Friday night lights, the form of Sean St. Ledger and the rare possibility of a decent game between Liverpool and Man United is what we’re looking at in the FA Cup this weekend.
Could Friday night football take off?
It’s something that came to mind when Liverpool played Oldham in the third round: Is there room for Friday night football in the Premier League?
The clubs involved in Europe would no doubt have something to say about it, but on weeks when there is no Champions League or Europa League, Friday night football could certainly work as an alternative to Monday nights, or even the early fixture on Saturday mornings.
The majority of people attending matches themselves wouldn’t have to worry about work the next day, while over here, Premier League football is a far better alternative than the Late Late or Tallafornia on a Friday night, even though it would clash with Airtricity League matches a little further down the line.
This weekend, Everton v Fulham and Watford v Spurs are both on Friday night and although it is just a notion at this stage, it is worth bearing in mind for Premier League bosses in the future.
A shot in the arm for Wenger and Arsenal?
For the second time this season, fans are up in arms at Arsene Wenger after three defeats on the trot saw Arsenal’s title challenge slip away for yet another season.
The Gunners need a win against Aston Villa to get out their current rut and of all the clubs in need of a cup run right now (Liverpool are too, but they have the Carling Cup), Arsenal and Wenger need some faint hope of success to cling onto and the FA Cup is by far their best bet.
Saying that, that was also the case last season until the Carling Cup Final, and we all know what happened next.
Trapwatch: Sean St. Ledger
It’s been a good thing for Sean St. Ledger in the past that playing football for your club isn’t actually a pre-requisite for playing at international level for Ireland. Thankfully for the Ledge, however, he’s actually getting a run of games for Leicester City at the moment, despite having all but packed his bags earlier in the New Year.
The little known wind-blower in the surface at the Walkers Stadium is obviously working a treat
He was particularly impressive against Southampton on Monday night and with Sol Bamba still on African Nations Duty, he should keep his place for the FA Cup clash with Swindon this weekend. At the moment, he’s in pole position to partner Richard Dunne in the summer and the more he plays between now and then, the less chance there is of somebody taking his jersey before the Euros.
Another John Terry handshake saga
Like it or not, but all the build-up to this weekend’s clash between QPR and Chelsea is going to focus on whether or not Anton Ferdinand shakes John Terry’s hand. We’ve been down this road before, of course.
We’re not going to go into the ins and outs of what exactly happened between the pair late last year (that has been done to death already), but it seems a pity that one little gesture is going to overshadow what could be a pretty decent encounter, although it’s hardly going to be a “celebration of football” as was suggested by both clubs during the week.
If history is anything to go by, there’s an opportunity for QPR to capitalise on all the hype because Terry hasn’t exactly performed well under fire in the past. He was hopeless against Arsenal immediately after the Ferdinand scandal broke earlier in the season, while after the Bridge episode a few years back, Chelsea were beaten 4-2 by Man City at Stamford Bridge.
If QPR do win and Terry is at fault, let’s just say it couldn’t happen to a nicer bloke.
Forget the bitterness, any chance of a good game of football?
Because of the whole Evra/Suarez debacle, there will be an extra level of spice added to the already bitter Liverpool/Manchester United rivalry this weekend, but forget that for a second; what are the chances of a decent game breaking out?
Not much, if recent encounters between the pair are anything to go by. They tend to be incredibly tense and boring (the 1-1 draw earlier in the season) or one-sided (Liverpool’s 3-1 victory last season) and rarely do the talking points revolve around something other than an incident that antagonises at least one set of supporters.
Some readers might not remember this, but something along the lines of the cracking 3-3 draw between the sides at Anfield way back in 1994 is what we’re hoping for.
It might be too much to expect, but the FA Cup hasn’t disappointed so far this season, so fingers crossed.
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