FA Cup 2011/2012

[McNamara That Ghost...]

I wouldn't mind seeing Chelsea get the kind of footballing massacre we received from Barcelona for the first 15 minutes in 2010 (not that Barca scored), provided all the Old Boys are on the pitch.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Ramires is a very weird footballer. What is he?

He is a kick and rush man. He does well at it though.

[Syn]

If Chelsea didn't give us Benayoun, he should've played in this. Could've linked up well with Mata. Kalou is rubbish at it.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Lennon. :lol:

That's awful.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Kalou. :haha:

[Rors]

Kalou with a 0.7 on the Valencia scale. (This game sucks)

[McNamara That Ghost...]

VDV from close range, cleared off the line by Big Man!

[Niall_Quinn]

Lucky there are playing Lennon instead of Ashley Young. Easy pen there if he wanted to go down, so credit to him.

Spuds on top now.

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

That look like Terry, to me.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Dear me.

[Niall_Quinn]

Kalou so slow, physically and mentally.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Big man :bow:

[Rors]

Reason: Clive Tyldesley.
--

And so say all of us....

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Did Ade miss that on purpose? Hits the post from VDV in any case!

[Syn]

Why didn't Adebayor just knock it in?

Dickhead.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Brave Scotty Parker with another foul. :bow:

And Ade just missed it because he is shit, having seen the replay, he did touch it.

[Rors]

[quote]@DavidLammy
Best we have played in weeks but I am heading for a heart attack! #COYS #thfc[/quote[

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

That was a great goal.

Damnit.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Spuds 0-1 Chelsea, stunning from Drogsy.

[Rors]

I'll give 'em that one. 1-0

[Dennis Bendtner]

Superb goal from Drogz.

[Niall_Quinn]

Great goal by Drog. It's all falling apart for the spuds.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Gallas. :haha:

What a weakling.

Who turned Jim Beglin's voice down?

[GP]

van Persie-esque, that.

[Dennis Bendtner]

Clive getting brave, calling out Pique and Puyol. Oi oi banter. I think Xavi's had enough laughs already.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Tekkers from Cudicini.

[Rors]

Route one :bow: (which nobody has mentioned.Maybe that's why Beglin was turned down - in case he heretically decided to)

[McNamara That Ghost...]

"He can dismiss the best defenders with that kind of power". Yeah but it was on Gallas, Jim.

0-1 HT.

[Globalgunner]

Gallas. :haha:

What a weakling.

Who turned Jim Beglin's voice down?


Gallas has always been Drogbas bitch TBF, nothings changed

[Marc Overmars]

Old Boys. :bow:

[Dennis Bendtner]

What's that kid doing? :unsure:

[Syn]

Long ball, and typically Gallas had no strength at all.

Thank god we got rid.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Clive getting brave, calling out Pique and Puyol. Oi oi banter. I think Xavi's had enough laughs already.

Imagine what he'll be like in that game and Jim.

Good goal by Droggy though.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

'Worldy' should never make its way in to punditry parlance.

[Syn]

Gareth Southgate: "As a CB, I'd have to say I don't think he has done an awful lot wrong there"

That's why you were shit, bruv. :good:

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

drogba :bow:

one of the best strikers ever to grace the premier league :bow:

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

:haha: :haha: mars advert

best advert ever :bow:

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

That was the worst advert I think I've ever seen.

[Syn]

Good middle ground by GW as usual.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

iPhones and iPads part of the prize? NQ will be on it.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Stop calling football 'drama'. :banghead:

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

Good middle ground by GW as usual.
Has nothing to do with the middle ground, that's just the excuse to get people to conform.

[Syn]

Has nothing to do with the middle ground, that's just the excuse to get people to conform.

:lol:

[Dennis Bendtner]

http://www.itv.com/ad6b749f-b58b-4db2-af36-9728b0feac1e/PreviewFile.jpg.ashx?q=90&v=1&w=421&h=237

Says it all, I'm afraid.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Mata shot, Cudicini just about gets to it to push it away for a corner.

[Syn]

Wonderful save from the least ambitious footballer in history.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Spuds 0-2 Chelsea, Mata. I think it went over the line but then who knows with officials at the moment. Horrific defending from the Spuds.

[Syn]

http://www.itv.com/ad6b749f-b58b-4db2-af36-9728b0feac1e/PreviewFile.jpg.ashx?q=90&v=1&w=421&h=237

Says it all, I'm afraid.

:haha:

Hahaha!

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

Not even close.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

I was wrong! Big Man stopped it from going in!

:haha:

It's truly pathetic that an showpiece semi-final can't have the video footage to rectify a goal that never was.

[Syn]

This is utterly brilliant.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Spuds robbed

Refs being shite goes on.

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

And there written are the headlines for tomorrow.

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

:haha: :haha: :haha:

mata's celebration persuaded the lino even though he couldn't even see it :bow:

mata :bow:

spurs :pal:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Martin Atkinson. :haha:

A true professional.

[Dennis Bendtner]

Sepp Blatter is getting merked tonight.

:haha: they showed another replay, ridiculous! Spurs :haha:

[LDG]

:arry:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

If Big Man says it's a goal, it's a goal. Martin Atkinson knows his role.

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

COYS

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Spuds 1-2 Chelsea, Bale. Ade tried getting Cech sent off. Reverse of the 2006 CL final.

[LDG]

Cracking match!

[Arsenal Fan]

footballing refereeing is a farce, to my knowledge, the constant incompetence of referees in football affects the outcome of matches so greatly than any other sport. pisses me off - in darts if you hit a twenty it is a twenty, not a one.

only funny because its spurs though...

[Dennis Bendtner]

Ade chucked himself over, the bitch.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

David Luiz is dead. :rose:

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

Once again in a semi final Cech gets very lucky not being able to be sent off.

Send him off anyway for a laugh.

[Dennis Bendtner]

Fit Chelsea physio is touching David Luiz :trophy:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Big Man actually appealed for the goal not to be given, even though it would mean Cech getting sent off. :haha:

[LDG]

Fuckin chimp boy

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Cahill on for David Luiz.

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

David Luiz is dead. :rose:
And Chelsea's chances against Barca have.... just got a bit better actually.

[LDG]

Come on extra time and pels.....

[Rors]

Catching up:

1) had to mention 'ghost goal' didn't I?

2) Spuds scored in the same passage of play, so is it still 'denying a goalscoring opportunity'?

[McNamara That Ghost...]

And Chelsea's chances against Barca have.... just got a bit better actually.

Gary Cahill. They've got worse.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Assou-Ekotto off the line from Big Man. Should be 1-3 technically.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Parker. :haha:

Great ball for the Ade missile launch but he has quickly to reverted to the Brave guy he really is.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Parker :lol:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Catching up:

1) had to mention 'ghost goal' didn't I?

2) Spuds scored in the same passage of play, so is it still 'denying a goalscoring opportunity'?

On 2 I guess it is because it denied Adebayor the goalscoring opportunity. FIFA want to do away with the 'triple jeopardy' of it anyway though.

[Rors]

On 2 I guess it is because it denied Adebayor the goalscoring opportunity. FIFA want to do away with the 'triple jeopardy' of it anyway though.

"Just send them all off"[/Dad]

[McNamara That Ghost...]

The FA must be praying for another goal given what one is the decisive goal currently...

[Coney]

Maybe the ref gave the goal because he mistook Terry's head for the ball. Easy mistake to make - just ask Diaby.

[Dennis Bendtner]

DrogBAH

BossingWAH

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Brave Scotty Parker is tending to his ankles again.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Kick and rush! Balebalebale.

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

The boot-and-sprint working it's magic again.

[Syn]

Gotta admit, if I was a spud, I'd be slightly annoyed Bale put that in.

I'd much prefer a penalty playing 10 men vs. goal playing 11 men - especially given how long was left.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Drogsy. :lol:

Dead again.

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

Oh and he's fine.

Shockingly.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

VDV hauled off, Defoe on.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Cashley. :haha:

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

I've just this minute noticed Lampard is playing :lol:

And the FA can breath again.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Spuds 1-3 Chelsea, Ramires!

Spuds. :haha:

Awful.

Great pass from Mata.

[Rors]

That's it.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Drogsy mugged Gallas again. Gallas booked.

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

It's a rout.

:arry:

[Rors]

Muh.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Spuds 1-4 Chelsea, great freekick from Honest Frank.

Spuds. :haha:

[Olivier's xmas twist]

What a goal

Old boys :bow:

[Syn]

Old Boys :bow:

They're back.

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

:pal: spurs

:haha: redknapps looking clueless

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

redknapp makes tactical change.

chelsea score 2.

arry for england :bow:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Defoe. :haha:

WTF?

Ramires off, Malouda on.

Drogsy down again. :rolleyes:

[Rors]

Okay, let's just get to the interviews now :popcorn:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Time for the patriotic tubthumping. :bow:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

The FA Cup final is scheduled for the same weekend as league games again? :lol:

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

please score 5 :pray:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Malouda. :haha:

[Munchies]

Icing on the cake is when they lose out on Europe

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Ade booked.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Fight fight fight!

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Parker meltdown. :rose:

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

parker :lol:

and he's supposed to be an excellent role model :blink:

ghel :bow:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Mikel kicked out at Parker, another one missed from Atkinson. :bow:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

1-5 Malouda!

:haha:

[Rors]

:wacko:

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

:lol:

Christ I hope Agger is fit come the final.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

please score 5 :pray:

and they have.

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

:haha: :haha: :haha: :haha: :haha: :haha: :haha:

[Syn]

'Arry for England.

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

5 against city

5 against us

5 against chelsea

:haha:

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Is Freidal Injured?

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Sperz fans have never 'ad eet so good.

[Globalgunner]

Shit on a stick final.....its on

[Özim]

Di Matteo's done a good job with Chelsea since he's come in, good thing they sacked Villas Boas.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Spuds 1-5 Chelsea, FT.

:haha:

Well and truly dicked.

Martin Atkinson's refereeing career. :rose:

[Syn]

5 against city

5 against us

5 against chelsea

:haha:

The balance of power in North London has shifted tbh.

[Rors]

Spuds 1-5 Chelsea, FT.

:haha:

Well and truly dicked.

Martin Atkinson's refereeing career. :rose:

He's going to Euro2012. As a goal-line assistant.....

[Letters]

I would 1 5 be a Spurs fan.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

He's going to Euro2012. As a goal-line assistant.....

Please do something ridiculous. :pray:

Having said that, it is going to have to be mightily impressive to top today's effort.

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

So just a case at :pal:-ing at the losers, I take it?

[Syn]

Ray Parlour ‏ @RealRomfordPele

5 1 Chelsea. Spurs Go Marching On! #mindthegap 8 tomorrow

[Syn]

So just a case at :pal:-ing at the losers, I take it?

Sort of. But I'll just about be hoping Liverpool win.

[Dennis Bendtner]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8BtlBcjh4o

[McNamara That Ghost...]

So just a case at :pal:-ing at the losers, I take it?

Hmmm, yeah I don't think I can take seeing Big Man win a trophy again. Liverpool I would say I'd prefer. On pelanties, of course.

[Rors]

"sum it up" :doh:

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

Im not even angry anymore when i watch us peform like this, im just numb and empty. We are pathetic. Plain and simple. Dont talk to me about bad luck. Fuck that shite. We have collapsed into farce. Crumbled, capitulated, we are a broken team with a broken manager and broken men. We are a laughing stock.

glory glory :haha: :haha:

[Rors]

Kleenex for Ledley...

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Spuds have to get rid of King now surely? He can't move.

[Rors]

"What is certain is you can't be certain". He's a philosopher that Gareth.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Di Matteo's done a good job with Chelsea since he's come in, good thing they sacked Villas Boas.

He has not done anything the other guy did not do just media hype and if he ends uo winning nout them it means sacking AVB even the more stupid then it is.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

They forgot to show the blindfold around Atkinson's head for his view.

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

well that was a steaming pile of shit


I blame Harry's team selection, why the fuck he didnt play Bassong from the start I will never know


we have zero mental steel. wasnt that harry's reason for buying all these semi retired old men?


6th boys. It's happening


First decent team we've met in the competition and got fucking schooled by 35 year olds

Thanks for nothing - i hope you know your place too. 30 years - won FUCK ALL

:haha: :haha: :haha: :haha: :haha:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

"Great goals from Dids and Lamps". :haha:

[Rors]

He wants goal-line technology. He no bad man.

<_<

[Syn]

"Nah, listen..."

What a geezer.

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

I blame Harry's team selection, why the fuck he didnt play Bassong from the start I will never know

That can't be from today, surely? :haha:

[Özim]

He has not done anything the other guy did not do just media hype and if he ends uo winning nout them it means sacking AVB even the more stupid then it is.
Well they're in the CL semi final and FA Cup final and have a chance of 4th place, Villas Boas was a car crash to be honest...I think they must be pleased they sacked him.

He's not perfect but he should get a chance at the job IMO.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Did Gareth just say "he got that wrong right"?

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

That can't be from today, surely? :haha:

it was. match thread :lol:

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Well they're in the CL semi final and FA Cup final and have a chance of 4th place, Villas Boas was a car crash to be honest...I think they must be pleased they sacked him.

Like i said it means nout if they don't win a thing.

The only reason they are playing better is the big boys wanted too not because AVB was a poor manager.

Even 5-1 flattred the chavs it was more of a case of Spurs falling part.

As for people being pleased yes the old boys who got cast aside and went to complain when it did not go there way.

AVB was bought in to bring youth into the team and when he tried to do it got sacked. Just a case of Roman being roman then anything else.

If they win the CL then you may have a point if they don't win anything then it means nout and this man will be saked, well he will be sacked anyways knowing roman.

[Niall_Quinn]

You're all being way too hard on the spuds. 6th is very good for a club of their stature.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

You're all being way too hard on the spuds. 6th is very good for a club of their stature.


Harry feels the same way.

[Dennis Bendtner]

When I got here we had 2 points from 8 games. :arry:

[Syn]

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/04/15/article-2129338-129C4F24000005DC-42_634x388.jpg

http://cache4.asset-cache.net/xc/142943992.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=77BFBA49EF8789215AB089EE596C658826FAB089148AA619 D2B6F7C58D2096E988BCED266596532E

http://cache2.asset-cache.net/xc/142943994.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=77BFBA49EF8789215AB089EE596C6588ED8245495CE5CE86 D2B6F7C58D2096E9BB263DE7D585E6D7

http://cache3.asset-cache.net/xc/142943999.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=77BFBA49EF8789215AB089EE596C6588B2F310F9D5125D37 D2B6F7C58D2096E9F2C6D318D3CD0B3D

[GP]

So brave

[Cripps_orig]

Chelsea :bow:

Good confidence boost for the game v ****s

Spuds :haha:

Heard there was some controversy but dont know the details and cant be fucked reading about it

Are highlights on tonight?

[Coney]

Chelsea :bow:

Good confidence boost for the game v ****s

Spuds :haha:

Heard there was some controversy but dont know the details and cant be fucked reading about it

Are highlights on tonight?

The ref gave a goal against spuds even though it did not go over the line and he could not see. The result was that one bunch of ****s beat another bunch of ****s. It wouldn't have made a difference because if the game had gone the other way, one bunch of ****s would have beaten another bunch of ****s. Either way, some ****s were going to lose today.

[Marc Overmars]

Just seen the result.

Sperz. :haha:

This is pretty much the culmination of the run they've been on since we pumped them. Won't be long before they tumble out of 4th as well.

Agent Harry. :bow:

[She Wore A Yellow Ribbon]

Like i said it means nout if they don't win a thing.

The only reason they are playing better is the big boys wanted too not because AVB was a poor manager.

Even 5-1 flattred the chavs it was more of a case of Spurs falling part.

As for people being pleased yes the old boys who got cast aside and went to complain when it did not go there way.

AVB was bought in to bring youth into the team and when he tried to do it got sacked. Just a case of Roman being roman then anything else.

If they win the CL then you may have a point if they don't win anything then it means nout and this man will be saked, well he will be sacked anyways knowing roman.

aye, it has nothing to do with roberto's management.

his management with the current squad is a 'take a step back and let what you want to do' approach. it doesn't actually require any skill or tactics. they were so caught up with avb and bogged down with precise tactics under his regime (e.g. being told what to do in every attack, every pass, every defensive situation), so when he got sacked all roberto done was come in and say 'play in free spirit and enjoy yourself lads'.

its the same when mourinho left and avram took over. everyone was wondering why that team all of a sudden started playing expansively and with greater freedom. was it because avram was a good manager? hell no. it was because they were rigid and static under mourinho's tactics, leaving them slightly deflated. when mourinho left they were given an opportunity to express themselves and they did.

its the same situation here.

[Marc Overmars]

Anyone on here could "manage" Chelsea if we're happy to just turn up and let Big Man and the Old Boys get on with it. That's what Di Matteo is doing.

The problems occur when you try and change something.

[Cripps_orig]

Chelsea said they were "extremely disappointed" and "embarrassed" after their fans failed to observe a minute's silence at the FA Cup semi-final.
The intended silence was meant to be a tribute to the Liverpool supporters who died in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster.
But after sections of Chelsea supporters disrupted the silence at Wembley referee Martin Atkinson was forced to cut the minute short.
Chelsea beat Tottenham 5-1 in the semi-final to reach their 11th FA Cup final.
But their victory was marred by the behaviour of the fans who ruined the minute's silence, intended to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy, when 96 Liverpool fans were killed.
In the final on 5 May they will play Liverpool, who beat Everton 2-1 on Saturday.
"Moments of respect should be honoured and we pay our full respects to all those that suffered at Hillsborough," the Chelsea club statement concluded.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17723677

Didnt know that

Final should be good :popcorn:

Might actually watch it

[Marc Overmars]

Liverpool will win 3-2.

[GP]

https://p.twimg.com/AqjDlIJCAAA8UI8.jpg

[Syn]

:popcorn:

I'm not convinced that's in. If it was on the ground, it would obviously be a goal. But because it's in the air, it's not easy to say. Trying to get angles/perspective right, I would say that maybe half the ball is over the line and half isn't.

[Letters]

That's a lot closer to being a goal than I thought from the angle behind the goal.
Still don't think it was one but, frankly, who cares?

Spuds :pal:

[Master Splinter]

Belated :haha: :haha: :haha: for the Spuds.

Chelsea just picked them off at will. They were simply walking through their alwful defence. Cudicini was terrible. Why did he think he was Luiz, trying keepy-uppies in his own box? Agent Gallas was also spectacular. What a pussy.

When was the last time the Premier League's most sought-after 'creative' midfielder Modric did anything remotely special? He's about as effective as Mikel going forward. The fact they had to rely on Colonel Sergeant Lord Sir Parker The Lionheart II to provide some attacking impetus with a few stout charges through the middle sums it up.


Dids :bow: unlocking Beast Mode for probably the penultimate time.

You'd think their athlete-ball will get shown up in their next few games though.

[KSE Comedy Club]

https://p.twimg.com/AqjDlIJCAAA8UI8.jpg

You can see the shadow of the ball on the ground.

Its more than 50% over the line, easily.

[Marc Overmars]

Yeah, it does look like a legit goal tbh. Although obviously in real time it would have been impossible to tell.

Sperz. :haha:

Thrashed fair and square.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Belated :haha: :haha: :haha: for the Spuds.

Chelsea just picked them off at will. They were simply walking through their alwful defence.
Cudicini was terrible. Why did he think he was Luiz, trying keepy-uppies in his own box? Agent Gallas was also spectacular. What a pussy.

When was the last time the Premier League's most sought-after 'creative' midfielder Modric did anything remotely special? He's about as effective as Mikel going forward. The fact they had to rely on Colonel Sergeant Lord Sir Parker The Lionheart II to provide some attacking impetus with a few stout charges through the middle sums it up.


Dids :bow: unlocking Beast Mode for probably the penultimate time.

You'd think their athlete-ball will get shown up in their next few games though.

Should have played Brad did not see a reason to rest him

[Syn]

The sad bit about it is: If the spuds really did think they were harshly done by - and they probably would given how commentators and the immediate replays seemed to suggest the ball was "nowhere near" crossing the line - that news would've filtered through to the crowd quite quickly. With that in mind, why didn't the spuds stay until the end? If you felt your team was shafted, you'd surely stick around and support the players until the very end? The spuds were emptying very fast from 80 minutes.

[LDG]

The sad bit about it is: If the spuds really did think they were harshly done by - and they probably would given how commentators and the immediate replays seemed to suggest the ball was "nowhere near" crossing the line - that news would've filtered through to the crowd quite quickly. With that in mind, why didn't the spuds stay until the end? If you felt your team was shafted, you'd surely stick around and support the players until the very end? The spuds were emptying very fast from 80 minutes.

:lol:

I must admit, I thought exactly the same when watching it.

Said to my old man; We'd be there until the end no matter what to give the lads a clap.

Alwful spuddy fans.

[Cripps_orig]

THE FA Cup is to be moved this year from its traditional Saturday 3pm kick-off, it was announced today.

Chelsea's clash with Liverpool will now kick-off at 5.15pm instead on May 5.

It will be the first time the final will not have started at 3pm since the showpiece game has been played at Wembley.

The move could lead to yet more claims that the FA is undermining the game - which used to bring the curtain down on the English football season.

The floodlights will come into play for the first time in 19 years — the last being Arsenal's 1993 replay clash with Sheffield Wednesday on a Thursday night after a drawn Saturday match.

Chelsea have prevailed in the FA Cup three times since then, bagging the title in 2007, 2009 and 2010.

Liverpool booked their first FA Cup Final appearance in six years with a 2-1 win over Everton on Saturday, while Chelsea triumphed with a controversial 5-1 victory over Tottenham in the second semi-final yesterday.

They have never met in the final before despite making a total of 43 semi-final appearances between them.

Twitter erupted with criticism directed at the FA over the timing of the final.

Chris Steers wrote: “I'm not sure on what planet the FA think that a 5.15 Kick Off for the Cup Final is a good idea.”

TD Margaret added: “The FA Cup is becoming less and less special. Semi finals at Wembley and now the Final at 5.15 PM.”

Ross Chapman tweeted: “The FA Cup final is on 5/5 and the kick off is at 5:15” Why? It's tradition that the FA Cup final ko's at 15:00."

Mark Donovan said: “The FA: Pillaging another tradition. FA Cup final KO at 5:15. Absolute farce of an organisation.”

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4260025/FA-Cup-final-to-kick-off-at-515pm.html

Should kick it off later tbh

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Fa cup :rose:

All about money for the fa nout else. its a joke now and even playing the Semi's and Wembley showed how much its valued.

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

Liverpool supporters traveling to Wembley for the FA Cup final on 5 May face more transport misery after it emerged only three trains will run between Merseyside and London on the day. Scheduled engineering work between Crewe and Warrington has prompted Virgin Trains to cancel the majority of its Lime Street to London Euston services on the day. All three of the services that are running leave before 0800 BST with the match due to kick-off at 1715.

But hey, at least they'll get half a million off the Wembley debt.

[Marc Overmars]

The final not kicking off at 3pm was the next stage in the butchering of this competition.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Its demise was initiated when they urged Man Utd not to defend the trophy in 2000, been a slow process of ruining its credibility ever since then.

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Durham ripping into Arry/Parker/spuds

:haha:

[WMUG]

Its demise was initiated when they urged Man Utd not to defend the trophy in 2000, been a slow process of ruining its credibility ever since then.

Dafuq? :blink:

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

Dafuq? :blink:
So they could play in the prestigious Club World Cup.

Turns out they were crap in it anyway.

[Cripps_orig]

Dafuq? :blink:What part dont you get?

[Marc Overmars]

It was a political decision because the FA thought it would aid their bid for the 2006 World Cup.

That went well. :lol:

Also, the competition only lasts for what, 10 days? No reason why they couldn't have played their 3rd round match when they got back.

The FA. :doh:

[Olivier's xmas twist]

It was a political decision because the FA thought it would aid their bid for the 2006 World Cup.

That went well. :lol:

Also, the competition only lasts for what, 10 days? No reason why they couldn't have played their 3rd round match when they got back.
The FA. :doh:

Yep Barca did that. Played in the cup before they went and others caught up while they were in the WCC. Once they came back they went back into the next round of the cup.

[Letters]

I don't think that was a big factor in its demise.
The rise and rise of the CL has been a bigger factor. Finishing top 4 is now more important for clubs (if not fans) than winning it.

[Master Splinter]

When your country's football association and it's biggest and most successful club is endorsing rejection of the self-styled 'greatest cup competition in the world,' it can probably be called gross undermining.

[Letters]

Well yeah, but it was a one off.

The rise of the CL, and the rise and rise of the Sky money for finishing further up the table, means year on year it's become more important for a club to finish further up the table than win the FA Cup.

[Marc Overmars]

Read on the FA website the prize money for the winners is 1.8m.

You get that for winning 2 or 3 CL group games. :lol:

[Cripps_orig]

Phil Dowd is the referee :lol:

[Olivier's xmas twist]

Read on the FA website the prize money for the winners is 1.8m.

You get that for winning 2 or 3 CL group games. :lol:

This is why Clubs Prefer to get that CL spot, its all about the money these days.

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

Just over 25k tickets for each team. (I presume, Chelsea haven't released their allocation yet)

For a 90k seater stadium.

Sums up the FA Cup, really.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

The build-up starts in earnest now. :popcorn:

---------------------------------------

The FA Cup Final with Budweiser

Saturday, 5 May 2012
Chelsea v Liverpool, 17:15.

[Syn]

Budweiser :bow:

Best beer around.

The king of beers, you might say.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

I'd say it's shit.

[Rors]

Of the Prem teams involved this season, it's only really Wigan who you could justifiably say "threw the Cup" this year. 19/20 is still not the 20 it should be, but moving back in the right direction. Now if we could just move the semi-finals from Wembley, get the match to kick-off at 3:00 on the Saturday after the league season finishes (particularly tricky now I know), and of course get the No Football To Ever Be Shown On ITV And/Or ESPN Ever Again Act 2012 passes, then I think we're set.

[Rors]

Oh, and don't put the lyrics to 'Abide With Me' on seats before the final. Everyone used to know them back in the day...

[Rors]

At least we haven't had to endure the Budweiser "added time multi-ball" advert. Yet.

[Marc Overmars]

Budweiser :bow:

Best beer around.

The king of beers, you might say.

Peroni, imho.

[Syn]

Peroni, imho.

A fine choice.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Of the Prem teams involved this season, it's only really Wigan who you could justifiably say "threw the Cup" this year. 19/20 is still not the 20 it should be, but moving back in the right direction. Now if we could just move the semi-finals from Wembley, get the match to kick-off at 3:00 on the Saturday after the league season finishes (particularly tricky now I know), and of course get the No Football To Ever Be Shown On ITV And/Or ESPN Ever Again Act 2012 passes, then I think we're set.

That would be good but we'd need a different organisation to usurp the FA.

[Marc Overmars]

I'm going to miss the game and I'm not really bothered to be honest. Even if Arsenal weren't involved in finals back in the day, I'd still watch a portion of the build up from lunchtime onwards. That's what cup final days were all about, it would transcend the neutral and even bring in casual viewers.

Everything Rors says above needs to happen to restore some normality. Although I fear with the pittance of prize money on offer, compared to the allure of Europe, it is destined to be nothing more than a day out for the fans involved and a non-event for those not.

It's a great competition and I'd love to win it again but I feel as though it's had a holocaust in recent years.

[Cripps_orig]

Aint seen a final in its entirety since 2005

FA Cup is truly dead for me

Wont watch this one either

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

Of the Prem teams involved this season, it's only really Wigan who you could justifiably say "threw the Cup" this year. 19/20 is still not the 20 it should be, but moving back in the right direction. Now if we could just move the semi-finals from Wembley, get the match to kick-off at 3:00 on the Saturday after the league season finishes (particularly tricky now I know), and of course get the No Football To Ever Be Shown On ITV And/Or ESPN Ever Again Act 2012 passes, then I think we're set.
:gp:

I think the only way the FA Cup will regain any reputation though is by reducing the PL-CL places to the top 3, and add the winner of the FA Cup.

[Cripps_orig]

FA Cup winners in to the CL

So in the last decade or so, we'd have seen the likes of Millwall, Southampton, West Ham, Portsmouth in the CL if that was the case.

Fair enough only one of them won the Cup but the others all reached finals and got in to europe cos the teams that beat them were already in the CL.

Yeah cant see it working

[Coney]

Budweiser :bow:

Best beer around.

The king of beers, you might say.

Budweiser, the king of beers? You jest.

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

Didn't say it would work, just that in today's game probably the only way to restore any sort of reputation (bar giving huge prize money) would be to give it a CL place.

Otherwise it will continue to be sidelined and downgraded.

[Syn]

Budweiser, the king of beers? You jest.

I do.

Everyone knows it's Kronenberg.

Of course there are better but I am not able to purchase super quality.

[Cripps_orig]

If anything, CL places in the league should be decreased to reignite the FA cup again.

When you have managers saying 4th is a trophy (fair enough, only one has said that and what a dumbass he is) and they would prefer finishing top 4 than winning the cup, that devalues it.

Have 3rd/4th be in Europa League along with the Cup winners and trust me, most managers would rather woin the cup and be in the Europa League than through their league positions

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

The way Platini wants it the entire top half will qualify for the CL and the bottom half the Europa League.

Then the Cup Winners can qualify for some other trophy, I don't know, let's call it the Cup Winners' Cup.

I think it will work.

[Syn]

I don't think the winners of the FA Cup should get CL football because winning the FA Cup isn't a good signal of quality. If games were two-legged like the CL knockouts, then it would be a better measure of quality but obviously nobody will want to touch that.

I would be in favour of 1st+2nd in CL, 3rd+4th in UEFA. I think that's quite fair and the UEFA cup will get more interest.

The FA Cup is fine. Teams do try hard to win it - and every team would love to be in the final. Arsenal fans (including myself) had been rubbishing the Carling Cup for years..got to the final last year and everyone was excited. It's just one of those - if your team's in it, you give a shit.

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

I don't think the winners of the FA Cup should get CL football because winning the FA Cup isn't a good signal of quality. If games were two-legged like the CL knockouts, then it would be a better measure of quality but obviously nobody will want to touch that.

I would be in favour of 1st+2nd in CL, 3rd+4th in UEFA. I think that's quite fair and the UEFA cup will get more interest.

The FA Cup is fine. Teams do try hard to win it - and every team would love to be in the final. Arsenal fans (including myself) had been rubbishing the Carling Cup for years..got to the final last year and everyone was excited. It's just one of those - if your team's in it, you give a shit.
I'm not necessarily advocating it but the FA have to do their bit in making it an event again.

And it definitely doesn't have anything to do with being in the final and a few miles away from 4th place :ninja:

[Rors]

Despite not exactly having much of a soft spot for either side (it's 2007 all over again), I'm very much looking forward to this one. I don't foresee a 4-4, but there will at least be plenty of incident. Liverpool could just pinch it I reckon, possibly after extra-time.Chelsea will certainly be flagging a bit if it gets that far. Please though, not decided by pels this time. Sick of them for the time being!

[Rors]

--

The issue with the presentation of the final is the main one I think. I remember as late as the early 90s, it was an event to turn on BBC1 at 12:10 and see Des (and Venners and Hill, but moving swiftly on) there in that box over Wembley running through the itinerary of everything they had lined up for the next three hours before the game. Apart from the Cup FInal, any live match broadcasts would only begin barely five minutes before kick-off, so the Cup was something different. You'd get stuff like 'Meet the players', 'Goals From the Rounds', Fantasy Football specials, Andy Gray pretending to play the piano (yes).You'd want to see them all, because as a TV viewer you didn't really get that attention anywhere else throughout the season.

That sort of thing is now redundant when:
it's all available at the click of the button, and everyone but the most casual of casuals knows who the players are these days anyway.
Even mid-ranking Prem games now have an hour of build-up with time for vignettes where Grant Holt buys a pint of milk.

So ESPN's coverage starting at 9am today is both grudgingly admirable and utterly ridiculous.

[Master Splinter]

Even mid-ranking Prem games now have an hour of build-up with time for vignettes where Grant Holt buys a pint of milk.

I missed this. :(

Seriously though, I was going to post something similar when I noticed the build-up programme on ITV1. Everything Chiles and Southgate will mind-numbingly pore over is not only available in more detail through a quick click on even the lowest-rent football websites, the fact that you have to sit through it with this standard of chump makes it all the more worthless. Realising once again that it now takes place on the same day as other big fixtures and not even at 15:00 just makes you long for 2001 again.

Or maybe not. Fucking Lil' Mickey.

Liverpool will probably win on pels. Again.

[Ernesto]

I think when Sky Sports used to have the FA Cup Final, they'd start they build-up from waaaay early in the morning, wouldn't they? A cook-off between Gordon Ramsey and Ainsley Harriott, one being Chelsea, the other Arsenal. Soccer AM Special. A few interviews with wrestlers, of all things (they had to sew together FOUR Arsenal shirts to make one big enough to fit the Big Show as he faced off with Bradshaw donning the Chelsea colours). A few more bits n bobs (perhaps to do with how often Arsenal and Chelsea had played in the final). Someone mentions Ricky Villa. A few fans' predictions. Then the kig kick-off. And that was only 10 years ago.

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

If LFC win FA Cup it would be Dalglish's 28th major honour at club. CFC have won 22 trophies in their history. :lol:


As usual, I'd quite like to win this one.

[Master Splinter]

Torres dropped :lol:.

Bellamy starts for Liverpool.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Big Man, Ash, Dids and Lampsy all starting.

[Rors]

Spearing.

Spearing.

[Niall_Quinn]

Big Man, Ash, Dids and Lampsy all starting.

Team picks itself really.

No honestly, team picks itself. Manager can't get a look-in.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Big Man. :bow:

As he said himself:


“The fact I would create history is obviously something very special but probably something I will look back on in time. You tend to appreciate personal and collective success more when you have finished playing."

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, Cole, Ramires, Mikel, Lampard, Kalou, Drogba, Mata.
Subs: Turnbull, Essien, Torres, Malouda, Meireles, Ferreira, Sturridge.

Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Jose Enrique, Spearing, Henderson, Downing, Gerrard, Bellamy, Suarez.
Subs: Doni, Carroll, Maxi, Kuyt, Carragher, Shelvey, Kelly.

Referee: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire)

[McNamara That Ghost...]

What the hell is this?

[Rors]

'Abide With Me' :bow:

[Ernesto]

'Abide With Me' :bow:

:goodpost:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

I don't think those Chelsea supporters know the words.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Big Man fuck-up please. :pray:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Jimmy Armfield.

:bow:

[Rors]

Jimmy 'what happened was..' Armfield in attendance.

[Rors]

Alright Clive alright....!!

[Gubby Allen]

Fucking opera

[Rors]

"Suarez gets in between your legs"?
"Drogba is a lovable lump"?

Clive has lost it

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Graham Norton was inside Drogba? :unsure:

[Gubby Allen]

Each year they manage to find an even worst rendition of Abide With Me. Gone are the days it was sung normally, just some bint gargling her way through it making every word illegible.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Big Didier goes for glory very early on.

[Rors]

Big Didier goes for glory very early on.

And came some way short finding it...

Townsend giving Stevie M a +1 nice and early...

[Rors]

Andy Burnham ‏ @andyburnhammp (https://twitter.com/#!/andyburnhammp)
Saha's record is safe for another year.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Kalou. :lol:

Only a few weeks until we are hotly linked with him again.

[Rors]

ITV camera work at its very best there....

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Cech. :haha:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool, Ramires. Athlete-ball supreme.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Spearing and Jose Enrique. :lol:

[Rors]

Spearing :doh:

Reina :blink:

[Syn]

Reina :blink:

That's unusual for him.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Bellamy shot, Ivanovic blocks.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Another assist from Mata incidentally. :sick:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Ah there it is, Stevie Me's Hollywood ball.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Jose Enrique. :haha:

That was awful.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Henderson tamely gives it away, again.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Honest Frank goes for glory.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Liverpool's midfield has the passing ability of an ant.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Skrtel offside from a freekick. :lol: Shite from Stevie Me anyway.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Mikel gives Stevie Me a good kicking. And booked for it.