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?

David Conn on the success enjoyed by FC United.  Stuart James looks at the Premiership play-offs. A debate between Graham Taylor and Joe Royle on the merits of the loan system. The Guardian’s list of strikers who may be in demand this summer. Tony Cascarino on the 2006/07 season’s best buy Dimitar Berbatov. Bill Edgar also sorts out the various permutations for the UEFA Cup spots. 

And now to the preview.

The Bundesliga takes top spot this weekend as we reach the penultimate round and three teams are still in contention for the title.   Schalke leads with 65 points, followed by Stuttgart on 64 and Werder Bremen are third on 63. By the looks of it Schalke and Stuttgart have the more difficult games although circumstances could conspire to give Schalke their first ever Bundesliga title this weekend.

Borussia Dortmund and 80,000 fans await Schalke who have not lost in Dortmund since 1998. However, three consecutive wins have seen Dortmund move out of relegation trouble and now sit in the top half of the table. Schalke’s final game next weekend is at home to Arminia Bielefeld.

 

Stuttgart can still complete the domestic double and plays Nuremberg in the German Cup Final on May 26. Stuttgart are on a six-match winning run and are away to Bochum another side that has been enjoying a fine run of form. Bochum were Bundesliga 2 champions last season and have won their last three in a row and six of their last 8. Greek striker Theofanis Gkekas is the man that Stuttgart must watch. He has scored thirteen goals in the last 11 games and it looks like he will be playing for Bayer Leverkusen next season. Energie Cottbus will be Stuttgart’s final opponent next weekend.  

 

Werder Bremen’s opponents Eintracht Frankfurt sit just above the relegation zone in 14th position and are not yet guaranteed Bundesliga football next season. Bremen’s last match is against another side haunted by the threat of relegation - Wolfsburg .

There are a raft of games in Spain that impact on both the top and bottom of La Liga. Fresh from a Copa del Rey thrashing from Getafe Barcelona are up against strugglers Real Betis. Betis have gone eight games without a win and travel to the Nou Camp where Barcelona have yet to lose a league game this season.

Good fortune is with Real Madrid at the moment and this weekend they face mid-table Espanyol in a game that looks tricky. However, Espanyol has a UEFA Cup Final next Wednesday in Glasgow and are likely to rest and number of their players.

Real Madrid have now won six of their last seven and are within two points of the leaders. Van Nistelrooy is now the leading scorer in La Liga with 20 goals. David Beckham and Robinho are both suspended for this game.  Espanyol are without a win at the Bernabeu since 1996 and in the last two visits they lost by four goals each time.

Espanyol stand between Sevilla and a repeat UEFA Cup win. Although by losing to Real Madrid last weekend Sevilla slipped back to third in the table, they still have a chance to do a treble.  They also have Sevilla just two points behind. This weekend Sevilla plays Recreativo de Huleva the oldest club in Spain. Recreativo are having a terrific season and are pushing for a spot in next season’s UEFA Cup.

 At the other end of the table it is 18th vs. 16th with Celta Vigo playing Levante.  Celta have lost their last 3 and have only one win in their last 10. The arrival of Hristo Stoitchkov as coach has done little to stem the bleeding. Levante have only two away wins and Celta have with only 2 home wins so a draw would not be a surprise. In fact Celta Vigo would probably prefer to play away from home given that they have taken 18 of their 30 points on the road.  

The bottom two teams Gimnastic and Real Sociedad face each other. A loss for Gimnastic would mean almost certain relegation as it would leave them at least nine points from safety with only 12 points still to play for.  Real Sociedad’s position is not much better and are only three points better off than Gimnastic. Sociedad gained their only win on the road in their last away game against Real Betis.

All eyes on the Premiership will be on the games at Old Trafford and Bramall Lane. These matches will decide the final relegation spot. A draw or better for West Ham away to nine time Premiership Champions Manchester United will secure Premiership football next season – as long as the civil legal system does not become involved. Wigan know that anything less than a win against fellow strugglers Sheffield United will drop them back to the Championship after two seasons of Premiership football. 

A draw is good enough for Sheffield although they could survive even if they and West Ham both lose. Three teams would then be tied on 38 points but Wigan would have a better goal difference than Sheffield. The last spot would then depend on how many goals Sheffield and West Ham lose by on Sunday.

While two teams will be happy come Sunday night the Premiership play offs get underway on Saturday.

If West Bromwich Albion manages to win the play-offs and join Birmingham and Sunderland in net season’s Premiership it will be the first time since 1914-15 that all the teams relegated from the top flight will bounced straight back.  Back then it was Preston North End and Derby County achieved the feat.  Southampton needed to win their last three games of the regular season to make it into the play offs for the first time. But for manager George Burley it is his seventh play off series and so far he has only experienced one success. Derby manager Billy Davies has had a team (Preston North End) in the play offs the last two years and has gone out at the semi and final stages. Derby won regular season series with a win and a draw. The strikers to watch out for are Steve Howard (Derby) with 16 goals and Grzegorz Rasiak of Southampton – a former Derby player before a move to Spurs – with 18 goals.  

The other semi final is the Black Country derby between Wolves and West Brom. At the midway point Wolves were down in 14th spot but worked there way up to a 5th place finish. Goals were a problem for Wolves – 59 was the lowest total of teams finishing in the top ten – but they did get into a good habit of winning tight games. Wolves had seven 1-0 wins away from home. On the other hand West Brom scored more goals at home (51) than any other side. The season series was split with a win each.

Play off predictions anyone?  

Jeremy St. Louis and I will be in Toronto this weekend to augment the FSC crew as they broadcast the Toronto FC vs. Chicago Fire match. We are both looking forward to seeing BMO Field for the first and enjoying the atmosphere generated by another full house of almost 20,000 fans.

 

verbal97 - Is there any chance that Platini's plan to limit the number of Champions League places to the big leagues comes to fruition?  I think it's one of those ideas that sounds nice in theory and when campaigning, but is not practical because if implemented perhaps the talk of a Super League gets more traction.

 

realmadridcffan - Now that Platini is the President of UEFA and he has said on record that he wants to limit the amount of UEFA Champions League spots from 4 to three for the big countries (Spain, England, Italy) and spread them around to the smaller countries, what do you think this will do if it does go through, de-value the UEFA Champions League at it's current format of 32 teams? Also do you see any ramifications for the UEFA Cup because of this (i.e.: possible format change)

 

Bobby – This is definitely the question of the week after Platini’s election. Just like any other politician who has just been elected Platini’s political capital is at its maximum. Unfortunately for him the TV deal does not come up for renewal until after the 2009 Champions League.  This almost certainly means that there will be no tampering with the Champions League until a new TV contract is agreed. In the meantime the big clubs in Europe will muster their forces in an effort to make sure that Platini's plan is not implemented. And remember he is only one man with one vote in an executive of 15. In the end, it will probably finish up with some sort of compromise and already there are a number of ideas floating around.  One suggestion I have here heard is that the top three countries will keep their four spots but only one team will be guaranteed a spot in the group stage.  This would leave the other 3 teams to go through the various qualifying rounds.

Another suggestion is that the group stage be expanded to include more teams.  This could be done by increasing the number of groups or by increasing the number of teams in eight groups. Either way it is difficult to see how either option could work without teams having to play more games or without the present knockout rounds being dismantled. As for talk of a European Super League I don't think the big clubs are really interested.  What they really want is a competition limited to the likes of England, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands.

The UEFA Cup - the competition is already a dog's breakfast and needs a complete revamp. Platini, at one point, did talk about reactivating the European Cup Winners Cup which I think is a good idea if it was restricted to only one club from each country and operated on a straight knockout basis.

Gunner 44 - My question to you is can't Wenger call up one of those players on loan (Stokes, Larsson etc.) instead of buying a new player if injuries become too many?

Bobby – It would depend on the deal that was made.  Some loan deals include the rate of recall at any point, while others are for a set period of time. However, Wenger would have difficulty recalling Anthony Stokes as the Irishman was sold to Sunderland.

Bigdavedisaster – I’ve been in a bit of an argument with a few friends. Who do you think are the 5 biggest clubs currently outside of the premiership? Big as in history and large fan support as in clubs that probably should be in the EPL.

Bobby – What a great question and probably not as easy to figure out as it sounds. I think you would to have separate history over the last 40-50 years from the early stages of the English league.  Here are my 5 pics; Sunderland, Leeds, Sheffield Wednesday, Wolves, and West Brom. Birmingham supporters will be after me but they lost out because they have never won the League or FA Cup. Derby County also came very close to making the top five. I am waiting to see your and your mate’s picks.   

Djnima - After Rooney scored his goal against Arsenal and his double against Pompey (I love it when he chips the keeper especially calamity James) commentators said that he had "broken his scoring duck"

I understand that it means he ended his goal drought but I was wondering if there is any significance to the word 'duck' and if there is a story behind it.

Also, how's your fantasy team doing? Do you think it would be a good idea to incorporate the fantasy league more into FSR?

Bobby – “Duck” is a cricket expression and is used when a batsman is “out” before scoring a run. When the batsmen scored his first run is sometimes said that he is off his “duck”. When a batsman is out to the first ball he faces it is referred to in some cricket playing countries as a “royal duck”. As far as Fantasy Football is concerned as of tonight (Tuesday) I am just over 5,000 points and in 300th place – safely above the relegation zone so far. The idea of incorporating a FF feature into FSR has been talked about and it is something you might see next season.

gregz - Recently coach Bora Milutinovic was named as national coach of Jamaica. I know a little about him and his accomplishments of taking 5 different teams to the World Cup, but what else can you tell me about him as a coach and how do you rate him Bobby?

Bobby – Bora has managed 5 countries at the World Cup but I think he may have only seen one of them (Costa Rica) through the qualifying stages. He seems to have fallen a bit out of favour since the 2002 World Cup and although he was linked with the Serbia national team job after last summer’s World Cup nothing came of it. His critics would point to his relatively poor record as a club coach while his supporters will quickly point out that he's taken for countries to the second round at four World Cups - no mean feat.  No matter how he does with Jamaica, there will probably be a country out there willing to hire him given his record. As a sidebar if Carlos Alberto Parreira manages to stick around with South Africa for the next three years he will also have managed five different countries at the World Cup.

 Napier22 - I enjoy your analyses on FSR. You obviously have a good eye for the game and pick up lots of things I don't see. I was just wondering if you have ever done any coaching?

Bobby – Thank you. I coached for a number of years. I got certified a few years after arriving in Canada and followed the usual route taken by most parents - coaching my stepson’s teams while still playing. I then moved on to player/coach for a local senior team and as the legs began to give in that became reduced to coach. Work then intervened and I haven’t coached a team for the last seven years. However, I should add that after attending the NSCAA convention in Indianapolis a couple of weeks ago I sent in a membership application and registration fee.

 

 

Only one of the teams that finished 11th through 15th last season showed an improvement on the previous season. Even then, Fulham could only look to an improvement of one place from 13th to 12th and that was not a true reflection of a season where the relegation zone was a constant threat.

Everton fans will be hoping that the pattern of David Moyes’ four full seasons in charge continue. It has been a yo-yo existence 2003 – 7th, 2004 - 17th, 2005 – 4th and last season 11th. Moreover, given a much-improved second half to last season the indications are that it could mean that Everton is again challenging for a top 10 spot. Last season the goal-scoring department at Goodison was simply woeful with only 34 goals – a record club low – in the 38 Premiership games. It would have been substantially less if James Beattie had not started hitting the target in December. He finished with ten goals and finally showed why David Moyes had splashed out a club record fee to sign him in January 2005.

Now Beattie will be partnered with the club’s new record signing Andy Johnson. For $17m, Everton has a lightning quick main striker who should be good for 15 goals this season. Over the last decade, the best has been Kevin Campbell’s even dozen in the 1999/2000 season.

After arriving on loan from Manchester United Tim Howard will be looking to take Nigel Martyn’s starting position between the sticks although the sometimes-bumbling Richard Wright will be hoping for the same thing. The signing of Joleon Lescott from Wolves will bolster the back four with the biggest doubt being Lescott’s dodgy knees. If he avoids injury, Lescott could turn out to be a snip at $9m.

Fulham’s manager Chris Coleman will again be one of the favourites to be the first manager sacked once the season is underway. He came under severe pressure last season as the Cottagers spend much of the season flirting with relegation. For the second straight season, it was Fulham’s inability to keep the ball out of their net that caused a problem.

Over their first three seasons in the Premiership Fulham conceded 44, 50, and 46 goals. Over the last two seasons, the total has grown to 60 and last season 58. To date is difficult to see how Coleman intends to plug his leaky back four. Twenty-year-old central defender Gabriel Zakuani has been signed from Leyton Orient while last week Frank Queudre arrived from Boro to compete for the left back position. Jimmy Bullard will add something to the Fulham midfield but without a solid defense, it might be another season spent eyeing the Premiership trap door.

Alan Curbishley has moved on from the Valley leaving Ian Dowie the challenge of getting more out a Charlton squad that seems stuck in mid-table purgatory. The last six seasons have seen league placings of 9, 14, 12, 7, 11, and 13. Relegation rarely a concern; Europe a win or two too far.

Dowie might be able to coax some exceptional performances out of the squad early on but at the end of the day, it is likely to be the same old mid-table finish. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink continues his multi-season run to retirement after being released by Boro while American Cory Gibbs will get a chance to improve a defense that tended at times to fall apart last season. Eleven times Charlton conceded three or more goals in a game.

Middlesbrough is another club under new management as Gareth Southgate moves from the centre of the defense to the manager’s office. On the face of it Southgate would appear to have the makings o####ood manager – articulate, knowledgeable, and with solid international experience. The problem with throwing him into the deep end is if he falters early on, it may prove to be terminal. Boro continue to be linked with central defenders and it seems certain that at least one will arrive before the kick off to the season.

Chairman Steve Gibson has invested millions in the youth academy and there are signs that the investment is ready to pay off with a steady stream of youngsters ready to make the next big step. It is interesting to note that in the last game of the 2005/06 season Boro fielded the first all-English Premiership starting line-up since Bradford in December 1999 and the first all-English squad since Villa the season previous.

It will not have escaped the notice of City fans that the form exhibited by the blue team of Manchester from Christmas onwards was horrible. In fact, if the season had started at Christmas Manchester City would have been relegated. Over the close season, the City of Manchester Stadium has seen 16 players either arrive or leave. As well, manager Stuart Pearce has been able to sign youngsters Joey Barton and Micah Richards to long-term deals.

The arrival of Didi Hamann on a multi-year deal will help solidify the midfield and probably allow Pearce to rotate the German with Claudio Reyna. The much-traveled French midfielder Ousmane Dabo is another addition although City fans have a right to be skeptical of foreign signings given their relatively poor track record of the years. Bernardo Corradi also fits that bill although the former Lazio and Valencia man is a big powerful forward who has in the past, worked his butt off.