Kenny Dalglish Won't Be Delivering the Module: English Premiership 2011-12

I saw a reference somewhere to the Cup Final kicking off at 5.15pm and assumed it was an amusing comment on the inevitability of it being a sterile affair settled on penalties. But no, it's true. What's the idea behind that?

The Football Association can confirm that this season’s FA Cup with Budweiser Final between Chelsea and Liverpool will kick-off at 5.15pm on Saturday 5 May.

It will be the first FA Cup Final under floodlights at Wembley Stadium in almost 20 years – the last being Arsenal’s replay win over Sheffield Wednesday in 1993 when a last-minute header from Andy Linighan in extra-time sealed a 2-1 victory for the Gunners.

The FA aren't saying so let's assume it's for TV

'We stated on record at the end of last season's final that we were looking at a later kick-off time after an FA review of the competition with fans and broadcasters," said a spokesman.

'Research showed that 5.15pm was more appealing than 3pm.

'5.15pm obviously gives people a chance to attend or play in a game earlier that day before watching the final on TV.

'The later time also maximises a bigger domestic and global TV audience for broadcasters.'

'Also we are huge cunts.'

Engineering work, planned up to 18 months in advance, by Network Rail over the bank holiday weekend means Virgin Trains have cancelled all but three of their Liverpool to London services on the day of the final.

And while fans are being advised to travel to the capital via Manchester, Chester or Stoke, there appears to be no means of making the return journey as there are no trains returning to the north-west after the game.

Further engineering work near Milton Keynes means return journey times of over five hours for those hoping to travel back the day after.

i'd say "unfuckingbelievable" but y'know it's the FA so

What?! That's some oversight.

mighty

brb, buying a coach

that start time makes it significantly easier for me to see it, though.

Is the bank hol for May day? Who's stupider or more stubborn in this case, the FA or Network Rail?

Fucking hell. No transport, graveyard slot on telly, drowned out by the greatest league in the world - the Coupe de France is going to be the world's preëminent cup competition before you know it.

it's a better telly slot, tbh

xp

the FA if that line about the repairs being announced 18 months ago is correct.

puts an interesting spin on all the whining when they weren't allowed to organise a World Cup finals, they can't even organise 1 match.

i'm sure that overseas markets were in mind when they altered the time

Why would Network Rail do repairs on a line over bank holiday weekend, though? Is there less traffic? I would have thought it made for a good weekend getaway to have an extra day off.

repairs usually happen over weekends, especially bank holidays. there's significantly less necessary traffic than during a working week.

and it isn't just sprung on people on the whole.

Whereas who could've predicted that a team from the north west would make the final?

Under floodlights? The match will be over by 7pm, maybe.

The floodlights will be on. Even if they are unnecessary. They were on at the Chelsea-Spurs game the other week.

You'd think the FA could do with saving a few quid on their energy blls.

lets face it,he is a black fairy along with the white­ fairies getting paid loads of money for kicking a bag­ of wind about ,footballers hah bunch of over paid poofs­ and well over paid.

From Cliff, on Sat 28 Apr 0:28

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/27042012/58/premier-league-jones-wins-court-case-perfect-alibi.html

cliff is a great name for a racist

Cliff, Dover (White)

over paid poofs­ and well over paid = early stage alzheimers?

Just a few weeks ago manager Tony Pulis successfully argued that he should be able to keep his driving licence despite being clocked doing 96mph in a 60mph zone.

Pulis's lawyer - the same Mike Stephenson who defended Jones - claimed that the manager should not be disqualified since he had to make deals while on the phone in his car, and if the £1m-a-year boss had a chauffeur driving him round, the confidentiality of those calls could be breached - potentially scuppering major transfers.

And Magistrates accepted the argument that the inability to deal while at the wheel could lead to relegation: "The people of Stoke could suffer if Mr Pulis lost his licence," Stephenson said in his winning argument.

mike stephenson, you are worth your weight in gold

http://www.beswicks.com/view/images/staff/michael_stephenson_big.jpg

a winning smile begets a winning argument

cameron jerome crashes into the courtroom, trips over football, bulldozes entire prosecution, judge smiles and says "i'm going to allow this!" etc

that is a stoke city club lawyer if i ever saw one

bet pulis treated him to a big pie in a weatherspoons after

http://beta.ilxor.com/sandbox/ThreadSelectedControllerServlet?boardid=141&threadid=1704#unread

worth keeping imo

Saha's verdict on 13 years in England: 'Yeah, I've been nearly great' Asked to sum up his career in eight words, Saha's first choice is 'paradoxical'

triffic conceptualisation e's got, e'll bring a lot to the team's vocabulary, wunnee?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2136309/Louis-Saha-Ive-nearly-great.html

some of it is a bit comment box ramble ish but he does seem unusually eloquent and self-reflexive for a football player.....tho french players tend to be like that, maybe why it's not as easy to corral them into a team

it's cos they have time to think about shit while they're translating their thoughts from english into french imo

there are some like gerrard who seem reasonably intelligent despite their lack of formal schooling etc but the last interview i saw w/ scott parker made him seem borderline special needs

like obv he is bored and wants the interview to be over but it's like just give one tiny sign of metacognition and....no, the jaw moves but the eyes are utterly inert

i think a scan last year revealed that his brain has turned 90 degrees anticlockwise in his skull as a result of years of juddering impacts with the knees of players more prone to standing in a tackle. great heart tho, what a pro

if that was the case wouldn't he start passing forwards?

system thinking shows DEEMS EMPIRICALLY UNSOUND, REVERIFY JOKEY ASSERTION

it would explain why he's been insistent in his unchallengable commands to g bale to run from left to right across the pitch tho?

i think bale is clever enough to work out the whole team is fucked whatever he de does so he might as well pretend to be maradona than antonio valencia++

bale has turned into the player with mad stats on pro evo so you try to do everything with him and end up being shite

some 7 yr old algerian kid can't believe his luck as he repeatedly beats you using the only two buttons working on his joypad

So Bale will "discuss what's best for myself" if Spurs don't make CL.

TRY PLAYING IN POSITION, SON

HA!

I think Bale, Modric and Adebayor are mentally out the door already sadly, they're just not that arsed about qualifying for the CL because they know fully well that a CL club would pick them up in a second.

Adebayor is Adebayor, Modric has probably never fully settled after the Chelsea business, Bale needs a manager who will insist he plays where he's most effective.