As Eduardo returns, which substitutions do you remember years on?
I CAN barely believe it’s almost a week since I last updated.
I could have done a few posts, but frankly not a lot has happened and all you would have got was me getting more and more angry with Eboue.
My first idea was a post titled “the early booking seemed harsh” where I lamented how despite very harshly going into the book for his first foul of the game (and a nothing one at that) nowhere near goal, Gael Clichy didn’t complain, got on with things and didn’t commit another foul.
A nice contrast with Eboue.
Then I got really annoyed at an interview with Eboue that I saw post the Ivory Coast game in Turkey. His red card shame against Spurs apparently completely forgotten, he gave us the line about how things were bad but were now good because people had emailed to say sorry for what happened against Wigan.
If you were one of those people, you’re an idiot frankly. I’m not saying boo him but for the love of everything, don’t apologise to him.
Then, finally, I think we had both Arsene and Eboue describing his second booking at the Lane as “normal”.
Normal? What the hell is normal about kicking at a guy off the ball when you’ve already been booked?
So as you can see, I’ve simply grown increasingly annoyed.
It’s Cardiff tomorrow night and as if we needed any further incentive, if we beat them and then beat Burnley we have either Sheffield United (them again) or Hull at the Emirates for a place in the semi-final at Wembley.
By any standards, our draws have been kind and frankly anything other than a Wembley visit would near enough constitute as big an FA Cup failing as we’ve had in 13 years under Arsene.
There is not a lot to be said about tomorrow other than that if we think getting them back to our place was the hard part of the job, we’ll be in for a nasty surprise.
The team news is dominated really by Eduardo.
There are the run of the mill substitutions that one sees every game and then you get the odd one that lingers for years in the memory.
I vividly recall Merson returning against Milan after his drugs absence, Wright appearing for the first time in months and the last time ever at Highbury against Everton in 1998, Arsene pointedly withdrawing Winterburn on his final Highbury day two years later and Dennis coming on for Reyes against Wigan in 2006.
Exactly 51 weeks after that fateful day at St Andrews, any kind of cameo appearance by Eduardo from the bench tomorrow night will be equally memorable.
15 February 2009 at 10:08 pm
Vieira’s debut.
15 February 2009 at 10:21 pm
you re right about Eboue. i d say he wont be here next season
15 February 2009 at 10:21 pm
CL final- pires not faabregas coming off after lehmans red
15 February 2009 at 10:26 pm
CL final - Cesc gets substituted off and Arsenal lose two quick goals and the game. Why take the only player who can keep the ball off.
15 February 2009 at 10:31 pm
Charlie George - FA Cup 71. Martin Hayes, May 28th 1989 at Liverpool.
15 February 2009 at 10:36 pm
I reckon Ronaldinho getting a standin ovation at the bernabeu from the Real fans was pretty effin awesome!
I know, i know, it aint Arsenal!
15 February 2009 at 10:37 pm
Hleb should have come off in the CL final not Pires or potentially Fabregas
15 February 2009 at 10:38 pm
Keown coming on in the final game of the invincibles season against Leicester. Reyes FA Cup cameo appearance against Chelsea. Bergkamp against Chelsea, the game when we were behind but won 2-1 with Cudicini dropping a clanger.
15 February 2009 at 10:43 pm
The one and only Perry Groves coming on in the 1987 League Cup Final against Liverpool.
15 February 2009 at 10:46 pm
pv4 vs sheff wed at highbury in 96/97 season. he came on at half time and within seconds of him touching the ball i thought i was looking at an arsenal legend.
15 February 2009 at 10:49 pm
Henry against sparta prague after a injury lay off to score record equalling then record breaking goals to win the game
15 February 2009 at 10:59 pm
Reyes started against Chelsea in that cup game
15 February 2009 at 11:16 pm
16th September 1996. 28 minutes played. Arsenal are losing 0-1 at home to Sheffield Wed. Ray Parlour gets a dead leg and a young Patrick Vieira strides on to begins a new era at Arsenal football club. Vieira turned that game around (arsenal won 4-1) and went on to lead the club to 3 championships and 4 FA cups in eight years. Thats a good substitution.
15 February 2009 at 11:36 pm
Lehmann coming on for Fabianski late May last year :).
15 February 2009 at 11:43 pm
Obviously kanu coming on against Chelsea. He went on to score a hat trick making it one of the premierships greatest comebacks
15 February 2009 at 11:50 pm
adebayour v derby. came on as a sum in second half only to score a hat-trick.
16 February 2009 at 12:36 am
Nice to see you back GP.
I have often wondered about about AW’s use of “Normal” and reckon it might be tied with its use in French. I’ve noticed it with others as well, but I’m not a French speaker so can’t really comment, its just a hunch.
I reckon “it’s normal” is used to mean “it’s expected” or “it’s no surprise”. In an interview on Arsenal TV, AW did say that Eboue should have had that second yellow card and had to go. In that regard, “it’s no surprise” that after acting that way, he gets sent off.
I don’t think that AW meant that the action was normal. I think he was hacked off by it.
I suspect that Eboue is just copying his boss. I’m not sure that he really knows what he is doing or saying and is a couple of biscuits short of a packet.
16 February 2009 at 12:38 am
Come on, it has to be Bendtner V Spurs Dec 07 at the Emirates. Almunia has just saved a pen when Nic is brought on and runs full paced straight from the bench, in to the box and heads home!!
16 February 2009 at 12:47 am
Talking of Vieira, did anyone see Inter v AC tonight? He came on as sub and at one point when AC were breaking late on hunted down the player on the ball like he used to for us, emerged with it and flicked it neatly to a team-mate.
Imperious.
16 February 2009 at 1:03 am
A substitution that lives in my memory is not a pleasant one. Keown coming on for Cygan against Bolton. We were up 2-0 and ended up drawing 2-2 - Keown scoring an own goal I recall. The title dream effectively died that day.
16 February 2009 at 1:04 am
Gogsy is right. When you say “C’est normal” in the context of the red card you mean to say something like “I hold my hands up, the second yellow was a correct decision and there is no complaint about it.”
16 February 2009 at 1:23 am
Yeah fair point re normal.
I was more annoyed (as I said in the match report last Monday), how Eboue seemed to think that because the first yellow card was apparently dubious (not that it was), somehow the sending off was really unlucky.
Had the first been deserved and the second a bad decision, then the player has a complaint…
16 February 2009 at 8:37 am
km1980 u r right man that was bendtner late than never
16 February 2009 at 8:55 am
3:1 down at home to Boro with half hour to go and the crowd start singing “we are unbeatable, we are unbeatable”. 5:3 the Arsenal. Dennis Bergkamp lead the resurgence.
My favorite memory at Arsenal.
COME ON THE GUNNERS.
16 February 2009 at 10:44 am
Re: normal. I agree totally. The first card could be seen as ’soft’ in that EE had a chance to walk away from the situtation and not get booked. But he didn’t and more fool him.
16 February 2009 at 10:58 am
When I saw the title my first thought was Merson’s introduction against Milan - the roar was immense and spine tingling, and clearly touched the man. That’s right up there in my memories of fans reaching out to a player as much as the ‘One more year’ chants that brought Bergkamp to tears.
16 February 2009 at 11:07 am
you’re calling supporters of eboue idiots…sorry gb but in this case..you’re a twat, reasons for which are as clear as th blue sky…in my ‘hot’ home country
16 February 2009 at 12:15 pm
I fondly remember a sunny day at Stamford Bridge in September 2002, when a relatively unknown Kolo came on at left midfield after an injury to Edu. We went 1-0 down, had Paddy sent off after half time, but a rampaging Kolo drove into the box to equalize and keep up our unbeaten record against Chelsea. I think Kolo won his first Man of the Match award after, and when asked to describe his role, endearingly described the substitution itself as: “Edu go, Kolo come.”
Most under-rated Arsene substitution: November 1997, the 3-2 win vs Man Utd at Highbury, one of the turning points of that season. Chrissie Wreh came on for Anelka on 82 minutes, and while most people would remember it as a typical Wreh performance (a bit headless chicken, a couple of bad misses), the truth was he caused chaos in the United defence at a time they were gearing up for their own late assault, turning the game in our favour, and winning the corner from which Platt scored the winner. Definitely the unsung hero of that game (and perhaps the season).
16 February 2009 at 1:09 pm
Bendtner’s first touch vs Tottenham last season.
What a moment that was!!
16 February 2009 at 1:50 pm
Most memerable substitutions have to be the above-mentioned Wreh
Reyes against Chelsea
Vieira against Sheffield Wednesday
Perry Groves against Liverpool. (Littlewoods cup)
Bould against Everton 98 (remember that ball to Adams)
Diawarra against Leeds 99. Cause he missed a few sitters
16 February 2009 at 1:52 pm
So obvious Mo you can’t explain it… Not saying supporters of Eboue (not that I can understand how one can be), but the people who apologised…
Interesting point re Wreh…
16 February 2009 at 2:00 pm
When flamini came on the pitch for the first time. Seeing his first touch was delightful.
16 February 2009 at 2:51 pm
I saw Vieira and I miss him…
16 February 2009 at 3:38 pm
fuse,
You sound a little bit Gay.
Do you miss Viera’s body?
16 February 2009 at 3:41 pm
Dpk,
Flamini was a pile of crap at first, his first touch made me SOIL MY NEW PINK PANTIES
16 February 2009 at 5:40 pm
This reminds me of when Bobby made his return from injury in the home game against Auxerre in October 2002. That said, hope we get a better result tonight than we did then!
16 February 2009 at 8:09 pm
Obviously had my identity stolen earlier. Again ! There’s people posting here that are so stupid they even have to try to pretend to be someone else for fear of saying too many stupid things at once. Pathetic.
St Paul Davis, would love to agree but you but was sitting in the ‘wrong’ end at Stamford Bridge that day (long story) & feared for my life after Kolo scored !
16 February 2009 at 10:17 pm
Or maybe you have rare case of multiple personality disorder.
16 February 2009 at 10:19 pm
I really miss flamini why did Arsene sell him i loved him so much.
17 February 2009 at 12:21 am
Dpk i accidentally spelt my name wrong[iyle]. I am nobody imaginary friend. Besides what kinda momma do you have that will give your initials as DPK.
17 February 2009 at 12:33 am
Just read the final comment of the last blog. DPK you really think you are so smart don’t you. All I have seen you do is Bad mouth Wenger and criticize him for the decisions hes made. DPK don’t be a twat and think before you talk
17 February 2009 at 12:42 am
What does DPK stand for. DICK KICK N NICK.
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