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Saturday 16 May 1998 (Evening Edition)
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 News 2 
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WE'VE BEEN LUCKY IN THE FA CUP
Modest Wenger Still Humble In Victory
ARSENAL PLAYERS were quick to heap praise on one another after the club had clinched their amazing Double thanks to the 2-0 win over Newcastle. 34-year-old full-back Lee Dixon was fully aware of the enormity of the side's achievement.
This just surpasses anything that we've done in the past. He laughed. Winning the League was brilliant but winning the FA Cup in the same season is fantastic.
Another member of the Gunners' ageing but celebrated back four, Nigel Winterburn, put the team's success down to the right blend of English and foreign talent:
It's just a testament to the players who have come into the team, he said. They've adapted to Arsenal's type of game superbly.
Ray Parlour, snubbed this week by Glenn Hoddle when the coach named his England squad to face Saudi Arabia, pointed to the pace of team-mates and goalscoring heroes Marc Overmars and Nicolas Anelka as the key difference. Nicolas was brilliant up front today. He's always a constant threat, you just have to put the ball near him, Parlour, voted man-of the-match said. Marc Overmars scored a great goal too. But overall it was just a great team performance.
An elated Overmars declared that winning the FA Cup is as good as it gets on the club stage in Europe. It's the biggest thing that you can dream of, he said. I'd say it's the same as winning the European Cup. We missed Dennis (Bergkamp) today because he provides a lot of power up front, and when it was so hot in the second half we were so tired.
Meanwhile Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood admitted talking to Arsene Wenger about a new contract would be top of his agenda after the Frenchman had taken the club to the Double in his first full season in charge.
I mentioned talks to Arsene about a month ago, but he said he didn't want to do anything until the FA Cup final was over. Every chairman's dream is to win the Double. Winning the Champions' League would be fun too and Arsene will certainly have the money if he needs it, vowed Hill-Wood. And Wenger himself, modest as ever in his greatest hour of triumph, admitted:
We've had a great run since Christmas and to have done the double is unbelievable, but I must admit that we have been very lucky at times in the FA Cup competition. Newcastle didn't have any luck at all when they hit the woodwork twice and that really was the turning point.
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NEWCASTLE RUE
MISSED CHANCES
STUART PEARCE agonised over Newcastle's missed chances that led to defeat at Wembley. The Geordies staged a second-half fightback after Marc Overmars had given Arsenal a 23rd-minute lead but Nikos Dabizas' header hit the bar and Alan Shearer rattled a post after breaking clear.
Arsenal deserved to win on their first half performance alone, admitted Pearce. But if we had taken one of our two chances which struck the woodwork then things might have been different. We failed to deliver and our fans, who were magnificent, deserved better. But we'll just have to come back stronger next season.
England captain Alan Shearer, who will now turn his attention towards leading his country in the World Cup finals, said: We had to improve after the first half and I felt we did this at least to give our fans hope. But Arsenal were the better side and deserved to win. In the end it's all about taking your chances. Now I've just got a few days before the preparations start for the World Cup finals.
Midfielder Gary Speed said: We just felt that the chance was there in the second-half, but when they scored their second there was no real way back, although we kept battling.
And Newcastle boss Kenny Dalglish added: "Arsenal were definitely the better side in the first half but if we had made it 1-1 then it could have been different. But to do the Double is a tremendous achievement and I congratulate Arsenal. What we must do now is concentrate on improving our League position next season.
"And how nice to see both sets of supporters applauding both sides. They were the real winners."
THE FIVE BEST THINGS ABOUT CUP FINAL DAY
1 Arsenal's Men In Black style suits.
2 He comes from Se-ne-gal, He plays for Ars-en-al, Vieira.
3 Newcastle's coach getting a flat battery, providing a neat metaphor.
4 Both sets of players treating each other with respect before and after the match.
5 The Newcastle fans applauding when Tony Adams picked up the trophy.
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THE FIVE WORST THINGS ABOUT CUP FINAL DAY
1 The match not being live on BBC.
2 Bob Wilson asking Terry Venables if he would put up with a player having a ponytail like Petit's.
3 Glenn Hoddle trying to justify the tackle for which Alan Shearer was booked.
4 Tony Hadley singing the anthem and Abide With Me.
5 Barry Venison's attempts at talking to camera.
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