What next for Liverpool?

Another game for Liverpool in 2012, and another defeat for Liverpool.  That’s been sequence this season for Liverpool. 

Their defeat in the FA Cup final against Chelsea was the defeat which confirmed Liverpool’s season as a devastating disappointment. 

And let’s be honest, Liverpool at times this season have been lacklustre, woeful and embarrassing to the clubs faithful supporters.

But it’s been an odd season for Liverpool supporters.

Indeed, the club reached two cup finals and they did break the club’s trophy drought which had covered a shadow over the club and symbolised Liverpool’s decline.

But at the same time, it’s been a forgettable season for Liverpool fans. It’s been a season which has left them with more questions than answers as the season has progressed. 

One of the most pressing unanswered questions is that of the King Kenny Dalglish. 

Do Liverpool stick or twist?

Do Liverpool keep him on his throne, or do the club attempt to remove him from his beloved palace. 

Indeed, there are a lot of rumours circulating than Dalglish will be ‘moved upstairs’  as it were given the vacant director of football role, while others feel he maybe shown the door as a whole.

The money men at Anfield face some tough decisions this summer. 

But the situation at especially at Anfield is abundantly clear. Liverpool have been poor, utterly poor. I mean 6 wins at home at Anfield is unacceptable. No wait, it’s not even that, it’s an offensive record for one of Europe’s greatest clubs and what has been before and what the club stands for.

But the poor record at home tells you a few interesting things.

It tells you some of the players especially the new boys, have struggled to deal with the expectations, culture and demands of playing for a club where it expected you have to win each week.

Instead of Anfield being a fortress, it’s become a ground where all the opponent has to do is virtually turn up, defend reasonably well and pick up the point on their way out.

It’s been as simple as that for Liverpool fans.

 In fact, Anfield has become a points shelter for Premier League clubs. 

There is saying amongst football fans that, you know you’re having a bad season, if Liverpool beat you at Anfield. 

But coming away from performances on the pitch, Liverpool’s performances in the transfer market have been even worse. 

Whether Liverpool keep Dalglish, or someone else comes in, Liverpool must be more rational and shrewd in the transfer market.

This season, thanks to the likes of Newcastle, the big boys in the Premier League have learnt a humble lesson.

They’ve learnt of the best things in life can be cheap and cheerful. Newcastle spent a net of around £15mill. Yet the northern club now find themselves with two fantastic and profilc strikers in Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba. While in midfield, Newcastle boast the technically gifted creator Yohan Cabaye. All of whom, cost collectively less than Andy Carroll. 

While Liverpool with their best of British transfer policy, spent hugely on distinctly average players who haven’t really added much to the side. In fact, they’ve made Rafa’s signings at Liverpool look all the more allusive and crucial to the side. 

It seems a majority of Liverpool’s summer signings, bar Craig Bellamy and perhaps even Seb Coates, have all fallen for the big club – little club syndrome. 

Yes, that syndrome. The one where the players are amazing for the respective smaller clubs, but when the big fish goes to the big pound he is nowhere to be seen. 

Yeah, that one.

But you can’t argue, the crazy valuations placed on top of their heads has not helped either. I mean, if you splash £19million on a winger, you expect a few goals and a few assists. But it’s not happened. At all.

The price tags on these new players have been like big rocks being placed on their backs in the blazing sun. They can try their best, but everyone will point out, ‘that isn’t £19million worth of quality.’ The fee that brought them to Anfield is constantly reminded to not only them but to the coaches and directors.

It seems Damien Comolli paid the price for splashing out insane figures for average players. Perhaps this is a sign, the powers that be at Anfield don’t want the same mistakes to happen again.

There has been a lot of talk amongst Liverpool fans of whether Liverpool should sell the likes of Downing, Henderson and the other new buys. I firmly believe the new players deserve another chance. Sometimes, a second season can do the players the world of good.

The pressure of not being the ‘new kid on the block’ could take away some of the pressure on them, also more importantly, chopping and changing will not help Liverpool move up the table.

If you look at the Liverpool team of 08/09, when they finished second, the spine of the team had been at the club for three years or more. It takes years to build a great competitive team, ask Fergie, ask Arsene Wenger and heck as Pep Guardiola too.

Liverpool are in the stage of forming and developing. And they won’t move out of that stage if they keep changing managers and players. 

That’s also why I think Dalglish should stay, so long as the players still believe in him. For me, Liverpool seem to be trying to implement a pass and move type of game. And for most of the season, it hasn’t worked for them. But when it has, Liverpool have at times been unplayable and if the finishing had been better, Liverpool would certainly be higher up in the table. 

But with astute additions, Liverpool have a good chance of making progress. But it is imperative Liverpool get their signings right this summer. Liverpool are currently feeling the consequences of selling very good players and replacing them poorly. Is it really surprising Liverpool have struggled to dominate midfields without people who can effectively play in-between the lines like Raul Merieles?

Success does not happen over night. Ask Man City, ask Chelsea. After years of heavy investment, Man City now only find themselves on the brink of winning the Premier League title. While Chelsea after 10 years of the Abramovich era find themselves only in their second CL final in their history.

Liverpool need to be patient, stability is the clubs best answer. And the club are fortunate in the sense they have a man who is undeniably just as determined as the fans to be successful. While some managers may get their heads turned by offers elsewhere, Dalglish isn’t one of them.

He has unfinished business at Anfield.  And if anything, this season has given him even more unfinished business.

But he must get it right this summer not only in his transfers, but his tactical decision making, in another summer of change for Liverpool. 

The team need carry on playing with the same methodology and the players must look to further establish a greater understanding. The cup final against Chelsea was a prime example. The reds played with little cohesion and struggled to even get into the Chelsea half in the first 60 minutes. 

Liverpool had no penetration, no idea and no connection between the midfield and attack. Meaning their most threatening player Luis Suarez was left to feed off scraps. 

This summer is huge for Liverpool. The club is at a cross roads. The right decisions could see them move right up the table next season. While the wrong decisions could see the club fall even further behind.

Refereeing: So little to gain, yet so much to lose.

They say a picture tells a 1,000 words. Boy, didn’t that certainly happen a few Sundays ago.

Martin Atkinson was hammered home with criticism for his decision to give Juan Mata’s effort the green light to make it two nil to Chelsea. 

Everyone was having a dig at Atkinson’s decision. Everyone.

In the virtual worlds, in the pubs and in the stands, Martin Atkinson become the butt of jokes, irony and frustration to some.  

And let’s face it, everyone got involved. Everyone had a say on Atkinson’s decision.

Most were commenting on how the ref’s decision had cost Tottenham their final chance of silverware this season.  And this anger quickly transferred from the Tottenham stands at Wembley to all around the globe.

Yet when it was revealed during the game Martin Atkinson was to be a linesman for the euros, it was met with a chorus of laughter. People were questioning how can such a man be given the responsibility of checking whether the ball had crossed the line, when he failed at it when it really mattered.

I won’t lie, I had a chuckle when I heard that news during the game. 

But there is one after the semi-final which typifies just how much anger there was towards Martin Atkinson. Harry Redknapp in his post-match comments revealed Atkinson had apologised for his mistake. 

A referee apologising for his mistake? That is practically unheard of in the English game. No scratch that. It’s practically unheard of in any league, nation or even continent. 

But apologising for his ‘mistake’ paints a sad sad picture. It shows how emotionally hurt, damaged and effected Atkinson was for going with his gut. 

Just imagine what he was going through during the game.The incident must have been swirling again and again round his head, with him thinking, did I really get that right? Maybe I didn’t…

It’s crazy, one tough decision, could not only have broken his career at the top level, but it could have also broken Spurs’ chance for trophies yet another season. 

That’s the life of a referee, you can’t win, but you’ve got so much to lose.

But when THAT picture was revealed a few hours later, people were quick to lay into Spurs, for trying to hide behind the excuse of an ‘unjust’ decision at the time. It wasn’t just the fans who were saying this, it was football journalists too.

Indeed, Tottenham had got it wrong, it was a goal. But none of us can lie, we all got it wrong.

We all thought that goal was certainly not in. 

Yet when it turned out it was a genuine goal, no one praised Martin Atkinson’s fine decision. No one.

Call it luck, fortunate or whatever, but for Atkinson to make a correct decision within a split second with all that pressure, it shows what a decent referee he is.

Everyone had something to say about Martin Atkinson when the decision was up in the air. But when it turned out he was right, those who heavily damned him did not show an ounce of respect towards the broken Martin Atkinson.

There has been a lot of talk about the drop in standards of refereeing in England. The likes of Roberto Mancini have been quite vocal about it, but how can we expect the standards to get better if we keep criticising, every wrong decision they make?

Sadly, in modern football, there is little appeal in becoming a referee. All referees are subject to criticism, abuse and nit picking. 

I firmly believe referees need to be praised more and it should be emphasised just how hard their job is.

Think about it, they get one angle, one chance and literally one second to make a choice on a decision which could change a team’s fate. 

While we, get various angles, various chances and a good few minutes to see if the decision was right or wrong.

Indeed, Atkinson’s decision against Chelsea was justified by technology, but how many referees have ultimately made the right decision but because of the lack of technology have seen their refereeing careers being tarnished? 

I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a support group for it.

The reality is, referees need help. They need technology. The game is so quick, so advanced and there is so much hanging on games that one small error could cost a team severely. 

But till then, I feel referees need to be given more praise, more respect and more empathy. 

Referees are humans just like us, believe it or not. And if we want the standards of refs to improve we have to reinvigorate the value of being a referee. 

Whenever we think of refs now, we think of middle aged men, making bad decisions. 

Martin Atkinson decision against Spurs could have cost him his career as a top level referee. Fortunately for him it didn’t. But without technology, one wonders how many more referees careers will be instantly terminated by one error in the heat of the moment?

Why the FA Cup Semi Finals should be played anywhere but Wembley

Another enthralling FA Cup Semi final round passes us by. The FA Cup saw two shock results. On Sunday, Bolton were comprehensively beaten by Stoke. While on Saturday, Manchester City knocked out their bitter rivals Manchester United. But there is one fact, which frustrates every football fan.

Why the hell are the FA Cup semi finals being held at Wembley!?

Personally, I have written articles emphasising how the FA Cup has not lost its significance in the modern game. But the decision’s to play the Semi Final at Wembley are good arguments for the FA Cup losing its significance.

For me, one of the appealing and most gratifying factors of being in the FA Cup final is the right to play at Wembley. Playing at Wembley was a sign of significance and a sign of success. Perhaps it still is. But now the idea of having a right to play at Wembley just because your in the semi final alienating.

It’s alienating simply because the FA Cup is world renowned for its traditions. Most of us grew up hearing of the classic cup semi finals at Villa Park or at Old Trafford. It was fair these games were held elsewhere. As these games are of great significance. But they are not as significant as the final.

The FA Cup final should be a massive occasion. It should be the biggest date on the English calendar. Perhaps having the semis elsewhere would add more significance and incentive to the final. As both teams would have fully earned their right to play Wembley.

Looking at this from a global appeal perspective, having just one FA Cup game at Wembley would make the final and the competition more appealing. As the stage would be a unique and historical. It would be a stage which is renowned for where the finest teams in England come head to head. And it would be stage where the most glorifying moments of English football occur. But at the moment, it makes the road to Wembley a bit repetitive. As the two finalists would have to play at Wembley twice within a few weeks. This means the same stage is used again and again and the stigma of playing at Wembley is lost.

There are probably economical and commercial reasons for the Semis being played at Wembley. Maybe, the FA need Wembley as a method to gain money to keep up with the high payments of the new stadium. It wouldn’t surprise me. Football these days is money orientated.

But it’s frustrating to see that one of the key traditions of the final is being exploited. The right to play at Wembley is one of the biggest incentives for getting to the FA Cup final. But now it seems being a semi finalist is enough of a right earned to play at Wembley.

There have been periods in the 90’s and early 2000’s were the semis were held at the old Wembley. But after a year or two, the people at the FA came to their senses and held the semi finals elsewhere.

But it’s been four years since the semi final has been held away from the new Wembley.

The FA Cup is a culture and a tradition.

It’s a shame, the culture and traditions of the oldest cup competition in football are being slowly removed.

Things you may like to read

Has the FA Cup lost all of its significance in the modern game? - http://tiny.cc/s0725

Just how good is Gary Cahill? - http://tiny.cc/q3lku

Is there a right or wrong way to play football? - http://tiny.cc/fhro0

Premier League + FA Cup predictions 16/04

Here are our predictions for this weekend’s Premier League and big FA Cup semi final fixtures. This week our predictors are Liam Milner and Ed Diggins, who has written his explanations for his predictions.

Premier League Predictions

Fixture	Ibby Akkas prediction		Ed Diggins prediction		Liam Milner prediction		Actual score
Birmingham v Sunderland	1-2		1-1		2-1		2-0
Blackpool v Wigan	2-1		2-2		2-2		1-3
Everton v Blackburn	2-0		2-1		2-0		2-0
West Brom v Chelsea	1-1		1-1		1-1		1-3
West Ham v Aston Villa	2-1		1-0		1-2		1-2
Arsenal v Liverpool	2-2		0-0		1-1		1-1
Total correct scores	Correct Results- 2	Perfect Results - 1	Correct Results - 2	Perfect Results - 0	Correct Results - 4	Perfect Results - 3

FA Cup Predictions

Fixture	Ibby Akkas prediction		Ed Diggins prediction		Liam Milner prediction		Actual score
Man City v Man United	1-0		0-1		0-2		1-0
Bolton v Stoke	2-1		1-0		2-1		0-5
Total correct scores	Correct Results- 1	Perfect Results - 1	Correct Results - 0	Perfect Results - 0	Correct Results- 0	Perfect Results - 0

The Results

Liam Milner - 13 points

Ibby Akkas - 5 points

Ed Diggins - 2 points

After a brilliant weekend of football we have a clear winner for this weeks predictions! Liam Milner absolutely ran away with it this week. He managed to get 4 correct results along with a fantastic 3 perfect predictions. Impressive stuff.

But thanks to Ed and Liam for participating this week!

Ed Diggins has been kind enough to give us his overview on this weekend’s Premier League and FA Cup ties. It’s definitely worth the read.

Ed Diggins’ thoughts on this weekend’s Premier League and FA Cup action

Saturday, 16 April 2011

Barclays Premier League

Birmingham v Sunderland, 15:00

It is not that long since people were touting Steve Bruce’s men as possible European candidates, but how things have changed. A horrific run of form and results have seen them slip into the relegation zone, something that has been familiar to them over recent years. However, I think they will pull through and beat the drop. The Blues motivation from this game is three points will not only take them level with 13^th placed Sunderland, but also takes them ever closer to safety. This will not be pretty and Sunderland would be happy to take a point I am sure. 1-1 written all over it.

Prediction – Score draw

Blackpool v Wigan, 15:00

A huge game at the tail end of the pile, the first of two this weekend which may well go a long way to deciding who stays up. Wigan lie bottom on 31 points and a win will take them above Blackpool who have been in free-fall since December. Wigan have been impressive of late if that’s the correct word to use, with a reasonable showing last week against Chelsea and holding Spurs to a 0-0 the previous week a sign that maybe they can come into form. A win here could be the springboard to success. Realistically I can not see Blackpool loosing this but both sides are really poor and both in my opinion favourites for the drop. I am going for a 2-2 here.

Prediction – Score Draw.

Everton v Blackburn, 15:00

Instinct tells me this will be the most boring game of the weekend, though in this mad league, who knows what to expect. I am going home win here, with Everton having one goal to spare over a Blackburn side hovering dangerously close to the relegation zone. They need something from this game, but recent form suggests the maximum Blackburn can expect is a draw. I don’t think they will get it, but they will put on a decent show hopefully for them. 2-1 to the Toffees is where my money is going.

Prediction – Home win.

West Brom v Chelsea, 15:00

West Brom are flying and can really put it up to the Champions here. Woy has steadied the ship and their rise up the table in recent weeks has been sensational. 7 games undefeated, 3 wins & 4 draws makes the Baggies one of the form teams in the EPL at the moment, but still, predicting a win for them over a Chelsea side not exactly in top form is all too easy. Expect a back lash and Chelsea with nothing else to play for now, will arrive at the Hawthorns all guns blazing. The home side have the added motivation of ramming the opening day 6-0 defeat where the sun don’t shine and having given Manchester United and more recently Arsenal and Liverpool a tough day out on their own patch, I predict them to get a point. I would not be surprised though to see Torres end his scoring drought. I am going for another 1-1 draw for Chelsea following on from their trip to Stoke. But that is more going against the head. Realistically if I was putting money down, I would go for 2-1 Chelsea.

Prediction - Score draw.

West Ham v Aston Villa, 15:00

The second of this week’s huge games in the relegation zone. A win for Villa would all but securing top flight football next season. Their form is more erratic than a whores drawers so they are not easy to predict. 3 recent horror shows at Bolton, Wolves and City point to a team in turmoil, but a good showing at Everton and home to the Magpies last week may give them the lift they so badly need. West Ham are without a win in 4, but their home form is decent enough and I think they will pull through here and get 3 vital points. 1-0 to the hammers for me.

Prediction – Home Win.

FA Cup Semi Final.

Man City v Man Utd - 17:15

The biggest game of the weekend and one of the biggest of the season so far, so it is really is impossible to call. The form book suggests an easy United win, but this is a derby, this is the FA cup and nothing will come easy for either side in this one. City’s recent record over United is poor, with only one win in 8 games. That came in last season’s home leg of the Carling Cup semi. Since then, City have seen a good performance at Old Trafford in February go to waste, succumbing to a late Wayne Rooney wonder goal in the process of a 2-1 defeat.

A key thing here is who will Alex Ferguson play? I expect up to nine changes in the United team, as Fergie looks to the upcoming gruelling schedule with one eye on Newcastle on Tuesday. I shall be in the United end at Wembley on Saturday, so of course, I can only see a United win, but this is not certain by any means. Carlos Tevez is allegedly out for City while Rooney is missing for United. United have two in form strikers in Dimitar Berbatov and Javier Hernandez, yet City’s misfiring duo of Edin Džeko and Mario Balotelli have to strike gold sooner or later, right? It really is close to call and a victory for either team would not surprise me. Neither team will want extra time but it is possible and in my opinion the result hinges on what team Fergie picks. 1-0 united, after extra time perhaps.

Prediction – Close win for United, possibly on penalties.

Sunday, 17 April 2011 Barclays Premier League.

Arsenal v Liverpool, 16:00

This result depends on the simple question, which Arsenal will turn up? The one who turned over Barcelona in the Champions league first leg or the team who seemingly has forgotten how to score at home in the league of late? Arsenals home form is patchy to say the least, its 5 games since they turned in an impressive home performance. Liverpool have intentions of Europe through fifth place and will no doubt, be going all out for the win. I think they can nick a point, at least…0-0

Prediction – Scoreless draw.

FA Cup Semi Final

Bolton v Stoke, SF, 16:00

A huge day for both clubs and the most unlikely of semi-final pairings. I have a gut instinct that Bolton will nick this one, but it depends on who reacts to the big occasion. They both have beaten each other at home this year, so there is little between them. I sense a scrappy, dour affair with few chances and a lot of the ball in the air, something that will suit Stoke more than Bolton. But Bolton will have plenty of possession and I think they can turn this into a slim 1-0 win and see them reach the final.

Prediction – Bolton win.

Make sure you follow both our predictors Ed Diggins and Liam Milner on Twitter;

Ed Diggins - @ed_diggins

Liam Milner - @liammilner

Be sure to have a look at the great Back Page Football website, where Ed himself is a contributor. - http://backpagefootball.com/

Check out Liam Milner’s fantastic blog too, Killer Pass - http://killerpass.wordpress.com/

Things you may like to read

England's new 4-3-3 system. The platform for english success? Part two - the negatives - http://tiny.cc/aexxp

Why Chelsea must drop Fernando Torres if they are to have any success this season - http://tiny.cc/56aq4

Has the FA Cup lost all of its significance in the modern game? - http://tiny.cc/co7ec

Predictions League Table

For the past few months ive been doing some predictions for the Champions League, Premier League and the FA Cup. I have challenged a variety of people and have been wanting to create a league table of our best predictors!

Rank	Name	Prediction	Number of games predicted	Points
1	Chris Mann (The Equaliser)	FA Cup Fourth round predictions	15	11
2	Eric Beard (A Football Report)	PL prediction 05/02	10	9
3	John (Tangerine Dreaming)	PL Predictions 04/03	10	7
4	Ben Wen	UCL last 16 first leg predictions	8	6
5	Narrow the Angle	PL Predictions 04/03	10	4
6	Mark Chalcraft (2nd Yellow)	Fa Cup fifth round and 4th round reply	6	3
7	Tim Hill	PL prediction 03/04	10	3
8	Dan Leydon	UCL Last 16 2nd leg Predictions	8	2
9	Jordan Finlay	PL prediction 18/03	10	2
10	Matty Springett	PL prediction 11/02	10	2
11	Dominic Vieira (A Football Report)	UCL last 16 first leg predictions	8	1
12	Liam Milner (Killer Pass)	PL Predictions 25/02	8	1

Has the FA Cup lost its significance in the modern game?

The FA Cup is like poetry. Every fan, has a handful of brilliant FA Cup moments. And in recent years there have been so many special and unforgettable moments.

But it seems the FA want to change the structure of the FA Cup in order to make it more appealing and entertaining. However, has the cup really lost all its magic and appeal? Hell no.

Take last year’s FA Cup. Portsmouth had a dream run in the cup. Amongst all the uncertainty off the field, the team managed to go all the way to the final. The most refreshing moment of Portsmouth’s run was beating Tottenham in the semi-final. The FA Cup set the platform for whole nation to root for a Portsmouth win. It was almost as if the character and unity of that Portsmouth team triumphed over ability of the Tottenham side. That semi final proved the the unique characteristics of the FA Cup were still alive and kicking. The Portsmouth players showed how much they desired to be successful in the FA Cup even amongst all the adversity off the field.

Giant killings are a huge characteristic of the FA Cup. Some argue that the modern FA Cup has lost its giant killing feature. Does anyone recall Barnsley in the 2008 FA Cup? That Barnsley team beat two Champions League standard sides. In the fifth round Barnsley went to Anfield and grabbed a late a winner to knock out Liverpool. And in that Liverpool team, the reds had seven players who had won the Champions League. So it’s not the case Liverpool fielded a completely weakened side. Furthermore, Barnsley were candidates for relegation during their heroics at Anfield. And the fact they came to Anfield and won emphasises the magnitude of the giant killing.

In the next round Barnsley faced the mammoth task of overcoming Chelsea. Chelsea fielded 11 regular international players but were still defeated by Barnsley. Barnsley’s two giant killings demonstrates the magic of the FA Cup. As it’s typical of the FA Cup, that form and reputation goes out of the window. The player who scored the winner for Barnsley, Kayode Odejayi, hadn’t scored since September. Six months later, he breaks his goal scoring drought to knock Chelsea out. Now that’s beauty. It’s as if Barnsley’s cup story came out of a fictional book.

However, by the end of the 2007/08 season, Chelsea made into the Champions League final. There is an argument that the top teams nowadays give more prominence to their European competitions rather than the FA Cup. Arguably, this is true. European competitions give far more money to the clubs in terms of television revenue and more prize money. So the more successful you are in Europe, the more you earn in terms of finance. So its unsurprising that clubs would rather success in Europe than FA Cup success. But it doesn’t mean the FA Cup has lost its value or magic. At the end of the day, players want to be successful. And success in football is measured by the trophies you win. Winning the FA Cup is still a big deal for players. It’s still a hugely reputable trophy and any player will see that winning the FA Cup is a fantastic achievement.

The 1985 Heysel disaster lead to all the English teams being banned from European competitions for 5 years. This had a significant effect on the domestic English cups, especially the FA Cup. As it meant the FA Cup was given more distinction as it was the biggest cup competition for every English team and its fans. Hence why the 1988 FA Cup final was seen as a massive shock. As Wimbledon beat Liverpool to win their first ever major trophy. The result was seen as a massive surprise as Liverpool were firm favourites to win and had recently been crowned league champions. The fact English teams were unable to play in Europe, this helped maintained the strong interest in the FA Cup during the 80’s. As the press gave more priority to the domestic cups over Europe and the fans along with the players were far more passionate about the FA Cup.

Arguably, the format of the European Cup and the Uefa Cup have had an effect on the importance of the FA Cup. Before 1997, the Champions League was only eligible to the teams who won the Premier League. While the runners up in the league would enter the Uefa Cup Winners Cup (what we would today call the Europa League). This meant that England only had one club in Europe’s elite competition.

So in other words, there were around three English teams every season representing England in Europe before 1997. The small minority of English teams participating in Europe meant the FA Cup continued to hold its prominence. As to most clubs it was the biggest cup competition to win.

The simple fact the English teams were relatively poor in Europe before 1999 could suggest why the FA Cup was continually seen with great importance. During the period from 1991-1997 no English team made into the final group stages of the Champions League. Thus demonstrating their European assault would have ended prematurely. The fact it ended early suggests more importance was given to win the FA Cup. As it was the biggest cup competion for every English side.

Man United did finally break through the group stages in the Champions League. And even won the European cup in 1999. Man United’s success meant they had to represent Europe in the Intercontinental Cup (now known as Club World Cup). In order to participate, United had to withdraw from the FA Cup that season. They were the first team in FA Cup history to not defend their trophy.

A constant criticism is that Man United’s actions meant the ‘demise of the FA Cup.’ As it showed the bigger clubs were not interested in the FA Cup and other competitions were more important. But that simply isn’t the case. For a team to represent the WHOLE of Europe it must overshadow their FA Cup commitments. Of course, it would have been far better to see United competing in both cups. But Man United’s actions have been taken out of proportion. Man United is one club. Just one team. How can one team’s decision affect the whole of the FA Cup? And the teams participating in it? Man United’s rivals didn’t think ‘oh now Man United don’t want to play in the FA Cup, we don’t want to play in it anymore too.’ If anything, Man United’s decision made other teams take the FA Cup with far more seriousness. As it meant one strong contender was out of the FA Cup.

The FA Cup offers hope, pride and excitement to football. There is no better feeling than seeing the underdog triumph against all the odds. The FA Cup is like a beautiful chronicle. Every year, there is a result or a story which rejuvenates every football fans passion for the game. Every year there are memorable fixtures which the fans will never forget. Yes, the FA Cup has lost some of its significance in the past few decades. But its still is a magical competition.

The FA Cup has something iconic about it. Maybe it’s the idea of making history at Wembley, the most grand and historic stadium. The cup has a strong heritage which oozes pride and expectation into every single fan. No fan wants to see their side being embarrassed by a lower league team nor do they want to see their team lose to their bitter rivals. The FA Cup is all about pride and glory.

The cup sets the standard. The customs of the FA Cup are envied across the globe. The competition offers a mixture of the modern and the past traditions. Take this example. The last time Man United played Man City in a semi final of the FA Cup. Man City won. And were beaten by a certain Bolton. Can history reapeat itself? Only time will tell!

But the FA Cup is still alive and kicking. And long may it continue.

FA Cup Quarter Final Predictions

Our Quarter final predictions for the FA Cup. Massive weekend for all these teams. Two games away from the final itself! Predictions this week are coming from Matty Springett. A hero.

Fixture	Ibby Akkas Prediction		Matty Springett Prediction		Actual Result
Birmingham v Bolton	2-2		3-2		2-3
Manchester United v Arsenal	3-0		1-0		2-0
Stoke v West Ham	2-1		1-2		2-1
Man City v Reading	4-0		4-1		1-0
Total correct scores	Correct Results - 3	Perfect Results - 1	Correct Results - 2	Perfect Results - 0

The Results

Ibby Akkas
Correct results - 3 = 3 points
Perfect results - 1 = 3 points
Total - 6 Points

Matty Springett
Correct Results - 2 = 2 points
Perfect results - 0 = 0 points
Total - 2 points