Let’s gear up for tomorrows FA Cup matches with a video. Take a look at the highlights from last years final.

Here’s the links:

• Aston Villa shaken up [Caught Offside]
• Buy Beckham’s 2008 Porsche [Ebay]
• Manchester City played for the draw [A Different League]
• Obi Mikel out until February [Sky]
• Dzeko interview [M.C.F.C.]
• Soccer Songs [53 Songs]
• Anelka isn’t so bad [Sports Illustrated]
• Wanker of the year contest [Arsenal Review USA]

Feel free to follow me on Twitter and let me know if you’d like to suggest an article, video or photo for inclusion on the Premier League Links Of The Day.

In the build-up to the FA Cup Final today between Portsmouth and Chelsea, I thought it’d be interesting to enter the time machine and to go back to 1992 to watch the first ten minutes of the television broadcast of Portsmouth versus Liverpool in the FA Cup Semi-Final from Arsenal’s Highbury Stadium.

With John Motson commentating and awful shirt designs from both teams, it’s interesting to see some of the differences between the level of play 20 years ago compared to today. While players are often nervy during big matches, there were plenty of bad passes and tough tackles as can be seen in the above video.

The game is also remarkable for another reason. Liverpool’s manager that day was Graeme Souness. Both teams in this match were unable to win so they had to replay the match later, that time at Villa Park. But before the replay, Souness was rushed to the hospital where he had heart surgery and Ronnie Moran took over as caretaker manager in the absence of Souness.

Liverpool went on to beat Portsmouth and then went to the final where they defeated Sunderland 2-0 to win the 1992 FA Cup trophy.

With the FA Cup Final only days away, and every Portsmouth fan like myself trying to convince ourselves we have a chance to defeat a club like Chelsea that’s clicking on all cylinders, it saddens me to think that we’ll be going down to the Championship next season. Our time in the top-flight has, at times, felt like being an emigrant on a passenger steamship who snuck into first class to see how the rich lived, only to be tossed back to steerage when discovered. That said, reflection can be a wonderful thing.

Many Pompey fans have nothing but anger for Harry Redknapp, but I would simply thank him for all he’s done and wish him the best in Europe next season. He got and kept the club up when it seemed impossible, guided us in lifting the most historic trophy in the land, and, in turn, booked us a European tour of our own, although Harry didn’t stick around for the thrilling 2-2 draw against Milan.

Besides that glorious FA Cup victory over Cardiff, the reckless spending at Portsmouth did allow us to see some incredible talent come through Fratton Park. This is well-evidenced by the fact that in South Africa this summer, there may be as many as 17 players participating that show Portsmouth on their C.V.

Hopefully an investigator will one day figure out where all the transfer profits went, but our financial freefall did provide an unexpected result – the banding together of a rag-tag group of players, unwanted by other teams, that created an “us against the world” mentality that gave way to Uncle Avram’s exciting attacking football and completely unexpected results one week to the next. The way our starting elevens have looked, if we took on any more loans, one would think Portsmouth FC is a U.S. financial institution that was too big to fail.

With so many great memories to choose from, I’ll just run through five of my favorites:

1. Lomana Lua Lua’s two goals against Southampton to secure survival in the Premier League in 2005.
2. Benjani, who couldn’t hit the back of an open goal on the training ground after his initial transfer into the club in 2006, not being able to stop scoring in the latter half of 2007.
3. Tony Adams signing Theofanis Gekas in January as the answer to our lack of strikers, which seemed to be the final straw in getting himself sacked.
4. Club legend Linvoy Primus’ return to Fratton Park against Sunderland in May of 2009 after a long recovery from injury, where his name was chanted as he ran out as a substitute, and the Pompey faithful cheered every time he touched the ball.
5. The unbelievable 2-0 victory over Tottenham in the FA Cup Semifinal.

I hope we’ll be able to come right back up, but satisfied creditors and a willing new owner would be enough for me at the moment. In the meantime…Play Up Pompey.

As the Portsmouth players put on their uniforms in the Wembley locker room this afternoon, they were under no allusions about what the future held for them and their team.  They were going to be relegated down to the Championship League after the season.  Once there, they were far more likely to be relegated again this time next year as opposed to being promoted back to the Premiership.  For most of the players, that would be a future event they would read about in the newspaper, having long been sold by Portsmouth for whatever cash could be gotten in the transfer market and replaced by whatever players could be picked up for free.

Their manager, Avram Grant, had been re-hired at Portsmouth in November to captain what was essentially a ship of the damned.  With no hope of surviving in the Premiership or avoiding administration, this Pompey team was better off simply avoiding injury and making themselves as attractive as possible to a future suitor.  Grant, who was a John Terry-choke away from winning the Champions League two years ago as manager of Chelsea, was now drafted to be a hospice care-giver to the dying body that was Portsmouth Football Club.

Yet, somehow, Grant has inspired this team to play with courage, hope and determination.  Since taking over the team, Grant has managed to steer the team to some dramatic league victories including beating Liverpool 2-0 and a last minute come-from-behind victory over Hull.  However, the Pompey FA Cup run this spring has been nothing short of breathtaking.

Starting with their replay victory away at Coventry City, and victory at home against Sunderland, Portsmouth had to travel down the road to their arch-rival Southampton.  Portsmouth 1-4 triumph over their south coast enemy was supposed to be the highlight in their otherwise season of pain, but when they followed up that win with a victory over Birmingham, bankrupt and relegation-bound Portsmouth found themselves scheduled to play at Wembley in the FA Cup Semis against Tottenham.

If there is a God, He definitely dabbles in creating the football fixture list.  When Portsmouth reached their apex two years ago winning the FA Cup, Harry Redknapp was their manager and, though he was cup-tied for Pompey that season, Jermaine Defoe was their most important player.  After lifting the FA Cup that season, Redknapp saw the financial writing on the wall for Pompey and left for the safer, wealthier environs of North London and Tottenham.  Defoe soon followed.  A year later, Tottenham are on the brink of finishing the top four and going on to the Champions league.  Portsmouth is on the brink of going out of business and down to the Championship league.

Redknapp has managed to break Pompey hearts a couple of times.  He has left Fratton Park twice, once to go to arch-rivals Southampton and another time when the money looked like it was gone.  By drawing Tottenham in the FA Cup semis, Portsmouth had the chance to return the favor.

After bending but not breaking for 90 minutes this afternoon, Pompey held Tottenham to a scoreless draw.  The extra time saw Portsmouth score twice, once courtesy of the embarrassing Wembley turf which helped Michael Dawson lose his feet at the worst possible moment and left Frederic Piquionne with a clear shot on goal.  The ecstasy of the passionate Portsmouth supporters, who clearly deserve a better fate than the one their club is giving them, would warm any cynic’s heart.

Now, Portsmouth faces mighty Chelsea in the finals.  In sports, as romantic as games often are, David rarely defeats Goliath, Butler rarely beats Duke, and Portsmouth is unlikely to beat Chelsea.

But, as Avram Grant looks across the pitch at team that fired him for coming within an ill-taken penalty of Europe’s biggest trophy, and the Pompey fans look upon their beloved team that will shortly be sold-off for spare change, who cannot root for them on May 15?  The players will be playing without hope of collecting any FA Cup bonus money that will be in their contract and without the opportunity to qualify for the UEFA cup, which is prohibited to teams that are in administration.  They will be playing for the most pure reason of all – to pay tribute to their supporters and the love of the game.  The odds are long, but the prize is there to be won.  I, for one, will dig out any blue shirt I have in my drawer, go to my local pub, and cheer on my new favorite team in the world.

Its that time of the year again when major sporting events signify the season of spring. The Masters, The Grand National and FA Cup Semi Finals. Growing up as a kid this was one of my highlights of the football season (at a time where there wasn’t as many games on TV as there is now) – it was often the two games that offered the highest levels of excitement and controversy in a season.

But in recent years as with the demise of the famous cup competition so we have seen this day become just another fixture.  Now I know people can blame the ‘big four’ and the Champions and Premier League gravy trains and there are some truths there, but another possibility which has been overlooked is the venue of the semi finals: Wembley itself.

I am a huge fan of the new Wembley, but the beauty of the FA Cup is its tradition and romance and how unique it is from other countries domestic cup competitions in the world. Playing the semi finals at Wembley takes the gloss and magesty away from the show piece event of the final itself. Every kid’s childhood dream is to play and score a winning goal at Wembley, in a cup final not a semi.

 In England there are more than enough high quality stadia that could have staged this weekend’s semi finals including the more commonly used Old Trafford, Villa Park, Emirates Stadium, St. James Park and City of Manchester Stadium – the list is endless. A view that is shared by Harry Redknapp, Michael Ballack and David Moyes that Wembley should be kept for the final.

The FA mentioned it has been part of the business model to repay the cost of building the stadium, but what about the cost to the fans? Two trips to Wembley in a season for the same competition is expensive, I have heard of tickets at the face value of £150.  Classic semi finals have always been the matches away from Wembley, and in recent seasons they have been a dull, drab affair between teams playing on a heavily cut-up pitch and not expressing the true one-off special occasion atomsphere the semi final offers - the prize being a trip to Wembley, shouldn’t that be the greatest motivation? To Earn to the right to play in a Final of the greatest domestic cup competition in the world, in the most famous stadium, that magic is created by saving Wembley for the final only. The FA need to look at many ways to re-kindle the romance of the FA Cup with fans and the media, this would be a very good starting point.

 To end on a positive here are a few links to some classic FA Cup Semi Finals over the last 20 years (in no particular order).

 1. Crystal Palace 4 – 3 Liverpool, Villa Park, 1990

2. Arsenal 1 – 2 Manchester United, Villa Park, 1999

3. Manchester United 3 – 3 Oldham,  Maine Road, 1990

4. Chesterfield 3-3 Middlesbrough, Old Trafford, 1997

 5. Coventry City 3 – 2 Leeds United 2, Hillsborough, 1987

Since this weekend features the semi-finals of the FA Cup, I thought it’d be interesting to take a trip down memory lane to see what a FA Cup semi-final from 1982 was like featuring two teams that in today’s age would seem like unlikely participants at this stage in the tournament.

Queens Park Rangers played West Bromwich Albion in the 1981-82 semi-final. The match was played at Arsenal’s Highbury Stadium on a beautiful spring day.

As usual, there are several interesting observations that can be drawn from this broadcast from the opening by Jimmy Hill of Match Of The Day and to the match itself.

Please share your observations of what you found interesting from the match and the broadcast in the comments section below.

It’s FA Cup semi-final weekend which means that for three teams the Premier League will cease to matter, at least for a few hours. Of course for Portsmouth the Premier League ceased to matter some time ago and as such, any manager who still has Pompey players in their side will likely be going the same way as poor Avram… backwards.

So in honour of the south coast sufferers, let’s forget about glitz and glamour for a week and concentrate on those players that should be avoided like a shady ‘billionaire’ businessman.

The sinkers

Some say Burnley’s relegation fate was sealed the moment they took the decision to hire Brian Laws as manager. Whilst I have sympathy for Brian, (it was rather like asking a boy on a push bike to go out and win a Moto GP) I completely agree with them.

The Clarets have been going backwards ever since they gave Mr Laws a route back into employment and have not won a solitary game since February 6th. A 6-1 home mauling at the hands of underachievers Man City will hardly have helped matters and it would be no surprise to see their winless streak continue until the end of the season.

Warning! Beware of the…

Burnley player

The crocks

Quite simply, you can be the best player in the world but if serious injury strikes, you become about as useful as a racing car with no wheels. Cesc Fabregas is a wonderful footballer but can he help Arsenal win the title? No. Can he score any fantasy football points? No. Can he help his wife with the housework? Probably not.

Here are a few of the key players that are likely to be spending the rest of the season planted firmly in front of the tele.

Warning! Beware of the…

Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)

William Gallas (Arsenal)

Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal)

Michael Essien (Chelsea)

Dan Gosling (Everton)

Fabio Aurelio (Liverpool)

Martin Skrtel (Liverpool)

Joleon Lescott (Manchester City)

Michael Owen (Manchester United)

The holidaymakers

Let’s face it, Fulham are already on their holiday’s and have been for some time. They seem to be enjoying them too and in a traditional British manner have already upset their hosts in Ukraine, Italy and of course, Germany.

With Premier League safety secured some time ago, the Cottagers can be forgiven for putting all their efforts into the Europa League and if anything, should be commended, as too many teams kill themselves trying to get into Europe and then show a distinct lack of ambition when they finally make it (I’m looking at you O’Neil, Redknapp, Megson).

With this in mind it would perhaps be a tad foolish to pick any Fulham players and expect them to give it their all domestically between now and the end of the season. That is of course with one notable exception. Bobby Zamora has been in excellent form all term and is still desperately trying to impress Fabio Capello enough to secure a place in England’s World Cup squad. He’ll probably be rested in the remaining European weeks but may still be worth a second glance.

Warning! Beware of the…

Fulham player (excluding Bobby Zamora)

And for what it’s worth

My tip for the Grand National is Snowy Morning. Weight was a factor last season but if he makes it round the course, 2008′s third place finisher stands a great chance.

Manchester United has gone crashing out of Champions League, having succumb to the left foot of Arjen Robben. On this episode of the EPL Talk podcast, I am joined by Laurence McKenna for our mid-week review show, talking about United’s capitulation and Arsenals ouster at the boots of Lionel Messi. That, and a preview of Europa League and this weekend domestic competitions.

The question Laurence and I pose on this episode is whether Premier League sides’ exodus from UEFA Champions League affected your interest in the tournament. Let us know whether you have more, less, or the same interest in the tournament, and we will discuss your feedback on this weekend’s review show.

Reviewing the weekend’s FA Cup, fifth round action, analysts Laurence McKenna and Kartik Krishnaiyer join host Richard Farley to look at the eight matches of the fifth round proper. That, and the trio talk about the future of Portsmouth as well as Chelsea’s (and England’s) conundrum in the wake of Ashley Cole’s ankle injury.

Don’t forget that the EPL Talk Podcast is the only Premier League interview and analysis podcast available for free. In the past few weeks, we’ve interviewed legends of the game such as Steve McManaman, Efan Ekoku, Martin Chivers and Robbie Earle as well as experts such as Declan Hill, Simon Kuper, Misha Sher, Matt Dickinson, Andy Brassell and many others. Why pay $40 a year to rival podcasts when you can subscribe to the EPL Talk Podcast for FREE featuring interviews with the biggest names in football?