By Myles Palmer
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The FA CUP Sixth Round tie between Bolton and Arsenal will be on March 12th or 13th
It’s hello Reebok, hello Big Sam, hello Stelios, Okacha, Campo, Jaaskelainen and Kevin Davies.
It’s revenge for that 1-0 defeat in January and that vicious kicking two years ago.
Sam Allardyce is the master of nullifying Arsenal’s style and has players who can intimidate.
Both semis are in Cardiff, remember.
BRAMALL LANE was a 0-0 marathon that went to penalties and Arsenal took four superb pens and went through.
Arsene has never lost to a lower division team in the cups, a record which is perhaps as remarkable as winning the FA Cup three times.
That record is an astonishing testament to the skill, desire, and professionalism of the players over the past eight years – and their consistency. Amazing consistency.
The team was Almunia- Lauren Senderos Cygan Clichy – Fabregas Vieira Flamini Cole – Lupoli and Ljungberg.
HANSEN, Strachan and Shearer all tipped Sheffield United to win.
The first half was garbage. So boring that I struggled to watch it.
Lupoli at 17 is too young and too small.
There was no threat in Arsenal’s attacking play, no conviction, no danger, no fluency.
Quincy, 18, improved things after replacing Lupoli at half-time.
Second half : a siege, Fabregas hit the bar.
In the 90th minute, a diving header by Jon Harley was going in when Almunia made a fine tip-over.
Cole found himself in many of the positions he takes up when attacking from left back to support Henry and Pires, but he missed their classy passes and found it hard work at times
Then Almunia saved two penalties and Arsenal won 4-2.
They had persevered and kept battling right through extra time. They could easily have lost, but they came through it and Lauren, Vieira, Ljungberg and Cole slotted superb penalties to put them in the quarter-finals
AS SOON as Ashley Cole stroked home the winning penalty, the phone rang.
Must be one of my mates, I thought. Could be Mitch or Doug or Gary, maybe Stewart.
“I knew we’d win it on penalties ! That was stressful ! It was so stressful !”
Caroline. She didn’t even know that Arsenal were playing tonight and rolled along to the on-campus bar.
Now she’s excited and talkingveryfast.
“I thought I’d go to the pub and have a nice quiet evening. I arrived in the 54th minute. Oh my God ! Oh my God ! Good penalties ! Oh my God !”
TODAY I WENT to the gym and when I came back from the pool there was a brown naked man using the locker next but one to mine.
He was six foot six with a shaved head and the shoulders of an Olympic light-heavyweight.
He had a big tattoo on his right shoulder. It was a handgun. A big phat automatic.
Ours is a friendly gym, so I said, “Love the tattoo, man! Have you shot anybody recently ?”
Actually, I didn’t speak to him.
Didn’t even make eye contact. If I see him next week, I’ll go back and have another swim.
Norf London? It’s marvellous !
March 2nd 2005.