FA Cup

[lucy]

Town have drawn Portsmouth at home.

[Jamma123]

Very winnable, but could equally be an entertaining tie. Much will obviously depend on which team Mick puts out, and where our priorities lie by that stage...

[marko69]

For those wanting a cup run, (I am one of those)......, decent draw.

[bluepeter]

I took my eldest daughter to the last time we played Pompey.
Freezing cold even after a big fish n chips from Bramford Rd.
Trotter getting sent off was a biggun.I don't think he recovered from this as an ITFC player.
Good draw and a cracking atmosphere.
Lets do em and get Man City in the 4th.

[arana peligrosa]

1978 winners play 2008 winners, seems a fair draw. Problem is McCarthy puts all emphasis on the league and will expect to see a weakened side on the day and obvious changes. Times like these when you're kind of fortunate to be old enough to know what it feels like to see Town as an FA Cup winning team, damn sure it won't happen again in this lifetime.

Not so much a pessimist but a realist. There simply won't be enough focus from those involved to really expect any further progress from say the Fourth Round onwards.

[jaykay]

i take it as given matt clarke will not be playing for portsmouth in this game

[marko69]

Text from a cousin's husband (from Portsmouth) ......., "Hey Bud, your English team are going to "facup" in the fa-cup!"

He will be desparate for this........, especially as I'm always letting him know how much of a shed Fratton Park is!

[BLUEBLOOD]

I look forward to seeing John Anthony Portsmouth football club Westwood one of their fans back at P R again.
You can always spot him standing up ringing his bell and dancing .
I remember him doing on top of the boxes on the cobold stand years ago .
Played them 2 times in F A CUP lost 1-0 both times and both played at PR 2006 and 2008 3rd time lucky .

[derick_ipsw]

Team for Pompy clash?

Bart
Kenlock
Malarczyk
Robinson
Parr
Tabb
Hyam
Bru
Bishop
Varney
Mcgoldrick.

[Charnwood]

I look forward to seeing John Anthony Portsmouth football club Westwood one of their fans back at P R again.
You can always spot him standing up ringing his bell and dancing .
I remember him doing on top of the boxes on the cobold stand years ago .
Played them 2 times in F A CUP lost 1-0 both times and both played at PR 2006 and 2008 3rd time lucky .

We did win 1-0 at their place in the 3rd round of the League Cup in 1992, and we won 1-0 both home and away in their last season in the Championship, however they are a team we seem to struggle to score against over recent years. In fact Pompey have kept four clean sheets against us in our last six meetings.

At least they don't have David Nugent scoring for them anymore!

[arana peligrosa]

Was anyone at the game around 1996, 97 when we won 1 - 0. Alex Mathie scored if memory serves, and it was a League game right near the end of season. That's about the only time I've seen Town at Portsmouth.

They're far from a favorite team of mine, but IF we were to progress this year, I'd like to go (in a later round) to West Ham one last time before they take down Upton Park next summer.

[Charnwood]

Was anyone at the game around 1996, 97 when we won 1 - 0. Alex Mathie scored if memory serves, and it was a League game right near the end of season. That's about the only time I've seen Town at Portsmouth.

They're far from a favorite team of mine, but IF we were to progress this year, I'd like to go (in a later round) to West Ham one last time before they take down Upton Park next summer.

Only been to Fratton Park once way back in 1968 when Town won 1-2. It must be one of the oldest football grounds in England and amazingly has a record attendance of more than 51000.

[marko69]

I think no one gives a sh*t about the actual FA Cup, Charnwood........, they are only interested in the prediction league FA Cup and if you will retain it!

[marko69]

Might not be FA Cup related, but it's Champions League related. Good to see Wenger delighted after the Olympiakos result. Who knew he could move like this?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgY7UR_zX0

[Charnwood]

Marko that's f**king brilliant, by far the best post seen on here for a long time.... PMSL...as did the missus.

So pleased I chose to watch The Gunners last night and not Chelsea, great entertainment and a great result too.

Well done Wenger & Arsenal, a great advertisement for football.

[Charnwood]

I think no one gives a sh*t about the actual FA Cup, Charnwood........, they are only interested in the prediction league FA Cup and if you will retain it!

Having a big of a blip at the moment, I may need to concentrate on the league this year.

[Bluemike]

No-one is taking my title thank you very much, it's coming home !!!!

[arana peligrosa]

There has been talk that the Football Association plan to scrap FA Cup replays in the near future. This hasn't been voted through as of yet but expected to be implemented sometime around 2018.

What else can they do to tarnish this competition ?

Having semi-finals at the national stadium was bad enough but this could be the final straw for some supporters. Not only will it harm smaller clubs missing out on revenue for potential upsets and second chances but this is changing the tradition of something that has stood ever since the tournaments inception.

People talk about the apathy regards this competition but they may well be on to something.

They also want to change the league cup format to one game semi-finals just for good measure. Some talk about how it will aid international teams after the season is over in World Cup and European Championship tournaments, but is it really going to make that much of a difference. I can't agree with the proposed actions being forwarded here.

[Mr.Punch]

I agree the fa cup has taken a nose dive in the last decade or so.
The fa are certainly to blame but in addition to their fiddling with the format etc, the chief reason is Sky and the Premier league and the money.
Even if we won it next year it would not match 1978!

As it happens I watched the full 2hr video on YouTube this week, wonderful day.
A couple of things stood out - We should have won by 3 or 4, some of the tackles were awful but 'acceptable'at the time (How the tackle on Mariner at 80 odd mins was not a foul?!), we are better off with the current day laws in regard to 'no handling pass backs' and 'offside' they really slowed the game up. Us Town fans were awesome, Woods and Mariner were MOTM.
We sang my favourite 2 songs 'we're on the march with Robsons's army' and 'Beattie is back!'
Even 'though the anti narwich sentiment was higher in those days, not one anti-nodge song!
Memories, pity ITFC can't produce too memorable at the moment.

2 hours well spent!

[arana peligrosa]

I agree the fa cup has taken a nose dive in the last decade or so.
The fa are certainly to blame but in addition to their fiddling with the format etc, the chief reason is Sky and the Premier league and the money.
Even if we won it next year it would not match 1978!

As it happens I watched the full 2hr video on YouTube this week, wonderful day.
A couple of things stood out - We should have won by 3 or 4, some of the tackles were awful but 'acceptable'at the time (How the tackle on Mariner at 80 odd mins was not a foul?!), we are better off with the current day laws in regard to 'no handling pass backs' and 'offside' they really slowed the game up. Us Town fans were awesome, Woods and Mariner were MOTM.
We sang my favourite 2 songs 'we're on the march with Robsons's army' and 'Beattie is back!'
Even 'though the anti narwich sentiment was higher in those days, not one anti-nodge song!
Memories, pity ITFC can't produce too memorable at the moment.

2 hours well spent!

It's not just the money, the competition has been tarnished in so many ways since we won it it's sometimes unrecognizable from how some remember it.

Read on TWTD that not only did Arsenal field a second side today but their (and our next opponents) Hull City also put out a weakened team for the event. You can forgive the former showing a lack of interest with other achievements to be had this season but there was an opportunity for Hull to do something with it and they showed a similar sense of apathy.

Even Chelsea and Manchester City tomorrow will see much changed sides as both teams see the competition as something of a second priority. Hasn't been a final to really savor since Coventry / Spurs in 1987 but as you said, money has played an important part in the competition becoming distanced.

That's not say I don't want to see Town as winners once more, but realistically, how many are really ever going to see that occur again in their lifetimes ?

[hallamblue]

don't think I'll be bothering to sign up for the fa cup tkts in my ST purchase next season. Getting sick and tired of watching reserve teams getting 90mins higher tempo training in the competition. If the Club can't take it seriously neither will I.

[TODD66]

Has anyone worked out how moving the FA Cup to mid-week would help?

There was me thinking if you played a Cup match at the weekend it would displace a league game to mid-week to make up the fixture. If you leave the weekend for league fixtures only surely you still play the same number of games just the other way round or have I missed something?!

As to replays - if you are the better club/team make sure you win if you cant cope with playing more games as you are the one's who are supposed to have the bigger squads.

[Charnwood]

I agree the fa cup has taken a nose dive in the last decade or so.
The fa are certainly to blame but in addition to their fiddling with the format etc, the chief reason is Sky and the Premier league and the money.
Even if we won it next year it would not match 1978!

As it happens I watched the full 2hr video on YouTube this week, wonderful day.
A couple of things stood out - We should have won by 3 or 4, some of the tackles were awful but 'acceptable'at the time (How the tackle on Mariner at 80 odd mins was not a foul?!), we are better off with the current day laws in regard to 'no handling pass backs' and 'offside' they really slowed the game up. Us Town fans were awesome, Woods and Mariner were MOTM.
We sang my favourite 2 songs 'we're on the march with Robsons's army' and 'Beattie is back!'
Even 'though the anti narwich sentiment was higher in those days, not one anti-nodge song!
Memories, pity ITFC can't produce too memorable at the moment.

2 hours well spent!

It's not just the money, the competition has been tarnished in so many ways since we won it it's sometimes unrecognizable from how some remember it.

Read on TWTD that not only did Arsenal field a second side today but their (and our next opponents) Hull City also put out a weakened team for the event. You can forgive the former showing a lack of interest with other achievements to be had this season but there was an opportunity for Hull to do something with it and they showed a similar sense of apathy.

Even Chelsea and Manchester City tomorrow will see much changed sides as both teams see the competition as something of a second priority. Hasn't been a final to really savor since Coventry / Spurs in 1987 but as you said, money has played an important part in the competition becoming distanced.

That's not say I don't want to see Town as winners once more, but realistically, how many are really ever going to see that occur again in their lifetimes ?

Well Chelsea certainly took the game seriously fielding the same starting X1 that played only 3 days earlier against PSG in the Champions League, and got their just reward. Pretty much the same eleven had also played in the previous Saturday's 5-1 win over Newcastle in the Premier League.

That's three games in 8 days with few signs of tiredness or fatigue. That was the Bobby Robson way although to be fair squads were much smaller then, but he believed that playing regularly with only light or little training was better than constantly tinkering with a successful team as players in a winning side want to keep playing and not being dropped.

If Chelsea can overcome Everton in the next round it could well pave the way for a further trophy in the Stamford Bridge trophy cabinet which would be a massive consolation after such a disasterous first half of the season.

Well done to Chelsea for giving so much respect to the FA Cup which in my opinion is still be our country's 2nd most important football competition.

[The Don]

The league cup is the one that I feel should be scrapped.

There is so much added pressure to succeed now, monetary alone, that domestic cups have taken a nosedive in the priorities list.

To be fair, the FA have given clubs the ability to name an enhanced squad so they are always going to have the excuse that its rotational reasons that's dictated the team sheet. My bigger gripe is that most of these "fringe players" are not continued with in order to develop them and an additional influx of transfers bolsters the squads come the following season.

[marko69]

I've noticed this with ITFC, (maybe you more informed ones can shine some light) ...... Hibs FC have a great youth system and quite a lot of the youngsters are coming through, and have done regularly over the years......, are there youngsters on the fringes of maybe making the first team? Over the past 7 years, (since I joined this forum really) there's been Wickham, Hyam, Rhodes (10pence in the JR box) ...... Any other names that have come through? Please don't bust my nutsack, I'm speaking with a heightened level of ignorance here.

[Bluemike]

Marko, the one they have high hopes for is Andre Dozzell, apparently a few of the "big boys" have been keeping tabs on him for some time now and by all accounts he is a very good prospect, he played for England U17's a couple of weeks back along with Two other Town kids, Nicholas Hayes (Keeper) & Ben Morris (Striker).

A bit nearer the first team is a lad called Kundai Benyu who travelled with the First team squad once or twice to get some experience, he is a Midfielder and again highly thought of, he has been injured recently. Another lad who was being talked up for big things is the Right back Kyle Hammond, he has just returned from a serious Cruciate injury so hopefully he can continue where he left off. The others you proberbly are aware of, Kenlock, Emmanuel, Yorwerth, Clarke and Joe Robinson although these Five have some improving to do for sure.

[marko69]

I forgot all about Andre Dozzell. His dad was superb! Hopefully young Andre can be even better. It'd really be massively beneficial if some of these youngsters were genuinely good enough to break into the first team as starters soon. Can't say I'm a 100% believer in "too inexperienced for a first team place"....., if they are good enough, and are ok with the attention, get them out there. Wee Ryan Fraser was tearing up the SPL for arse paper for the sheep when he was 17/18 years old. Johnny Russell when he was loaned out to Forfar as a 17 year old; was like Messi had arrived in Angus!