Ian Cheeseman: Forever Blue

I love the FA Cup; always have, always will.

Last season, Manchester City achieved the ultimate by beating Chelsea and Arsenal en route to the final, before then beating Man United in the Final to lift the trophy, as part two of the treble.

Down the years, I was there in 1980 when Halifax Town beat the Blues 1-0 on their mudheap of pitch at the Shay, I was at Gay Meadow in January 1979 when City lost 2-0 to Shrewsbury Town and I was at Bloomfield Road in 1984 when Neil McNab’s own goal helped condemn the Blues to a 2-1 defeat at Blackpool. There have also been two famous City defeats against Wigan Athletic. In 2018 Will Grigg hit the winner for the pie-eaters as Fabian Delph was sent off and I commentated as Roberto Mancini’s team losing 1-0 to Wigan in the 2013 FA Cup Final.

I can’t say I’m glad I was there to witness those games but with the advantage of hindsight, I guess those character-building setbacks, as a lifelong City fan, have given me a greater appreciation of the good times that City are currently enjoying, with Wembley victories against United being particularly sweet.

Back in 2011, when Mancini’s City beat United 1-0 in the Wembley semi-final, thanks to a winner from Yaya Toure, it felt like a turning point. City went on to win the Cup, in the final against Stoke City, thanks to another goal from Yaya Toure. Not only did that win finally extinguish the lingering pain of those defeats of yesteryear, but also the FA Cup Final replay defeat by Tottenham Hotspur in 1981, which had included the much-replayed Ricky Villa match winner.

Last season’s FA Cup Final was the ultimate win. Ilkay Gundogan scored both goals in a 2-1 win for Pep Guardiola’s team and it was a particular joy, for me, to see Gundogan, the captain, wearing the shirt honouring Colin Bell, and of course the number 8, scoring after 13 seconds.

These days the gulf between the haves and the have nots has never been bigger. Fortunately for me City are now one of those elite clubs who have seemingly endless resources. It feels like a game of monopoly where one or two players own all the properties and have already got hotels on them.

I feel very lucky that my club is right at the top of the tree. I’m living the dream as a City fan and as well as the finance that’s needed to be successful, the Blues have the amazing Pep Guardiola and his coaching and backroom staff.

I am old enough to remember Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison and they too were ahead of their time. I’ll never forget watching that great team from the late 1960s and early 1970s. There were moments of crisis during the club’s darkest days and those examples of losing to Halifax, Shrewsbury and Blackpool were perfect examples of the ups and downs of the FA Cup.

Of course, I’ve also witnessed the relegations and exits from European competition but there’s something about the FA Cup that still makes it extra special to me. Was it the day-long coverage of the final on terrestrial TV with a build-up that included a special “It’s a Knockout” and a ride along Wembley Way on the team bus?

It was a combination of a lot of things, not least the prospect of a giant killing. As the current world’s best, Manchester City can only be victims of those upsets these days, though the trip to Spurs in the fourth round seems more evenly balanced. The Blues cruised past Huddersfield in the third round with little chance of an upset. Whatever happens in the future like an expanded Champions League, a European or even a World Super League, let’s never lose the FA Cup. It’s very special and as always, It’s Great to be a Blue!