FA Cup third round (and onward) 2006

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And it's all a bit boring so far. Arsenal comfortably 2-0. Villa winning as well and I still can't quite grasp the fact that Wigan are viewed as the superior team to Leeds. Talk amongst yourselves.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Saturday, 7 January 2006 13:54 (twenty years ago)

I was going to start this thread, but I had nothing to say thus far. Hull denied a penalty against Villa and Angel (wrongly, I think) having a goal disallowed shortly before that was about as good as it got (apart from horrific mispronunciation of Falkirk when discussing the possible signing of Darryl Duffy). Then I got so bored I went off to make some lunch instead. Bring on the good games...

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 7 January 2006 14:11 (twenty years ago)

Bristol Rovers have the afternoon off, what with concentrating on the league (again) this season. I'm sort of watching Hull-Villa, but without it really grabbing my interest or attention.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Saturday, 7 January 2006 14:15 (twenty years ago)

Haha, Scunthorpe have just taken the lead against Man City and Jeff Stelling has just about exploded.

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 7 January 2006 15:22 (twenty years ago)

Huddersfield equalise against Chelsea! Finally something interesting happens!

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 7 January 2006 16:34 (twenty years ago)

well, that didn't last long.

― pompe vers le haut du volume (haitch), Saturday, 7 January 2006 16:42 (twenty years ago)

Nah, but it was good while it lasted :)

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 7 January 2006 16:44 (twenty years ago)

oh hello, penalty to nuneaton against boro!

― pompe vers le haut du volume (haitch), Saturday, 7 January 2006 16:47 (twenty years ago)

Nuneaton have a penalty against Middlesbrough - and they've equalised!

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 7 January 2006 16:47 (twenty years ago)

St Johnstone out to Gretna, Livi get last minute equaliser.

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 7 January 2006 16:49 (twenty years ago)

(wrong thread, sorry, that was meant for the Scottish football thread)

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 7 January 2006 16:50 (twenty years ago)

also torquay have drawn with birmingham! roffles.

― pompe vers le haut du volume (haitch), Saturday, 7 January 2006 16:50 (twenty years ago)

Surely they've gotta sack that ugly no-mark Bruce now. The Hull match was pretty shit, nobody should be that outclassed by the Villa. Wolves sneak thru, great, another pointless Cup run is just what we need.

― Excelsior Syndrum (noodle vague), Saturday, 7 January 2006 17:03 (twenty years ago)

Any reason Chris Sutton wasn't playing for Birmingham?

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 7 January 2006 17:15 (twenty years ago)

Roffle at old footage of Motty in a health spa! Apparently 17 years ago, though neither him nor Mike Newell appear to have aged at all since then. Perhaps the treatment worked.

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 7 January 2006 17:29 (twenty years ago)

Re Chris Sutton: perhaps they figure that after years of Scottish football, he needs some time to adjust before playing him against a team as good as Torquay?

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Saturday, 7 January 2006 17:35 (twenty years ago)

*clutches sides*

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 7 January 2006 17:36 (twenty years ago)

That was some goal.

― MitchellStirling (MitchellStirling), Saturday, 7 January 2006 17:48 (twenty years ago)

16 goals for Gerrard this season. Can we get odds on Lampard and Gerrard getting 5+ goals in Germany?

― MitchellStirling (MitchellStirling), Saturday, 7 January 2006 17:49 (twenty years ago)

Despite all their claims, I'm not convinced that was anything other than a mis-hit cross by Gerrard there.

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Saturday, 7 January 2006 17:59 (twenty years ago)

Whereas that was an excellent equaliser.

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 7 January 2006 18:03 (twenty years ago)

They do deserve that. Liverpool defence not looking quite as solid as normal tonight.

― MitchellStirling (MitchellStirling), Saturday, 7 January 2006 18:04 (twenty years ago)

Can't help thinking a more experienced keeper would be helping just now, the Liverpool defence look all over the place.

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 7 January 2006 18:06 (twenty years ago)

Good grief!

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Saturday, 7 January 2006 18:16 (twenty years ago)

Luton Town > teh Champions of Europe!

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 7 January 2006 18:16 (twenty years ago)

WHO ARE YA :-)

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Saturday, 7 January 2006 18:17 (twenty years ago)

Desperate defending here. Liverpool are SCARED!

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 7 January 2006 18:19 (twenty years ago)

can anyone confirm was Motty wearing a Sheepskin Coat today?

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Saturday, 7 January 2006 18:21 (twenty years ago)

Controversial penalty alert!

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 7 January 2006 18:39 (twenty years ago)

And Cisse (no French goats on this thread, oops) misses!

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 7 January 2006 18:40 (twenty years ago)

I wasn't going to bother watching this. Berr-Zerk.

― MitchellStirling (MitchellStirling), Saturday, 7 January 2006 18:41 (twenty years ago)

Carson should have been off there! Penalty!

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 7 January 2006 18:43 (twenty years ago)

And Luton go 3-1 up!

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 7 January 2006 18:43 (twenty years ago)

blimey

― Ed (dali), Saturday, 7 January 2006 18:43 (twenty years ago)

Best. Cuptie. Evah!

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 7 January 2006 18:43 (twenty years ago)

If they can't haul back from 3-1 against a Championship team, having come back from 3-0 in CL Final, then, erm... oh piss off Motty, stealing my thoughts...

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 7 January 2006 18:44 (twenty years ago)

Also, Michael Jones to thread.

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 7 January 2006 18:45 (twenty years ago)

Pongolle makes it 3-2...

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 7 January 2006 18:53 (twenty years ago)

Oh, come on, Xabi Alonso from about a billion yards out...

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 7 January 2006 18:59 (twenty years ago)

That was a bit special!

― Davel (Davel), Saturday, 7 January 2006 19:00 (twenty years ago)

I can see Liverpool winning this about 6-3 now. Poor Luton :(

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 7 January 2006 19:00 (twenty years ago)

Ditto

― MitchellStirling (MitchellStirling), Saturday, 7 January 2006 19:04 (twenty years ago)

How does this mirror what happened in Istanbul, Motty, you arse? "this mirrors what happened in Istanbul, except that night they didn't score four and it went to penalties"

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 7 January 2006 19:04 (twenty years ago)

HAHAHA, Liverpool fans "3-1, and you fucked it up"

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 7 January 2006 19:06 (twenty years ago)

blimey again

― Ed (dali), Saturday, 7 January 2006 19:24 (twenty years ago)

Like Alonso hadn't scored from far enough out the last time...

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 7 January 2006 19:24 (twenty years ago)

That is one of the best cup games I've seen for a very long time Beckham/Nayim eat your hearts out.

Well done both teams.

― MitchellStirling (MitchellStirling), Saturday, 7 January 2006 19:25 (twenty years ago)

That was rubbish. I want my money back.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Saturday, 7 January 2006 19:26 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, sorry Mike, did I jinx it?

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 7 January 2006 19:28 (twenty years ago)

Haha, Steven Gerrard just fell over "I hope this isn't on the telly"

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 7 January 2006 19:29 (twenty years ago)

No, Ava jinxed it by having a poo at 56min. Cinema-Pogo scored while I was changing her. It was like Novotna-Graf '93 all over again.

Ha ha, Stevie G just fell over in the post-match interview.

xpost!

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Saturday, 7 January 2006 19:31 (twenty years ago)

I would have preferred it if LFC had won a tedious 1-0.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Saturday, 7 January 2006 19:43 (twenty years ago)

So would I.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Saturday, 7 January 2006 19:48 (twenty years ago)

That last goal was the icing on the cake, I felt so sorry for Luton, but I haven't laughed like that for a long time!

― Vicky (Vicky), Saturday, 7 January 2006 20:22 (twenty years ago)

It was extremely funny. I enjoyed winding my housemate (the Liverpool-supporting Jarlr'mai) up no end throughout that game, particularly for that second goal where Carragher was SKINNED. Cracking.

― Matt (Matt), Saturday, 7 January 2006 20:47 (twenty years ago)

I believe Tottenham are playing tomorrow Matt.....

― Porkpie (porkpie), Sunday, 8 January 2006 00:06 (twenty years ago)

Why yes, yes we are.

I fear it may all go "a bit Grimsby"

― Matt (Matt), Sunday, 8 January 2006 00:09 (twenty years ago)

There hasn't been a proper cup upset yet. I have TEH FEAR!

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Sunday, 8 January 2006 13:15 (twenty years ago)

Congratulations to Clyde's supporter on blah, blah, blah... (and to Roy Keane)

― Teh HoBB (the pirate king), Sunday, 8 January 2006 15:37 (twenty years ago)

First Premiership scalp, and it's Fulham - Orient beat them 2-1 at Craven Cottage.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Sunday, 8 January 2006 16:03 (twenty years ago)

Roy Keane was pish, but not as pish as Du Wei.

Congratulations to Clyde's supporter on blah, blah, blah...

Bollocks to that, I'm married to him. And, yes, he's smug.

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 8 January 2006 16:53 (twenty years ago)

Still 0-0 at Burton.

― MitchellStirling (MitchellStirling), Sunday, 8 January 2006 17:51 (twenty years ago)

Fuck me it's finished goalless.

― MitchellStirling (MitchellStirling), Sunday, 8 January 2006 17:52 (twenty years ago)

Gosh.

― Teh HoBB (the pirate king), Sunday, 8 January 2006 17:59 (twenty years ago)

I have to say, message for SGE - Rooney alone will not win games.

You will also need players who stuggle against players of Trinidadian quality like Stevie Me.

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Sunday, 8 January 2006 18:07 (twenty years ago)

Tottenham certainly playing a lot better then the time Southampton shit on them in the 3rd round. Don't have to use much imagination to see them do well this year, draw permitting.

― MitchellStirling (MitchellStirling), Sunday, 8 January 2006 19:13 (twenty years ago)

Haha

Alan Shearer has just slagged off Jermaine Jenas for scoring a "tap in". Because all his goals have been 30yd screamers, obviously.

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Sunday, 8 January 2006 19:29 (twenty years ago)

On MOTD Lineker reports that one Liverpudlian won £25,000 thanks to Alonso's goal scored from inside his own half (he bet that Alonso would score this way at some point this season).

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Sunday, 8 January 2006 19:31 (twenty years ago)

I won't mention it's SPL rejects that are holding the 4th side in the 'best league in the world' at bay.

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Sunday, 8 January 2006 19:50 (twenty years ago)

Holding? Ha!

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Sunday, 8 January 2006 20:20 (twenty years ago)

I love the FA cup! Two premiership sides out in the third round?

― Vicky (Vicky), Sunday, 8 January 2006 20:20 (twenty years ago)

Champions League spot concentration imminent for Spurs.

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Sunday, 8 January 2006 20:21 (twenty years ago)

This is why I love the F.A. Cup, I never considered turning the TV off when it was 2-0. That was offside to be fair though.

― MitchellStirling (MitchellStirling), Sunday, 8 January 2006 20:23 (twenty years ago)

Arse.

― Masked Gazza, Sunday, 8 January 2006 20:23 (twenty years ago)

yeah it did look a bit blatant...need to see again

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Sunday, 8 January 2006 20:23 (twenty years ago)

Blimey. Romance of the cup, etc.

― Teh HoBB (the pirate king), Sunday, 8 January 2006 20:28 (twenty years ago)

Fuck. I really thought we stood a chance of winning it this year.

Oh well, at least we can concentrate blah blah blah...

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Sunday, 8 January 2006 20:28 (twenty years ago)

Good call by Mr. Linesman, was level and benefit of the doubt to the forward.

― MitchellStirling (MitchellStirling), Sunday, 8 January 2006 20:29 (twenty years ago)

Spurs!

Special mention for Ian Wright and Alan Hansen's post-match analysis after the Liverpool game. It was like a couple of blokes in a pub overjoyed at how brilliant football can be. 0-1. 3-1. 3-5. Penalties. Gerrard berating Alonso for scoring from midway inside his own half and then falling over in the interview. Motson talking excited nonsense. etc etc

― Mikey G (Mikey G), Monday, 9 January 2006 09:14 (twenty years ago)

Once again I found myself screaming at the dimwits the BBC insists on paying wheelbarrows full of cash to talk crap before, during and after games.

Alan Shearer came out with the following, highly insightful, summing up of the match:

"Well, Leicester done all the ugly things in football well, and they've put it through the middle for the big man all right."

Which was well worth him coming along. Why do TV execs think the only people qualified to talk about the game are ex-pros? The obvious exception is the commentators, possibly the most important job of all and one that is never trusted to a gormless idiot like Shearer. So why are so many other positions given over to their inane ramblings?

And why don't players get asked awkward questions in the tunnel after a game? It's all "Well done, how do you feel", the kind of crap that Sally Gunnel has turned into an art form.

― Hello Sunshine (Hello Sunshine), Monday, 9 January 2006 09:27 (twenty years ago)

Man U : helping out the poorer relations since 2004.

Assclowns.

― Geezers of Nazareth, Monday, 9 January 2006 10:42 (twenty years ago)

And why don't players get asked awkward questions in the tunnel after a game?

Presumably if they had it their way the players wouldn't bother talking after the game at all, given how knackered and desperate for a shower they must be, let alone how inarticulate the majority tend to be.

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Monday, 9 January 2006 11:09 (twenty years ago)

when is the fourth round draw?

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Monday, 9 January 2006 11:15 (twenty years ago)

1pm?

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Monday, 9 January 2006 11:18 (twenty years ago)

Actually, 1.30pm.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Monday, 9 January 2006 11:19 (twenty years ago)

Classic stuff from Spurs. What is Rasiak for? The spirit of the big useless lump is alive and well at White Hart Lane.

― Dr.C (Dr.C), Monday, 9 January 2006 11:22 (twenty years ago)

I hope for football's sake that we (cfc) don't draw liverpool.

― Pete W (peterw), Monday, 9 January 2006 11:22 (twenty years ago)

Arsenal-Liverpool
Millwall/Everton-Cheltenham/Chester

...would do. Now watch the very opposite happen (or us lose the replay; 20 goal attempts on Saturday! We've found our level, clearly).

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Monday, 9 January 2006 11:44 (twenty years ago)

Ooh, a Home draw against Burton Albion, that'll make a nice local derby.

― Excelsior Syndrum (noodle vague), Monday, 9 January 2006 13:41 (twenty years ago)

Stoke City/Tamworth v Barnsley/Walsall
Cheltenham Town/Chester City v Newcastle United

Coventry v Nuneaton Borough/Middlesbrough

West Brom/Reading v Torquay/Birmingham

Portsmouth v Liverpool

Leicester v Southampton

Bolton v Arsenal

Aston Villa v Port Vale

Brentford v Sunderland

Manchester City v Wigan/Leeds

Millwall/Everton v Chelsea

Preston v Crystal Palace

West Ham v Blackburn

Colchester v Derby

Charlton v Leyton Orient

Wolves v Burton/Manchester United

― Mooro (Mooro), Monday, 9 January 2006 13:42 (twenty years ago)

A draw to warm the cockles of the hearts of both Cabbage and M. Jones.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Monday, 9 January 2006 13:44 (twenty years ago)

Chris is going to have to watch it with the sound off

― Vicky (Vicky), Monday, 9 January 2006 13:46 (twenty years ago)

i can see Tamworth muddling through to the fifth round.

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Monday, 9 January 2006 13:53 (twenty years ago)

This has cheered me up hugely. The only time I ever want Bolton to win is when they play Arsenal and they duly oblige every time.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 9 January 2006 13:55 (twenty years ago)

One season, perhaps, David Moyes will get to sample the thrill of an Everton Cup run, as I did a few times in my youth. But not this season.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Monday, 9 January 2006 14:11 (twenty years ago)

Presuming the Mancs get past Burton, Wolves away has upset written in small-type, lower case letters partially over it.

― Matt (Matt), Monday, 9 January 2006 14:20 (twenty years ago)

Do you reckon Orient can do it again? Another short trip across town to Premiership underachievers.

― Teh HoBB (the pirate king), Monday, 9 January 2006 16:33 (twenty years ago)

After my experience of the last Millwall-Chelsea game in 95, I really hope Everton go through here.

― Pete W (peterw), Monday, 9 January 2006 16:35 (twenty years ago)

xpost are leyton playing chelsea then?

― ken c (ken c), Monday, 9 January 2006 16:52 (twenty years ago)

two weeks pass...

Everton take Chelsea to a replay!
Arsenal OUT to Bolton!
Sunderland OUT to Brentford!

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 28 January 2006 19:40 (twenty years ago)

HAHAHA, Liverpool fans "3-1, and you fucked it up"

*is glad Dundee United fans aren't smart enough to think of that*

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 28 January 2006 19:46 (twenty years ago)

bah just when it looked like 'taking out' Campo ws gonna work :-(

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Saturday, 28 January 2006 20:10 (twenty years ago)

I quite like Bolton. The Arsenal player should have been sent off. He'll never make the grade at Highbury if he can't manage to get him self a red card.

― jel -- (jel), Saturday, 28 January 2006 20:25 (twenty years ago)

I am not convinced Brentford beating Sunderland counts as a shock. I guess it is still a giantkilling on the size and history of the clubs, but on that basis Wigan vs Wolves or Nottingham Forest even would have to count as one too.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Saturday, 28 January 2006 21:18 (twenty years ago)

But Sunderland have always been bigger than Brentford. Colchester beating Derby is a bona fide shockah too.

― Teh HoBB (the pirate king), Saturday, 28 January 2006 21:23 (twenty years ago)

Jeff Stelling called the Colchester-Derby result a "giantkilling", I raised my eyebrows at that one

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Saturday, 28 January 2006 21:29 (twenty years ago)

Brentford and Sunderland could well be playing in the same division next year.

― theantmustdance (theantmustdance), Saturday, 28 January 2006 21:38 (twenty years ago)

That was great - open, attacking game, end-to-end stuff, fantastic atmosphere, four good goals. Would have been nice if Wolves had got one, and I have to admit to feeling a bit sorry for Paul Ince.

― Teh HoBB (the pirate king), Sunday, 29 January 2006 18:03 (twenty years ago)

god i am beginning to understand Cabbage's vitriol re the Portsmouth bells bloke. BBC sound constantly picking up his incessant tinkling.

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Sunday, 29 January 2006 19:10 (twenty years ago)

Wolves actually played better tonight than the last couple of times I've seen them win on Sky. The gulf in class was way too much, and Lee Naylor's continued presence is inexplicable, but it was a good cup match that.

― Madam, I Am Not a Doctor (noodle vague), Sunday, 29 January 2006 19:18 (twenty years ago)

Liverpool played shite - and still went through... nice

Maybe I'll get through the rest of the season without having to hear that cunting twat with the bell...

and then of course next season.....

― Porkpie (porkpie), Sunday, 29 January 2006 21:52 (twenty years ago)

except, oh look, last game of the season......

― Porkpie (porkpie), Sunday, 29 January 2006 21:53 (twenty years ago)

Last 20 minutes were pretty hairy there weren't they? At least we're through - onward and upward and all that.

― Cracks (Crackity), Sunday, 29 January 2006 22:00 (twenty years ago)

I know, a feature this season has been a hairy last twenty minutes of quite a few games, it shouldn't happen really but hey, we went through, and at the expense of Pompey, always a good thing.

― Porkpie (porkpie), Sunday, 29 January 2006 22:04 (twenty years ago)

I did not hear the bell. Am I going deaf?

Come on, Villa!

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Monday, 30 January 2006 08:51 (twenty years ago)

Fourth round draw, hmmm, need a "big game" to drum up excitement?

Preston/Crystal Palace v Coventry/Middlesbrough
Newcastle v Southampton
Aston Villa v Manchester City
Everton/Chelsea v Colchester
Charlton v Brentford
Liverpool v Manchester United
Bolton v West Ham
Stoke v Reading/Birmingham

― ailsa (ailsa), Monday, 30 January 2006 22:24 (twenty years ago)

I predict a riot.

― Teh HoBB (the pirate king), Monday, 30 January 2006 22:29 (twenty years ago)

two weeks pass...

Less than two hours till kick-off.

Dream scenario: Gary Neville scores the winner in the last minute and repeats his celebrations of last month.

Nightmare scenario: Robbie Fowler scores a hat-trick, runs to the United fans, and celebrates by simultaneously smacking his head, snorting the goal line and pointing at his bum.

― Tehrannosaurus HoBB (the pirate king), Saturday, 18 February 2006 10:33 (twenty years ago)

Goalless yawn-fest, possibly.

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 18 February 2006 10:40 (twenty years ago)

The Guardian has a big artcile about how scouser hate Neville and vice versa. This is further evidence of slipping standards at the Guardian, I think. There is also a full page news story about The Streets, and more Big Brother guff about "Preston".

Meanwhile David Beckham has a bad back, but claims it has nothing to do with football because he wakes up with backache in the morning and he doesn't play football at night.

Reading lost.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Saturday, 18 February 2006 10:46 (twenty years ago)

Goalless yawn-fest, possibly.

If the two league games are anything to go by, yes. But Liverpool-Luton was an 8-goal thrillah, and United stuck 5 past Burton (eventually) and 3 past Wolves, so maybe, just maybe, this could be more entertaining.

― Tehrannosaurus HoBB (the pirate king), Saturday, 18 February 2006 10:52 (twenty years ago)

1-0 yawnfest.

Ronaldo is soft as shite.

Highlight so far: Lineker following RvN "never scored at Anfield" interview: "Come on Ruud, why the long face?"

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Saturday, 18 February 2006 13:27 (twenty years ago)

Did United have a shot on target in the whole game? Surprisingly toothless performance: I'm surprised Smith didn't start. How on earth did he get injured blocking the ball? Sureley even Riise doesn't hit it that hard.

Momo = MoM.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Saturday, 18 February 2006 14:36 (twenty years ago)

Watching Alan smith turn blue made me feel sick, poor love

― Vicky (Vicky), Saturday, 18 February 2006 14:40 (twenty years ago)

Ronaldo had a soft as shite shot on target near the end. Nothing else apart from Ruud's 2 off-side efforts. Powderpuff midfield, if you could even call it that.

I think Smith landed on his ankle and turned it over. Either broke his ankle or dislocated his foot. I hate those moments when everyone goes nuts trying to get trainers on then walks away all pale faced and shocked looking. Makes me queezy.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Saturday, 18 February 2006 14:42 (twenty years ago)

Well done, Peter Crouch.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Saturday, 18 February 2006 14:43 (twenty years ago)

Man U were dismally bad - I know they are in a mess in the middle, but there is still enough talent going forward to offer more threat, even to a very good Liverpool team who defended really well. Is it me, or do Man U need to be buying a whole new midfield this summer?

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Saturday, 18 February 2006 14:44 (twenty years ago)

and gives me flashbacks to this

(don't click if you're squeamish about legs pointing the wrong way)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/480000/images/_481866_larsson300.jpg

xposting myself

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Saturday, 18 February 2006 14:45 (twenty years ago)

You need to be buying a new midriff, Martin.

Boom, boom!

Forgive me, I am at work.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Saturday, 18 February 2006 14:45 (twenty years ago)

Very limp United performance. Liverpool were very effective at closing them down, and bossed most of the game. If they had proper strikers they could have won that by three or four. Giggs had the only proper United shot in the 90 minutes - you felt even with 45 minutes of injury time they still wouldn't hit the target.

Is it me, or do Man U need to be buying a whole new midfield this summer?

Ferguson seems to have ended up with nothing but wingers: Park, Giggs, Fletcher, Ronaldo, Richardson. Just one ball-winning central midfielder would be handy.

― Tehrannosaurus HoBB (the pirate king), Saturday, 18 February 2006 14:48 (twenty years ago)

best thing of whole match = not having to listen to Andy "tikaboo son" Grey during any of it.

― Porkpie (porkpie), Saturday, 18 February 2006 14:57 (twenty years ago)

Now they can concentrate even more on finishing second in the league or something.

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Saturday, 18 February 2006 15:05 (twenty years ago)

Liverpool were fantastic - special mentions for Gerrard, Carragher, Finnan, Crouch and Hamann. Sissoko put himself about as usual but was a bit wasteful in possession. Stevie Finnan really is one of the best right-backs in Europe. Superb performance all-round.

― Cracks (Crackity), Saturday, 18 February 2006 15:13 (twenty years ago)

Alan Smith has dislocated his ankle and broken his leg. He was given oxygen in the tunnel, and taken to hospital having lost consciousness.

It's my reaction to this kind of injury that really brings home the fact that, while I hate anyone with any connection to Leeds FC, I don't hate them that much. Get well soon.

― Mike W (caek), Saturday, 18 February 2006 16:09 (twenty years ago)

I'll second that. Horrible injury.

― Cracks (Crackity), Saturday, 18 February 2006 16:32 (twenty years ago)

Sissoko did give the ball away a little but god does he hassle players when they're on the ball, he had a great game. Hamann is just immense, so assured.

I agree if Liverpool had better strikers they'd have won 2 or 3 nil. Does anyone else think Yakubu would be a good signing?

Oh I agree about watching the game on BBC too, so much better with no ads and Lawro's dry jokes.

― Ronan (Ronan), Saturday, 18 February 2006 16:49 (twenty years ago)

Why wasn't Fowler playing? Cup-tied?

Yakubu would be a good signing for anyone, but I can imagine him and Crouch being particularly terrifying to play against.

― Mike W (caek), Saturday, 18 February 2006 17:07 (twenty years ago)

Cup-tied, yeah - he scored a hat-trick for Man C against Scunthorpe in the third round.

― Deluxe (Damian), Saturday, 18 February 2006 17:50 (twenty years ago)

I wiuld quite like Newcastle to win the whole thing now, If only for Alan Shearer to have a medal from the Geordies.

― MitchellStirling (MitchellStirling), Saturday, 18 February 2006 19:37 (twenty years ago)

The commentary team slightly overdoing the LOL LOOK AT DEXTER BLACKSTOCK PLUGGING AWAY IN GOAL angle there.

― Michael A Neuman (Ferg), Saturday, 18 February 2006 19:51 (twenty years ago)

How on earth did he get injured blocking the ball? Sureley even Riise doesn't hit it that hard.

I thought that too, but it wasn't the leg that blocked the shot that was broken, it was the one he landed on.

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 19 February 2006 10:00 (twenty years ago)

Vaguely interesting fact from yesterday's game:

Alan Smith went down injured and the game stopped with about 88 minutes gone. Play didn't re-start until about five minutes later, with the clock showing 93 or 94 minutes. At this point the tannoy announced there would be 7 minutes of added time, and Motson started saying 'oh my word! can that be right! we're going to play to the 100th minute!!!'. But the final whistle went shortly after, just short of 97 minutes, because obviously the board shows the time added on to the 90 (not to 93), even if they don't announce it till the 93rd minute.

― Tehrannosaurus HoBB (the pirate king), Sunday, 19 February 2006 15:34 (twenty years ago)

I was excited about the potential 100-minute clock factor, even before Motson mentioned it!

Bah, it never happened.

― the bellefox, Sunday, 19 February 2006 15:59 (twenty years ago)

Crisis averted!

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Sunday, 19 February 2006 16:03 (twenty years ago)

But .... can Sky mention Colchester beating Leeds more than 100 times this afternoon? I think that's at least 50 already.

― Si.C@rter (SiC@rter), Sunday, 19 February 2006 16:21 (twenty years ago)

I noticed that with the board too, and expected 100 minutes. But I guess it was the referee's fault. I was expecting it to go to 100 minutes, not that I minded when it didn't of course!

― Ronan (Ronan), Sunday, 19 February 2006 16:25 (twenty years ago)

CHELSEA LOSING TO COLCHESTER!!!!!

― Tehrannosaurus HoBB (the pirate king), Sunday, 19 February 2006 16:31 (twenty years ago)

Clinical finishing from Carvalho there.

I obviously expect Chelsea to win this still, but they've been rubbish so far. Perhaps they should try playing on grass.

― Si.C@rter (SiC@rter), Sunday, 19 February 2006 16:31 (twenty years ago)

I'm off to the cinema now, what terrible timing. Please let nothing else happen until full-time.

― Tehrannosaurus HoBB (the pirate king), Sunday, 19 February 2006 16:32 (twenty years ago)

1-1

― Ronan (Ronan), Sunday, 19 February 2006 16:41 (twenty years ago)

Oh, a pity that's not a final score as I vainly hoped.

Meanwhile, Spurs continue to sabotage their own season. It is only the ineptitude of others around us that has kept us secure in our implausible CL spot. The midfield is culpable: a lack of drive, leadership, someone to put their foot on the ball. So much for Davids, whom I never rated but who perhaps brought something earlier in the season. But perhaps this FA Cup thread is the wrong place for it, as we took the earliest opportunity to quit that contest.

― the pinefox, Sunday, 19 February 2006 16:49 (twenty years ago)

best season in years but still complaining ;)

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Sunday, 19 February 2006 17:01 (twenty years ago)

Bugger, I just put Carvalho in my fantasy league team, checked this thread, thought he'd scored for Chelsea, got excited, then realised.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Sunday, 19 February 2006 17:03 (twenty years ago)

Ah well, I have Joe Cole as well.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Sunday, 19 February 2006 18:02 (twenty years ago)

Er, Matt, FA Cup goals don't count for fantasy league...

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 19 February 2006 18:31 (twenty years ago)

They do in the Torygraph league I'm currently winning :)

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Sunday, 19 February 2006 18:36 (twenty years ago)

Oh, OK then. I forget there exists a world outside of ILX :/

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 19 February 2006 18:36 (twenty years ago)

Coo, Man City equalise in the 94th minute! Excitement! (after 93 minutes of tedium)

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 19 February 2006 20:24 (twenty years ago)

Richards just said 'fuckin' on live TV.

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Sunday, 19 February 2006 20:29 (twenty years ago)

Haha, Gary Lineker looked so "oh no, I have to apologise for that!" panic-stricken when they cut back to him there.

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 19 February 2006 20:30 (twenty years ago)

Fair enough, they deserved the equaliser but FUCKING HELL MARK WRIGHT WAS GETTING ON MY TITS

― Michael A Neuman (Ferg), Sunday, 19 February 2006 20:31 (twenty years ago)

watching the Chelsea highlights now - I don't think I've ever seen a worse looking pitch!

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Sunday, 19 February 2006 20:32 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, I watched it this afternoon in the pub and was shocked - don't they have a Champions League game to play on that on Tuesday?

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 19 February 2006 20:34 (twenty years ago)

(answer: no, they have one on Wednesday though)

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 19 February 2006 20:38 (twenty years ago)

Mark Bright. Yeah, he's a shit summariser - uber-critical and pompous, and talks far too much.

― Cracks (Crackity), Sunday, 19 February 2006 23:36 (twenty years ago)

Mark Bright needs firing if not just for laughing for a straight five seconds after Man City equalised. Needless to say, i'm a Villa fan.

― dmun drive-in (dmun), Sunday, 19 February 2006 23:46 (twenty years ago)

I was excited about the potential 100-minute clock factor, even before Motson mentioned it!
Bah, it never happened.

-- the bellefox (pinefo...), February 19th, 2006.

I remember the Bulgaria Vs. Mexico 2nd round game in 1994 went for 100 mins.

Bright is cack but I actually am always really pleased when Le Saux is on.

― MitchellStirling (MitchellStirling), Monday, 20 February 2006 03:46 (twenty years ago)

Alan Smith update: "When I looked down the leg was lying one way and my ankle was pointing towards Hong Kong".

― Mike W (caek), Monday, 20 February 2006 09:57 (twenty years ago)

Remarkable geographical knowledge under duress (unless Hong Kong is the new name of the East Stand).

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Monday, 20 February 2006 10:04 (twenty years ago)

Chelsea pitch actually not that bad - it looks terrible, but plays pretty true. SWP was pretty comfortable on it, so I don't imagine Ronaldinho will have much trouble.

― Pete W (peterw), Monday, 20 February 2006 10:57 (twenty years ago)

Possibly the only time in his career SWP will be compared favourably to Ronaldinho.

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Monday, 20 February 2006 12:49 (twenty years ago)

Graeme LeSaux is unexciting but generally reasonably useful and quite endearing, I think.

Even from the annoyed Villa fan point of view it was hard not to find the Johnson post-match interview likeable, he only said "fucking" in that sort of vowelless, substitute-for-saying-"er" kind of way. If I recall correctly. Y'know like "f'KIN....yeah"

― Michael A Neuman (Ferg), Monday, 20 February 2006 12:50 (twenty years ago)

still in the hat, still in the hat

the hat will be doing its stuff soon - in half an hour from now.

i ilke the cut of milan baros's jib, the cheating arsehole.

i didn't even notice the swearword, so it must have been essential.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Monday, 20 February 2006 12:55 (twenty years ago)

I hope Richards uses his now famous expletives to describe Vassell's fucking pathetic inability to finish off Villa yesterday.

― Daniel Giraffe (Daniel Giraffe), Monday, 20 February 2006 13:03 (twenty years ago)

I like Le Saux. Agree that Bright was a bit off.

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Monday, 20 February 2006 13:07 (twenty years ago)

Milan Baros is like an alive footballer version of Eddie Guerrero, blessim.

― Michael A Neuman (Ferg), Monday, 20 February 2006 13:14 (twenty years ago)

Charlton Athletic v Middlesbrough
Aston Villa or Manchester City v Bolton Wanderers or West Ham United
Chelsea v Newcastle United
Birmingham City v Liverpool

Ties to be played on 20-23 March

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Monday, 20 February 2006 13:34 (twenty years ago)

Gah, not a single derby, and I was convinced Chelsea were going to draw Liverpool again.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 20 February 2006 13:48 (twenty years ago)

For some reason I was hoping Newcastle would avoid Chelsea and reach the final. Charlton, West Ham, Chelsea and Liverpool for the semis I reckon.

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Monday, 20 February 2006 13:51 (twenty years ago)

Charlton will play Bolton in a game to be dubbed 'Battle of the British (English) Bosses, who will play the winners of the Liverpool - Chelsea semi-final, which will be dubbed the 'Iberian Intrigue: Jose's Giants weave magic to undo Rafa work'.

Or something like that.

― Dave B (daveb), Monday, 20 February 2006 14:28 (twenty years ago)

It's a shame that people never make RAFA Club jokes.

― Alba (Alba), Monday, 20 February 2006 14:30 (twenty years ago)

Garth Crooks's trademark pomposity when Richards did his little swearing thing really fucked me the fuck off.

― Pete W (peterw), Monday, 20 February 2006 14:38 (twenty years ago)

Crooks as a TV interviewer is obliged to remind swearers they're on live TV. Remember the same thing happened to Alex Ferguson a few months back after he said 'bollocks'. Crooksy probably would've been in trouble with his own bosses had he not brought it up.

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Monday, 20 February 2006 14:44 (twenty years ago)

Garth Crooks is a pompous arse, though. I prefered Jonathon Ross's handling of the Snoop Doggy Dogg incident - no apology, just a smile and a cheeky 'whole lot of motherloving going on there' quip.

I'd like West Ham to win the cup now, but there seems a grinding inevitablility to a Chelsea-Liverpool final (which will be settled on penalties).

― Tehrannosaurus HoBB (the pirate king), Monday, 20 February 2006 15:39 (twenty years ago)

Lineker also had to 'apologise' for Richards tho.

i'm strangely half tempted to put a fiver on a Newcastle v Villa final.

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Monday, 20 February 2006 15:45 (twenty years ago)

If memory serves, Crooks gave a little laugh and said [I'm paraphrasing] 'we're live on telly, could you tone down the language a bit?', which, as Steve says, he is probably obliged to do, and which Richards seemed to smile along with. At he was light-hearted about it.

I was much more annoyed with Lineker, and his ludicrously ashen-faced 'apologies if you were offended'. Like he was Raymond bloody Baxter or someone.

More to the point, three more wins and, thanks to Micah 'Fuckin' Richards' late intervention, we could be at Wembley / Cardiff.

― Daniel Giraffe (Daniel Giraffe), Monday, 20 February 2006 16:52 (twenty years ago)

There's a "least" missing in that first bit.

― Daniel Giraffe (Daniel Giraffe), Monday, 20 February 2006 16:53 (twenty years ago)

More blunt talking from shy, retiring Micah:

"We played so well at Villa. We had 21 shots altogether and in the first half we should have been at least 4-0 up. Bring them back to our place, and we'll stuff them."

― Daniel Giraffe (Daniel Giraffe), Monday, 20 February 2006 16:59 (twenty years ago)

Those words will now be pasted on the Aston Villa dressing room and Man City will probably be the ones getting stuffed.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Monday, 20 February 2006 17:02 (twenty years ago)

maybe, Billy, but it beats the 'with all due respect' platitudes they usually come out with.

― Daniel Giraffe (Daniel Giraffe), Monday, 20 February 2006 17:07 (twenty years ago)

I think they will probably stuff us, in all fairness.

― Michael A Neuman (Ferg), Monday, 20 February 2006 17:10 (twenty years ago)

xpost

Indeed, nice to have a bit of bolshy plain talking, but often tends to have a habit of backfiring on you.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Monday, 20 February 2006 17:11 (twenty years ago)

point taken, of course.

― Daniel Giraffe (Daniel Giraffe), Monday, 20 February 2006 17:19 (twenty years ago)

No FA Cup Final at Wembley this year. :-(

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/4731888.stm

― dmun drive-in (dmun), Monday, 20 February 2006 23:44 (twenty years ago)

i can't rememember what Linekers final funny pun comment was after the City game on Sunday

― Ste (Fuzzy), Tuesday, 21 February 2006 11:39 (twenty years ago)

I'm finding myself in the painful position of hoping Newcastle Utd win in the next round

― Rotatey Diskers With Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 21 February 2006 11:45 (twenty years ago)

i can't rememember what Linekers final funny pun comment was after the City game on Sunday

He'll never beat his "but is it art, Deco" after a Barcelona game, once.

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 21 February 2006 18:14 (twenty years ago)

(actually it might have been a Porto game, but you get my meaning)

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 21 February 2006 18:15 (twenty years ago)

one month passes...

I was just debating whether to go out and watch the Birmingham v Liverpool game. Just looked, and Liverpool were 2-0 up within 4 minutes.

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 19:56 (twenty years ago)

Both rubbish headers. Birmingham are not defending well, if at all.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 20:11 (twenty years ago)

we're palying well, hopefully we'll go on to win and Brum can concentrate on staying above Portsmouth in the league.

Our boys are right though, Steve Bruce does have a big fat head

― Porkpie (porkpie), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 20:31 (twenty years ago)

According to the BBC, Harry Kewell has come on twice, once for Traore and once for Sissoko.

Liverpool
J Reina, S Finnan, J Carragher, S Hyypia, D Traore (22 H Kewell) , X Alonso, S Gerrard, M Sissoko (22 H Kewell) , J Riise, P Crouch, S Luis Garcia

Surely cloning your players is cheating, even if it is only Harry Kewell.

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 20:48 (twenty years ago)

"You can play multiple clones, but only if they are all Djimi Traore"

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 20:54 (twenty years ago)

Cor, 7-0 and the multiple Harry Kewells haven't even scored yet. Nice to see ex-Celtic diddy Olivier Terribly on the scoresheet :-)

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 21:40 (twenty years ago)

Kewell played well, he set up Tebily's OG.

One word to describe Riise's goal:

BOOF

― Porkpie (porkpie), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 21:49 (twenty years ago)

Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

― Michael A Neuman (Ferg), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 21:49 (twenty years ago)

Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah

ahahaha

― Michael A Neuman (Ferg), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 21:52 (twenty years ago)

please no Chelsea v Liverpool match again.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 21:57 (twenty years ago)

I thought it was in the balance right up to about the 30th second of the match. Jamie Redknapp thought that would really harm Birmingham's Premiership survival effort, whereas Portsmouth really look confident and on the up right now. It's nice to hear an unbiased assessment from an expert. He also pointed out that Steve Bruce wouldn't have wanted to concede a couple of goals in the first four minutes, which I'm inclined to think is probably true.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 21:58 (twenty years ago)

7-0 away from home is an astonishing result and I'm certainly not going to let petty local jealousies cloud my appreciation of a glorious team performance.

So, congratulations to Stenhousemuir and all their supporters on a magnificent achievement.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 23:10 (twenty years ago)

and when did they get into the FA Cup, Mike? (Very funny)

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 23:19 (twenty years ago)

(With L'pool averaging five goals a game of late and Everton three, Saturday's Anfield derby is shaping up to be...a goalless draw.)

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Tuesday, 21 March 2006 23:26 (twenty years ago)

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41469000/jpg/_41469640_sissoko_ap220.jpg

I would like some new specs like Momo's.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 00:02 (twenty years ago)

...hah.

― Michael A Neuman (Ferg), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 00:48 (twenty years ago)

I wonder whether Brum lost so badly in order to get rid of Bruce (see Notts Forest earlier this season); they were so fearful, so awful and just...so shit like I've never seen a team so shit at such a stage of the competition.

― Dave B (daveb), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 00:59 (twenty years ago)

Bruce or O'Leary then, who's been hitting door-on-arse first?

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 01:31 (twenty years ago)

What a magnificent result for the mighty Liverpool!

Congratulations to their supporter.

― the bellefox, Wednesday, 22 March 2006 13:47 (twenty years ago)

You great big cisse

― Dave B (daveb), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 14:13 (twenty years ago)

Don't even joke about that.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 14:18 (twenty years ago)

£8m I heard....

― Vicky (Vicky), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 14:20 (twenty years ago)

That'll make all the difference! Spurs' endearing habit of trying to buy other teams' out-of-form strikers looks to be impervious to managerial change.

― Dave B (daveb), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 14:44 (twenty years ago)

Cisse is rubbish and we don't want him. Who does?

― the bellefox, Wednesday, 22 March 2006 17:02 (twenty years ago)

I hear Big Sam is on the phone now, for when he doesn't get the England job.

Actually, Cisse would probably score about 25 a season for Bolton.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 17:09 (twenty years ago)

Also, I'm really hoping this isn't going to turn into another deal along the lines of "we'll take Defoe and give you £8m plus our overpriced underperforming problem striker, ta".

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 17:12 (twenty years ago)

Perhaps you'll give them £8m plus Defoe for Cisse.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 18:22 (twenty years ago)

That sounds like what we would do.

― the bellefox, Wednesday, 22 March 2006 18:26 (twenty years ago)

Strange game last night. By the time I switched on Terry had already scored and then nothing really happened after that. Newcastle had plenty of possession, but never shot. Chelsea didn't really look that arsed, in fact didn't look very good, but then they were 1-0 up against a team incapable of shooting so I suppose they didn't have to do much. Really annoying diving again: Drogba (who got a free kick awarded against him for diving, but no yellow card), Cole (who fell over an imaginary object then lay on top of the ball while two Newcastle players kicked him), and SWP (who somehow won a free-kick and got a player sent off by diving into him).

They keep going on about Newcastle winning nothing in the ten seasons that Shearer has been there, as if this is something spectactularly unusual, but I can't remember Newcastle winning anything in my life.

― Tehrannosaurus HoBB (the pirate king), Thursday, 23 March 2006 09:46 (twenty years ago)

Sadly it's getting pretty unusual that anyone ouside the big four win anything anymore, ideally it'd be a Boro/Charlton-West Ham final but no doubt it'll be Liverpool battling Chelsea for the cup.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Thursday, 23 March 2006 10:04 (twenty years ago)

It is odd, isn't it? I can understand how the premiership ended up dominated by a handful of 'big' clubs, but looking back at the FA Cup I'm surprised to see exactly the same names winning it: Arsenal, Man Utd, Arsenal, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd, Everton (a freak year), Man Utd, Arsenal, Liverpool. You'd think that at some point in the last decade someone like Spurs or Villa or Man City would have won it at least once.

― Tehrannosaurus HoBB (the pirate king), Thursday, 23 March 2006 10:12 (twenty years ago)

Or Everton.

― Markelby (Mark C), Thursday, 23 March 2006 10:22 (twenty years ago)

1995 is not in the last decade

― Tehrannosaurus HoBB (the pirate king), Thursday, 23 March 2006 10:24 (twenty years ago)

Everton (a freak year)

Cheers. We did beat Newcastle, Spurs and Man U to win it, y'know. It's not like the entire Premiership was drawn against each other in R3 and we were the only top-flight club left in the q-f.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Thursday, 23 March 2006 10:28 (twenty years ago)

Everton winning was this 'anomaly' back in 1995. Also, given that the years 1997-2003 were two-horse races between Arsenal and Man Utd, the victories by Chelsea (97 and 00) and Liverpool (01) can be seen against this backdrop.

The reason why teams win the Premiership is because they play better and win more matches. The FA Cup is won by the team who can put together a string of 6 wins; given squad sizes and strengths, the big clubs have the resources to do this. You could say that there's a statistical oddity, given that knock-out matches can be freaky, but in general, if there are (say) four teams who have a better chance to win that the other 88 pro clubs, the fact the statistical anomaly is less an anomaly and more evidence that if four clubs are better able to win 6 matches, at least three don't do it each year, which takes care of that anomaly in my book.

― Dave B (daveb), Thursday, 23 March 2006 10:29 (twenty years ago)

Joe Cole - is he now the world's most blatant and consistent diver?

― Dadaismus, the Male Poster (Dada), Thursday, 23 March 2006 10:34 (twenty years ago)

probably not, no.

do you ever watch the Spanish or Italian football? Or for the worst diving I've seen - the Argentinian league?

― Porkpie (porkpie), Thursday, 23 March 2006 10:42 (twenty years ago)

Don't worry, he'll come into his own in the World Cup, which I imagine will be the biggest celebration of play-acting/ diving/ cheating in the history of sport

― Dadaismus, the Male Poster (Dada), Thursday, 23 March 2006 10:45 (twenty years ago)

he does it better than robben

― ken c (ken c), Thursday, 23 March 2006 11:03 (twenty years ago)

Really annoying diving again: Drogba (who got a free kick awarded against him for diving, but no yellow card), Cole (who fell over an imaginary object then lay on top of the ball while two Newcastle players kicked him), and SWP (who somehow won a free-kick and got a player sent off by diving into him).

Ah - just remembered, Del Horno too.

― Tehrannosaurus HoBB (the pirate king), Thursday, 23 March 2006 11:03 (twenty years ago)

SWP's wouldn't have been that bad if the stupid ref hadn't promptly sent off the Newcastle player

― Dadaismus, the Male Poster (Dada), Thursday, 23 March 2006 11:04 (twenty years ago)

but i did like the way the newcastle dudes just kicked jcole in the ribs twice after he did that dive!

― ken c (ken c), Thursday, 23 March 2006 11:06 (twenty years ago)

Not hard enough, cheating little cunt

― Dadaismus, the Male Poster (Dada), Thursday, 23 March 2006 11:07 (twenty years ago)

dadaismus there - failing to answer the question completely.

― Porkpie (porkpie), Thursday, 23 March 2006 11:51 (twenty years ago)

kicking people in the ribs is cheating too!!!!!!!111

― ken c (ken c), Thursday, 23 March 2006 11:58 (twenty years ago)

I quite like diving, myself. It's sort of an art form.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Thursday, 23 March 2006 11:58 (twenty years ago)

Did you really think Del Horno and SWP dived? both looked legit to me, one slipped (he made no appeal for a free kick and seemed rather taken aback about the resulting kerfuffle) and one was clipped after he'd beaten the player (which should never have been a yellow card). Couldn't tell what happened with Cole as it was a mess of legs and limbs but Drogba is cringemakingly blatant (and he's a much, much worse offender than Robben).

Cole is typical of Chelsea's problem - when he goes down there's often been a foul, but he undeniably enhances it. Is that a dive? This often works against us - Robben especially but also Cole have been denied a number of legit penalties because of the way they've gone down after a foul in the box. Drogba and Lampard were both booked last season for 'dives' which should have been penalties.

Oh well. Probably serves them right, all in all, and I wish they wouldn't do it.

― Pete W (peterw), Thursday, 23 March 2006 11:58 (twenty years ago)

he'd beaten the player

"beaten the player" was stretching it a bit! i mean he ran really fast, then kicked the ball somewhere and then ran somewhere totally different. it doesn't automatically mean he has a right to get through surely! shouldn't even have been a foul (but granted it probably wasn't a deliberate dive)

― ken c (ken c), Thursday, 23 March 2006 12:03 (twenty years ago)

I think, at a push, if you were feeling generous, and if you tried to forget about the Messi incident, you could say Del Horno didn't dive. But he still won a free-kick in a dangerous area for absolutely nothing (no contact whatsover, no attempt at a foul), and I think the Newcastle player got booked (but I can't remember).

I thought the SWP dive was terrible, especially as a man got sent off for nothing, and so does Shearer. In the slow-motion replay it looked like he kicked the ball past the man and then immediately started diving into him when it would have been far easier to just run past him. But, I'd agree, Drogba is by far the most annoying. Not so much for the blatant diving, more the whining and constantly trying to get players booked.

You're right about it counting against people in the end. Ronaldo (United, not Real) has dived so much, and made such a meal out of minor fouls, that he is often denied stonewall free kicks.

― Tehrannosaurus HoBB (the pirate king), Thursday, 23 March 2006 12:13 (twenty years ago)

Drogba's hugely unpopular with the fans, which is a shame cos he puts in a massive amount of work and never, ever goes missing, even after the ball has ballooned off his shins for the umpteenth time.

He'd be really likeable if he wasn't such an arse.

― Pete W (peterw), Thursday, 23 March 2006 12:25 (twenty years ago)

Did you really think Del Horno [...] dived?

Yes, though not in a terrible way. Watching the replay, while he did slip, he actually bent his other leg *away* from upright, so instead of trying to switch his footing to it, he made sure he fell down. So yes, it was an intentional fall, though I'm sure it was instinctive rather than manipulative of that particular situation.

And it actually looked like Drogba was telling the ref that parker (I think it was) hadn't made contact with Del Horno.

― Markelby (Mark C), Thursday, 23 March 2006 12:45 (twenty years ago)

When Exeter played at Old Trafford, there was a footballing version of that scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark; Ronnie does his stepovers, and after about 3 seconds, the Exeter player just went straight through him. Ronnie looked aggrieved and didn't get a free-kick; I could help think that the ref secretly had been wanting to see someone do that for ages, but needed a lower-league yeoman type to have the guts to commit such a blatant foul.

― Dave B (daveb), Thursday, 23 March 2006 13:13 (twenty years ago)

He played the ball.

― Tim (Tim), Thursday, 23 March 2006 13:18 (twenty years ago)

Never!

― Dave B (daveb), Thursday, 23 March 2006 13:35 (twenty years ago)

Boro and Charlton bore draw, best thing was the music they played at the end of the game at the Valley. Goldfrapp and vintage Simple Minds, Theme from great cities I think.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Thursday, 23 March 2006 22:02 (twenty years ago)

Boro and Charlton bore draw

0-0. Shit, I can't believe I didn't watch it.

― Tehrannosaurus HoBB (the pirate king), Thursday, 23 March 2006 22:04 (twenty years ago)

Cole is typical of Chelsea's problem - when he goes down there's often been a foul, but he undeniably enhances it.

It's the anguished "I've just been stabbed in the kidneys" look he pulls that's expecially annoying

― Dadaismus, the Male Poster (Dada), Friday, 24 March 2006 10:41 (twenty years ago)

He's been like that for yonks. I remember laughing my little socks off when he got booked for diving while playing for WHam at the Bridge. I think it was the same game that Moncur and Berkovic had a bout of slapicuffs.

I was pleased to see the MOTD halftime crew taking the same line as me on SWP, Drogba and Del Horno last night, but also rather alarmed to thus be on the same side as Garth Crooks for the first time EVER.

Also, Robbie Elliot - SWP ruined my career. Listen mate, if you're being kept out the first team by Boumsang and Bramble, your career was probably over a long time ago.

Draw at 12.55!

― Pete W (peterw), Friday, 24 March 2006 11:08 (twenty years ago)

I was pleased to see the MOTD halftime crew taking the same line as me on SWP

Personally, I was not surprised to see a bunch of ex-players squirming when asked to criticise an (English) player for diving and coming to the, startling but predictable, conclusion that IT WAS ALL THE REFEREE'S FAULT! LOLZ!!!! The standard of TV punditry on football is sooooooooo bad, I'd rather see some ex-managers on the panel than some players who have only just retired from the game and:

1. Have problems criticising their fellow players (except goalkeepers of course, they're always fair game)
2. Don't understand or appreciate referees
3. Basically DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT

― Dadaismus, the Male Poster (Dada), Friday, 24 March 2006 11:18 (twenty years ago)

When pundits agree with me, they are wise and worthy souls; when they disagree, they are myopic, ignorant and wrong, wrong and wrong.

― Pete W (peterw), Friday, 24 March 2006 11:23 (twenty years ago)

last night, after the boro charlton game, they totally squirmed about swp. came to the conclusion he was protecting himself, and it wasnt a dive. luckily, there was a johnny foreigner incident, where the righteous ire could be exercised, and, quite clearly, was a blatant dive. it does seem to be creeping into our game more and more, they said, shaking their heads disappointedly, but they still seemed optimistic, that it hadnt spread to the english lads yet, and that there are still honest players about, like swp

― charltonlido (gareth), Friday, 24 March 2006 11:52 (twenty years ago)

I do like Gavin Peacock however

― Dadaismus, the Male Poster (Dada), Friday, 24 March 2006 11:54 (twenty years ago)

But they said Del Horno did the same as SWP. I mean, the bias towards English (more correctly British, I think) players is clearly there, but it wasn't as straightforward as all that last night.

― Tim (Tim), Friday, 24 March 2006 11:56 (twenty years ago)

They showed the Drogba dive but not the Cole one tho and that was equally as pathetic

― Dadaismus, the Male Poster (Dada), Friday, 24 March 2006 11:59 (twenty years ago)

The thing is whoever the commentating team at Stamford Bridge were (as opposed to the pundits in the studio), they called all of them blatant dives, especially after the slow-motion replays. But when they went to the pundits they were all in denial, despite clear visual evidence. It's like the infamous Shearer-kicking-Lennon's-head-off incident, where all the pundits queued up to say "Ah, it must have been accident, he was just trying to move his foot out the way" when everyone could see it was nothing of the sort. What next? "Never mind Maradona's solo effort against England, for me his first goal, that glorious header, was a thing of beauty."

― Tehrannosaurus HoBB (the pirate king), Friday, 24 March 2006 12:07 (twenty years ago)

What Tim said.

Personally, I think the Beeb felt there was a need to defend a young (ENGLISH) player with no history of diving from what they felt were cynical accusations of cheating by experienced (ENGLISH) professionals who were attempting to deflect criticism from their own abject performances.

That, and the fear of what Ian Wright might do to them next time he was on MOTD.

― Pete W (peterw), Friday, 24 March 2006 12:08 (twenty years ago)

X-post.

Not true. Lawrenson also said the Del Horno incident was the guy trying to get out the way and nobody called the SWP thing at all because it didn't become a big deal until Shearer made it so after the event.

Look, I'll give you Cole, Robben and Drogba, but please sometimes give us the benefit of the doubt. (I dread to think what Ballack is going to bring to the party next year...)

― Pete W (peterw), Friday, 24 March 2006 12:11 (twenty years ago)

Is Ballack much of a diver?

― Dadaismus, the Male Poster (Dada), Friday, 24 March 2006 12:12 (twenty years ago)

Didn't he take a classic tumble to win a pen in the champs league against Chelsea?

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Friday, 24 March 2006 12:14 (twenty years ago)

Fuck yes. Cheating bastard did a blatant dive (ie, nobody near him) to win a pen at the Bridge last year in the Champions League. Shitbag!

― Pete W (peterw), Friday, 24 March 2006 12:14 (twenty years ago)

but please sometimes give us the benefit of the doubt

Well, when there is doubt, we'll give it to you. Do you still think Del Horno didn't make an effort not to stay on his feet?

― Markelby (Mark C), Friday, 24 March 2006 12:17 (twenty years ago)

I wish they'd get rid of post-professional footballer pundits altogether, and replace them with proper actual sports jornalists who have something to say and a vocabulary. Patrick Barclay generally says something interesting whenever he's on the telly. If I were in charge of MoTD I'd hire Kevin McCarra, although he probably has some kind of crippling camera fright, or an unlisteable lisp, or something. I used to love Hansen, but he seems to have been replaced by a Hansenbot with a repertoire of 15 phrases, to be used more or less at random. That's not to mention his throbbing forehead vein, which is most distracting.

As for manager-as-pundit: I have listened to far too much 5 Live recently, featuring the twin talents of David "Dave" Pleat and Graham Taylor, to want any more. Wee Gordon's always a treat, mind but apparently he has some sort of day job now.

― Tim (Tim), Friday, 24 March 2006 12:19 (twenty years ago)

That's a scar, not a vein. He ran through a glass door.

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Friday, 24 March 2006 12:21 (twenty years ago)

Really? Why did he do that?

― Tim (Tim), Friday, 24 March 2006 12:21 (twenty years ago)

So he can say that the glass door didn't defend itself properly

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 24 March 2006 12:27 (twenty years ago)

Is Ballack much of a diver?

has damien duff done any spectacular dives yet?

i can already see the headline...

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 24 March 2006 12:28 (twenty years ago)

I don't think Del Horno was trying to win a free kick, no. He normally rolls over three or four times when he's doing that.

As for the press doing MOTD. Have you ever watched Jimmy Hill's Sunday Supplement? They're as much of a boys club as the ex-pros. And Barclay like McIlvanney and Lawson and all the rest of the old timers are so obsessed with some mythical golden age it renders them almost completely redundant. McCarra's the man, though. Lovely chap too.

― Pete W (peterw), Friday, 24 March 2006 12:30 (twenty years ago)

I have never watched Jimmy Hill's Sunday Supplement. This is a state of affairs with which I am entirely content.

Barclay's always pretty good when he's on whichever panel show I sometimes see him on. Is it John Barnes's Footbal Night? Whichever it is, he's the only one on it who says intelligent things.

― Tim (Tim), Friday, 24 March 2006 12:38 (twenty years ago)

Ha ha, that reminds me, apparently Jimmy Hill on a recent Sunday Supplement was implying that the fact that Martin O'Neill's wife had cancer was a good thing for FA and the England football team. O'Neill, now he knows what he's talking about punditwise, tho he can be irritating at times.

― Dadaismus, the Male Poster (Dada), Friday, 24 March 2006 12:44 (twenty years ago)

Talking of crap ideas, what's this about pink cards for divers (cos cheating = gay obv) that somebody said Lineker was going on about at halftime during Chelsea-Newcastle!!

― Pete W (peterw), Friday, 24 March 2006 12:47 (twenty years ago)

Hansen and his schoolmates were late for a volleyball tournament, and he led from the front in the rush to get to the changing-rooms, neglecting to acknowledge the minor detail of a plate of glass in front of him. Hansen was in hospital for four hours, and needed 27 stitches. "He sued the education authority, and" concludes Rob Glossop, "as has generally been his wont, he won."

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Friday, 24 March 2006 12:54 (twenty years ago)

He did say that, but it was like a badly-delivered joke without a punchline, followed by a nervous pause, and then off for the second half. (xpost)

― Tehrannosaurus HoBB (the pirate king), Friday, 24 March 2006 12:55 (twenty years ago)

chelsea vs liverpool

charlton/ boro vs west ham

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Friday, 24 March 2006 12:58 (twenty years ago)

Woo-hoo! I really want West Ham to win it this season.

― Tehrannosaurus HoBB (the pirate king), Friday, 24 March 2006 12:58 (twenty years ago)

Oh bollocks.

― Pete W (peterw), Friday, 24 March 2006 12:59 (twenty years ago)

Balls, two teams I hate (Liverpool and Chelsea) and one that's instant death (Boro). Come on ye Hammers/Addicks!!!!!!

― Dadaismus, the Male Poster (Dada), Friday, 24 March 2006 13:04 (twenty years ago)

Chelsea 4 West Ham 0. Can't wait.

― Markelby (Mark C), Friday, 24 March 2006 13:28 (twenty years ago)

Is it the law that Chelsea and Liverpool must now play each other four times a season?

I think Liverpool can beat Chelsea on current form and it'll certainly make a better final with them in it. Also COME ON CHARLTON!

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 24 March 2006 13:32 (twenty years ago)

At least we won't see a Liverpool-Chelsea final, the thought of which is as dispiriting and unappetising as the thought of last year's. I ignored last year's cup final completely, for the first time since (I think) 1975, but what can you do when the idea of either side winning is so awful?.

― Tim (Tim), Friday, 24 March 2006 13:42 (twenty years ago)

That will be a fifth time, surely?

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Friday, 24 March 2006 13:48 (twenty years ago)

Having said that, with Liverpool's current penchant for psychopathic two-footed career-threatening lunges, and Chelsea's rep for circus-style exaggerated dramatics, the semi might be a laugh. Particularly since the prospect of one of Gerrard or Terry lifting the trophy, open mouthed and charmless, will not be lurking at the end of the game.

xpost Martin I'm not sure what you mean? Last year was the first time I recall being so overcome by the awfulness of either outcome that I chose to ignore the whole thing.

― Tim (Tim), Friday, 24 March 2006 13:50 (twenty years ago)

xxpost oh I see you were talking to Matt. Pls ignore.

― Tim (Tim), Friday, 24 March 2006 13:51 (twenty years ago)

This is all irrelevant, as Luke Young will be lifting the FA Cup. Oh yes, he will.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 24 March 2006 13:57 (twenty years ago)

middlesboro to be the only team to win a double this year fancy that!!

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 24 March 2006 14:02 (twenty years ago)

Crooksy got so ANIMATED last night! Oh, how he SHOUTED!

I hate this Chelsea team. I don't like this Boro team at all either.

― the bellefox, Friday, 24 March 2006 14:58 (twenty years ago)

I am behind West Ham all the way for the cup.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Saturday, 25 March 2006 15:14 (twenty years ago)

This shouldn't really be on the FA Cup thread, but I feel compelled (as always) to continue the Drogba-cheating-but-pundits-see-no-evil line of discussion from above. So on MOTD last night once again we see Drogba dive and roll around in 'agony', and then we see him deliberately handle the ball before scoring. The commentators pull him up and criticise him for both things. He is interviewed after the game, and questioned about blatant cheating. His responses: 'Yes it was handball, but that's part of the game' and 'Yes, I dive". See for yourself:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/video_and_audio/help_guide/4304501.stm

How do the pundits in the studio respond? To paraphrase: "oh, he probably didn't understand the questions, and anyway a bit of diving and handball never hurt anyone, did they?". What the fuck's going on? Has Abramovich bought the BBC? Have alien lizards in Alan Hansen suits secretly taken over the world of punditry?

― Tehrannosaurus HoBB (the pirate king), Sunday, 26 March 2006 10:53 (twenty years ago)

Mark Saggers was on 5Live just after the Merseyside Derby, and he said

'Plenty of incident to talk about in that game, but I've got a feeling there's going to be plenty more in the rest of the games in the Premiership'

= He knew = It's rigged = WWE

― Dave B (daveb), Sunday, 26 March 2006 12:52 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, the bit where Alan Pardew ran on with a steel chair and hit Jason Roberts over the head with it when the ref wasn't looking was a dead giveaway.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Sunday, 26 March 2006 12:58 (twenty years ago)

Jason Roberts deserves it for his elbow in the face of James Collins earlier in the season.

I think the semi-final should have been in Cardiff rather than Villa Park. Season ticket holders not guaranteed a ticket. Madness.

I saw the Drogba handball on MOTD2 last night. Today's paper suggests his own players are pissed with him.

― Mikey G (Mikey G), Monday, 27 March 2006 08:58 (twenty years ago)

i think all the lying cheating stealing gives an extra edge to the game. i'd like to see a new Premiership "attitude" era.

― ken c (ken c), Monday, 27 March 2006 09:02 (twenty years ago)

Big players in big games show honesty unlike Didi.

― Dave B (daveb), Monday, 27 March 2006 09:08 (twenty years ago)

i can't believe any footballer, however stupid, would openly admit to diving on national television. But whether Drog meant to say he dived or not is pretty irrelevent given that we all know he does.

he's got to cut it out. he got booed by his own fans on Sat even though he played a blinder.

as for the handball, i've more sympathy there. most strikers would have stuck it away and then said afterwards 'i don't know where it hit me', or 'it come off my shoulder'. at least Drog ain't trying to kid anyone (for a change.)

Anyway, best dive of the w/e was the Bolton penalty, surely. He even had a look to see where the ref was before going down!

― Pete W (peterw), Monday, 27 March 2006 09:11 (twenty years ago)

and also stelios handballed kind of for his other goal!

― ken c (ken c), Monday, 27 March 2006 09:12 (twenty years ago)

I don't think De Rossi is a Mourinho-type player...

― Pete W (peterw), Monday, 27 March 2006 09:15 (twenty years ago)

I am impressed at Benitez's selective memory, in claiming that "When you play a cup tie you know it will always be a difficult tie." What would count as an easy one, do you think?

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Monday, 27 March 2006 11:22 (twenty years ago)

I believe that knowledge comes from learning Martin, maybe from experience?

― Porkpie (porkpie), Monday, 27 March 2006 11:35 (twenty years ago)

I was thinking that perhaps he might have seen an example that went against that quite recently, as in 6 days ago.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Monday, 27 March 2006 11:54 (twenty years ago)

he was just being courteous innit - let's all be grateful Rafa does not appear to be an arrogant, hypocritical, deluded man, unlike Mourinho (tho i still enjoy his presence of course).

i think both semi-finals have potential to be classics along the lines of that Arsenal v Man U replay, and i'm sure that they will be far more exciting than the final itself (which will obviously be won by the winner of Chelsea v Liverpool which will probably be Chelsea).

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 30 March 2006 09:51 (twenty years ago)

Great to see more and more people realising that all those embittered and disappointed Celtic fans were right about Mourinho all along

― Dadaismus Is A Very Magic Fellow (Dada), Thursday, 30 March 2006 12:34 (twenty years ago)

i'll always love him for his 'big telescope' thing re Wenger. but i'll hate him for his hypocritical mumbling, f'sure.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Thursday, 30 March 2006 12:44 (twenty years ago)

arrogant, hypocritical, deluded

You missed out cynical

― Dadaismus Is A Very Magic Fellow (Dada), Thursday, 30 March 2006 12:45 (twenty years ago)

three weeks pass...

not a bad game so far.

ridiculous booking of Carragher tho - just bumped Makalele from behind.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Saturday, 22 April 2006 15:43 (twenty years ago)

Awful, awful, awful.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Saturday, 22 April 2006 17:43 (twenty years ago)

Looks like those lovable Scousers are on their way to ~~Wembley~~ Cardiff, after their 'amusing' decorating job at Old Trafford.

― Teh HoBBler (the pirate king), Saturday, 22 April 2006 21:49 (twenty years ago)

Wasn't a bottle of Bud chucked on the pitch from the Liverpool section at one point? I expect Merseyside clubs to be banned from the FA Cup forthwith. It's Tranmere I feel sorry for.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Saturday, 22 April 2006 21:52 (twenty years ago)

Something got thrown at Gerrard as he was taking a corner at one point I noticed.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Sunday, 23 April 2006 11:00 (twenty years ago)

At least it wasn't excrement:
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=362170&cc=5739

― Teh HoBBler (the pirate king), Sunday, 23 April 2006 11:04 (twenty years ago)

'Something got thrown at Gerrard as he was taking a corner at one point I noticed.'

That would have been a deadly stick of celery. I threw some of the stuff at Thierry Henry at Cardiff in 2002. It whistled past his ear and earned a cheer from the crowd. I am a hooligan.

Well done Pool. Still can't believe Jose changed tactics for the sake of Harry bloody Kewell. Good game, though.

― Pete W (peterw), Sunday, 23 April 2006 14:18 (twenty years ago)

Once again I had cause to scream NOOOOOO at the telly, burying my face in the couch and scaring the living daylights out of Ava, in the dying minutes of a Chelsea-Liverpool semi. Last year it was Gudjohnsen firing across the goal in injury time, this time it was Cole blazing over like a bloody idiot. Maybe she'll get used to it. She might even start to join in.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Sunday, 23 April 2006 15:26 (twenty years ago)

Dadaismus is having a big weekend - after his Dr Who appearance last night, he's now on for Boro in the FA Cup semifinal, in the contemptuously feeble disguise of an Italian named 'Macaroni' of all things, and looking completely rubbish.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Sunday, 23 April 2006 15:53 (twenty years ago)

I am surprised at just how happy West Ham winning this one is making me. What a season!

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Sunday, 23 April 2006 15:58 (twenty years ago)

Pardew's still a slinky mover.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Sunday, 23 April 2006 16:10 (twenty years ago)

This was the best possible semi result. Mostly because:

a) Liverpool v West Ham will be infinitely more entertaining than Chelsea steamrolling over Boro in a workmanlike game

b) Alan Pardew will have one eye on the FA Cup Final, rest his entire first team and let us roll into the Champions League. Yay!

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Sunday, 23 April 2006 17:26 (twenty years ago)

This might actually be a good final, in that it features - for the first time years - a good, but not great team against a decent team. There's been two really good teams against each other, and two mediocre teams, and a really good team against a poor team, but this could be quite good.

― Dave B (daveb), Sunday, 23 April 2006 18:19 (twenty years ago)

Fantastic stuff. In retrospect I shouldn't have spent last night drinking bison grass vodka with lychee juice.

A really engrossing game of alternating sustained pressure that remained uncapitalised. Then a goal out of nothing.

Chris Riggot received the ball at his feet in the last minute of injury time, thought 'what would Joe Cole do here?' and aimed for the crowd.

The minute's 'silence' was ill-advised. The idea of singing "Johnny Lyall's claret and clue army" had been discussed on websites but it just sounded messy.

Terrific report form Kevin McCarra in this morning's Guardian.

― Mikey G (Mikey G), Monday, 24 April 2006 08:51 (twenty years ago)

Well done Mikey!

Not sure about these new-fangled 'minutes of appreciation'. we did the same for Osgood this year and it didn't feel right. who was booing? was it Boro or Westam?

Pardew's dancing: wrong, wrong, wrong.

― Pete W (peterw), Monday, 24 April 2006 09:19 (twenty years ago)

Pardew's dancing was just, I dunno, like watching your dad pissed. Perhaps Jol and Wenger could sort their 'feud' out with a dance off.

Not sure who was booing. Probably West Ham fans thinking it was Boro fans disrupting the silence. Why not just keep the minutes silence and sing or chant at the end?

― Mikey G (Mikey G), Monday, 24 April 2006 09:33 (twenty years ago)

I think Jol should sort out the feud by ripping off Wenger's head like an angry bear while Fergie and Jose cheer from the sidelines and Pardew has a little boogie in the background.

― Pete W (peterw), Monday, 24 April 2006 09:38 (twenty years ago)

That sounds good, except the last bit.

I am glad that West Ham won the match - you see, being a Tottenham fan does not prevent this. Boro are dullards who are in every final and generally make football dull. West Ham are a great FA Cup team.

Also, DC OTM that this might just add a sliver of hope to Spurs on the last day of the season, as West Ham are now in Europe.

― the bellefox, Monday, 24 April 2006 12:30 (twenty years ago)

I think Spurs are pretty much there in fourth position. West Ham don't have the squad to put out a shadow team for the last game of the season, but undoubtedly it will not be full-strength.

I hope Spurs get fourth, they've had a great season.

You are one strange guy, mind.

― Mikey G (Mikey G), Monday, 24 April 2006 12:38 (twenty years ago)

Are Boro really that dull? The wins over Basle and Charlton, plus Man U and a sleepwalking Chelsea in the league...all goal-heavy. They're a Jekyll & Hyde affair, life is like a box of Rochembacks etc. I like it when Boro play well/get sensational results.

But yes am glad to see West Ham in the final as I think they have a better chance somehow. I've been thinking they will beat Liverpool in the league. But maybe if they don't it will spur them on for a scintillating and surprising cup final.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Monday, 24 April 2006 12:41 (twenty years ago)

Winning the Cup would be wonderful of course, but it's the European qualification that I'm chuffed about.

― Mikey G (Mikey G), Monday, 24 April 2006 12:52 (twenty years ago)

two weeks pass...

I want West Ham to win, but I'm going to predict 2-0 to Liverpool.

― Teh HoBBler (the pirate king), Saturday, 13 May 2006 08:03 (twenty years ago)

For the first time in several years, I'm completely neutral about this one.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Saturday, 13 May 2006 11:29 (twenty years ago)

You should watch the Scottish Cup Final instead! Support Gretna!

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 13 May 2006 11:35 (twenty years ago)

i wish i could - is there any way to watch it in england?

― zappi (joni), Saturday, 13 May 2006 12:13 (twenty years ago)

If you've got cable or Sky, you can probably get it on BBC Scotland. Dougie Donnelly was on about analogue terrestial signals and stuff earlier on Sportscene, but I wasn't listening to him.

Oh, I've just switched to BBC Scotland via digital and I can't watch it. The message on screen says it's available on freeview though.

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 13 May 2006 12:16 (twenty years ago)

hmmm, maybe they'll show it on one of those interactive red button channels on freeview? i wanna see brooks lift the cup while simultaneously smoking 20 fags!

― zappi (joni), Saturday, 13 May 2006 12:30 (twenty years ago)

what odds on Gerrard getting injured...?

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Saturday, 13 May 2006 13:01 (twenty years ago)

I was just thinking the same thing, especially when he went down after 17secs for that freekick...

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Saturday, 13 May 2006 13:04 (twenty years ago)

Oh, hello, Liverpool freekick on edge of box. Do I not like this.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Saturday, 13 May 2006 13:12 (twenty years ago)

Phew. Had the Gretna-Hearts match on for a bit via Sportsound but I don't think I'll bother really...

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Saturday, 13 May 2006 13:15 (twenty years ago)

OGGY!

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Saturday, 13 May 2006 13:20 (twenty years ago)

Get in!

― Teh HoBBler (the pirate king), Saturday, 13 May 2006 13:22 (twenty years ago)

OMG!

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Saturday, 13 May 2006 13:27 (twenty years ago)

encore

― Teh HoBBler (the pirate king), Saturday, 13 May 2006 13:29 (twenty years ago)

hope West Ham go 3 up before half-time...

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Saturday, 13 May 2006 13:29 (twenty years ago)

Was Crouch really offside? No invocations of Instanbul (or even Kenilworth Rd).

Fuck. Cisse.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Saturday, 13 May 2006 13:32 (twenty years ago)

is this the best FA Cup final since 1979?

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Saturday, 13 May 2006 13:32 (twenty years ago)

Er, 1990? 1979 Cup Final was rubbish apart from the last 4 min.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Saturday, 13 May 2006 13:34 (twenty years ago)

I'm going to spend the remainder of half time on my roof with a giant catapult trying to pick out the BBC commentary box. Lawrenson's fucking 'marginal' nonsense about Crouch's disallowed goal! If only these moments could be replayed shortly after the incident to prive the point one way or the other

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Saturday, 13 May 2006 13:55 (twenty years ago)

Crouch was offside. I can't believe they've got Lawrenson in the commentary box.

― Kenneth Anger Management (noodle vague), Saturday, 13 May 2006 13:59 (twenty years ago)

I'll be checking to see if Cisse's red/white boot combo is reversed in the 2nd half.

― Kenneth Anger Management (noodle vague), Saturday, 13 May 2006 14:00 (twenty years ago)

Oh, thank God - Kewell's gone off. HE'S SAFE FOR THE SOCCEROOS!

And I wish I was watching the Scottish Cup Final instead.

― The Notorious ESTEBAN BUTTEZ (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Saturday, 13 May 2006 14:07 (twenty years ago)

Gerrard!

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Saturday, 13 May 2006 14:12 (twenty years ago)

boo!

― theantmustdance (theantmustdance), Saturday, 13 May 2006 14:13 (twenty years ago)

great Motstat: Gerrard has scored in the last five cup finals he's played in (inc. own goal against Chelsea in Lge cup final last year).

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Saturday, 13 May 2006 14:14 (twenty years ago)

Lawrenson strikes gold again, observing how Gerrard "resisted the temptation to blast it over the bar"

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Saturday, 13 May 2006 14:15 (twenty years ago)

GOOOOOOOOOAL

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Saturday, 13 May 2006 14:22 (twenty years ago)

What the...

― The Notorious ESTEBAN BUTTEZ (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Saturday, 13 May 2006 14:22 (twenty years ago)

HOLY MACAROON

― Suedey (John Cei Douglas), Saturday, 13 May 2006 14:22 (twenty years ago)

it's a classic.

West Ham back in front !

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Saturday, 13 May 2006 14:22 (twenty years ago)

OMG!

― Markelby (Mark C), Saturday, 13 May 2006 14:23 (twenty years ago)

Motson sez best FA cup final since Spurs-Coventry

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Saturday, 13 May 2006 14:23 (twenty years ago)

I can't believe I am commentating on the commentary.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Saturday, 13 May 2006 14:23 (twenty years ago)

Lawrenson! "We should just shut up the pair of us, shouldn't we?"

― Suedey (John Cei Douglas), Saturday, 13 May 2006 14:24 (twenty years ago)

This is a classic.

― Teh HoBBercraft (the pirate king), Saturday, 13 May 2006 14:25 (twenty years ago)

It's A Great Advert For The Game (TM)

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 13 May 2006 14:46 (twenty years ago)

Gerrard looks troubled. this is not cool.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Saturday, 13 May 2006 14:46 (twenty years ago)

I'm not trying to be funny, but is John Motson in the early stages of dementia?

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 13 May 2006 14:48 (twenty years ago)

GERRARD ETC ETC ETC

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 13 May 2006 14:49 (twenty years ago)

BANG

― Suedey (John Cei Douglas), Saturday, 13 May 2006 14:49 (twenty years ago)

OMG GERRARD IS AMAZING

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Saturday, 13 May 2006 14:49 (twenty years ago)

Aaaaaaaarrrrrrrggggggghhhhhh!

― The Notorious ESTEBAN BUTTEZ (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Saturday, 13 May 2006 14:49 (twenty years ago)

Loving the snarky commentary on the BBC website.
Teddy Sheringham's first contribution is to give away a free-kick for handball.

― Mädchen (Madchen), Saturday, 13 May 2006 14:51 (twenty years ago)

I really thought it was all set up for Konchesky to win it with that freekick. I am in pieces. "Best" final since '53, I suppose, but I feel sick.

How many fit players have Liverpool got for extra time?

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Saturday, 13 May 2006 14:55 (twenty years ago)

Motson said the exact same thing.

xpost

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Saturday, 13 May 2006 14:56 (twenty years ago)

I'm not trying to be funny, but is John Motson in the early stages of dementia?

Could be. Earlier he was talking about Crouch being booed on and off the pitch at Old Trafford in October (how could this have happened?) and then he seemed convinced that Rio Ferdinand was playing for West Ham.

Well... normally you'd go with Liverpool to win extra-time as a)they're better (in theory), and b)they got the late equaliser, but I reckon half the Liverpool team are on the verge of collapse. I'm going to say 4-3 West Ham.

― Teh HoBBercraft (the pirate king), Saturday, 13 May 2006 14:56 (twenty years ago)

If Cisse hadn't gone down with cramp, if West Ham hadn't played the ball out, if Scaloni hadn't been forced to volley clear from the byline from the returned throw-in...

Gretna have forced extra time, I see.

Ava's woken up...

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Saturday, 13 May 2006 14:58 (twenty years ago)

I think Motson conflated Anton Ferdinand's name with Reo Coker as the latter got the ball. It was when he started banging on about Martin Peters believing he'd won the World Cup 40 years ago (this while it was still 3-2 to West Ham) that it got all WTF

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Saturday, 13 May 2006 15:00 (twenty years ago)

Christian Dailly was in the Dundee United team which lost 4-3 aet against Motherwell in 1991, hopfully not an omen.

Two other players from that team, Alan Main and John O'Neill are playing for Gretna today.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Saturday, 13 May 2006 15:16 (twenty years ago)

Paul Hatrley sent off in injury time in extra time, now misses penalty shoot out.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Saturday, 13 May 2006 15:27 (twenty years ago)

HAREWOOD... WTF?

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 13 May 2006 15:29 (twenty years ago)

ooooooh off the post

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Saturday, 13 May 2006 15:29 (twenty years ago)

The guy can't walk - why did it have to fall to him?

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Saturday, 13 May 2006 15:30 (twenty years ago)

it is sort of hilarious now seeing how many players on the pitch are limping.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Saturday, 13 May 2006 15:30 (twenty years ago)

Liverpool always win on penalties. Bollocks.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Saturday, 13 May 2006 15:32 (twenty years ago)

Bah, Hearts win on Penalties 4-2.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Saturday, 13 May 2006 15:37 (twenty years ago)

Hamaan...1-0

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 13 May 2006 15:37 (twenty years ago)

Zamora...SAVED

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 13 May 2006 15:38 (twenty years ago)

Hypia...SAVED!

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 13 May 2006 15:38 (twenty years ago)

Oh Teddy Teddy... 1-1!

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 13 May 2006 15:39 (twenty years ago)

Gerrard... 2-1.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 13 May 2006 15:40 (twenty years ago)

Konchesky... hopeless penalty. Saved.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 13 May 2006 15:40 (twenty years ago)

Riise makes it 3-1.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 13 May 2006 15:41 (twenty years ago)

Rio... Anton Ferdinand must score to etc etc etc

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 13 May 2006 15:41 (twenty years ago)

He was never gonna hit that, huh?

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 13 May 2006 15:41 (twenty years ago)

Fuck fuck fuck.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Saturday, 13 May 2006 15:42 (twenty years ago)

Fuck, I hate football.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Saturday, 13 May 2006 15:43 (twenty years ago)

I hope Chris enjoyed his day out in Cardiff but I've never hated Liverpool more than I do right now, and that's saying quite a lot.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Saturday, 13 May 2006 15:43 (twenty years ago)

No Justice :(

― Kenneth Anger Management (noodle vague), Saturday, 13 May 2006 15:44 (twenty years ago)

Bastards

― Teh HoBBercraft (the pirate king), Saturday, 13 May 2006 15:44 (twenty years ago)

So much for the romance of the cup. Big teams winning stuff. Meh.

― Markelby (Mark C), Saturday, 13 May 2006 15:47 (twenty years ago)

I watched the second half on Sky to avoid the Liverpool commentary. Fifa should think about allowing each team 1 extra substitution if a match goes to extra time.

― Kenneth Anger Management (noodle vague), Saturday, 13 May 2006 15:52 (twenty years ago)

no romance without heartbreak, maniche

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Saturday, 13 May 2006 15:52 (twenty years ago)

Just when you thought it couldn't get worse, they start playing Status Quo. Time to turn of the telly.

― Teh HoBBercraft (the pirate king), Saturday, 13 May 2006 15:53 (twenty years ago)

sigh every year the cup falls to bits, v shoddy craftsmanship

― rtccc (mwah), Saturday, 13 May 2006 15:54 (twenty years ago)

It's not a proper party round 'ere without the Quo my friend

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Saturday, 13 May 2006 15:54 (twenty years ago)

GET ONE BEST FA CUP FINAL EVER!

That was a classic, and Stevie G's second goal was an absolute belter. All the West Ham penalties were rub, except Teddy's obviously.

Did anyone else see what looked like TUMBLEWEED floating across the pitch during extra time? Possibly because none of the players could move by then. That extra time was high comedy, just like park football.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Saturday, 13 May 2006 16:51 (twenty years ago)

Hooray!

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Saturday, 13 May 2006 16:57 (twenty years ago)

I fear for poor Ava's future emotional health.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Saturday, 13 May 2006 16:58 (twenty years ago)

I was watching the game with a gang of mates from University, including an ardent Iron, and I was half hoping they would win it on pens, with football being the winner etc, but still... Good on yer, Pepe!

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Saturday, 13 May 2006 17:02 (twenty years ago)

I'm especially glad that the git commentating for the Guardian was disappointed.

Avanti!

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Saturday, 13 May 2006 17:10 (twenty years ago)

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41405000/jpg/_41405155_liv_celeb416.jpg

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Saturday, 13 May 2006 17:13 (twenty years ago)

I think Ava's a Red, Jerry; we've lost every derby since she was born and she giggled her way through the pens.

xpost - oh God...NSFT, Jerry

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Saturday, 13 May 2006 17:14 (twenty years ago)

(T = Toffees, obv)

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Saturday, 13 May 2006 17:15 (twenty years ago)

Soz :/

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Saturday, 13 May 2006 17:15 (twenty years ago)

Carra's face there, though. It looks like his jaw has dislocated.

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Saturday, 13 May 2006 17:15 (twenty years ago)

Now, if Pam was reading this thread, she'd say, "Look how happy Jerry* is - can't you at least be happy for him?" (* - she wouldn't call you Jerry, obv). She'll never get it. Which is probably a good thing.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Saturday, 13 May 2006 17:26 (twenty years ago)

LIVERPOOL!!!!!!!!!

Oh, I've just switched to BBC Scotland via digital and I can't watch it. The message on screen says it's available on freeview though.

It was on telewest. My dads a hearts fan. He's happy cuz he knows Gretna deserved to win (despite hearts not getting a stonewall penalty)
Thats how good gretna were.
Im glad they got beat tho. Bloody moneybags chelsea of the lower divisions :) Romance of the cup my arse!

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy (Kerr), Saturday, 13 May 2006 17:58 (twenty years ago)

wow, best match I've ever been at, and that includes 1997 Chesterfield vs Boro.

Too tired for rational thought right now, so more tomorrow, but the whole occasion was magnificent, and also the most friendly and respectful atmosphere between two sets of fans it's ever been my privilege to be involved with.

― Porkpie (porkpie), Saturday, 13 May 2006 22:52 (twenty years ago)

no UEFA spot for Gretna then? :(

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Sunday, 14 May 2006 00:23 (twenty years ago)

Aw Chris! I'm glad you had fun. I wanted to go hang with my Scouser mate whose bithday happened today but I reckon he had a BALL.

― suzy (suzy), Sunday, 14 May 2006 00:56 (twenty years ago)

no UEFA spot for Gretna then? :(

I think Gretna got in because Hearts qualified for the Champions League (Qualifying rounds).

They won't do any worse than other Scottish teams in the UEFA Cup recently as they've spent a lot of money (and wages) on experienced premier league players in the past 2 seasons. Even before a ball was kicked in the season they won the 3rd division everyone knew they would go straight through the divisions to the premier , but It's incredible that they did make the Scottish Cup Final and they had a right good go at hearts and really did deserve to win on their 2nd half performance.

I don't think it will be Gretnas last final either.

― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy (Kerr), Sunday, 14 May 2006 01:52 (twenty years ago)

I was going to text you at the end of the pens, Chris, but I just couldn't have done it without saying something snide (which you would've laughed off, obv), and I'd have ultimately felt bad about that.

Let's ponder the last two seasons if Gerrard had left Liverpool in summer 2004, as many expected. Good, isn't it? When's the next bus to this alternate universe?

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Sunday, 14 May 2006 08:28 (twenty years ago)

ok
I hate the word "deserve" in football, but it was sooo harsh on West Ham to lose like that, they battered us for much of the match, in particular Ashton was fantastic - a real battering ram, maybe Sven should have considered him for Germany. Reo-Coker was also very very good. It was a completely different West Ham from the one IO saw a month or so ago against Man City in a drab lifeless game, it was much the same team (Ashton apart iirc).

This brings me onto Pardew - we were sat 18 rows behind him so I found myself watching him a fair amount, he is absolutely fascinating, really lives the game, and when you see him have words with an on-coming sub you can really see him get through to them.

Liverpool were...... subdued, not sure what happened there, maybe it was nerves (surely not though?) or maybe the end of a 63 game season. We looked second to the ball on many an occasion, in the first half hour or so, even Gerrard was pretty wasteful and off the pace. Carragher had the worst game I've seen in a long while and the premierships most on-form keeper had a bit of a stinker for the most part. He was slipping all over the place for one.

Both sets of fans though were amazing, the last chorus of bubbles got such a round of applause from the scousers, and the West Ham fans, in the majority stayed on to applaud the Liverpool players too. indeed, before and after the game there were no tensions that I saw at all.

all in all, absolutely wonderful day *sigh*

― Porkpie (porkpie), Sunday, 14 May 2006 09:55 (twenty years ago)

I was convinced Pardew was going to pull off another 4-3 over Liverpool - Gerrard's strikes even reminded me of McMahon's screamer at Villa Park in 1990.

I've had enough of these last-minute sitters going astray against the Filth - Shevchenko, Gudjohnson, Cole, now Harewood. Maybe it's payback for Michael Thomas in '89.

Chris is right - Liverpool were there for the taking yesterday, inferior in every department; West Ham's goals may have been fortunate but they really could've finished the game off before Stevie G's party piece. There was a corner around 85min which they wasted entirely, letting the ball run out thinking a substitution was taking place, which resulted in a Liverpool throw - there were lots of little incidents like that (mostly nothing-challenges yielding Liverpool freekicks) after Konchesky's goal which thwarted West Ham.

I'm glad I'm not much of a patriot - I can watch the World Cup now hoping for drama like yesterday safe in the knowledge that I won't be screaming at the TV in frustration. It's hardly the Kirin Cup, is it?

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Sunday, 14 May 2006 10:59 (twenty years ago)

Kirin Cup = greatest football tournament in the world!

(I enjoyed what I saw of your cup final down there, but I also enjoyed our one up here too. Hurrah for pubs with two tellies showing different games!)

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 14 May 2006 11:07 (twenty years ago)

I fell asleep.

For me, the higlight was the Ricky Villa interview.

I don´t see how anyone can call a game with some many mistakes, half an hour of useless extra time, and a "victory" on penalties, "the best game of modern times" unless modern times means this week, or they are telling fibs.

But then I did fall asleep, it might hab¡ve been really exciting while I was asleep.

Glad the cockneys lost though, I dislike their double nazi salute, which probably isn´t a double nazi salute but is harsh on the eys, whatever it is.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Sunday, 14 May 2006 14:53 (twenty years ago)

Yeah Liverpool got out of jail. They looked very tired, surely Hamann should have been on earlier, such a steadying influence. Alonso looked pretty fucked but was it him who set up Gerrard's goal?

Thought Riise was pretty awful, gave the ball away incessantly, on the other hand Finnan had quite a decent game. Kronkamp looked useful enough when he came on but I guess everyone was so tired by then. Momo Sissoko seemed to really give it a great effort, and is very good at nicking the ball.

But West Ham definitely looked more dangerous, everytime they went forward Liverpool were shakey, the reverse was not true at all, after it was 3-2 we looked dead and buried.

― Ronan (Ronan), Sunday, 14 May 2006 15:00 (twenty years ago)

yeah what a game, rubbish quality but v. exciting, thought we'd blown it but, you know, stevie g (best player in teh wrrld?). dean ashton ws superb and should have been in the england squad.

― michael wells (michael w.), Sunday, 14 May 2006 17:00 (twenty years ago)

I missed it. 'The best Cup final of the modern era' (thanks Motty) and I was forced to watch my parents renew their wedding vows and listen to some knob priest state that 'in my opinion, choice epitomises everything that is wrong with modern society'. Arsing fuck!

I watched Arsenal-Sheffield Wednesday; I watched Liverpool-Man Utd; I watched Arsenal-Newcastle and Man Utd-Newcastle; I watched Liverpool-Sunderland. I even went to Chelsea-Villa. And this is how I'm repaid. Sick. As. A. Parrot.

What great games have you been forced to miss due to circumstances beyond your control?

Oh, and commiserations to Mikey G.

― Pete W (peterw), Monday, 15 May 2006 07:57 (twenty years ago)

Thanks. An amazing day. As noted above, lots of mutual respect among the fans and as the game went on, impossible to call the outcome.

It is disappointing from a Hammers perspective to come so close, not once, but twice. For all the talk about Reina coming good with his penalty saves, it was the tip onto the post in extra time which was most important.

I stayed in Abagavenny and the train back was crammed with Liverpool sipporters. They were great, although I did point out that "we all dream of a team of Carraghers" might be a counterproductive gameplan.

Superhuman MOTM - Stevie Gerrard
Mortal MOTM - Danny Gabbidon (just shaded it over Yossi)

― Mikey G (Mikey G), Monday, 15 May 2006 08:21 (twenty years ago)

I have a feeling that Yossi may have discovered the secret of perpetual motion and that he's employing it in his legs.

― Porkpie (porkpie), Monday, 15 May 2006 08:57 (twenty years ago)

I have a worrying feeling that managers from big clubs might have noticed too.

― Mikey G (Mikey G), Monday, 15 May 2006 09:01 (twenty years ago)

yep, there was talk on the bbc website that the good lord Rafa is very interested.

― Porkpie (porkpie), Monday, 15 May 2006 09:05 (twenty years ago)

What great games have you been forced to miss due to circumstances beyond your control?

Arsenal 1 Man Utd 2 - FA Cup semi-final replay 1999 with the legendary Giggs goal: living in Italy without a mobile phone, or regular access to the internet, or anywhere showing English football on satellite TV, popped down to Milan the next day and got the international edition of The Guardian which just said 'the score was 1-1 with the game heading into extra-time' so didn't even know the result until nearly 24 hours after the match.

Man Utd 6 Arsenal 1 - 2001: similar to above, got the score in a text message, have never seen the goals

Man Utd 2 Arsenal 0 - 2004: the invincibles are vinced, I'm on a plane somewhere over Spain

Arsenal 2 Man Utd 4 - 2005: the invincibles are thoroughly vinced in their own backyard, I'm teaching English to bored Czechs

― Teh HoBBercraft (the pirate king), Monday, 15 May 2006 09:14 (twenty years ago)

Germany 1 England 5 - 2001: We are at a fucking wedding reception in a TV-less venue.

― Kenneth Anger Management (noodle vague), Monday, 15 May 2006 09:21 (twenty years ago)

Man Utd 6 Arsenal 1 - 2001

I'd completely forgotten this game took place.

― Pete W (peterw), Monday, 15 May 2006 09:28 (twenty years ago)

What great games have you been forced to miss due to circumstances beyond your control?

I missed the previous 3-3 Cup Final in 1990 because I was in Picton Library in Liverpool, desperately cobbling together something on LASERS for my degree. Not exactly beyond my control, as I could've got my finger out and got all my assignments/minor projects out of the way before my finals were in sight, but there we are. I got a 2:2 (before extra time).

That, and the 2002 final (when I was in Edinburgh for a wedding and couldn't be bothered searching for a boozer than wasn't showing Celtic-Rangers), are the only FA Cup finals I've missed since 1976. (I have the vaguest memory of Montgomery's heroics in '73 and of Keegan humbling Supermac the following year, but no memory of the West Ham and Southampton wins that followed.)

I suspect I missed Scotland 3-2 Holland in '78 because I wasn't allowed to stay up late on account of it being "a meaningless match". Dad was right. Less forgivable was being sent to bed before extra time started in the '79 ECWC final between Barcelona and Fortuna Dusseldorf (I was supporting the Germans).

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Monday, 15 May 2006 09:34 (twenty years ago)

I missed England - Portugal in 2004 due to being at a conference in Monterey. I slipped away from the meeting during extra time and "watched" it by hitting refresh on the BBC website. Not a good way to experience a penalty shootout.

― caek (caek), Monday, 15 May 2006 09:44 (twenty years ago)

I've missed loads while travelling. The England vs Turkey 2-0 game was one I tried in desperation to find. Stupid third world satelite dishes.

― Mikey G (Mikey G), Monday, 15 May 2006 09:49 (twenty years ago)

Missed Ireland-Germany in 2002, had just started a new job and was scared to ask could I go and watch it, it wasn't in Dublin obviously or there'd have been no problem.

Furious checking on BBC and eventually Robbie Keane equalised. Still bet it must have been amazing to have seen it.

Missed a few, maybe all of the Everton Liverpool FA Cup saga, I wasn't allowed to stay up, I remember each morning getting up early and waking up my dad to ask who had won, and thinking he was joking when he said it was a draw. Then eventually we lost, 1-0, Dave Watson, if I remember correctly.

Missed Liverpool beating Portsmouth on penalties, in the game I got muddled up about, possibly on this thread last week. I remember watching it on the early news the next day, the shootout.

Missed the first 70 minutes of Juventus Liverpool last year, second leg, I arranged to go out with my girlfriend and it was early days back then so when I realised the match was on I didn't want to cancel or anything. After we went to a film and ate dinner I said "let's go for a drink" and then kind of owned up.

It was ok though, I think she enjoys watching me pull freakers watching Liverpool, or so she says....

― Ronan (Ronan), Monday, 15 May 2006 09:51 (twenty years ago)

Id di not know that you are good at LASERS, Michael. You could strike fear into the heart of lesser robots with your LASER knowledge.

So, I'm the only one who thought it was a load of shit then? There have been so many last minute winner/equalisers etc lately that they have ceased to be remarkble.

I think Wednesday's EUROPEAN CUP FINAL may be my last football match ever. Well, perhaps that is a bit over the top. But untill the stop shooting streamers up in the air when a cup is presented, I am withdrawing my support.

Oh, I forgot about England-Jamaica.

I missed Villa away to Dinamo Tblisi (or someone) because I was at the dentist's. It wouldn't have been on the telly though, just the radio. Match kicked off earlier than I thought too (to save electricity!). I think it was nil-nil.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Monday, 15 May 2006 10:01 (twenty years ago)

I missed the last 10 minutes of ET in England vs Spain in Euro 96 and the Penalty shoot out, being on the last train north to Lancaster from Bristol Parkway :-(

― Dave B (daveb), Monday, 15 May 2006 10:06 (twenty years ago)

So, I'm the only one who thought it was a load of shit then? There have been so many last minute winner/equalisers etc lately that they have ceased to be remarkble.

This is true. It's like in the last World Cup when the upsets started to get a bit boring after a while.

― Alba (Alba), Monday, 15 May 2006 10:07 (twenty years ago)

We need a period of drama-free games to replenish our wonder circuits.

― Alba (Alba), Monday, 15 May 2006 10:07 (twenty years ago)

The last World Cup was rubbish. It was like a giant FA Cup third round.

Dave – Vialli book was great. The chap from Supporters Direct had many interesting and informative things to say.

― Pete W (peterw), Monday, 15 May 2006 10:10 (twenty years ago)

PJM: My assignment consisted of writing Light Arbitration by the Stupefied Erasement of Randomisation in crayon on a backdrop of space battles between rival galaxies. It was a Poly, y'know. I got a gold star.

We need a period of drama-free games to replenish our wonder circuits.

I think most people who follow a team have a massive backlog of drama-free matches stored in their brains by this stage of the season. Most of the last two months as an Evertonian has been pretty dull.

Listening on the radio probably doesn't count as "missing" a match, does it? I was on a train for Everton 4-4 Leeds in '99, which, I presume, was on Sky somewhere.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Monday, 15 May 2006 10:15 (twenty years ago)

The last World Cup was rubbish. It was like a giant FA Cup third round.

surely a good thing?
except i kind of agree just because i wanted more big countries clashing.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Monday, 15 May 2006 10:19 (twenty years ago)

Perhaps I need a period as an Everton fan.

― Alba (Alba), Monday, 15 May 2006 10:24 (twenty years ago)

I guess you could look at Saturday's final and think, technically, it was error-strewn and oh no, streamers in the air, soul ripped from game blah blah.

― Mikey G (Mikey G), Monday, 15 May 2006 10:25 (twenty years ago)

Perhaps I need a period as an Everton fan.

Don't do that to yourself, Alba. It should be an accident of birth not a lifestyle choice.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Monday, 15 May 2006 10:30 (twenty years ago)

i think the final was certainly the most entertaining for many years, if not technically the best in terms of skills, not having to go to penalties, most of the players on the pitch breaking down completely by the end etc.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Monday, 15 May 2006 10:32 (twenty years ago)

Light Arbitration by the Stupefied Erasement of Randomisation

Another sodding Stereolab box set?

I seem to spend every May moaning about streamers in the air.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Monday, 15 May 2006 10:49 (twenty years ago)

meanwhile Morientes is left out of final 23 man Spain World Cup squad tho i guess this was to be expected.

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Monday, 15 May 2006 11:18 (twenty years ago)

Today's the deadline for WC squad announcements. Exciting times.

― Alba (Alba), Monday, 15 May 2006 11:21 (twenty years ago)

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