Preston North End v Chelsea
Probably nothing brings you thumping back down to earth from the high or scoring seven against Colchester than the news that you’ve got Chelsea in the next round. But Paul Parry should be fit to play for Preston and you never know, Rhys Taylor is back with Chelsea now so he might get a game. And then Preston might win and then oh shit I’ve got a really nice friend who supports Chelsea. But all my other friends would probably quite like to see Preston win.
Aston Villa v Brighton & Hove Albion
Andrew Crofts came to Brighton’s rescue in the last round but an Aston Villa side probably boosted by James Collins is an entirely different proposition.
Tottenham Hotspur v Leeds United
I like a good giant-killing and I’m not overly keen on Tottenham but I would like to see Gareth Bale beat the team who knocked the Champions out. There would be a certain satisfaction in that.
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Crystal Palace
Wayne Hennessey and Sam Vokes did well against struggling League One opposition – and Dave Edwards might be back from injury - but Crystal Palace are a different matter. I still think they’ll win though. I don’t think Wolves have lost a game this season when Sam’s been playing. Of course, he’s only actually played one game for them…
Monday, 4 January 2010
FA Cup Fourth Round Draw (the Welsh bits) Part 3
Scunthorpe United v Manchester City
I never thought I’d ever see a match I actually wanted Scunthorpe to win but it looks like I was wrong about that. Scunthorpe can probably deal with Robinho but they’d better hope Craig Bellamy is out of harm’s way on the bench.
West Bromwich Albion v Plymouth Argyle or Newcastle United
Plymouth getting past Newcastle, never mind West Brom, sounds like a tall order but you never know with Carl Fletcher in the team. And if Cardiff get knocked out in their third-round game, they might let Darcy Blake play for Plymouth in this one. Small problem: I don’t want Cardiff knocked out
Everton v Nottingham Forest or Birmingham
This is a game you’d usually expect Everton to win (unless you’re really romantic of course) but considering the current form of the three teams involved, you do have to wonder. However this match is ages away and by the time it happens, the form of all three teams could be very different. Forest’s Chris Gunter and Robert Earnshaw are the only Welsh players likely to be on show unless Everton and Birmingham do some serious buying (which Birmingham probably will do and Everton probably should).
Accrington Stanley or Gillingham v Fulham
This might make a nice run-out for Fulham’s Simon Davies if he’s ready to come back from injury. Although this match won’t be until 23rd January so ideally he’ll have recovered a long time before that.
Bolton Wanderers v Sheffield United or Queen’s Park Rangers
Sam Ricketts doesn’t seem to have inspired the confidence of either Gary Megson or caretaker manager Chris Evans. Let’s hope Owen Coyle is more of a fan (if/when he takes the Bolton job).
Rhys Taylor has returned to Chelsea as new QPR manager Paul Hart doesn’t want him (to be fair he has been managing Portsmouth so it would be understandable if he was a little bit mad) but if Sheffield United win the replay, Bolton could find themselves facing striker Ched Evans, who did come scarily close to scoring yesterday…
Portsmouth or Coventry v Sunderland
With a fit Freddy Eastwood, Coventry are potential giant-killers. And I’m not just talking about when they play Portsmouth.
I never thought I’d ever see a match I actually wanted Scunthorpe to win but it looks like I was wrong about that. Scunthorpe can probably deal with Robinho but they’d better hope Craig Bellamy is out of harm’s way on the bench.
West Bromwich Albion v Plymouth Argyle or Newcastle United
Plymouth getting past Newcastle, never mind West Brom, sounds like a tall order but you never know with Carl Fletcher in the team. And if Cardiff get knocked out in their third-round game, they might let Darcy Blake play for Plymouth in this one. Small problem: I don’t want Cardiff knocked out
Everton v Nottingham Forest or Birmingham
This is a game you’d usually expect Everton to win (unless you’re really romantic of course) but considering the current form of the three teams involved, you do have to wonder. However this match is ages away and by the time it happens, the form of all three teams could be very different. Forest’s Chris Gunter and Robert Earnshaw are the only Welsh players likely to be on show unless Everton and Birmingham do some serious buying (which Birmingham probably will do and Everton probably should).
Accrington Stanley or Gillingham v Fulham
This might make a nice run-out for Fulham’s Simon Davies if he’s ready to come back from injury. Although this match won’t be until 23rd January so ideally he’ll have recovered a long time before that.
Bolton Wanderers v Sheffield United or Queen’s Park Rangers
Sam Ricketts doesn’t seem to have inspired the confidence of either Gary Megson or caretaker manager Chris Evans. Let’s hope Owen Coyle is more of a fan (if/when he takes the Bolton job).
Rhys Taylor has returned to Chelsea as new QPR manager Paul Hart doesn’t want him (to be fair he has been managing Portsmouth so it would be understandable if he was a little bit mad) but if Sheffield United win the replay, Bolton could find themselves facing striker Ched Evans, who did come scarily close to scoring yesterday…
Portsmouth or Coventry v Sunderland
With a fit Freddy Eastwood, Coventry are potential giant-killers. And I’m not just talking about when they play Portsmouth.
FA Cup Fourth Round Draw (the Welsh bits) Part 2
Bristol City or Cardiff City v Leicester City
The chance of not seeing a Welsh player in this fixture, no matter who the participants are, is very small. Lewin Nyatanga has become a regular starter for Bristol City with Gavin Williams a regular substitute. James Wilson and Chtistian Ribeiro have returned from their loans so it’s not impossible they might have a part to play too.
Cardiff’s Joe Ledley might have gone off for his operation by the time this match comes around and Leicester seem unable to detach Nicky Adams from their bench but I would expect Adam Matthews to play for Cardiff and goal-scoring Andy King for Leicester.
Stoke City v Arsenal
Any chance Danny Collins, Ryan Shawcross and Rory Delap will all be injured for this match? Not that I want them to be injured. I really like all of them. It’s just I kind of want Arsenal to win. Another Aaron Ramsey goal would be great.
Notts County or Forest Green Rovers v Wigan Athletic
Not that I’m prejudiced against the rich as a rule but I would love to see Notts County dumped out of the Cup by Forest Green Rovers. With a hat-trick from Curtis McDonald. It’s not impossible. It’s a lot more likely than my dream about me scoring the winning goal for Wales in the World Cup final.
Then Wigan can knock Forest Green out in this round with a hat-trick from Jason Koumas and then Roberto Martinez will love him and play him in every match for the rest of the season.
The chance of not seeing a Welsh player in this fixture, no matter who the participants are, is very small. Lewin Nyatanga has become a regular starter for Bristol City with Gavin Williams a regular substitute. James Wilson and Chtistian Ribeiro have returned from their loans so it’s not impossible they might have a part to play too.
Cardiff’s Joe Ledley might have gone off for his operation by the time this match comes around and Leicester seem unable to detach Nicky Adams from their bench but I would expect Adam Matthews to play for Cardiff and goal-scoring Andy King for Leicester.
Stoke City v Arsenal
Any chance Danny Collins, Ryan Shawcross and Rory Delap will all be injured for this match? Not that I want them to be injured. I really like all of them. It’s just I kind of want Arsenal to win. Another Aaron Ramsey goal would be great.
Notts County or Forest Green Rovers v Wigan Athletic
Not that I’m prejudiced against the rich as a rule but I would love to see Notts County dumped out of the Cup by Forest Green Rovers. With a hat-trick from Curtis McDonald. It’s not impossible. It’s a lot more likely than my dream about me scoring the winning goal for Wales in the World Cup final.
Then Wigan can knock Forest Green out in this round with a hat-trick from Jason Koumas and then Roberto Martinez will love him and play him in every match for the rest of the season.
FA Cup Fourth Round Draw (the Welsh bits) Part 1
FA Cup Fourth Round Draw
Southampton v Ipswich Town
Southampton would be in the play-offs without their points deduction. Even with it, they might still finish there. They have some great players like Lloyd James so if Ipswich are hoping for an easy game they’ll be disappointed. But this is the FA Cup, they shouldn’t be hoping for things like that.
Reading or Liverpool v Burnley
If Simon Church’s Reading can finish the job against Liverpool, Burnley should be a doddle. They’ve got a worse away record than Gareth Bale.
Millwall or Derby County v Brentford or Doncaster Rovers
The one thing this match guarantees is plenty of Welsh players. But even if you don’t support Wales I’m sure it will still be interesting. I definitely want Millwall to play (with Jason Price to score loads of goals) but if Robbie Savage’s Derby play Brentford, I wonder if Lewis Price will be allowed to play (he’s at Brentford on loan from Derby). Brian Stock should definitely be fit to play for Doncaster in this match (although he won’t if he gets bought by Cardiff) and I’d expect John Oster and Gareth Roberts to play alongside him. Well John will play alongside him. Gareth will be more sort of behind him.
Southampton v Ipswich Town
Southampton would be in the play-offs without their points deduction. Even with it, they might still finish there. They have some great players like Lloyd James so if Ipswich are hoping for an easy game they’ll be disappointed. But this is the FA Cup, they shouldn’t be hoping for things like that.
Reading or Liverpool v Burnley
If Simon Church’s Reading can finish the job against Liverpool, Burnley should be a doddle. They’ve got a worse away record than Gareth Bale.
Millwall or Derby County v Brentford or Doncaster Rovers
The one thing this match guarantees is plenty of Welsh players. But even if you don’t support Wales I’m sure it will still be interesting. I definitely want Millwall to play (with Jason Price to score loads of goals) but if Robbie Savage’s Derby play Brentford, I wonder if Lewis Price will be allowed to play (he’s at Brentford on loan from Derby). Brian Stock should definitely be fit to play for Doncaster in this match (although he won’t if he gets bought by Cardiff) and I’d expect John Oster and Gareth Roberts to play alongside him. Well John will play alongside him. Gareth will be more sort of behind him.
FA Cup Third Round Results 3rd January
Manchester United 0-1 Leeds
That’s the problem when you find people you actually like who support Manchester United. These results never hold quite the same pleasure. But it wouldn’t be the FA Cup without the odd giant killing and I’m glad to say that when Ryan Giggs came on as a substitute, he didn’t ruin the romantic atmosphere one bit.
Sheffield United 1-1 Queen’s Park Rangers
Rhys Taylor spent his final game on loan at QPR sitting on the bench. Ched Evans came closest to giving Sheffield United the lead with an excellent free kick which shook the crossbar but didn’t quite go in. I wonder if he’s tried the Crossbar Challenge.
Tranmere Rovers 0-1 Wolverhampton
Ash Taylor as usual did a fine job for Tranmere Rovers but Wolves are still a Premiership side. Wayne Hennessey made some brilliant saves in order to keep a clean sheet for his team. Okay he did accidentally throw the ball to a Tranmere player but they didn’t score from it and that’s all that matters really. Sam Vokes came on as a substitute and very nearly doubled Wolves’ lead.
West Ham 1-2 Arsenal
Danny Gabbidon is still having hamstring problems but I don’t know where Jack Collison was. But I’m so glad they weren’t there. Even without them, this game wasn’t nearly as comfortable for Arsenal as I wanted it to be. Luckily, Aaron Ramsey came to the rescue and Arsenal survived to face Stoke in the next round.
That’s the problem when you find people you actually like who support Manchester United. These results never hold quite the same pleasure. But it wouldn’t be the FA Cup without the odd giant killing and I’m glad to say that when Ryan Giggs came on as a substitute, he didn’t ruin the romantic atmosphere one bit.
Sheffield United 1-1 Queen’s Park Rangers
Rhys Taylor spent his final game on loan at QPR sitting on the bench. Ched Evans came closest to giving Sheffield United the lead with an excellent free kick which shook the crossbar but didn’t quite go in. I wonder if he’s tried the Crossbar Challenge.
Tranmere Rovers 0-1 Wolverhampton
Ash Taylor as usual did a fine job for Tranmere Rovers but Wolves are still a Premiership side. Wayne Hennessey made some brilliant saves in order to keep a clean sheet for his team. Okay he did accidentally throw the ball to a Tranmere player but they didn’t score from it and that’s all that matters really. Sam Vokes came on as a substitute and very nearly doubled Wolves’ lead.
West Ham 1-2 Arsenal
Danny Gabbidon is still having hamstring problems but I don’t know where Jack Collison was. But I’m so glad they weren’t there. Even without them, this game wasn’t nearly as comfortable for Arsenal as I wanted it to be. Luckily, Aaron Ramsey came to the rescue and Arsenal survived to face Stoke in the next round.
Sunday, 3 January 2010
FA Cup Third Round Fixtures 3rd January
Manchester United v Leeds United
Ryan Giggs might well be visited for the visit of the League One side – although he did miss the Premier League game against Wigan - but this isn’t just any League One side. This is Leeds United. Admittedly this is also the team who needed a replay to beat Kettering Town but Kettering are experienced giant killers.
Sam Vokes won’t play for Leeds as Wolves have recalled him.
Notts County v Forest Green Rovers
Curtis McDonald will face League Two’s richest only if he can overcome a hip injury and at the moment it’s not looking good for him.
Sheffield United v Queens Park Rangers
Ched Evans will be hoping for another start for Sheffield United. It’s going to be Rhys Taylor’s last game with Queen’s Park Rangers before he returns to Chelsea. Will it also be his first start? I hope so.
Tranmere Rovers v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Tranmere’s Ash Taylor faces three Premier League sides alongside whom he really should be playing for Wales in the not too distant future. As far as Wolves are concerned, both Wayne Hennessey, recently relegated to the bench, and Sam Vokes, who has just returned from his loan to Leeds, have a chance of playing in this match. Dave Edwards is still out with an ankle injury but he’s expected back this month.
West Ham United v Arsenal
Danny Gabbidon is still part of West Ham’s hamstring epedemic but Jack Collison is fine and will be looking to score some more goals for his team. Unfortunately (well it’s unfortunate for him) he is playing against Arsenal and Aaron Ramsey just gets better with every game. If Arsene Wenger decides to treat the FA Cup as though it’s the Carling Cup, Wales-eligible Sanchez Watt could be in the squad too.
Ryan Giggs might well be visited for the visit of the League One side – although he did miss the Premier League game against Wigan - but this isn’t just any League One side. This is Leeds United. Admittedly this is also the team who needed a replay to beat Kettering Town but Kettering are experienced giant killers.
Sam Vokes won’t play for Leeds as Wolves have recalled him.
Notts County v Forest Green Rovers
Curtis McDonald will face League Two’s richest only if he can overcome a hip injury and at the moment it’s not looking good for him.
Sheffield United v Queens Park Rangers
Ched Evans will be hoping for another start for Sheffield United. It’s going to be Rhys Taylor’s last game with Queen’s Park Rangers before he returns to Chelsea. Will it also be his first start? I hope so.
Tranmere Rovers v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Tranmere’s Ash Taylor faces three Premier League sides alongside whom he really should be playing for Wales in the not too distant future. As far as Wolves are concerned, both Wayne Hennessey, recently relegated to the bench, and Sam Vokes, who has just returned from his loan to Leeds, have a chance of playing in this match. Dave Edwards is still out with an ankle injury but he’s expected back this month.
West Ham United v Arsenal
Danny Gabbidon is still part of West Ham’s hamstring epedemic but Jack Collison is fine and will be looking to score some more goals for his team. Unfortunately (well it’s unfortunate for him) he is playing against Arsenal and Aaron Ramsey just gets better with every game. If Arsene Wenger decides to treat the FA Cup as though it’s the Carling Cup, Wales-eligible Sanchez Watt could be in the squad too.
League Two Results 2ndJanuary
Bournemouth 0-2 Northampton Town
It was a better day for Peter Gilbert – who headed a goal attempt off the line - than for Joe Partington as Northampton got a win against second-place Bournemouth.
Bradford City 1-1 Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham were without the suspended Josh Low but two more players I’ve only just found out about were on the pitch, David Pipe (on loan from Bristol Rovers) for Cheltenham and Michael Flynn for Bradford.
Chesterfield 0-1 Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury are another town with millions of Welsh players but that’s hardly surprising considering they’re practically in Wales and I think they’ve played in the Welsh FA Cup. Most of their Wales players seem to be injured or not getting into the team but recent discovery Will Richards was there as his side put one past Chesterfield keeper Mark Crossley.
Darlington OFF Port Vale
So there wasn’t any need for Port Vale and Lewis Haldane to sort out a hurried loan to enable him to play. They might as well have waited until Bristol Rovers let them buy him.
No news on Gareth Owen for a while but quite possibly he’s thrown his face mask in the bin by now.
Hereford OFF Crewe
I thought Ryan Green was the only Welshman in Hereford but it turns out the romantic Ryan Valentine and Darren Jones are Welsh too. But wherever they’re from, they didn’t get to play.
Macclesfield Town OFF Morecambe
Darren Moss of Morecambe is another of those Welshman who’s been hiding for me.
It was a better day for Peter Gilbert – who headed a goal attempt off the line - than for Joe Partington as Northampton got a win against second-place Bournemouth.
Bradford City 1-1 Cheltenham Town
Cheltenham were without the suspended Josh Low but two more players I’ve only just found out about were on the pitch, David Pipe (on loan from Bristol Rovers) for Cheltenham and Michael Flynn for Bradford.
Chesterfield 0-1 Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury are another town with millions of Welsh players but that’s hardly surprising considering they’re practically in Wales and I think they’ve played in the Welsh FA Cup. Most of their Wales players seem to be injured or not getting into the team but recent discovery Will Richards was there as his side put one past Chesterfield keeper Mark Crossley.
Darlington OFF Port Vale
So there wasn’t any need for Port Vale and Lewis Haldane to sort out a hurried loan to enable him to play. They might as well have waited until Bristol Rovers let them buy him.
No news on Gareth Owen for a while but quite possibly he’s thrown his face mask in the bin by now.
Hereford OFF Crewe
I thought Ryan Green was the only Welshman in Hereford but it turns out the romantic Ryan Valentine and Darren Jones are Welsh too. But wherever they’re from, they didn’t get to play.
Macclesfield Town OFF Morecambe
Darren Moss of Morecambe is another of those Welshman who’s been hiding for me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
