Later today, Aston Villa are back at Wembley for the semi-final of the FA Cup, probably the most famous cup competition in the World.
Only a couple of weeks ago, they were beaten in the Final of the League Cup by Manchester United, having played really well and been beaten by a whole raft of inexplicable refereeing decisions about which, even the pundits who were supporting Manchester United, were bemused.
This time, the Mighty Villa have to face Chelsea, a team who beat them 7-1 in the Premiership only a week ago.
Ruf is on tenterhooks and very excited because he has his ticket and went off from my flat this morning on the train.
The week has been littered with Press speculation that the Villa manager, my beloved Martin O’Neill, might be leaving the Club because of the drubbing they received from Chelsea.
This is the British media at its worst. They make up anything in order to try to start a story.
Why would Martin want to leave now? Three seasons ago, Aston Villa were languishing near the bottom of the Premiership and fighting off relegation.
Each successive season since he took over, the Club has improved its position with a place in Europe last year and a good run in both national Cup competitions this time.
As he did before at Leicester and Celtic, he has transformed a Club without access to the multi-million pound sugar daddies of the major names, relying on locally-produced talent and a few judicious foreign purchases. And he refuses to indulge the story-rustling journalists by engaging them in any discussion that will allow them to spin their empty webs. Which is one of the problems. Because, by refusing to confirm or deny anything, he allows them to continue to make up their own versions of the news anyway!
If only the Press would stop trying to unsettle both Manager and fans with their scaremongering that is totally unsubstantiated. It is destabilisation at such a level that you can’t help wondering if there is money behind it.
Ruf says it’s more likely that, because all the major newspapers are based in London, they will either be supporters of the big London clubs or Manchester Utd or Liverpool – because they’re the two UK teams that the rest of the world know.
Is there the same sort of polarisation in US team sports? Where big money input breeds more money and popular support over the harder working, less well-off clubs?
Anyway, there are just a few minutes now before kick-off. Ruf is, hopefully, in his seat and I am finding anything to occupy me, rather than switch on the television. I feel as if I jinxed them by watching last time so I am resolutely avoiding any media coverage until he rings me with the result.
See you the other side of the news black-out!
UPDATE!
Sadly Villa lost 3-0 – two late goals when they were playing everyone forward to try to equalise the one goal that they had conceded earlier. Ruf is adopting the typically British plegmatic approach, but I know that, deep down, he is devastated.
Is this the competition to determine who represents England in the World Cup in South Africa?
Ja, pretty much the same thing with professional and university sports in the US. The richest usually get the better players and more often than not are in contention for championships.
I sort of gave up on men’s professional soccer a couple of World Cups ago. I don’t like dives, theatrics, and cheap shots. I will watch women’s professional and Olympics soccer though.
LOL, unfortunately, there isn’t one team in any of our top leagues that could actually fulfil the criteria to represent England at the World Cup! They’re all composites with representatives from all the footballing nations.
The FA Cup is the oldest association football competition in the world since it was first held in the 1871-72 season. It gives the lower leagues the opportunity to mix it with the big boys, providing they get through the first couple of knock-out rounds against each other.
The draw is made for each successive round by a couple of footie celebs sticking their hands into a tub of numbered balls which means that there can be some real David vs Goliath fixtures. There have been several giant-killing tales with lower division minnows overturning all the statistics to get through to the next round – Yeovil Town hold the record for the most feats of this nature against apparently superior opposition.
In recent years only two Second Division sides have succeeded in overcoming First Division teams to actually win the Cup – Sunderland and Southampton. Both events took place in the 1970s before the advent of the big money sugar daddy saw a huge influx of foreign stars and large rotatable squads for the richer clubs.
Having said all that, in 2007–08, three of the four semi-finalists (Barnsley, Cardiff City and West Bromwich Albion), were from outside the top flight, although Portsmouth went on to win it… although how much good it did them considering that this season they face relegation and are pretty much bankrupt.
Villa should have been awarded the penalty – it would have made it a different game then. I hope that Portsmouth beat Spurs in the final….
I think the consensus is that, yet again, Villa were robbed by the inconsistencies of the referee. Switched on the tv yesterday to see that it was 10 mins into extra time and Pompey were one up. The moment I switched on, Spurs scored. But the goal was disallowed. I immediately turned off again as I didn’t want to jinx Pompey. To see that they won 2-0 has cheered everyone up :)