Talking To The Enemy Fa Cup Final Special

[jamiemaher85]

The FA Cup Final Edition of Talking To The Enemy has been brought to you by the wonderful people at www.theshedend.com

 

1- Chelsea have had a fairly easy route to the final this year. What has your assessment of your Cup campaign been this year?

 

Loz: Other than Arsenal in the semis it has been a very favourable draw for us and I suppose my overall assessment is 'job done' - we are in the final and that is all that matters, if we go on to win it I will certainly never look back and think 'it was made easy for us'. To be honest I am bloody grateful for the favourable draws earlier on as there were periods under Scolari where I wasn't confident we would beat anyone.

 

Gullit4: Fairly easy other than the semi, but sometimes you get lucky like that. we've done enough to get to the final, playing well in some but not all of the games.

 

BJD: Well, we beat what was put in front of us which is all you can do. If Scolari was still in charge we most likely would not have recovered from going a goal down at Watford and certainly wouldn't have beaten Arsenal.

 

Lofty:Got to agree, the semi against Arsenal is the obvious exception. However, if we hadn't got rid of Scolari when we did I doubt very much whether we'd have got that far.

 

2- Does the FA Cup still hold as much significance to you or has it been cheapened slightly wit you search for European success taking more importance?

 

Loz: The FA Cup is still right up there for me as a trophy I love to see us win. If anything the CL is the one that has been sullied, both because it is now the CL rather than the old European Cup and also because it is governed by an institution that is rotten to the core.

 

Gullit4: Still massive for me. to win any trophy is great and the fa cup final is the best domestic cup in the world.

 

BJD: Of course it does and it should for any fan at least aged 6 and above!

 

Lofty: I think the FA Cup has always been important to most Chelsea fans, even more this season after being so blatantly robbed of a place in this year's Champions League Final

 

3- Di Matteo's 43 second cracker in '97, the first Cup success against Dirty Leeds in '70, winning the first final at the new Wembley in '07. A few fond memories of the cup, but what is your favourite FA Cup memory?

 

Loz: As an FA Cup final memory mine has to be Robbie's 43 second goal . As explained in another thread I was somewhat worse for wears by the time I got to the stadium and was started the game standing on my chair. Just as I decided it was time to sit down Robbie let fly, I then abandoned the sitting down movement in favour of leaping in the air movement - my balance didn't approve and I promptly took 8 people out around me. Only the fact we had scored saved me from a possible pounding!

 

Favourite memory outside of the FA Cup Final was Sparky coming off the bench at half time to turn round the tie against your bin dipping neighbours (we do pity you).

 

 

Gullit4: the 4-2 against liverpool and di matteo's goal in the final that season are the best, but being there beating man united beats the villa win and the semi over fulham- there was an incredible amount of cocky mancs (with southern accents obviously) doing the chin up before the game. beating them and then watching them all go home, silently, heads down on local buses was pretty special.

 

BJD: As you say - 43 seconds. I wasnt born in 1970 so i cant compare. Beating Luton in the semi in 94 was special because it ended a very long wait for a major cup final. Another great memory was Zolas goal versus Wimbledon in the semi in 97.

 

Lofty: David Webb's winner at Old Trafford. Well you know what they say about the first time.

 

4- What has been the best FA Cup final you have ever watched as a neutral been?

 

Loz: Coventry beating TOttenham in 1987 - the only thing that can partially compensate for a final without us in it is seeing Spurs lose.

 

Gullit4: West ham liverpool- but how can you enjoy a game where you hope both sides will lose?

 

BJD: Coventry beating Spuds. Great game and great to see Spuds lose.

 

Lofty: Sunderland v Leeds - always a pleasure to see Leeds lose, and I was there with the Mackams that day.

 

5- The FA's ticket allocation system has come under heavy criticism. How has your experience of purchasing tickets for the final been this year?

 

Loz: I won't be at this year's final so can't comment on personal purchasing experience however the overall ticket allocation is a disgrace and always has been.

 

Gullit4: Didn't get one. am a seasons ticket holder for about 10 years or so now, have been to loads of cup games home and away (admittedly fewer this season). think that says it all. tens of thousands of people will go to the game as neutrals, and some will barely be bothered about football at all. went to the semi and I guarantee the atmosphere will be much worse.

 

BJD: Nothing more needs to be added than has already been said. The f**kers need to pay that Wembley bill dont they ?!

 

Lofty: The only actual FA Cup Final ticket I ever managed to get my hands on was for the Sunderland v Leeds final. But that's another story.

 

6- Everton will be going into the final with the spine of the team augmented (Jags, Arteta and Yak) How do you feel you would cope in a similar situation (Terry, Lampard and Drogba all injured)?

 

Loz: We would have course struggle, no doubt about it. Terry we can replace to some extent in terms of a straight player swap however his leadership would be badly missed. Drogba missing would mean we have to play a different game (or at least should do - take note Scolari) and Lampard is just about all things to all men!!

 

Gullit4: Depends- if we lost them the day before I'd think we'd probably lose, if we had some games to adjust, while they'd all be losses we'd cope better... even so, losing all three at once would hurt immensely.

 

BJD: Well we would proably cope better than you will because we have a bigger squad, and that all comes down to resources (ie Roman!), but any team shorn of a spine like that will struggle. JT and Drogba is one thing but going into any major game without Lampard is a scary thought and one we really start need planning for i think.

 

Lofty: We might be pleasantly surprised. Think back to the ANC a couple of years ago, when Drogba, Kalou, Essien, Mikel were all away on international duty. We thought our season would collapse but actually coped very well with their absence.

 

7- Predictions for the final?

 

Loz: 2-0 to us.

 

Cheers - I doff my cap to Davie Moyes - one hell of a job he has done this season.

 

Gullit4: 2-1 to us. think we have a decent chance to win, but in a nervy game by a single goal.

 

BJD: 3-1 Chelsea (sorry!) but i couldnt think of another team to win who deserve it more than Everton. or maybe i am just thinking about how your red rivals might feel about you winning something in season they thought was theirs!

 

Lofty: Perhaps my oldest superstition is that I never, ever predict the score of a Chelsea match.

[Louis]

Hopefully we will be avenged for the league cup semi last season... that was a good read Jamie

[The Regulator]

Good read, fairly level headed bunch although i can still smell the arrogance from here...god i want to beat them

[jamiemaher85]

Good read, fairly level headed bunch although i can still smell the arrogance from here...god i want to beat them

They are actually a very nice bunch. You can see in other threads that they are all very complimentary about Everton and our season, and really you cant blame them for being confident. I would be fairly confident if I was in there position. We'll just do what we do best though, and prove people wrong.

[Heather_6]

COYB!!! Fucking do them!! Remember how many thought we would be beaten by United. Believe!

 

 

 

Nice article Jamie!