The FA Cup Final

[The Lone Gunman]

Re: The FA Cup Final

I bet any Chelsea fan who make's it to Porto won't be celebrating any goals they score the same way as before VAR.

You know that VAR has been in operation for two seasons already, right? You know it was in operation for seven months before the first lockdown?

[Madassa]

Re: The FA Cup Final

You know that VAR has been in operation for two seasons already, right? You know it was in operation for seven months before the first lockdown?

So? It wasn't in 2008 was it?

[Optimistic Nick]

Re: The FA Cup Final

Pleased for Leicester and for me Brendan Rodgers is one of the best manager the UK has ever produced

I know its difficult to guage against different eras but in the days of globalisation I think he shines like a a beacon in the modern game

surely he'll get a crack at the England job before he retires ?

On the Rodgers thing: I think you might be right. Probably due to his time with the Jacks and his tendency to go a bit David Brent every now and then, for years I had him down as a fortunate bullshit artist. But to be fair - he's the real deal. And I think he is at the perfect club for him, too. He's a really excellent manager.

My main observation though was that on the whole, this was seen to be the "right" result i.e. the smaller but technically superior underdog winning a proper British competition against one of the self-appointed super-clubs. I think it is fair to assume that even before the ESL farrago, most people would have wanted Leicester to win it. But after it, this was almost billed as a game between Good and Evil. I listened to it on Radio 5 live (gone are the days of having 90 whole minutes to sit down and watch the telly), and even the obsessively impartial Beeb could scarcely hide their delight that Leicester won, and rightfully so. I do think there has been a subtle change- the "Big Six" are now openly the bad guys and it will be interesting to see where this leads.

I actually suspect Chelsea (and Man City) are less culpable than some of the others but my hope and expectation is that Liverpool, Utd, Spurs and Arsenal in particular are met with sheer vitriol wherever they go. I hope it means all teams go in to all games against them wanting to win it as a cup final in its own right; that opposition players fly in to tackles that they might otherwise have pulled out of and that signing for one of these clubs attaches a stigma that sticks for the rest of a career. Every one of those clubs will be ridiculed every time they lose to or finish below any of the other 86 league clubs, and that will be done at a fan and media level. It is a pity the fallout will not be greater than this of course, but until football is reformed at least we now all officially have a Dark Side to hate.

My other observation was that they messed up abide with me again. Cut the singers and the PA system. Stick a brass band on the pitch; the words on the big screen and let the crowd do it.

Sounded like a cracking second half tho. And while I hate VAR, its intervention today did add a fantastic element of Schadenfreude. A memorable cup final even if I didn't see it. I genuinely cannot recall another since ours but I suspect this one will stick in the memory for a while.

[A Quiet Monkfish]

Re: The FA Cup Final

Never mind. I suspect you won’t have to worry about City playing any for quite some time, so you’ll be able to content yourself with lots of long throws and players belting the ball towards the corner flag for a good while longer.

It's the polar opposite. The glut of TV football over the last 10-15yrs has acclimatized the viewing public to the [generally] bland, excitement-free football, with TV & radio pundits screaming like little girls over the tiniest 'incident', just to make the game sound more interesting. They'll never say what an awful, dull match - it's slagging off the hand that feeds them.

[The Lone Gunman]

Re: The FA Cup Final

So? It wasn't in 2008 was it?

You've got me there.....

[The Lone Gunman]

Re: The FA Cup Final

They'll never say what an awful, dull match - it's slagging off the hand that feeds them.

I guess you don't watch much Premier League football. The pundits often say awful, dull matches are awful and dull.

If you you believe watching Premier League sides is boring, must have had a really tough year as far as viewing football is concerned. After all, the standard of entertainment in the Championship throughout most of 20/21 has been truly grim, while the team you support are amongst the dullest in the division.

[Pearcey3]

Re: The FA Cup Final

Pleased for Leicester and for me Brendan Rodgers is one of the best manager the UK has ever produced

I know its difficult to guage against different eras but in the days of globalisation I think he shines like a a beacon in the modern game

surely he'll get a crack at the England job before he retires ?

His sacking after just four months into the job at Reading seems all the more ridiculous with each passing year.