But back then we were fielding the first team. However last year Wenger did not put out his strongest team for the semi – final and lost to Manure. Now he his reported as saying that was a mistake, he should have put out an even weaker team, and then we would have beat Chelsea in the following CL game. So it’s clear that, this year, in similar circumstances he will put out a weak team if it can conserve players energy for the Champions League. In other words it is no longer a matter of putting out a lesser team against lesser opposition, but of using the competition to rest players. And who in their right mind, with limited resources, would not prioritise the Champions League.

That choice is partly determined by the size of the Arsenal squad and the need to rest key players. We are fortunate in getting Stoke, as it will allow us to rest Henry, Cole and perhaps other key players. Although we should not take Stoke too lightly they are physical, and we have had struggled against such teams in the past. Indeed the last semi-final we won, against Sheffield United was due to Seaman’s best ever save and not much else.

Meanwhile Yeading play at the Loftus Road, pissing off their own fans that wanted to play at home. This has pissed off the team who wanted to play at Newcastle for fame and money. And pissed off Newcastle who have go to Loftus Road. Meanwhile a Sky reporter claimed he couldn’t find anyone interested in the match in Yeading itself. Where is the magic in that?

Mind you in an ironical twist 80 Norwegian Exeter fans are travelling to the Theatre of Faded Dreams tomorrow, makes a change from the usual 80 Man U fans travelling North from Exeter. I can’t wait for Guildford to get drawn against them; it will be family divided against family.

It could also be argued that the Lager Cup is becoming the new Youth Cup, and the FA Cup the new Lager Cup. Another chance for the big teams to play less experienced players and rest weary stars. That being the case it makes a winter break superfluous, apart from poor old Liverpool who has had their Friday night game cancelled. Apparently they couldn’t get the turf to settle on the local Burnley swimming pool. Is it me or is Benitez transmogrifying into Houllier? He might be a better manager but he is cursed by the same bad luck, and looks. There again Houllier got his famous "five" trophies, and can I add that they were not all shite cups, just most of them. And one of those was stolen.

It seems to me that the downgrading of the FA cup is now inevitable. When Wenger was asked what his ambitions were for 2005 he replied Champions League, Premiership and FA Cup, in that order. Was putting the CL first a slip of the tongue? Perhaps, but it was certainly no slip that he put the FA cup third. Besides Arsene has won it three times now, and Sir Alex cared about it so much that he took the whole team off on a winter break to South America.

Indeed I was surprised to see Keane dancing away so frenetically at last seasons final, partly because it could damage his rickety old legs, but mainly because he was on record as calling it all b*locks. No it wasn’t love of the cup that caused the mad dancing, it was to try and prove that they were as good as Arsenal. We all know that beating Millwall is better than winning the Premiership unbeaten.

Which just shows you how far it has all sunk when a team, that couldn’t give a shite about the cup, kicks its way into a final that was more one sided than Muhammad Ali v Floyd Patterson.

In spite of the tendency for the big clubs to play weakened teams in the competition it is still dominated by them, with mainly the big three winning it in recent years. And if a team from the lower reaches were to win it would it really be the same as the giant killing feats of the past? For it would not have been won in a competition that every club had tried it’s hardest to win.

Thus I find it hard to get that enthusiastic; there again if Van Persie and Reyes get hat tricks I might just change my mind.