Barnsley

There are so many moments from this season of football that stood out for me.

Watching Chasetown FC beat Port Vale in the FA second round was a particular favourite of mine, hearing the non-league supporters cheering their side on like no-body's business was beautiful. To see such passionate, determined sportsmen running about and playing what I would call real football (that's top flight football minus the gamesmanship and inordinate amounts of cash) was a beautiful moment.

And there's more, because for the first time in around fifteen years, one of the top four clubs will not be winning the world's oldest cup competition, after Portsmouth knocked out Manchester United, and Barnsley knocked out Liverpool followed by Chelsea. I'm only sorry that Barnsley could not have gone all the way. My betting slip with "Barnsley to win the FA Cup, 500/1" is destined to be framed and hung on my wall in honour of our fellow Championship brethren!

In the Champions league, a thrilling encounter between Liverpool and Besiktas was the eight wonder of the week! Eight goals to nil for the English club who deservedly thrashed the Turks in a stunning display of pure football genius.

Then, perhaps the most bizarre twists of my recollections, the wally with the brolly was deservedly sacked - annoyingly, walking off under his umbrella with £2 million more in the bank and a great big smirk, but the fact that England would not be attending Euro 2008 was something of a comfort to me. Under McClaren, we'd have been more embarrassed turning up and getting thrashed than simply not turning up.

On a more personal note, my own team, Charlton Athletic, have had a torrid end to the season, but (and this is key) I have enjoyed watching them more than ever. Alan Pardew seems to be getting his head round the bizarre mood swings at Valley Floyd Road, and I am confident he is still very much the man for the job, for years to come. It was a shame to lose Andy Reid to Sunderland, but I am also very confident that we have the youngsters and the variety in players to go up next year, if not this year.

There are many more other great moments I am sure, and for those I have left out, I apologise.

However the one moment that sticks in my mind, was a certain game in the F.A Cup - when a completely unknown side walked out onto the pitch at Anfield, and went 1-0 up against the might of Liverpool F.C. Then, to went 2-1 up! That showed what determination and sheer passion can do in the right circumstances. Yes, Liverpool went on to beat Havant and Waterlooville 5-2, but that was no reflection on the match itself or the football played by the two teams. The multi-millionaires had been made to sweat by their non-league rivals, and gave us neutrals another team to have a soft spot for.

Havant & Waterlooville, chasing the FA Cup dream, was for me the story of 2007/08. It has certainly been the season of the underdog, and how can we improve upon this next year? Both in the EPL, the FA Cup and chasing the Champions League places? Simple really.

We encourage clubs and teams with more funds, better players and staff, to have the same never say die attitude that Havant & Waterlooville, Chasetown and Barnsley have shown in defiance to so-called superior opposition.

Top four fans, take note.

We're all coming for your crowns next year! 

The race to avoid relegation from the Championship is hotting up with as many as 8 teams fighting for survival. 

While we all know the excitement the top of the Championship as provided this season with  number of unlikely teams claiming a piece of the pie. Hull City,  Stoke City have both surprised everyone with their resiliance and determination. Bristol City are for me the biggest shock with their league position given they only got promoted to the Championship last season. Those 3 teams are currently occupying the top 3 places followed by Watford and West Brom ( who have surprisingly under performed in the 2nd half of the season).

Now to the bottum of the table we have some pretty decent teams who, by all means, shouldn't be there.There are some teams we expected to be down there at the beginning of the season through lack of resources and experience, but then there are also some surprises down there like Southampton. While Colchester and Scunthorpe are rooted to the foot of the table and are looking likely to drop down to league one. Barnsley at 22nd spot with 46pts and Blackpool at 17th spot wit 50pts, are only separated by 4 pts. In between the two teams we have, Coventry Fc, Leicester City, Southampton and Sheffield Wednesday. Teams who, in my opinion, should be fighting for play off places, bar sheffield Wed.

But I look at Coventry and I really think they can get out of this situation. They have experience on the pitch and in Chris Coleman, who managed Fulham in the premership and did a quite decent job, they have a very fine manager.

Todays games provided another twist in the story.     

Coventry lost 2-1 away at promotion chasers Watford. Leicester were well beaten at Bramall Lane 3-0 with a James beattie Hatrick. Southampton though, beat table-toppers Bristol City 2-0. 

My Prediction come the end of the seaon:

Barnsley or Sheffield Wed will follow Colchester and Scunthorpe down to league one. Coventry, Leicester and Southampton will all survive. Hopefully, they'll all challenge for play-off places because thats what teams like those are supposed to be doing.

The spirit of the FA Cup has returned, as Barnsley--Championship team Barnsley--have beaten Chelsea in the FA Cup quarterfinal this evening!

I can't remember the last time I screamed in such delight--after listening to such a fantastic match, one that truly had it all: close shaves, fouls, spills, and a superb amount of determined, soulful playing from Barnsley.

This plucky little club has now beaten Liverpool and Chelsea--two giants of the EPL--and has made it to the semi-finals at Wembley!

This will be their first time there in almost 100 years, and this--THIS--is the magic of the FA Cup!

I'm sorry, but a proper match report? I'm too excited to write one!

Alright, a second-half header from Barnsley's Kayode Odejayi has sensationally dumped Chelsea out of the FA cup!

Chelsea fought hard, but Barnsley held on, and held on...and despite a crowd invasion (quickly dealt with) two minutes from the end...stayed ahead to record a historical win!

For the first time in two decades, the winner of the FA Cup will not be Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea or Liverpool--and it can only be a good thing!

Chelsea fans will be devastated--their dreams of a quadruple have been destroyed in two weeks. Do I care? Not really! Given that I am more concerned and delighted for the courageous Barnsley!

From a Charlton fan to the whole host of Barnsley fans--I will be supporting you guys in the next round, and to the final! 

Good luck, and well done!

COME ON YOU REDS!

The magic of the FA Cup has well and truly returned! 

Every English football fan has a special place in their heart for the F.A. Cup. 

Some will deny it, particularly if their side have lost in the early rounds. 

But it is there; every fan wants to be able to tell their grandchildren that they were at Wembley when their team lifted the famous silverware. 

The tournament has always had its shocks, upsets, and, sometimes, downright giant-killings. 

But the way that Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United conducted themselves on Saturday for their Fifth Round clashes is the clearest evidence yet that the romance of the F.A. Cup is under serious threat. 

It really is a shame that Arsenal were not playing a lower league team.  The embarrassment of going out of the competition to Cardiff, Huddersfield or Bristol Rovers would have been fitting punishment for fielding the team that they did against Manchester United. 

While a few players were carrying knocks, Arsene Wenger’s theory of resting key players ahead of this week’s upcoming Champion’s League fixtures is degrading the oldest cup competition in the world.  His team of bench-warmers and youngsters were played off the park by a United team who themselves left out important players for the same reason. 

Justin Hoyte, supposedly one of the players Fabio Capello was eyeing as an England prospect, was run ragged by Nani, a boy who is neither strong enough or fit enough for the Premiership at this stage of his career.  And as for Armand Traore, Wenger must have been on the phone to Newcastle United before the final whistle had even blown; “Hello, Kevin?  It’s Arsene here, how would you like to buy another useless defender?”

Supporters of the competition must have been delighted when Brian Howard banged in his injury time winner for Bansley to send Liverpool crashing out.  While they were not as self-depleted as United, Arsenal or Chelsea, they still rested players like Fernando Torres and Javier Mascherano with one eye on mid-week. 

Hopefully they will have learned their lesson come next season, but I’m afraid that won’t be the case.  Chelsea had similar problems with League One side Huddersfield Town, but managed to let the class shine through at the end.

One can’t help but notice that all four have foreign managers.  Fair play to Alex Ferguson, his side got the job done with the minimum of fuss, but is it not inconceivable that the likes of Benitez, Wenger and Grant don’t really appreciate the true romance of the cup, or how much it means to fans?  

One solution, suggested by Michel Plattini, is to remove the Champions League place given to the team who finish fourth and re-distribute it to the winners of the F.A. Cup.  Particularly in a tight title race such as this one, teams would have to give the F.A. Cup their best shot on the off chance they have a couple of bad games and finish fourth in the league.

The League Cup has already become a joke, a Mickey Mouse cup, a place to blood in the youngsters.  Please, let’s not do the same to what is comfortably the best cup competition on the planet.

Electing to rest his star players in Fernando Torres, Javier Mascherano, Jose Reina and Steven Gerrard for Tuesday night's crucial tie up against an in-form Internazionale in the UEFA Champions League, Liverpool bench boss Rafael Benitez saw his side crumble to a 2-1 shock defeat against Barnsley during the fifth round of the FA Cup at Anfield. 

Heading into the match, one would have thought the Spanish boss might have learned from his mistakes after his side's showing in the fourth round in the FA Cup when they came out flat against Blue Square South amateur side Havant and Waterlooville. Had it not been for Yossi Benayoun's hat-trick at Anfield, Liverpool could have found themselves out of contention in the FA Cup sooner than they would have expected.

Liverpool looked on their way to advancing to the next round after Dirk Kuyt's first goal in 14 games gave them the lead in the 32nd minute. Taking the lead into half-time, Liverpool seemed to sit back a little too comfortably and were left to rue as they failed to convert on their chances.

After receiving a much needed wake-up call following Barnsley's Stephen Foster equalized in the 57th minute off a wonderful cross from Martin Devaney, Liverpool rushed forward and piled on the pressure.

Peter Crouch had a golden opportunity in the first half, Yossi Benayoun had a few of his chances blocked by a stellar Barnsley defence, Harry Kewell had three opportunities to put one past Luke Steele and Sami Hyypia had a chance to convert of his own. That's not mentioning all the blocked shots from the likes of Barnsley's Dennis Souuza, Steven Foster and Bobby Hassell.

That's not to say Barnsley didn't have chances of their own.

In the 3rd minute of the match, Barnsley striker Steve Howard was close to capitalizing on as scoring chance until a last ditch effort by Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher saved his side the embarrassment of going 1-0 down in the opening moments. Liverpool suffered another lapse in concentration after some uncharacteristically sloppy play from Finnish defender Sami Hyypia. Gifting a chance to Barnsley's Daniel Nardiello, Liverpool's backup keeper Charles Itandje was called to action as he came to the rescue by making a crucial stop.

Finally deciding the need to put in his "big boys", Benitez replaced the Brazilian born Lucas in favor of his captain Steven Gerrard. Hoping to break the deadlock, one could tell that Benitez was worried about the prospect of having to participate in a replay. Even more suprisingly, Benitez made an controversial decision when he decided to take off Ryan Babel--his most dangerous player on the pitch in favor of Harry Kewell in the 69th minute. Perhaps had he left his Dutch winger on the field, Liverpool could have snatched a deserved victory. In spite of the overabundance of top quality players, media outlets and fans will be left scratching their heads over his misuse and tactical decisions.

Despite constantly piling on the pressure throughout nearly the entire game, the Reds still found themselves on the losing end--thanks in part to some fantastic goalkeeping from West Brom loaner Luke Steele in his debut for Barnsley. Producing the performance of his life, Tykes captain Brian Howard made sure Steele's work wouldn't go unrewarded as he sealed the deal by pouncing on a chance in the 93rd minute of injury time.

Not surprisingly, Tykes manager Simon Davey was singing the praises for his squad.

"Credit to the players, they have been fantastic from the first minute and now they have got their rewards - they are in the next round," he said in jubilation.

"I always thought we would be in the game. We kept it tight, at half-time we were 1-0 down and if you get one chance and stick it away, you have got a chance. We kept it going and scored two great goals. I am pleased for them."

Instead of heading out with an "automatic" victory, the boys in red hit a new season low as they listened to the boos of their own supporters ringing around the stadium and the adulation from the 7,000 Tykes fans' that had made the trip to Anfield to support their club. Unquestionably, the Yorkshire fans will be remember this famous win for many years to come.

For Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez the season that was once filled with so much promise is now quickly fading away. Many football experts in England expected Liverpool to make a strong run at breaking their eighteen year drought without a domestic league championship--especially with the £20.5 transfer of Spanish striker Fernando Torres.

Conversely, the Reds find themselves in the same position that they were in last year--fighting for fourth place in a bid for a Champions League spot. In a highly competitive English Premier League, Liverpool are trailing their bitter Merseyside rivals Everton for the fourth and final spot into Europe's most prestigious club competition. Now combined with early exits in the FA Cup and the Carling Cup, the season could be regarded by many fans at the Kop as a failure.

With speculation over his future at the club, the Spaniard will need to convince his American owners in Tom Hicks and George Gillett that their £60 million investment in the transfer market does not go to waste. After already being informed by the media of his owner's meetings with German manager Jurgen Klinsmann, Benitez has been the subject of uncertainty at Anfield.

Nonetheless, he will need to find a quick way to rally his troops when his side enters the most important match of Liverpool's season thus far when they take on Internazionale. Liverpool will need to produce a phenomenally greater effort if they are even to challenge arguably the best club team in the world at the moment.

If not, Benitez could find himself walking alone out of Anfield--with a big pink slip courtesy of Hicks and Gillett.

Well, what a day of FA Cup football!

Bristol Rovers and Huddersfield Town, the lowest ranked teams left in the FA Cup were looking for a big payday.

Bristol Rovers, facing an abject managerless Southampton side were looking to qualify for the quarter finals for the first time in 50 years.

Huddersfield Town, were hoping to produce the shock of the round by getting a result at high-flying billionaires Chelsea.

Elsewhere, the other potential shock saw out of form Championship side Barnsley visit historic Anfield to face giants Liverpool.

The early kick off witnessed a proper cup tie at the Memorial Stadium, Bristol. A frosty, muddy pitch was never going to allow for attractive flowing football so we were treated instead to the hustle and bustle of two decidedly unattractive teams. Southampton are in a state of quandry so an upset was always on the cards with a draw being the likely outcome. That was of course until Rickie Lambert's deflected free-kick sealed the victory for Rovers with just a few minutes remaining. They are now the lowest ranked League left in the competition and will be hoping to face one of the Premiership big-guns left in the competition, it could be Chelsea who overcame Huddersfield Town 3-1 with relative ease and a superb performance from Frank Lampard. It won't be, however, Liverpool, who crashed out in the final seconds of their with Barnsley.

Forgive me if I trail off-topic for a second, but I have never agreed with big clubs playing reserve sides or resting their bigger players for Cup games. It's mostly evident in the Carling Cup and as Arsenal found out to their chagrin, it can backfire horrendously. For one, it shows a distinct lack of respect to your opponents, the same opponents who do the same job yet get paid considerably less. Liverpool came unstuck today and I for one am glad. They may have been resting players like Steve Gerrard and Fernando Torres for the lucrative Champions League game with Inter Milan later this week, but Barnsley deserve their victory for the arrogance demonstrated by Liverpool - not to mention the heroics of their on-loan goalkeeper, Luke Steele. It's not the first time they've struggled in the cup either this season. A third round tie against cash-strapped Luton Town, went to a replay. They were 1-2 down against the minnows of Havant & Waterlooville in the last round and today they've been beat. The lessons here are this... there's too many average players on clubs books, there's too much money in the game with greedy foreign-based owners who have nothing but even more money on their minds, and UEFA are at fault for making too big a deal out of the Champions League when only a quarter of the teams who qualify are actually Champions!!!

But that debate is for another day so for now I will sign off by saying this, the FA Cup is the greatest club competition in the world and has been since 1872. Days like this will be talked about for years to come, the day the little club, stood up to the rich and said "Your money means nothing if you haven't got the desire". Barnsley and Bristol Rovers will enjoy their success today and we'll look forward to the quarter final draw later this week. As for Liverpool, my bet is we'll see a very different side against Inter Milan.