Can the FA Cup keep its magic?

It is quarter final time this weekend and we are down to the last eight teams and the excitement and buzz around the FA cup should be in full effect. However there is the lingering view that the FA Cup has lost its magic and with the FA currently exploring options to revamp the competition and Premier League teams more focused on either the title or staying in the division does the FA Cup still have the appeal to both clubs and fans?

In the wake of falling attendances and weakened teams there has been talk of seeding teams and abolishing replays as some ideas of how to revamp the cup and make it more appealing to a younger generation of fans who don’t quite understand the romance of the cup and have been raised on a diet of slick marketing from Sky and the Premier League. 

The other challenge the FA face is engaging the clubs again, as the FA cup has lost its importance to the majority of Premier League teams, who see survival or Premier League points as more important than a good cup run. It is clear the financial rewards for clubs staying in the Premier League far outweighs the rewards for a good cup run however for lower league clubs a good cup run and a draw against one of the bigger clubs is a financial windfall that can keep a club running for a whole season. The trick for the FA is to keep the magic of the cup and the appeal to the lower league clubs while engaging the Premier League clubs to view it as a serious competition.

The Man United v Arsenal is the pick of the quarter final ties but both fans and managers would take defeat if they knew they would win the Premier League and at the other end of the scale Stoke v West Ham, both fans and managers would happily lose the game if they could guarantee Premier League survival. Now I realise these are two rather extreme examples but looking back at earlier rounds Premier League teams across the board have one eye on their next league fixture rather than the cup game. 

Will seedlings help this? No, the beauty of the FA cup is the random draw, there would be no 3^rd round ties like Liverpool v Man United this season and it would also mean the dream of Championship or Football League teams progressing past the 4^th round would fade fast.  Seedings would actually devalue the cup even further and would spell the end of the FA Cup. 

Would abolishing replays help? Again, no! Lower league teams who get a home draw against a top club thrive of the chance of a replay and this move would crush this chance.

I think re-structuring the cup with regards when the games are played could have a rejuvenating effect, especially the 3^rd round which currently comes after a busy and expensive Christmas period  for fans and clubs. Also maybe playing the games mid-week would help to rejuvenate the cup rather than taking up Saturday afternoons for cup games. However both these suggestions would not increase the importance to Premier League clubs and the only way to do that would be to add more value to winning the famous trophy. 

Currently clubs get a place in the Europa League but if they were rewarded with a Champions League place then clubs would take the competition a lot more seriously, and they would at least be champions instead of the 4^th best team in England.  This radical suggestion will no doubt get vetoed by the greedy Premier League and how the clubs would view this, I’m not sure but I for one would welcome the added intensity and diversity this would bring to not only the FA cup but the whole of English football and the magic of the cup would certainly return.

The FA Cup games are live on ESPN and ITV this weekend, check out our site or download our funky Iphone app here to make sure you know what teams on what channel and at what time.

For a free £25 bet on the FA Cup with Stan James click here

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Media Blackout – Fergies toys are out of the pram

It appears that Fergies toys are well and truly out of the pram after yesterdays full media blackout by the Manchester United boss. After the defeat to Liverpool yesterday at Anfield, Ferguson refused to speak to Sky Sports, Talk Sport and wouldn’t allow his assistance, Mike Phelan to speak to the BBC either. He is even refusing to speak to MUTV.

Fergie is furious with the media after the furore by the media who wanted “to electrocute Rooney” for his blatant elbow smash into the face of young Wigan midfielder James McCarthy and has now spat his dummy out after the clubs own TV channel MUTV submitted the interview to the FA where Ferguson was heavily critical of referee Martin Atkinson saying he “feared the worst” when he was appointed to the Chelsea game last week. 

The media blackout is not entirely new to Ferguson as he has not spoken to the BBC since 2004 after they aired a program accusing his son Jason of dubious activity when he was a football agent, but in this latest stunt he has laid out a full media blackout refusing to speak to any of the press.

The current rules of the Premier League state that interviews must be given to Sky Sports, Talk Sport and BBC as part of the media rights sold to the broadcasting companies and failure to do so can result in fines being imposed on the club. 

This latest outburst or blackout by Fergie is another example of Ferguson throwing his toys out of the pram if he doesn’t get what he wants or all his own way. This type of behaviour has been going on for years now and the Premier League have done nothing about it. He has been trying and succeeding in influencing referring decisions and the allocation of refs to Man United games for years with his disdain and open criticism of some refs and decisions and he will continue to do so while he gets away with it.

The Premier League have been too spineless to make an example of Ferguson and have let him ride roughshod over the rules for many years, the question is will they or even the broadcaster, who seem to be afraid of Fergie, have the balls to stand up and make an example of him this time?

The fact he is even shunning the clubs own TV station says a lot for Ferguson maybe hinting at his retirement at the end of this season if he can reach the elusive 19 league titles he set out to win way back in 1986. It will be interesting how long he continues with this stance and hwo the Premier League will deal with it, but do not expect much insight or comment from Ferguson for the rest of this season.

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Football on the TV goes mobile

Yes, that is right your favourite football on the TV site has now gone mobile, with an app now available in Itunes store for Ipod touch, Iphone and Ipad.

Now you don't even need to be on your computer to check when all the live football is on TV, you can do it from your Iphone or Ipod when you're out and about. Now that is what I call "an essential must have" Not only is a must have for all footy fans but it is a perfect app for your better half. If she has the app then she can make plans around the football!

The app is based ont he site and uses the same fixture list so covers all live games shown on Sky Sports, ESPN, BBC, ITV, Channel 5, HD and 3D across all English leagues, SPL, Champions League, Europa League, Cup competitions, La liga, Bundesliga and Serie A.

The funky reminder feature means you’ll never miss a live game and you can search easily for your favourite team, by competition or date. 

A quick internet connection is needed to update the live fixtures but even if you are out an about without internet connection the app stores the information so you can still browse 15 days of live football. So you will never miss a game again and you can check what is on while you're out and about too.

Download the app from itunes today click on the link below

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/football-on-the-tv/id406955304?mt=8# 

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Thank you for visiting Manchester!!

And so it comes to pass. Another week and another star player at a Manchester club hands in a transfer request. So what to make of the Argentinean striker and undoubtedly Man City's best player who has carried the team recently?

Tevez's unhappiness in England has long been documented and attributed to various factors such as the weather (join the club Carlos) and his daughters being thousands of miles away. Some of his outbursts have bordered on the truly bizarre with him threatening to quit football for good long before his sell by date is up. In an article in the official Manchester City magazine last week he stated that he may retire in four years but remained committed to the club's cause. This was before his touchline spat with Roberto Mancini and the subsequent issung of a public statement which announced that the relationship between player and club had broken down. We have been here before of course in a very bitter spat with Fergie that occurred not so long ago. 

The next question must be what is the role that Kia Joorabchian has played in all this. Denials and counter denials are being issued almost by the hour and the Iranian born agent isn't backwards at coming forwards. Who to believe? Certainly Garry Cook, the man with the midas touch but in reverse, seems to alienate everyone he comes into contact with so it comes as no real surprise that he is implicated in the whole affair. 

Tevez has stated publicly that he has no beef with Mancini although on the pitch arguments may undermine this slightly. Mancini is renowned for lacking some people skills but generally has the backing of his players (negative tactics aside) so we need to look higher up the food chain at City. At this moment there are more questions than answers but one thing is definite based on previous episodes (Ref: Man United and West Ham) Carlito isn't going to go quietly or without a fight......

Post by Graham Jackson

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When Football was a Mans Game

I'd like to introduce our first guest blogger here at football on the TV. This is one mans rant about how football is no longer a mans game.

The author, Paul Newton, is also organising a world record attempt at the longest 5-a-side game to ever take place in the aid of charity for a much under funded disease Wegener's granulomatosis. Check out his facebook page Soccer AM... PM....AM for info and if you are feeling generous please donate here

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=Soccerampmam

I'm 33 years of age now and packed in my season ticket about three seasons ago now, ending a 20 year run of supporting Sunderland home and, now and then, away. I decided to give up on football after spending a freezing cold Saturday afternoon watching Sunderland play Chelsea. It was a poor game, the football that we played under Roy Keane was effective in the lower leagues but, my god, it was hard to watch.

I sat and watched John Terry and it made me sad. People tell me that he's the enforcer. The hard man. The rock at the heart of the Chelsea defence, nay the team. The very foundation that Chelsea, and our 2010 world cup chances (?), were built. For 90 minutes he whined, he cried, he complained and he bitched on like a fanny, Kenwyn Jones bullied him all afternoon. It wasn't just him, Ashley Tweedy and Lampard spent the day crying at the ref and playing with one arm permanently in the air claiming for fouls of decisions that were clearly going to be given against them.

I just thought, Football has turned into a pantomime, no, a ballet. Im not interested in this and its only going to get worse. the amount of money you spend is not matched by the effort or passion on the pitch. It used to be a mans game with hard tackles, the occasional skirmish and a blooded head, its just turned soft.

Disagree? Then try to tell me that good old fashioned players like Kevin Ball, Roy Keane, Terry Butcher, Stuart Pearce and Graham Souness would have been seen plying their trade wearing a bloody Snood? I would be amazed if these guys wore a vest under their SHORT SLEEVED shirts. Stunned if they ever wore gloves, even when snowballing. They would rather play in bare feet than wear red, green or, christ help you Bendtner, PINK boots. If you asked them if they would have like to wear a hood/scarf combination to play football in, they would have killed you. Most of them just by staring at yo until you shit yourself to death.

We need to take back football and make it a mans game, its turning into a sanitised stale version of the game I used to love and care for with a passion. No more family enclosures and no more neutral zones for the fans (only at bloody Fulham)...I want cold pies, white hot Bovril, tackling from behind to return and kinds below 10 banned from gong to the games. THEN the atmosphere will return, crowds brought to life by hard but fair tackle, the players proving that they care as much as the fans.

I once saw a Sunderland player, John Kay, beak his leg at Roker park and, as he was being stretchered off the pitch, he was pretending to row off the pitch as if her sitting in a little boat. THATS what football is all about....its a mans game played my men, not girls if scarfs.

Author Paul Newton

Don't forget to support his World Record breaking 5-a-side charity event  Soccer AM...PM...AM please give generously!!

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=Soccerampmam

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Fifa – “For themselves not football”

How much? No no, not enough fro my vote

Well we didn’t win bid to host the World Cup and not only that but we only managed to get two votes in the first round. 

Our media have gone berserk with claims of a fix and a scandal and although it is certainly sensational and maybe even patriotic journalism it is fair to say they have a point. 

I’ve tried to look at the decision for 2018 and 2022 objectively and from a Fifa perspective you can understand that the legacy the World Cup will leave in both Russia and Qatar will be greater than what would be left in UK and possibly the US with regards infrastructure and the development of the country. They can also justify the decision by the fact the World Cup is a footballing showpiece that aims to bring the game to the far reaches of the globe not just those countries who already have established leagues, stadium and fan base. 

Having said that, the decision still smacks of belligerence from Fifa and there is a huge stench of bribery and corruption. Fifa have never been great friends with England and the English FA. They resent the fact that our game is so powerful and influential across the globe, especially with the Premier League being a global success and generating the revenue that it does. It was clear for all to see that we had the strongest bid on a technical and commercial level and it was obvious we could host an amazing World Cup with the passion he have for the game and the multi-cultural society that already exists here in the UK.

It is apparent that the criteria Fifa set out for the bidding nations is clearly ignored when it comes to making the final decision. This is highlighted by the fact the technical report, that cost the England bid team £3m to carry out, was completely ignored. Both Russia and Qatar had the worst technical bids of all the competing nations but they both won the right to host the World Cup. Is it coincidence that both these nations are oil rich nations??? I think not. 

Money talks when it comes to Fifa and their executive committee members, something that has been made apparent by the investigation of the British press and BBC outing some, if not all the bribery and corruption that takes place within Fifa. The committee members are clearly not honourable people, they are self-promoting, back stabbing, lying, money grabbing, egomaniacs who clearly value self promotion and profit over the benefit of the game globally and in their own regions.  To promise votes face to face and then relinquish them is a true sign of cowardice and essentially shows the committee members who made these promises and then reigned on them as weak men. If they were not going to vote for England then be a man, be honourable and say so, we should ban all those who reigned on their promises from the country.  

Total dejection from the bid team, who couldn't have done more

What made these members change their minds??? We will never truly know, late night lobbying from the Russians, and their ability to offer top notch money laundering facilities through their government links with the Mafia, so the BBC can’t trace the bribes? It would be foolish to think that the media coverage did not harm our chances, this has been stated by Andy Anson as some of the reasons given to him by some committee members, and apparently it was the last thing the Blatter said to the committe before voting commenced, but it would also be foolish to think this was the only reason. 

I can only hope this decision helps in mobilising and motivating the media even more to root out the corruption and bribery and general blasé attitude of the Fifa committee members to these practices. I also hope that our own FA and Premier League back the media and begin to really exert pressure on Fifa to reform their antiquated, highly irregular and clandestine voting system.  The game in our country is very powerful, as are our clubs, with top players and managers from across every corner of the globe and our worldwide TV audience. We should begin to distance ourselves from Fifa, vocally and publically calling for change and reform and outing those who are mixed up in the clear corruption and political d*ck swinging that takes place in Fifa. If this decission was a backlash to our media then our media and FA should insitgate a huge backlash against Fifa.

Russia is a vast country, with poor transport links, a secretive undemocratic state where free speech is still punished, as highlighted by the killings of various journalists in recent times, and mafia gangs have huge influence.  Add on top of that an inherent racist culture, where black players in the Russian Premier League are constantly subjected to abuse that goes unpunished by Fifa and UEFA and the massive problem of organised crime and match fixing that takes place in Russia it is difficult to see the logic in the decision.

Qatar is a country of 2 million people with temperatures reaching 50 degrees c in summer, too hot to even sit in never mind run around.  It will be interesting to see whether the Qatar Fifa executive committee member stands in the election for the next Fifa president in 2011 as was widely predicted before this decision 

As I said at the start of this post the only reasonable explanation is the legacy that Fifa believe the world cup will leave, with Russia being forced to invest in infrastructure and Qatar representing the Arab world not just their country.  That and the huge bribes and promises of cheaper oil. 

It is a very disappointing decision, especially as we had by far the best bid by far, but now our media and FA should focus on pushing for reform within Fifa rather than pandering to them to host any more tournaments. Football and Fifa will be much weaker without the backing of England and maybe we should look at starting our own regular invite only tournaments outside of Fifa and UEFA.

Fifa committee members are only out for themselves not football.

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Englands 2018 World Cup Bid - Backhanders and bribes

The FIFA executive committee are due to announce the hosts of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups on Thursday against the back drop of fresh allegations of corruption and dodgy dealings, made by BBC’s Panorma program. 

It comes as no surprise that FIFA executive committee members have been engaged in backhanders and bribes, especially recently with the huge sums of money being spent on the actual bids themselves and the estimated £3 billion in revenue brought into the country.

FIFA has always been more of a clandestine intuition similar to The Masons, where nobody really knows what goes on behind closed doors and there is no transparency over voting. FIFA is beast that has never been responsive to change and this is highlighted in their secret voting system. Rooting out bribery and backhanders should be quite an easy process for FIFA with heir being only 23 voters on the committee but the problem comes from the willingness and almost blasé attitude of both the competing host nations in offering bribes and the committee members willingly accepting them.

The voting is highly political within FIFA and all committee members are first and foremost looking to get the best deal for their region in exchange for their votes. It is basically a d*ck swinging contest with the competing nations pandering to the committee members who use this to show how big their d*cks are and how influential within FIFA they are. 

Jack Warner is a prime example of someone who has abused his power as recently as 2010 in buying up tickets to sell on the black market for South Africa 2010 but remains a key influential figure in the voting for 2018 and 2022. 

Hopefully this furore has given FIFA a wakeup call and they will review the whole bidding and voting process for future tournaments and they will at least understand that with so much money invested in the bid and the financial and prestigious rewards for the winning country are so large that a little transparency will go a long way to giving much more credibility to the FIFA executive committee.

I hope the FIFA committee don’t read this post, (I know Sepp is a huge fan of the site) and decide they are not going to vote for England’s bid and hopefully the Panorama program hasn’t damaged the bid too much. Politicians and the England 2018 bid party have all criticised the timing of the Panorama program, calling it unpatriotic. I tend to agree the timing is poor, especially as they were not fresh allegations. Having said that, if as a country, we are willing to spend millions of pounds on a bid we have the right to know that the voting process is fair and true. Also we have a free press in this country, something we should be proud of and not something we should be trying to curb, unpatriotic or not!

Personally I would love to see the World Cup in England and here’s hoping that Big Willys (sorry) Royal seal of approval helps seal the deal!

http://www.england2018bid.com/

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Time for Players to Take Responsibility

The major talking point form the weekend was Nani’s goal against Spurs. Harry has been quoted as saying it was farcical and a real mess, which it is true it was but not on the refs part.

From the very first time you start playing football you are taught the basic lesson of playing to the whistle, why then does Harry feel that Gomes and his Spurs team should play to their own imaginary whistle?

True, Nani handled the ball when he was on the floor but Gomes picked the ball up and looked to play on, so Mark Clattenburg was well within his rights to not blow his whistle and let the game flow. Spurs are arguing that there was no advantage but Gomez didn’t even drop the ball close to where the handball happened, he threw the ball about 12 yards forward. Was he expecting the free kick to be taken form there?

The ref got it right, he never blew for a free kick and let the game carry one as Gomes had the ball in his hand, Gomes then threw the ball 12 yards forward and assumed he had a free kick. This is where players and managers need to take responsibility for their actions. Players can’t go deciding they should have a free kick or start making referring decisions otherwise it would be more like a kick about in the play ground with no ref.

It amazes me that professional players think they can blame the ref for their own stupidity, it is a similar situation with the goal Liverpool scored against Sunderland after Michael turner had nonchalantly back heeled the ball towards his keeper from a free kick. 

Maybe the players should take a break from training for a session or two and actually get to know the basic rules of football, they can’t just change them mid game to suit themselves or because they think they know better. It is indicative of the way the game is going where players do all they can to cheat and con the referee and then managers moan when the ref gets a decision wrong. Players no longer accept responsibility for their own actions on the pitch and it is time they did.

Note to Harry, moan and criticize the ref all you want but you should know the rules and so should your players. Maybe he should stop talking to the press and actually teach his players the rules of the game.

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Rooney Signs 5 year deal!

Well well, in a dramatic turnaround Wazza has decided to stay at Old Trafford and has signed a new 5 year contract.

Rooney has apologised to fans and players and is now keen to carry on doing what he does best... no not sh*gging prossies, scoring goals.

Apparently after these last few days Rooney has realised what a big club United are, or they have offered him an extra £10k a week, one or the other.

Whether this is a good decision by Rooney or not time will tell and keep an eye out on this blog for a more comprehensive look into this saga.
Will this deciosn give United a boost before there tough trip to Stoke on Sunday, live on Sky Sports 1 and will he play. It wouldn’t surprise me if Rooney started and scored against Stoke and he is now evens with the bookies to score at any time

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Rooney to go go go!

It is the story that just won’t go away and now Alex Ferguson has came out in his press conference ahead of their home game against Bursaspor to suggest that Rooney is looking to leave Old Trafford. 

Fergie suggests that Rooney and his agent have indicated that he will not be signing a new contract and will be looking for a fresh challenge and for Fergie to come out and say that about one of the clubs best players and most marketable players suggests that Rooney will definitely be on his way. The big question now seems to be is will Rooney be on his way in January or the summer? 

The bookies have instantly opened a market on where Rooney will end up with Man City the current favourites to land the striker, which I’m sure would go down well with the Old Trafford faithful.  They certainly have the money available and they could match his reported £200,000 per week wage demands but will Rooney really want to make the switch across to the blue side of the city.

It’s unclear of Rooneys intentions right now but you can bet that he won’t be short of offers whether he will go abroad or remain in the Premier League remains to be seen.

Where will Rooney end up?

Man City at 7/4

Chelsea at 9/4

Real Madrid at 5/1

Barcelona at 9/1

Inter Milan at odds of 20/1

AC Milan at 25/1

Arsenal at 50/1

Everton at 50/1

Liverpool at 100/1

Or to stay at Man United 7/2

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