It´s days like today which reinvigorate my love for football. Just when I thought that the only F.A. Cup upsets would be in the 3rd and 4th rounds. Just when I was starting to resign myself to the possibility of another Man United v Chelsea final, the footballing gods stepped in. Barnsley dumped out Chelsea and even more amazing, Portsmouth knock out Manchester United... at Old Trafford. Sorry United fans but this has to be the best FA Cup for years because now literally any of the clubs left could end up winning it.
http://www.anfieldred.co.uk/files/images/fa-cup_1.jpg
Imagine a Portsmouth v Bristol Rovers final, or Barnsley v West Bromwich Albion. When was the last time you watched a final like that. You have to go all the way back to 1987 when Coventry City beat Spurs for the last big upset. Mind you, if Aston Villa had beaten Chelsea in 2000, that would have been one hell of an upset... a pity too as I was rooting for them that year.
I feel that for the past few seasons, the FA Cup has been stagnating just a little because you only see the top three or four clubs winning it. At least now one of the smaller clubs has a real shot at glory which is good for the game because it´s boring watching Manchester United and Arsenal win everything.
Out of the clubs that are left in the competition, just four of them have won it before. West Bromwich Albion are of course the most prolific having won the cup five times, their last victory coming in 1968. Cardiff won the cup once in 1927, Portsmouth won it in 1959 and Barnsley won it in 1912. Of the other two that are left, Bristol Rovers have never played in the final but their near neibours Bristol City have. Imagine the bragging rights if bristol Rovers win the cup. The last team left has had the most recent experience of the FA Cup Final, Middlesborough were losing finalists in 1997.
As for Manchester United... Their fans can blame Wayne Rooney for mentioning the ´T´ word a couple of weeks ago. Yes, despite the fact that there are still over two months of the season left, that didn´t stop Rooney speculating over the possibility of another TREBLE. We know they´re the only English team to have managed this impressive feat and they´ve not stopped banging on about it ever since.
I remember a couple of seasons ago someone in the United ranks, possibly Ryan Giggs mentioning that fact that a second Treble was within sight and of course they screwed up that year too. Pride they say always comes before a fall and that´s a good phrase to remember. So, if Manchester United ever want to win another treble... shut up about it because the second anyone mentions the ´T´ word things start going wrong... funny that.
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