Football Food For Thought / Frank Gregan / 09 April 2008 /

Legendary Non-League manager Frank Gregan on why Arsenal and Barnsley need to recover from Cup hangovers and focus on their league targets

This time last week everything was rosy in the gardens of Mr Davey and Mr Wenger. Perhaps a couple of weeds were lingering though. Barnsley, despite all the media hype surrounding their FA Cup semi final appearance, occupied a relegation place in the Championship and Arsenal's season had hit a flat spot. Still, the Barnsley camp was on cloud nine and having taken care of both Liverpool and Chelsea in previous rounds they really fancied their chances of reaching the FA Cup final.

What a boost to morale that would have been and the confidence gained would surely have helped them avoid the drop to League One. They had their chance and what a golden chance it was. Odejayi's miss will never be forgotten in South Yorkshire, to quote the old saying, Devon Loch's was a better finish!

Mr Wenger was telling the press last week that he had a dual target, the Premier League Title and the Champions League. One league point and a contentious penalty decision later he is left with a very distant single target. Mr Wenger's comments after his European exit may have appeared as ungracious as an American running back celebrating in the end zone but there surely was cause for complaint. I have watched the incident half a dozen times without being prejudiced by commentary and cannot see how a penalty was awarded. Others, including the referee saw it differently. Ah the mysteries of our game!
This is going to be a really tough week for both the managers involved. The gardens are no longer looking rosy, the weeds are coming to the fore!

Morale in both camps will be lower than a snake's belly and both will desperately be seeking a cure for their teams' hangover. There will be a lot of team meetings at both clubs and as ever, the focus will be on the positives. Barnsley have six league games left and they include a repeat of the semi final showdown in Cardiff on the last day of the season. Simon Davey will be hoping that his side are safe by then and it is feasible that they will be. They have two games in hand and he will be drilling it into his players that their destiny is very much dependant on their own performances and results. In order to climb the table a target of three points from those two games is not unreasonable. He'll be reminding them of their fantastic achievements against the Premier League big boys and consequently what they are capable of when it all comes together.

They should have no fear, they have proved that they are a quality Championship side. He will be mindful of the fact that on the 19th of April Leicester City visit Oakwell and what a huge game that is going to be for both clubs. It is a tough call to find that third side to be relegated and the market reflects this. Barnsley are favourites to occupy that spot, the old maxim of points on the board being superior to games in hand but I'm going to oppose the theory. I think that after the season that Simon Davey and his men have had it would be a travesty if they were to be relegated. He is a young, brash, confident manager and I think he will be able to lift his troops and get them to safety. I'll be laying Barnsley at [3.4] not to go down.

Arsenal's woes are completely different. They have provided so much footballing eye candy this year but look likely to win the same amount of trophies as Reading! Again, it is unjust because they have provided so much pleasure to the neutral watching down the pub on a Sunday afternoon. I really want them to turn it around and get themselves back into contention but in order to do so they have to win at Old Trafford on Sunday. It's an even taller order than usual given their recent results and the memories the players will have of the 4-0 drubbing they received there in the FA Cup.

However, there has to be a sense of injustice in the Gunners' camp at the moment and that invariably leads to a siege mentality. It's the Wenger boys against the rest of the world and if ever they needed a result it is on Sunday. I'll be backing Arsenal at [4.8] and while I'm at it I'm going to have a few bob on them at [30] to win the title. I must confess, it is in hope rather than expectation. I'm hoping that the side that I've most enjoyed watching this season wins a trophy. Now where did I put that weed killer?

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