The Observer looks back to some Premiership predictions from August of last year. Next Monday I will repost the predictions article that was posted nine months ago. This gives you a week to finetune your excuses and for some of you to complete the hole that you should be hiding in.
The latest on Marvin Andrews the Trinidad and Tobago defender who stunned doctors two years by playing on when the professionals felt it was impossible.
Twenty-five years on Tom English looks back on Sir Alex Ferguson’s first European trophy.
The other half of Avram Grant (so to speak) and a bit more.
Simon Kuper on the terrorism threat that hangs over this summer’s European Championships.
A small piece on Manchester United’s financial situation that I have not seen (up to Saturday evening) any place else.
Tim Vickery on the start of theCopa Libertadorestogether with comments on Chelsea and Birmingham City’s new Argentine recruits.
For all the complaining we have heard about the African Cup of Nations it does not appear to have stopped the majority of Premier clubs from intensely scouting the tournament.
A decision with significant implications for players looking to walk away fromlong term contracts has finally been made.
And Sepp Blatter’s response to the rule that he helped to bring in.
The African Cup of Nations is down to the last eight and fans in Canada will be glad to know that French language broadcaster TV5 will be televising games from the quarter finals on. For others in North America there are internet options including All Soccer Africa.
My viewing to date has been limited to the highlights of each game delivered over the internet so take the predictions with plenty of salt. However, there has been some cracking goals and a couple of good matches. Now that we have reached the last eight here is hoping that the quality is maintained. Two games are scheduled for Sunday and the others on Monday.
Ghana vs. Nigeria Former MLS (Chicago, Colorado and San Jose) striker Junior Agogo has become a bit of a folk hero during this tournament. The consummate journeyman player looks to have finally settled at Nottingham Forest and despite being left out of the 2006 World Cup he seems to have established himself as a regular member of the Ghanaian international squad.
Ghana needed two very late goals (one from Agogo against Namibia) to secure wins in the first two matches before a straight forward 2-0 win over Morocco sealed a quarter final spot.
Although Nigeria could be considered slightly fortunate to qualify from group B they should not be underestimated. A stunning goal from Salomon Kalou was the difference in their opener against Ivory Coast and although a scoreless draw versus Mali was a disappointing result it did leave the door slightly ajar for Nigeria.
Goals finally came Nigeria’s way as Mikel and Yakubu notched second half markers to beat a Benin side that was far out of their depth. Ivory Coast did the rest by refusing the rest on the fact that they had already secured passage to the knock stage and beat Mali 3-0.
Nigeria has a terrific record in the African Cup of Nations since 1984. Out of the thirteen tournaments Nigeria has made it to the final five times while wining once in 1994. On four other occasions they have reached the semi final stage and taken 3rd place each time.
Prediction – Ghana 1-0 Nigeria
Ivory Coast vs. Guinea The FIFA rankings may be suspect at the best of times but even so few soccer fans outside of Africa would be able to name Guinea as the third ranked side on the continent. They may have never made it to the World Cup Finals to date but 2010 may become their first.
This is the third straight time that Guinea has made the last eight in this tournament but any hope of progressing further this time has been severely damaged by the suspension handed to Pascal Feindouno of St. Etienne.
Between qualification games and the first two of the finals the attacking midfielder has scored eight goals in 10 games. However, his double over Morocco was overshadowed by a sending off for violent conduct. A two game ban meant he missed the final group game (a 1-1 draw) against Namibia but more importantly he will also miss the quarter final against Ivory Coast.
The Ivorians can score goals (8 so far) and give little away in defense – only one goal conceded in seven games at the qualifying and finals stages.
Prediction – Ivory Coast 2-0 Guinea
Egypt vs. Angola This might very well be the time of the round with the reigning African Champions facing a 2006 World Cup qualifier that proved tough to break down. Despite winning at home two years ago Egypt was less than impressive during the qualification phase for this edition.
But you would hardly know it based on their opening two games that saw them blow away Cameroon 4-2 and Sudan 3-0. The opportunity to rest Mohamed Zidan was taken in the final game and the resulting 1-1 draw with Zambia was more than enough to see the Champions through as group C winners.
This is the 22nd time that Egypt has appeared in the African finals and five times they have gone on to win the tournament. For a country that has historically done so well regionally only two World Cup appearances in 1934 and 1990 seems meager.
On the other hand their quarter final opponents Angola will be making a first appearance in the last eight and are looking to build on some fine displays in Germany in 2006. At World Cup 2006 the Angolans proved to be exceedingly tough to break down although they were missing a cutting edge up front.
This problem may have now been solved with the emergence of Manucho, a recent Manchester United signing. A converted winger Manucho entered the tournament with two goals in 10 international appearances but has since scored three more. With veteran Flavio also available up front Angola now have a legitimate scoring threat from their front pairing. Angola will also be eager to move deeper into the tournament as they are scheduled to host in 2010.
Prediction – Egypt 2-1 Angola
Tunisia vs. Cameroon Cameroon has bounced back from a first game loss to Egypt and with Samuel Eto’o (5 goals and an African Cup of Nations scoring record) in the side they present a potent threat. With ten goals so far Cameroon is the top scorers in the tournament and a defense record of five conceded has to be placed in the context of four goals lost to Egypt.
Tunisia won the tournament when they hosted four years ago and they have also reached the quarter finals twice and a semi final in their last six tournament appearances. Tunisia is unbeaten with a win over a bitterly disappointing South Africa side and two draws with Angola and Senegal.
Prediction – Tunisia 1-3 Cameroon
For my money the best game of the weekend in Europe is set for Florence where Fiorentina faces a Milan side that desperately want to dislodge the Viola from the fourth spot that they currently occupy. Both clubs are enjoying a fine run of form with Fiorentina having won four straight and Milan with four wins in their last five games.
Milan sits in sixth spot seven points behind Fiorentina but with a game fewer played. While Brazilian teenager Pato has been capturing the headlines with three goals since his debut against Napoli three weeks ago, the much maligned Gilardino has quietly gone about his business and has scored two vital away goals against Udinese and Reggina. Both were game winners and in all Gilardino has scored seven Serie A goals and all have come away from home.
Fiorentina’s game breaker has been Romanian Adrian Mutu. Mutu has rediscovered the form that made him one of the most sought after players in the world and it is surely no coincidence that it has coincided with him reuniting with his old boss from the Parma days Cesare Prandelli.
After being sacked by Chelsea Mutu signed on at Juventus but failed to make a signicant impact. Fiorentina moved in and last season brought 16 goals in 33 Serie A games. This season Mutu has been responsible for close to 40% of Fiorentina’s goal production with thirteen goals in his twenty appearances.
If any of you have ever watched “Survivor” you will know that near the end, once the competition has been reduced to the finalists, they reminisce over the other contestants have been backstabbed and lied out of the game.
The FA Cup this season may be low on the backstabbing and lying quotient – better left to the Premiership – but a lot of teams have fallen by the way since the Extra Preliminary Round was held last August.
A little under 700 clubs entered the competition and now it is down to the top two teams in England to battle it out for the FA Cup. But rather than focusing on Chelsea and Manchester United, now is the chance to look back at some of the teams that took part in the competition.
The majority of the extra preliminary round games got underway on August 18 of last year. I randomly chose the game between Jarrow Roofing Boldon Community Association and Billingham Synthonia and to follow the winner until they were knocked out and then continue with their conqueror.
Jarrow Roofing Boldon Community Association made it through to the First Qualifying Round beating Billingham Synthonia 5-2 and Thackley F.C. 5-4. According to the FA Cup website the first round win by Jarrow was the upset of the round.
Both Jarrow and Billingham Synthonia played in the Arngrove Northern League Division 1 and although Jarrow won the FA Cup game, Synthonia finished well above them in the league. The teams finished 7th and 15th respectively out of 21 teams. Thackley F.C. finished third from bottom of the Northern Counties East Football League Premier Division and only avoided relegation by one point.
Fleetwood Town dispatched Jarrow 3-0 and made it through the next three rounds beating Goole AFC 4-2, Warrington Town 2-0 and Wisbech Town by the same score. Fleetwood finished 8th in the Unibond League while Goole AFC were 7th in the league below. Playing in the same division as Goole AFC, Warrington Town were fifteen spots lower at 22nd.
Wisbech Town of the Ridgeons Premier League (Eastern Counties) settled in a mid-table position. Salisbury City of the Nationwide Conference South took care of Fleetwood Town in the First Round 3-0 and earned a second round tie against former European Cup holders Nottingham Forest. After a 1-1 tie, Forest won the replay 2-0.
However, it has turned out to be another successful season for Salisbury under the management of former Southampton FA Cup winner Nick Holmes. They gained their second straight promotion. Last season they moved up from the Southern League Premier Division and next season they will be in the Conference National after winning the play-off final.
Forest went on to pull off one of the shocks of the third round when they comfortably beat Charlton Athletic 2-0. It was traumatic season for Charlton that finished with relegation to the Championship.
Forest then drew Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and from that point on it was all Chelsea. They beat Forest 3-0, Norwich City 4-0, Tottenham 2-1 in a replay after a fantastic 3-3 draw, and finally saw Blackburn Rovers off 2-1 in extra time in the semi final.
Forest are currently embroiled in the League One play offs – they beat Yeovil 2-0 in the first leg of the semi and the second leg is May 18. Norwich City could do no better than 16th in the Championship while Tottenham had to again settle for 5th in the Premiership. Blackburn saw their form slip late in the season and eventually finished 10th.
So there you are five degrees of separation between the multi millionaires of Chelsea and Billingham Synthonia who lost the extra preliminary round game nine months ago in front of a crowd of 67 paying spectators. On Saturday we will find out if the FA Cup conforms to 6 degrees of separation when the Cup Final is played out in front of 90,000 spectators and a TV audience in the tens of millions.
What was the best game you saw this season in the FA Cup and what individual performance stands out in your mind?
A question from atleti_female " are there any similarities between Leeds' relegation slump and Nottingham Forest's relegation in 05/06"?
atleti – A good question. I would say that when Forest were relegated in 1993 it was looked upon as the end of a typical cycle albeit a cycle that had, in the case of Forest, been more successful than anyone could have imagined. You have to take into consideration that between 1963 and 1993 only Everton, Liverpool and Arsenal had spent the entire time in the top flight. The likes of Manchester United, Spurs, Chelsea and Leeds had all been relegated during that period. Forest bounced back only to be relegated again in 1997 and it was after that they dug themselves into a deep financial hole.
Forest spent a lot of money on some very bad players especially when David Platt was in charge. There was a spell with Paul Hart as manager when they looked as if they were going to rebound and at one point they made it to the Championship play offs only to lose in the semi final. Good young players were sold – Jermaine Jenas and Michael Dawson come to mind - and lacking resources their play deteriorated and then they dropped to the old third division.
The Leeds problem was a lot more complex although money – or the owing of it – has been the overwhelming issue. Leeds “business model” was based on spending – or borrowing through various means - gobs of money on players (normally young players who would improve) in order to establish the club as a major force in England and Europe and to then reap the massive financial rewards. The assumption was that if things turned for the worse then the players could be sold and the money spent – or the money borrowed to buy the players – could be recouped.
It all started to go wrong the season they reached the Champions League semi final only to lose to Valencia. They overreached and failed to finish in the top four in the Premiership that same season and so missed a CL spot for the next season. Although the Bosman ruling had come down in 1996 the full ramifications took a number of years to filter through the system and it was around 2001 that clubs began to fully understand that the ruling meant a major change in the way that they needed to do business. Instead of paying large fees to a club they could wait for a contract to end and then get the player without a transfer fee – e.g. Sol Campbell to Arsenal from Spurs. The other possibility was to pick up a player for a mere pittance of a transfer fee if they were in the last 12 months of their deal.
Essentially Leeds was operating on a model that considered players as assets that at least held their value and hopefully increased in value. The reality was that with the exception of a few of the very best players, fees paid for players became sunk costs and in most cases players were actually depreciating assets. Interestingly the only case I can think of when the Leeds model actually paid off was in the case of Rio Ferdinand who they made a significant profit on after buying him from West Ham and selling to Manchester United.
Leeds situation also included the infamous Bowyer/Woodgate alleged assault on an Asian student that went to court. Then Manager David O’Leary wrote a book that included significant comment on the case and a lot of Leeds fans and observers believe that O’Leary’s decision to sell his opinion undermined morale in the dressing room and so began a death spiral. As clubs realized that Leeds were desperate to raise cash the more they hedged knowing that the longer they waited the lower the fee became.
Even with new ownership Leeds has been unable to break free of the debt monster. While maintaining some of the highest – if not the highest – ticket prices outside of the Premiership the debts that remain have essentially crippled the club. Last season Leeds came close to regaining a Premiership position but it proved to be a false dawn. Now life in League One beckons.
Two goals in the first twenty minutes set the stage for an extremely comfortable 3-0 win for Chelsea over Nottingham Forest in the fourth round of the FA Cup three weeks ago. Now, the Stamford Bridge side has been blessed with another home tie, their third this year and all against lower level opposition.
On Saturday Norwich makes the trip to London after narrowly beating League One side Blackpool on Tuesday evening in a replay. Two goals from Darren Huckerby brought his Cup tally to five goals in two rounds and three games so far.
Tamworth was beaten 4-1 in the third round with doubles from Huckerby and the apparently ageless Dion Dublin. Then the Canaries drew away from home against Blackpool (1-1) that set up a replay. It needed substitute Chris Martin to score his first ever goal for Norwich eight minutes from time to edge Blackpool in a five goal thriller at Carrow Road.
After failing to gain promotion back to the Premiership at the first attempt last season and with things looking no brighter after two months of this one Norwich fired Nigel Worthington who had been in charge for close to five years.
Former Celtic player and West Ham United assistant manager Peter Grant was hired as a replacement but the East Anglian side is still only five points out of a relegation spot albeit with a couple of games in hand.
Grant released Coach Doug Livermore earlier this week while bringing in former Chelsea, Portsmouth, Dundee and Hibs man Jim Duffy. With only two away wins and only two wins in their last ten games in the Championship Norwich will approach Saturday’s trip with much trepidation.
While Huckerby has stepped up with goals in the FA Cup the absence of Robert Earnshaw has left a noticeable hole in the Norwich attack. The diminutive striker led the Championship with 17 goals when he went down with a groin injury that will keep him out for the rest of the season.
After Saturday’s cup match Norwich will face six of their next eight games against teams pushing for automatic promotion or a play-off spot. The full fifth round draw can be found here and this is a link to the latest news from the official FA Cup website. The fifth round winners pocket around $240,000 in prize money and a place in the 6th round draw.
Past Featured Games Extra Preliminary Round Jarrow Roofing Boldon C.A. 5-2 Billingham Synthonia. Preliminary Round Jarrow Roofing Boldon C.A 5-4 Thackley F.C First Qualifying Round Fleetwood Town 3-0 Jarrow Roofing Boldon C.A. Second Qualifying Round Fleetwood Town 4-2 Goole AFC Third Qualifying Round Fleetwood Town 2-0 Warrington Town Fourth Qualifying Round Fleetwood Town 2-0 Wisbech Town First Round Salisbury City 3-0 Fleetwood Town Second Round Salisbury City 1-1 Nottingham Forest Second Round Replay Nottingham Forest 2-0 Salisbury City Third Round Nottingham Forest 2-0 Charlton Fourth Round Chelsea 3-0 Nottingham Forest
After knocking out Premiership side Charlton in the third round of the FA Cup, Nottingham Forest now faces an even bigger task when they face Chelsea this Sunday. Forest currently sits third in League One, but only on goal difference. Scunthorpe leads the division with 52 points but second place Bristol City and Forest both have a game in hand. Since overcoming Charlton 2-0 in the third round Forest has beaten Yeovil (1-0) and played to a scoreless draw with Swansea.
Given the current gulf that exists between the two sides the BBC had Sports Psychologist James Hamilton assesses how Forest should approach the match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Despite their current “poor” form in the Premiership, Chelsea is the bookies favourite to take the FA Cup for the first time under manager Josie Mourinho. Chelsea is running around 3/1, with Manchester United at 4/1 and Arsenal at 5/1.
Under Mourinho Chelsea has lost to Newcastle in the 5th round (a 1-0 loss from an early Patrick Kluivert header) two seasons ago, and then went out to Liverpool in last year's semi final 2-1 at Old Trafford.
If you fancy a flutter on Nottingham Forest then the current odds of 300/1 make Forest one of the rank outsiders – 28th of 32 teams. (Bristol Rovers who have to travel to championship leaders Derby County are currently 1000/1).
Chelsea Football Club was formed 1905 and they didn't have to wait long until their first appearance in FA Cup final. However, it took significantly longer before they lifted the trophy. Here is a rundown of Chelsea's seven appearances in the final of football’s oldest competition.
Chelsea's appearance in the final of 1915 was a major surprise for although they were to finish second bottom of the league Chelsea beat Everton in the semi-final. Everton went on to become league champions that year. The First World War had been under way for eight months and a new venue for the final had to be found.
Crystal Palace in London had been home to the final for nearly 20 years but had been appropriated on account of the war effort.
The final was moved to Old Trafford in Manchester, a relatively new stadium at that time and Chelsea provided London with only its second finalist in the history of the tournament. As coincidence would have it their 1915 opponents was Sheffield United who had lost to Tottenham after a replay in 1901.
This time Sheffield United took the trophy with a 3-0 win in a game that became known as “the Khaki final” due to the number of serviceman making up the crowd. It would be five years before another FA Cup would be held, but it would be a lot longer before Chelsea made another appearance in the final.
In 1967 London provided both finalists for the first time in the form of Chelsea and Tottenham. By this time Chelsea had developed a reputation as a strong cup team having made it to their third straight semi final. However, on the two previous occasions they had lost in the last four with both games being played at Villa Park in Birmingham. This time they made it to the final beating Leeds United 1-0. The only goal of the game came from the head of Tony Hateley a recent signing from Liverpool.
But there was no Wembley joy for the Chelsea fans again. Goals from former St Mirren winger Jimmy Robertson and utility player Frank Saul gave Spurs a two goal lead before Terry Venables pulled one back with only a few minutes left. However, three years Chelsea would be back at Wembley.
The final of 1970 is regarded as an epic encounter for a number of reasons. The replay was needed for the first time since 1912, the Wembley pitch for the first game was dire leading to the replay being moved to Old Trafford, and both sides kicked lumps out of each other for over 200 minutes.
Wembley had bizarrely hosted the Horse of the Year Show only a few days before the final and the pitch was in disgraceful state by the time the two teams took to the "field". Leeds United twice led through goals from Jack Charlton and Mick Jones only to be pegged back by goals from Peter Housman and Ian Hutchison for Chelsea. Sadly both Chelsea scorers were to die relatively young – Houseman in a car crash seven years later and Hutchinson to a condition brought on by alcoholism in 2002.
The replay did not take place until eighteen days later and is clearly remembered by everyone who watched the televised midweek game. Mick Jones scored again for Leeds and the lead held up until 10 minutes left in normal time. Then a Peter Osgood flying header from a Charlie Cooke cross took the game to extra time. But as extra time ticked away another replay was looking to be the most likely outcome.
There was though to be a trick in the tail of this one. With only minutes left in extra time David Webb moved up from his centre back position to deflect home a Hutchinson long throw. During 210 minutes of action Chelsea led for only five minutes but still took their first FA Cup. Osgood had scored in every round of the cup (from the third on) and he remains the last player to accomplish such a feat.
AstonishinglyIn the replay not one player was booked. A couple of decades later David Elleray was asked to review the video tape of the replay and to apply contemporary standards of officiating. According the Elleray only eight players would have remained on the field at the end if modern standards had applied!!
The 1970 competition also provided a bit of an oddity in that the FA decided that there would be a third place play off between the losing semi finalists Watford and Manchester United. The third place play off continued for another four seasons before being quietly buried before anyone took any real interest in it.
It would be another 24 years before Chelsea appeared again in a final. However, their appearance in 1994 against Manchester United was to be the first in a run of four appearances in nine seasons - two of them successful. Chelsea squandered a number of chances in the first half, and four goals including two penalties from Eric Cantona in the final half hour of the match finally did Chelsea in. The win marked United’s first domestic league and cup double.
Anyone arriving late for the final three years laterin 1997 would have missed the quickest goal ever recorded in FA Cup final history. Roberto Di Matteo scored after only 43 seconds as Chelsea, led by Coach Ruud Gullit, beat Middlesbrough 2-0 who had been relegated from the Premiership only six days earlier.
Another three years on, and another FA Cup win for Chelsea in 2000. Again the hero was Roberto Di Matteo who scored the only goal in the last final played at the old Wembley - and of course we have yet to see the new Wembley.
Although it had taken until 1967 for two London clubs to face each other in a FA Cup final a number of similar encounters followed soon after. West Ham vs. Fulham (1975), West Ham vs. Arsenal (1980), Tottenham vs. Queens Park Rangers (1982) ensued so when Arsenal and Chelsea faced each other in the 2002 final it was no longer considered a rarity.
The 2002 final at Millenium Stadium was evenly balanced until two goals in the last 20 minutes by Ray Parlour and Freddie Ljunberg gave Arsenal the trophy and their third domestic double.
The full fourth round draw can be found here and this is a link to the latest news from the official FA Cup website. The fourth round winners pocket around $120,000 in prize money and a place in the 5th round draw.
Past Featured Games Extra Preliminary Round Jarrow Roofing Boldon C.A. 5-2 Billingham Synthonia. Preliminary Round Jarrow Roofing Boldon C.A 5-4 Thackley F.C First Qualifying Round Fleetwood Town 3-0 Jarrow Roofing Boldon C.A. Second Qualifying Round Fleetwood Town 4-2 Goole AFC Third Qualifying Round Fleetwood Town 2-0 Warrington Town Fourth Qualifying Round Fleetwood Town 2-0 Wisbech Town First Round Salisbury City 3-0 Fleetwood Town Second Round Salisbury City 1-1 Nottingham Forest Second Round Replay Nottingham Forest 2-0 Salisbury City Third Round Nottingham Forest 2-0 Charlton
The Chelsea vs. Nottingham Forest game can be seen live on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports World Canada at 9:00 EST. on Sunday and you can check here for other FA Cup games that can be seen this weekend on FSC and FSWC.
Premiership and Championship teams take a break from league action this weekend as the focus turns to the third round of the FA Cup. While it is at this stage when most fans turn their attention to the oldest knock out competition in the world there has already been eight rounds of action.
The search for FA Cup glory has already been passed from Jarrow Roofing Boldon C.A. to Fleetwood Town to Salisbury City and on to Nottingham Forest. In the second round Forest was potential giant-kill prey to Conference side Salisbury City. This time around they get to play the role of hunter.
Premiership Charlton will visit the City Ground on Saturday with an ever increasing list of problems. After 15 years in charge (the first five as co manager with Steve Gritt) Alan Curbishley called time at the end of last season. Since two other managers have come and gone and Curbishley has swapped clubs with Alan Pardew who is now looking to dig Charlton out of relegation problems.
Six points from Premiership safety, without an away win in well over a year, knocked out of the Carling Cup by Chesterfield (currently in mid-table in League One), and with top scorer and potential saviour Darren Bent out for a month with knee trouble, the troubles are mounting at the Valley.
A month ago Forest would have been relishing the thought of putting one over on a Premiership side in the FA Cup but a series of set-backs (only one win in five games since beating Salisbury City in the second round replay) may have the Midland’s club worrying more about their own league form.
Forest, who finished with only nine players after Clingan and Cullip were sent off, dropped out of top two for the first time since August when they were humiliated 5-0 by Oldham on New Year’s day. While Premiership safety is the priority for Charlton, automatic promotion is vital for Colin Calderwood’s charges.
As well as missing Clingan and Cullip on Saturday through suspension it looks as if Forest will also be without Kris Commons who caught the eye in the televised second round games. The tricky forward is injured and missed the game against Oldham. Commons is out-of-contract this summer and although talks have been held no resolution is in sight. A couple of weeks ago Steve Claridge ran the rule over Commons and pinpointed his strengths and a few problems that may well frighten off Championship and Premiership teams that have shown an interest.
Neither time can boast of a stellar FA Cup record although both have won the fabled trophy. For Charlton FA Cup Final appearance came in the two seasons after WWII. In 1946 they lost to Derby County 4-1 after extra time. This final gained some notoriety as prior to the 1946 final Derby County was said to have carried a Cup-curse placed on the team by a gypsy. You can read about the curse and another oddity involving the game ball by following the marked links. (Jose and Fergie – are you ready to invoke curses yet?)
Charlton returned to Wembley the year after and again the game went to extra time but this time the London club scored the only goal of the game to beat Burnley.
Nottingham Forest won the FA Cup in 1898 by beating Derby County (see curse!) 3-1 but it took over six decades before they were to lift the trophy again. In 1959 Forest beat Luton 2-1 with goals from Roy Dwight and Tommy Wilson. Dwight (uncle to Reg Dwight or Sir Elton John as he is more readily recognized) broke his leg that day but Forest held on with only 10-men (no substitutes) to lift the Cup.
Forest returned to Wembley in 1991 but lost to Spurs 2-1. The Final was again marked by a serious injury albeit one inflicted by the injured players own rash challenge – this time it was Paul Gascoigne.
The third round draw can be found here and this is a link to the latest news from the official FA Cup website. The winners pocket around $80,000 in prize money and a place in the 4th round draw.
Featured Games to date. Extra Preliminary Round Jarrow Roofing Boldon C.A. 5-2 Billingham Synthonia. Preliminary Round Jarrow Roofing Boldon C.A 5-4 Thackley F.C First Qualifying Round Fleetwood Town 3-0 Jarrow Roofing Boldon C.A. Second Qualifying Round Fleetwood Town 4-2 Goole AFC Third Qualifying Round Fleetwood Town 2-0 Warrington Town Fourth Qualifying Round Fleetwood Town 2-0 Wisbech Town First Round Salisbury City 3-0 Fleetwood Town Second Round Salisbury City 1-1 Nottingham Forest Second Round Replay Nottingham Forest 2-0 Salisbury City
The Premiership and Championship teams do not enter the FA Cup for another round but cup fever is already gripping fans of Salisbury City. Salisbury has never made it to the third round of the Cup and if they are to do so for the first time, then they will have to beat former European Cup winners Nottingham Forest .
It is not surprising that all 3,100 tickets (up from the normal capacity of 2,700) have already been sold for Sunday’s game at the Raymond McEnhill Stadium and Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports World Canada viewers can catch the game on same-day tape delay (1:00 p.m. EST on both channels).
Salisbury has won all their four games in the cup so far and as yet to concede a goal. In the last round they took care of Fleetwood United 3-0. Fleetwood moved through four rounds of the competition after dispatching Jarrow Roofing Boldon C.A, the club chosen at random by the blog when the extra preliminary round of the Cup was drawn.
Salisbury has slipped to third in the Football Conference South and is five points behind current leaders Histon but with two games in hand. However, they have only lost three games out of the total of 22 this year and manager Nick Holmes, who played for Southampton when they beat Manchester United in the FA Cup Final of 1976, is looking to pull off another shock.
In Nottingham Forest they face a team that has fallen further than any European team has ever done. No winner of the European Cup had ever sunk to the third tier of domestic action until Forest was relegated at the end of last season. But for Forest fans this season has provided a ray of hope. Former Scottish international and Spurs’ defender Colin Calderwood took over after a spell at Northampton and the indications are that he has stopped the rot and the club his finally heading up once more.
Currently Forest sit at the top of League One with a six-point lead having won five of their last six league games and drawn the other. However, in midweek Bristol City did defeat Forest on penalties in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy after the teams shared four goals. Forest knocked off Yeading 5-0 in the first round of the FA Cup while Salisbury beat the same team 3-1 back in September in Conference South play.
The bookies are offering odds of 6-1against an upset with Forest 2/5 and 9/4 that a replay will be needed. The second round winners will pocket around $44,000 each plus a place in the draw for the third round with the big boys. The full second round draw can be found here and this is a link to the latest news from the official FA Cup website.
Featured Games to date. Extra Preliminary Round Jarrow Roofing Boldon C.A. 5-2 Billingham Synthonia. Preliminary Round Jarrow Roofing Boldon C.A 5-4 Thackley F.C First Qualifying Round Fleetwood Town 3-0 Jarrow Roofing Boldon C.A. Second Qualifying Round Fleetwood Town 4-2 Goole AFC Third Qualifying Round Fleetwood Town 2-0 Warrington Town Fourth Qualifying Round Fleetwood Town 2-0 Wisbech Town First Round Salisbury City 3-0 Fleetwood Town
blissStreet - I think you'd have to agree that the brown kit Tottenham wore this past weekend is even uglier than Bolton's purple one.
Bobby – I have to admit that Spurs strip out did the Bolton one. You certainly don’t come across too many brown strips and you can see why. Maybe someone can confirm or not – didn’t Coventry have some sort of brown uniform about 20 years ago?
Gunner44 - What do you think will happen to Barca now that they don't have Messi or Eto'o? Will they struggle or will it not affect them? I think Ronaldinho will now have to prove why he is in deed the best in the world coz his team desperately needs him. Also what do you think of Totti's performance so far and do think he can win something for Roma this season?
Bobby – Barcelona cannot afford more injuries their strikers and you are right Ronaldinho needs to step up. Taking a player like Eto’o cannot do anything but hurt Barcelona – the question over the next few months is whether or not they can pick up the slack. Messi missed a lot of last season anyway so I do not think he will be as big a loss.
henry14 – What do you make of Freddy Adu, l personally feel that he does not make the Man Utd grade because he did not set the less physical less faster US league on fire, do you feel he can make the grade.
Bobby – Freddy is just another young player with potential but with a lot of work and a long road ahead of him.
riocharlie - I've seen most of the Liverpool games this year and I was surprised to see Hyypia in the game. I thought Benitez would have preferred the younger more athletic Agger.
I wonder if Gerrard isn’t suffering a bit from all of matches he’s played in the past 2 yrs. He hasn’t looked good for awhile, and after the hour mark he went from the right to the center and was still missing in action.
Bobby – Hyypia certainly looked bad against Arsenal and I think you will see more of Agger in coming weeks. His style is very much like Alan Hansen, Mark Lawrenson and Gary Gillespie from Liverpool gone-by. He doesn’t look overly physical but he seems to read the game well and he can pass the ball. Good point on the number of games that Gerrard has played. It might also have accounted for Frank Lampard’s poor run at the start of the season.
neophyte - I do have a couple of thoughts--pass it through the truth meter and let me know what you think: I have noticed that when my (the team I coach)central midfielder (who can score and pushes like the Stevie G of old) doesn't feel confident with the back 3-4 he plays deeper and more defensively. This affects the whole team since he is the playmaker, similar to what Liverpool is doing. 2nd--If Gerrard could take a break from international duties and just rest a bit I think he would be better off. How could you do this and still play all the political games and stop the rumors etc.
Bobby – The international scene closes down until February so he wil get a rest from that. However, the holiday fixture list is just around the corner and that always takes a toll.
AlexMorph - If Liverpool doesn’t make the champs league do you see Gerrard moving on? What about Benitez? Where might they go?
Seems like Gerrard would be just what Madrid are lacking right now, or (dare I say?) Man U as a replacement for Scholes. Inter are always turning over managers, and Ancelotti must be in the pits at Milan, so maybe Benitez would go to one of those?
Bobby – No to Gerrard moving on and the same for Benitez. The Premiership performances might be poor but remember Liverpool has cruised into the last 16 of the Champions League. Capello has settled on his midfield – he will be quite happy with what he has – unless he wants to play Gerrard in Beckham’s old position but that is another discussion!!! As for Gerrard to Manchester – don’t hold your breathe. I’ve followed the English league for a long time and the only player I can remember moving between these two clubs was a player called Phil Chisnall in the mid-sixties – yes I was young at the time. He went from United to Liverpool. I remember being upset because I had just collected his card but then he went and got transfered.
Riocharlie – What’s the over/under on the number of injuries and withdrawals for Beckham to get a shot at his 100 caps?
Bobby – McClaren will take out a “help wanted” ad before he calls Becks.
henry14 - If you were Arsene Wenger how would you fit in Senderos and Djourou into the team when you have Gallas and Toure who are some of the most injury free players around, how would you cater for their improvement.
Bobby – You play them in the Carling Cup, the early rounds of the FA Cup and find opportunities in the Premiership when players might need a rest or are carrying a knock.
realmadridccfan - 1. What do you think of the new "designated player" rule by MLS? do you think it will be a good thing for MLS or do you think that it will begin the same fate as the NASL, for which they signed big name stars and within a few years folded up shop?
2. What about the new MLS-Mexican "Champions League"? Will this prove that MLS can compete with one of the top leagues in the world (or at least in the Americas?)
3. After two months of Spain's La Liga, who do you think have been the biggest surprise and disappointment are? My biggest surprise has got to be Sevilla at number two and are continuing on last year's fine form that won them the UEFA Cup. My biggest disappointment has to be Villarreal. The form that got them a UEFA Champions League spot in the 2004/05 season has disappeared.
Bobby – 1. As long as it does not become a free for all - which is what the NASL was - then I think the change will be good for MLS. 2. For a young league - and most of the MLS critics seem to ignore the fact – an opportunity to play against foreign opposition in a competitive format can only be good. However, I will be surprised if an MSL team wins the first couple of competitions. 3. Have to agree with you on Sevilla and Villarreal although Real Zaragoza (good) would run Sevilla close.
meanBLEEPa - You have to love the FA Cup with all these small clubs playing and the strange occurrences that ensue. From the coin throwing incidents to the 20 soccer balls kicked onto the pitch to the 35K pound loss accrued from playing at an empty Fratton Park. All unfortunate, to be sure. What is the strangest small club cup incident you've seen?
The MLS and USL seem to operate within both the US and Canada in contrast to football leagues in other countries. What are the implications from a governing body point of view and do you think it a wise idea overall with Vancouver and Toronto FC playing with the American teams? I know there's sometimes a debate over Celtic jumping ship and joining the Premiership.
Bobby – FA Cup and small club cup incident – nothing comes instantly to mind. The things that have stuck with me are the shocks such as Hereford knocking out Newcastle.
The Toronto playing in a US league is not as issue. There are numerous other examples around the world – Monaco in France, Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham in the English league, Berwick Rangers in Scotland. The issue of Celtic and Rangers jumping to the English league is how many Premiership clubs are going to be willing to vote themselves into the Coca Cola Championship at a cost of $50M – not many I would think.
djnima - 1. What do you think about Rooney's form lately? Didn't look that sharp against Blackburn even though he had 2 gifts.
2. What did you think about the RVN show this weekend? NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT IT AND IT KILLS ME! Real are only 1 game behind Barca and with the many players missing up front Real look like they have a good chance of ending the years drought. I don't know how far they can challenge into the champs league but I would love to see the New Real clash with an EPL or Italian Giant. Those are the kind of matches we live for. Thoughts???
Bobby – Rooney is an outstanding player who scored a hat trick the week before and he looked ok to me. I picked Real Madrid to win La Liga although the Champions League might be a better fit. I still think Capello will find a way to win something this season.
verbal97 - I'm surprised that nobody has brought up Mike Newell's comments. I think he's a good manager, based on overachieving (up until a month ago) with a team that should be no more than a team fighting relegation. I thought he would probably be offered a job in the premiership this upcoming summer if not sooner.
Now, he's almost definitely going to be fired, although the REAL veiled reason is his lashing at the team's directors. When (rather than if) fired, what will become of Mike Newell?
Bobby – He would have been ok if he had just sasid the assistant referee was BLEEP.
travelcoach - Question about the fox soccer top 25 ... top 35 clubs.
I know this list is old and came out before the Revs loss this weekend and the, the ... well, whatever it was that Liverpool pulled ... but do you really see the Revs and Houston as being better teams than half the Prem?
My Manchester City seems unable to score this season; I'd love to see them play the Revolution in a friendly. But, to put either of these MLS teams above Bolton seems ... not right.
Bobby – Everyone who picks their top 25 has their own criteria. Personally, I have never picked an MLS team and don’t foresee me doing so for a few seasons yet.
koppite - This is a very frustrating Liverpool team. LFC needs a 25 - 30 goal a season striker. Bellamy, Crouch, and Kuyt will get maybe 15 each. The Reds lose the ball too easily and are too fond of passing backwards. A ball winner like Ronnie Whelan (who can also score) is badly needed. The Reds were successful when Rushie and King Kenny were BLEEPing in 40-50 goals a year and the midfielders McDermott, Souness, Whelan were each getting into double figures. Reina makes mistakes but so did every Liverpool keeper. Just the mistakes are amplified by lack of goals at the other end. Finally, Rafa has to understand that football is a team game, not a squad game. Gallas' goal was a prime example of a team not accustomed to playing together.
Bobby – Koppite, sorry to point this out but if Sheffield United had a 25-30 a season goal scorer they would doing alright as well. Benitez hasn’t been given the resources to go and spend $40M plus to land someone of that caliber.
Bigdavedisaster - With the transfer window approaching do you see any big players moving and are US players able to be signed by EPL sides now? I have also been having a fight with friend about which is the bigger collapse Forest or Leeds and is there any other comparable to them?
Is England boss the toughest managerial position in football from a pressure stand point?
Bobby – No European Cup winner has fallen as far as Nottingham Forest so I would say that Forest’s collapse is the greater although Leeds was more intense. Ferencvaros - one of Hungary’s most renowned clubs - was runners up to Leeds in the 1968 Fairs Cities Cup (now the UEFA Cup) and to Dynamo Kiev in the Cup Winners Cup in 1975 and is currently on the point of bankruptcy and may disappear.
Former East German clubs have not fared well. FC Magdeburg beat Milan to win the Cup Winners Cup in 1974 and are now in a German regional league. Carl Zeiss Jena were Cup Winners Cup runners up in 1981 to Dinamo Tbilisi – now in a German regional league. Lokomotive Leipzig (another runner up in the CWC this time to Ajax in 1987) went bankrupt and was dissolved a few years ago. The team was reformed as an amateur outfit and had to start at around the 10th tier in Germany. “When Saturday Comes” had an article on them about a year ago and at that time they were regarded as the team that had fallen the furthest after reaching a European final.
As for the toughest managerial position in football – I would go for the Italian national team job.
A consequence of the burgeoning interest in the Premiership around the world is the trickle down effect on the Championship. As teams are relegated from the Premiership, fans who have taken these clubs to heart stick with them hoping for a reversal in fortune.
And there are a significant number of these cases when you consider that after fourteen seasons of the Premiership only seven teams - Arsenal, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur - have been ever present. Reading will, in a couple of weeks, become the fortieth club to play in the Premiership when season fifteenth gets underway.
Fifteen of the twenty-four Championship sides that kick-off a new season on Saturday have at one time or another competed in the Premiership (marked P). That leaves five former Premiership sides unaccounted for and there in lies a cautionary tale. Far from being a launching pad for a return to the Premiership the Championship can often turn out to be another trap door to an even lower level or worse.
Bradford City, Nottingham Forest and Oldham will all start the new season in League One while Swindon Town has plummeted even lower after being relegated from that division last season. The one remaining club Wimbledon is defunct.
For what it is worth here is my take on how the 2006/07 edition of the Championship might shape up.
