Hull vs Arsenal; the teams etc

Posted on by Tony Attwood

By Bulldog Drummond

In an interesting snub against Arsenal, the Guardian refused today to publish a match preview of the FA Cup game tonight, on its web site.  At least there was nothing there at 1630GMT.  Following their lead the Independent has done the same.   The Telegraph however is running

Is Arsene Wenger guilty of crimes against Arsenal?

I don’t think I have ever in my life seen such an outrageous headline in a national newspaper.  Even though the article doesn’t make any reference to crimes, and when it looks at his alleged behaviour finds him “not guilty” (an interesting thought that a national newspaper could be prosecution, judge and jury) it is still appalling.

I mean it is all very well the two or three guys who write to us each day saying that we are deluded – that’s what you expect when running a blog (oh yes and they claim that no one else thinks like we do, which makes me wonder why they bother to abuse us so regularly), but for a national paper to publish such a headline…

Anyway changing to a historical theme, when we played Hull at Wembley our team included Mertesacker, Gibbs, Arteta, Ramsey, Ozil, and Giroud in the starting XI, all of whom are fit and available.  Monreal and Flamini were on the bench, and could also play tonight.

Hull likewise have a fair number of players from that game still at the club, although relegation meant that they had a big clear out of players like Figueroa, Ince, Brady, Jelavic, N’Doye, Chester and Rosenior.

Team P W D L F A GD Pts
Burnley 35 19 11 5 54 27 27 68
Middlesbrough 34 20 7 7 47 20 27 67
Hull City 34 19 7 8 48 20 28 64
Brighton and Hove Albion 35 17 13 5 49 34 15 64
Derby County 35 16 12 7 47 30 17 60
Sheffield Wednesday 35 14 13 8 50 36 14 55
Cardiff City 35 14 13 8 47 38 9 55

Hull play MK Dons at home on Saturday.

As with the first game, the issue of Chuba Akpom arises.  The rules say that he could face Arsenal, but Arsenal have the right to refuse, which I think is what happened in the last game, and what will probably happen again for this match.

Their other star man is Abel Hernandez who has scored 16 league goals so far, but he may be rested for the league programme, which is obviously Hull’s priority.  Jakupovic who played in goal last time to such effect will probably do so again.  He made 11 saves in that game.

Steve Bruce said, “The priority is the league and where we want to get to. We want to be playing the Arsenals and the Chelseas every week. But there’s nothing quite like an FA Cup tie or FA Cup run. Once it gets to this stage there’s all to play for.

“There are a whole raft of teams playing in the Championship on Tuesday – there’s a full fixture list. If we manage to get through then we will have to move our game on Saturday too, so the fixtures just pile up and that is a bit of a concern.

“Thankfully we have got everybody fit. Some of the squad haven’t played since the first game against Arsenal so it will be good for them.”

As we saw in the last report, Steve Bruce and Arsene Wenger get on well, and there is a lot of mutual respect.  Even when Sir FWord ordered the rest of the premier league managers to attack Wenger verbally day after day after day after day and have their players do so in post match interviewso, Steve Bruce declined to be part of that, and Mr Wenger has never forgotten that.

So onto our team.  Kos and Cech are out injured along with all the regulars (Jack, Rosicky, Santi, and the Ox).  Coquelin is suspended following the two card dismissal at the Tinies place on Saturday.

Mr Wenger said.  “I will have to [make changes] but I’m not so much concerned about replacing one player with another one. It’s more that I have to rotate a little bit and keep the right balance in the team.”

Here are the odds and sods…

  • We have won each of the last five trips to Hell in all competitions, scoring at least twice on each occasion.
  • Alexis has scored five in six starts in the FA Cup. His first in the cup was against Hull in January 2015.
  • Hull won the last FA Cup game with Arsenal in Hull… in 1908.
  • We don’t play away from home very often in the Cup but we’ve won the last three and have never lost an away game to lower league teams in the FA Cup under Mr Wenger.
  • Hull have not won any of their last 15 FA Cup games against top division teams when in the second or lower divisions.
  • Arsenal have won 14 consecutive rounds of the FA Cup. The record is 16, which we created by getting to the semi-finals after the last time we won two finals in a row.

Let’s leave the last word to the boss.

“I worked for 35 years at the top level. What I find just boring is always sitting here after 19 years to face, ‘Do you think you are good enough?’ I don’t know. I am humble enough every day to question myself, to accept my mistakes and believe me I do that. After that, as well, there is no coincidence that the people who own the club tell me to be here for 19 years. Do you think they are more stupid than you or me?”

Ospina;

Chambers, Mertesacker, Gabriel, Monreal

Flamini, Elneny,

Campbell, Iwobi, Walcott,

Welbeck.

Subs: Macey, Bellerin, Gibbs, Alexis, Giroud, Adelaide, Arteta

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And elsewhere

Betraying every fundamental principle of the Revolution of 1789 the French Assembly voted to continue with slavery in the colonies.  8 March 1970.

The insult of the day 

  • We hold our time too precious to be spent with such a brabbler.  (King John)

 

 

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70 Replies to “Hull vs Arsenal; the teams etc”

  3. Ospina; Chambers, Mertesacker, Gabriel, Gibbs; Flamini, Elneny; Walcott, Iwobi, Campbell; Giroud

    Subs: Macey, Monreal, Ramsey, Reine-Adelaide, Willock, Ozil, Alexis

  5. Blimey the Sprout has got Phil Brown on as a co-commentator. He’s the guy who claimed Arsenal had a player dressed in an inappropriate manner when he was not playing in a game. He went on to make a lot of complaints against Arsenal, and all of them were dismissed.

    And now he’s co-commentating on Arsenal!

  6. Phil Brown doesn’t appear as orange as he used to.

    Wrighty seems upbeat, perhaps he’s popped an upper.

    Come on boys, let’s have a good performance and show our class. New Dad Giroud to score a couple.

  7. Hahaha…

    I hear that guy…(crap forgotten him already)… commenting. Whats his name!!! The guy who had a program in the club website.

    Age catching up with me!!!

  9. Ah…Stewart Robson.

    Come.on gunners.
    Hammer them.

    Make that man miserable…..

    Come on gunners…

  11. Oooooo… Campbell.

    How many set piece goals have we conceded!!!

    Commentators this that’s a massive problem for ARSENAL!!!!

    Wonder which ARSENAL they are watching!!!

  14. My summary of 3 different live commentaries so far.

    It does not matter what Giroud does, he is wrong. The Hull player was doing well and will easily continue. Mertesacker is lucky to be alive, and is expected to be subbed at any moment.

  16. Was the play that lead to the clash of heads innocent? I hope Mertesacker recovers quickly.

    Come on Gunners!

  17. Campbell evaded the type of tackle that diving Kane got Coq sent off for, by just skipping over the player. Hull almost scoring from a free kick when three of their players were offside…and I’ve only watch two minutes..

  22. What difference a goal can do…. Goalie in a hurry to take goal kicks now.

  23. It is a shame Hulls 12th man on loan from Chester has not seen his players comitting bookable fouls. A hug within touching distance, a sliding tackle that does not win the ball, & a professional foul on Theo – all allowed to go unpunished. His ear phone instructions are very specific.

  24. There were no end of sources which said the referee for the game was Kevin Friend. Even though he is ineligible to referee up to March 15 due to concussion. I visited The FA website maybe 30 minutes before game time, they didn’t even have a story talking about today’s game (or I missed it).

    Anyway, one commentary said it is Mike Jones refereeing the game. Or at least that is the person who blew the whistle at half time.

    COYG!

  25. Diame steps on Monreals foot (from behind) just as he was going to kick the ball. Should have been a straight red. Dangerous play.

  27. As to be expected Menace. Two codes in the same game of football? It must be a pgMOB Rules Football encounter between someone and the Arsenal.

    So we have on one hand the official and then doing their bit for the Meedjah scrum (I guess that expression explains their fetish for the wrong code?) is good ole Aunty Bleeb transparent undies and all:

    Posted at 38 mins
    Arsenal are here for the taking – if only Hull can get themselves organised and create more chances. They have gone closest to scoring but this is poor entertainment.

    Posted at 40 mins
    GOAL – Hull 0-1 Arsenal
    Olivier Giroud

    I could have posted a log of their vitriolic radio and text coverage from the past week and the hilarious and weird yet complete and unbending bias towards AFC. but I think everyone with two football Brian cells to rub together has made the easy to make observation and therefore the above comical snippet will suffice.

    Come on the Arsenal. Hopefully the first victory of an outstanding (yet true to previous seasons’ form if you pay attention to the table and not the plundits) end of season run tonight 🙂

  28. that would be brain and not Brian.
    Bloomin’ phat phinger syndrome innit?

  31. Correct Gord. Local boy Jones comes good. He lives in Chester. Rileys man Webb slips one in.

    The fouling is serious by Hull & the officiating is selectively blind. Mert off for concussion, Gabriel off for an injured leg.

  33. Diame trips Giroud & the commentator makes it look like Giroud dived. Jones does not red card Diame but words are said to cover himself.

  35. Blimey Ramsey nearly scores with a header at the wrong end.

    Well if Hull AFC are going to play full on pgMOB fetish rules footy then they’ve got the right markings on the pitch. It’s a start.

  36. Time to practice that Chi Kung breathing technique methinks. with both staring CBs out it could be a nervous 20 mins 🙂

  38. sharp cross from Theo on the left & Giroud in the middle finishes. Arsen 2 0 up.

  41. Ramsey off injured & Jeff R Adeleaide on. Severe tool of injuries by Hull with Jones allowing butchery.

  45. We’ve been playing better that’s for sure but key players now injured. Hope nothing top serious

  46. Oooooo that’s a brilliant turn from Adelaide….

    Theooooo yyyeeeeaaahhhhh.
    Theo theo theo theo

  48. Not that you can trust the idjuts in the medja, but supposition was that Gabriel is going to be a couple of weeks anyway.

    Arsenal, please quit getting injured.

    COYG!

  49. Even if I t’s a tweak I happily speculate that you need more then three days rest.
    So back after barca?

    Should AFC have been training in the fridge before this trip to the northern windswept estuary? Do any unemployed physios out there with the right credentials such as an unhealthy Twitter obsession (from a Physiotherapy Expert haha! Specialises in RGI? Repetitive Gibberish Syndrome) in order to help out the club?

  51. Another commentator special ‘I thought he got some of the ball & he probably did’ when a HullFC player fouls a gunner.

  54. Some goals in the league would be nice too!

    Iwobi always impresses (me), good stuff for his assist there.

  55. Iwobi has been magnificent & passes to Theo for another. Hull 0 Arsenal 4. Now the pundit says its been low key by Hull what a tosser.

  58. Finally a free-scoring Arsenal tonight. Good job from the lads. Apart from the injuries, that is.

    Funny stats: Arsenal have won four away games in domestic competitions since 31st October. What was the common denominator in all those victories? Kevin Friend was the ref. 🙂

  60. Some tw*ts unfurling a stupid banner….some people.

    Good result, let’s go for the treble!!!

  61. Some shit fans with a banner saying ‘Arsene thanks for the memories but its time to go’. These low level dickheads shoud go support some other team. They are truly stupid & ignorant,

  63. Iwobi is some player, hardly gives the ball away. And almost always makes the right pass. He’s definitely knocking on the door.

  67. @Menace – it’s beyond stupidity and idiocy. There should be a new term coined for that banner.

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