FA Cup final...

Post by **Best First** » Sat May 21, 2005 1:55 pm

Did the BBC really need 2 hours of build up?

Anyway...

almost there.

Big games often turn out to be crap, but given that this is the only chance of silverware this season for both teams hopefully The MUFC Soccerball Allstars and Arsenal will both give it a bit.

Lets hope some Supporters United wankers don't ruin it.

Jetfire · Post by **Jetfire** » Sat May 21, 2005 4:59 pm

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

Jetfire · Post by **Jetfire** » Sat May 21, 2005 5:04 pm

F##K me. I've never had so much joy after being dominated in my life. I thought for sure man Utd was going to win. We didn't bring our game. However our fans were by far the loudest. The chants of Arsssseennnaaaaalllllll and "USA"! USA" through out gave me hope even if the team didn't. Lehmann was immense. Man of the Match. Loads of saves and a great penality save.

There's nothing better than knowing you got away with it. We played **** and won an F.A cup at the expense of the team we hate the most in the universe. It doesn't get better than this.

Jetfire · Post by **Jetfire** » Sat May 21, 2005 5:09 pm

Just saw the reply with ljungbergs head off the line. My hero.

Manchester Devil · Post by **Manchester Devil** » Sat May 21, 2005 5:40 pm

Curses! All that possession and we lost on sodding penalities!

Bugger! Bugger! Bugger!

Jens Lehmann was Arsenal's starman by a mile because United would've won the cup without him.

United shall return!

Impactor returns 2.0 · Post by **Impactor returns 2.0** » Sat May 21, 2005 11:03 pm

yeah basic ****, the whole country knows it. united were better at football, but were 1/5 worse at penltys

united deserved to win it.

well done arsenal

Jetfire · Post by **Jetfire** » Sun May 22, 2005 12:27 am

Impactor returns 2.0 wrote:
united deserved to win it.

How exactly?

I don't see how United deserved to win today, honestly I don't. Firstly, possession means nothing if it's all in very ineffective posistions (I'll go on to that later).

Secondly, shots on target means nothing at all when they were all long range and not very well shot bar 1 or 2. It's not like United were seeting themselves up for easy chances and sitters, they couldn't break down Arsenals immense defence.
Toure made the tackle of the game from Rooney, Senderos was immense again and our full back were quick to stop the 2 R's from getting into posistion that were effective.

Roonaldo and Rooney, for all their skill were always slowed down by the full backs so our whole defense could get back and so their crosses came to nothing dangerous.
Don't get me wrong they played very well, in the case of Rooney there were moments of excellence, but our game plan prevented them from doing anything effective or getting in dangerous posistions. All they were able to do was late crosses, when there were more defenders than forwards around, or desperate attempts at wonder goals from outside which is hardly a reliable game plan.

In the end, for all their possession, Utd's whole attacking plan appeared to be get the 2 R's to run to the By-line halfway between the corner flag and the area while the oppostition defense surrounds your forwards. Not exactly match winning tatics is it?
Utd were beaten by the Arsenal game plan and Lehmann being on top form.

We won the F.A Cup. We won fair and square. There is no debate we didn't win it fairly.
No bad ref decisions.
No open goals.
No unfair disallowed goals.
Nothing to suggest the final result wasn't perfectly fair.

So cut out this nonense about how Utd deserved to win it. Thats a bit graceless. I at least made it clear in my celebration post Utd were dominating us through out and our team (going forward at least) were not very good. If Utd can't do anything with 55% posestion when thats a Utd issue. Don't start tainting the victory of the team that beat you fair and square.

Impactor returns 2.0 · Post by **Impactor returns 2.0** » Sun May 22, 2005 12:49 am

united according to everyone were a better side today.

end off

we won the football game
you won the penltys

well done

thats it, thats what everyone even most Arsenal supporters think.

Jetfire · Post by **Jetfire** » Sun May 22, 2005 1:13 am

Impactor returns 2.0 wrote:united according to everyone were a better side today.

end off

we won the football game
you won the penltys

well done

thats it, thats what everyone even most Arsenal supporters think.

Nobody isn't saying that. Nobody isn't saing Utd played the better football. However that doesn't mean they deserve to win.
Atthe end of the day unless you score you don't deserve to win. No one won a football match by have more possession or missing more chances.
Arsenal pareked the bus and came with a game plan Utd couldn't adapt too.
So you have no right declaring Utd "deserved" to win when they did nothing to suggest it.

Post by **Best First** » Sun May 22, 2005 12:39 pm

what was Arsenal's game plan then?

Pass the ball from left to right and back again?

Rely far to heavily on their keeper?

Hope Paul Scholes headed over the bar?

Get massively owned on the right? Lauren didn't slow Ronaldo down at all, Ronaldo did him 9 times out of 10.

The whole 'deserved to win' notion is bull, if you don't win you don't win, but the notion that Arsenal had a game plan that worked well is hilarious given that, whilst you defended quite well, you didn't look like scoring once.

Or are you claiming that one of the best passing sides in the country turned up against their arch rivals with the plan 'lets hang on for 120 minutes and hope we wing it on penalties'?

stop spouting.

Jetfire · Post by **Jetfire** » Sun May 22, 2005 12:45 pm

Best First wrote:
The whole 'deserved to win' notion is bull, if you don't win you don't win, but the notion that Arsenal had a game plan that worked well is hilarious given that, whilst you defended quite well, you didn't look like scoring once.

Or are you claiming that one of the best passing sides in the country turned up against their arch rivals with the plan 'lets hang on for 120 minutes and hope we wing it on penalties'?

stop spouting.

not quite. We played a 5 man midfield. We didn't charge forward. We played not to win but to "Not lose" and it worked. We rode our luck a fair bit but won it fair and square.

And honesty, thanks for saying that no one "deserved to win". That's been my point (From my rabid Arsenal fan view) to just about any one around.

Post by **Best First** » Sun May 22, 2005 1:09 pm

Jetfire wrote:
Best First wrote:
Or are you claiming that one of the best passing sides in the country turned up against their arch rivals with the plan 'lets hang on for 120 minutes and hope we wing it on penalties'?

not quite. We played a 5 man midfield. We didn't charge forward. We played not to win but to "Not lose" and it worked. We rode our luck a fair bit but won it fair and square.

so... you are saying your plan was to hang on and hope for the best?

Kind of implies Man U are the better side doesn't it?

Impactor returns 2.0 · Post by **Impactor returns 2.0** » Sun May 22, 2005 2:21 pm

the deserved notion isnt right, I was very drunk at the time.

But United deff played like a better side, and the notion that Arsenals plan was to hold the ball and win on penltys is rubbish, United were just better, but didnt finnish.

So yes I do feel a bit cheated by the outcome, that seems to be general feeling of the footballing world today.

But we should have finnished better.

Jetfire · Post by **Jetfire** » Sun May 22, 2005 3:45 pm

Best First wrote:
Jetfire wrote:
Best First wrote:
Or are you claiming that one of the best passing sides in the country turned up against their arch rivals with the plan 'lets hang on for 120 minutes and hope we wing it on penalties'?

not quite. We played a 5 man midfield. We didn't charge forward. We played not to win but to "Not lose" and it worked. We rode our luck a fair bit but won it fair and square.
so... you are saying your plan was to hang on and hope for the best?

Kind of implies Man U are the better side doesn't it?

yes it does and I've stated Man Utd were the better side.
But come on Arsenal playing 3-5-1?
It's very unlike us and our unwillingness to go foward impies we were playing ultra safe in a "Not lose" tatic with little else in mind.
I'm sure Wenger didn't say "We'll win on penalties" or anything but the tatic was to "hang on if nothing else" after being sucker punched by Man Utd in 3 games this season.

Post by **Best First** » Sun May 22, 2005 3:56 pm

you never went for the win in a knockout game - all i'm pointing out is that your claim of having some kind of master plan man u couldn't cope with (bearing in mind a missed clear header and the ball off the wood work) is streaching reality to breaking point.

The notion that you were 'sucker punched' 3 times is also a tad revisionist.

Post by **snarl** » Sun May 22, 2005 4:39 pm

ahaha, this is funny!

Arsenal got taken apart yet jammed it totally, Ronaldo and Rooney ran riot, Van N wasted some superb chances in particular - I dont think Lehman was that great either.

He made some great saves, the fact that he can is not in doubt. He is a liability because he doesn't command his area and has some pretty ropey judgement as far as taking crosses or coming for the ball is concerned. Toure and Ljungberg bailed him out of two howlers.

Arsenal came to win but got schooled totally. Simple as.

Also think the idea that Arsenal's support was good is ******* hillarious - it was shat.

Jetfire · Post by **Jetfire** » Sun May 22, 2005 11:02 pm

Best First wrote: The notion that you were 'sucker punched' 3 times is also a tad revisionist.

How? We wen to those games and got thacked late on in all of them becasue we under estimated all of them.

snarl wrote:
Arsenal came to win but got schooled totally. Simple as.

Also think the idea that Arsenal's support was good is ******* hillarious - it was shat.

If you say so. However I still see Arsenal's name on the F.A cup, nobody else's.

Post by **Best First** » Sun May 22, 2005 11:08 pm

Jetfire wrote:
If you say so. However I still see Arsenal's name on the F.A cup, nobody else's.

...except all the other winners.

Jetfire · Post by **Jetfire** » Sun May 22, 2005 11:13 pm

Best First wrote:
Jetfire wrote:
If you say so. However I still see Arsenal's name on the F.A cup, nobody else's.
...except all the other winners.

I was talking about this year of course. Keep it in the context of the discussion. We held out we won on penalties.

Post by **snarl** » Mon May 23, 2005 7:59 am

There is no duobt in my mind that your defence coped well, looked good and it was nothing to do with inept finishing and luck that kept you in the game...

Your support was also very good, as it always has been. Oh yes.

Post by **Best First** » Mon May 23, 2005 8:57 am

Jetfire wrote:
Best First wrote:
Jetfire wrote:
If you say so. However I still see Arsenal's name on the F.A cup, nobody else's.
...except all the other winners.
I was talking about this year of course. Keep it in the context of the discussion. We held out we won on penalties.

you want to pick your come backs better mate, don't blame me.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Mon May 23, 2005 9:29 am

I find the notion of Man Utd pissing all over a team for 120 minutes and still losing to be absolutely hilarious, personally.

I find the notion that Arsenal got pissed all over for 120 minutes by a team that finished below them in the league to be absolutely hilarious.

I loved that match, especially as it was blatantly apparent from about midway through the second half that Man Utd couldn't buy a goal for all the money in Malcolm Glazer's wallet. Which, admittedly isn't much, but hey...

Post by **spiderfrommars** » Mon May 23, 2005 10:27 am

Brendocon wrote:I find the notion of Man Utd pissing all over a team for 120 minutes and still losing to be absolutely hilarious, personally.

Me too.

Sorry!

Out of interest, I thought Fergie was meant to have resigned/retired by now?

Post by **Best First** » Mon May 23, 2005 10:59 am

i think the term is 'should have'...

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Mon May 23, 2005 11:22 am

Wasn't he absolutely positively certainly retiring once and for all about four years back?

Then they didn't win anything that season so he decided to stay?

Impactor returns 2.0 · Post by **Impactor returns 2.0** » Mon May 23, 2005 11:28 am

No one else available for the job tho whos better.

Hell stay one more season I think.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Mon May 23, 2005 11:33 am

Impactor returns 2.0 wrote:No one else available for the job tho whos better.

Get Wenger in.

Jetfire · Post by **Jetfire** » Mon May 23, 2005 1:42 pm

snarl wrote:There is no duobt in my mind that your defence coped well, looked good and it was nothing to do with inept finishing and luck that kept you in the game...

Your support was also very good, as it always has been. Oh yes.

Now I've calmed down after the joy of being F.A Cup champions (I honestly didn't think we would win anything this season when we were 3rd in the league)I'll now happily admit we played utter s###.

In defense (Some sort of Irony for the season we had) were tops.

Our plan was simple "Not to lose" as I said, but our counter attacks were halted by an over packed midfield and the fact Bergkamp's average speed is between a snail and a Turtle. So it worked in that we stopped them from scoring. But we played s### going forward or winning and holding the ball in midfield.

Naturally as my personnal feelings on them have been well documented, getting one over Man Utd in a fair way, yet still leaving them with the terrible feeling they got cheated is the perfect ending to the season

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Mon May 23, 2005 2:14 pm

If I could have picked any team that I'd have wanted to finish the season without a trophy, it would have been Portsmouth.

But that took care of itself, so after that I'd have picked Man Utd.

Post by **snarl** » Mon May 23, 2005 3:12 pm

Jetfire wrote:
snarl wrote:There is no duobt in my mind that your defence coped well, looked good and it was nothing to do with inept finishing and luck that kept you in the game...

Your support was also very good, as it always has been. Oh yes.

Now I've calmed down after the joy of being F.A Cup champions (I honestly didn't think we would win anything this season when we were 3rd in the league)I'll now happily admit we played utter s###.

In defense (Some sort of Irony for the season we had) were tops.

Our plan was simple "Not to lose" as I said, but our counter attacks were halted by an over packed midfield and the fact Bergkamp's average speed is between a snail and a Turtle. So it worked in that we stopped them from scoring. But we played s### going forward or winning and holding the ball in midfield.

Naturally as my personnal feelings on them have been well documented, getting one over Man Utd in a fair way, yet still leaving them with the terrible feeling they got cheated is the perfect ending to the season

Mate, seriously, what were you watching?

Man U cut you to pieces time and again and missed - outright missed - several guilt edged chances, not to mention your keeper pulled off several very decent saves. Whatever your game was, you got played totally off the park.

Cannot be denied.

Whatever, you won, and all the people moaning about pens should just [composite word including 'f*ck'] off. It is the best way to finish ties, simple.