pls delete thread (double post)

[Rogue Trader]

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[chowka]

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Meanwhile i won't let it go to waste. :p


'Leeds can spoil Thierry Henry's Arsenal homecoming party' - former manager Howard Wilkinson says FA Cup upset is possible

Former Elland Road boss believes Championship club will use shock 1-0 win over Manchester United as encouragement ahead of tie at the Emirates on Monday evening

Jan 9, 2012 10:01:58 AM

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By Rob Stewart

Former Leeds United manager Howard Wilkinson believes the Yorkshire club can ruin Thierry Henry’s Arsenal homecoming by repeating their shock FA Cup win over Manchester United in January 2010.

Leeds will aim to spoil the party as Arsenal fans welcome back Henry at the Emirates in their third round tie on Monday night.

Wilkinson says the Championship side will be spurred on by memories of their surprise win at Old Trafford as they attempt to outwit their Premier League opponents.

“It is possible for Leeds to win - it will be very difficult - but they will use the win over Manchester United as encouragement,”

“You look for every piece of evidence to support your argument that you can - the players will think they can beat Arsenal.

"They probably hope more than they expect and the chances of Leeds causing an upset are slim according to the bookies.

"It is the FA Cup but the competition is not the graveyard that it once was for the bigger clubs. They now have such a wealth of resources that even a so-called weakened team is so much stronger compared to a reserve team 20 years ago - it is a lot tougher these days.”

Despite his allegiances to the Elland Road club, Wilkinson, who guided Leeds to the old League Championship title in 1992, is looking forward to seeing legendary Arsenal striker Henry back in action.

The former French international, who helped Arsenal win three Premier League titles, is poised to make his first appearance of a two-month loan deal from New York Red Bulls and Wilkinson backed Gunners manager Arsene Wenger’s decision to bring him back.

“I am glad that Thierry is back in English football because he will go down as one of the best players the Premier League has ever seen,” he added.

“I am sure Arsene has a very good idea as to what Thierry can do for them and I am sure that is a very realistic idea.

“I am sure that his reasons for bringing him back are very clear to him and he will know what role he wants him to fulfil and that will have been made clear.

“I’d say that 99.9 per cent of everything that Arsene goes is very logical and thought through. He tends not to do things for the short term.

"Everything he does seems to be with a view to the future and he has a clear idea about where Arsenal are going and what he wants them to do and Thierry Henry will fit into that vision.

“He won’t have brought him in if he thinks there is any risk of him disrupting his plans for the next three years.”

Leeds were relegated from the Premier League in 2004 and are currently sitting just outside the Championship play-offs following an erratic start to the season but Wilkinson believes manager Simon Grayson deserves plaudits rather than brickbats.

“Simon is doing a very solid job in what in the Championship that is becoming increasingly difficult due to parachute payments and the money on offer in the Premier League,” Wilkinson said.

“Getting promoted now is like winning the Euro Lottery because it leads to an unbelievable windfall. People in that league are prepared to spend more than they should, as I understand it, while Leeds, for their own reasons, have a fixed budget.

“You can only operate within the limits of your budget and every year now that solidifies. You look at points, goal difference and budgets and as we go into January and have a look at which clubs have a high correlation of those three and you will find they are very accurate pointers towards success.

“That is not belittling a manager’s role because many a manager has messed up but as all of them will tell you it certainly helps to have good players.”