FA Cup / Frank Gregan / 03 January 2008 /

Legendary Non-League manager Frank Gregan on scouting at Arsenal and why improved pitches provide for less shocks in the FA Cup these days

Apparently pride comes before a fall so I intend to be very muted whilst gloating about my article last week. My tip of laying Arsenal at Everton was balanced by backing more than [2.5] goals leaving a nice healthy profit at odds of [13] on the any other score bet. Woo Hoo and lovely jubbly - gloat over! Now back to the serious business of trying to find some value out there in this week's televised FA Cup ties.

I've again elected to write about the Arsenal game. They are just so pleasing on the eye that a pint, a bet and the Arsenal match is a very pleasant way to pass a Sunday afternoon. Arsenal was the first Premiership club that I worked for in a scouting capacity. It was during the reign of George Graham and I was that far down the food chain I'm not sure that anybody at the top knew I existed. Still, it was a truly fantastic experience and I was able to impress some of my fellow squaddie mates by blagging my way into Stringfellows with my club pass!

During the time I was connected with the club they endured one of their biggest ever shock defeats in the FA Cup. It was the third round in 1992 and the mighty gunners were toppled by Wrexham 2-1 at the Racecourse Ground. It is probably not the biggest shock in the clubs history, that dubious "honour" lies with the great Herbert Chapman's team of 1933 beaten 2-0 at Walsall. Chapman 'rested' his three best players on the day and paid the penalty. Perhaps there is a lesson there for Mr Wenger!

I can't see there being a shock this time around. Burnley fans will argue it would not be such a great deal, they are after all a Championship side and they dumped Liverpool out of the competition at this stage of the competition three years ago. However, they don't have a lot going for them at present. They've only managed two points from their last six league games, the weather forecast is fine and the pitch will not be a factor. The days of the Premier league manager asking his opposite number from the lower league 'what time did you take the cattle off the pitch?' are long gone!

In my opinion that is why we have fewer upsets these days, the surfaces are just too good. Look at the footage of the Hereford V Newcastle epic or the Sutton/Coventry tie. They are a classic case of 'get the tractor over that and rut it to bits, let's see them play their fancy triangles on a cabbage patch!'

Nope, it's Arsenal for me and I'll be looking for a big price. Once the market settles down I'll be looking for odds of [12] on a 3-0 away win and around the [7.0] mark for 'any other score.'

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