When they left the 5.20pm slot free, we all knew that slot was going to be filled, their game is now remarkably the 37th consecutive Man U FA Cup game shown live. ITV and Man U represent everything that's wrong with the competition - this a team that pulled out of the FA Cup not so long ago and year after year are rewarded with televised game after game to appease their legions of gloryhunting armchair fans, meanwhile Macclesfield (Non-League) draw Wigan (Premier League) in a local derby with a chance of a cupset and no recognition and no TV money. FA Cup R.I.P - your greed, commercialisation and contempt for the competition has devalued it. But check this, the bias doesn't end there. According to Adrian Chiles (with ITV pundits agreeing unamimously), United winning the competition is an inevitability. The contempt is beyond laughable, you'd think there was only Football League teams left in it. The following may as well throw in the towel then. Chelsea - Current Holders & European Champions (Won FA Cup 3 out of the last 4 years) Man City - Premier League Champions & 2011 FA Cup winners. Liverpool - Carling Cup Holders & Last year's finalists Spurs - Semi Finalists 2 of the last 3 years Everton - Last year's semi finalists. Arsenal - Top 4 Club and amongst the favourites. Beggars belief
When ITV bosses look at the FA cup fixtures, they look for the game that is going to generate the most viewers. You may not like it, but ITV are a business so there going to show the game that is best for business. They are not going to show Wigan and Macclesfield, when Wigan are probably the most poorly supported PL side ever. Man Utd in there last 4 FA Cup draws have been drawn against other PL sides, away to City, away to Liverpool, away to West Ham and now at home to Fulham. These are all games that will get big ratings. It's nothing to do with bias or favouritism, it's all to do with which fixture will generate the most money. ITV pay alot of money to get the FA cup, so they need to earn that money back
I guess the companies shelling out for ads want viewing figures maximised. Sadly, more people will watch United roll over Fulham than a proper cup tie at Macclesfield. Your average televised football viewer supports a top four team, owns a shirt and never goes. These people don't give a **** about Nat Brown scoring a dramatic goal for Macclesfield.
I think Chiles was talking about them edging through despite being uninspiring as a sign they'll win it, which is still stupid. I'd say the ref helping them out at every opportunity was a clearer sign.
Sad but True, a damning indictment of modern football. The fans that support non-Sky 4 clubs are the lucky ones.
A United fan wouldn't understand, but Brentford v Chelsea is actually a derby i.e two teams connected to each other by locality and hasn't been contested in 60 odd years. Even Sky (United's biggest cheerleaders) don't show United v Fulham at Old Trafford because they know it's a procession.
I might be wrong, but I don't think District manages the club, though a stellar education at Birmingham's third finest university means he'd probably do no worse.
Your picking out selective signings, some as far back as 6 years ago. I can do that too, though i dont need to use so many players. Shevchenko and Torres = 80 million, the same price we sold Ronaldo for. That's not a problem though, with all the money you make through the gate at your 41,000 all seater piss hole
Listening to Talk Sport tonight, and even your very own Jason Cundy was agreeing with how poor your support is at Stamford Bridge. Your quiet when your winning, and then you boo when your losing. No wonder your home form is so poor. Our home form is very good, because our 75,000 fans get behind the team regardless of if we're losing, that's why we've won so many games from a losing position. Your fans should try it some day. Your level at 2-2 tonight, and you boo Torres when he comes on, how on earth is that supposed to help your team win the game? Pathetic, beyond belief! Our fans would have been getting behind the team in that situation, that's why it's no coincidence that we score so many late goals
King. Fairly sure that about 70,000 of your 75,000 support are Asian tourists. It's so loud because the sound of their cameras going off every 5 minutes drowns out the sound of the 'regulars' munching on their prawn sandwiches.
