Players and Management Reaction to Arsenal Fixture
Last updated : 06 December 2004 By Rob Stanway
John Eustace was speaking to the official web-site when he said: "I was in the car and didn't even realise the draw was on. But my brother rang me and said it was Arsenal v Stoke and at first I thought he was having a laugh.
"I put the phone down and didn't believe him, but after that everyone started phoning me for tickets so it was very exciting."
He added : "I've spoken to some of the lads and they are chuffed. Today in training there was a buzz around the club and we're all looking forward to the day.
"It'll be great personally to go back and see so many familiar faces and I hope it will be a good day for the club.
"It'll be a great day out for the fans and everybody concerned with the club and hopefully we can do ourselves justice."
John Rudge was also very happy about the forthcoming game: "It gives our supporters the chance to watch a side of real quality and going to London will be a great day out for them. It will also be a great occasion for the players," said the former Port Vale chief.
"Going to Highbury and facing the champions will be fantastic. Whether or not Arsene [Wenger] will play the full side we'll have to wait and see but whichever team they play they'll have quality players.
"If we could get a result down at Highbury it would be absolutely fantastic and I think the chairman would be delighted if we could get them back to the Britannia".
Manager Tony Pulis told the Sentinel: "It's a great cup draw for the club, the players and the fans," insisted Pulis. "There's no bigger game in this country than Arsenal away.
"It will be a big financial boost for the club, it's prestigious for the players and what a draw for our supporters. We could well take seven or eight thousand for this one.
"Everybody will want to play in such a big game and hopefully we can bring in a couple of players before we go down there."
Also Ex Arsenal player John Halls said: "It's a magic draw for me. It's the one I would have picked if I'd had the choice.
"I've already had people asking for complimentary tickets. I don't know what kind of team Arsenal will put out, probably a mixture of the big names and the rest. The pressure will be on them, not us.
