FA Cup draw (BBC2, while I’m daydreaming with BBC1 on, but there we are)
The balls have been drawn and we’re playing Spurs again. Here’s the full list:
Chelsea v Blackpool/Norwich City
Watford v Ipswich
Preston v Manchester City
Plymouth v Derby
Manchester United v Reading
Arsenal/Bolton v Blackburn
Bristol City/Middlesbrough v West Brom
Fulham v Tottenham
Well you’d take that wouldn’t you? The main thing is the home draw, and then you just want to avoid one of the big teams. This we have done. Spurs are awful away and we played them off the park in the recent home game, so yeah, good draw. It will probably be on TV too, so expect another 11,000 crowd, maybe more if people are lured by the prospect of seeing Spurs again. Those charming men from North London will be down in force to tell us that our support is f@cking sh!t, that they forgot we were here, and all that business that every away group sings at us, but on the pitch we have Montella and they don’t, and that’ll be the difference.
Elsewhere, Chelsea get a nice game, Watford will expect to beat Ipswich, and Plymouth and Derby could be a corker. United will have half a worry about their game, Reading being the sort of team that is well capable of upsetting anyone. But it’s at Old Trafford and realistically that’s going to be a home win. Arsenal will have to get through a toughie up in Bolton, then dust themselves off for another scrap with Blackburn. And then there’s Boro vs West Brom, about which I have nothing to say.
So all in all pretty positive. We’ve been linked with Gordon, the young Hearts goalkeeper (our £4million bid being the only firm offer so far, it seems), and with… is there anyone else at this point? No, I don’t think so, Alexey Smertin being the last in.
Wembley here we come!
