Middlesbrough really don’t like doing things the easy way, do they? With yet another tie ending up going to penalties, their fans can’t have any finger nails left at all!

Their prize for eventually overcoming West Brom on penalties? They play Man Utd in the Quarter Finals. They reached the Semi Final last season only to lose out to the eventual runners-up West Ham, can they go one better this year. Not if the keep doing this they won’t!

Middlesbrough had gone behind in the first half to a Darren Carter goal and it was fully deserved by West Brom and they held out until the 63rd minute before Mark Viduka, the Australian, levelled the score. But neither side could grab a winner and the tie went to 30 minutes of extra-time. West Brom managed to hold out for 90% of extra-time with 10 men because after only 3 minutes they had Nathan Ellington sent off for a dangerous tackle on Parnaby. After Ellington’s dismissal West Brom appeared to be happy with penalties being their best chance of progressing. Boro couldn’t take advantage of the numerical advantage and penalties was the inevitable outcome.

Well, as in every penalty shoot-out there is always a villain of the peace. The score had reached 4 - 4 with both teams missing one penalty each up until that point. George Boateng had scored for Boro when up stepped Sherjill MacDonald. Unfortunately for West Brom the 21 year old couldn’t keep his cool and blasted the ball over the cross bar and West Brom where out and with it a lucrative home tie against Utd.

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Well after six minutes off this FA Cup replay you could have been forgiven for turning the television off or switching to another channel because by then Utd were already 3 - 0 ahead against a shell-shocked Reading. And if you had turned off that would have been a mistake because Steve Coppell’s men have proved this season they deserve to be at the “top table” and play the likes of Utd. They fought back and set-up up a grandstand finish when Leroy Lita made it 3 - 2 with 6 minutes of normal time remaining.

The six minute scoring spree was opened by the Argentine International defender Gabriel Heinze on 2 minutes. It was a lucky goal, his shot from 25 yards sneaked in under Adam Federici’s body. Not the best start for Reading and of course it just got worse, and they didn’t have to wait long either. Within 2 minutes, Luis Saha drove a beautiful angled volley and then after another 2 minutes Ole Gunnar Solksjaer rounded things off. 2 minutes, 4, minutes, 6 minutes, hmmm a pattern was forming. Though it must be said that Reading didn’t help themselves in those first 6 minutes. The goals were, quite frankly, the result of some pretty poor defending. But fortunately for Reading it stopped there. They sorted themselves out and held on and after 23 minutes a Dave Kitson header gave Reading a glimmer of hope.

Perhaps Utd thought that by half time the game was as good as over because their midfield especially in the second half seemed to turn off a little and Reading sensed it and took advantage. Reading eventually capitalised on this and with six minutes of normal time left up popped Lita and converted from 12 yards. That turned the volume up a little and we were in for an exciting finish to an excellent FA Cup tie.

Oh, and Reading were so so close to pulling off a remarkable, and quite frankly after 6 minutes impossible, comeback. With what most have been only seconds remaining on the referees’ watch, Brynjar Gunnarsson drove the ball from 20 yards out, it beat Edwin Van de Sar in the Utd goal, but as everyone in the Madejski Stadium held their breath, the ball crashed into the crossbar and that was that. Inches away from extra time!

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Two of the players dismissed for the brawl at the end of Sunday’s Carling Cup Final, Arsenal’s Adebayor and Chelsea’s Obi have lodged appeals for unfair dismissal. I mean, is it just me but who are they trying to kid? How can they have the gall to appeal? The third player dismissed, Arsenal’s Toure, has obviously got more sense and pride as he has not submitted an appeal. At least it would appear he has taken responsibility for his actions and is happy to pay the consequences, unlike the other two!

The two to appeal were the instigators of the brawl so I really don’t see where they are coming from and what type of example does it give to youngsters that see their heroes fighting in a major final and then claim it was not their fault and they shouldn’t be punished? They are just going to think that kind of behaviour is acceptable and copy them, aren’t they?

I sometimes think football players should look at the guys that play rugby and take a leaf out of their book. Rugby players do not talk back to the referees, they show him respect. They accept his decisions (may not always agree but they accept them). When fights do break out it isn’t like two teenage girls slapping each other with their handbags(sorry girls) and again, they accept their responsibility and take the punishment on the chin.

Sorry, I’m having a little rant here but soccer players can really be ….. well, you get the idea.

Would love to hear what you think about footballers’ behaviour etc. Leave a comment below.

Thanks!

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John Terry the Chelsea and England captain has praised and thanked Gary Lewin, the Arsenal physio stating, “I owe you my life!”

Terry was accidentially kicked in the face by the Arsenal player Abou Diaby during Sunday’s Carling Cup Final in Cardiff and knocked unconscious. He apparently swallowed his tongue and reports suggest that he was actaully turning blue! However, it was Lewin who rushed to his aid in seconds. Fortunately, he was postioned behind the Arsenal goal treating one of his own players when the incident took place.

Terry has since confirmed he remembers nothing after walking out onto the pitch for the second half until he woke up in the ambulance on his way to hospital. Terry was told of Lewin’s crucial intervention when he came round. He asked if he could personally thank Lewin and he therefore waited outside the Arsenal dressing to personally have a word and thank him for saving his life.

A neuro-surgeon has since confirmed how serious the accident was. John Firth has stated that Terry was “four minutes from death” after swallowing his tongue which was dislodged by Lewin. The surgeon further confirmed, “Lewin’s intervention was crucial because his skills helped dislodge Terry’s tongue. The other big fear at that stage is whether the player has broken his neck and that is why he was carried off in a neck brace.”

Terry is certainly a very lucky guy.

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There have been some rather unflattering photos of Ronaldinho and his expanding tummy in the papers recently but Frank Rijkaard, the Barcelona manager, has tried to play down fears surrounding the fitness of his Brazilian star.

Ronny has, by the very high standards he has set, had an inconsistent season so far. However he produced one of his best performances of the campaign to help silence the doubters in Barca’s 3-0 home win over Athletic Bilbao.

Rijkaard laughed off the photographs of Ronaldinho after Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League defeat to Liverpool that appeared to show the player overweight. There were also photographs in this weekend’s papers comparing that one from Wednesday night to how he has looked in the past. Those photos showed a different looking Ronaldinho. One with a very toned physique in comparison.

Rijkaard said of the photo, “When the photo is taken quite close by, with inadequate light or if there is some movement, it can vary the reality a lot and, in this instance, for me there are doubts. [Hmm, Frank obviously didn't see the same picture I did then. "inadequate light", "some movement", who's he trying to kid?]

“In any case, we have a medical team who always control the physical state of the players and, when there is something brought to their attention, they work with the player to resolve it.

“The player has always given great performances, and I have total confidence in him and we should be happy to have him with us. I think he is as he always is, cheerful and unaffected. For me, there’s no problem.”

I’m not so sure Frank. I think Ronny could be thinking it’s about time for a new challenge. Anyone fancy Milan then?

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