I wonder what Cesc Fabregas

[Lazie]

havo to say to Mark Hughes now?

[Karl]

RE: I wonder what Cesc Fabregas

Looking at the game his original comments stand. The way Blackburn played is certainly not the way any BarcelonaTEAM, matters not the era,ever played!

The Arsenal players where kicked all over the part! :angry:

...yet, when you are being kicked all over the park commonsense dictates that you 'pass and move - move and pass' unceasingly. That the Arsenal youngsters never did. The passes were slow. The moving into space was slow. There were many, many misdirectedand unhit passes. Chances were not taken.Total horrible day at the office!

The loss was well deserved! Benny McCarthy left a ponderous Senderosstumbling about and rifled a very good right footshot taken at the outer top right ofArsenal's penalty-area (Blackburn's outside left position)into the upper left hand corner of Arsenal's Alumina's goal!Good strike! (Clap) for Blackburn and McCarthy...and, (tdown) for Arsenal! (Tant) :angry:

[Lazie]

RE: I wonder what Cesc Fabregas

PPl will only remember <DIV class=sh>Blackburn 1-0 Arsenal </DIV>

[GaryD]

RE: I wonder what Cesc Fabregas

Thank you and first para was a very good response to Lazie's comments.

Arsenal, once again failed to take any of the realy good chances they had; about 5 in the first half. Oh well, so it goes.

[Karl]

RE: I wonder what Cesc Fabregas

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=629 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3><DIV class=mxb><DIV class=sh>Blackburn 1-0 Arsenal </DIV></DIV></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=416><DIV class=mvb><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=416 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=bottom><DIV class=mvb><SPAN class=byl>By John Sinnott </SPAN></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</DIV>

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=203 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><DIV> <DIV class=cap>Baptista missed several chances for Arsenal</DIV></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Substitute Benni McCarthy's wonder goal delivered a second cup knockout blow to Arsenal in the space of four days.

Beaten in the Carling Cup final on Sunday, Arsenal exited the FA Cup in a game they really should have won.

The Gunners had two reasonable first-half penalty appeals rejected, while Julio Baptista missed with a header and had a couple of shots saved.

And McCarthy punished Arsenal in the most devastating fashion, breaking in from the wing and arrowing home a shot.

Blackburn manager Mark Hughes had opted to keep McCarthy on the bench for the opening hour and Rovers suffered in the absence of their top scorer.

The home side laboured in attack and had to rely on goalkeeper Brad Friedel's reflexes to keep them in the match, just as he had done in the first meeting between the two sides.

McCarthy initially struggled to adapt to the pace of the game, but with four minutes remaining he broke past Philippe Senderos and beat Manuel Almunia with that wonderous strike to score his 16th goal of the season.

Blackburn's reward is a FA Cup quarter-final tie at home to Manchester City.

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=208 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=5></TD><TD class=sib606><DIV class=sihf>606: DEBATE </DIV><DIV><DIV class=mva><DIV id=q1></DIV><DIV id=q2></DIV>Hughes got it spot on again. A dull battle at Ewood was our best chance of beating Arsenal <BR clear=all></DIV></DIV><DIV class=mva><DIV class=mva></DIV></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

In truth Blackburn were fortunate to go in at half-time on level terms as both Jeremie Aliadiere and Fredrik Ljungberg had reasonable penalty appeals turned down.

Aliadiere went to ground after Friedel came out quickly as the Arsenal striker threatened.

Friedel ticked off Aliadiere, suggesting the Frenchman had dived and referee Graham Poll remained unmoved by Arsenal's appeals.

Poll was equally dismissive of an appeal from Ljungberg after the Swede tumbled following Brett Emerton's challenge.

On the sidelines Arsene Wenger was flabbergasted no penalty had been given and television replays showed the Arsenal manager might have good reason to be so.

Arsenal had a couple of chances to score from open play, but each time their finishing was awry.

The unmarked Baptista sent a header over the bar, while Ljungberg was let down by poor control when he was in a menacing position.

Having gone close with that header, Baptista tried his luck with his feet, testing Friedel with a couple of powerful shots, though each time the American was the equal of the Brazilian.

Just before the hour, Morten Gamst Pedersen missed Blackburn's best chance when he blazed wide from a promising position.

This was Arsenal's third FA Cup trip this season to the north west, but having beaten Liverpool and Bolton, this journey proved third time unlucky for Wenger's team.

<HR>

<LI>Blackburn boss Mark Hughes:
"The goal deserved to win any game and I can't wai

[Karl]

RE: I wonder what Cesc Fabregas

Yup! Freidel got all player...but, so what? Boring! Boring! Boring!

[Lazie]

RE: I wonder what Cesc Fabregas

I forgot ... I'm on a Jamaican forum. How many times mi see man a come from match, ask dem who win, only to be told, "we lose, but we woulda kill di bwoy dem wid ball!"

[GaryD]

RE: I wonder what Cesc Fabregas

Oh Please, spare me pedantic rhetoric.

Clearly the victory is what's important. And clearly Arsenal still has not figured out how to convert that dominance and pretty play into results. And I am sure that at this stage they would rather have act like Rugby players if indeed they could get that positive result. So hold that general jab at "Jamaicans" and our presumedlack of knowledge about what is important.

That said, the point that Cesc made still stands. Yes, Blackburn is the one celebrating, but Cesc comment about how they play categorically still stands.

Guidance

[Lazie]

RE: I wonder what Cesc Fabregas

Who won the 2005 FA CUp? I suggest unuh stop fool unuhself bout playing pretty.The losers of that match didn't complain about how the winners played. Even today unuh resorted to long ball. I don't see why unuh complaining about how unuh opponents play. Their objective is to play to THEIR strength ... not Arsenal's. Cesc must feel like a fool now ... Blackburn is in the quaterfinals ... where is pretty playing Arsenal?

[Karl]

RE: I wonder what Cesc Fabregas

Lazie (2/28/2007)Who won the 2005 FA CUp? I suggest unuh stop fool unuhself bout playing pretty.The losers of that match didn't complain about how the winners played. Even today unuh resorted to long ball. I don't see why unuh complaining about how unuh opponents play. Their objective is to play to THEIR strength ... not Arsenal's. Cesc must feel like a fool now ... Blackburn is in the quaterfinals ... where is pretty playing Arsenal?

The youngsters lost the plot...and, the experienced youngster Gallas encouraged it.The number of times he banged the ball up field to Blackburn was disgusting.

Hey we lost! Blackburn scored a hell of a goal. We'll move on! We'll be back better! (tup)