[SHEP_HTAFC]

EMIRATES F.A CUP        
HUDDERSFIELD TOWN v MANCHESTER CITY......SAT 18th FEB.....K.O 15:00

GAME DETAILS / CURRENT FORM

On any other 5th round cup weekend, this surely would have been on the telly box (it's live on Fox Sports USA). However with some strong cup games already in this round, we are consigned to a normal 3pm kick off on Saturday. So the powers that be can get stuffed when we roll over Man City.
If we were out of the cup we would be playing Reading at home today. Surely a bigger game overall......??!!??

But we are in the cup, and no matter that we aren't on telly, this is still a massive glamour tie for us. It's the best cup draw we've had for a long time. I'm struggling to think of a bigger one in the last 30 years. We've had Chelsea away (twice) and Arsenal away recently, but at home I really can't think of a good one.

I'm not changing the thread, but we did get Liverpool at home in the cup back in 1999/2000. We lost 0-2 and the Liverpool team included Owen, Gerrard, and Dominic Matteo..!!!

Our recent form is just utterly fantastic. In our last 14 games in all competitions, we have won 12, drawn 1 and lost 1. Remarkable.
In February we have played Brighton(H), Dirty L666s(H), QPR(A) and Rotherham(A)...picking up all 12 points. Just a brilliant return of points....who would have taken 8 points from those games? I know I would have.
Overall in our 14 games....our only blips were a loss to Sheff Wed and a draw against Blackburn Rovers We go into games at the moment thinking we can win them....it's a great confidence booster.

OUR OPPONENTS

Man City are one of the richest clubs in the world, and have some world class players. Their manager Pep Guardiola is regarded by many as one of the best managers in the game.
Man City currently sit 2nd in the Premiership.....8 points behind leaders Chelsea.
In their last 10 games in the league, they have won 7 (Watford, Arsenal, Hull, Burnley, West Ham, Swansea, Bournemouth), drawn 1 (Spurs) and lost 2 (Everton, Liverpool).

Leicester City are hoping they don't do a "Man City" this season. As it stands, Man City are the only English team to win the championship and then get relegated the season after.
This happened to Man City in 1937/1938. They won their first ever league title in 1936/1937...made all the more sweeter as Man Utd were relegated in the same season.
However the next year, even though they scored more goals than anyone else in the division, they were relegated after conceding 77 goals in 42 games.

Man City's honours are:-
Premier League/Division 1 champions 4
Division 2 champions 7
F.A Cup 5
League Cup 4
UEFA Cup Winners Cup 1

HISTORY BETWEEN THE CLUBS IN F.A CUP

Who remembers the horror show in November 1987 when we got absolutely shafted 10-1 by Man City in the league?
The only time (to my knowledge) in the modern era that three players for the same team got hat-tricks in the same game(Paul Stewart, Tony Adcock, and David White). The other goalscorer???......Neil McNab (see below).

However.... all was not lost as we then drew them in the F.A Cup the same year. We played them on the 9th Jan 1988. Revenge was ours!!!

We dominated the game and were 2-1 up with seconds remaining at Leeds Road. Up stepped John 'b4st4rd' Gidman, who slammed a free kick into the net to get an undeserved draw. I remember looking over at the City away fans as that goal went in.....only to see them kicking seven shades of sh1t out of each other. The only satisfying bit of that goal.
After another couple of games with a 0-0 at Maine Road followed by a 0-3 loss back at Leeds Road....our cup run was over.
Infact, we have played them once more in the F.A cup back in 1926 - Huddersfield's glorious era.....but we got humped 4-0 then.
We've never beaten this lot in a cup competition ever. Ever!!!!.

Saturday might just be different!!!!

FAMILIAR NAMES

Denis Law - The greatest ever player for Town????




Andy May - he scored our only goal in that bloody 10-1 game.




Neil McNab - scores the goal against us in that effin 10-1 defeat





Mark Lillis - a Town legend.....caretaker manager 4 times whilst at Town.



Andy Morrison- the Beast

TOWN TEAM

It's a very interesting choice of team for this game. Does King Wagner try to rest our most influential players to concentrate on the league? Does he go for it? We know Aaron Mooy is not eligible for this game due to Man City running scared.
But who else plays? Does King Wagner rest our better league players and try a more inexperienced team?
Or does he think this is our biggest game for years and really go for it?

I have to be honest and say that I have no idea what King Wagner will do.
We don't want to get a humping......but surely the league is the priority right now. If King Wagner thinks like me, then I think this is the team he will put out.

WARD

SMITH  SCHINDLER  HUDSON  THD

LOLLEY  BILLING  WHITEHEAD  VLP  

KACHUNGA

QUANER

[theo_luddite]

Some good stuff in there SHEP.

Wasn't aware of Citeh getting relegated after their Championship year. I know I wasn't at Maine Road for that thumping but remember seeing the score come up at tea time on Grandstand. Match of the Day was ugly that night.

Think Wagner told Oggy that he would pick his freshest side (whatever that means with Wagbo) on Saturday and again on Tuesday. So yes he'll rotate some players again but he's been doing it all season. The thing is everyone knows their job and also what everyone else is going to do, so it keeps working. What he won't do is play a bunch of kids, but maybe Citeh will.

[EastLondonTerrier]

Cracking thread Theo. I think Pep will play some kids, I'm thinking Adarabioyo et al. Iheanacho up front with Nolito and Navas with maybe silva and toure the only real marquee players we could see. That will suit us. Billing & Whitehead will have to step up big time for this. Deano will be drilling Billing to get stuck in and break up City's attacks, something which he didn't do against QPR when he came on and which Jonathan Hogg is the best in the championship at.

[theo_luddite]

Thanks ELT but this is SHEP's thread.

[Lord Snooty]

Nice one, Shep.

Question for you. In that awful season of 87/88, we did get revenge on City by beating them 1-0 in the league match at Leeds Road towards the back end of the season.
But which player scored his one and only Town goal to win it for us?

[EastLondonTerrier]

I think I thought this was still your 2nd Semester thread theo hahahah. Major apologies Shep.

[jjamez]

think that is you in detention ELT, maybe Shep may let you sit in the corner facing the wall

other familiar names;
oh tommy smittttthhh- he played in their academy and never really made the grade, think he may have got a pro deal there and had a few loans out before being released and joining our development squad.
harry bunn- had multiple loans out and was highly regard but injuries curtailed his development to the extent that he was loaned out to our development squad before joining permenantly and progressing through.
donal mcdermott- remember him? played well against us whilst at bournemouth, signed full time and fell flat on his face, think he plays at rochdale on occassions now
that bald guy in the middle of our midfield, shocking player, worst to ever wear the shirt....

[theo_luddite]

I think I thought this was still your 2nd Semester thread theo hahahah. Major apologies Shep.

Multi-tasking and Multi-threading on a weekday ELT. Tsk, tsk. You'll learn.

[themaclad]

Laughable that this has not been chosen as a live TV game has far more appeal than watching the Plastics against United

[theo_luddite]

It's on TV all over the world except for one tiny little Monarchy perched on the edge of the North Atlantic. Don't care too much, I'm going anyway . I guess we'll get our 60 seconds or so in the highlight shows later.