Tom Jordan, son of Joe, helped Havant & Waterlooville to a glamour FA Cup match-up with Liverpool. I wonder if he has his father’s teeth - possibly in a jar.
John Inverdale on the controversy over how to mark the 50th anniversary of the Munich disaster. Perhaps some Manchester City supporters don’t realize that the crash also took the life of a once great City player as well. After a spectacular career for both Manchester City and England Frank Swift retired at the end of the 1950 season. He became a journalist working for the News of the World and covered the fateful game in Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
Seven times a non-league club has knocked off a top flight opponent.
The wit of Gordon Strachan........ and he could play at bit - this from early in his career. The game was at Arbroath's ground called ####field. It is perched on what is really the North Sea and the ball is always only a Titus Bramble sliced clearance and a gust of wind away from heading to Norway. One of the coldest places you could ever watch a game - but because it is so close to the water games are rarely postponed.
With Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea all facing Premiership opposition this weekend what chance that we will lose one of the current top three in the league?
Both Arsenal and Newcastle have enjoyed FA Cup success in the past especially when they have played each other along the way. With the exception of their very first FA Cup meeting in the 1901/02 season Newcastle and Arsenal have either met in the final or the winner of an earlier round match-up has gone onto the final.
Here is the rundown. 1901/02 Newcastle put Arsenal out in first round but were knocked out in the last 8 to the eventual winners Sheffield United.
1905/06 Newcastle beat Arsenal 2-0 in the semi final but lost 1-0 to Everton in the final.
1931/32 Newcastle beat Arsenal 2-1 in the final.
1935/36 Arsenal beat Newcastle 3-0 on the way to the final and won the Cup beating beat Sheffield United 1-0.
1951/52 Newcastle beat Arsenal 1-0 in the final (one of three Newcastle wins in the early 50s).
1997/98 Arsenal beat Newcastle in the final and completed their second domestic double.
2001/02 Arsenal knocked Newcastle out after a replay and went on to win the Cup and Premiership for their third domestic double.
Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are another two Cup giants. United have been to the final eighteen times and have won the trophy eleven times while Spurs can look to eight wins out of nine trips with a 1987 loss to Coventry City the only blemish.
You would think that with twenty-seven final appearance between them that at some point they would have contested a final. But that has never happened and it certainly won’t this season. The nearest they ever came was in 1962 when Spurs beat United in the semi-final. Other than that their meetings have been limited to the early rounds.
Robbie Keane last week notched his 100th goal in all competitions for Spurs but there is one team he has yet to score against in English football. Will this be the weekend that he breaks his duck against Manchester United?
There is a gulf between Wigan and Chelsea in the Premiership and there is a similar gulf in the FA Cup. While Chelsea have not been eliminated before the 5th round since 1998 this is only the second time in the last two decades that Wigan have made it this far.
It is own up time. Here are the predictions I posted last August along with the remarks made at the time. Also included are the actual 2006/07 Premiership positions.
Prediction Chelsea 1st - too strong. Actual position 2nd.
Prediction Liverpool 2nd - will push Chelsea hard but ultimately they will come up just short. Actual position 3rd
Prediction Manchester United 3rd - in the past those who written-off SAF have had to eat crow, but…… Actual position Champions.
Prediction Arsenal 4th – they will be great to watch again but a legitimate title challenge will have to wait. Actual position 4th.
Prediction Everton 5th – Simple stuff. Johnson + Beattie = more goals. The Toffees move up the Premiership. Actual position 6th
Prediction West Ham 6th – A side that showed last season that it has a great upside. Actual position 15th
Prediction Aston Villa 7th– The O’Neill factor. Actual position 11th
Prediction Tottenham 8th– Will they continue to build on last season’s progress or take a step back? The latter for me. Actual position 5th
Prediction Bolton 9th – More liable to slip back than to move forward. Actual position 7th
Prediction Newcastle 10th – Criticism of the Newcastle defence last season is not supported by the statistics. But where will the goals come from? Actual position 13th
Prediction Blackburn 11th – Europe plus loss of Bellamy and Rovers’ league position will slip. Actual position 10th
Prediction Middlesbrough 12th – Many expect Boro to struggle in the bottom four or five. They will have their problems early on but will settle into a mid-table position. Actual position 12th
Prediction Portsmouth 13th – Money, money, money it’s a ‘Arry Rednapp world. Actual position 9th
Prediction Reading 14th – Goals will not come as freely as last season but they will produce enough to guarantee season in the Premiership. Actual position 8th
Prediction Wigan 15th – Last season’s over-achievers will be given more respect this season – to their cost. Actual position 17th
Prediction Manchester City 16th – The second half of last season was a disaster and Stuart Pearce will be severely tested. Actual position 14th
Prediction Sheffield United 17th – It will touch and go and Neil Warnock’s wallet will be lighter by season-end. Actual position 18th
Prediction Fulham 18th – The Cottagers will be better away from home but they are unlikely to replicate last season’s form. Actual position 16th
Prediction Charlton 19th – Alan Curbishley got out in time. Actual position 19th
Prediction Watford 20th – Gap in class will be too much. Actual position 20th
At the same time we asked readers to submit their predictions for the top 5 Premiership finishers, the three sides to be relegated and who would be the most improved side and the most disappointing. I have defined “most disappointing” as the greatest number of points dropped from last season to the one just completed.
Only 5 people out of 70 picked Manchester United to win the Premiership. The most popular top 5 pick was Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. Nobody picked the top 5 in the correct order but the closest was roseboy64 and looneyrooney14 who both picked the first three correctly but flipped Spurs and Arsenal.
Ancanada and Pablo_Chicago actually picked the top four in order but opted for Everton to take 5th spot and they finished two points behind Spurs in 6th.
At the other end of the table the most favoured combination was in reverse order Watford, Sheffield United and Fulham. Eleven opted for Charlton which was only half of the number who picked Fulham. Five picked the correct three teams to be relegated but not necessarily in the finishing order. They were roseboy64, Gunning_Steve, Irish_Scouser, andregurov, and FirstTouch. Only one poster got it spot on and that was owenspapa who picked the three teams to go down and in the correct order.
Next up was the most improved team. Based on points gained the honour goes to Portsmouth who improved by 16 points. The next best performance was Everton with 8 more points. Everton had been the choice of most back in August. Nine correctly picked Portsmouth – crispygreasy00, Venti_Vidi_Vici, Pablo_Chicago, roseboy64, cubsfan05, Irish_Scouser, Goldice007, AlanV and ooohalberto.
As for the most disappointing team that turned out to be Newcastle which had been the pick of five people back in August. Picking correctly were d2cents, wickedzoot, buffytvs, Irish_Scouser, Frenchmansv31, and wja425. Roseboy64 came very close to making a sweep but chose Charlton who only finished just behind the Magpies in the disappointing stakes by gaining 13 fewer points.
Thanks to all of you that took part and we will try to do it again in three months time.
Another interesting weekend of football. The "Dream Final" will have to be an unbelievable match to beat out the Chelsea-Blackburn game. How many times do you think Morten Gamst Pedersen has replayed in his mind the header that went inches wide with 8 minutes left?
With the Everton-Charlton game on delay I was sorely tempted to check the score on the internet. Fortunately, I resisted the temptation and an amazing finish was the reward.
In Italy it was like old times with Inter coming back from two goals down to Palermo to draw. Parma have sufferred only one loss in their last 8 games although five other games have finished as draws. Although Ascoli pulled of####ood result against Lazio (2-2) it wil be awfully tough to make up the lost ground. Messina are in free fall so it may come down to Parma, Reggina or Chievo joining the other two.
Barcelona scraped through courtesy of a last minute own goal to extend their lead at the top of La Liga. The schedule favours Barcelona with only three (Atletico, Getafe and Espanyol) of the eight games against top half teams. Of the 31 points dropped by Barcelona this year only 8 have come against bottom half of the table teams and they have yet to lose to a team from #11 down.
Levante became the latest team to drop into the bottom three in Spain. Athletic Bilbao and Celta Vigo under new coach Hristo Stoichkov both won. There is a full schedule of games in Italy this week and a partial schedule in England.
Coming off a 3-0 loss to Sheffield United another loss to Chelsea would leave West Ham at least 5 points from safety and with a much poorer goal difference. Sheffield United faces Manchester United before another 6 point encounter on Saturday - this time against Charlton.
Here are a few articles that have caught my eye recently.
Cup football dominates in Britain this weekend with semi finals of the FA Cup and Scottish Cup being played on Saturday and Sunday. Watford’s chances of putting one over on United might come down to United suffering a hangover from the 7-1 annihilation of Roma. The news that Ronaldo has signed a five year contract extension is great but not unexpected news for United fans.
Watford and Manchester United have only met three times in the FA Cup, with Watford winning the last meeting 1-0 in 1982. While United have faced Premiership sides each step of the way, Watford have only come across top flight opposition once and that was West Ham. Three of Watford’s four wins have been 1-0’s.
The other semi has Chelsea facing rugged Blackburn Rovers. On the face of it Chelsea have a more difficult task than Manchester United although Rovers’ form since reaching the last four has been pretty awful. However, Blackburn have only conceded one goal in five Cup games and in Brad Friedel they have a goalkeeper who is capable on the day of stymieing the best of teams. Chelsea can look to three wins over Blackburn this season, all achieved without a goal being conceded.
In Scotland Celtic are looking to make it to their 4th final in 6 years. First Division St. Johnstone (currently trailing last season’s Cup runners-up Gretna) are the opposition. These teams have met 5 times in the Scottish Cup with St Johnstone’s only win coming 71 years ago. St Johnstone have never appeared in a Scottish Cup Final and if they are to cause an upset it will likely be on account of ####mp;T international Jason Scotland who has scored 25 goals this season.
Hibs fans don’t need reminding that they last won the Scottish Cup in 1902 and are looking to make their second trip to Hampden Park for a final this season – they beat Kilmarnock in the CIS Cup Final a few weeks ago. The opposition is Dunfermline who finds themselves in a similar position to Watford although there are signs that the Pars may conspire to escape the clutches of relegation. Dunfermline beat Hibs 2-0 in the 1965 semi and went on and lost to Celtic in the final.
With United and Chelsea on Cup duty it is relegation match-ups front and centre in the Premiership. The biggest game is West Ham playing Sheffield United at Bramall Lane. West Ham are on a roll although it may still turn out to be too late. They have won their last three Premiership game including two away from home against Blackburn Rovers and Arsenal. On the other hand Sheffield United have lost three league games in a row, have only picked up one point in their last five games and face Manchester United and Charlton after this game. Without Rob Hulse who has contributed nearly one third of United’s goals it is difficult to see where United’s goals are going to come from.
Everton and Charlton are two of the hottest team sin the Premiership at the moment and are both unbeaten in their last six games. Charlton have had four consecutive clean sheets – 5 in their last 6 - and have reached a position where by they no longer have to hope that other results go there way in order to avoid the dreaded drop. However, remember that Charlton still have only one away win this season at that came at Portsmouth.
Other matches with relegation implications have Wigan at home to Spurs and Reading at home to Fulham who will have new manager Lawrie Sanchez in charge.
In MLS Kansas City make their 2007 league debut at DC United who lost their season opener last weekend in chilly (this is coming from someone in Winnipeg!!) Denver. DC looked very uninspired and perhaps suffering from their Champions League exertions against Chivas Guadalajara.
KC Wizards signed former Boro midfielder Carlos Marinelli although he is unlikely to see action for a couple of weeks because of fitness concerns. Marinelli, who is now 25, made his Premiership debut as a 17-year-old against Sheffield Wednesday on Boxing Day 1999. In 43 starting and substitute appearance in the Premiership the Argentine midfielder scored three goals.
Other notable games include Toronto FC away to New England, and two teams that won their seasons openers play in Denver – Colorado Rapids and Chicago Fire. For Toronto fans it will be a second look at their new team and particular attention will be paid to the effort over the full ninety minutes. The promise of last weekend’s first thirty minutes against Chivas only flattered to deceive as the side wilted badly in the last 2/3rds of the game.
Inter Milan are looking to continue their march to a second straight Serie A title when they face a badly slumping Palermo. Palermo are struggling with the loss of striker Amauri through injury and have taken only ten points from a possible thirty-six. A win over Palermo, and another against second-placed AS Roma next Wednesday, would bring the title for Inter with six games left.
Spain has some mouth watering encounters this weekend. After rolling over and dying in midweek against Chelsea, Valencia desperately needs to beat Sevilla in order to stay in contention for the title. A loss for Valencia would leave them at least 8 points behind the leaders with 8 games to go. Valencia have taken just four points from a possible 12 and will face Real Madrid away next week. In turn Sevilla must play Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on May 6.
Racing Santander versus Real Madrid has two of Spain’s form teams going head-to-head. Santander are coached by former Real Madrid reserve team coach Miguel Angel Portugal and are on a seven-match unbeaten streak with ex-Real player Pedro Munitis (4 goals) and giant Serbian Nikola Zigic (10 goals) proving to be a handful for opposition defenses. Santander have also moved into contention for a UEFA Cup spot
Real Madrid, despite so many drab performances, are very much in contention and continue to apply heat to league leaders Barcelona who find themselves 11 points off of last season’s pace. Barcelona leads Sevilla by a single point with Real Madrid a point further behind. Of the top three teams Barcelona looks to have the easiest run-in with a trip to Atletico Madrid (their bogey team) the most difficult challenge.
Enjoy the weekend action and feel free to comment!
The most important league game of the weekend is in Portugal with Benfica against Porto. Sporting Lisbon blew the league race open when they went to Oporto almost two weeks ago and beat the home team 1-0. Benfica have the best home record in Portugal with a draw in ten games the only blemish and they currently trail Porto by one point. Benfica have to play Sporting once more in the league this season – April 29. Portugal cut the league back to sixteen teams this season so although each team has only played 22 games they are only eight left to play.
Lyon are looking to for the first half of a league and league cup double – something they never accomplished – when they face Bordeaux in the League Cup Final. Lyon won the trophy in 2001 which was the year before they set off on their run of consecutive league wins. Bordeaux won the Cup the following season and it remains their last piece of silverware. Interestingly Juninho of Lyon has never scored a goal in a game against Bordeaux.
It looks as if Bayern Munich needs to beat Schalke in order to retain any interest in the Bundesliga title. With only eight games to go and trailing Schalke by nine points and Werder Bremen by six, three points would appear to be mandatory. The good news for Bayern fans is that in thirty-six Bundesliga visits Schalke have only five wins and five draws to show for their efforts.
With both teams facing Champions League action this coming week it will be interesting to see how Milan and Roma line up in the Olympic Stadium on Saturday. Roma are sitting with a comfortable nine point lead on rivals Lazio – surely one of the over achievers in the European leagues this season – who are in third place. Milan have slowly but surely worked their up Serie A and are now within four points of a slumping Palermo side for the last Champions League spot and Milan has a game in hand.
The Barcelona versus Deportivo La Coruna game would be more interesting if the game wasn’t in the Nou Camp. Deportivo La Coruna have an abysmal away record having won only twice on their travels this season although both came relatively recently. Goal scoring has been Deportivo’s problem with only 20 goals in the “for” column – only seven have come away from the Riazor. Barcelona have yet to lose to any opposition in the bottom half of the table.
The best in the premiership would look to be Liverpool vs. Arsenal in the early Saturday game while free scoring Tottenham and Reading on Sunday also looks promising. In the battle to avoid relegation Charlton have the opportunity to pull Wigan into the battle and reduce the gap between the two teams to three points. Some things to note going into this game are that Wigan has yet to come back and win a game in which they have conceded the first goal and they have lost 19 points this season from winning positions – the worst in the Premiership
Sheffield United could give themselves a massive lift if they can beat a slumping Bolton side which has lost their last three games. The bad news is United last picked up a point on the road over three months ago. Here is Sheffield United run-in which at least gives them control of their fate - Newcastle (h), Manchester United (a), West Ham (h), Charlton (a), Watford (h), Aston Villa (a) and Wigan (h).
Over the next few weeks I will be looking to develop a weekend preview piece. A few games will be highlighted and there is of course the opportuntity for readers to provide comments as they see fit.
Manchester United vs. Bolton and Chelsea vs. Sheffield United.........obviously United and Chelsea start as favourites. Didier Drogba and Cristiano Ronaldo will continue to battle it out for the Player of the Year Award.
At the over end the table Manchester City faces Middlesbrough. Based on their past record things don't look good for Stuart Pearce and City. City have lost 5 straight Premiership games have not won in 7 visits to Middlesbrough with 5 losses and 2 draws. In the Premiership City have only beaten Boro once in 15 games. These games are generally low scoring with only 4 goals in their last 4 games.
Watford are the latest team to try and tame the Tottenham Hotspur scoring machine and in particular Dimitar Berbetov. Watford with a win and two draws in their last four have equaled their best run of the season. Spurs appear to have given up stopping goals going in and have reverted to scoring more than the opposition - an interesting idea. The last time Spurs earned a shut out in the Premiership was back at the end of October against Watford in a scoreless draw.
In the Championship the race for promotion continues to be tighter than a Scotsman. At the bottom of the table it is the same thing. Luton have dropped into the relegation zone and Mike Newell was fired this week. Two teams trying to save thenmselves from slipping into League One clash this weekend when Southend United plays Leeds United. Oh how the once mighty have fallen.
Schalke 04 v VfB Stuttgart (Bundesliga), Lazio v Empoli (Serie A), Recreativo Huelva v Barcelona (La Liga), and Porto vs. Sporting Lisbon (Portugal) appear to be the pick of games on the continent.
Henry 14 - 1.what do you feel about Senderos because l thought Drogba apart from goal did not do much to trouble the defense. Do you think the criticism handed to a 21 year old against a 28 year old is justified?
2.l have seen Chelsea and everyone’s seems to be waiting for them to fire on all cylinders and produce a performance that merits the stars in their team. Do you think Chelsea have reached their peak expected of them or they have but Man Utd. have just been too good for the champions to live with them?
3. What do you make of Abou Diaby?
4. Have you seen a better piece of magic or dribble than Ronaldhino did against Bilbao?
Bobby – 1. Senderos is an experienced international even though he is 21. Drogba’s primary job is to score goals and if he achieves that without “troubling the defense” then more power to him. Drogba has definetly got into Senderos' head. 2. I think Chelsea has an extra gear that they have still to use. 3. He looked good last year until he was injured against Sunderland. 4. Yes – Ronaldinho didn’t score. Here are a few of my favourites courtesy of youtube. There was also a Ronaldo goal when he was with Barcelona but I could not track I down.
Eddie Gray in 1970 scoring for Leeds United versus Burnley.
George Best scores against Sheffield United (not Wednesday as it says) in 1971. He scored goals like this more than once.
Another Best special – this one against Fort Lauderdale in the NASL.
Gongatore - .How do you see the Barca-Liverpool return leg? Who does Barca start? Tactically, what can they do to negate a fired up Scouser side at home?
Henry14 - As l sat to see the Barcelona match and saw Eto'o play more like his old self, l felt that, Barca at their best are the best on the planet, what approach do you think Liverpool will take because they are expected to attack at the same time Barca will have to attack?
Gunner44 - Do you think now that Eto’o is back Barca will be able to overcome Liverpool at home?
Bobby – Barcelona has to win by two goals or by a score of 3-2 or higher so they have to attack. Benitez will be happy to sit back and hit on the counter – there seems to be no reason to attack. The longer it goes on without a goal then obviously the better it is for Liverpool. If Liverpool scores a goal Barcelona still needs to score two to stay alive.
Wja425 - Javier Mascherano already has more playing time at Liverpool than he had at West Ham after September. And by all accounts, he performed well on Saturday. Is that a commentary on Pardew and Curbishley as managers that they couldn't fit him into their systems (there was an article suggesting that recently), or that Mascherano fits Benitez's style much better? It doesn't make a lot of sense that a player can not make the squad for one of the worst teams in the EPL but can play a critical role for one of the best teams.
Bobby – I think Benitez knows how to fit Mascherano into his team and I still think that he will come good and will turn out to be a great acquisition for Liverpool. In terms o####ood player not being able to hold down a place in a poor team I’m not sure it is as simple as that. It can be a case of the type and style of players you are playing with as well. After all do you think it is easier playing with good players or bad players?
Buffytvs - Ronaldo has been a huge part of the team's success this year -- do you think he will move on at the end of the year, as the rumour mill suggests?
Bobby – I cannot see Ronaldo moving from Old Trafford anytime soon. I think it is all part of the better-contract dance.
Gunner44 - Who do you think will win EPL player of the year Drogba or Ronaldo? Or will it come down to who wins the Title? And in your own opinion who has been more valuable to his team?
And do you think Cesc should be EPL Young POY coz in I think the boy deserves it considering how consistently he has performed all year been only 19?
What do you think Henry's Problem is confidence, new players around him, starting to lose his touch or just lost in his own little world? And should Wenger Bench him especially if RVP returns?
Bobby – I would pick Drogba at the moment as the player of the year because he carried Chelsea through a large part of the season. Fabregas is a shoe-in for the young player of the year. I don’t think Wenger will bench Henry. As for his problems – missing Robert Pires perhaps. Rosicky has had a good first season but Wenger is playing him in a position that he rarely if ever played while with Borussia Dortmund. Pires and Henry had a telepathic understanding – it is not the same with Rosicky.
Foxcube - I feel that Arsenal had no choice but to go with youth development, the Ajax way, whereas Chelsea remains absent-minded with huge money in the pocket. What about Man Utd in the 80s and 90s? Were they considerably richer than other clubs? How did they cultivate their own reserves? And why isn't AC Milan's system producing any great players?
Bobby – United may have been richer than other clubs but the youth squad they produced in the early 90’s was probably as good as any with the exception of the Busby Babes. United have always produced players through the youth system but few are up to SAF’s standards. (Colin Shindler’ s book George Best and 21 others is a great read, as well as Jeff Connor’s The Lost Babes). The lower leagues are littered with players who have not made it at Old Trafford.
Good question about AC Milan. They have always been regarded as a buying club rather than a club that develops players. The two that I think did come through the ranks and were world class players were Gianni Rivera and Paolo Maldini.
LosAngelesChelseaFan - Do you think the article on the Porto meeting between Abramovich and the fans in the Sun has credibility or is just their normal way of creating sensation?
Bobby – A way to create a stir.
Henry 14 - Do you know where Glen Little was and why he is at Reading when he has so much talent?
Bobby – I believe he spent a bit of time at Burnley and may have been at Crystal Palace at the start of his career when Steve Coppell was in charge. You don’t find too many tall rangy type wingers around anymore. He reminds me a bit of Chris Waddle, Ted McMinn (Rangers and Derby in the 80’s) and Tommy Hutchinson of Manchester City and Coventry in the 70’s and early 80’s.
Old Coach - What current managers do you consider to be the best talent evaluators?
Bobby - I think most of us would go for the usual suspects in England - SAF, Arsene Wenger - particularly Wenger. Sam Allardyce would have to be part of that group as well - even though many don't find Bolton's style entertaining.
However, I think the managers who really have to work their socks of to make sure that they leave no stone unturned are the Championship managers. George Burley has a great track record of team building at the lower level and Billy Davies at Derby is another one. Roy Keane has done a great job so far of moving players in and out and now has Sunderland in a position to challenge for an automatic promotion spot.
I think you also have to dig a bit deeper as well and look at the clubs that have developed a system that continually attracts good young players. I'm thinking of a club like Sevilla who have lost some very good players but they seem to find a way to replace them. Werder Bremen would be a good example of the same thing in Germany. Auxerre did it for years when Guy Roux was in charge.
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.
Djnima – I wanted to hear your thoughts on your fellow Fox Football Pundit Nick "get the beers in" Webster.
I do admit that his prediction does look set to come true, but who knows who else Fergie can bring to the team in January. I hope for the leagues sake that it does go down to the wire. I think Chelsea need to reinforce the back four and bringing Cech back will help. I do think Utd were unlucky to come away with a result. They don't seem to "go for the jugular" as Fergie puts it. Thoughts?
Bobby - I think I would like to comment on it from my perspective rather than providing my thoughts Nick’s article. First of all, I picked Chelsea to win the Premiership this season and I still think come May they will be the champions. However, the shine has been removed from Chelsea this season-this is not the team we have seen the last two years. A pattern has evolved whereby Chelsea get behind in a game or are having trouble breaking down the opposition -- Newcastle as an example – then Essien moves to wingback, they throw on another forward or two and they finish up getting a result.
Chelsea is allowing the opposition to score first to a far greater extent than we have seen before. They have also all lost to Middlesbrough and Spurs after taking the lead. If they don't get themselves sorted out they will drop more points. By now teams should know what to expect in terms of the Essien move and you should see teams adjust their tactics accordingly. Clearly Mourinho has been unable to sort out the predicament of Michael Ballack and Frank Lampard essentially occupying the same position. It is a bit like the Lampard/Gerrard problem that England suffers with. Chelsea has relied on a few players to bale them out this season- Drogba perhaps being the most prominent.
Henry14 - Gone are the days that you would look at the league fixture as an arsenal fan and predict a win on Saturday l noticed something that l never thought would happen. A new all time low was recorded in the gunners’ team. Surely the young team has made the standards of the arsenal team fall. l could not believe that drawing with Portsmouth is now seen as symbol of character, something that was unheard of a few seasons ago. Arsenal built their reputation on thrashing all the teams they have drawn with at home. Half the season have gone one has come to a conclusion that surely some of the players are highly overrated. l watched the Portsmouth game twice and suddenly saw that they is no longer any pride in pulling the Arsenal jersey. RVP, Clichy, Eboue, Hleb, Toure, Djouru have all been a disgrace this season. l could not believe that we can not have a two match winning streak. These players has been living in the glory of Pires, Bergkamp, Henry, Vieira, Ashley Cole, Sol, Lauren to such an extent that they are happy to have the ego that comes with it but not the performance. These players have not stepped up and to show how their ego affects them after a performance like that some of them go to the media and claims their can still win the league which is disrespectful to the fans. They are young but so are 11 of the 20 teams in the Premiership and if they are not careful they are staring at UEFA cup football in the face and an empty stadium. The reality that Wenger hides from is that he should sign two or three good experienced players in midfield and attack.
Do you think there is any better country at producing strikers like Italy, if you look at their goal scoring chart over the seasons it is amazing. And what do you think about Sheffield United.
Bobby - Henry14, I am beginning to get bit concerned that you are going to do yourself a mischief jumping on and off the Arsenal wagon. You're upset about drawing with Portsmouth, but go back to the “Invincible Year” and did Arsenal not draw with the newly promoted Portsmouth that season? Young players do not become better players by not playing them. In your words signing “two of three good experienced players in midfield attack” assumes that these players are automatically better than what Arsenal presently has.
As for Italian strikers, I can think of a few countries that are better at producing goal scorers. Brazil and Argentina come quickly to mind. You will have to explain to me what is amazing about the Italian goal scoring charts over the seasons.
Neil Warnock has Sheffield United working very hard and it has paid off with some vital goals in the last few weeks. However, I cannot see them doing anything else but battling relegation all season although I fancy their chances of eventually surviving.
Jeffers77 - What do you think are the chances that Tottenham will win a trophy this year? They’ve been in great form lately, looks like they are coming together very well as a team. They’ll have to win some big games obviously to have a chance at winning something, but I think they could pull it off this year.
Bobby - Martin Jol has been talking up the UEFA Cup so that may be his number one target. But if you look at the last 32 of the UEFA Cup I think you can see is going be extremely difficult tournament to win.
Dwight4007 - Arsene Wenger has been having some emotional control issues lately. Given his fantastic success over the past 10 years, is he displacing some frustration over the play of his young team onto opposing managers and match officials?
Bobby - Probably.
Bigdavedisaster - With Keane's injury do you think he is done at White Hart Lane? I hope not because I believe that Spurs increased level of play cannot be credited to the matching of Berbatov and Defoe but rather to the play of Huddlestone who just gets better with every match.
Bobby - Perhaps with his injury it might make it more likely that Keane will not leave come the January transfer window. It certainly looks like Huddlestone is the heir apparent to Michael Carrick. He seems to be improving rapidly and certainly looks the part.
Realmadridccfan – 1. What do you think of the FIFA rankings that FIFA re-jigged after the World Cup? They make no sense at all! How does the United States end up 30th at this ranking, Canada 82nd, Trinidad & Tobago 91st, Guinea 23rd and Cuba 46th? This new formula that FIFA has come up with is pretty dumb.
2. Out of all the EPL managers right now, which club get's their money's worth in terms of getting the most out of their players and the financial resources (or lack their of) that the club has?
3. Who do you think is the most under-rated and over-rated goalkeeper in Spain's La Liga right now?
Bobby–1. I pay no attention to the FIFA rankings – absolute worthless ####. 2. It is going to vary from week to week, and I think you can only make that call come the end of season. However, Bolton has to be ranked highly on a value for money to points basis. 3. There are more avid watchers of La Liga than me who are better qualified to comment on the goalkeepers. However, I would throw in the name of Roberto Abbondanzieri (Getafe) as someone who perhaps doesn’t get enough credit; on the other side I think Carlos Kameni (Espanyol) is often more style than substance.
LosAngelesChelseaFan - I agree 100% with your Summary on Chelsea on FSWR tonight (Chelsea not as good as last year’s 4-3-3 team, Boularouz being a disaster, risky tactics, Drogba getting more space, etc.).
I really don’t get the claim by the media that Chelsea has a deep squad to get them through while others may not last. They’ve been running on fumes and 30 yard strikes recently. We had this discussion earlier but they have no right winger, they only play well when they take Geremi off the pitch, there’s no CB coverage and we all know the Ballack/Sheva issues. Terry’s injury may not be trivial and explains his pretty passive displays of the last month or so. Kalou, Mikel are high risk.
It was interesting that JM today said that he wouldn’t have played the midfield diamond if Terry had been fit. I guess they can’t just dump Sheva, and I guess Ballack will be in the picture till they have someone better or they switch formations.
Do you have any thoughts about who Chelsea could get in the transfer window? Maybe there’s a swap on the way. Have you heard any rumors? Who do you think Man U should/could get?
Bobby - The last thing Chelsea need is to sign more players. They have not successfully integrated the ones they signed in the summer saw adding more to the mix is not going to make the situation any better. I think many Manchester United fans are hoping that Fergie will sign another striker even with Larsson arriving on loan. It looks like the move for Owen Hargreaves is definitely off so it might free up some substantial money for Fernando Torres. But there again Atletico Madrid may want to keep him until the summer and make a big push for a Champions League spot.
It is official - Newcastle are the winners of the Intertoto Cup.
Neil Warnock the manager of one of the Premiership’s hottest clubs Sheffield United, has been writing a regular column for the Independent.
Stewart Robson on the pros and cons of Chelsea’s current midfield set-up.
Daniel Finkelstein and “The Fink Tank” takes a look at the Champions League draw.
Another clear indication that UEFA is willing – or must – align with the European Union in order to control the G-14. The article may point to Chelsea, but this is only because they are an easy target.
Rob Hughes provides more details on the FIFA-Mastercard-Visa court case. The article includes the following comment from the Judge on Jack Warner’s right-hand man Chuck Blazer. “Mr. Blazer’s testimony was generally without credibility based on his attitude and evasive answers on cross examination.”
After this week Speakers’ Corner will be taking a break over the holiday season. However, I will continue to post during that time and create open forums for discussion over the next few weeks.
Thank you to all the regular blog readers and contributors and a happy holiday season to you all and a guid New Year.
George Weah asks “With Anelka possibly linking up with Diouf at Bolton the Trotters could have the most combustible strike force in the EPL. What are the odds on one of these two being dropped by December?”
Bobby – Or how long until Anelka’s first sulk? What a fantastic talent, what a moaner.
Reggae_Boy_23 – What’s your opinion on Jens Lehmann.
Bobby – Up until last season my opinion of Lehmann was not great. However, being dropped for a spell the season before seems to have made a ton of difference. He was fantastic last season and although he did have his little tantrums now and again he really did come into his own.
JohnQuinn – Frank Lampard and deflected goals.
Bobby – I’m not aware of any statistic being kept on deflected goals but it is an interesting point. It seems to me that there are a lot more than there was a decade ago – but there again I don’t have anything to prove that. Maybe it has something to do the ball?
TheFishingWidow – Sheva and Drogba
Bobby – Shevchenko will bring out the best in Drogba. Not only is he a great striker but he also works hard to create chances for others as well. Sheva will create space for Drogba and if they both stay fit I can see them scoring 40 between them in the Premiership.
thedream “Why was Pascal Chimbonda not in Wigan's line-up this past weekend?”
Bobby – Because Paul Jewell and Wigan are royally pissed off at him for wanting a transfer. Next he is going to be sent to his room early, without supper, and no internet privileges.
Bobby – What I have seen of Kuyt has not been all that impressive but I don’t think Benitez has bought a dud – although he did sign Crouch. I can see Crouch becoming a role player who is brought off the bench to give the opposition a different look. I just don’t think Crouch is up to what is needed week in and week out.
Looneyrooney14 - Does Man U's performance today make you want to edit your prediction? Especially since Liverpool were disappointing on Saturday.+ I am the only Tottenham fan in my family, everyone else is a Man U fan, so I was teased pretty bad this weekend, do you think my team can turn it around?
Bobby – Not after one game I am not. United were great on Sunday but it is far too early tell. Mind you drawing conclusions after every team has played one game is not as bad as what we saw on Sportsnet in Canada after the Sheffield United and Liverpool game on Saturday. As you all know this game was the first of the season and finished before the others kicked off. Sportsnet put up the league standings with Liverpool and Sheffield United top and all the other 18 teams showing zero records. Talk about pointless! For a comment on Spurs see below.
milanfan – Lack of action from Milan in the transfer market.
Bobby – I find this surprising as well. Could the rumour of a Ronaldo bid be true?
djnima – 1. Your prediction for Spurs not challenging for the top four this season surprised me. The front 6 line up for them looks quite dangerous. If Zokora succeeds in the EPL, and I think he will, then Tottenham's midfield and striking options surely look promising. They only seem to lack quality in defense which would seem to be their only weakness. Chimbonda was the answer to some of those questions. Since Tottenham failed to signhim, do you think their lack of spending at the back will lead to their demise?
2. I joined the Fox EPL fantasy so I could see your picks. I can't seem to be able to view your team. How can I do so?
Bobby – 1. Taken from another blog response to a similar question. My take is that few teams have been able to produce back to back seasons that have moved them into the top four. Spurs will also have the UEFA Cup and are unlikely to be knocked out at the first attempt in the Carling and FA Cups. Finally (a) Spurs had a fantastic record against teams that finished in the bottom half of the table while (b) they had a poor record against the top four and (c) they had a great home record. I can't see them doing much better against the top four while I don't think that they will be able to replicate the record against poorer sides and it will be difficult to match the home record from last season.
2. This is my rookie year in the Fantasy League so I will be happy to avoid relegation. I have made some four transfers all ready but this is what I have at the moment under Tayport. Van der Sar; Carr, Ferdinand Rio, Gabbidon, Hunt: Parker, Nolan (captain), Arteta, Benayoun; Johnson Andy, Henry; Sub Solskjaer.
travel_coach - What can be done about the disparity in cash? I watched Chelski beat my Man. City side handily, despite that Chelski were missing 3 starters. The Prem. really has split into super teams and the rest of the lot. Is that really what we want? EU labour laws to the side for a minute would instituting a "4 non-U.K. player maximum in the Prem. help restore a reasonable level of parity? How about a salary cap like we have in the Fantasy league? Or, given the Sheffield United game, are such efforts really unnecessary?
Bobby – There has always been a disparity of cash, the only difference is that now it is greater than ever and Chelsea has more money than anyone can reasonably dream of. Unfortunately any discussion has to involve European Union Laws. UEFA and FIFA chose to ignore that reality so when the Bosman decision came down they were totally ill-equipped to respond. The fact that UEFA and the European Union cooperated in the report tabled in May was very important and a sign that UEFA now sees the EU has part of a long term solution rather than the problem.
