No 'FA Cup Final Celebrity It's A Knockout'?

[Ray de Galles]

"The BBC has announced it will devote a whole day of programming to the 2015 FA Cup final, reviving the tradition of all-day coverage of the Wembley showpiece."

.

[Jah Womble]

No 'FA Cup Final Celebrity It's A Knockout'?

No Cup Final Swap Shop either?

Whatever, it'll still never reach the giddy heights of 1978 World Cup Celebrity Squares. (Bill Shankly, from his second-floor podium: "...and the joke is...")

[Theodore]

No 'FA Cup Final Celebrity It's A Knockout'?

I went to search for a certain video and this is the first listing on google

[Patrick Thistle]

No 'FA Cup Final Celebrity It's A Knockout'?

Utterly useless nostalgia-fest if the kick off isn't at 3pm.

IMO

[Errorist Sympathiser]

No 'FA Cup Final Celebrity It's A Knockout'?

Massive opportunity to resurrect the half-time wrestling missed. The world is being robbed of "The Bastard" Dave Mastiff versus Big Damo O'Connor.

[Borracho]

No 'FA Cup Final Celebrity It's A Knockout'?

I've probably mentioned this here, but I clearly remember that at half-time of the 1985 final the BBC devoted five or six minutes to a slow-motion montage of Brazil stroking the ball around at the 1982 World Cup, set to the strains of Black Magic Woman by Santana.

The piece had originally been broadcast during the tournament itself. I have a vague recollection that Des Lynam said they were showing it again due to popular demand.

[Jah Womble]

No 'FA Cup Final Celebrity It's A Knockout'?

I certainly remember that footage, but fail to see how it'd have had much relevance to a final forgettable bar Kevin Moran's red card*. (Whiteside's winner was decent enough, of course.)

Utterly useless nostalgia-fest if the kick off isn't at 3pm.

I'd forgotten that it doesn't kick off until 5pm. Why are the FA persisting with that slot now that the game is (rightly) not hampered by Prem matches?

And you're right, it'll reduce the build-up to nought but a background drone.

Edit: *Which I note is being discussed on a parallel thread that had somehow passed me by.

[Ray de Galles]

No 'FA Cup Final Celebrity It's A Knockout'?

Kick-off's actually at 5:30pm, I'll let it slide this year as I'm at the Scottish Cup Final which kicks off at 3pm so can see both.

[Jah Womble]

No 'FA Cup Final Celebrity It's A Knockout'?

I had a ticket for last year's, but the other half wasn't keen on my going. Her brother - a Hibs die-hard - has never let her hear the last of it.

Might watch that instead of 'Cup Final How Clean is Your House?', or whatever...

[Stumpy Pepys]

No 'FA Cup Final Celebrity It's A Knockout'?

I'm struggling to remember the running order of the FA Cup of years gone by.

Wasn't there usually a special edition of A Question of Sport?

[Jah Womble]

No 'FA Cup Final Celebrity It's A Knockout'?

I think CFQoS was generally on during Cup Final week, rather than the day itself.

This is how the BBC covered it in 1971 (morning missing)...:



...and ten years later:

[Gangster Octopus]

No 'FA Cup Final Celebrity It's A Knockout'?

They bring all this back on a day when I can't watch a minute of it. Fucking Manchester United.

[sw2borshch]

No 'FA Cup Final Celebrity It's A Knockout'?

Either of them released a single?

[Jah Womble]

No 'FA Cup Final Celebrity It's A Knockout'?

Yeah, Arsene's version of Let's Get Physical comes out next week.

[My Name Is Ian]

No 'FA Cup Final Celebrity It's A Knockout'?

I've recently discovered the joys of live podcasting (we have a podcast these days, for the uninitiated,) and we're contemplating a seven hour marathon on FA Cup final day. Whether I can mentally cope with this is another matter of course. I'm open to ideas on how on earth we can keep this going for five hours before the match, by the way. I'd not thought much further forward than "get horrendously drunk."

[Jah Womble]

No 'FA Cup Final Celebrity It's A Knockout'?

If you can do that and somehow stay awake for seven hours, then you're a better man than I.

[My Name Is Ian]

No 'FA Cup Final Celebrity It's A Knockout'?

I'm working to the assumption that if we start at lunchtime, we'll be alright.

[tee rex]

No 'FA Cup Final Celebrity It's A Knockout'?

Love those old Radio Times pages. Chinamen, black players, and a candidate for Most Letters Ever after the name of the band leader.

[tuckwat]

No 'FA Cup Final Celebrity It's A Knockout'?

It's a Knockout? Jim'll Fix it? Aren't they best forgotten?

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

No 'FA Cup Final Celebrity It's A Knockout'?

When I was a kid, it almost seemed like Arsenal got to the FA Cup final every year as if by right, and they were always memorable - Bobby Robson's Ipswich hitting the woodwork for fun before finally scoring in 1978, the heart-stopping finale of 1979, the cynicism of Paul Allen being denied a late goal as a 15-year-old in 1980.

As years have gone on, though, every time Arsenal time get to a Cup Final, I seem to remember their appearances less and less. 1993, the thudding despondency of their last-minute winner against underdogs Sheffield Wednesday. 1998, beating Newcastle, as novelty French party-poopers to Shearer's career finale. In 2001, the "Michael Owen" final, there was the inconvenience of my daughter being born while the game was on, so I could only really concentrate on the first half and Stephane Henchoz's remarkable performance in goal. The one where they beat Chelsea was not that memorable, the one where they beat Southampton even less so, and the one against Man United was the worst FA Cup Final of all time. Last year, bored of the build-up, I went out to sunbathe in the garden and had actually dozed off before my wife came out to tell me that Hull were 2-0 up.

Tomorrow, with a 5-30 kick-off (another triumph from the FA) I'll have to try and watch some of it. But it doesn't fill me with anticipation.

[Ray de Galles]

No 'FA Cup Final Celebrity It's A Knockout'?

Given justifying his selection somewhat with that save.

[Sean of the Shed]

No 'FA Cup Final Celebrity It's A Knockout'?

That Hutton tackle could have been a lot worse for Sanchez.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

No 'FA Cup Final Celebrity It's A Knockout'?

Grealish is going to score the winner in this. I've had one of my premonitions. It'll fuel the flames of the "are you Irish or are you English" debate to inferno point.

[Sean of the Shed]

No 'FA Cup Final Celebrity It's A Knockout'?

Grealish would definitely have a big old hipster beard and a sleeve tat, if only he could grow facial hair and his mum would lethim.

[Sean of the Shed]

No 'FA Cup Final Celebrity It's A Knockout'?

That goal was inevitable. Overdue really.