FAC 4th Round Draw

Quoted from GrimRob

Who do you want to win now? I'm with Forest, a team I briefly supported in my distant Uni days!

Quoted Text

Since the foundation of the Football League, Tottenham Hotspur in 1901 have been the only non-league winners of the FA Cup. They were then playing in the Southern League and were elected to the Football League only in 1908. At that time the Football League consisted of two 18-team divisions.

In the history of the FA Cup, only eight teams who were playing outside the top level of English football have gone on to win the competition, the most recent being West Ham United, who beat Arsenal in 1980. With the exception of Tottenham in 1901, these clubs were all playing in the old Second Division. No other Third Division or lower side has won the trophy or even reached the final since the Football League was founded.

One of the most notable upsets in the final occurred when Sunderland beat Leeds United 1–0 in 1973. That season, Leeds finished third in the First Division, while Sunderland were in the Second Division. Three years later, Second Division Southampton also won the Cup, when they beat First Division Manchester United by the same 1–0 scoreline. The other Second Division winners of the FA Cup are Notts County in 1894; Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1908; Barnsley in 1912; and West Bromwich Albion in 1931. West Bromwich Albion are the only team to have won the FA Cup and promotion from the Second Division in the same season.

The FA Cup final has never been contested by two teams from outside the top division. Uniquely, in 2007–08 three of the four semi-finalists (Barnsley, Cardiff City and West Bromwich Albion), were from outside the top division, although the single Premier League team remaining, Portsmouth, went on to win the competition that year.

Quoted from Abdul19

A shit Premier League team won it last time, which is nearly the same thing!

Quoted from cmackenzie4

I wonder how long Moyes's job will be safe for?

Quoted from mariner91

I can't believe that somewhere at Old Trafford there aren't people now having private conversations wondering if they've made a massive mistake.

Quoted from mariner91

I can't believe that somewhere at Old Trafford there aren't people now having private conversations wondering if they've made a massive mistake.

Quoted from GrimRob

Is it that massive? Semi finals of the league cup, doing well in the Champions League and certainly not out of a top 4 finish (or qualify by winning the CL as Chelsea had to). Plus loads of injuries and hardly signed a "Moyes" player - and let's face it the squad Fergie left was probably  one of his worst. Quite a few home defeat but there are legions of fans willing to go to home games so it's not costing them anything in gate receipts.

Quoted from Abdul19

I keep hearing it was a bad squad, but it was a squad that won the league by 10+ points. Moyes spent all summer signing no-one until he panicked and bought Fellaini for an inflated sum at 23.59 on the last day of the window.

It's also amusing to see Everton doing so well (and playing attacking football)

Quoted from GrimRob

Is it that massive? Semi finals of the league cup, doing well in the Champions League and certainly not out of a top 4 finish (or qualify by winning the CL as Chelsea had to). Plus loads of injuries and hardly signed a "Moyes" player - and let's face it the squad Fergie left was probably  one of his worst. Quite a few home defeat but there are legions of fans willing to go to home games so it's not costing them anything in gate receipts.

Quoted from cmackenzie4

I wonder how long Moyes's job will be safe for?

Quoted from ginnywings

David Moyes will be given time, just as Fergie was when he first went to Man Utd and struggled.

The difference is that Fergie had proved what a good manager he was by taking unfashionable Aberdeen all the way to European success and broke the Celtic Rangers dominance in Scotland. No mean feat.

Moyes on the other hand has won nothing and in 11 years at Everton, never once beat any of the top four on their own patch in over 40 attempts. I think he's over rated and a bad choice but time will tell.

Quoted from mariner91

I reckon Fergie nominated Moyes purely on the basis that he's a Glaswegian. It's not as though his record is fantastic, no trophies in 10 years at Everton is pretty poor, they're not what you'd call a "small" club like Wigan who managed an FA cup win in that time.