FA Cup 2001-2

what a silly club they must be.

(at least Ned Raggett will be interested in this!)

Oh hell yeah. Combine this with the fact we're back at mid-table and all is well. :-)

(mind you I was convinced you'd beat Southampton, ad nauseam ...)

Not one mention was made of the violence at Cardiff on Sky Sports, and Sam Hammam provoking the home fans was spoken of as a kind of lighthearted sportsmanlike gesture. I can't help thinking there's something very wrong with this - Alan Green was bang OTM on 5 Live.

FAC3 defeat for Leeds could be cause to invoke Very Old Footballing Cliche (you know which one), and for it genuinely to be borne out this time.

Good draw for R4, heh-heh.

Manyoo's comeback was best exemplified by my mate the G (west ham fan, hates the reds) when Van Nistelrooy put in the third his arms went up, a cheer started in his throat and then died out into "noooooooooooo" horribly exciting wasn't it?

West Ham were a bit fortunate. That Macca goal disallowed for offside was NOT offside. With a one goal deficit from the outset I think we could have been on the receiving end of a Leeds-like embarassment.

As you say Chris, Sinclair's versatility on the wing makes him a great asset, and his work rate is unparalleled. Plus I think he's hit a career best vein of form at the moment.

Personally I rate Carrick higher than Cole, he's a more physical player, and more solid in midfield. He's less likely to lose the ball, whereas Cole has a Di Canio-like tendency to go on those mazy runs which are a joy to watch, but ultimately result in him being dispossessed.

Moncur was unlucky to go too, I thought he'd just get a yellow as he didn't seem so involved in the fracas as much as the bald Macclesfield player who only got a yellow for running over and taking a swing.

I know what you mean about Carrick Trevor but he doesn't grab the attention as much as Joey, but then Sven and Tord can probably see through such things, and then they'll take Dunn. James should definitely go though, but at the expense of who? Wright I suppose?

And Smith has every right to feel aggrieved. There's a definite impression that the referee capitulated to appease the hostile, animalistic Cardiff crowd. Not that it worked though.

And it's not often I see Moncur unjustifiably booked. I guess Macca fans would say it was karma. The amount of times I've been at Upton Park and said of the man, "He should have been booked for that!" after the umpteenth two footed flying tackle aimed at opposing player's head.

Someone down the pub said that yellow cards cannot be appealed, only red. But if the second yellow led to the sending off, then surely this can be appealed, no?

Another pub question that had me stumped was televised match money - is this split 50/50 between the teams, or does the visiting team get diddly squat?

I couldn't help but cheer Man U as those goals went in either. I felt very dirty afterwards mind, even though I do hate Aston Villa. Gregory's face really was a picture.

But what about the irresistible striking partnership of Anelka and Owen?

Trevor Brooking, I love the man but he really is the most biased summariser on tv or radio, the execrable Jonathon Pierce included.

But surely gate receipts and television money are two seperate things?

HOW CAN THIS BE???

All live broadcasting has some kind of delay on it, surely? To avoid transmission of swearing and the like; I presume R5 and BBC1 just aren't in sync. Funny though - in my experience the radio commentary is usually a fraction behind the telly. Perhaps there's an explanation in terms of the routing of the signals (with all that digital interactive jiggery-pokery, maybe the TV sig goes through a battery of latency-stricken processors before leaking out to the analogue unwashed).

They manage to get it right for R3/BBC2 prom simulcasts though (hey - taking sides: NICAM vs FM).

Owen + Anelka (two parts of my new dream threesome) absolutely majestic on Saturday, the only disappointment being Owen hitting the crossbar when he should have nabbed a hatrick. Hopefully Liverpool have now turned the corner and will commence a magnificent unbeaten run til the end of the season.

If we are going down the serious transmission lag talk route then I will point out to Mike that Chris has digital TV, which introduces a whopping great lag over analogue. Mind you, he seems to be implying that he's getting the reafio through it as well, so it's not quite as simple as that. All depends on Sky's feeds maybe? Or does the lower bandwidth requirement of radio translate into faster delivery at the satellite -> box stage? I don't know. All I know is that when I flick between different channels covering the same live broadcast on my digital cable, there are HUGE differences. That used to apply when I was on analogue too, though. But yeah, my trannie is miles ahead of the TV, anyway. This digital lag thing is a bit of a step back, isn't it? The time beeps will become ass if digital radio takes over. They can't introduce a compensatory 'preemptive' timing either, as it's all subject to various vagaries, apparently.

Easy win over lower-division opposition in a cup-tie != turning the corner, in my view. Perhaps more meaningful for teams who are really struggling (i.e. Everton), but we shall see.

I, for one, will be astonished if Liverpool win at Old Trafford. A high-scoring draw with multiple injuries/dismissals the preferred option, natch.

Oh, come on. With Man U in this form, no victory of theirs can be considered a surprise. I know you have this theory that LFC now have United's number, but (possibly aside from that Murphy winner at Old Trafford last season) I don't think Liverpool have ever* successfully tackled a United side purring along like this.

(* - I mean 'ever' in the Sky Sports/Premiership 1992-was-Year-Zero sense that I usually detest)

(I will, of course, now be proved wrong with hilarious! consequences)

I can - if I close my eyes real tight and think happy thoughts. Anyway, my plan is for H+H to be off the field by the 80th minute, possibly in a nearby hospital.

I think this "Man U revival is a myth" myth is dangerous nonsense. They walloped Xmas leaders Newcastle after all.

I'd have to say that Liverpool had their number eallier in the season, but yeah, they weren't purring at all, hmmm. I think Sunday's game at the Library could be rather important.

Apologies to the Pinefox in his absence for encouraging the sort of chat on this thread that should really be on the other thread.

But Trevor, manyoo are supposed to be upping their bid for Paolo to 3mil, will Glenn sell? should he?

Well Chris, it depends on whose perspective you're looking at it from, I suppose. If I were Paulo, I'd much rather stay at the club which put faith in me and resurrected my career from the ashes than be a glorified benchwarmer for Ferguson's corporate giants.

At least at West Ham Paulo knows he is guaranteed regular first team football, which he knows he'll never get at Man Utd.

Saying that, the man is rapidly approaching the age of 34, and how many of us would begrudge a player nearing the twilight of their professional career getting a final opportunity to play European Championship football?

If I were Roeder, I'd want such an influential and popular player to end his days playing at the club. There's also the risk that if Paulo goes, it's puts more pressure on Roeder to release the likes of Sinclair and there's always the danger that others may follow in their wake. The younger players definately look up to Paulo, make no mistake.

My personal feeling is, we've had the best out of him, he lacks the edge and the goal-scoring proclivity he displayed when we first bought him. But if he does go, it'll be a fond farewell. No true fan could resent his departure to Man Utd after witnessing the magic he's brought to Upton Park.

3rd round of FA Cup is NOT OVER. Not by some distance. Most important issues: still to be resolved.

Actually last night's beer was darts-related. I didn't even see the game, but I did run into a group of WH fans at Waterloo on the way home. Oh, the looks on their faces!

All thrilling stuff for the neutrals I suppose. At least it wasn't to Grimsby or Northampton this time. Ho hum.