the wall almost all day but we still sneaked it at the end

Back in '78 my family ran a pub on Finchley rd and we were full of Gooners before the game and when they were gone my father brought me into the toilets to show me the graffiti they had sprayed all over the walls. My dad is an old school gaelic games supporter and would be anti "soccer" and in his own way he probably thought that seeing the damage would turn me away from The Arsenal but I was 8 years old and thought that it was fairly cool tbh

That sounds too familiar augie...my dad died when I was very young, but a family friend was like that with me, hated Soccer in the real old fashioned way only Irish men of the time could, never relented on it. Was in our hose for 1980 ECWC Final when it went to extra time my Gran asked had they to play another game, but he said "no they will punch in the half hour now"...damaging for a young Gooner.

[MK Gould]

3 out of 6 for me...

LOST - 1978 - Ipswich - they hammered us 1-0...
WON - 1979 - Man Utd - 2-0 with mins to play, then 2-2, them 3-2 with virtually the last kick...
LOST - 1980 - West Ham - 0-1. Still can't bring myself to look at Brooking's goal.
WON - 1993 - Sheff Wed (replay) - 2-1 AET - yes, they had empty seats at the midweek replay, but it was I think their 4th trip to Wembley that season...
LOST - 2001 - Liverpool - 1-2...fucking robbed by that ref...!
WON - 2003 - Southampton - 1-0...proving that winning the cup really can be boring!

Oh fuck...just realised that I don't like that pattern.... !!!!!!!

[IW8Goalmachine]

We've got a great record in FA Cup finals. Could the law of averages bite us on the arse next Saturday? Worried tbh.

We have lost every cup final we've been in since '05 so hopefully the law of averages will play and we keep our great FA Cup record going

[1989]

3 out of 6 for me...

LOST - 1978 - Ipswich - they hammered us 1-0...
WON - 1979 - Man Utd - 2-0 with mins to play, then 2-2, them 3-2 with virtually the last kick...
LOST - 1980 - West Ham - 0-1. Still can't bring myself to look at Brooking's goal.
WON - 1993 - Sheff Wed (replay) - 2-1 AET - yes, they had empty seats at the midweek replay, but it was I think their 4th trip to Wembley that season...
LOST - 2001 - Liverpool - 1-2...fucking robbed by that ref...!
WON - 2003 - Southampton - 1-0...proving that winning the cup really can be boring!

Oh fuck...just realised that I don't like that pattern.... !!!!!!!

Please don't go!!!!!

[Bradywasking]

Lucky enough to have been at two, both in Cardiff. Chelsea in 2002 was a fantastic experience..standing outside the City Arms Pub with the Arsenal fans in full voice, up to a crammed train trip away from Cardiff . No trouble between fans that I witnessed..just a perfect day. 12 months later it had a little less shine on it , maybe due to Premier League collapse on the run in. Great to win it . Sol suspended and PV4 injured. dominated a nothing game but gave them a chance at the end. again good atmosphere between fans , one mouthy Saints fan at the train station but got no support from his mates so he shut up.
First FA Cup Final memory was 1971 Final...think my love affair with Arsenal really began after the 1972 Final because I felt sorry for the Arsenal players. 1978 , 79 and 80 were great times to be an Arsenal fan although that was tempered by only winning one of those three finals.
Losing 2001 final was the most gut wrenching sickening feeling ever from a Cup final for me. Just devastated after it. Truly robbed that day by a bad linesman and even worse finishing .
Want this so badly , can't contemplate losing.

[Swifty]

1979 - bloody brilliant!!

[officepest]

"It's only Ray Parlour........."

Was on holiday and watched this in a blazing hot boozer. Loved beating them. Loved it.

[goonersid]

been to one final, 2005.