FA Cup Just Like The Old Days

[Flaming Pie]

With Bournemouth v Boreham Wood still to come, sorry if your team got knocked out, but what a fabulous weekend of FA Cup football for us armchair fans.. Definitely a feel of days gone by. Just watched Nottingham Forest v Leicester. There’s a bit of a Sunderland/ Southampton ( Div Two teams winning the cup) thing going on with this Forest team if they can hang onto those loan signings who knows! Some great youngsters in that Forest line-up.A bit of bias going on here ( family link) but l thought the kid from The Wirral, James Garner, was outstanding for Forest . Even my lot ,Everton , won! Perhaps it’s reputation as the greatest domestic cup competition in the world is on the way to being restored?

[Pete’s Picture Palace]

Boreham Wood went and did it - well done them! - and let's hope they can repeat it in Round 5, wherever that may be. Agreed, Pie?

A few words about Hartlepool's visit to Palace yesterday. As has been widely publicised, Palace contributed to the visiting fans' travel expenses, stumping up about half of their fares. Before the game, it became known that the wife of Pool manager, Graeme Lee, Gemma, has an awful brain tumour which needs treatment costing £5k/month, or £60k/annum. One of her friends had set up a crowdfunding page and asked for donations. So far, Palace and presumably Hartlepool fans have raised over £60k, with CPFC again chipping in. That's one positive to be taken from yesterday's game. But there is more.

4700 visiting fans descended on Selhurst, enjoyed themselves and as far as I am aware, behaved themselves. They certainly out-flagged the (they think they are) famous Holmesdale Fanatics. And they cheered their team to the rafters. As regards the Hartlepool team, they went 2 down after 20 minutes and could have sunk without trace, but they didn't - they kept playing football, and though they never really threatened, they were never out of it. Credit to them. On and off the pitch.

This is what they are all playing for in this fabulous competition. Two more from my recent site update:-

1973


1975



Still dreaming that one day, maybe, before I am to old to enjoy it, and I'm now 66 for God's sake, so please get on with it, that may be Palace.

[Flaming Pie]

Everton v Palace in the Final Pete! As you said, some great stories over the weekend. Ian Wright helping that Boreham Wood player turn his life around was great. Everton winning at Wembley in 1966 is probably my greatest football memory from when l was a kid. Mike Trebilcock only had a brief career at Goodison ,but he’s still a legendary name because of his two goals in the Final.

[ndg1860]

Thanks Pete. Lovely story.

Unfortunately, like most, it is only part of the story. The 'Pool fans were a bit of a mess at Kings Cross, though not much of their own fault. As we, up at Posh found out, someone was hit by a train at Stevenage causing massive delays for trains through that area - LNER being the prime mover. That meant the Met had to cage in the 'Pool fans at Kings Cross until available trains had arrived form the north.

The police were on edge and I have heard anecdotes of incidents of bottles being thrown between arriving QPR fans and 'Pool fans and a number of arrests. Police with batons drawn was also not uncommon.

While, these are lovely stories, it sits as a small beacon amidst the sea of horror scenarios that are played out throughout the country. We have all read about the Leicester fan at Forest. Then there was the walk off at Morecambe v Bolton after racist abuse of players and staff and Rotherham fans racing on the pitch to harass Accrington players just before a last minute penalty, which the player in turn missed.

I have witnessed so many drunk and coked-up fans at grounds these days that it is starting to get dangerous to even go. There are so many fights in the stands among the same-side supporters, so much bottle/can/whatever throwing on to the pitch and in the stand, so many fans have suffered. It is a new age of the game.

Yet, there are stories like what Palace have done that creates that small smile. Thanks again.

[pafcprogs]

By all accounts the 6000 Greens at Chelsea ( they were the ones singing) were supplemented by several hundred scattered amongst the home fans having bought tickets through agencies ....

I have only heard of one being ejected after failing to contain himself in the eighth minute and a disgruntled Chelsea fan insisting he be removed from the home end....

One fan said they did the equivalent of a football silent disco when the opening goal went on and saw a steward grin and give them a thumbs up..

It is a shame when fans are unable to share these matches because of the abhorrent few ( and we have our fair share)

Rotherham seems to have a real problem...apparently that's three games in a a row they have had fans on the pitch....
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[Flaming Pie]

I listened to a phone-in Friday morning Radio Wales. Lots of disgruntled Rugby Union fans , who have travelled the world following their team, were saying that they have now packed in attending games because of the drunkenness. Don’t know if it’s the same at other nations international rugby games? Is it the same at the cricket? It’s as though people don’t know how to drink anymore. Why do so many just want to get off their heads? It’s the same at rock concerts. They spend a fortune for tickets, then all evening they are off to the bar or toilet! The trouble/ riots outside Wembley , at last years Euros in London was totally weird. I’m glad, apart from the occasional game at Tranmere, that l’m now mainly an armchair fan. I watch the grandkids games, but even these matches have the potential for violence from some of the oddball parents on the touch line.. As Jim Morrison said, people are strange!

[derby1884]

Seems to be less of this "let's play our reserves" attitude to the Cup this season from one and all - I'm not basing that on any grand analysis, just a gut feeling.
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[Dorking]

As a result of Hartlepool being wrongly advised in advance that no local pubs would admit them, all those who did not seek out welcoming local places like the Prince George descended in vast numbers on the Fan Zone, the area outside the fan zone (when they had filled the fan zone to capacity!) and the area directly outside Sainsbury's (as they could buy cases of beer there and drink them outside it!)

In the circumstances, I guess with time to kill before their big game after a long journey, I don't blame them, however urinating in Sainsbury's car park was the common for the men amongst them, and for those more civilised to go to the toilet in Sainsbury's, those that could not wait to queue for the mens helped themselves to the ladies toilets instead!

Of course this was probably just 1 or 2 per cent of their vast number. As for the fan zone, usually it is just a place for families to pass the time before a game, the kids taking penalties in an inflatable goal, the parents chatting amongst themselves. The demographic was instead all male northern men drinking the overpriced beer at a rate like it was going out of date (!!!). Seeing all this I just took myself away into the Stephensons lounge like a grumpy old man and watched the Kidderminster game on the telly!

Finally on the subject of Hartlepool fans, the amount of smoke bombs and flares let off all game (including one flare thrown on the pitch) is a worrying trend, which to be fair Palace fans, or more specifically our bloomin' ultras are not immune to regularly partaking in

Regarding Derby's point about the FA Cup teams, I think it has dawned on most clubs that unless they play full strength teams all the way through then Man City are just going to win it, and trophies are harder than ever to win these days because of City's dominance! The 'big six' is in reality the big 3 (in terms of who is realistically likely to win a trophy most seasons), and 'big clubs' managers are under big pressure to win a trophy, or be out on their ear!

The teams is the multi million pound survival race at the bottom of the Premier League couldn't wait to get knocked out though!

[Tynie Topics]

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/5a7cb68c-8a54-11ec-8600-c48a9935f856?shareToken=ed190847051307c711f818f7b1dcfe7f

Interesting read
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