THE ROAD TO WEMBLEY
When Big Website broke the exclusive that Big Sir Jim Ratcliffe plans to sack Erik ten Hag even if Manchester United beat Manchester City at Wembley, Football Daily felt its first twinge of something approaching interest in this season’s FA Cup final. At the exact moment that news of the Dutchman’s imminent exit became public, we were spell-checking a finished article which detailed how the first Cup final we recalled with anything resembling clarity was played in 1982 and won by Tottenham, who eventually beat QPR in a replay.
Without checking we stated with certainty that Peter Hucker, Glenn Hoddle, Gary Waddock, Mark Falco, Clive Allen, John Gregory and Steve Archibald all played, only to subsequently do a perfunctory bit of research and discover that one of those mentioned hadn’t. Not that Falco’s inclusion mattered, of course. The point we were trying to make was that having watched each of the 41 FA Cup finals since with varying degrees of interest, trepidation, horror and fascination, we can’t ever remember having had less enthusiasm for the annual showpiece than we did when it comes to Saturday’s Wembley jamboree.
This may not sound like much of a revelation in an era when the FA Cup has lost so much magic that even radio phone-ins, devoted to the amount of magic the FA Cup has or has not lost, have got to the point where they have lost their magic. Because make no mistake, Football Daily remains a misty-eyed old romantic in whose flinty heart the FA Cup will always have a special place – it’s just that until 10 minutes ago, the outcome of the contest between the double Double-hunting City and their beleaguered neighbours was unlikely to elicit any reaction more emotional from us than a weary shoulder-shrug o’apathy. Now we know Ten Hag is headed for the Old Trafford door marked Do One regardless of the outcome, consider our interest well and truly piqued after all.
While United have yet to comment on the news that Ten Hag is to be binned off, the club’s new Ineos overlords are already being accused of demonstrating a serious lack of class and no doubt a deluge of indignant, chin-stroking, think pieces are already in the pipeline. Football Daily’s piping hot take, for what it’s worth, is that Big Sir Jim and his clipboard-wielding lackey and fellow knight of the realm, Sir Dave Brailsford, will almost certainly be enraged that the news has been leaked and had every right to roll out their succession plan when it became obvious their current manager is delusional and clearly out of his depth. A shock win at Wembley won’t alter that.
“In big clubs like United and City, when you don’t win you are always in trouble,” honked Pep Guardiola, before news of Ten Hag’s impending dismissal had become public. “I have huge respect for his job in the past, and now at United. They’ve had a lot of [knack], [the] manager has suffered a lot.” Ten Hag could suffer considerably more in the next 24 hours and the final could make for car-crash viewing. Whatever the outcome, Big Sir Jim and his regime of expensive new suits will almost certainly end up looking more like amateurish clowns – meet the new bosses, same as the old bosses.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Out – 27 January: “I decided it some time ago; the people closest to me know. It’s a situation that I think affects the club now. It affects me but when it affects the club I think I have to leave” – Xavi explains his decision to leave Barcelona after the 5-3 defeat by Villarreal in La Liga.
In – 25 April: “Xavi will stay, he’s really happy and excited” – chief suit Joan Laporta is seemingly delighted as he confirms the head coach has performed a remarkable U-turn. “Circumstances have changed,” cheers Xavi.
Still just about in – 18 May: “We have the same enthusiasm and ambition to take on this season and next. And that’s it: calmness. I know the surroundings are noisy but nothing changes” – Xavi claims he is going nowhere but …
Out – 24 May: “The president of Barcelona, Joan Laporta, has informed Xavi he will not continue as coach of the first team in the 2024-25 season” – a club statement puts an end to the Catalunyan hokey cokey, with Hansi Flick (last seen overseeing Germany in a 4-1 thrashing by Japan) lined up for the top job.
WIN A DAVID SQUIRES PRINT!
Thanks to our friends at the Guardian Print Shop, we’re giving away more David Squires cartoons. To enter, just write us a letter for publication below. We will choose the best of our letter o’ the day winners at the end of each week and that worthy winner will then be given a voucher for one of our top, top cartoonist’s prints. And if you’re not successful, you can scan the full archive of David’s cartoons here and buy your own. Terms and conditions for the competition can be viewed here.
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
I see Xabi Alonso has taken defeat in Big Vase final with grace and decorum (yesterday’s Football Daily), thus simultaneously confirming that he was right to avoid any managerial overtures from the Premier League. I mean, what use is a manager if, when his team loses, he doesn’t rant and rave about VAR, bemoan the substandard on-field officiating and take serious offence to the openly provocative digestion of sandwiches. We have standards, you know” – Colin Reed.
As part of his visit to Vale of Glamorgan brewery (yesterday’s Football Daily, full email edition), Rishi Sunak also met with one of Camra’s national directors. While I’m a member I don’t always see eye to eye with Camra’s leadership, and indeed, am something of a bete noire to them. However, their collective ability to be on hand when the prime minister makes a complete and utter fool of himself is something we should all admire” – Ed Taylor,
Smartly, the BBC added David Moyes, Thomas Frank and Cesc Fàbregas to continue their Euros coverage (yesterday’s News, Bits and Bobs, full email edition) after Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand bow out in the quarter-finals” – Steve Mintz.
Derek McGee’s note about German dolls (yesterday’s Football Daily letters) reminded me of this absolute horror show” – Andy Korman.
Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s letter o’ the day winner is … Colin Reed, who joins the other winners from this week for a chance to win a David Squires cartoon from our print shop. And our letter o’ the week winner is … Derek McGee. We’ll be in touch. Terms and conditions for all this can be viewed here.
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