FA Cup Final

[dom9]

Too much? I view in worksafe mode most of the time, so I can't see such things.

I was asked to change it this time because I looked too much Willo. Now I look more like me.

[Buzzo]

Too much? I view in worksafe mode most of the time, so I can't see such things.

I was asked to change it this time because I looked too much Willo. Now I look more like me.

Yes, too much

My eye is trained to look out for posts from educated posters such as yourself and the ever changing avatar makes them hard to spot

[dom9]

Yes, too much

My eye is trained to look out for posts from educated posters such as yourself and the ever changing avatar makes them hard to spot

You are far too kind Mr Buzzworth. Far too kind.

[Buzzo]

You are far too kind Mr Buzzworth. Far too kind.

I know, I know, however in complimenting yourself and the calibre of your content I have at the same time offended nearly every other poster on this forum

[dom9]

[JHP]

65% chance of getting ticket in ballots http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/lates...l-announcement

[dom9]

Ouch.

[Chazza]

Virgin boss Branson: FA ignored our warnings over FA Cup final kick-off

Virgin boss Richard Branson has asked the Football Association to 'look again' at the timing of next month's FA Cup final in the light of travel problems faced by Liverpool fans.

Major maintenance work means rail travel, of which Virgin are the main providers, is likely to be severely disrupted over the Bank Holiday weekend - with supporters travelling from the north-west to Wembley for a 5.15pm kick-off and back on May 5 expected to be affected.

However, the FA maintain adequate transport arrangements have been put in place with extra coaches being put on to cover that route.

'We have a strong relationship with Liverpool Football club and twice recently have worked with them and Network Rail to bring many fans to Wembley,' said Branson in a letter emailed to the Liverpool Echo.

'On this occasion we would ask the FA to look again at the timing of the game.'

The FA did not respond to Branson's call for a rethink on the kick-off time but stressed they felt there would be enough coaches to ferry fans back and forth.

'In light of the disrupted rail service to London, The FA can confirm that National Express, a partner of Wembley Stadium, will provide dedicated services between Liverpool and Wembley for the FA Cup Final,' said an FA spokesman.

The dedicated coaches will depart Liverpool Coach Station at 10.15am on Saturday May 5 and travel direct to Wembley Stadium arriving at 2.30pm so fans can enjoy the pre-match build-up.

'Fans will be dropped outside Wembley Stadium with coaches not departing until the game has concluded after either 90 minutes or extra-time and penalties - meaning Liverpool fans will not miss a minute of this season's final.

'We went on record last year to state that the 2011-12 FA Cup final would have a later kick-off time while May 5 was announced almost 12 months ago to allow the Premier League to conclude in plenty of time for England to prepare for this summer's European Championships.'

All but three of Virgin's Liverpool to London trains have been cancelled that day with the last return service leaving just after 8pm - meaning fans face being stranded in the capital.

Branson said had the FA been more flexible in their plans, and listened to the advice of the train company and Network Rail - responsible for the track work - the problems could have been lessened.

'The decision by the FA to schedule the cup final on a Bank Holiday weekend and start at 5.15pm rather than the traditional 3pm has been made for the FA's commercial reasons at the expense of the travelling football fan,' added the Virgin boss.

'As is now customary on Bank Holiday weekends, the line is partly closed for improvement work.

This is Network Rail's massive renewal programme, scheduled more than two years ago, which will improve reliability on the line.

'The FA were told of these plans and of the impacts of a late kick-off, but chose to ignore the advice of Virgin Trains and Network Rail.

'If the FA had engaged with the industry we could have worked out a range of options well ahead of time and timed the match to minimise the disruption.'

Transport Secretary Justine Greening told the House Of Commons today: 'The underlying problem that we are trying to solve is that the FA Cup starts later than it was originally planned to start.

'I have spoken to Network Rail (NR) and Virgin and Department for Culture Media and Sport.

'It is very difficult to change the NR work which is really important for maintenance and safety and has been planned for 18 months but Virgin have said that they are planning to put on longer trains on the Sunday so that we can make sure that fans have a good opportunity to get back.'

Six MPs have signed an early day motion, calling on 'all involved to take the action necessary to ensure disruption is minimised as much as possible'.

Liverpool Walton MP Steve Rotheram called on ministers to 'bang heads together' and make sure there were scheduled services from the capital back to the north-west.

'Will you get the relevant authorities, Virgin, Network Rail and the Football Association, round the table and bang their heads together until common sense prevails?' he said.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2132297/Richard-Branson-urges-FA-rethink-FA-Cup-final-kick-off.html#ixzz1saeoaMyi

[ChesterDave]

National Express are the official of sponsor of Wembley, no?

They should be providing shed loads of buses as a result then.

CONSPIRATZEE!!!

[Craig_H]

Alan Kayll @alantkayll
Sponsors of LFC got 5,000 tickets for the Carling Cup final out of the clubs allocation. Going to be lucky if 17,000 go to fans.

[Baracus]

Deja Vu Athens final 2007

[Lecter]

Alan Kayll @alantkayll
Sponsors of LFC got 5,000 tickets for the Carling Cup final out of the clubs allocation. Going to be lucky if 17,000 go to fans.

Shocking but not unexpected

[Yozza]

FA Cup final in 3D & commercial-free on ESPN

ESPN is to bring fans the 2012 FA Cup final between Chelsea and Liverpool in 3D and commercial-free as part of a full day of live FA Cup programming from Wembley Stadium that continues to revive the tradition of broadcasting all day around the final of the world's oldest domestic cup competition.

Beginning at 8am on Saturday May 5, ESPN's special FA Cup final coverage will include:

ESPN'S FA CUP FINAL COVERAGE - MAY 5

8:00 - Breakfast at Wembley (Live)
Presented by ESPN's Darrell Currie alongside guest Jason McAteer. Reports as the preparations get underway at Wembley, plus interviews and more

9:00 - ESPNsoccernet PressPass - FA Cup Final Special
A special FA Cup edition of the football debate show with presenter Dan Thomas and regular pundits Steve Nicol, Frank LeBoeuf and Shaka Hislop

9:30 - Kings for a Day - Football's Giant Killers
A special FA Cup documentary exploring the competition's history and enduring themes

10:30 - FA Cup Final Brunch (Live)
James Richardson and guests with a light-hearted look at the build-up to the big game

12:00 - Pardon the Interruption UK - FA Cup Final Special (Live)
Quick-fire debate and discussion from Mark Chapman and Steve Bunce

12:30 - FA Cup - Talking Tactics
ESPN's Craig Burley, Martin Keown, John Barnes and Steve McManaman discuss the pivotal battles ahead

13:00 - Talk Of The Terrace - FA Cup Final Special (Live)
Kelly Cates and Mark Chapman host from Wembley with special guests and a live music performance from The Enemy

14:30 - FA Cup Final Matchday Live
Rebecca Lowe presents from Wembley with Kevin Keegan, John Barnes, Craig Burley and other special guests. Plus, ESPN Technical Area, which provides 3D animated plays and players and analysis, with Darrell Currie and Martin Keown.

16:45 - FA Cup Final - commercial-free, in association with Wonga
Jon Champion and Chris Waddle commentate on ESPN & ESPN HD; On Sky 3D, Derek Rae and guest commentater

Ross Hair, managing director, ESPN - Europe, Middle East and Africa, said: "The FA Cup final has a special place in the hearts of football fans everywhere, and at ESPN we are thrilled to be continuing the tradition of broadcasting all day around the FA Cup final from Wembley Stadium. This year's FA Cup has produced some remarkable stories and matches on ESPN. Our coverage of the final will highlight our ongoing commitment to give fans an ever increasing insight into the matches we broadcast and to the stories around them."

ESPN's FA Cup final coverage will kick the day off at 8am with Breakfast at Wembley, setting the scene for the big day with discussion and light-hearted debate. Other highlights include a Pardon The Interruption UK special with Mark Chapman and Steve Bunce, plus a Talk of the Terrace special hosted by Kelly Cates with a live music performance from The Enemy.

In a one-hour special at 9.30am, ESPN will debut a specially commissioned 60-minute documentary, Kings for a Day - Football's Giant Killers which focuses on the unique David vs. Goliath aspect of The FA Cup. Narrated by renowned actor-director Steven Berkoff and using a mixture of behind-the-scenes footage from this year's competition, plus archive material, the film provides a unique insight into the psyche of the underdog. The show features interviews with the likes of FA Cup giant killers Ronnie Radford and Vinnie Jones plus legendary FA Cup commentator John Motson. The show is part of collaboration around this season's FA Cup between ESPN and Budweiser.

From 2pm lead presenter Rebecca Lowe will be joined by ESPN's Kevin Keegan, John Barnes and Craig Burley plus special guests, alongside others for the build-up to the 5.15pm kick-off, as well as half-time and post-match analysis, interviews and discussion. Commentary on ESPN and ESPN HD will come from Jon Champion and Chris Waddle with pre-match analysis using ESPN Arena, from Darrell Currie and Martin Keown. Additionally, The Bench, brought to you by Budweiser, will be the auxiliary set for FA Cup coverage, providing viewers with a behind-the-scenes taste of the anticipation of the big match led by Darrell Currie and guests. Reporters Dave Beckett and Currie will bring fans the stories around the match as the day unfolds.

ESPN is delighted to bring fans the FA Cup final in 3D for the second year in a row. ESPN 3D coverage of this year's FA Cup final will be directed and designed by ESPN, with commentary from Derek Rae and guest, plus ESPN studio and on-screen graphics. The more than 250,000 Sky World subscribers with a Sky+HD box and a 3D TV will also be able to watch the 2012 FA Cup final in 3D. It will also be available in the more than 1,500 Sky 3D pubs nationwide. The 3D sports syndication agreement follows collaboration between ESPN 3D and Sky 3D to deliver coverage of ESPN's Winter X Games and the NBA Finals.

John Cassy, director of Sky 3D, said: "For the second year in a row we are delighted to work with ESPN to bring more than a quarter of a million Sky homes the FA Cup in amazing 3D. Partners like ESPN are really helping us expand the content available to customers and therefore extend our 3D leadership even further. It's a big year of sport on Sky 3D with live football, golf, tennis, rugby and, of course, the Olympics. There's never been a better time to enjoy the thrill of live sport as never before."

http://www.espn.co.uk/football/sport/story/147586.html?CMP=OTC-RSS

[rodo]

A senior FA official compromised her position by offering tickets to the Liverpool v Everton FA Cup semi-final to a British Airways employee in return for an upgrade on flights back from a football tournament in America.
Janie Frampton, the FA national referee manager for education and training, used her two seats for the Wembley showcase to barter for an improved class of travel for her and three female referees on their return from the Dallas Cup.

FA boss Frampton made no secret of what seems a highly inappropriate use of a company perk in an email exchange that was forwarded to Sports Agenda.
Frampton wrote to BA’s Brian Yip: 'Hi Brian, We spoke on our trip from Heathrow to Dallas. We discussed the possibility of an upgrade for myself and the three girls for our flight home. It would be great if this is possible. I have secured two tickets for the Liverpool v Everton semi-final.'
On the day of departure, Frampton contacted Yip again on her official FA.com email, writing: 'We are all checked in for our flight later this afternoon. If the upgrade is possible, would we find out when we arrive at the desk? If all is successful please email me your postal address so I can send the tickets.'
An FA spokesman said they were looking into the matter.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/art...#ixzz1sxIQO4vt

[Kenneth]