March 16, 2004

More FA Cup Curios: I've just watched the historic FA cup win of Millwall over Tranmere. And I have one question: Does Dennis Wise pencil his eyebrows? Good on the guy, though.

posted by molafson to soccer at 08:57 PM - 16 comments

Also, Iain Hume really needs to reconsider his haircut. Come on, you're on TV, dude!

posted by molafson at 09:10 PM on March 16, 2004

Hume looks great. He should keep the blonde swoosh. I couldn't believe my eyes, though, when with at least two minutes of injury time left FSW cut away from the game to show commercials! I realize it ran a few minutes over and Tranmere ended up not scoring but WTF??? When they came back from commercials the players were celebrating the end. Stoopid fookers!

posted by billsaysthis at 11:13 PM on March 16, 2004

heh. i remember watching a Calgary Boomers game on TV (blink and you'd have missed them NASL team) and it was tied in the late going, the station ran a few commercials... and when they returned the Boomers were celebrating their victory. nice.

posted by gspm at 01:05 AM on March 17, 2004

Luckily we don't have to suffer the indignity of commercials during the game in the UK - football and rugby will show the entire half, with as much injury time as there is to show. Formula 1 has occasional breaks, but coverage is continuous for most sports.

posted by BigCalm at 03:20 AM on March 17, 2004

I wouldn't piss on Dennis Wise if he was on fire. If he wasn't on fire though....

posted by squealy at 03:52 AM on March 17, 2004

If Millwall get to Cardiff, I am departing the country for the duration.

posted by Fat Buddha at 05:58 AM on March 17, 2004

I certainly wouldn't hang about Cardiff, that's for sure.

posted by salmacis at 08:55 AM on March 17, 2004

I'm going to the Millennium Stadium on Sunday. The LDV Vans trophy is much better than the FA cup any way...

posted by dng at 09:09 AM on March 17, 2004

How did this happen this year? How did a NON-Premier league team make it to the Final?

posted by StarFucker at 09:30 AM on March 17, 2004

Arsenal drew all the premier league teams instead.

posted by trox at 10:32 AM on March 17, 2004

SF, I think e so-called fair draws are rigged so that the tournament gets this kind of thing to happen. BC, normally we don't have commercial breaks during soccer matches either which is part of why this was so weird. I think the problem is probably traceable to poorly programmed software, since FSW only added this match at the last minute and didn't even push the change out to the cable companies for them to change the onscreen program guides. I wouldn't be surprised if their own scheduling software was not properly updated either and the commercials were not moved off. Still sucks, but that's probably the explanation.

posted by billsaysthis at 11:01 AM on March 17, 2004

SF and billy, they could've drawn Arsenal and Man U separately in the semis. But then, there'd be people complaining that the little guys were hard done by, and it was a set up for an all-EPL final, how boring, bla bla. FSW sucks. American TV still does not know how to broadcast soccer!

posted by worldcup2002 at 11:55 AM on March 17, 2004

SF, I think e so-called fair draws are rigged so that the tournament gets this kind of thing to happen. Isn't it just simply luck - there's been quite a few times in the last few years (last year for example, as well as in 98 and 92, off the top of my head)) that two premier league and two nationwide teams have made the semis, and this is the first time they've been drawn together to guarantee a lower league team in the final. Considering its a 1 in 3 chance of that, I doubt its any real conspiracy.

posted by dng at 11:59 AM on March 17, 2004

Far and away best Britishism of the year for me (a close second to "dogging" from a linked article in a prior post), from the mouth of Dennis Wise:

'We should have won the game at their place - we shouldn't have been here tonight - but I'm chuffed to bits at the way it went.' (emphasis added).
I am just chuffed to bits to have read that.

posted by holden at 12:06 PM on March 17, 2004

While I am chuffed in this instance, I am able to remain in one piece. My favourite footie related Britishism is "lurking with intent". I heard that once and it seemed like an incredibly profound or exciting way to say that there was a player in the vicinity of, though not directly involved in, the play.

posted by gspm at 12:24 PM on March 17, 2004

I spend a lot of time lurking with intent, which I must say leaves me chuffed to bits. This, this is a horribly good thing.

posted by worldcup2002 at 02:41 PM on March 17, 2004

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