FA Cup

[Big Boy]

Well the FA Cup started in earnest again yesterday with the usual giant killing acts. Well done to the minnows.

I've checked back over recent postings, and its seems to be one of the few football competitions that we don't have a current thread for, so I thought I'd start one.

I'll start this year's thread with a bit of trivia that I've just heard on TV, 'Who beat Portsmouth 2 - 0 in the 1942 cup final at Wembley?' Don't say there was no competition during the war years - I've just seen old footage of ????????? receiving the cup, and dropping it.

[Wanderlust]

BB,
I don't know the answer to your question (but i will guess Blackpool) but here is an interesting bit of personal connected trivia - my sister moved to Suffolk about 8 years back, to a little place called Leiston. Their team has just reached the 1st round of the FA Cup for the first time ever (drew 0 - 0 yesterday) and are the lowest ranked team currently in the competition. Apparently they received £150,000 so far, but have to win a replay against a team 3 divisions above them - Fleetwood Town. They will play Brighton or Hartlepool if they get through though. Hope they can make it to the third round but i doubt it!

[Big Boy]

Blackpool is not correct.

Three Divisions below Fleetwood, wow! Did they have their own boots

That's one hell of an achievement, and the way forward does not have to be impossible. Plymouth usually go out to a team 2/3 divisions below them. Non-league teams always trouble teams well above them. Liverpool were behind twice against non-league opposition last season.

Leiston have nothing to lose.

[richard]

BB

Don't know the answer

Good thread though and looking forward to some predictions

FA Cup seems to have paled almost into insignificance over the past few years with all the other high profile stuff going on

I'm going for Leeds of course!

[caller]

Leeds had a mighty 1-1 draw with Northampton on Friday.

One of my local ground share teams, AFC Wimbledon, is in action against Wycombe tomorrow. That should be fun.

AFC Wimbledon are the remnants of the mighty 1988 cup winners, Wimbledon. Another 3/4 years and I'm sure they'll make League 3.

[redzonerocker]

I'll start this year's thread with a bit of trivia that I've just heard on TV, 'Who beat Portsmouth 2 - 0 in the 1942 cup final at Wembley?' Don't say there was no competition during the war years - I've just seen old footage of ????????? receiving the cup, and dropping it.

brentford

had this question in a pub quiz once,
btw, nobody answered correctly on the night & nobody believed there was a cup final in wartime!

ps not sure if brentford are classed as official fa cup winners though, any bees fans out there?????

[Big Boy]

That's right

Apparently the wartime finals are not clssified as official.

[caller]

That's right

Apparently the wartime finals are not clssified as official.

One of the reasons being, for obvious reasons, is that games and player availability was at a premium. Lots of 'guests' participated, even if technically registered with other clubs. The records will be available on the net, I'm sure.

[Beeblebrox]

Well I "Googled" for the answer.

But coming up to date - I think that it's a shame that the competition has been devalued by the big clubs playing their reserves. In some ways I understand why they do it; but I just don't like it!

[redzonerocker]

i think we had a thread once suggesting that the big four don't take the fa cup seriously or play reserve teams to devalue the competition ?
the list of the past 13 winners seems to suggest otherwise

1995–96 Manchester United
1996–97 Chelsea
1997–98 Arsenal
1998–99 Manchester United
1999–2000 Chelsea
2000–01 Liverpool
2001–02 Arsenal
2002–03 Arsenal
2003–04 Manchester United
2004–05 Arsenal
2005–06 Liverpool
2006–07 Chelsea
2007–08 Portsmouth

the only team that has really devalued the competition (imho) are man utd when they decided not to enter the draw, instead travelling to participate in a money spinning, mickey mouse world club competition

[JimmyGreaves]

Only non-league team to win this competition?

[ricardo]

With Jimmy Greaves asking the question it has to be Spurs

Who was the last team to win the FA Cup, that were not playing league footaball in the top flight ie Premiership or Division 1

[Big Boy]

West Ham are the last team I remember, but that was a few weeks ago.

[Beeblebrox]

i think we had a thread once suggesting that the big four don't take the fa cup seriously or play reserve teams to devalue the competition ?
the list of the past 13 winners seems to suggest otherwise

1995–96 Manchester United
1996–97 Chelsea
1997–98 Arsenal
1998–99 Manchester United
1999–2000 Chelsea
2000–01 Liverpool
2001–02 Arsenal
2002–03 Arsenal
2003–04 Manchester United
2004–05 Arsenal
2005–06 Liverpool
2006–07 Chelsea
2007–08 Portsmouth

the only team that has really devalued the competition (imho) are man utd when they decided not to enter the draw, instead travelling to participate in a money spinning, mickey mouse world club competition

My mistake then must have confused it with the Carling Cup. Man U made 8 changes from the team that lost to Arsenal at the w/e when they beat my team QPR (a Championship team) on Tues night. They needed a penalty to beat us though!

[Beeblebrox]

With Jimmy Greaves asking the question it has to be Spurs

Who was the last team to win the FA Cup, that were not playing league footaball in the top flight ie Premiership or Division 1

QPR nearly did it against Spurs in 1982, Spurs needed a replay to spoil the party
Sorry, that wasn't your question though...