Could have ended the career of one of the best players I’ve seen in a long time. Absolutely shocking, and like you say, more like GBH than a tackle, and the guy just got a yellow! If the player on the end of the second yellow foul had been seriously injured, it would have been almost entirely down to Lee Mason not sending him off for the Sane foul.
FA cup draw numbers: 1 WEST BROMWICH ALBION 2 LEICESTER CITY 3 HUDDERSFIELD TOWN OR BIRMINGHAM CITY 4 NOTTS COUNTY OR SWANSEA CITY 5 MANCHESTER UNITED 6 SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY 7 MANCHESTER CITY 8 COVENTRY CITY 9 MILLWALL OR ROCHDALE 10 SOUTHAMPTON 11 BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION 12 WIGAN ATHLETIC 13 HULL CITY 14 NEWPORT COUNTY OR TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 15 CHELSEA 16 SHEFFIELD UNITED The draw is today about 7.20pm on The One Show. Game will be during weekend 17-18th February.
Order of preference (all home) - Coventry - Hull (Nigel ) - Wigan - Either Sheffield Avoid at all costs - Man City.
My ideal draw: Man Utd v Man City Chelsea v Leicester West Brom v Hudds/Brum Notts County/Swansea v Newport/Spuds Wigan v Brighton Sheff Wed v Sheff Utd Coventry v Millwall/Rochdale Southampton v Hull If we got through, there would only be a maximum of 5 Prem teams left to face, with only 3 from the top 6.
Brighton v Coventry Wigan v Manchester City Huddersfield/Birmingham v Manchester United Millwall/Rochdale v Newport/Tottenham Chelsea v Hull Leicester v Sheffield United Sheffield Wednesday v Notts County/Swansea West Brom v Southampton You expect all the big teams to get through that draw.
The only irritating thing is the big sides being kept apart again. The potential for Millwall v Spurs is quite tasty though.
If I didn’t know otherwise I would have said that the top sides had been seeded to avoid each other. Really disappointed that the Mancs aren’t playing each other, likewise Chelsea and Tottenham.
Certainly didn't want a big side, but WBA is middling. Not big, so we have a chance, but good enough to lose. And away.
From our perspective, it could have been much worse and it could have been much better. Probably a 50/50 chance of progressing. On balance, I'll probably take that at this stage. The thing that disappoints me is how straight forward it looks for pretty much every other PL club. I'd expect the QF to include all four of the big boys, and an overall minimum of seven out of eight PL clubs. Sheff Weds are the only non-PL club who I'd suggest have any sort of chance. So even if we can get past WBA, it's looking like a tough run thereafter still.
