Our 4th round FA Cup match with Southend is Saturday 25th at 3pm. It's not a TV game which I'm surprised it. These are the TV games: FRI 7:45 Arsenal v Coventry on BT Sport Sat Lunch time: Bournemouth or Burton v Liverpool Sat Evening: Stevenage v Everton Sun Lunch time: Sheff Utd v Norwich/Fulham Sun Evening: Chelsea v Stoke
Sheff Utd vs Norwich Fulham over us is unusual if they've picked it for cupset potential, even if Sheff Utd knocked out Villa...
Arsenal vs Coventry is a surprise, very unusual to put on the ties with the PL side at home. I wonder if it's got anything to do with giving Coventry a bit of extra cash and the usual kind of crappy storyline they like to have in the build up. Can't really question the Bournemouth, Stevenage, or Sheff U games. Chelsea vs Stoke, I suppose it was inevitable that they've picked the all PL tie. Probably the least appealing all PL tie there's been in the FA Cup for a long time though. Even Fulham/Norwich in this round was one that you'd be more likely to watch expecting both sides to be trying to have something good about their season.
It's one where they think an upset against a PL first XI is more likely, and they get the sleeping giant down on their luck spiel to peddle. Magic of the cup and all that bollocks, plus we just played a side with 10 changes. How appealing is Southend vs Hull City Reserves?
Looking at the 16 games for the round, I was fairly confident we would make the 5 chosen for TV. League 2 at home to Premier League plus the Phil Brown Factor. Chelsea v Stoke is a boring one to pick IMO but I can see why they did it.
It's only a bigger upset if it happens. If you're trying to televise the magic of the cup you go for the slightly smaller upset that you think has much more chance of happening. That's why they very rarely choose the ones with the PL side at home (Arsenal vs Cov really is a weird choice).
Only the Arsenal v. Coventry is a surprise. The others are fair enough. At least it should ensure that our game is a sell out.
Same as Arsenal reserves v. Coventry City. I bet that the Chelsea v. Stoke game will also be a squad game. Thank heavens that the BBC have got the FAC back from next season. ITV are useless and BT sport is dire.
I think more neutrals people would be interested in watching Arsenal's reserves than ours. They're known for bringing talented foreign kids into their reserve team and then bringing them into the first team so it at least offers a glimpse of the future and offers a good show on a technical level. We're known as a lower league team and we never bring players through. That game is a weird choice though with it being an away game for Coventry.
Fair points. The game will be sold on 2 previous winners of the FA Cup i guess.. I wonder if the Live fee will go to Coventry as Arsenal dont need the money.?? imo, I dont want Live TV for our game. Keep Phil Brown as low key as possible. For those who are going - Roots hall is a dump. The away end is a poor version of Portsmouths Fratton Park end.
Bloody brilliant last time we were there though (as least it was the last time I was there), we won 3-2 with 10 men