posted Jan 7, 2008

the f a cup will always be the cup to win

kitson is wrong

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posted Jan 7, 2008

What is the point of being a professional sportsman (including Managers) if every game isn't played to win?? These pathetic individuals resting their overpaid "overworked" primadonna's should be sacked by the shareholders for not trying to gain maximum income for the Club.
The FA Cup is Magic and maybe we should get rid of the Big Four to Europe and get back our football game.

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posted Jan 7, 2008

comment by springus
posted 5 Hours Ago

Kitson is absolutely right. Every year the cup is won by one of the 'big four' what chance does anyone else have? Unless they knock one another out and then have a bad game one of them will always win. Even the likes of Everton and Spurs will have to beat 2 or 3 of them to actually win the cup.
In the old days anyone could win and it used to be exciting but now it's a bore>

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I'd contend that replays actively help keep the Premier League and Big 4 teams in.

Just look at the past two seasons:

06/07 -

3R ~ Leicester 2-2 Fulham
Replay ~ FULHAM 4-3 Leicester

3R ~ Wednesday 1-1 Man City
Replay ~ MAN CITY 2-1 Wednesday

3R ~ Cardiff 0-0 Spurs
Replay ~ SPURS 4-0 Cardiff

3R ~ Hull City 1-1 Boro
Replay ~ BORO 4-3 Hull City

3R ~ Birmingham 2-2 Newcastle
Replay ~ Newcastle 1-5 BIRMINGHAM***

4R ~ Arsenal 1-1 Bolton
Replay ~ Bolton 1-3 ARSENAL

4R ~ Bristol City 2-2 Boro
Replay ~ BORO win on pens

5R ~ Man U 1-1 Reading
Replay ~ Reading 2-3 MAN U

5R ~ Arsenal 0-0 Blackburn
Replay ~ BLACKBURN*** 1-0 Arsenal

5R ~ Boro 2-2 West Brom
Replay ~ BORO win on pens

6R ~ Boro 2-2 Man U
Replay ~ MAN U 1-0 Boro

6R ~ Chelsea 3-3 Spurs
Replay ~ Spurs 1-2 CHELSEA


05/06 -

3R ~ West Brom 1-1 Reading
Replay ~ READING*** 3-2 West Brom

3R ~ Torquay 0-0 Birmingham
Replay - BIRMINGHAM 2-0 Torquay

3R ~ Wigan 1-1 Leeds
Replay ~ WIGAN win on pens

3R - Nuneaton 1-1 Boro
Replay ~ BORO 5-2 Nuneaton

3R ~ Burton 0-0 Man U
Replay ~ MAN U 5-0 Burton

3R - Millwall 1-1 Everton
Replay ~ EVERTON 1-0 Millwall

4R - Coventry 1-1 Boro
Replay ~ BORO 1-0 Coventry

4R ~ Reading 1-1 Birmingham
Replay ~ BIRMINGHAM 2-1 Reading

4R - Everton 1-1 Chelsea
Replay ~ CHELSEA 4-1 Everton


Of ALL the games that have gone to a replay, in which either it's Premier League vs Footaball or Non-League or Big 4 vs PL, in only 3 ties out of 21 have the unfancied team won... and in only one replay did the unfancied team win away (Birmingham at St James).

So, to traditionalist I ask, do you still believe in replays?

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posted Jan 27, 2008

Havant and Waterlooville taking the lead twice at Anfield. How do you feel about that, Kitson?

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posted Jan 27, 2008

comment by SheepskinMotson
posted 3 Hours Ago

Havant and Waterlooville taking the lead twice at Anfield. How do you feel about that, Kitson?

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Not bothered one bit if he gets an England call-up and Reading survive again, I'd imagine :D

Seriously though, that was a great game, but I ask - If there was no possibility of a replay, and it was played at Havant, could H&W done even better?

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posted Jan 28, 2008

Not bothered one bit if he gets an England call-up and Reading survive again, I'd imagine :D

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An England call up? Lets pray it's not for a friendly otherwise it'll just be a waste of time for him.

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posted Jan 28, 2008

Don't agree with Kitson. You don't choose which games you are going to "really" try hard to win. What if a team in the group stages of the World Cup who were out didn't try in a game that still mattered to the other team? Yes the League is more important agreed, but to say you don't care about the Cup at all sounds dangerously like lack of motivation to me. England cap? Dunce's cap.

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posted Jan 28, 2008

you've got a great point (hard to beat), knocking replays on the head could really open up the cup it'll force stronger teams to play their best 11 in every round and would help fixture conjestion, is this being touted?

To the comment above me Kitson never said anything about playing badly, it's the opposite, because he plays every game to win, he's questioning whether these games are worth risking injury etc. for in the first place.

It's amazing reading some of the vitriol aimed at him on here, he's just about the most down to earth bloke you'll meet, he was stacking shelves at tesco for a couple of years in his late teens, not being molly-coddled in some multi-million pound training facility, he's played in every league, non-league too, cleaned his own boots and knows how blessed he is to be having his moment in the prem, but if there's anyone that's earned their right to be there it's Kitson, no one's ever done him any favours.

Something has to change if the FA Cup is going to survive and not become another league cup, he's started a debate about it, but get's slated

Also, if he gets a call up it'll be on merit. He happens to be the highest scoring Englishman in the prem at the moment and he plays for a team who are 2pts clear of the relegation zone!

He's a top geeza and deserves his chance, have some faith he'll be winning us the world cup in two years time

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posted Feb 1, 2008

The trouble these days is premiership players only want money they dont want winners medals.this is why the england team are so bad at the moment as they have it so easy .so when kitson looks back at his career and tells his grandkids that he never won anything or played in a wembley final but i did finish in the bottom 5 of the league for a few seasons with reading , he can only blame himself.surely 1 extra game can not hurt you.

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posted Feb 1, 2008

I am reminded about the discussion Stuart Pearce had with a young pro at Man City. Pearce asked the lad what he would like a Ferrari or an England cap. The young lad said the Ferrari.

Sad - isn't it.

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