Follow the FA Cup: 'Gate' open to Cup run

It’s a competition that makes names, creates shocks and is generally viewed as the most exciting cup competition for its excitement and ability to cause shocks that no other competition can do.

This weekend sees the first round of qualifying matches in the FA Cup with semi-professional sides kicking off their campaign dreaming of making the 3^rd round proper and hosting the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool.

As mentioned in a previous blog I am starting a new series called ‘Follow the FA Cup’ which will quite literally do that. I will follow a team from the first qualifying stage and follow their progress along the way, while picking up any team that should defeat that side.

The first team I will follow on their road to Wembley is my hometown club Margate FC. The Kent club kick off this seasons Cup campaign off after a solid start to their Ryman Premier League season. Having beaten Met Police on Wednesday night 3-1, ‘The Gate’, as they are known lifted themselves to 10^th in the division.

Margate do have history in the competition which includes a 3-0 win over Bournemouth, 11-0 defeat to Bournemouth, a 6-0 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur. All of those dates happened in the 60’s and 70’s, however, more recently the club has suffered and have not made the 1^st round proper since 2002 when they hosted Cardiff City in the second round losing 3-0.

The visitors to Hartsdown Park this weekend are Tooting & Mitcham also of the Ryman Premier League. Tooting haven’t had a great start to the season and they currently sit 16^th in the division after a 2-2 draw on Wednesday against Lewes FC, however, they did suffer a 6-0 defeat away at Hornchurch last week.

Tooting also have pedigree in the competition having reached the first time proper on 10 occasions, the latest being 2009 when they eventually lost to Stockport County 5-0. The clubs most famous run was in 1959 when they held Nottingham Forest to a replay before losing 3-0.

21 year old University student Jack Elvin, who started his playing career at Tooting & Mitcham as a youngster said he ‘Hoped Tooting grab a win as the FA Cup is a great competition’ adding he ‘Loved the FA Cup.’

Recent hardship at Margate which has seen them struggle off the field meaning just seeing football still in Margate has been a relief and although Margate’s participation in the cup has been limited, 21 year old ‘Gate’ fan, Mark Baker reckons that might be about to all change.

“We stand a good chance on Saturday; they (Tooting) have shipped eight goals in their last two games so we will be going in as favourites. The FA Cup is still well alive whether you are a Margate fan or Manchester United fan and obviously the financial implications; even at this stage is a boost for any club at this level.”

The winners of this game will take their place in the draw for the second qualifying round which will take place on Monday morning at Wembley as well as picking themselves up an extra £3000 in winnings.

I will bring you a match report from on Monday after the draw as well as reaction to the draw as the competition picks up speed.

Be sure to check back. Also let me know what you think.

Would 'Blue' believe it? City might just win it

Tonight see’s the return of European football, but what can we expect from this season’s rollercoaster ride of the Champions League?

As usual four sides will enter from England; we see the suspected return of Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea while mega rich Manchester City will start their inaugural Champions League campaign in Group A alongside Napoli, Villarreal and Bayern Munich.

The favourites will of course be none other than last season’s winners Barcelona. Pep Guardiola’s team that includes the likes of Messi, Xavi, Fabregas and Villa will expect to lead the Catalonia side all the way to the 

final in Munich next May.

The La Liga side were suffered a huge blow in their 2-2 draw with Real Sociadad at the weekend when new 

£26 Million pound signing Alexis Sanchez picked up an injury that will see him side-lined for 6-8 weeks.

Barcelona’s main rivals, Real Madrid will of course expect to at least make the semi-final like they did last season under Jose Mourinho. After labelling himself as the ‘special one’ while in charge at Chelsea, the pressure will be on for Jose at Madrid to make a real impact on this season’s competition.

So what about are English teams? Well, last season Manchester United comfortably strolled their way to Wembley to play Barcelona in the final. A 3-1 defeat showed Barcelona were the best team in Europe, and we shouldn’t be surprised should these two meet in the final again in Germany next May.

Chelsea are still looking for their first Champions League success while under the ownership of Roman Abramovich, however under new boss AVB who won the Europa league last season with Porto, we might see their best shot yet at winning the ‘holy grail’.

It has been a summer of stress and worry for Arsenal and in truth they are lucky to have even made it to the Champions’ League group stages after beating Udinese in a qualifier. After selling Fabregas and Nasri this summer Arsene Wenger needed players desperately and the deadline day signings of Per Mertersacker, Yossi Benayoun and Mikel Arteta, the Gunners might feel a run to the final is possible although highly unlikely.

As for the new boys Manchester City, well, it is going to be an interesting first campaign. Roberto Mancini has a fine array of talent to choose from and it could be enough to actually see the ‘other’ side of Manchester actually reach the final and win it. On the the flip side though it will be tough for City after being placed in Group A, alongside Bayern Munich, who will also fancy themselves.

It will be as fascinating as ever and I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw an all Manchester final in Munich….

Who do you think will win this seasons Champions League? Can Manchester City win the competition at the first attempt? Let me know what you think.

Was it really 'same old' England tonight?

A 1-0 win this evening against a spirited Wales side means England now only need one point in their final qualifying game away in Montenegro next month. But was it a case of same old England making it a more difficult fixture than it should have been.

To a certain extent the answer is a straightforward yes. Fabio Capello’s side wasted the ball in some good areas, never got enough bodies forward when they found themselves in excellent positions in the final part of the field, and if you include Robert Earnshaw’s shocking miss ten minutes from time then we may have a completely different account of the game.

The truth though if you brush aside these minor errors aside is that England were never going to lose this game tonight against a Welsh side that has definitely improved under Gary Speed.

Despite being sloppy with the ball at times, the Three Lions had the lion’s share of possession, finishing the game with a total of 60%. England had eleven shots at goal although only one on target, while the visitors managed no shots on target, showing just how much England dominated.

I am aware that many people will disagree with this blog and say that England did make it harder than it should be, my response to them people would be simple. Qualification was Capello’s aim this time last year and we are on course to do that.

Agreed performances will have to improve for the Championships but let’s all be grateful we should at least make it this time…….We all remember the last Euro’s don’t we, oh hang on we weren't  there.

Let me know what you think? Did England show enough tonight to impress you or do you still think they will struggle to be on the plane to Poland and Ukraine next year?

COMING SOON: Follow the FA Cup

We all remember the song from the Wizard of Oz- ‘follow the yellow brick road’. Well here at everything sport I am about to follow a yellow brick road although I’m inclined to say it’s more a tinge of gold, as this road will lead to Wembley on Saturday 12^th May 2012 for the FA Cup’s first ever  17.15 kick off.

While many Premier League players were still topping up their tan in early August or Premier League clubs were adding to their already mountains of money by playing a few friendlies in a far east country, for hundreds of non-league sides they were kicking off their FA Cup campaigns in the extra preliminary rounds.

No matter what your age, England’s oldest cup competition has a special place in every football fans heart and at some point every fan will be able to recall their favourite FA Cup moment. Whether it be Sutton United beating Coventry in the 1989-1990 season or even as recently as Crawley dumping out Derby County last season, we all have our memories.

So the new project that I am starting up on my blog is one similar to the FA website where they pick a side at the beginning of the competition and follow them through the early stages, picking up the winners if that side should lose as their team to follow.

I am aiming to blog about the games beforehand which will include a fans view as well as some updates from the clubs involved in the game.

Being a Margate FC fan I thought it would only be fair to choose them as my team to follow this season. 

Margate kick off their FA Cup campaign on the 17^th September in the first qualifying round at home to Tooting & Mitcham, both sides play their football in the Ryman Premier Division.

I hope you will follow my adventure this season through the world’s most loved cup competition.

For those of you that don’t know the route the final of the competition, below is a guide to what teams join along the way and how much each win is worth for the club.

Follow the FA Cup guide:

First Qualifying Round (Winners earn £3,000)

Clubs from the Ryman Premier, Zameretto Premier and Evo-Stick division’s join those club’s that have progressed through from the extra preliminary rounds.

Second Qualifying Round (Winners earn £4,500)

All winners from the first qualifying round are joined by clubs in the Blue Square Bet South and North divisions- Clubs include, Dover FC, Chelmsford City, and Boston United.

Third Qualifying Round (Winners earn £7,500)

All winners from the second qualifying round play in this round.

Fourth Qualifying Round (Winners earn £12,500)

All winners from the third qualifying round are joined in this round by all Blue Square Bet Premier Division teams. Sides include- Darlington, Wrexham and Lincoln City.

First Round Proper (Winners earn £18,000)

All winners from the fourth qualifying round are joined by all teams from Leagues One and Two. Teams that join here include- Huddersfield, Charlton, Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday.

Second Round Proper (Winners earn £27,000)

All winners from the first round proper play in this round.

Third Round Proper (Winners earn £67,500)

All winners from the second round proper are joined at this stage by all Premier League sides and Championship sides. Teams including Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool all enter.

Fourth Round Proper (Winners earn £90,000)

All winners from the third round proper play in this round.  

Fifth Round Proper (Winners earn £180,000)

All winners from the fourth round proper play in this round.

Sixth Round Proper (Winners earn £360,000)

All winners from the fifth round proper play in this round.

Semi Finals (Winners earn £900,000)

Two semi-final games are played over one weekend at the national stadium Wembley.

Final (Winner earns £1,800,000)

To be played at Wembley stadium on the 12^th May 2012 between the winners of the semi-final games.

I hope you will check back soon and follow my adventure starting with that game between Margate FC and Tooting & Mitcham but in the meantime let me know your favourite FA Cup moment and who you will be supporting in this years competition.

Home is not where the heart is for Capello

Tuesday evening sees Fabio Capello’s Three Lions look to all but secure their qualification to the European Championships next year in Poland and Ukraine. It will be England’s first Euro Championships since 2004 in Portugal after their spectacular failure to qualify for the competition in 2008 which led to the Sun Newspaper claiming that the ‘summer was cancelled.’

A lot has changed since that fateful night under Steve McLaren as England was humbled in front of their home fans against Croatia. There is still one thing that seems to be hanging around from that night and that is England’s ability to perform at Wembley in front of a home crowd.

Granted that England qualified for the 2010 World Cup with a 100% home record, but recently doubts have started to creep in about England’s home performances as they look for their first win in five games at the national stadium, the last being nearly a year ago to the day.

Draws against Montenegro, Switzerland and Ghana as well as a defeat to France has left England supporters feeling hard done by. Granted that the games against Ghana and France were friendlies that allowed Capello to test new players, although the Three Lions supporters still would have expected to get their money’s worth.

Although Wembley has hosted some wonderful nights already since it’s opening four years ago, including all of the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign, defeats to Germany and France as well as other shaky draws against the Czech Republic means questions are still being asked about England’s ability to perform in front of a partisan crowd at Wembley.

Some people will blame the players not having the experience to perform in front of large crowds regularly, one that I would dismiss myself. I feel the main reason for England’s lack of decent displays at the national stadium remain at the fault of a mix of pressure from a crowd that expect so much from their national side and also the prestigious occasion that Wembley brings with it meaning that the opposition make it so much harder for England to beat them.

England showed just what they can do with a sensational 3-0 win in Bulgaria on Friday night and the same performance against Wales on Tuesday will not only all but secure a place at Euro 2012, it will go a long way to getting rid of this monkey on their backs about playing at Wembley.

Why do you think England struggle at Wembley? Do you think people are looking at it too much? Let me know what you think.

Pre-Season Predictions: League Two

So a little later than planned but here is my guide to whose is going to be hot and whose not in the 2011/2012 League Two Season.

As always I will start with the challengers and there is one that stands out for me this season. Gillingham have added seven new players to their ranks including that of Adam Birchall who signed from Kent rivals Dover Athletic last week.

Birchall scored an incredible 45 goals last season for Dover, including a screamer at the Priestfield in Dover's shock 2-0 win against the Gills in the FA Cup.

Other challengers I think we can expect to see in League Two are last season's relegated sides from League One, especially Bristol Rovers and Plymouth Argyle, meanwhile 'Moneybags' Crawley will also be pushing for back to back promotions.

The bottom of this division will be as tight as ever with your usual candidates, Barnet, Cheltenham and Macclesfield all likely to feature again in the battle to survive the drop. I think these sides will be joined by the likes Hereford and Port Vale in what will be a very close race.

My predictions for the League Two season 2011/2012:

Champions: Gillingham

Promoted: Bristol Rovers, Shrewsbury

Play-Offs: Bradford, Crewe, Crawley, Plymouth

Relegated: Barnet, Burton

Do you agree? Will Adam Birchall be as good for Gillingham as he was Dover? Who has been your sides best signing so far?

As always let me know.

Modric running out of Luka over move to Chelsea, but should he be allowed to go?

In all honesty I surprised myself when I sat and thought about this earlier today. Usually in these cases when I hear of a player demanding a move away from one club to another it makes me angry and I say that the player should 'stop moaning' and 'get on with there X amount thousands of pounds a week job', today was different though.

After seeing further coverage of the saga of Luka Modric's desire to leave Tottenham for Chelsea, I sat and thought why he would want to leave his contract at Spurs where he is a certain starter in the team, he has been offered a contract that will double his wages to £90,000 a week and before stating his desire to leave a few weeks back he was a fans favorite at White Hart Lane.

Then it became obvious to me for once why a player would want to leave, he will get more money at Chelsea, reported to be around £120,000 pounds a week, he will be playing at a club in the Champions league year after year, and playing at a team that will push Manchester United for the title in years to come....Is that really selfish of him?

My old answer would have been yes, I would have argued that Spurs had made him what he was and he should respect them and their decision. But today I saw it in a new angle, here is a player that has a chance to earn more money and more personal trophies, realistically something we all aspire to do in our lifetime.

A long way off from football wages I know, but if I was working at my local newspaper and a national paper wanted me to work for them and doubled my wages, I would not expect my employers to say no and not congratulate me on the move.

The point I am getting at is that a footballers career is 20 years maximum and as fans I don't think we should dislike a player simply because he wants to better himself and his earnings.

I fully hope Modric gets his move to Chelsea in the future and that players in the future that want to better themselves given the opportunity are not held back by clubs....after all we all want to be the best we can be.

Do you agree? Do you think Modric should het his 'dream' move to Chelsea? How would you feel if your star player said he wants a move?

As always let me know.