The magic of the FA Cup

IS it perhaps the magic of the FA Cup that produced not only a stunning victory for the underdogs but also a number of mystic symmetries?

It was in 1960 that Wigan chairman, Dave Whelan, broke his leg at Wembley Stadium while playing in the FA Cup Final for Blackburn. Yet, last Saturday, his new team won the trophy, against huge odds, thanks to a man (Ben Watson) returning from a broken leg to nod home the winner in injury time. Whelan even claimed to have dreamed of this moment.

Ironically, it was lifting the FA Cup two years ago that marked the arrival of coach Mancini at Manchester City and a return on the huge investments made, ending a run of 35 years without a major trophy. And, yet it appears defeat in the fnal of the same competition marks the end of his career in England.

The FA Cup has overfowed with wonderful stories this season. While Milwall’s march to the semi-fnals was overshadowed by the appalling behaviour of a small section of their fans, Blackburn’s defeat of Arsenal in the ffth round, Oldham signalling the exit of the mighty Liverpool, Leeds dismissing Spurs and even Brentford’s draw with Chelsea on the same day will live in the memory.

However, even these were eclipsed by the MK Don’s 4-2 victory over QPR, Luton Town’s defeat of Wolves and Macclesfeld’s sumptuous triumph over runaway Championship winner’s, Cardiff.

Only the latter managed to put the FA Cup misery behind them and rectify their season. One fnal twist may be that Wigan could also become the frst team to experience the delight of lifting the trophy while suffering the ignominy of relegation in the same season.

Anyone having watched the fnal would have believed it impossible for Wigan to be relegated, such was the energy with which they played If they managed a success away at Arsenal last night this could set up an intriguing fnal day at home against Aston Villa in a ftting fnale to the season.

Looking ahead to next season, it is incredible that the top three teams may have new managers for the frst time since Alex Ferguson took charge of the Red Devils 26 years ago.

Ferguson may have referred to the blue half of Manchester as ‘the noisy neighbours’ but it was the Old Trafford speakers that had been turned to full volume to mark his farewell.

Rumours abound that he even selected the music with ‘I did it my way’ belting out. He certainly did, although not without the backing of the board over the years, a fact he was quick to recognise in his farewell speech.

Tellingly, he also asked all to back his recommendation as replacement, Everton’s David Moyes. It’s an intriguing appointment with the most successful manager in the history of English football handing over to a man who has won nothing.

Having announced his retirement when he did, United were allowed to take frst pick at the available managers (although some may argue that Bayern Munich acquired Guardiola before that).

Moyes may not have won a trophy although he has achieved fve top-six fnishes for Everton in his 11 years in charge, despite inheriting a dreadful squad from Walter Smith and spending only around £17m in all that time.

Moyes appears to be made from a similar mould to Ferguson, demanding a strong work ethic from his teams while being willing to give youngsters a chance.

What he has achieved has been done with one of the smallest squads while generating great loyalty. He has unearthed great gems for the English game such as Cahill, Fellaini and Pienaar – not to mention Rodwell and Rooney.

Ironically, the latter may be the frst task on Moyes’ ‘to-do’ list, with Rooney requesting a transfer and having been omitted from Fergie’s farewell party following a reported training ground incident with Phil Jones which left the high-profle England star with stitches.

Now it’s City’s turn. They appear ready to turn their back on a man who won seven trophies in four years in Italy and brought them their frst title in 44 years for another manager who has won nothing.

At least, in keeping with selections that refect their respective ‘corporate images’, they have a man who knows how to spend money! The man lined up to replace Mancini is the 59-year-old Chilean, Manuel Pelligrini.

To be fair, the £210m spent by Real Madrid on Ronaldo, Kaka and Benzema was before he arrived, although he still managed the costliest squad in history – although only for a year before he was sacked!

United fans may gloat that he is well suited to City as he has primarily achieved his success with small clubs. He took Villareal, a small Spanish town with a population half the size of Wigan, to the Champions League semi-fnal in 2006 where they lost to Arsenal (although Riquelme missed a penalty that could have turned the game).

He repeated the feat this year with Malaga who missed out in cruel circumstances to Borussia Dortmund who scored twice in the closing stages.

If he does make the move from Malaga to Manchester he will also be changing allegiance in the GCC, shifting from Qatari owners to those running Abu Dhabi.

In another of football’s great ironies, next season in the Premier League he may well face the man who replaced him at Real Madrid, Jose Mourinho, who is likely to receive a ‘hero’s welcome’ by returning to Chelsea.