http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Lou-Macari-old-Arsenal-turned-corner/story-21111032-detail/story.html Lou Macari: Same old Arsenal have turned no corner By The Sentinel | Posted: May 19, 2014 "Anyone who thinks Arsenal have turned a corner on the back of their FA Cup Final victory over Hull is living in cloud cuckoo land. Yes, they deserve credit for coming back from 2-0 down to eventually win 3-2 in extra-time. But that doesnât take away from the fact that they were a defensive shambles early on, while their recovery had nothing to do with players rolling up their sleeves and battling their way out of trouble. Some of them, in fact, were so poor it was embarrassing. Mesut Ozil didnât break sweat, always assuming heâs capable of breaking sweat, but he wasnât the only one. Arsenal didnât get out of jail because of their determination and strength of character, but because they were man-for-man better than Hull in terms of quality and that eventually told. They certainly werenât better than Hull in terms of effort and organisation. What also disappointed me about Arsenal was the sight of them appealing just about every time they were challenged. And appealing not just for a free-kick, but for a yellow card. Iâm afraid the game was an insight into why Arsenal went from leading the Premier League to scrambling to finish inside the top four. But at least their victory kept Arsene Wenger in a job because that would surely have been on the line if they had lost again." Read the whole of Lou's column, including his thoughts on the Steven Nzonzi controversy, in tomorrow's Sentinel.
Without a doubt, but to be fair, the players have raised the profile of Hull City and Steve Bruce's tactical and motivational skills. Also, from my own experience, people talking to us in London over the weekend had nothing but positive comments to make of Hull City Supporters. The comments from the press and other fans are almost universally complimentary. The only negatives I've seen are from a handful of envious wannabe wums.
To be honest DMD, didn't for a minute think this was about us at all - he's clearly not a fan of Arsenal or their manager, and with his Manure and WHU background that's no great surprise!
Again, quite possibly true, but it doesn't make what he's put inacuarate. Steve Bruce took a team that, man for man, are arguably less proficient than their opponents, and drew out one hell of a game. Macari can only use it as a swipe if it has substance in the first place.