Blackburn FA Cup

[goonerus28]

Diaby-Rosicky-Ramsey
Ox-Pod(Giroud, Walcott)-Gervinho

[SteveO 35]

Back to the cup that matters ! Can't wait.....

...although we all know the Forehead will be back in the team

[donaldo]

Manonne

Yennaris Miguel Kos orTV Nacho

Ox Diaby Rosicky Arshavin

Pod Gervinho

[g88ner]

Manonne

Yennaris Miguel Kos orTV Nacho

Ox Diaby Rosicky Arshavin

Pod Gervinho

I think resting so many players would be a mistake.

Any player not involved against Blackburn will have had a 9-10 day break before we play Bayern... that's too much rest, surely? they'll lose their sharpness.

I'd play a strong side and take key players off once the job is done. The Fa cup is also too important to our season to give anything but maximum focus!

[Wengerball]

Should be an easy win- Blackburn aren't up to much these days.

3-0

[corkbarry]

Should be an easy win- Blackburn aren't up to much these days.

3-0

Just like Bradford

[LizLeGooner]

I hope we field as strong a team as we will for the Bayern game.
I didn't pay £40 to watch the reserves.


I hate this "resting players" nonsense. Most of the people sitting in the stands work 5 days in a row.

[flash gunner]

We will win and everything will be rosy in the Wenger garden

[augie]

If we cant beat a blackburn team with a line up including the ox, diaby, kos, the forehead, ramsey and possibly podolski and wally then we dont deserve to be in the prem league much less be contenders for the fa cup As I have said a million times before, playing in the champs league when we have zero chance of winning it does not appeal to me one jot. If we were playing the likes of everton (for example) next weekend in the cup then I would play our first choice team and wouldnt need a second to think about it - however it cannot be ignored that we are only playing blackburn and I dont want to see us getting an absolute hammering against bayern so resting key players next weekend is a no brainer for me

[DB10GOONER]

It's gonna be hilarious watching the Giroud-haters on here screaming for his return after they've sat through a game watching Forehead stroll around trying to look cool by missing sitters and showing off his first touch of a blind rapist!

How fucking soft modern players are though... can't play them in the cup because we have a CL game 3 days later! Why? Sure the game is faster, but it is also a fuckload softer - better pitches, better training, better diets, better boots, lighter balls, less contact, less chance of getting impaled by a CH...

We'll beat Blackburn 3-1. Podolski to score first. Gonna bet on it.

[Goonimp]

I hope we field as strong a team as we will for the Bayern game.
I didn't pay £40 to watch the reserves.


I hate this "resting players" nonsense. Most of the people sitting in the stands work 5 days in a row.

Same here. Second visit to The Emirates within a couple of weeks (doing well!) so I hope it is a decent XI. Obviously expect a few changes but I would rather start with a strong team and then make changes. Blackburn may be Championship shit but will make a good game of it.

As has been said, Ox, Podolski, Rosicky etc should have enough between them. My worry is when you start playing the likes of Arshavin is you have to have the same level as desire (or bollocks, to be blunt).

[k1tsun3]

I hope we field as strong a team as we will for the Bayern game.
I didn't pay £40 to watch the reserves.


I hate this "resting players" nonsense. Most of the people sitting in the stands work 5 days in a row.

Same here. Second visit to The Emirates within a couple of weeks (doing well!) so I hope it is a decent XI. Obviously expect a few changes but I would rather start with a strong team and then make changes. Blackburn may be Championship shit but will make a good game of it.

As has been said, Ox, Podolski, Rosicky etc should have enough between them. My worry is when you start playing the likes of Arshavin is you have to have the same level as desire (or bollocks, to be blunt).

A pretty strong team would be nice, but I wouldn't risk playing those with minor injuries as a precaution, even if fit, and would like to see Wilshere and Kos rested but on the bench. A few of the younger lads would be great, but it can't be a completely different starting XI. I'd like to see Podolski through the middle, but think Walcott will be there and Giroud rested. We'll see. In reality, as long as it's an entertaining match with Arsenal winning, especially if they can do it as comfortably as they did last season at home in the PL, they I don't care who is on the pitch. But this match up last season saw Ox score his first two PL goals, and hopefully those fond memories can inspire!

[Bradywasking]

Must be a strong starting lineup...no excuses this is our season regardless of Champions League or virtual trophy. If we were competing on other fronts maybe resting a few would be acceptable but we are not so this is the most important game coming up. Certainly rest Jack but no more.
In 1979 Southampton played on a Saturday in a League Cup Final, on Monday at home to Arsenal in an FA Cup quarter final and on the Wednesday in FA Cup replay which we won. imagine asking our highly trained stars to do that.?

[olgitgooner]

I hope we field as strong a team as we will for the Bayern game.
I didn't pay £40 to watch the reserves.


I hate this "resting players" nonsense. Most of the people sitting in the stands work 5 days in a row.

Good point. I know you can't compare athletes to people working in other jobs. But, being an old git, I remember when teams had a core of players who would miss a game only if they were (properly) injured. And only one substitute was allowed. Two games a week was normal. Sometimes three games.

Maybe sixteen core players would do 42 league games + FACup + League Cup + European games if involved. This didn't prevent us from winning the Double in 1971. Nor English teams winning the old European Cup.

[olgitgooner]

I'm going to watch Brighton v Blackburn tomorrow night.

It will be interesting to see if Blackburn are as crap as we think they are. Hope so.

I just had a sudden awful memory. When we played Blackburn at home a few seasons ago. We had thirty shots on goal. Twenty were on target. Blackburn had one single attempt on goal. We lost.