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| Monday, 6 January, 2003, 12:13 GMT The biggest FA Cup calamity? ![]() After a weekend that saw seven Premiership sides crash out, we ask you to recall your greatest Cup disappointments. What was your team's most humiliating Cup exit? The third round of the FA Cup is famed for its high-profile casualties, and this year had more than most. Though flying high in the League table, Everton were brought down to earth with a bump by Third Division Shrewsbury, who beat them 2-1. Last year, Second Division Cardiff City dumped Leeds United out of the Cup. And Wrexham famously dismissed Arsenal in 1992. They had ended the previous season 92 places being the Gunners. And it isn't just giant-killings that will linger in the memory. Spurs fans were infuriated by their team's spineless display against Southampton, who thrashed them 4-0. What was your team's worst-ever FA Cup display? This debate is now closed. A selection of your e-mails appear below. The biggest cup final upset ever was without doubt in 1976. The Doc's youthful, swashbuckling United had finished third in Division One and were beaten by an old and poor Southampton side from Division Two with the most dubiously offside goal ever scored at Wembley. I was 15, there, and was gutted! Mike, England
Leyton Orient comprehensively outplaying Pompey and stuffing us 4-1 at Fratton Park in last season's third round will take a bit of beating. I'm sure most of us in the crowd only stayed to the final whistle so we could boo the team off! Arsenal losing to Walsall in the 1930s - don't remember it, but have re-lived it through the history books and then in real life in the 1980s. Still, the mighty Reds have made up for it since! I think the biggest upset of all time was Sutton's beating Coventry in 1989. This was a real thrill for me, as I lived in England at the time and used to go to the park on weekends and watch Sutton play. My biggest FA Cup disappointment: seeing my Gunners lose 2-1 to Wrexham. Aargh! Cardiff knocking out Leeds? Pathetic when you compare it to the Leeds side that was knocked out by Colchester in the 30-odd years ago. As a Fulham fan, losing 2-0 to non-league Hayes at Craven Cottage in 1991 was pretty bad. The Hammers stuffing Man Utd at Old Trafford in 2001 showed what a great competition the FA Cup is. Let's hope they stuff them again this year! Come on you Irons! Leicester City losing to Wycombe Wanderers to a goal scored by an internet recruited striker (Roy Essandoh where you now?). That hurt. I still think Wimbledon beating Liverpool in the final is probably the greatest upset ever. Yes they were a First Division side (same as Liverpool) but nobody gave them a hope, not even the bookies. Arsenal v Wrexham - I was there as a lifelong Gunner and it still hurts. Living in North Wales the next few months was tortuous. As a Middlesbrough fan I remember a season under Lennie Lawrence that featured a home defeat to Third Div Grimsby Town (FA Cup), a defeat to Third Div Tranmere Rovers (League Cup) and relegation from the top flight. That's pretty bad.
Didn't Liverpool get knocked out of the Cup by non-league Worcester City in the late 50s? Greatest club in Europe? Hmm... Being a Coventry fan, the 2-1 defeat at Sutton United in 1989 is about as embarrassing as it gets - especially as virtally the same players had won the cup two seasons before. For all Burnley fans it must be losing at home to non-league Wimbledon in 1975. We were a top First Division (Premiership) side at the time. I think this may have been the first time in FA Cup history that a top flight side had lost at home to non-league opposition. One of the biggest upsets was Swansea beating West Ham in the third round a few years ago. At the time, no Premier League team had lost to a Third Division side. Arsenal losing at Wrexham a few years ago was nothing compared to Coventry's defeat at Sutton United in 1989, 18 months after they won the Cup. Also, Birmingham's home defeat to non-league Altrincham as a top-flight side in 1986. Everton getting knocked out at home to Tranmere. Total embarrassment, still beats Everton's latest Cup exit v Shrewsbury. Oh, and then there is last season's exit to Middlesboro' live on TV. Worst display of the season 3-0 to Boro, bye bye Walter Smith. The list goes on...
Bolton against Sunderland 4/1/03! Terrible, No fight, No will! Lets Just hope the replay brings more out of the players - on both sides! For me it has to be Man U getting knocked out at home by West Ham in 2001, whilst Barthez was waving to his family in the crowd! Looks like we might be in for a repeat performance too! Come on you Irons! Leeds are a nightmare when it comes to the FA Cup!! Year after year the experts fancy Leeds to do well and year after year they crash out to teams of the lower leagues. The worst performance has to be against Cardiff City - they were so poor!! The humiliating exit two seasons ago to Tranmere Rovers sticks out for many Saints fans. We had a real chance that year with a home tie against Liverpool in the fifth round waiting and cruising at 3-nil. Only to capitulate in the same manner as Spurs on Saturday, to give Tranmere a famous victory. Biggest FA Cup upset has got to be Wrexham outplaying Arsenal, closely followed by Cardiff knocking Leeds out last season.
Bournemouth knocking out Man U must be one of the biggest giant-killing acts. And Sutton beating Coventry was another one everyone forgets; it's what makes the cup great. Most definitely Wrexham's humiliation of Arsenal, followed by Wrexham's 2-1 defeat over Middlesbrough. Harry's Hammers beating Man Utd at their place two years ago has to go down as an upset. No-one gave West Ham a chance but they proved that they can get past anyone on their day...and I expect they'll do it again in 2003!! Being a Norwich fan, I have to say the '92 semi-final defeat by Sunderland. I think every City fan thought this would be our year and felt totally gutted, none more so than the Lord Mayor of Norwich, who my father was chauffeur for at the time. Instead of attending a reception afterwards he ordered to be taken home soon as the game finished! Surely Laurent Blanc in last year's 2-0 defeat to Boro is one of the worst individual displays of all time! But the biggest shock in my lifetime was Wrexham beating the Gooners! I'm a QPR fan, need I say more. I doubt many can recall as many early exits from the Cup to lower league teams as we can (Vauxhall Motors being a prime example). | See also: 05 Jan 03 | FA Cup Top Sports Talk stories now: Links to more Sports Talk stories are at the foot of the page. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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