This season's feud between league and cup double rivals Newcastle and Arsenal escalated last night after the Gunners issued their latest set of demands ahead of this month's FA Cup quarter-final replay.

It was Arsène Wenger who allegedly scuppered the Football Association's plans to stage a "Super Sunday" of back-to-back quarter-finals because his side are in Champions League action against Deportivo La Coruña tonight. And yesterday Arsenal reportedly refused to face Newcastle at noon on Saturday, March 23, to decide who will face Middlesbrough in April's FA Cup semi-finals, because they will not arrive back from their Champions League date with Juventus until the morning of Thursday, March 21. Sky Sports favour a noon kick-off and United agree, despite the fact that it would mean an early start for the legions of Magpies fans expected to travel south. Although sources suggest the Gunners now want to play the tie on Sunday, March 24, the club's official website has released ticket details for a quarter-final replay the previous day and a Football Association spokesman revealed: "It is 95pc certain to take place on the Saturday. "If the two clubs cannot agree a kick-off time then we will have to step in but March 23 is the date we have in our diary and I cannot foresee a change." There has been little love lost between Newcastle and Arsenal this season and there was a distinctly frosty atmosphere when Bobby Robson came face to face with Arsène Wenger on Saturday.

The Gunners are still fuming that Ray Parlour was sent off when the two teams met in the Premiership at Highbury in December, while Craig Bellamy's red card in the same game was later rescinded. Last week Robson admitted he was "surprised" that the FA had taken so long to punish Thierry Henry for his outburst immediately after the same fixture and those comments opened the door for Sir Alex Ferguson to twist the knife into his primary title rival.

Arsenal won few fans for fielding a weakened team at St James's Park on Saturday and Richard Wright was criticised for his obvious time-wasting tactics as the visitors attempted to kill the tie. A decision on the exact kick-off time for the FA Cup quarter-final replay will be made within the next 48 hours and a conventional 3pm start remains a possibility.

-- Anonymous, March 12, 2002

Answers

That's so good it must be from TeamTwaddle! Cheap copy, regurgitated stories, half-truths and wind-ups. Actually, it could be that dim bint from the Times

-- Anonymous, March 12, 2002

Just got sent it - no source mentioned.

-- Anonymous, March 12, 2002