Right, that’s it from me. But it’s early! Do these things:
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From me, though, cheerio!
Peep! Peeep!! PEEEEEEP!!! All over. Arsenal march on to face Watford on Sunday but the injuries NARRATIVE will NARRATIVE be a concern NARRATIVE for NARRATIVE Arsene NARRATIVE, NARRATIVE Wenger.
90+1 min: Just the two minutes of added time for the home fans to endure.
90 min: This is harsh on Hull. They’ve been outclassed in this half but the opening goal came at the worst possible time and in the worst possible way.
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GOAL! Hull City 0-4 Arsenal (Walcott 89)
Iwobi feeds Walcott in the right channel, his shot clips Bruce at the near post and wrongfoots the stranded Jakupovic.
88 min: Ryan Taylor replaces Diomande for Hull. “Yoann Gourcuff started under his dad at Lorient but I suspect he was well worth his place,” writes Sean Roe. “The French press are always trying to get them back together but now that Gourcuff senior is manager of Algeria that will only happen if Yoann pulls a stunt that would send Laurent Blanc apoplectic (citation needed).”
86 min: Campbell clumps a free-kick well over the bar.
“Love the Aliens reference (the best one out of 1 and 2),” writes Dave (who knows how to get an email published), “but surely it should be a reference to Newts quote: ‘Arsenal mostly turn up in the FA Cup … Mostly.’”
83 min: This hasn’t been a great night so far for Hull but it could be getting better: Burnley are losing, so are Derby, Middlesbrough are only drawing, as are Brighton and Sheffield Wednesday. Check up on all the night’s other scores right here. To be honest, they’ll be much more interesting than this is going to be for the next 10 minutes.
80 min: Odubajo is replaced by Andy Robertson, who, if you believe the tabloids, has recently been scouted by Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham, Field Marshal Haig, Field Marshal Haig’s Wife, all of Field Marshal Haig’s wife’s friends, their families, their families servants, their families servants tennis partners and some chap I bumped into the mess the other day called Bernard.
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GOAL! Hull City 0-3 Arsenal (Walcott 77)
A glorious pass from Campbell, who cuts in from the left and scythes open the Hull defence with a slide-rule ball to Walcott. He takes a touch and slots low past Jakupovic.
76 min: Hull look to have reverted to their previous 3-5-2.
75 min: Hull corner. Shanked to the near post by Huddlestone. Goal kick.
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74 min: Jeff Reine-Adelaide enters the fray for Aaron Ramsey, who is the THIRD Arsenal player to leave the field injured.
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73 min: Just as Hull were looking to mount a grandstand finish (sound the mixed metaphor klaxon) they have the wind sucked from their sails.
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GOAL! Hull City 0-2 Arsenal (Giroud 71)
That could be game over. Walcott’s cross is deflected on by Maguire, whose touch takes the ball beyond Bruce and into the path of Giroud, who volleys home emphatically.
70 min: Arsenal try to take time and energy out of the game with some possession football until Aluko nips in to steal the ball. A loose touch, though, ends his surge forward.
68 min: “Johan Cruyff got some grief over fielding Jordi ahead of a blatantly overweight Romario during Barcelona’s disastrous 1994-95 season,” writes Philip Podolsky. “While nowhere near as good as a even a blatantly overweight Romario, Jordi wasn’t half bad, as made clear by this two goal compilation.”
66 min: Hull, beginning to trouble this makeshift Arsenal backline, are inches away from an equaliser after Ramsey’s header back towards his own goal drifts just wide.
65 min: On Twitter, @AllArsenalNews points out that Dusan Petkovic had a few problems when his dad was manager of the Serbia national side.
64 min: Powell drags a shot wide from distance, when Odubajo was overlapping in space. Steve Bruce looks suitably unimpressed.
62 min: Bruce finds Odubajo on the left, who in turn feeds the ball to Aluko. His cross is decent, but Ospina is smartly off his line to claim.
60 min: Replays suggest the Gabriel injury is muscular. Could be a week or two before he’s back.
58 min: Ramsey has replaced the stricken Gabriel for Arsenal. Sone Aluko replaces Meyler for Hull. Arsenal’s back four is now:
RB: Flamini. CB: Chambers. CB: Monreal. LB: Gibbs.
57 min: … with Ozil and Sanchez off the field, Giroud takes free-kick duties. And scuffs it straight into the wall at waist height.
56 min: Giroud tumbles to win a free-kick on the edge of the area …
54 min: Gabriel is now hobbling off with an injury. Ramsey is set to come on, so there’ll be another reshuffle required in the Arsenal backline.
53 min: Odubajo goes past Chambers (who looks like a player who has barely played this season – he looks like he needs a decent loan spell somewhere to me, not this season but next) floats a cross into the box and Diame gets up highest but his header floats wide.
51 min: Fine save from Jakupovic, who does superbly to tip over Elneny’s dipping volley after Walcott’s initial free-kick dropped on the edge of the box. Superb effort, superb save.
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50 min: Maguire, moved out to right-back in a Hull reshuffle, is the latest player to go into the book after tripping Walcott. Maguire’s got a lot of qualities but pace and agility isn’t really one of them – I’m not sure he’ll be relishing marking Walcott this second half whilst on a booking.
48 min: A slightly miscued Jakupovic clearance flies flat down the centre of the field and is flicked on by an Arsenal defender. Diomande briefly looks to be in behind the back four. But an awkward bounce allows the defence to get back and the chance goes.
@John_Ashdown Here is @DavidMeyler7's Da when he managed @OfficialWexGAA hurling team. Not a man to mess with! pic.twitter.com/XC8YS8IWrc
— An Saoi saonta (@AnSaoiSaonta) March 8, 2016
46 min: Diame clatters into Monreal and gets a deserved yellow card. “In the 2010 World Cup, Slovakia coach Vladimir Weiss coached his son, the originally named Vladimir Weiss,” writes Ezra Finkelstein.
Peep! Off we go again.
Half-time emails:
“Defensive midfielder Matthias Sammer was given his senior debut for Dynamo Dresden by his headline-hungry dad, Klaus, who put his son in as a striker,” writes Graeme Jamieson.
“Henrik Larsson is currently coaching Helsingborg with his son Jordan, 18, included in the squad,” writes Daniel Hansson.
And, of course, young Enzo Zidane is part of the Real Madrid setup. Though Zinedine hasn’t seen fit to call his progeny up to the senior side yet.
Peep! Peeeeep! Hull don’t really deserve to be behind here but they are thanks to a dreadful error from their captain.
45+5 min: Walcott smacks a shot at goal from distance. It’s well wide.
45+4 min: Davies stops an Iwobi charge into the box. And at the other end a promising Hull attack breaks down after Diame is guilty of a horribly slack touch.
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45+3 min: “I was all ready to complain about how this game was boring and not distracting enough while my students take an exam,” writes Evan Hass, “then Hull gifted us that moment of joy. It got me thinking: when watching a game as a neutral which is more entertaining - a golazo or a clownish error leading to a goal? I say the error.”
45+2 min: … swung in by Powell again. And nodded agonisingly wide by Alex Bruce. Steve Bruce looks grim on the touchline but an offside flag saves Bruce Jr’s blushes.
45+1 min: Indeed, there’ll be a minimum of five minutes of injury time. And it’ll begin with another dangerous free-kick for the home side as Monreal pulls down Diomande …
45 min: Hull could do with a half-time orange or two but they’re probably going to have a good few minutes of added time to play.
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43 min: Arsenal hit the bar! More specifically, Kieron Gibbs hits the bar with a glorious curling effort from the best part of 30 yards.
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GOAL! Hull City 0-1 Arsenal (Giroud 41)
This is horrendous from David Meyler. He’s running back towards goal in the right channel and opts to poke the ball back to his goalkeeper with the outside of his boot. Instead he squares the ball straight to Giroud, who slots the ball under Jakupovic for the opening goal. Cue Bebeto-esque goal celebration from the scorer and hands-on-head despair from Meyler.
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39 min: For proper nepotism you need to get involved at boardroom level like Muammar Gaddafi did at Perugia.
38 min: Searing break by Gibbs on the left and a decent low cross is well cut out by Davies with Giroud lurking. Walcott hits the first man but gets another chance …and overcompensates by lamping his second corner out for a goal-kick on the far side of Jakupovic’s goal.
36 min: “There was some controversy in 2006 when Niko Kranjcar was selected by his father, the coach, for Croatia’s World Cup squad,” writes James Wells.
35 min: It’s lively now. The Tigers’ tails are up. Ahem.
@John_Ashdown Bob Bradley coached his son Michael with the #USMNT. Some cried nepotism, insanely.
— Chris Ashley (@StadiumChants) March 8, 2016
34 min: Giroud goes into the book for a pwoper nawty challenge on Curtis Davies.
33 min: Another Powell free-kick causes consternation int he Arsenal defence, who this time manage to clear with a little less fuss.
32 min: Elneny goes into the book for pulling back Meyler. It looks a soft one to me. Meanwhile, Per Mertesacker’s race is run. His eyebrow is a golf ball. Nacho Monreal replaces the Arsenal captain and will presumably slot in at left-back with Chambers moving inside to centre-half.
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30 min: … Powell swings it causing all manner of panic in the Arsenal defence. Eventually the ball breaks to Meyler, whose sends a fizzing shot at goal that is brilliantly turned away by Ospina.
29 min: Meyler tumbles over Chambers’ challenge to give Hull a dangerous free-kick …
27 min: “The Redknapps,” suggests Adam Roberts. Good news: Maguire is also OK to continue, albeit with a wad of cotton wool up his hooter.
26 min: Another stoppage as Maguire takes a boot to the face from Giroud. No blame attached – he was stooping down to head clear.
25 min: “Going all old school Kevin Bond played for his dad John at Southampton,” writes John Tumbridge, “and I fondly remember shouting daddy’s boy at him along with 30,000 others at White Hart Lane one Saturday afternoon (see I really mean old school) as he was dragged off after Graham Roberts playing in midfield scored a hat trick, this was obviously before he became Harry’s chauffeur.”
24 min: Another poor pass – Giroud the culprit this time – ends an Arsenal attack.
23 min: An awful pass from Meyler just as Hull are building a head of steam allows Arsenal to break once more. It’s a bit scrappy and shapeless, though, with Chambers eventually punting the ball in from deep and into the hands of Jakupovic.
22 min: “Paolo Maldini was managed by father Cesare and Darren Ferguson was managed by father Alex,” writes Pablo Miguez. Sir Alex flogged his lad to Wolves in 1994, though.
21 min: Powell is bandaged up and looks fine. The BFG looks a but groggy and has gone for the big plaster option. But they’re both going to continue.
19 min: There’s quite a bit of blood pouring from Powell’s head and Mertesacker remains flat on his back.
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16 min: Huddlestone sprays the ball wide to Elmohamady, who whacks a high ball towards the edge of the box. Powell and Mertesacker go up … and crack heads nastily. There’ll be a delay here.
15 min: “Kenny Dalglish and Gordon Strachan both managed their sons, so it might be a especially Scottish trait...” writes Brian Cloughley. And, as David Dein points out, Brian Clough managed Nigel at Nottingham Forest.
13 min: BT’s commentator Peter Drury reports that 100s of Hull fans are still queuing up outside to get in – and there do seem to be a few still arriving. Always worth checking the kick-off time …
11 min: Hull will be reasonably happy with this opening spell – Arsenal have been at arm’s length.
@John_Ashdown does Steve Bruce ever get any grief over the less-than-bizarre coincidence that his son plays for him?
— #FreeSteve (@ParlourGamesN5) March 8, 2016
Not really these days but then Alex is a perfectly solid Championship centre-half. It’s a peculiarly common thing in football – Paul Sturrock signed his son Blair more than once I think, Gary Johnson had Lee playing for him at Bristol City. Is it an English/Scottish thing or are there examples from further afield.
10 min: Odubajo gets to the byline but his cross is wild and Arsenal can break. They do so with Campbell, who curls a shot wide from the corner of the box.
8 min: … but the corner is nodded away by Giroud.
8 min: Diame does brilliantly down the Hull right to win his team a corner. The heavy artillery comes up from the back …
7 min: Good strength from Chambers to withstand a whack from Meyler and rumble forward. But he ruins it all by sending the resultant throw-in straight out for a Hull goal-kick.
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5 min: Mertesacker humps a diagonal ball forward in search of Walcott but Hull are able to tidy up and clear. One-way traffic thus far, though.
4 min: There’s a frantic scramble … on the edge of the Hull box. Eventually the ball is hooked on to Walcott, who volleys neatly passed Jakupovic. But he’s a good couple of yards offside.
3 min: Walcott has started out on the left for Arsenal, with Campbell on the right and Iwobi inside, behind Giroud.
2 min: Pass, pass, pass from Arsenal. It’s fully 80 seconds before Hull get a touch of the ball, and that’s Harry Maguire rolling the ball back to his goalkeeper after Gibb’s header bobbles out for a goal-kick.
Peep! Off we go then. There’s a cracking atmosphere inside the KC – the home fans are up for this.
Out come the players to the strains of Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger.
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The floodlights are flashing at the KC, which means kick-off is imminent.
And here’s Steve Bruce: “We’re going to have to defend as well as we did last time around. We’ve got to make sure it is a Cup tie, get in amongst them if we can.”
Arsene Wenger has been speaking to BT Sport. He compares Alex Iwobi to Mesut Ozil (in playing style, at least) and says he’s a bit concerned about Olivier Giroud’s goal drought but he hopes the birth of his baby boy on Monday will help inspire the France striker.
So seven changes for Hull, six for Arsenal. Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez get a night on the bench, where there’s also a place for French 18-year-old Jeff Reine-Adelaide.
Team news
Hull: Jakupovic, Bruce, Maguire, Davies, Odubajo, Elmohamady, Meyler, Huddlestone, Diame, Powell, Diomande. Subs: Kuciak, Tymon, Robertson, Livermore, Taylor, Aluko, Hernandez.
Arsenal: Ospina, Chambers, Mertesacker, Gabriel, Gibbs, Flamini, Elneny, Walcott, Iwobi, Campbell, Giroud. Subs: Macey, Monreal, Ramsey, Reine-Adelaide, Willock, Ozil, Sanchez.
Preamble
Hello all. And welcome to the latest edition of Arsenal’s mid-to-late season angst-fest. A fifth-round tie against Championship opposition in a competition in which they have won back-to-back trophies should really have provided a little light relief for the Gunners, but having failed to get the job done at the Emirates there’s little sense that this is A Welcome Distraction™ to their troubles, if you can really call them troubles, in the Champions League and Premier League.
Hull, finalists themselves two years ago, probably wouldn’t have minded too much had they been ousted in the first tie, but having earned themselves a replay there’s a fair chance they smell blood in the water. And why not, with a winnable home tie against Watford on Sunday standing between the victors here and the semi-finals.
(Incidentally, the playing of this fifth-round replay so close to the sixth round proper, reminds me of one of my favourite editions of the Knowledge – The most complicated FA Cup draw of all time. The ties pulled out of the hat for the last 16 included Walsall or Manchester City or Birmingham City or Bury v Norwich City or Blackpool or Bradford City or Newcastle. After 11 postponements Norwich used a flamethrower at one point in an attempt to defrost the Carrow Road pitch for their tie with Blackpool. Anyway …)
Despite these teams being two games from Wembley, changes are afoot for both sides.
“I have to rotate a little bit,” said Wenger, turning 45 degrees to the east, “because some players have played many games and I have fresh players available as well. All the players in my squad have nearly the same quality and it is not very difficult [to rotate]. The difficulty for me is to find the right balance in the team to be efficient.”
“The cup gives us that bit of respite for players who desperately need to play and we’ve got four, five or six of those,” said Steve Bruce.
Even so, I have a feeling this could be rather entertaining*.
Kick off is at 7pm GMT. (Because Big Cup is in charge here.)
*Cue dour 0-0 after 120 minutes …
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