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Post by markscfc72 on Jan 3, 2008 21:27:36 GMT
written by the editor of match of the day
As long as I've been following football, the FA Cup third round has been the perfect way to blow away the Christmas and New Year cobwebs. Except for that weird 1999-2000 season when Manchester United withdrew because of the World Club Championship and the third round was played pre-Xmas, with Darlington reinstated as "lucky losers". Those were tough times for the venerable old trophy.
I'm old enough to remember non-League Hereford beating Newcastle in 1972 and my first weekend at BBC Sport coincided with Sutton beating Coventry in 1989. By January 1992, I was editing MIddlesbrough 2 Man City 1 for Match of the Day. Boro were outside the top flight at the time so it was something of a shock: I thought I'd be cutting a luxuriously long edit of the lead match until news reached my edit channel that Wrexham (92nd the previous season) had just beaten reigning champions Arsenal.
Things have changed somewhat over the years - the last really extraordinary third round upset was arguably Shrewsbury beating Everton five years ago, and live TV and police-influenced kick-off times mean the third round is now spread over a full weekend. Conversely, better pitches and penalties after the first replay means the whole round's usually all wrapped up within 10 or 11 days. The Hereford v Newcastle replay was actually delayed by the weather until February all those years ago, and conditions were on the heavy side even then. Then again, given the gloomy long-term weather forecast this year, I'd better not speak too soon...
Another annual treat - and one we won't be able to savour again for a while given that we lose the FA contract at the end of this season - is a multitude of fans disagreeing vehemently with our choice of live ties! I've already experienced some such feedback in these blogs and elsewhere, and I fully expect some more in the next few days.
We have to pick three out of the four live ties, TV schedules and police permitting, with Sky having one live tie (though they do have second pick). There is some understandable resistance to our choosing all-Premiership ties, and certainly two years ago when we went for three ties with Premiership sides visiting lower league opposition, we had a fantastic weekend which included two classics in Luton 3 Liverpool 5 and Leicester 3 Spurs 2.
Sky have picked the Luton v Liverpool rematch this year, and we've picked two such ties again in Burnley v Arsenal and Stoke v Newcastle. Burnley have had a poor run at home recently, but Turf Moor will be jumping, and even if Arsenal rotate their squad, they are nearly always involved in good football matches. Stoke v Newcastle could scarcely be better poised editorially: a high-flying Championship side hosting an under-pressure Premiership club with a huge FA Cup tradition.
Which brings us to our third live tie: Villa v Man Utd. Yes, we have shown this tie before in recent years: last season and the dramatic 2-3 in 2002 (but not the 2003 tie - we were live at Yeovil v Liverpool that day). And yes, both sides are in the Premiership. That said, it is 6th v 2nd in the Premiership, both are in great form and Villa can host the game in a slot which suits the greatest number of potential viewers. We genuinely think that across the three ties, we've achieved a reasonable balance.
That's not to say that we don't understand other viewpoints. This time last year we picked non-league Tamworth versus Championship Norwich as one of our live games. There is a similar fixture this year in Chasetown v Cardiff. Unfortunately, the authorities and broadcasters need decisions as soon as possible after the draw. For 10 days this tie was Port Vale or Chasetown v Cardiff, and with the greatest respect to Vale, there wouldn't have been wide appeal had they won the replay as expected. Furthermore, there was another delay, virtually until Xmas, before it was confirmed that the Scholars Ground could stage the tie, with a lunchtime kick-off. I've already blogged about the special MOTD Live experience we had at Chasetown in 2005, and we're doing the next best thing this week by sending a full BBC multi-camera Outside Broadcast to their big day for our Saturday night highlights show.
The other tie a number of people have mentioned is Chelsea v QPR. This will be a full-blooded local derby, but we normally prefer it if the lower-ranked club is at home, where they tend to have a better chance. Should Rangers hold Chelsea to a draw, Loftus Road would be a leading contender to stage a live replay. Ipswich v Portsmouth, Bristol City v Boro and Huddersfield v Birmingham were all drawn the right way round, so to speak, would all have made decent live matches, and will all be covered in the highlights show.
However, it can be argued that a home win in any of those games would not send out the same wider shock waves as one at Burnley or Stoke. And that's coming from a Boro fan who will be following events at Ashton Gate with some trepidation from a truck at Villa Park!
Paul Armstrong is Editor of Match of the Day. If you have any questions about the scheduling of the Sunday morning repeat, your team's position in the programme's running order, or how to access the programme online please visit our football FAQ. Or visit our general FAQ for further information about BBC Sport coverage. You can also contact the football team and check out details of the BBC’s football coverage.
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Post by CrazyPotter on Jan 3, 2008 21:33:10 GMT
You changed Vale to Fail right?  |
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Post by markscfc72 on Jan 3, 2008 21:34:08 GMT
this messageboard automatically does it ;D
it also changes crewe ;D
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sandford
Youth Player
Where's me fukin tea!!
Posts: 458
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Post by sandford on Jan 3, 2008 21:35:07 GMT
Not really that interesting tho' is it!  |
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Post by markscfc72 on Jan 3, 2008 21:36:09 GMT
i thought it was worth a read, you didnt, no probs!
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Post by CrazyPotter on Jan 3, 2008 21:37:38 GMT
NOW I UNDERSTAND ;D
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Post by robin1302 on Jan 3, 2008 22:06:07 GMT
Man Utd are on every year come what May! I mean remember the year when they showed the replay between them and Burton at Old Trafford, when there was never going to be a shock at all and there was chances of upsets at some of the other replays! One being Tamworth against us if my memory serves me right.
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Post by Davef on Jan 3, 2008 22:11:08 GMT
Screening that Man Utd - Burton replay was just about the most shameful thing BBC Sport has ever done.
Burton had already got their big pay day having taken The Shit back to Old Trafford and having the original match screened live yet poor old Tamworth got bugger all having taken a Championship side to a replay.
The odds on a Burton victory at Old Trafford were impossible, yet Tamworth had a pretty decent chance of beating us at the time and nearly pulled it off.
Tamworth were relegated last season and you have to wonder how their fortunes would've fared if they'd have had the benefit of a nice little pay day like Burton Albion did.
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Post by Time4aPINT on Jan 4, 2008 0:56:23 GMT
Thought the article was worth reading.
Lets hope Stoke can give the BBC viewers a game to remember.
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Post by vientianescfc on Jan 4, 2008 1:28:40 GMT
I thought it was well worth reading also. .. .  |
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Post by JoeinOz on Jan 4, 2008 1:47:39 GMT
Nice article. Has Ukyestony seen it? ;D
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Post by PotterLog on Jan 4, 2008 4:40:55 GMT
Fail Crwho? edit - bloody hell that's brilliant.  |
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