# FA Cup, 2008 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 9, 2008, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fa-cup-2008/440731 "2008-03-09T16:28:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fa-cup-2008/440731/1 "2008-03-09T16:28:17Z")
Well who would have thunk it? Chelsea out, Liverpool out,Manure out,Arsenal out, Man City out :sniff: Just one premiership club left in, who said the romance of the cup is dead? The good news is that yesterday I had £5 on Portsmouth to win at 10/1 and a further £5 on Barnsley to win at 11/1. On the face of it I would think that Pompey would win but somehow I have a feeling that Cardiff are gonna do it ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fa-cup-2008/440731/2 "2008-03-09T17:19:23Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] The good news is that yesterday I had £5 on Portsmouth to win at 10/1 and a further £5 on Barnsley to win at 11/1. [/QUOTE] Spawny Mancunian get. Bet you wish it had been an accumulator though! ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fa-cup-2008/440731/3 "2008-03-09T17:31:12Z")
[QUOTE=Malacandra] Spawny Mancunian get. Bet you wish it had been an accumulator though! [/QUOTE] I certainly do, all going on Cardiff whose odds before the game against 'Boro were 11/2 to win. Oh and it’s “Git” BTW ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fa-cup-2008/440731/4 "2008-03-09T20:04:05Z")
Off to **The Game Room**. ---
**Author:** ![MJinks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@MJinks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MJinks)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fa-cup-2008/440731/5 "2008-03-09T23:04:14Z")
It was sad to see Man U. go out, especially in the manner they did. However, Posh have gone top in League Two and Arsenal dropped points. Every cloud… This years FA Cup has been great. I hope the next rounds can live up to the last. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fa-cup-2008/440731/6 "2008-03-09T23:11:04Z")
[QUOTE=MJinks] This years FA Cup has been great. [/QUOTE] Great, and completely bonkers. Plus I don’t feel all that bad about going out to Portsmouth in the third round now 😉 ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fa-cup-2008/440731/7 "2008-03-10T00:58:48Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] On the face of it I would think that Pompey would win but somehow I have a feeling that Cardiff are gonna do it [/QUOTE] Clearly you are psychic and have predicted the result! ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fa-cup-2008/440731/8 "2008-03-10T13:23:23Z")
[QUOTE=MJinks] It was sad to see Man U. go out, especially in the manner they did. However, Posh have gone top in League Two and Arsenal dropped points. Every cloud… This years FA Cup has been great. I hope the next rounds can live up to the last. [/QUOTE] It is never sad to see the rags lose ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fa-cup-2008/440731/9 "2008-03-10T13:31:54Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] I certainly do, all going on Cardiff whose odds before the game against 'Boro were 11/2 to win. Oh and it’s “Git” BTW [/QUOTE] As a long time gambler and former bookmaker’s penciller I have to ask why the hell it wasn’t. Two quid at 131/1 the double and 4 quid on each single makes more sense to me unless they were only 2 bets among many. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fa-cup-2008/440731/10 "2008-03-10T15:56:54Z")
Well to be honest with you I’m not a gambling man and wasn’t all that confident of Barnsley winning. I mean who would have been?. These were the only bets I’ve had in months, the last was sometime last November when I lost £10 on a “dead cert” which is still running I believe ---
**Author:** ![Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fa-cup-2008/440731/11 "2008-03-10T17:00:50Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] … somehow I have a feeling that Cardiff are gonna do it [/QUOTE] If they do, do you think they should be allowed into the UEFA Cup? (It’s been announced that they won’t get the place allotted to the FA Cup winners because they’re Welsh.) ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fa-cup-2008/440731/12 "2008-03-10T17:54:48Z")
[QUOTE=Alive At Both Ends] If they do, do you think they should be allowed into the UEFA Cup? (It’s been announced that they won’t get the place allotted to the FA Cup winners because they’re Welsh.) [/QUOTE] I’m not certain if the rule still applies that only winners of a domestic cup competition can enter into the UEFA Cup _provided_ that said winners are from the countries top division. Even so I don’t think there should be any discrimination against Cardiff if/when they win the FA Cup. Wales: Where men are men and sheep are paranoid ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fa-cup-2008/440731/13 "2008-03-10T18:43:37Z")
[QUOTE=Alive At Both Ends] (It’s been announced that they won’t get the place allotted to the FA Cup winners because they’re Welsh.) [/QUOTE] I believe that’s the current rule but the Football Association of Wales intends to appeal it. Cardiff would have a pretty good case because they, along with Swansea and Wrexham, can’t qualify via the Welsh Cup having been banned from entering that competition for the past 13 seasons. Incidentally the last time Barnsley won the FA Cup was about a month after the Titanic sank. If they beat Cardiff in the semis I wouldn’t set foot in a boat for the rest of April if I were you. ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fa-cup-2008/440731/14 "2008-03-10T22:46:59Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] Just one premiership club left in, who said the romance of the cup is dead? [/QUOTE] Okay, I’m an outsider who doesn’t get to follow the FA Cup much, so bear with me, but isn’t this more an indication the other way? That the top teams don’t take the competition seriously anymore and it is losing stature? Or did the Prem teams go all out and completely stuff it? ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fa-cup-2008/440731/15 "2008-03-10T23:05:11Z")
[QUOTE=duality72] Okay, I’m an outsider who doesn’t get to follow the FA Cup much, so bear with me, but isn’t this more an indication the other way? That the top teams don’t take the competition seriously anymore and it is losing stature? Or did the Prem teams go all out and completely stuff it? [/QUOTE] Because the league has been closer this season than for many recently, the cup seems to have been taken a bit more seriously by various managers who have something to prove, especially once Arsenal were out of it. ---
**Author:** ![fortytwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f9ae1b/32.png) [@fortytwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fortytwo)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2008, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fa-cup-2008/440731/16 "2008-03-10T23:59:47Z")
[QUOTE=duality72] Okay, I’m an outsider who doesn’t get to follow the FA Cup much, so bear with me, but isn’t this more an indication the other way? That the top teams don’t take the competition seriously anymore and it is losing stature? Or did the Prem teams go all out and completely stuff it? [/QUOTE] If you go back 10 years the only winners of the cup are: Arsenal 4 wins Man.U. / Liverpool/ Chelsea 2 wins each. These are probably recognised as the top 4 clubs in the premier league. So on paper it looks as if your argument doesn’t hold much water. Personally I think you’re right though. Any one of those clubs would gladly give up the FA cup for a Champion’s League winner’s title. Even my own team in league 1 put out a compromise team - one that should win, but not their best side- because they’re trying for promotion this year. Realistically of course we never had a chance to win the cup but “in the old days” you still put out your best team for the cup. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2008, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fa-cup-2008/440731/17 "2008-03-11T05:13:01Z")
Barnsley beat Chelsea, too? Holy flurking Schmitt! Sorry, it’s been a hectic week or so and I missed the past results. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2008, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fa-cup-2008/440731/18 "2008-03-11T07:43:48Z")
[QUOTE=Vetch] Realistically of course we never had a chance to win the cup but “in the old days” you still put out your best team for the cup. [/QUOTE] Maybe you never “realistically” had a chance of winning it but that’s only the icing on the cake. The further any team progresses in the competition the more revenue is generated. I’m not certain what the payout by the FA is for teams going out in the various stages but the longer you stay in the more you get ---
**Author:** ![Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2008, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fa-cup-2008/440731/19 "2008-03-11T12:55:18Z")
[QUOTE=Vetch] Personally I think you’re right though. Any one of those clubs would gladly give up the FA cup for a Champion’s League winner’s title. [/QUOTE] Agreed, but on the other hand the likes of Chelsea or Liverpool do NOT want to be humiliated by losing to a Championship team like Barnsley. So they will certainly try hard to win, regardless. ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2008, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fa-cup-2008/440731/20 "2008-03-11T14:07:36Z")
There was definitely an element of “Stuffing it.” Both Liverpool and Chelsea played reasonably strong teams that, on any other day, would have rolled over Barnsley. Both teams were complacent, however, and didn’t take their chances. This behaviour isn’t uncommon - and you can pretty much see it happen in at least a couple of games in the FA Cup every year, but what normally happens in this situation is that either: 1. The lower division side scores unexpectedly, giving the Premiership side a sudden wake-up call. They then switch-on mentally and bring their superior skill (and fitness training) into play resulting in the inevitable equaliser and winner(s). Liverpool’s game against Havant and Waterlooville this year was a classic example of this.\* 2. The law of averages kicks in and, over the course of 90 minutes, there is at least one combination of skill/fitness/luck that results in the Permiership side grabbing a goal. Twice this season, however, Barnsley have bucked that trend. In both games they’ve played with the passion, big-game mentality and sheer blood n’ guts that has allowed them to keep a clean sheet, and both times managed to grab a single goal at the other end late enough in the game to limit the chances of 1) happening. In other words, both games were _perfect_ examples of precisely _why_ football can be outrageously entertaining and brilliant without high scores, and should certainly be remembered next time we have that argument on here. 😃 Quite frankly, i think the Premiership teams have been incredibly bloody lucky not to get done this way more often in recent years - especially as the standard of fitness in the lower leagues has increased. > [@](#): > > Personally I think you’re right though. Any one of those clubs would gladly give up the FA cup for a Champion’s League winner’s title. Carling Cup yes, FA Cup not so much - managers need silverware, and whilst the Champions League and Premiership are always the ultimate goals, they aren’t always the most realistic. Both Avram “Uncle Fester” Grant (Chelsea) and Rafa the Gaffa (Liverpool) are seriously at risk of losing their jobs if they haven’t put some silverware in the trophy cabinet by the end of the season. In both case the Premiership isn’t a realistic target, and lets face it, the chances of a Champions League win are relatively slim. Quite frankly, both would have given their right arm for the FA Cup this season. Now granted, Arsene (Arsenal) and Fergie (Man Utd) don’t have that problem, but both were on for “the Double” (winning both the FA Cup and the League in the same season) and whatever magic may have drained away from the Cup itself, the glory that comes with a Double is still most certainly there. As a final point, I’ll also say this - if you look at the way the fixtures have played out, only **two** of this years semi-spots could **ever** have gone to the Big Four. Man Utd had already knocked out Arsenal whichwewillnotsayanymoreaboutthankyewverymuch before Portsmouth (who are far better than most people realise) out-fought them at Old Trafford and if Liverpool hadn’t played utterly shite and lost to Barnsley then you’d have had a Liverpool vs Chelsea quarter final. So basically change the results of only **two** fixtures in this year’s cup (the Portsmouth win - which wasn’t _that_ much of a shock really, and either one of Barnsley’s phenomenal results) and we’d have been heading for another Big Four Final. But, of course, that didn’t happen - and _that_ is why the FA Cup still has its magic 😃 \*Don’t know what the statistics on this are, but i can certainly say that i’ve made more money than i’ve lost over the years on “Lower league side X to score first, Premiership side Y to win game” bets than i’ve lost. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fa-cup-2008/440731.md?page=2)