Posts Tagged ‘FA Cup’

English FA Cup England
The FA Cup, 1 of the 2 English Cup fights.

Middlesbrough	vs.	West Ham United
Match scheduled: Last updated: 25-02-2009 from 20:10 until 22:10 25-02-2009 on 12:34 The FA Cup - Round 5 - Replay :: Match on ITV1/UlsterTV

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This post was submitted by Johny James.

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Live - FA Cup quarter-final draw

Premier League and European champions Manchester United will travel to either Swansea City or Fulham in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

Chelsea face a home tie against either Blackburn Rovers or Coventry City.

Everton will host an all Premier League encounter against either West Ham or Middlesbrough.

The last quarter-final will see either Cardiff City or Arsenal play Sheffield United or Hull City on the weekend of 7 and 8 March.

Blackburn Rovers or Coventry City v Chelsea

Swansea City or Fulham v Manchester United

Cardiff City/Arsenal/Burnley v Sheffield United or Hull City

Everton v West Ham United or Middlesbrough

Ties to be played on 7/8 March

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The Hammers will entertain Middlesbrough at Upton Park in the FA Cup Fifth Round challenge in this all Premiership cup tie.

Revived West Ham are enjoying a great spell under Zola despite last weekends result and we currently sit perched eighth, just 11 points from fifth place Arsenal and potential European tournament qualification for next season.

Middlesbrough however really need to get their game going if they want to survive the Premiership this season. Quagmired at the very bottom of the table with just 22 points which they share with West Brom Albion, but with a superior goal difference, Middlesbrough are two points from safety, where currently Stoke City is at 17th place.

Boro fans need not be forlorn, as there is a long way to go until May but a few decent results would come in quite handy.

West Ham will give late fitness tests for Valon Behrami and James Tomkins who are both suffering hamstring injuries which also kept them away from midweek international matches. Czech midfielder Radoslav Kovac could make his debut and Kieron Dyer has been having tests on a muscle injury.

Middlesbrough have selection complications of their own, as they will be without Marlon King. Marvin Emnes or Tuncay are most likely going to replace him at Upton Park. Good news for Boro is that David Wheater is set to return for Chris Riggott who is out with medial ligament injury in a shuffled, makeshift defence which the Hammers will no doubt set to exploit. .

Before the match, West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola has told the Hammers website:

“My job here is not finished and I always focus on the short term. I want to improve this team and to give something more. I have not given enough. I do not like planning long-term, and always like to stick to the present. I do not know what the future holds. If you asked me seven months ago if I would be a manager I would have said no.”

Meanwhile, Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate was quoted saying by the BBC:

“In recent years the cup games have helped build a platform to improve form in the league and start climbing the table. You want to win something as a player and as a club. If we get past this one, we are only a couple of games away from a trip to Wembley and that always gives a lift to a club”.

COYI Prediction West Ham United 2-1 Boro

Live Links for the match HERE

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We maybe strapped for cash and we maybe losing Bellamy but today (Sunday 18th January) West Ham became the the Unofficial World Club Champions, a title Fulham held for an amazing 10 games.

The UWCC is an intriguing little title made up by The Bleacher reports senior staff writer Barney Corkhill and to be fair the title and setup is no crazier than the official title that Man U won.

Previous title holders are all Premier Clubs and 4 of the 5 title holders are London clubs.

The title may not be very much and it will never bring West Ham the exposure that the so called official title gives Man Utd but at a time when the club is on a roller coaster ride every little thing helps.

West Ham play their first defence of the title when they take on Hartlepool in the FA Cup Fourth Round next Saturday, a game we should not lose.

More on The UWCC HERE

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The result West Ham Reserves 4 Chelsea Reserves 3, all 4 of West Ham goals were nothing short of magnificant, but it wasnt the goals or the score that fascinated me, it was the half time pitchside interview that Chelsea TV gave Steve Clarke the West Ham asst manager ( well that’s what i call him).

Now you have to bear in mind that Clarkey spent 20 years at Chelsea as a fantastic player and a world class coach, and was a major contributor in making the Blues what they are today, but did he get a heroes welcome on Sunday? NO.

The interview was as follows: (Chelsea TV = CTV),  Steve Clarke (Clarkey)

CTV: What do you miss about Chelsea?

Clarkey: Not a lot

CTV: How do you think Zola is coping as manager of West Ham?

Clarkey: He tries hard, considering the pressure managers are under to get results, and i try to make him smile every day, but Zola knows what he wants from his players and he will achieve it.

CTV: How do you see your future at West Ham?

Clarkey: if we make a success of West ham, then who knows. (Is Clarke hoping 1 day to be Chelsea Manager.. it was a definite hint.)

CTV: You know this is not just a reserve match to us (Chelsea), its also to see what players we can buy in the future,
(Obviously meaning Sears after his fantastic goal, that Cole would have fluffed)

Clarkey: show us the money and we will see what we can do. (Clarkey said with a grin on his face)

CTV: What would you say was your best years at Chelsea?

Clarkey: The year we won the FA Cup in 97 it was a year that made me happy and also the fans ( Chelsea beat Boro 2-0)

What  i loved about Clarkey in the interview was that he nearly always refferd West Ham as us! now that shows true loyalty, and he certainly is a forgotten hero with the Chelsea Fans, no wonder i sensed a lack of respect from him towards Chelsea in general. Chelsea’s loss is our gain.

As for the match, Tristan and Sears were fantastic, we need these 2 playing a major role in our 1st team for us to not just start scoring, but scoring quality goals. Hence why Steve Clarke was there.

And well done to Blyth Spartans tonight, My home town club

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By WSC

The FA Cup final is often said to have a global audience of some improbably huge figure – the current favourite guess is over a billion. In practice this simply means that a significant proportion of the population of each country that takes the live broadcast is presumed to be watching the match. Estimations of the total viewing statistics will be revised downwards this year because the final can’t be presented as a showpiece for some of the best players. Well, good.

In the recent past, the decade-long dominance of the Cup by the current Big Four had prompted concerns about the health of the competition, with attendances generally in decline. Now some at the FA are said to be worried about the diminished global viewing audience for the 2008 final while Sky have long been resigned to a falloff in advertising revenues ever since Manchester United and Chelsea were eliminated in the quarter-finals.
Concerns about profit – how much can be made and how much can be lost – seep into most public discussions about football now. Money’s corrosive influence is embodied by the increasingly absurd chief executive of the Premier League, Richard Scudamore, who continues to pop up with reminders, or warnings, about his Game 39 plan. Meanwhile, several Premier League clubs have justified fielding weakened teams in FA Cup ties on the basis that the first-choice team needs to be saved for League fixtures – avoiding relegation being deemed to be more important than a cup run..

Of course there is monetary value attached to reaching a cup final, not least in boosting the transfer value of the players involved, such as Cardiff’s Joe Ledley and Aaron Ramsey. Any manager who hasn’t taken the FA Cup seriously might feel that he was right if his team stayed Read more The Global Game? Portsmouth Cardiff City West Ham Liverpool

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By Frank Williams

We have all heard some rather strange and wonderful rumours in the last week or so, could this 1 be any worse?

I received a comment on a recent post
The Comment said:-

If nobody has heard the rumours yet then let me be the first to start the ball rolling. Curbs is waiting for the chop. all the chairman is waiting for is the manager we all want to make his mind up before he leaves….. lets hope he wins the FA cup to sign

Read more Could this be True? Curbs out - Harry In? Portsmouth - West Ham

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By Frank

I have just heard on TalkSport that the FA are allowing Cardiff to have the Welsh National Anthem played at the FA Cup Final at Wembley, WTF is happening to this country, English FA Cup playing a Welsh Anthem Boyo.

Its bad enough that they are allowed to play in the English FA Cup.

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By Rooster

The Hammers heavy injury list is now showing some improvement as West Ham get ready to take on FA Cup finalists Portsmouth at The Boleyn Ground on Tuesday night.

Freddie Sears, Bobby Zamora, George McCartney and John Pantsil could all figure against Pompey as could Matthew Upson who has not featured in the first team for over a month.

Sears (groin) and Zamora (foot) missed the defeat at Sunderland but both have been training this week and are due to return, while McCartney (hamstring) and Pantsil (concussion), who both came off during the match, have also been able to train.

Upson has not played since suffering a calf strain at Liverpool on March 5, but Freddie Ljungberg’s hamstring injury will keep him sidelined until at least next week.

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp will drop Kanu to the substitute’s bench after the Nigerian striker’s goal on Saturday helped Pompey reach next month’s FA Cup Final.

The former West Brom striker knocked the Baggies out of the competition at the semi-final stage when he scored the only goal of the game from close range early in the second half.

Jermain Defoe will not play because of a death Read more Sears will Dampen FA Cup Finalists Portsmouth Spirits

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The Hammers defender Matthew Upson has revealed  “Its been a crazy couple of weeks, and now Playing at West Ham and England has left me feeling tired”

Mathew Upson has played in every Game for the Hammers this season - and that includes the game against his former club Birmingham at Upton Park on Saturday, This, and the the few days with the England squad last week.

West Ham have the weekend free because of FA Cup games, Upson admits that he is looking forward to the break, then he will be eager to play Fulham a week on Saturday.

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