Graham Stack- Pretty solid on the night. A bit dodgy on crosses but scored a good penalty and saved the crucial one in the sudden death.
Justin Hoyte- I was reasonably impressed actually. Didn't put a foot wrong and tackled hard. All together now: Justin Hoyte, Hoyte, Hoyte!
Stathis Tavlaridis- composed on the ball, good in the air. Strong and determined, he looks a better bet than Pascal.
Pascal Cygan- has got a lovely left foot and is OK on the ball but has a tendency to ball-watch and thus lose his position. Not really tested on the night though.
Gael Clichy- Got up and down the left flank all evening and played pretty well, apart from one dire cross in the first half. Not gona replace Ashley any time soon though.
Jerome Thomas- Showed some good skill and pace on the left wing and played his heart out. Can't see him ever making the first-team on tonight's showing though.
Edu- Ran the midfield on the night and even did a bit of showboating in the second half. Clearly deserves a place in the starting line up in my opinion.
Cesc- To be honest, I was a bit disappointed. I know he is only 16 but I expected a bit more. He looked a bit lightweight, a few passes went astray, and he had one sliced shot. However, he did look pretty comfortable on the ball and his passing was usually slick and accurate. Probably one for the future, the distant future- not in the next 2 years.
Sylvain Wiltord-Not too bad, industrious as usual. Made some good dribbles but still looks to be lacking in confidence.
Kanu- Another of the established stars playing on the night, he managed to restore some of my faith in him. Lacks confidence in front of goal but played a good game overall, coming deep at times to dictate things.
Jeremie Aliadiere- A well- taken goal and fine penalty and some good runs behind the defence when hanging in to the shoulder of the last defender convinced me that he should start to figure more for the first-team.
Subs
Ryan Smith- Some great skills, step overs etc, and ambitious runs forward really impressed me. He has pace and a good left foot and looked better than Jerome Thomas on tonight's performance.
John Spicer- Only on for a few minutes and did little of note apart from a great penalty into the top corner with the pressure on.
Quincy Owusu-Abeyie- Of the young lads that plyed tonight, he looked the best. Some wicked skills that made fools of experienced pros and some great dribbling had me shouting- "Give the ball to Quincy!" I reckon he could be good if gven a chance. Piss poor penalty though.
Overall a great game tonight. It was the first domestic cup game I have been to, having been to many prem and champs league games and I really enjoyedit. Arsenal kept possession well, and did look dangerous going forward. The atmosphere was suprisingly good, considering many non-regulars were there. I had some of John Spicer's mates sitting near me and we had a right old sing-song. Made up some new chants-
Prince Ali,
Fabulous he,
Aliadiere
and
Justin Hoyte, Hoyte, Hoyte!
Couldnt' think of anything for Stathis Tavlaridis though.
Great to see the game go to penalties and I didn't think we would win against the old pros who could handle the pressure. However, the young lads were fearless, stepping up to take their pens and dispatching them with great aplomb. I can't wait till the next round when, fingers crossed, we get a home draw against another first division team like Palace. I would love to see these youngsters play again, with the addition of David Bentley.
Justin Hoyte- I was reasonably impressed actually. Didn't put a foot wrong and tackled hard. All together now: Justin Hoyte, Hoyte, Hoyte!
Stathis Tavlaridis- composed on the ball, good in the air. Strong and determined, he looks a better bet than Pascal.
Pascal Cygan- has got a lovely left foot and is OK on the ball but has a tendency to ball-watch and thus lose his position. Not really tested on the night though.
Gael Clichy- Got up and down the left flank all evening and played pretty well, apart from one dire cross in the first half. Not gona replace Ashley any time soon though.
Jerome Thomas- Showed some good skill and pace on the left wing and played his heart out. Can't see him ever making the first-team on tonight's showing though.
Edu- Ran the midfield on the night and even did a bit of showboating in the second half. Clearly deserves a place in the starting line up in my opinion.
Cesc- To be honest, I was a bit disappointed. I know he is only 16 but I expected a bit more. He looked a bit lightweight, a few passes went astray, and he had one sliced shot. However, he did look pretty comfortable on the ball and his passing was usually slick and accurate. Probably one for the future, the distant future- not in the next 2 years.
Sylvain Wiltord-Not too bad, industrious as usual. Made some good dribbles but still looks to be lacking in confidence.
Kanu- Another of the established stars playing on the night, he managed to restore some of my faith in him. Lacks confidence in front of goal but played a good game overall, coming deep at times to dictate things.
Jeremie Aliadiere- A well- taken goal and fine penalty and some good runs behind the defence when hanging in to the shoulder of the last defender convinced me that he should start to figure more for the first-team.
Subs
Ryan Smith- Some great skills, step overs etc, and ambitious runs forward really impressed me. He has pace and a good left foot and looked better than Jerome Thomas on tonight's performance.
John Spicer- Only on for a few minutes and did little of note apart from a great penalty into the top corner with the pressure on.
Quincy Owusu-Abeyie- Of the young lads that plyed tonight, he looked the best. Some wicked skills that made fools of experienced pros and some great dribbling had me shouting- "Give the ball to Quincy!" I reckon he could be good if gven a chance. Piss poor penalty though.
Overall a great game tonight. It was the first domestic cup game I have been to, having been to many prem and champs league games and I really enjoyedit. Arsenal kept possession well, and did look dangerous going forward. The atmosphere was suprisingly good, considering many non-regulars were there. I had some of John Spicer's mates sitting near me and we had a right old sing-song. Made up some new chants-
Prince Ali,
Fabulous he,
Aliadiere
and
Justin Hoyte, Hoyte, Hoyte!
Couldnt' think of anything for Stathis Tavlaridis though.
Great to see the game go to penalties and I didn't think we would win against the old pros who could handle the pressure. However, the young lads were fearless, stepping up to take their pens and dispatching them with great aplomb. I can't wait till the next round when, fingers crossed, we get a home draw against another first division team like Palace. I would love to see these youngsters play again, with the addition of David Bentley.
