Ursusarctos - Since the '80s, I believe only First Division/ PL teams have won the FA Cup, even though several finals in that time featured one lower division team. In the '70s (most recently), several teams from the old Second Division won it by beating First Division opposition.
But I have no idea whether two lower division sides have ever met in the final. When were the last FA Cup finals featuring two lower division teams (if ever)? And (to pull a craigy!) what FA Cup finals do you remember as the most exciting, and why? What was the worst (by any measure)? What two teams would you like to see meet in a "dream" Cup final (from any division)?
Bobby – Some assorted FA Cup trivia and facts. Since the advent of the League in1888/89 there has never been a final with two teams from the lower flights. The last time there were three lower flight teams in the semis was back in 1908 - Newcastle out of Fulham, Southampton and Wolves. Wolves beat Newcastle 3-1 in the Final.
This season's semi finalists have all won the Cup but with exception of WBA their successes all came before WW11. 1912 Barnsley beat WBA 1-0 in a replay: 1927 Cardiff beat Arsenal 1-0; 1939 Portsmouth beat Wolves 4-1. And in 1931 WBA beat Birmingham 2-1 and became the last team to win promotion and the FA Cup in the same season.
It has been thirty-three years since the last time we had a Final without Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham or Everton. (West Ham vs. Fulham 1975)
Best final in my memory was Chelsea vs. Leeds in 1970 that went to replay. In 1990 Crystal Palace vs. Manchester United 3-3 was memorable as were the two Liverpool – Everton finals of the 80s.
Three stinkers – last season’s Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United, 2005 Arsenal 0-0 Manchester United; 1996 Manchester United 1-0 Liverpool. As for dream finals I don’t think you can preordain a great final. You just have to take what happens and hope for a great game.
Ringo - Dundee are no Queen of the South.
Bobby – Apparently there was a mix up and Dundee thought they were supposed to play like Queens rather than playing Queens.
Neophyte - Barcelona loses to Villarreal. Barca has looked weak and less than the invincible side lately. How much of a hangover do clubs suffer from Champions league play (deep play like winning it all), Domestic cups, League cup, International friendlies, FIFA club cups that seem to follow when a club has success in interclub play? Barca seems to have the skilled players they could possibly want but lack the destroying presence in midfield or on the backline. Your thoughts?
Bobby – There should not be any hangover for great teams – nothing out of the normal anyway. Barcelona was in a fantastic position after beating Arsenal a couple of seasons ago but since then it looks to me as if they lost the hunger for more silverware. I don’t agree that a ball winner in the midfield is their problem – from the games I have seen not having the ball is hardly their problem.
Atleti - I think I'll go mad if Atleti don't secure a Champions spot.
Bobby – Have you ever thought that you might also go mad if they do?
Atleti - Racing Santander are this season's Cinderella story. They're #5 with 44 points...equal to my beloved, underachieving hijos de p-uta. Oh, and tell the boys on the FSR, it's not pronounced Racing...it's 'RAH-Sing'.
Bobby – You are spot on, Santander has flown under everyone’s radar this season. Only a handful of teams have scored less goals but only the top two have conceded more. In terms of pronunciation I seem to remember that they were advised some time ago that in Argentina 'RAH-Sing' but for Spain “Racing” but I could be wrong. The solution, I guess, is to refer to Santander.
Gunner4 - I've been watching and listening to you over the years and you seems not to have any faith in Arsenal. Two years ago when they were up against the might of Real Madrid your comment on the show was "Real is gonna blew them away" and what happen, it was Real that got blown away.
Last week against the might Milan you were kinds 50/50 but based on your comments you were leaning on the side of a Milan victory and we all know what happened. I think Arsenal's bad patch is behind them now, yesterday they played a very good game but Wigan's strategy was to at least get a point. I think if the pitch was better the results would have been different.
Oh, I should tell you that all of North America's media houses prefer Man U, but I think Arsenal is surprising somebody this year. I'll look forward to your comments from the might cold Winnipeg.
Bobby – Gunner, are you taking lessons from Henry14? I picked Arsenal to knock Real Madrid out that season just like I picked Juventus the season before, Bayern Munich the season after and Roma this season. Four for four with picks going against Real Madrid. (I keep all my notes).
What’s more there is a name for what you did in placing quotes around "Real is gonna blew them away" – it is called making things up.
The phrase is one that I rarely if ever use and I would certainly not use it while commenting on the Champions League knock out stage – I have too much respect for the game and the teams to deal with it in such an off-handed way.
I picked Milan to beat Arsenal before the first leg was played but acknowledged that 0-0 was a good result and if Arsenal scored it could make it very interesting. What Arsenal vs. Real Madrid, Milan and Wigan has to do with Manchester United is beyond me.
Maoze_Reading - The article on the ACL injuries is quite interesting but I am still not very clear on what is being referred to as a "portable grass system". What I am assuming is that the fields were basically re-sodded?
I know there are some other options such as giant trays with grass growing in them that can be placed over an existing surface, over field turf for example, but this doesn't seem to be what they are referring to. I know in the NFL it is not uncommon for a field to be resurfaced during the course of a season, even multiple times. Is resurfacing a pitch during the season a common practice in Europe?
Bobby – I am almost certain that the article refers to the natural grass systems that are rolled in and out. They are used on top of artificial surfaces when the original surface is considered unacceptable or in situations when a field has not taken. Years ago re-sodding during a season would have been a non-starter but the technology and science is at the point where it is not uncommon. However, from time to time things don’t work out and you get a situation like the one at Stamford Bridge two or three seasons ago when the players played a game on what amounted to sand and soil.
Thierry_Henry – 1. Do you see the MLS dropping the salary cap in a few years to come? I think the talent is eroding now, especially some players going to Scandinavia and Fulham.
2. What do you think about EPL teams loaning players to other EPL teams. When Liverpool played Bolton, one player was prevented from facing Liverpool, because of a clause in his contract. Unfortunately I don't recall his name. Now, this is unfair to Everton, who will have to face a full strength Bolton. Could this practice result in abuse by big teams lending so many players out?
3. Scottish commentator, Roddy Forsyth, from BBC said that may be the reason Scotland have a hard time qualifying for major tournaments recently is because of the weather that is too cold, and many Scottish kids do not feel like going out to practice. What's your opinion on this?
Bobby –1. The salary cap will not be dropped although the cap will be increased. They have to be.
2. It is Premiership rule now that you cannot play a loaned player against the team that owns the registration. In this case it was Danny Guthrie. The loan system has operated in many continental leagues for years without an issue so I don’t think it should become one in England.
3. Mr. Forsyth’s comments may make sense if Scotland’s climate had suddenly changed and the issue of kids leisure activities was unique to Scotland. All developed countries are facing the same situation of kids spending more time with video games and computers than actually playing sport and getting exercise. My understanding is that more indoor facilities are being planned and built in Scotland but that will not necessarily motivate kids to get out and play.
4Everton - When will more Americans start playing in Spain, Italy, or France?? Hopefully, Michael Bradley does not sign on for Fulham (joking...sort of). I think England has been hurt by the majority of its squad playing in one league. The Americans seem to be falling into the same pattern.
Bobby – A simplistic but true answer - when Spanish, French and Italian clubs believe that the players being produced can help their teams. If England has been hurt by the majority of its squad playing in one league why is Italy the world champions?
Ursusarctos - To summarize verbal's question: Should all three of Carra, Skrtel and Agger be healthy and available, how do you see the LFC CB situation taking shape next year (and if re-signed, how would Hyypiä fit in)?
Bobby – I think you have to give Skrtel a little bit more time to see if he maintains his form. Hyypia is a back up next season at best – as he is this season. Carragher is a fine defender and is solid at full back and in central defense. However, he is brutal coming forward from full back and gives Liverpool nothing when they attack. Good teams need width from their full backs and Carragher does not offer that. If everyone’s fit I go for Carragher and Agger and sign a new right back ……and a left back while they are at it.
MasMaz - What do you think Arsenal's weakness is? I believe it is their lack of width and crossing ability. On Sunday they played with two towering strikers and I can't recall more than 2 or 3 crosses into the box. On a torn up rugby pitch and with 2 strikers over 6'3" Arsenal should have peppered the box with crosses. Truly ridiculous strategy, I love Wenger but come on it was so obvious.
Bobby – Under Wenger Arsenal have never had width from midfield and have always relied on their full backs coming forward. So on that basis every side since 1996 has had the same problem. There is no such thing as a perfect team – every team has some weakness. I think you are taking one game and drawing very broad conclusions from it.
Aldoray - Quick question If a team qualifies for Europe through a domestic cup competition and get relegated do they still get to play in Europe the following season although they are no longer in the top flight?
Bobby – Yes.
Redfan2000 - What's your take on the likely top 4 and the final bottom three in the BPL at this stage in proceedings?
Bobby – My pre-season picks were 1. Chelsea, 2. Manchester United and 3. Arsenal. Relegated Derby County, Fulham and Wigan. I’m not changing my picks but I will say that Wigan and United are giving me cause for concern.
Jahmikes - I’m an Arsenal fan but I’ve noticed the partnership between midfield Gerrard and striker Torres, is this the Premiereship Ronaldhino and Eto’o before the CL Cup?
And your opinion on Robinho being nothing special. I don’t agree because wouldn’t you say he played an integral role in the Copa America title, Madrid's title last yr, he terrorized defenders going down the left and slipping balls to players in and around the box.
Also this year Madrid started dropping points when he wasn’t on the field, I think because he doesn’t play up to starship celebrity status he becomes overlooked.
Bobby – Interesting that you would pick Ronaldinho and Eto’o when Henry and Pires was more effective over a longer period of time. I think it is a bit early to start celebrating Gerrard and Torres as a great partnership – a hot streak yes, a long term partnership - we will have to wait and see.
Real Madrid won last season’s title on the back of Casillas and Van Nistelrooy. My recollection is that we hardly saw Robinho until the second half of the season so I don’t know how much terrorizing he actually did. Fun to watch but he’s soft defensively and if I understood what “doesn’t play up to starship celebrity status” actually means I would probably disagree with that as well.
Frenchking2012 - Do you rate Senderos? I’ve always been a fan and thought that he always was unfairly criticized. He sadly is a player that needs confidence, but if he plays well in one or two games he seems then raise up his game.
I’m thinking of the run of games that led to the FA Cup Final where he was chosen ahead of Campbell or same thing in the Champions league run of 2006. If he only he didn’t have to face Drogba twice a year, he would be a great defender. Plus he is a young kid, a central defender can go up to play until his mid thirties, so I think that in a few years he will be a great player. Plus do you see a player like Fabregas, not 21 yet, beating O’Leary’s record of games?
Bobby – I think he will come good eventually but I don’t know if Arsenal can live through his maturation process. There are just some players that when they make mistakes they make really costly ones and I think Senderos falls into that category. Will Fabregas beat O’Leary’s record of games played ? – perhaps? probably, maybe? but does it matter. The point is to win games and trophies not to play the most games.
Zuco2 - Will you have some predictions for the upcoming international friendlies on March 26th? France vs. England ; Spain vs. Italy; Scotland vs. Croatia.
Bobby – I guess if I told you that I knew there were international friendlies but had no idea who is scheduled to play each other that would tell you how important I think these games are. When they start awarding trophies and medals based on friendly results is the day that I will pay real attention to the scores. The individual performances and how a team plays together is important – the score means nothing.
Foxcube - This would be a huge task to ask of you if you wouldn't mind. Could you please summarize and contrast the tactics/playing styles of the remaining 8 CL teams? Three or four lines for each team perhaps, if that is possible in your opinion. I'll have my notebook ready. Thanks.
Bobby – You are correct – it would be a huge task.
Venti_vidi-vici - Enjoyed reading the article in the Telegraph about the Teves contract and his link to Kia Joorabchian. Man Utd showed their creativity in the transfer market last season, asking Everton to bench Tim Howard as part of the agreement transferring him permanently to Goodison Park.
Moyes admitted it, then realized it was illegal, retracted his admission, Man Utd won the match partly due to the reserve keepers errors after being down 0-2, but the FA found nothing wrong because a team is allowed to bench their in-form starting keeper in favor of a kid who has never played an EPL match in his life for no apparent reason. Is it conceivable that Man Utd agreed to hand the Hammers three priceless points at Old Trafford and possibly keep them in the EPL and the associated financial windfall, as part of the Teves transfer deal?
A slick way to pay for Teves, without having to include Joorabchian. Coincidentally the winning goal was obviously scored by Teves. (I admit I see conspiracies everywhere).
Bobby – Conceivable yes but likely – no. Back to your grassy knoll.
Henry14 - On the report you made a really ridiculous statement that the pitch at Wigan is okay be real man. Clubs play 60+ game on pitches that are nice and you expect them to adjust to a pub of a pitch.
l watched the game thrice and on the Adebayor , Van Persie and Bedter strikes the ball took bubbles. That the problem with pundits as soon as a big club looses to a small club you jump to lick the small club's BLEEP thereby negating that things like a pitch where you cannot play one touch football, and that the referee did not call fouls in the Man Utd game, be rationale for God's sake.
Bobby – Oh Henry14 you give me so much to work with and I thank you for that. The referee is responsible for deciding whether a pitch is playable and so who would you like to give the decision to?
Or how do you intend to define “nice” pitches from “not nice pitches,” “pub” pitches and ultimately "pitches that are deemed unacceptable to Henry14" .
I know it is ridiculous to expect players who are considered professionals at the top of their game to play on anything but the most pristine and perfect surfaces – my expectations are excessive.
During your three viewings of the game did the ball really bubble – it looked muddy but I didn’t see any standing water. And did any other players have a problem or did it just happen to Adebayor, Van Persie and Bedter?
Perhaps we should have groundskeepers who run alongside each player and become responsible for replacing the divots and that way we will always have a perfect surface.
Your last sentence is contradictory unless Manchester United is considered a small team. What’s more the last time I checked the rules you are actually allowed to take more than one touch each time you receive a ball – it’s not cheating to touch the ball a number of times – or should teams taking less touches receive additional points?
JayAlves - What do you think of Ameobi like? Also what’s the chance the title and relegation isn't locked up before the last day and we are watching a situation where Man Utd plays Wigan, Chelsea plays Bolton and Arsenal plays Sunderland. So three teams playing for the title and three teams playing not to get relegated? Too much to ask?
Bobby – When he is fit his lack of consistency is a problem although his various managers at Newcastle have not shown a lot of confidence in him. Three vs. three, title and relegation would a dream finish but I think there is still too far to go to really judge whether there is anything more than a smidgen of a chance of happening.
Craigy_f – 1. Have you ever been interested in football management?
2. Has your corrective surgery helped you when you try for a header?
3. Any thoughts on Bardsley “tackling” Pienaar? And it’s failure to make any noise in the media, particularly given Taylor-Eduardo.
4. Claudio Lopez – a bit more than an Angel? – is this signing a statement of where the MLS is right now?
5. In such a small League (MLS) does the early season suffer (in terms of generating interest) because the Supporters’ Shield isn’t seen as big and a poor first half of the season can still see a team make the play-offs?
6. Do you have any thoughts as to what PL referee you’d want to see more or less of as the PL enters the final stretch?
7. No matter how many replays or different angles of view one employs some decisions come down to opinion – thus any video evidence panel will be subject to harsh criticism and even (perhaps) legal challenges – no matter how it rules on a particular ‘incident’. Thoughts about this?
8. Of course Wembley PLC wants the money and so the FA Cup Semi's are at Wembley - being a tad traditional I'd like to see the SFs elsewhere and keep WEM-BER-LEE! for finals and the NFL - your thoughts (how does this work in the Scottish FA Cup?)
9. Is Bradley performing well enough in Holland to warrant a move to a more high profile league?
Bobby – 1. No.
2. I have not played since the eye surgery but I will let you know once the snow clears. I’m also hoping that my left foot has improved.
3. Didn’t see the tackle.
4. Lopez is older than Angel and much of his effectiveness came from his pace and playing right up on the last defender and timing his run. When he played with Crespo for Argentina they could be terrifying for any defense not concentrating for ninety minutes. If he still has some of his explosive pace he is going to give MLS defenses (and assistant referees) fits.
5. I think that is good point – it seems to take a while for real interest to take hold. Or I might be due to the European leagues overshadowing MLS during the early going.
6. Never pay any attention to who the referee is going to be unless there is some history with the appointment.
7. Absolutely spot on and the point I have been making throughout the video replay debate in respect to fouls. The proponents come at the issue on the basis that video replays will provide clear evidence on which to rule. In reality all it will do is to allow us to disagree in slow motion.
8. I don’t have a particular problem with Wembley for the semis although I do see your point. As corrected by Ringo the vast majority of the Scottish semi finals over the last number of years have taken place at Hampden.
9. I was impressed with him last summer at the under 20s (his play and leadership) and his scoring record is sure to attract interest. I have not seen him play for Heerenveen this season.
LGB - Kind of like the tree falling in the forest and if no one is around, does the tree make a sound?) If Cardiff plays West Brom in the FA Cup final, will there be anyone who cares? Also if Liverpool does secure passage through, is it still subjective to say the PL is the best league in the world?
Bobby – Maybe you won’t care but millions of other fans will. Define “best”. As I have said before – arguing about what constitutes the “best” league in the world is a waste of time and effort. It is all down to marketing and individual taste.
OranjeSpur - I've been out of the loop for the past few weeks so sorry if you addressed this already.
I think the IFAB is on the right track with the video review and retrospective punishments for diving and such. For a few years I've been debating with friends that FIFA, UEFA, and FA's need to set up review panels of 8-12 people comprised of former players, refs and manager types.
Each week 3 are randomly selected and they can review claims from the previous week. Aussie Rules Football holds Tribunal's for players to contest punishments and the like. What I'm looking for is something that has real consequence for players who cheat the game we love.
I would propose that all card challenges go through the review panel as well as 2 submitals, per team - per game, and any submitals made by the 4th official that may have been missed during the run of play.
Players can be punished for diving, improper conduct, or a missed harsh fouls. Teams make their case to the panel and the panel decides within 48 hours. I believe such a panel would cause a quick drop in simulations when players start missing games due to a retrospective review along with the increasingly high level of poor sportmanship and conduct. I don't want to see a 5th "video" official as I feel leave it to the teams to start policing themselves.
I believe the fans will make enough noise on the teams that don't take the opportunity to submit diving or improper conduct actions for review. Your, or anyone else's, thoughts on this would be appreciated.
Bobby – You don’t want a 5th official but you want to create a monstrosity of a review system? You are having a laugh aren’t you?
Neophyte - What a difference a game makes, especially in the case of Reading. They go from, "2nd year jinx." To..."Steve Coppell is a great manager." I am a Coppell fan. I don't know how he does it. They don't score goals...Hanhemann faces more shots on goal and has more saves (and I think allowed more goals) than any other keeper. If Reading finish in the top ten should he get the Manager of the Year award? How does a club like Reading start with roster changes?
Bobby – Top ten next year but not this one. As for roster changes Reading probably starts where all other teams start – trying to fix problem areas.
Tiberius0070 - Who do you think will be the new manager for Chelsea in the summer?
Bobby – As I said a number of times before it depends who is available. As every week goes by and the number of clubs who can legitimately hope to win something becomes smaller and smaller and you begin to see who might be fired or cut loose.
Mancini after the Liverpool loss creates an opening at Inter, Barcelona and Real Madrid spots might become available and Milan might decide it is time for a change. Ranieri might not get another year at Juventus. I feel that this summer is going to see a big managerial turnover.
MasMaz - Wenger should have signed Beckham. Arsenal NEED him badly. I am sure there is some clause in his contract that says if a major Prem team want him he can sign on loan.
Bobby – And how did you come to decide what is and what is not in Beckham’s contract? Why would you sign someone then loan him out and not be able to use until four months into your season? If Wenger wanted to sign him he would have got there before the Galaxy.
Ringo - Don't you think Gretna where done for even before a ball was kicked? The league forcing them to travel almost a hundred miles to Motherwell for home games meant they were playing with one foot tied behind their backs right from the start. I'm sure they could have handled the non Old Firm games at their 2,500 capacity stadium with no problems , instead of having to play a whole season of away games, and in front of nonexistent crowds lately at Fir Park ,when the pitch is even playable that is. The owner's illness hasn't helped, but at least they might have stood a chance.
Bobby – It was always going to be tough on Gretna – home field or not. But they knew the rules. Inverness CT suffered through longer trips to Aberdeen for part of a season when they were promoted.
Henry14 - Do you think BLEEP is using the media to put pressure on Hicks although l feel a billionaire will need more than a demonstration and a news paper article to leave a $200m investment and do you think he is being treated fairly by the media and the reds fans?
Bobby –How is the media putting pressure on Hicks to any greater extent than the fans have for the last few months? Fairness has nothing to do with it – it is, what it is. He’s a big boy who took over Liverpool hoping to make a bundle of money. If you are talking about fairness how about the fans who are footing the bill for his greed?
ReggaeGunner - Who would you consider on their day the best free kick taker out of the lot? Zidane, Henry, Beckham, Pirlo, Juninho, C.Ronaldo, Lampard, Gerrard, Mihajlovic, Ronaldinho, Riquelme, Nakamura, Totti.
Bobby – Good question. Lampard and Gerrard should not be on that list – not in the same class. You are going to have to place the free kick for me before I make a choice…..and the positioning of the wall….and the height of the players…..and did the referee march off a full ten yards?
Djnima - 1. I was wondering if you would ever consider being a guest on World Soccer Daily. I’m interested to hear a discussion between yourself and Steve Cohen. I listen to WSD everyday. Are there any other football podcasts you listen to or would recommend?
Bobby – 1. I have been on WSD a number of times but not in the last year. If I have the time I listen to the Guardian Unlimited podcast but not regularly. I'm a big fan of James Richardson - the right balance of humour and substance.
Ummufan - Considering the Dida incident and other obvious dives do you think FIFA or an FA will take this on and start awarding retroactive fines/cards for the behavior? Expanding the question further what if any role will replay have in the game?
Bobby – UEFA have taken it on and the other bodies can if they want to. The Scottish FA has already gone out on a limb to state that they would be looking at cases of simulation and imposing punishments only to be knocked back by FIFA.
I’m guessing that the new SFA Chief Gordon Smith will not give up so easily and he will wait for a glaring piece of cheating and use it to shame FIFA into acceptance. I will be shocked if the word replay appears anywhere in the UEFA judgment. Celtic will be heavily fined and may have a ground closing suspended sentence imposed but a replay – I can’t see it.
LosAngelesChelseaFan – Do you think Rafa has joined Sammy Lee and Martin Jol in the list of "Dead Men Walking" with his list of shocking results given the potential of his squad? It's like he dumped a bunch of grit into a well oiled engine. If I was a Liverplod fan I'd screaming for blood. (That’s actually the way that they are most of the time anyway!:))
Bobby – Not yet but it is growing closer. He has become a victim of inflated expectations based on the summer signings. You only had the read the response of Liverpool fans at the start of the season to any poster or blogger who dared suggest that Liverpool might not win the league.
As it is you can sense the movement from “blaming the media” to “blaming Benitez” growing and the manager needs a run of good results against Everton, Arsenal and Blackburn.
But when you sit back and analyze it I think there is a massive over reaction to Liverpool’s early season results. They are a point better off at this stage of the season based on a head2head comparison with last year while Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham are all off last season’s pace.
Of last season’s top five only Arsenal have gained more points season to season / head2head (more analysis of that in the October 19 weekend preview). There is a long way to go and any supporter or club which is panicking at this stage, doesn’t have much of a stomach for a title race I would think.
Redfan2000 - I wonder how long it will be before Canadian sports retailers start to stock trainers suitable for soccer on hard or indoor surfaces (any surface other than grass). The game is growing amongst young people and while the stores stock shoes for tennis, basketball skate board, and the plentiful array of generic runners there is a woeful absence of training footwear for soccer in boys’ sizes. I did not even see Adidas Samba in mens' sizes, a soccer shoe that has been around for years. With a new indoor arena coming in Winnipeg what are the kids wearing and are they importing shoes anywhere you know of?
Bobby – Footwear is a very individual choice. I badly bruised the toenails on my big toes over thirty years and every season - prior to this one - I have had trouble. This season I moved to an Umbro boot which is designed for hard ground or synthetic surfaces. It has been fantastic and no toe problems. I’m not sure what name the boots are marketed under but they have “K Leather” on the side and “Kontakt” on the moulded sole. They are sold in Canada.
MeanSucka - Your opinion on Mathieu Flamini from Arsenal. Do you think that, regardless of his form as of late, he freelances too much in the midfield and will be exposed when Arsenal play tougher, more technical competition - more so than, say, Gilberto in the same role. Whenever I watch Gilberto play I never feel as worried as I do when I see Flamini all over the place.
Bobby – I think Flamini has been very good this season. When I’ve seen him play he has been mobile, made tackles, covered for Fabregas and done everything that has been asked of him. I have not noticed him being all over the place. He now gives Wenger the option of resting Gilberto after his transatlantic trips and he will also have an option before and after Champions League games. I think Wenger’s bigger issue is how and when does he rest Fabregas?
Henry14 - What’s your take on Dida, how many times have we seen a player get on the pitch and touch a player and nothing happens, a Villarreal supporter came to Henry with a Barca shirt and was just taken off the field, and it happens a lot in Spain and other countries and we do not hear of fines or punishment? q2 Do you feel Liverpool are over reliant on Gerrard maybe the way Arsenal were and l once read that Liverpool had a better record under Benitez without Gerrard and can selling him at the end of the season be an option so that other players step up? q3 Who is the better payer over the last year to now Clichy or Mr. tweedy q4 What do you know of Henk Ten Cate and he gets credit for beautiful football but as far as l know beautiful football has been played at Barca since time immemorial q5 Should Avram Grant stick two fingers at the media?
Bobby – A1, topic of the week response will be on the Friday show.
A2 – No and Gerrard is not going to be sold by Liverpool at the end of this season. I’m not aware of stats that show Liverpool with a better record without Gerrard and even if that was the case the statistics would be highly suspect given that the argument would be made that the reason Gerrard was left out was due to Liverpool facing poorer opposition.
A3 – Pretty much the same. I suspect more people would opt for Clichy but I would suggest that is more likely down to higher expectations of Ashley Cole. Clichy looks very good going forward but as we saw on Sunday against Sunderland he is suspect against a big powerful forward.
A4 – He got a lot of credit from the media for his work at Barcelona but he hasn’t impressed Ajax fans during his stint in Amsterdam and they are glad to see him go. Beautiful football or not it isn’t going to happen instantaneously or anything close.
A5 – The only reason that entitles Avram Grant to stick two fingers up to the media is because he has won two games.
Craigy f - Which national team do you support? I don't actually know your nationality. Where will Steve Bruce work after he leaves Brum - apparently he won't be there when Yeung takes over in November?
Bobby – Based on this being a serious questio Canada and Scotland – fortunately the chances of split loyalty at a WC is remote to nil. Steve Bruce will return to the cadre of managers that rotate around Championships sides that bob into the Premiership now again.
Henry14 - What do you make of Mr. Evra and Carlitos' statements, although l agree with both of them to some degree , do you see another Arsenal Man Utd rivalry going on this season.
Bobby – I rarely, if ever, read interviews by players as they are generally a waste of good space and time. I read the headline – I move on.
Neophyte - You mentioned that you have your coaching badges (license in the US). How far did you go with that process? Have you ever played Futsal? Many here in my club have advocated it as the best way to teach footskill and attacking mentality in a game situation. What is your idea of this?
Bobby – I did what was then a “C” license in Canada in the early 80s. I have no idea what the equivalent is now. Back then in order to get a “B” license you had to attend a residential course. I never took it any further.
If playing football in a gymnasium is Futsal then the answer is yes. I am very wary of simple solutions such as “play futsal and the skill level of the players will improve.” I did look at the Simon Clifford Futebol de Salão concept a few years ago but then I started traveling more on account of work and so I never followed up.
I understand the Clifford Brazilian based model is now different than the FIFA sanctioned Futsal on account of the size of the ball. The thing that did make some sense to me when I looked at the Clifford concept was the smaller ball.
FIFA’s support has more to do with protecting their commercial position (they don’t want boards because most of the world does not have access to boards) than any desire to improve the skill level of players. Any documentation churned out by FIFA to market Futsal should be treated with a huge dose of salt. Certainly from an entertainment point of view Futsal is a bust – it is like watching paint dry without the extra excitement.
I would be asking the Futsal advocates for empirical non-FIFA/national association evidence to support their claims.
Yohann - Do you think Owen will remain at Newcastle? and... do you think that benitez is currently paying the price of his ''excessive'' squad rotations? ..... I feel like Liverpool is shopping every year for a top striker. Although they raised the quality of the squad in the past 3 years, it seems the players they got on the market like Kuyt or Crouch are not really world class players. That being said, I felt like the rotations were just a way to get the maximum out of everybody... but now that Torres is there, I really wonder why the hell he would start on the bench. I really do like the Depth Liverpool has, I enjoy the way Voronin plays, but honestly, I think they are missing impact players up front despite having remarquable depth.
Bobby – If a team was wanting to sign Michael Owen then they would have done so by now. Rafa Benitez has been proven right in not bringing him back from Real Madrid. The Liverpool situation I have addressed earlier in this post.
Apad03 - I need to ask what you think of Donavan winning the Player of the Year award? Do you think is was political, do you think he deserved to win? He did after all play horribly in the World Cup. I think Dempsey and Tim Howard would have been better choices as they are playing better and on a bigger stage than Donovan.
Bobby – You will have to explain to me how the votes cast by the USA national media could be influenced by “politics”. You may believe he played badly in the World Cup but that was in 2006 – this award is for 2007 as I understand it.
Dempsey had a good year in MLS but only became a starter for Fulham at the beginning of the season – to late to influence the votes or to even have that considered. As for Tim Howard he hasn’t solidified his position as the USAs #1 goalkeeper so it is hard to justify a Player of the Year Award.
As for playing on a bigger stage – I’m not sure that comes into it. As far as I am aware – and I stand to be corrected – the award recognizes the best player based on his performances for the United States Men's National Soccer Team during the last season.
If my understanding is correct then it difficult to argue that Landon Donovan doesn’t deserve the award.
Ringo - Any opinion on the world`s second greatest sport? ,and I don`t mean Curling.
Bobby – You must mean cricket. If you actually are talking of rugby then I cannot let it pass without mentioning one of the greatest sport commentators of all time. Bill McLaren on rugby was probabaly one of the best there has ever been.
In midweek Marseille became the first French side to win in European competition at Anfield. Going into the game there was nothing to indicate that a team, fourth from the bottom of the French league, was likely to pull off such a surprise.
Nevertheless, Marseille did win, and now Rafa Benitez and Liverpool need an emphatic win when Tottenham visits this weekend to shore up support from some sections of Liverpool support that have grown restless over the last month or so.
While Marseille made a coaching change after Champions League match-day 1 and prior to their Anfield appointment, Tottenham Hotspur still have the same man in charge as they did on the first day of the season when they lost to Sunderland. The opening day loss and another in the next game to Everton turned the firing spotlight onto Martin Jol and it is still burning brightly.
Monday’s three goal fight-back to salvage a home draw against Aston Villa meant that once more the big Dutchman escaped the axe but it is inevitable that the day will come – and it may come after the trip to Liverpool.
In fifteen Premiership visits to Anfield Spurs have only won once and drawn four times. The win came in 1993 when two goals from Teddy Sheringham sealed the points for Spurs. (New England Revolution manager Steve Nicol was on the losing side that day.) Since the loss, Liverpool have outscored Spurs 23-8 over the 13 games at Anfield. The international break kicks in next week so if the Spurs board is finally going to cut bait then a loss at Anfield maybe Jol’s last as Spurs boss.
Manchester City continues to confound the critics and go into the game against Middlesbrough as one of only two teams in the Premiership with a 100% home record – the other is Arsenal.
Last weekend, against Newcastle, was the first three goal Premiership performance at home by City, since a 3-1 win over Fulham on November 18, 2006. It also marked the first time that City had bounced back win again after being behind since August 27, 2005 when they turned the tables on Portsmouth.
Leading the way is Brazilian midfielder Elano who has proven his worth by assisting on six goals from open play already this season. Up until last season a visit by Boro would be one anticipated with much trepidation. After all Boro had never lost to City in the Premiership (14 games) but last season City did the double over their hoodoo side.
The Columbus Crew are fast running out of games if they are to make it into the 8th and final MLS play-off spot. The Crew are two points behind Chicago who occupy the last precious spot and there are only three games left including this weekend’s tilt with FC Dallas. After this game Columbus will finish with matches against the New England Revolution and DC United - Chicago faces the same two opponents plus the Los Angeles Galaxy.
The current form of both Columbus and Dallas leaves a lot to be desired with the former managing only one win in 9 games and the latter picking up a full three points only once in the last 7 games. Dallas won the one previous meeting this season 3-2 after they came back from 1-0 and 2-1 down to win with a 90th minute Clarence Goodson goal.
Fiorentina has made the kind of start that has some pundits eyeing them as a squad capable of making a push into the top four. They are unbeaten in six games so far and have 3 wins. Two of their draws have come against Roma and Milan and along with Inter are the only undefeated sides in Serie A. Juventus provides the opposition this weekend and former Juventus player Adrian Mutu will probably be recalled last week after being rested in a 3-0 win over Livorno.
The Romanian has already scored four Serie A goals this season but he wasn’t missed as 21-year-old Argentine summer recruit Pablo Osvaldo scored twice on his Fiorentina debut. The youngster was signed during the summer from Atalanta after spending last season at Lecce on loan but he will probably return to the bench for the game against Juve.
This is a young Fiorentina squad and if they can pull off a win they will have done something no other Fiorentina team has achieved since December 1998. In order to do so they will have to stifle the league top scorers (15) and in particular, Frenchman David Trezeguet who has scored seven. There is little doubt about the match of the weekend in Spain.
Barcelona and Atletico is an intriguing game on many levels. For starters two of the game’s finest young talents will be on display and going head-to-head. The coronation of Lionel Messi as the latest King of the Nou Camp is almost complete while Sergio Aguero is using the summer transfer of Fernando Torres to Liverpool as an opportunity to establish himself as Atletico’s main man. Reports this week said that over half of all Atletico shirt sales this season have Aguero on the back.
Both players have five goals and both clubs have won their last three matches impressively. Up until last season Atletico (and Torres) seemed to have a hex on Barcelona but a 6-0 thrashing at the Vicente Calderon may have put paid to that. Even so Atletico are unbeaten on their last three trips to the Nou Camp with two wins and a draw. In fact, Atletico were the last team to beat Barcelona at home in league play and that was 19 months.
Rangers will be looking to follow up on one of their greatest ever away showings in European completion with a win over Hibs who sit only one point behind them in the SPL. Rangers and Celtic are tied on points at the top of the league but Celtic hold an edge in goal difference.
Hibs have proved to be extremely difficult opponents for Rangers over the last two seasons with nine games being shared at four wins each and a 3-3 draw. They are also the only undefeated team in the SPL although they will not be repeating as CIS Cup winners after going out to Motherwell 4-2 at the last 16 stage ten days ago.
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?
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.
Henry14 - Q1 What do you make of Kroenke guy's increase in stake, what do think are his intentions? Q2 l saw Milan and they are really catching form at the right moment do you see them having a shout out red hot united because l feel Inzaghi and Gilardino are not good enough for Milan. Do you feel that the second leg being at Milan can be a disadvantage for United? Q3 What do you make the kissing and hugs of Roman and Jose? Q4 l do not feel the premier league is the best league because they are four teams that really and this season two that are in the title hunt were as in Germany and Spain the race is interesting which do you think is the best league and what does it take for the premiership to have a four way race?
Bobby – 1. To state the blindingly obvious Stan Kroenke's intention is to make money. The question is how will he go about it? He could be looking to take the club over himself and his present stake gives him a foothold. Second option is that he thinks someone will come along to buy the club and he will be able to turn a profit on his present stake – the JP McManus/John Magnier Manchester United strategy. The third possibility is that he foresees a battle for control coming from multiple sources and he might want to position himself as a potential “kingmaker”. Q2 – Two seasons ago I picked United to beat Milan because I didn’t think that Milan could control Giggs and Ronaldo – they did it with ease and went through to the final. Milan have got better as the competition has progressed and I thought they looked very comfortable in beating Bayern Munich in the second leg. As for Inzaghi and Gilardino not being good enough for Milan – it doesn’t really matter one way or another at the moment as these are the boys that Ancelotti will have to go with. I wouldn’t bet against either or both scoring against United. At this stage I am not sure that home or away second really makes any difference although given a preference I would take the first leg at home. Q3 – I choose not to read any of the Abramovich/Mourinho soap opera stories. Q4 – I have never understood the argument/discussion about what constitutes the “best-league” without spending an eternity over the definition of best. If the point is what league is the strongest then based on performances over the last four or five years the answer is Spain. It might marginally help the marketing guys to say that their league is the best but the bottom line is that if spectators and TV viewers don’t find the league exciting or engaging they won’t watch it. Soccer is a game that can be enjoyed at every level so I am constantly amazed at the number of so called fans that tell you that they hate such-and-such a league because it is ####. You don’t need two teams with great technical ability to provide an entertaining spectacle – that is part of the beauty of the game.
RINGO - How many non-league teams have won the FA Cup?
Bobby – As Venti_vidi_vici answered – Tottenham. It was actually part of the FA Cup preview article a few weeks back before Chelsea played Spurs in the quarter final. One piece of trivia to add to Spurs 1901 Cup win. Spurs started the tradition of hanging club colour ribbons to the trophy.
RINGO - I was just listening to the Thursday podcast of World Soccer Daily and they played another Mourinho parody, could you please post the address like last time?
Bobby – There seems to be a few of them out there. Check out the link.
Spike24 - There's a little controversy brewing among Reading supporters over whether we should be trying to secure a place in European competition this year or not. Some are disappointed that it seems we've given up on it, while others thing trying to get there would be too much too soon. Which way do you think Reading should be going? Knowing of course that Coppell is too smart to pull an Ipswich even if we were to qualify.
Bobby – I don’t any team is going to give up on a chance to play in Europe even though it might be considered “too early”. Reading have made great progress this season but the real test will be year two as so many teams have found out. It looks like Sidwell will be moving on and that will leave a big hole to fill. I sense that a couple of defenders might also be on the summer shopping list.
Gongatore - Can you chat a bit about what makes a player like Keano be able to lead a side like Sunderland to success so quickly? Does being coached by Sir Alex for all those years and his influence have much sway here? Also how much has Sheva contributed to making Drogba a better player this year?
Bobby – Given his record as a player then I can imagine (and has earned) that he has garnered instant respect from the players. After losing their first four games he also came into a situation where the players were looking for leadership and bought into his ideas. If you look at the number of times Sunderland have come back to win or turned a draw into a win this year then I think that is a strong indication of the confidence and drive that he has instilled in the players. He has also made some very good moves in the transfer market. Character players have been brought in while others have been moved on – I think something like 14 players have moved in or out since Keane arrived.
You have to remember that Keane’s first professional coach in England was Brian Clough so he has played under tow of the very best who have ever managed in England.
The Sheva/Drogba question has come up before and I do think that Shevchenko’s presence has helped Drogba although Drogba has been awesome this season.
henry14 - What do you think about the new Arsenal kit for 2007 which has petitions for rejection.
Bobby – I don’t think very much of it but there again kits have never been a big thing for me.
Venti_vidi_vici - I have a great deal of respect for the job Martin Jol has done at Spurs given his relative inexperience, especially the record performance last year when they pushed Arsenal all the way in the battle for fourth place. Is his job in jeopardy, especially if he misses out on Europe in a season where the goal was fourth place?
Do you think there is any possibility that the FA Cup final will be moved back a week, particularly if the same two teams are in the UCL final? Unfortunately having the FA Cup final a few days before the UCL final could force one or both of the managers to keep key players out of the Wembley showdown. Furthermore England doesn’t play a qualifier on 2-June, then visit Estonia on 6-June.
Bobby – If Tottenham had not turned their domestic season around then I think Jol would have already been gone. I would be surprised if he was fired now. Spurs have been very entertaining over the last few months and I think the fans – although disappointed with the overall results – would be disappointed if he was let go. There again the North London derby does go this Saturday.
There is no way that the FA Cup final will be moved nor do I see either manager resting players.
Verbal97 - Where do you think Michael Owen will be getting treatment next year - Newcastle or is there a chance he'll go to Old Toilet. If he goes to Man U, he might as well burn down Anfield.
Bobby – If Manchester United were going to sign Michael Owen surely they would have done that before he moved to St James’ Park rather than waiting till after he has missed almost a full year due to injury. That rumour is one of the most bizarre of the season.
Gunner44 - My question to you is do you think Giggs deserves to be nominated or should Vidic be the one nominated or even Essien?
Also who would you pick if you starting a team next season C. Ronaldo or Kaka if given the choice at the end of this season? Explain why?
Bobby – It is always more difficult for a defender to get the nod over an attacking player. Giggs – and Scholes – have both turned back the years this season so I find it difficult to say that they do not deserve the nominations. Essien has been terrific this season and I would agree that he is very unlucky not to be considered. I would say the same of Ricardo Carvalho. My choice would Cristiano Ronaldo over Kaka as I think he is a bit more versatile and a bit more willing to impose himself on a game. However, if I was a manager I would not be complaining if Kaka arrived at my door one day asking for a game.
Bobby – We talked about this on the Fox Soccer Report during the last Euro qualifying week of games. We mentioned that Scotland was in a position to become the “World Champions” if they beat Georgia but in turn Italy had the opportunity to hold both crown simultaneously if they then beat Scotland. And that is how it turned out.
djnima19 - Last week I heard Steve Cohen and Nick Geber (your fellow pundits at FSC) call for Italian clubs as well as the national team to be banned from all UEFA matches for a couple of years due to the violence from ultras, lax match fixing, and corruption. He noted that Juve are well back on their way to Serie a, and that one of the execs at Juve who resigned now sits on the Italian FA. Do you believe something that harsh is justified and if enforced, would it improve Serie A in the long run? He mentioned the England ban and how it improved the league.
Bobby – Last things first. After the Heysel disaster in 1985 the FA – under pressure from the UK government – withdrew English teams from European competition. UEFA banned English clubs – not the national team – from European competition after the FA withdrawal. Linking the ban on English clubs to how the league improved is not something that history supports. It is widely acknowledged that the turning point in the English game was the Taylor Report into the Hillsborough Disaster which had nothing to do with hooliganism. The Taylor Report recommended the upgrading of stadia including all-seater facilities for the top leagues in England and Scotland and that recommendation was pivotal in turning the game around in England. The Premier League, Sky TV etc are other critical elements but the Taylor Report was the first important step.
In fact the Taylor Report played a critical role in killing off a Thatcher government proposal that would have required all fans attending games in England to carry identity cards. This was the governments answer to combating hooliganism.
Suggesting that Italian football would be cleaned up if the national team and clubs were banned from European competition because it helped clean up the English game is faulty logic at best.
Finally if you cast your mind back to Euro 2000 which country was it that would have likely got tossed from the competition because of hooliganism but, as it was, they failed to qualify from the group stage – England was it not.
Henry 14 - What do you make of the claim that the Prem is becoming an old firm with United and Chelsea dominating an Liverpool to a certain extent, but there is a feeling that Arsenal are surely the club that could easily lose their top 4 status which to some extent l painfully agree with.
Bobby – The game has always had era’s of dominating teams and this one is no different. Check out how many league titles Liverpool won in the 70’s and 80’s.
MasMaz - Would like you to drop your objectivity, which you never do, and comment on Roy Keane. I believe you are a closet Man U supporter. What is your opinion of him? As a player and as a man. -And do you think Henry will be back next year?
Bobby – MasMaz join the line up behind the others who think I am a Liverpool, Everton, Arsenal, Spurs, and Celtic fan! Keane was a fantastic player – one of the best I have ever seen – and he looks as if he could become a fascinating manager – as someone said he seems to have reinvented himself. However, I read his book and I thought it full of self-justification. Yes – Henry will be back next season even if he has to play full back.
Verbal97 - Beasley has just scored against Arsenal, which makes it 4 goals in 18 apps, not bad for a winger on Man City. He was easily the player of the match, though it was a dire match, against Liverpool. Why wouldn't Pearce, who made some cryptic comments yesterday, not want to make his loan deal permanent? He's got more goals than in 10 starts/18 apps than Corradi (a striker) does in 23 starts/28 apps, even on goals with Vassell (another striker) who has started 27 times/31 apps, and just 2 fewer than leading striker Samaras, who's started 19 times/38 apps.
Bobby – We don’t know what sort of money PSV is looking at plus we don’t really know how Beasley has applied himself since moving to City. Beasley has the pace and ability but something went wrong after a great start in Holland. However, I would hope that he does stick around and City signs him permanently.
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).
This weekend has a number of potentially great games. You can add your predictions, thoughts and comments over the weekend. For viewers of Fox Sports World Canada it will be wall-to-wall FA Cup action.
Saturday Middlesbrough vs. Manchester United (12:30 EST)
Sunday Chelsea vs. Tottenham (8:30 EST) Blackburn vs. Manchester City (12:00 EST) Plymouth vs. Watford (2:00 EST)
I normally try to keep predictions to a minimum - for the obvious reason that I am not very good at them (Jeremy claims I think too much) - but seeing that it looks like being a rather special weekend are some predictions for this weekend.
Chelsea - Spurs 3-2 Boro - Man. Utd.1-1 Blackburn - Man. City 2-0 Plymouth - Wattford 2-1
Celtic - Rangers 1-2 Bayern M.- Werder B. 1-1 Barca - Real Madrid 2-0 Inter - Milan 1-2
Finally Barcelona are in the team spotlight this week.
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 holi
