Beeb to blame for drop in football temperature

SATURDAY’S bore draw against Blackburn was the absolute antithesis of the thrilling entertainment we enjoyed up at Bolton last week.

Yet, I suppose if the Arsenal served up such footballing caviar twice weekly, it would taste like smelly fish eggs!

Despite the sort of profligacy from the penalty spot that made for an incredibly stressful evening for every Arsenal fan, there were several instances of artistry in our interplay at the Reebok, that will have been appreciated by all genuine lovers of the beautiful game. When the seemingly interchangeable components of this Gunners’ squad are truly on their game these days, the results are pure poetry in motion.

But then that’s probably been our biggest problem so far this season. We either tend to blow lightning-white hot, or lukewarm to the point of being tepid.

The latter was certainly the case on Saturday, in a game played at such a slow tempo, that I had to keep nudging the missus to ensure she wasn’t nodding off!

Naturally, I wouldn’t want to let the side down, so I’d place the Beeb top of my finger-pointing list, as partially culpable for Saturday’s lame performance.

Sadly the FA Cup is the last bastion of live football on terrestrial TV and as such, the BBC seems desperate to squeeze every last drop of live coverage out of their lonely baby.

The atmosphere is usually the first victim of these early kick-offs and although our crowd did their best to raise the temperature, without the customary couple of hours spent quaffing alcoholic inspiration, there was an overall lack of intensity about this contest.

Unbelievably it’s still not 100% certain that Sunday’s Carling Cup encounter with Chelsea will be the last final to be staged in Cardiff. Brent Council better get a wriggle on with the two “ramp up” events necessary for the New Wembley to meet the necessary health and safety requirements. However, on the assumption that the authorities involved will eventually make it happen, if only because they don’t want to end up an even greater laughing stock than they are already, then supposedly the incentive of being one of the two teams to trot out onto the latest incarnation of the hallowed turf for the first time, has given an additional edge to this year’s tournament.

Arsenal’s desire to reach the final might have been evident in their death or glory triumph at the Reebok.

Although I’m more inclined to believe that our extra-time inspiration was borne out of the fact that they were increasingly petrified of joining Gilberto, Baptista and Adebayor as the fall-guys in a disastrous penalty shoot-out.

HOWEVER there was little sign of such a hankering to walk down Wembley Way for at least an hour of Saturday’s vapid showing. Mark Hughes might have been delighted in a defensive job well done, but in truth the 6-2 defeat a few weeks back was a far less one-sided affair.

After all the energy expended disposing of Bolton and with a prize of a home draw against Man City in the quarter-finals, it will be a travesty if we don’t progress, as there can be no disputing the gulf in quality between the two sides. Yet as the clock ticked down towards the inevitable replay, it wasn’t so much my fear that the trip to Ewood Park could prove to be the proverbial ‘great leveller’ but the abject thought of yet another schlep to the north-west, after a week when we’ll have already clocked up nigh on a thousand miles travelling to the Netherlands and Cardiff.

By now you’ll know whether Wenger’s rotation of nine players against Rovers reaped a reward of fresh legs capable of running riot against PSV.

Although I can appreciate Arséne’s reasoning, personally I’d much prefer to see us always start with our strongest eleven, as was readily demonstrated by the Valencia boss on Sunday, who waited until he was winning 2-0 against Barca, before resting his star players for the Champions League.

Yet our Carling Cup kids have certainly earned their Cup Final appearance. It would be a blatant lie to say I wouldn’t be any the less gutted if they end up losing to a more experienced Chelsea line-up, but after the revelation of the youngsters’ performances to date, we can take a whole lot more than a worthless trophy from this tournament.