FA Cup 4th round draw - Palace (a)

[Machiavelli]

Champions league has the krypton factor of restrictions on who you can and can't play by a variety of baskets. They seem to like to make a day of the draw.

fa cup always looks amateur to me as though someone nipped to pound land and painted the balls. Surprised they let us know whose what number and not have the draw pre written.

Yeah I'm aware of the restrictions, the silly baskets and the long protracted ceremony, I was on about the difference in the balls; i.e. Numbers on/names inside them.

 

[prestonibbo_mcfc]

Even easier to fix if done by computer, how do you think fruit machines always make an overall profit

The fairest way would be like the lottery machines where the balls are spat out by a machine

I suppose. Just anything to stop the human interference. Anything can be fixed, if required.
I'm not saying it is, but it's all about perception of people's loyalties.

 

[Gorton_Tubster]

What is the history of City Cup draws, and how does it compare to Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool etc over a decade?

If our record of draws was significantly different over that timescale and if their record was also favourable i.e. home draws against lower league opponents, then that would be worthy of investigation, Depends on the facts. What are they?

This thread had me going.... I went and searched the FA cup fixtures since 2011, put it all in a spreadsheet and compared them.... and besides Chelsea having a slightly favorable set of fixtures it was quite equal in terms of who we drew. There are some headline things that have been mentioned in this thread but quite honestly they have been taken out of context of the bigger picture.

 

[Chippy_boy]

Our previous draws have zero relevance to this one. When you toss a coin it is 50:50 every time, the previous results don't make the coin heavier on one side.

No shit sherlock.

But that does not mean a run of 10 heads is 50/50, does it.

 

[colin's bell helmet]

I'm quite happy with draw.....we get either palace who's manager has already said the cup isn't his priority or league one Bolton...If someone is fixing the draw they're obviously not doing a very good job at trying to get us out are they?

 

[Gorton_Tubster]

I am not saying that the draw was fixed, however did anyone notice the big smile on Michael Owen's face when we where drawn away to Crystal Palace. Also the big smile when yet again the rags got another easier draw at home to another struggle championship club. If this draw was not fixed I would love the FA to prove otherwise. There are many ways to fix a draw the way it is done now:- 1 way is to make certain balls slightly heavier than another, 2:- make certain balls colder than another, 3:- make the number on the balls slight raised then others.

but that is where it gets ridiculous..... Lets go with balls being different.... Owen would have to dip his hand in, feel the ball he picked up, then do another, then another until he had the right thing.... He would have to do that fast enough that no one noticed, that the camera under the bowl didnt notice, that the people in the studio didnt notice. He would have to have been in collusion with TV execs, FA execs, BT would be in on it, the FA, the studio staff, the hierarchy of TV and the FA, they would all have to be in on it to some degree etc etc..


Wouldnt it just be easier to do the draw behind closed doors again so they can cheat? Or to do away with the human aspect of it and get a computer to pick the balls.

It doesnt stack up.

 

[prestonibbo_mcfc]

I'm quite happy with draw.....we get either palace who's manager has already said the cup isn't his priority or league one Bolton...If someone is fixing the draw they're obviously not doing a very good job at trying to get us out are they?

My thoughts exactly. Happy with this draw, just worried about the time of the game as i can't go
and unless it's on TV, FA Cup games are hard to see.

 

[Gray]

Funnily enough, I was convinced he was wrong, so I had a bash at working it out for myself and i made it 68/1. So I think he's right and it's around that ballpark.

Logic being that I guessed that circa 40 of the 64 in round 3 are PL or championship sides, roughly 25 of the 32, roughly 14 of the last 16. etc etc.

I have checked the FA Cup matches and it was back in 2011 when we played Notts County that we last got a team below the top two divisions.

By my reckoning we have, since that game, had 22 draws in the FA Cup and not got a team from below the top two divisions - incredible!

 

[prestonibbo_mcfc]

but that is where it gets ridiculous..... Lets go with balls being different.... Owen would have to dip his hand in, feel the ball he picked up, then do another, then another until he had the right thing.... He would have to do that fast enough that no one noticed, that the camera under the bowl didnt notice, that the people in the studio didnt notice. He would have to have been in collusion with TV execs, FA execs, BT would be in on it, the FA, the studio staff, the hierarchy of TV and the FA, they would all have to be in on it to some degree etc etc..


Wouldnt it just be easier to do the draw behind closed doors again so they can cheat? Or to do away with the human aspect of it and get a computer to pick the balls.

It doesnt stack up.

Only if the balls are square ;-)

 

[Marvin]

If we have had a series of tough draws, that could be bad luck, It would start getting very suspicious if our rivals had received easy draws.

My impression is that Utd have had a series of very easy draws over the years, but how true is that. Chelsea too. They seem to forever be drawn against the likes of Posh at home