Six of the best

I have always felt that FA Cup semi final day is one of the best days in the football calendar. For me there is so much excitement surrounding the semis, not only for fans of the four clubs involved, but also for neutrals. There is so much at stake, only one tie away from an FA Cup final appearance, and everything that comes with that. The nerves, the anticipation, the thrill, the excitement, the nail biting, the joy and the sorrow. A whole raft of emotions. For me, some of the best and most memorable games of football I have seen or listened to have been at this stage in the competition.

In an earlier post I bemoaned the choice of a Wembley venue for this season's FA Cup semis. But now I have to hold my hand up and admit that, as things have turned out in what has been a quite remarkable competition, I have had a slight change of heart. I can now accept that a visit to Wembley for all four clubs still involved is a marvellous thing. I cannot begrudge the supporters from Barnsley, Cardiff, Portsmouth or West Brom their big day out. Not in the slightest.

Of course, (the old) Wembley has hosted semi finals before. The first semi to be held there was in 1991, when Arsenal lost 3-1 to Tottenham Hotspur and we witnessed that quality Paul Gascoigne free kick. The FA Cup semi finals have traditionally been held on neutral venues - Villa Park holding a staggering 55 of them - and up until the late nineties drawn games would have to be replayed. This is no longer the case - both games in just over a week will be decided on the day with extra-time and penalties. The last game to go to a replay was the classic Manchester United and Arsenal encounter in 1999.

And it is that game that kicks-off my "six of the best". My most memorable FA Cup semi finals, in no particular order...

1999 ~ Manchester United v Arsenal (replay at Villa Park)

The first tie ended 0-0, but was still a good game. Nelson Vivas had been sent off for Arsenal and Roy Keane had been denied a late winner for Manchester United after a close offside call. But the replay just about had it all. A trademark Beckham effort from twenty yards gave Manchester United the lead and set up a pulsating, end-to-end game. With twenty minutes to go Arsenal equalised when Bergkamp scored with a deflected shot off his Dutch compatriot Japp Stam. Sixteen minutes left, Roy Keane was sent off and the game swung towards Arsenal. Their dominance paid off with a penalty awarded in injury time. Up stepped Bergkamp but his penalty lacked any sort of pace and the huge Peter Schmeichal guided the ball around the post. Extra-time and the game was on a knife edge. Then on 109 minutes, one of the most magnificent FA Cup moments in the history of the competition. Ryan Giggs intercepted a sloppy Vieira pass in his own half and, at full steam, ran straight at the heart of the Arsenal defence. He weaved through the whole of the Arsenal rearguard before shooting high into Seaman's net. Absolute quality. Voted as the best FA Cup goal ever, the only downside was the sight of Giggs' hairy chest.

1975 ~ Fulham v Birmingham City (replay at Maine Road)

This has to be one of my earliest FA Cup memories. The game itself was not a classic, but I never forget the occasion. The first game had finished 1-1 at Hillsborough. Fulham were by far the underdogs and it felt at the time that the whole country (apart from Birmingham) were rooting for Fulham. It is the replay that sticks in my mind. I was on a school trip and remember listening to the second game on the radio on a coach. I couldn't even tell you now where we were or where we were going to or coming from. All I remember is that all the teachers and children were transfixed with the commentary being transmitted from the Maine Road replay. The young striker John Mitchell nudged Fulham into the final with the game's only goal in the dying seconds. When that goal went in the coach load of children erupted with joy. I was 11 years old. A bunch of kids from the North going crazy on a coach because the underdogs from London had done it. The beauty of the FA Cup. I remember that day so vividly it feels like only yesterday.

1990 ~ Manchester United v Oldham Athletic (at Maine Road)
and Crystal Palace v Liverpool (at Villa Park)

I watched both these games on TV. Two fantastic matches on the same day.

Oldham, with their artificial home surface, had already eliminated the likes of Everton and Aston Villa but were not expected to offer much against the favourites Manchester United. Goals from Earl Barrett, Ian Marshall and Roger Palmer put the Latics within touching distance of Wembley. The underdogs refused to lie down and Palmer's equaliser came late in extra-time. The replay (also at Maine Road) ended with a 2-1 extra-time heart break for Oldham. The Latics still managed to get to Wembley that year, losing 1-0 to Nottingham Forest in the League Cup final.

Under normal circumstances, that 3-3 thriller would have been the game of the 1989-1990 FA Cup. But up next was an even more thrilling match between Crystal Palace and Liverpool. Earlier in the season, the league game at Anfield had finished Liverpool 9, Crystal Palace 0. At half-time in the semi, Palace (who were missing the broken legged Ian Wright) were trailing 1-0 to an Ian Rush goal. Liverpool remained hot favourites to reach the final, but in best FA Cup tradition, Palace had other plans. After the restart, Mark Bright shot Palace level and all of a sudden Liverpool looked rattled. Gary O'Reilly then edged the London team in front. Liverpool upped their game and equalised on 81 minutes with a goal from Steve McMahon. Two minutes later Liverpool were back in control and seemingly going through when John Barnes slotted home from the penalty spot. But in a breathless climax to the game, and against all the odds, Andy Gray levelled with a header. The first half of extra-time passed without incident, both teams recovering from an enthralling first 90 minutes. Four minutes into the second period of extra-time, Palace were catapulted into dreamland. A training ground set piece delivered the reward. A corner from Gray, flicked on at the near post by Andy Thorn and Alan Pardew arrived unmarked at the far post to send Crystal Palace to Wembley. This was a huge moment for Palace. They had never played at Wembley before. They had never reached an FA cup final before. At the end of the game, a massive Palace banner read "Thank you God, I can now die in peace".

That season, the FA Cup belonged to Oldham and Crystal Palace, although neither team won it.

1995 ~ Everton v Tottenham Hotspur (at Elland Road)

I have to include this one, simply because it made me laugh so much. It still does. This is the season that had started with financial irregularities unearthed at White Hart Lane. Spurs were given a £600,000 fine, docked twelve league points and banned from the FA Cup. After appeal, the points reduction was lowered to six, the fine increased to £1.5 million and the FA Cup ban remained. The case went to arbitration and by the time the draw for the Third Round took place, the matter had not been resolved. Altrincham came out of the hat to face "Bye or Tottenham Hotspur". The FA eventually backed down, and Tottenham were reinstated. Tottenham fans were duly convinced that this was going to be their FA Cup winning season. But in the semi at Elland Road, it was Everton who triumphed. Everton were struggling to hold onto a 2-1 lead with twenty minutes remaining when the Everton boss, Joe Royle, decided to make a substitution believing that Paul Rideout was injured. By the time Rideout had signalled to the bench that he was fit to carry on, Royle had sent on Daniel Amokachi. The Nigerian scored two goals as Everton ran out 4-1 winners, much to the dismay of the Tottenham fans. Royle explained "what a good mistake" he had made. I laughed so much I almost cried.

1997 ~ Middlesbrough v Chesterfield (at Old Trafford)

Another 3-3 semi final classic. Middlesbrough would go on to win the tie in a replay at Hillsborough (3-0), but the first game at Old Trafford was the one to savour. This really was a glorious FA Cup spectacle. This game swung from one team to the other, there were plenty of goals and lots of incident. It will be remembered most though for a mistake by the referee, David Elleray. Chesterfield sprinted into an early two goal lead, Andy Roberts and Saun Dyche the scorers, the latter from the spot. Ravenelli pulled one back but then in the second half the top-flight team had Vladimir Kinder sent off. Chesterfield were by now hitting Middlesbrough on the break and it was this route that brought about the game's big talking point. On the counter attack, a shot from Jon Howard smashed off the cross bar and landed a good two feet behind the goal line. 3-1 to the Spireites and the underdogs had clinched it. Except they hadn't. David Elleray disallowed the goal for an infringement in the area. TV replays provided no evidence of a foul. Hignett went on to equalise for Middlesbrough with a disputed penalty. Gianluca Festa put 'Boro in front only for Chesterfield to pull level in the dying seconds with a diving header from Jamie Hewitt. Unbelievable stuff. This was Elleray's post match comment about the disallowed goal:

"I wasn't sure whether the linesman was indicating the ball had crossed the goal-line or whether he had spotted the same offence as me...although I can't remember what it was."

At the final whistle, there were mixed emotions from Chesterfield. Their manager, John Duncan, had his glasses knocked off in the celebrations. The moment was captured on TV; perhaps Howard should have offered his glasses to Elleray.

So there you are - my favourite FA Cup semi finals. Both the games on April 6th certainly have a lot to live up to!

Celebrations

It was all a bit easy in the end. Logged on to the Middlesbrough website around about tea time yesterday (Sunday) and within a few minutes I had bought four tickets for the cup game against Cardiff City. I have become increasingly pessimistic as each round passes, about my chances of getting tickets, so I was rather chuffed that I got some for next Sunday. Which is why my wife caught me running around the front room with my shirt over my head and my arms outstretched early yesterday evening, à la Ravanelli. Not easy to explain that one away.

Fabrizio Ravanelli, once of Middlesbrough, made that particular goal celebration his own. Other MIddlesbrough players have had distinctive ways of celebrating. It was Jan Åge Fjørtoft that made the aeroplane celebration famous and James Morrison did a chest-slapping and shoulder-shaking routine in honour of the American professional wrestler Eddie Guerrero who died in 2005.

Everton's Tim Cahill was in the news after his goal celebration against Portsmouth yesterday. After scoring his first goal since the end of December, Cahill stood with his arms crossed at the wrist to mimic being handcuffed. His brother was jailed in January for six years for grievous bodily harm with intent. The media have picked up on this as being "controversial" although the match officials took no action and have not reported him to the FA.

All players have their own personal ways of celebrating a goal, and as long as it is not abusive or incites trouble, then I think they are great for the game. Some of my fondest footballing memories are of emotional, comical or bizarre goal celebrations.

Here's my top ten:

1. Marco Tardelli . This has to be my number one. After scoring Italy's second goal in the 1982 Wold Cup final against West Germany, this celebration was pure emotion. The "Tardelli Cry" involved him sprinting away from goal (and towards camera), tears in his eyes, screaming, arms out with clenched fists and head shaking wildly. This single celebration summed up, in a few glorious seconds, the unmitigated ecstasy of scoring a goal. Fantastic. And you can see it here

2. Roger Milla. Another World Cup one, this time from the Cameroon veteran. Milla famously danced around the corner flag after scoring each of his four goals in the 1990 tournament in Italy. A joy to watch it was also refreshing to see an African nation do so well in World Cup finals. Up until England knocked them out of course.

3. Aylesbury United. I had to include goal celebrations from a non-league team in the FA Cup. And this was a bizarre team effort. As part of their great FA Cup run of the 1994-95 season Aylesbury United celebrated with a "duck walk". After scoring, the team nicknamed "The Ducks" lined up behind each other on their knees and waddled with their arms flapping. Quackers if you ask me.

4. Paul Gascoigne. Euro 96. England v Scotland. Teddy Sheringham and Gary Neville and Gascoigne in the Dentist Chair. Iconic. Need I say more?

5. Peter Crouch. 2005 and Peter Crouch breaks into the England national team. As if that wasn't embarrassment enough, he decides to celebrate a goal in May 2006 (against Hungary) with a "robot dance" thing. The media loved it. It makes me cringe to even think about it. It makes it into my top ten just because it was so, so, bad.

6. Robbie Keane. As a player, I've always rated Robbie Keane. As for his goal celebration, I can't make my mind up. He scores some great goals, but what exactly is it he does afterwards.? I get the cartwheel bit, but finishing on his knee with one arm pointed out in front of him? What is that? Firing a rifle? A bow and arrow? I'm yet to be convinced.

7. Alan Shearer. The trademark Shearer celebration. Nice a simple; spin away from goal with right hand (palm open) raised to the heavens. Just to prove it doesn't have to be complicated to be a classic.

8. Robbie Fowler. This was a memorable one, totally unique. After scoring for Liverpool against local rivals Everton in 1999, Fowler dropped on all fours and "sniffed" the touchline, mimicking the snorting of cocaine. This was his response to tabloid accusations of drug abuse. He was fined £60,000. The the part that really made me laugh? The lame excuse by the Liverpool manager at the time, Gerard Houllier. According to Houllier, Fowler was simply pretending to be "a cow eating grass". Of course Gerard, that's what he was doing...

9. Eric Cantona. This is included for the sheer arrogance. After chipping the Sunderland goalkeeper Cantona simply stood still, with his chest puffed out, collar up and arms by his side, chin and nose tilted slightly upwards and staring into the crowd. A pose that said "I own this place". Damn arrogant; but he got away with it because he was a damn good player.

10. Fabrizio Ravanelli. I couldn't not include this in my top ten. The fantastic shirt over the head routine. Yes, I have used that one myself. Normally whilst in the park having a kick around with my son.

But most recently in my front room.

Game 12: Watford 1, Wolverhampton Wanderers 4

4th Round Proper
Saturday January 26th 2008

Kick Off 3:00pm

Attendance: 12,719
Weather: Cold and sunny

Distance travelled: 58 miles

I have been watching some of the Africa Cup of Nations in the last few days. There have been entertaining games, plenty of goals and colourful crowds. In fact, some very colourful crowds. The fans at this tournament, and in all previous tournaments, are extolled for their vivid, vibrant attire - a kaleidoscopic of lush colour. Each game I have seen has had one thing in common; the passion of the supporters. The non-stop singing and chanting and the sheer exuberance in the way each goal is celebrated. Each goal, each corner, each free kick. But it is more than that; it is the constant noise from both sets of supporters irrespective of the performance of the team on the pitch. Unconditional support. It has been a breath of fresh air to watch.

Driving the short distance up the M25 to Watford, I was thinking about the colour that would be on show for this Fourth Round encounter. The yellow, black and red of Watford and the black and gold of Wolves. And that turned out to be the case. The interior of Vicarage Road, as one would expect, is all yellow and red. It was another "kids for a quid" day and the children were decked out in their colourful Watford replica shirts and scarves, some donned brightly coloured wigs. The Wolves fans added their own club colours to the canvas. Even the players joined in with an array of coloured football boots; blues, oranges and reds. On a bright sunny day the contrasts seemed all the more intense.

Lots of colour. But no passion. From the home fans at any rate. I can't recall going to a ground where the home support has been so muted. The Wolves fans were in a buoyant, party mood and more of that later, but the support from the Hertfordshire faithful was rather hushed.

Maybe this was justified. If I'm honest, I was surprised by this result. To be brutally honest, Wolves thoroughly deserved it and Watford's performance was disappointingly poor. In this context, one could excuse the reticence of the home support. The attendance (12,719) was low by Watford's standard; this didn't help matters.

Both teams ran out to the theme tune of the "Z-Cars" - Everton were the first club to use this (mid sixties) but other clubs, including Watford, adopted the tune. And it wasn't long after the start that a bit of smash and grab occurred. Wolves took the lead on five minutes when Andy Keogh calmly chipped Richard Lee in the Watford goal. Some Watford fans were still making their way to the seats but the Wolves following, approximately 2000, were celebrating wildly and keeping the stewards, between them and the pitch, well occupied.

Watford's first real chance came after ten minutes when Jobi McAnuff shot wide from range, but the Wolves game plan became evident early on. Happy to sit back and soak up Watford pressure, they relied on Keogh and Boothroyd getting behind the Watford back line with Matt Jarvis supporting quickly from midfield whenever they won the ball.

Watford were unfortunate not to equalise after fifteen minutes when a well taken free kick from the edge of the area by Ellington cannoned off the post with the Wolves goalkeeper well beaten. This turned out to be a pivotal point in the game; an equaliser for Watford there may have changed the course of events.

The remainder of the first half saw equal possession from both sides and a number of corners from both teams; control of the game see-sawed from one team to another. In this period, the Watford boss Aidy Boothroyd was patently not happy and he could be seen berating his side after several chances had fallen to Wolves, one of which forced a good save out of Richard Lee.

The Watford fans had little to cheer. The biggest excitement in our section of the stand was the news coming through from Anfield of Havant & Waterlooville's fantastic achievement - taking an early lead and then leading for a second time against Liverpool. Magnificent. The half-time whistle went and the teams departed to the Wolves cheers and Watford jeers.

Watford were caught napping at the back when, within minutes of the restart, Keogh was put through into acres of space but, with only the goalie to beat, his effort was tame.

This sparked an injection of urgency from Watford who were also spurred on after a likely earful from Boothroyd in the dressing room and the home team started to turn the screw; first a shot from the angle into the side netting and then a couple of corners in quick succession. The Watford fans responded to this and the noise levels increased; Watford continued to press. But one could sense that the next goal would go a long way to determining the outcome of the match.

And, slightly against the run of play, it went to the away team on fifty eight minutes when Elliott was set up by Keogh after good work from Jarvis. The Wolves support once again erupted and the afternoon's first rendition of "Wembeeerleeey, Wembeeerleeey..." filled the ground.

Ten minutes later, the game was effectively over. Keogh and Jarvis combined well once again and this time Boothroyd applied the finish. 3-0 to Wolves and cue a big exodus from the home fans and more manic scenes in the Wolves end.

Many of those that left would have missed an almost immediate response when, after a scramble in the penalty area, John-Joe O'Toole (what a great name) stabbed in from close range. Watford refused to lie down and managed another spell of pressure but failed to make it count. The final nail in Watford's coffin arrived on full time with a crisp strike from Keogh. And I might have been hearing things, but I could have sworn that there were chants of "there's only one Mick McCarthy" from the Wolves faithful.

I enjoyed the game and despite the scoreline it was quite an end to end encounter. The big difference was that Wolves found more space on the break and the Wolves' players seemed to have an edge over Watford's; they looked sharper and quicker in the key areas and made the most of the counter attack. For me, Andy Keogh was man of the match but he was pushed close by Matt Jarvis. Wolverhampton Wanderers march convincingly into the Fifth Round and will (like me) eagerly await Monday's draw.

I was joined on this trip once again by cup stalwarts PB and Mackem, and Captain Beaky who was suffering with a heady mix of night-before Guinness and pre-match Balti pies (plural). He wasn't the only one to suffer the effects and we were all thankful for only a short car journey home.

Reports on the way back mentioned that Mick McCarthy had his Sat Nav stolen from his car. If his players continue to perform like this in the FA Cup, he might well need a replacement for directions to Wembley.

As for Watford, they were distinctly off colour.

Laugh? I nearly started

My wife makes me laugh, so much at times it makes me cry.

Between mid September and mid October last year I saw Dartford play five times in the FA Cup. And in the days prior to every one of those matches my wife would ask where am I going next. "Is it Watford?" she would enquire. And each time I would need to remind her that it is Dartford, not Watford. I would hear her on the phone to family or friends "yeah, he's off to Watford again this weekend". No matter how many times I corrected her, she still mixed the two places up. They say that men don't listen. It became a bit of a joke.

Then, lo and behold, fate sends me off to Watford for tomorrow's Fourth Round match. You can see where this is going, can't you? At the beginning of the week she asked me whether I had got "the Dartford tickets yet". On Wednesday my brother-in-law came over to watch the Arsenal game; to complicate matters he explained that he is working in Dartford this week, at which point my wife pipes up "that's where Wolves are playing on Saturday". Even my son joined in "can I come to Dartford with you on Saturday". I've given up now, there's no point. The icing on the cake was when my brother-in-law left after the Arsenal drubbing, my wife shouted after him "hope the work in Watford goes OK".

Good grief.

Anyway, tomorrow's game. I'm looking forward to it, I think it will be a close affair. The bookies can't separate the two teams and this is the only tie that ensures a Championship team will reach the next round. I have mentioned in previous posts that there has been a smattering of ambivalence amongst the Watford and Wolves fans about the game. I was a perhaps somewhat harsh; I have since been contacted by a number of fans from both clubs who are looking forward to the game simply because it is an FA Cup game. The FA Cup still holds it's old magic to some supporters; we are now getting into the business end of the competition and there are only four ties to negotiate before a trip to Wembley beckons.

To go and watch your team play at Wembley is still a dream for many fans. I heard the utter disappointment in the Everton fan's voices after they lost midweek to Chelsea, one step away from a trip down the M6 and the M1 to the new national stadium. Many Everton fans felt confident of disposing of Chelsea in the semi-final of the Carling Cup, and some of those fans described the defeat as "heartbreaking".

And look at how the Tottenham fans reacted to their mauling of Arsenal. The place was rocking, my TV almost fell off it's stand. Admittedly, a victory over Arsenal, for the first time since 1999, would send any Spurs fan berserk, but I know that the thought of day out at Wembley in February played a part in the celebrations of both the Spurs fans and the Spurs players.

And in the FA Cup tonight, tomorrow and on Sunday, players and fans will start to dream of a Wembley appearance. Maybe not so much to some of the smaller teams still in the competition - Havant & Waterlooville have reached their "Wembley" already and I'm thrilled for the club - but certainly for clubs like Watford and Wolves, with a good wind an a kind draw, the prospect of a Wembley visit may start to become more conceivable.

There are some great games to watch out for this weekend. The match at Anfield is the pick of the bunch for me (and surprise, surprise, it is not being televised). But other games are equally intriguing. Peterborough United host West Bromwich Albion in what should be a good game, with both team banging in the goals this season. A possible shock on the cards there? Barnet v Bristol Rovers also appeals with both teams beating higher placed opposition in replays this week. That tie guarantees a team outside of the top two leagues in the Fifth Round Proper. Other attractive games include Mansfield against Middlesborough and the battle of the roses between Oldham Athletic and Huddersfield Town. And even Arsenal against Newcastle offers plenty for two teams that have been in the news so much recently.

If you are off to an FA Cup game this weekend, I hope you get to see some entertaining football.

And finally, back to something else that made me laugh this week. Another cracking looking fixture tomorrow is the FA Cup tie between Portsmouth and Plymouth Argyle, two teams with an abundance of passionate support. On the radio this morning I heard that Harry Redknapp, Portsmouth manager, has offered an unusual incentive to Benjani Mwaruwari, the Pompey striker. If he scores a hat-rick in tomorrow's game, Harry Redkanpp will provide Benjani with Fish & Chips for the rest of the season.

I think I'll have Fish & Chips tonight; that will set me up nicely for my trip to Dartford. Sorry, Watford.