GARY Speed has amassed too much respect for Arsenal down the years to jump on the "Bash the Gunners" bandwagon.

Arsene Wenger's men have all but conceded their Premiership title to big-spending Chelsea and are once again counting the cost of failing to deliver in the Champions League.

But Speed believes the disappointment of Wednesday night's European exit at the hands of Bayern Munich will only serve to fire them up for Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final at the Reebok.

"Arsenal have been a great side for 10 years," said the Wanderers midfield ace who is likely to deputise as captain for the injured Jay Jay Okocha.

"They've been criticised somewhat this season, unfairly I think, but they are up for everything and they'll certainly be up for this one because the FA Cup is the one now that they can win, so they'll be taking no prisoners.

"It looks as though their Premiership aspirations are fading so they'll be all guns blazing for the FA Cup.

"We'll be prepared for that, though, and hopefully we can match them.

"It's obviously going to be very difficult but we've beaten them at home before and If we can perform like we did last time against them, well have a great chance to win it."

Speed is excited at the prospect of the semi-finals being staged at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, which was home when he captained the Welsh national team and a venue fresh in the minds of the Wanderers players who featured in last season's Carling Cup Final defeat by Middlesbrough.

"Semi-finals for the FA Cup are always special occasions," he said. "I've played in a few and I'd love another, especially at the Millennium."

Speed believes Wanderers have given themselves a glorious opportunity to qualify for a UEFA Cup place. But he says they must keep their focus as the season reaches a climax.

"The secret is not to relax," he said. "We've got to keep doing the things that we've done to get into this position.

"We're sixth in the Premiership and on the same points as Liverpool. If you'd said that at the start of the season, we'd have snatched your hand off.

"To be in the position we are in with nine games to go is fantastic, but the important thing now is to keep it going and keep doing the things that got us here in the first place.

"If you relax and start thinking about Champions League and FA Cups, you will stop doing the hard working things that got us where we are today.

"The secret is to keep it going."

Given a choice, Speed echoes Sam Allardyce's words in prefering to qualify for Europe by winning the FA Cup but, at this stage with so many games still to be played, he is not making any assumptions."Winning the FA Cup to qualify for Europe would be a fantastic achievement," he said,