The FA Cup
For all the unending crapness of Barnet this season I still love football and this weekend is one of the reasons why. It's FA cup 3rd round weekend when the big boys are forced to mix it with those in the lower league and non league and I love it. This weekend saw Stoke City and Blackpool dumped out by Hartlepool and Torquay, we saw Chelsea held to a draw by Southend and various others do themselves proud.
What I liked more this time round though is the attitude of the big boys. Too often in recent years we have seen the premier league teams field weakened sides with the result being huge swathes of empty seats. In my opinion it shows total disrespect to this wonderful old competition.
Yet this season nearly everyone fielded a first choice team meaning that the empty seats were few and far between. There were a few of course, season tickets are expensive and when they are not valid for cup games you can hardly blame those that bought them for not turning up, and I would still like to see cup tickets looking like rocking horse droppings as they once were in the past.
Over all though I reckon that this season the grand old competition is looking healthier than it has for a while. Bring on Gillingham v Aston Villa this afternoon!
Showing posts with label FA Cup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FA Cup. Show all posts
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Friday, November 07, 2008
Thick as 12 board feet of wood
This season it's started early. Far earlier than usual. Oh yes.
What am I talking about you may ask? I'm talking about the total inability of my fellow Barnet supporters to get there head around the concept of ticketing for football matches. And it drives up the wall, it drives me to distraction, it makes me want to hit their head, and mine, repeatedly against the nearest hard surface.
Usually it takes the coming of a big game such as last seasons FA cup 4th round game against Bristol Rovers. Back then people could not get their heads around the idea of a game selling tickets both in advance and then selling those remaining on the gate. How hard is that to get your head around? I mean really? But no, in the build up people were insisting that this must mean that some were being held back for the day and when they found there were only standing tickets on the day got the right hump. Why? What was so difficult about the fact that some areas of the ground might be more popular and so might sell out in advance?
This year we have a cup 1st round game. It's never going to sell out, no area of the ground will sell out. And yet people are getting in a right tiz. They can't get their head around the idea of the fact that tickets can be bought in advance and still on the gate! They keep asking when the ticket office will shut, when is the latest they can get one. For fucks sake! It's Barnet v fucking Rochdale! And then they struggle with the idea that the voucher in the back of season tickets that quite clearly says it gives you a £2 discount on cup tickets gives you a er..... £2 discount on cup tickets. What is so hard to understand? Where is the problem?
In short, why are there so many thick people in the world?
This season it's started early. Far earlier than usual. Oh yes.
What am I talking about you may ask? I'm talking about the total inability of my fellow Barnet supporters to get there head around the concept of ticketing for football matches. And it drives up the wall, it drives me to distraction, it makes me want to hit their head, and mine, repeatedly against the nearest hard surface.
Usually it takes the coming of a big game such as last seasons FA cup 4th round game against Bristol Rovers. Back then people could not get their heads around the idea of a game selling tickets both in advance and then selling those remaining on the gate. How hard is that to get your head around? I mean really? But no, in the build up people were insisting that this must mean that some were being held back for the day and when they found there were only standing tickets on the day got the right hump. Why? What was so difficult about the fact that some areas of the ground might be more popular and so might sell out in advance?
This year we have a cup 1st round game. It's never going to sell out, no area of the ground will sell out. And yet people are getting in a right tiz. They can't get their head around the idea of the fact that tickets can be bought in advance and still on the gate! They keep asking when the ticket office will shut, when is the latest they can get one. For fucks sake! It's Barnet v fucking Rochdale! And then they struggle with the idea that the voucher in the back of season tickets that quite clearly says it gives you a £2 discount on cup tickets gives you a er..... £2 discount on cup tickets. What is so hard to understand? Where is the problem?
In short, why are there so many thick people in the world?
I'm alive, awake, alert enthusiastic!
Or so goes one of my prefered camp fire songs. And it's quite appropriate because yours truly is feeling irritatingly chirpy and cheerful today. The sun is shining, the trees are wonderful colours, my boss is out the office for the day and its the FA cup tomorrow. Yes the Mail is still telling lies, yes I'm still having to harrass cub parents to hand over subs and camp permission slips but over all it feels rather good to be alive today!
So yes tomorrow is round 1 of the FA Cup. Probably the only football competition that no one has managed to trash so far. They've had a go alright, Arsenal still wont play a first team come third round day and there is the nasty after taste of sponsorship to it, but over all its still a grand old competition. Two teams drawn randomly out the hat slug it out, if they draw, and I absolutely love this, they play the game all over again! Isn't that so wonderfully English? Shame it doesn't go to second and third replays these days but you can't have everything.
So I shall be at Underhill tomorrow to see Barnet v Rochdale. It's not glamorous, it's not sexy but it's the game I love and I can't wait.
Or so goes one of my prefered camp fire songs. And it's quite appropriate because yours truly is feeling irritatingly chirpy and cheerful today. The sun is shining, the trees are wonderful colours, my boss is out the office for the day and its the FA cup tomorrow. Yes the Mail is still telling lies, yes I'm still having to harrass cub parents to hand over subs and camp permission slips but over all it feels rather good to be alive today!
So yes tomorrow is round 1 of the FA Cup. Probably the only football competition that no one has managed to trash so far. They've had a go alright, Arsenal still wont play a first team come third round day and there is the nasty after taste of sponsorship to it, but over all its still a grand old competition. Two teams drawn randomly out the hat slug it out, if they draw, and I absolutely love this, they play the game all over again! Isn't that so wonderfully English? Shame it doesn't go to second and third replays these days but you can't have everything.
So I shall be at Underhill tomorrow to see Barnet v Rochdale. It's not glamorous, it's not sexy but it's the game I love and I can't wait.
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