[Archived] Fa Cup Magic

[philipl]

Encks fumbled it away.

Jones should have plated Ramsay from the start.

Watching it made me feel pretty upset about the abject surrender to Coventry.

And Frank Fielding said good bye to a Play-off Final so the season is over domestically for all Rovers.

[brian_gallagher85]

It was as good a game as any of the finals involving the big 4 over the last decade apart from the Liverpool v West Ham one.

Such a pity that we where so so bad in the 3rd round

[broadsword]

Doesn't mean anything, we could've got knocked out in the fourth round just as easily.

Redknapp said it was much more of an achievement keeping them up two years ago. Well ... doesn't that just say it all. Nice day out, but you don't get that much cash for it, not as good as being a Prem team year after year.

For me, the romance of teh Cup has all but gone. And what's all this cr*p about Lineker saying it was the "People's Final", oh, spare us, really!

[American]

Average final at best....very little skill on display but expected really.I fear we are never going to see a classic final anymore as there is too much at stake.

Agree, I think the problem is that most teams don't play to win in cup finals, they play not to lose. The only time you'll get an exciting final is when a good attacking team gets down a couple of goals in the first half.

[ABBEY]

i was expecting a loud singing crowd and thought the atmosphere was akin to a friendly.I didnt feel like the cup final and why sky kept showing the bell ringing idiot i will never know.

[philipl]

...without his bell which got banned.

I am always nervous when there is a first since 1939- in this case Pompey winning the FA Cup.

[adopted scouser]

Encks fumbled it away.

Jones should have plated Ramsay from the start.

Watching it made me feel pretty upset about the abject surrender to Coventry.

And Frank Fielding said good bye to a Play-off Final so the season is over domestically for all Rovers.

That has to be a typo Phil, you're not that sharp

[brian_gallagher85]

...without his bell which got banned.

I am always nervous when there is a first since 1939- in this case Pompey winning the FA Cup.

Don't worry Phil, George hasn't long enough left

Didn't realise his bell had been banned, just thought it was drowned out by the near 90,000 crowd!

[Anti Euro Smiths Fan]

The cockney barrow boy and the Welshman with his snout firmly in the trough....

I thought that the BBC's coverage of the FA Cup final on Saturday was incredibly patronising to the two teams involved, with Messrs Lineker, Hansen, Shearer and Dixon seemingly all determined to say what a great game it was.

Far from being "a great game" I thought it was a dull match which lacked excitement. Portsmouth played a defensive 4-5-1 system against a mid-table Championship team and Cardiff found it difficult to break down a stubborn Portsmouth defence.

Redknapp's negative tactics against a Championsip team should have put an end to the myth of 'Harry the Entertainer', the man who the media thought would bring sparkling attacking football to Newcastle fans and to owner Mike Ashley.

Somebody said that it was "the best final for years". Well it would have to be for a maximum of two years, because although it was a better spectacle than last year's dreadful match between Chelsea and Man United, there's no way it was a better game than the 2006 final which Liverpool won on penalties after a 3-3 draw with West Ham.

From what I have seen of Pompey he'd have to be 6'2" and black.

You missed out the phrase "built like a brickhouse" Gordon. They are big buggers those Portsmouth players, with men like Campbell, Distin, Muntari and Utaka all difficult to get past. Consequently Cardiff found it difficult to play fluent attacking football and Portsmouth stifled them with their defensive negative tactics.

During their lap of honour one of the Portsmouth players wrapped himself in an African flag. In today's PC world if a player wrapped himself in a Union Jack flag there would be the usual accusations of "racism" from some of the liberal luvvies in The Guardian. Leading up to Saturday I wanted Cardiff, the underdogs, to win. But when I saw the nauseating sight of Lord Kinnock being interviewed during the BBC's pre-match coverage, I wasn't so bothered who won the game.

But let's take Mr Redknapp first. Like Terry Venables, another character from the East End of London, Harry has got some decidedly dodgy friends. But the media seems to love 'Arry and rarely asks him difficult questions about the company he keeps.

Redknapp is a good friend of the disgraced agent Wille McKay, who gave Harry the ownership of a horse called "Double Fantasy". In the final report of the Stevens Inquiry, McKay was heavily criticised for his failure to co-operate with the inquiry.

The report said: "The inquiry is still awaiting clarification from agent Willie McKay in connection with the Boumsong and Faye transfers to Newcastle United. Agent Willie McKay acted for the selling club, Auxerre, in the transfer of Benjani to Portsmouth and for Portsmouth in the transfer of Aliou Cisse and the inquiry is not prepared to clear these transfers."

McKay has been one of the agents responsible for such a high number of foreign players - many of them Africans - that Harry has bought for Portsmouth. Tom Bower's book "Broken Dreams" is recommended for further information on 'Appy 'Arry and perhaps indicates how Redknapp was able to buy a massive £10m beachfront mansion in the peninsular of Sandbanks, the fourth most expensive place in the world to buy real estate.

As for Cardiff City fan Lord Kinnock, he's a two-faced hypocrite who has ditched just about every one of his principles. He was previously in favour of the abolition of the House of Lords, but then later became a Lord himself. He previously campaigned for Britain to withdraw from Europe, but then later decided to jump aboard the EU gravy train. When Kinncok was an unaccountable EU Commissioner there was a doubling in the EU's level of fraud to 700 million a year.

People like Lord Kinnock do politics a great disservice. For that reason I wasn't sorry that Cardiff City lost. But I remain deeply unimpressed with the brand of football served up by Harry Redknapp at Portsmouth. And now that he's talking to the BBC again, I wish that the BBC pundits like Shearer and Hansen wouldn't feel the need to plant their heads so firmly up his backside and constantly tell us how wonderful Harry is.

[thenodrog]

People like Lord Kinnock do politics a great disservice. For that reason I wasn't sorry that Cardiff City lost. But I remain deeply unimpressed with the brand of football served up by Harry Redknapp at Portsmouth. And now that he's talking to the BBC again, I wish that the BBC pundits like Shearer and Hansen wouldn't feel the need to plant their heads so firmly up his backside and constantly tell us how wonderful Harry is.

I wish they would .... it'd be great telly.

[Flopsy]

Somebody said that it was "the best final for years". Well it would have to be for a maximum of two years, because although it was a better spectacle than last year's dreadful match between Chelsea and Man United, there's no way it was a better game than the 2006 final which Liverpool won on penalties after a 3-3 draw with West Ham.

Wasnt it 2-2?

During their lap of honour one of the Portsmouth players wrapped himself in an African flag. In today's PC world if a player wrapped himself in a Union Jack flag there would be the usual accusations of "racism" from some of the liberal luvvies in The Guardian.

No they wouldn't and anyway, they'd probably wrap themselves in an England Flag or Scots/Welsh, but dont let facts get in the way of another pathetic little attempted dig at the lefties

But let's take Mr Redknapp first. Like Terry Venables, another character from the East End of London, Harry has got some decidedly dodgy friends. But the media seems to love 'Arry and rarely asks him difficult questions about the company he keeps.

Its because he gives good copy and has lots of friends in the printed press. Although what really gets right on my nipples about 'Arry is how he is always lauded as being a great wheeler dealer, and that he never buys a dud. Two words - Titi Camera. The prosecution rests m'lud. I also got very angry with the press' unquestioning fawning and sympathy over his arrest, as if the Police should ahve rung him up first and sorted out an appropriate time for them to come round and visit for tea and a little chat. And I'd have ensured that Gould at City would have unfortuantely fallen down some stairs a few times.

And now that he's talking to the BBC again, I wish that the BBC pundits like Shearer and Hansen wouldn't feel the need to plant their heads so firmly up his backside and constantly tell us how wonderful Harry is.

I wouldnt worry, next year we'll have the delights of Setanta and ITV covering the FA cup, Andy Townsend's Tactics truck is reving up as we speak. We'll look back at Hansen and Shearer as a golden era, just you wait.

[LeftWinger]

It was 3-3 Flopsy.

[Flopsy]

Was it? I appologise, wasnt it 2-2 at full time though? With Gerrard hitting a 30 yarder?

[T4E]

No, it was 3-3 with Gerrard hitting a 30 yarder.

Of all the duds Harry Redknapp has signed, you went for Titi Camara? Ever heard of Marco Boogers?

[Napoleon]

The cockney barrow boy and the Welshman with his snout firmly in the trough....

As for Cardiff City fan Lord Kinnock, he's a two-faced hypocrite who has ditched just about every one of his principles. He was previously in favour of the abolition of the House of Lords, but then later became a Lord himself. He previously campaigned for Britain to withdraw from Europe, but then later decided to jump aboard the EU gravy train. When Kinncok was an unaccountable EU Commissioner there was a doubling in the EU's level of fraud to 700 million a year.

People like Lord Kinnock do politics a great disservice. For that reason I wasn't sorry that Cardiff City lost. But I remain deeply unimpressed with the brand of football served up by Harry Redknapp at Portsmouth. And now that he's talking to the BBC again, I wish that the BBC pundits like Shearer and Hansen wouldn't feel the need to plant their heads so firmly up his backside and constantly tell us how wonderful Harry is.

As with many anti EU crusaders, you do your cause a great disservice by making things up. You seriously attribute 350 million in fraud to him being in charge of one of the least important departments of the Commission? You should have just stuck to the corruption charges against him, or the claim that he abused his wife's position as an MEP for his business, at least that would have been near the truth.

As for Harry Redknapp, the police weren't able to do him for anything. Surely with your obviously strong moral code you believe in innocent until proven guilty? He's one of the most entertaining managers around and straight talking too, and you don't find many people in football with a bad word to say about him.

[Flopsy]

No, it was 3-3 with Gerrard hitting a 30 yarder.

Ever heard of Marco Boogers?

Oh

My

God

[LeftWinger]

Was it Boogers who went nuts and ended up living in a caravan?

EDIT - Yes it was. Found this on a list of the worst signings.

5 Marco Boogers

Harry Redknapp wasn't always the streetwise London gaffer he is today. The arrival of 'Mad' Marco Boogers for £1m from Sparta Rotterdam in July 1995 was just one of a number of misjudged West Ham imports. Coming on as a substitute against Manchester United in only his second appearance for the club, Boogers was almost immediately red carded for 'a sickening horror tackle' (The Sun) on Gary Neville. He promptly disappeared, discovered several weeks later hiding in a mobile home in a Dutch caravan park. The Boogers debacle, which ended in a loan deal and subsequent free transfer to Groningen despite his protestations - 'I'm not mental' - was the worst of a dreadful Redknapp collection: Florin Raducioiu arrived for £2.4m in July 96 and was sold at a £600,000 loss six months later after missing training for a Harvey Nichols shopping trip; Portuguese supermodel Dani lasted five months before being thrown out for excessive nightclubbing; and £2m star Javier Margas went missing in February last year, turning up later at home in Chile. He, unlike Boogers, did come back.

[Anti Euro Smiths Fan]

A piece below that Flopsy might agree with....

How did Harry Redknapp become such a media darling?

I would add to that piece the fact that Harry tells porkie pies, such as the time when he told Portsmouth fans in 2004: "I will not go down the road to Southampton - no chance."

Two weeks later and Harry did indeed join Pompey's bitter rivals Southampton. When joining the Saints in December 2004, he said: "I am delighted to join Southampton. The squad is better than their position suggests and I look forward to getting them up the table."

In the end Redknapp got Southampton relegated - a fact which tends to get overlooked by some of his friends in the media.

Then there was the time at West Ham when Harry said: "Nothing at all happened between Hartson and Berkovic. Nothing at all," before he realised that the Sky cameras had actually filmed John Hartson kicking Eyal Berkovic in the head.

As with many anti EU crusaders, you do your cause a great disservice by making things up. You seriously attribute 350 million in fraud to him being in charge of one of the least important departments of the Commission?

Kinnock wasn't solely responsible for the doubling of fraud to £700m - but the £700m figure is not made up and comes from a National Audit Office report. Kinnock was firstly a Transport Commissioner who then went on to become vice-president of the European Commission, responsible for reform and cutting out mismanagement and sleaze.

The last paragraph in the link below from Kinnock's time in office at the EU says: "The commission's troubles have shown no signs of letting up, with the scandal at Eurostat and a National Audit Office report suggesting fraud within the EU has doubled to £700m."

LINK HERE

[den]

Listen guys, please keep politics off this forum.

[adopted scouser]

Northwich Victoria 1 Charlton Athletic 0

It was great to watch a game on a Sunday afternoon more in the spirit of the competition. Yes we'll watch the showbiz juggernaut of scumbags vs ponces at four o clock, but this felt more like the way I felt about football as a kid.

Watching the kids clutch their green scarves as the ref awards five minutes of added time - magical.

[philipl]

Three all non-league ties in round 2. Accy have a winnable home tie v Barnet as well.