FA Cup Third Round, Saturday: Open Thread
One of the highlights of the English football calendar is the FA Cup Third Round where there’s the potential of cup upsets. It’s also a rare treat for soccer fans to watch teams they don’t usually see on television, and to get a good glimpse at what English football is like at the lower levels of the professional game.
Here’s today’s TV schedule for soccer fans in the United States:
Blackburn vs Manchester City (FA Cup third round), 7:45am, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Soccer 2Go
Rochdale vs Leeds United (FA Cup third round), 10am, FOX Sports 1
Grimsby Town vs Huddersfield Town (FA Cup third round), 10am, FOX Sports 2
Macclesfield vs Sheffield Wednesday (FA Cup third round), 10am, FOX Soccer Plus
Arsenal vs Spurs (FA Cup third round), 12:15pm, FOX and FOX Soccer 2Go
Starting line-ups:
Arsenal: Fabianski, Sagna, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Monreal, Arteta, Wilshere, Rosicky, Cazorla, Gnabry, Walcot
Subs: Viviano, Jenkinson, Mertesacker, Flamini, Ozil, Podolski, Ju-Young Park
Tottenham: Lloris; Walker, Chiriches, Dawson, Rose; Lennon, Bentaleb, Dembele, Eriksen; Adebayor, Soldado
Subs: Friedel, Fredericks, Fryers, Capoue, Chadli, Kane, Obika
Here’s the complete schedule for the FA Cup Third Round.
Before, during or after today’s matches, join the conversation in the comments section below with fellow soccer fans from around the world.
Have a wonderful Saturday.
78 Responses to FA Cup Third Round, Saturday: Open Thread
Good morning everyone! Having the FA Cup on Fox is exciting to see. I was expecting a studio show to start but let’s see how the day develops.
Well, I lasted until 7:31am. Eric Wynalda started playing up to the camera and showcasing that amazing sense of humor……click.
I’ll turn Fox back on when the match starts.
Oh god, it has been a while since I have seen these Fox idiots and I likewise remember to go to the mute button once I do.
Wynalda is such a douchebag. How does he have a job?
That combination of “nothing meaningful to add” plus “repellant personality.”
For most networks this would be a negative.
This is the network that gave us the “American Voice of Soccer,” though.
Way to spoil a Saturday Marc, bringing up……
What? Forest is making the first line of US television tomorrow? Best of luck to your guys, jtm.
I have not seen them play in forever. May have to miss that tomorrow but good to know the Tricky Trees getting some televised run.
jtm is frantically trying to figure out if he gets FS2 and if not which of his neighbors do. No one west of the Rockies is safe.
Why do they always go from sitting in the first segment to standing after coming back from commercial? What does standing do?
It gives them an excuse to make use of their studio set so they can show their bosses that they don’t want to go back to the tiny studio at the old FOX Soccer building.
Gets them off their brains?
Expert analysis there from Brian McBride. “If you defend well and score a goal, you might nick a win”
If I had only had that bit of wisdom when I was coaching!
Dont like the strategy of Rovers to sit back, absorb pressure and wait for a counter opportunity. City is not fielding their top side and Rovers should use that plus the fact that they’re at home to press the attack. Pressure creates chances and chances creates goals. As we say watching the NFL, a “prevent” defense will “prevent” you from winning.
Blackburn are actually playing well. Should be a good game.
Why, Pellegrini, do u continue to force Dzeko and Negredo up top together?
City probably win this one because Blackburn are far below their level, but this is not a great idea. In fact, Dzeko only seems to play well when he is the lone striker.
Is Gus in action today then? Just looked at his Twitter feed and he appears to get much love for his commentary skills, are they any good, do they just not translate to football?
Here in the states, his work on basketball and gridiron football are renowned and respected everywhere. His passionate calls brings up the level of any game he commentates. Probably the same reasons hes loved for one sport are the reasons hes despised for another.
He’s far from loved universally in other sports.
In the business he is
We we are getting Brit commentary, thankfully. FA Cup not a big enough stage for the Chosen One.
Gus Johnson is a “divided opinion” commentator. He has his distinct style, which many people really like, but many people dislike.
I honestly dont care for the guy for American football but dont mind him doing basketball.
Would you say that he’s better suited to the faster paced, but stop start nature of your more ‘native’ sports?
Yes, mainly basketball. Which isnt quite as stop-start as football or base(zzz)ball but still more so than footy and generally faster paced.
The only thing that irks me about Johnson is sometimes he calls players by nicknames, at least in football, he did it on one of the Madden games and drove me crazy. I like excitement in neutral commentators but dont like bias in home commentary. Guys like Gus Johnson, Gary Thorne, Doc Emrick can make games interesting when they’re really not. On the other hand Vin Scully can call a 9th inning winning rally while telling multiple stories, while selling dodger dogs, and not change the inflection in his voice.
Could Rob Stone sound any less excited?
How bad was half time when they stood around on that silly pitch with their hands in their pockets looking totally disinterested. Then we have the girl hip thrust out posing on the stairs reading a teleprompter.
Barton has so much make up on his face is about to crack like global warming over the Antartic and Wynalda just looks confused with the apparent onset of dementia.
They are hilarious!
That stadium seems quite empty. I never like seeing/hearing empty stadiums.
Over 7,000 City fans made the trip. Most of any road team this round.
It’s a cracking away end. Stoke put on free coach travel for a league match there and ironically Greater Manchester Police refused us the additional 2000 tickets in the upper tier. We got beat and ended up with flu, cracking day out though.
Fox is a real change of pace presentation wise from NBC. From the early days of Fox covering sports, ie: NFL, Fox has always said it would take a lighter and more relexed approach to there coverage than other networks that viewed most sports as iconic events to be worshipped.
While the old FSC was never produced well as a whole the light hearted approach we see today and from Fox Sports1 is designed tobe that way. It does conflict with the FA Cup as it always seems to refered too in almost religious tones.
Is it just me? From every angle I can see Negredo was obviously offside. I didn’t think it was even a close call and the Asst. certainly had a clear view.
Who is commentating on the Arsenal v Spurs game?
Just browsing the MLS schedule for September an I should be able to make the Vancouver v DC United and Seattle v Real Salt Lake matches, I just miss out on the NYRB V Seattle match.
Might be asking in the wrong place (I’ll copy this and stick it on MLSTalk) but does anyone have advice on getting tickets? I don’t think Vancouver should be too troublesome but Seattle seem to sell out.
Anybody coming the opposite way at the same time there’ll be a couple of free matches in my Stoke season ticket available for use.
Little bit of a scoop for you Gaffer, the ongoing Agudelo signing could be coming off.
He’s pictured at the match on the link below:
http://oatcakefanzine.proboards.com/thread/223263/agudelo-deal-dead?page=7
Given Chelsea signed an 18 year old from Burkina Faso, after we get turned down for a work permit for Juan hopefully it’s worth appealing or loaning him to a European club.
not aware of this saga. r we talking about Juan Agudelo formerly of Red Bulls now of NE Revolution? why would Stoke have problems securing a work permit? is it an age thing? im not familiar with the rules so pardon me
The Juan and only
Have a look at this link:
http://www.businessofsoccer.com/2013/11/21/tighter-work-permits-for-footballers-agudelo-denied-uk-transfer/
Basically Greg Dyke decided to use it as an example right after making one of first speeches as the new FA Chairman. As ever it’ll be one rule for the rich (Stoke et all) and one rule for the richer (the top 6).
Sounds sily, just like the japanese baseball posting system. Good luck on your appeals, if Soke decides to do so.
I meant STOKE
Here’s the team news for Stoke Guy, Butland starts, Assaidi plays, Arnautovic back in and Kenwyne (lazy b@$tard) Jones replaces Crouch.
Daniel Bachmann (Austria u21 keeper) makes the bench as Sorenson is injured. Shotton also on the bench back from Wigan (I’d like to see him at RB and Super Geoffrey Cameron in front of him at RW).
Tough match against Leicester this’ll be.
Come on Rochdale! shame that know all Gary O’Reilly is in the booth.
What a great game!
Great goal by Ian Henderson. Who would have thought that Rochdale would beat Leeds?!
Accrington’s match against Portsmouth has been called off. Their manager, James Beattie, has paid for all their travelling support to go to Southampton v Burnley instead!
I think I’ve only ever heard of 3 players in the 3 televised games we’re getting right now. Wish Fox could’ve sent a crew to Dempsey’s game or gone to Goodison or something because I’m not engaged at all. I realize that they’re just patching in these int’l feeds.
Arsenal vs spurs is martin tyler and steward robson.
Guy Mowbray and Stewart Robson for us on the world feed.
Leeds played like sh*t today. They made themselves look like the League Two team. I furious with how we played, and how disinterested the studio people. Fox sucks the life out of the game and are going to set us back decades with their World Cup coverage.
Are you serious? They just made that guy do all the college basketball adverts with his British accent. This is amateur hour
That Fox theme music…..make it stop…..please.
I have a problem with Fox coverage on anything. They oversaturate games with promos for up & coming programming including putting celebrities in the stands for games just so they can focus on them with cameras to promote their programming. I dont think any american network says their name on games as much as fox does. That said I dont notice it as much on their football broadcasts they are more pure and not and advertising weapon.
I felt kinda nauseous when it first came on…
It’s obvious Fox told studio show to hold back for the Fox National game.
Look! They even let them have the desk!
Guy Mowbray with Stewart Robson not Martin Tyler
If you live in Miami and want to watch the Arsenal-Spurs match it’s on Fox Deportes (if you get the channel).
yeh.i should apologise some one has given me wrong information its guy mowbray.but it was scheduled that martin tyler will call this match.
Where’s Smokey when you need him? His Lions got done 4-1 by Phil Orange’s Southend Unit
Yup. Millwall got “smoked”
That’s the “magic” of the cup. Semi finalists last year, bombed out at the first hurdle by league 2 rubbish this year. At least Leeds got done too. Now back to the relegation scrap.
Ahem Smokey, that’ll be Championship rubbish against League 2 promotion contenders.
Who’s next to take on your poisoned chalice, Danny Dyer is appropriately named.
Anyone else notice the audio syncing issues with the Arsenal-Tottenham game? The commentary is fine, but the audio from the crowd noise is ahead of the video and commentary by a split second to one second, so we get to hear the reaction from the crowd first if it’s a near miss or goal before we see the ball go over the top or into the net.
The commentary is ahead as well. It was noticeable when showing the replay of the Vermaelen challenge as Robson admitted he got to the ball before the replay got to that point in the video.
Yes, Gaffer. Mine too. A second ahead.
I feel like this winds me up 200% more than the usual fan.
surround sound keeps going in/out.. definitely syncing problems…
back to ITV Sport…
Cantona—
Nice finish.
And just in case you missed the earlier finals from the FA Cup, FOX took up the entire lower left of the televisions screen to show you them.
Props to Mark clattenburg. Excellent refereeing today.
Idk if it’s just directv but I have had to watch the last 20 minutes on fox deportes because fox screen is black now. Not only did the hd quality not look good now this happens.
yeh.spot on.i noticed already. even here in Kenya we have same problem the audio from the crowd . is a head from the commentry
the match is over now…arsenal in to the forth round.
I’d just like to say thanks to Adebayor for such an awesome display.
Brian McBride sounds like a person who is about to graduate with a doctoral next to three 1st graders.
Thought Adebayor was crap today. Is this the beginning of another Adebayor chapter? Spurs better hope it’s a one off.
The Gunners looked superb today (When I saw the starting lineup I admit I had my doubts)… especially the first half. Great energy and connections- hopefully we can bring some of that back to our league play.
…and hopefully Walcott’s not seriously hurt.
I do wonder if injury is really going to be our undoing this year.
Luckily the injuries have been somewhat staggered (and reasonably mild)… until now. We are looking pretty thin up front. Wegner might do well to pick up someone as a stopgap measure this transfer window… especially if Podolski doesn’t find his footing soon.
Berbatov? He’s begging us, apparently.
Here’s hoping Giroud can stay healthy.
As far as Fox’s coverage is concerned, I am just happy that the hideous blue bar is not shown during the Arsenal-Spurs match. But the score display toward the end of the first half was not called for. I hope Fox could figure it out as they continue their soul searching.
Who Commentator For Chelsea-Derby Country And MUFC-Swansea Game For World Feed?