Already through:

Chelsea
Birmingham City
Man City or Stoke
Reading or West Brom
Portsmouth

Playing 5th round tomorrow:

Bolton v Tottenham, 13:30
Crystal Palace v Aston Villa, 15:45
Fulham v Notts County, 15:00


Sixth Round Draw takes places live on ITV Sunday at 17:45 (after the Palarse game)

It's Chelsea isn't it?

Out of the potentials, I'd prefer Portsmouth over Reading or the Baggies...

There's a 1 in 14 chance of us drawing Chelsea away (about 7%), but you just know we bloody well will.

I'd like Portsmouth at home, as it could end up being a bye, and we'll be in the semi's.

I am dreading our name coming out of the hat adjacent to Manchester City - it would mean us playing without England's Number One. No disrespect to Maik Taylor, of course, but it would be a tragedy.
That apart, this season just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it? And once again McLeish showed true style with his post-match comments. He really is a manager that we should be keeping hold of for a long time to come.

A refreshing change eh BE?

your season kicked off meeting me didnt it? I knew it

Scotty, If you think that you should never have a bet again fella!

There is a one in eight chance (7/1) of us getting Chelsea.
There will be 8 balls in the hat and we will be one of them. Two teams will be sharing a ball where a replay is required...

I said away Dazza, I'm not so worried if we get them at home, after they drew against the likes of Hull recently, and only just beat Burnley.

But I do agree about not having a bet again. After having a 1/6 loser yesterday, I had a bet on the american racing last night whilst waiting for a takeaway, the horse was well clear entering the final furlong, probably 15 lengths in the lead over the favourite, and another 20 over the rest of the field, the horse then jinked across the track and virtually pulled itself up, and got beaten a head on the line.

I think I'd rather get Chelsea at St Andrews, than say Stoke at the Britannia or Fulham at Craven Cottage. Especially with the Champions League restarting, we all know where Ancelotti will commit his resources to, especially when one Mr Mourinho would love nothng more than to gloat over his old team.

6th Round matches take place over the weekend 6/7 March, so this will mean another fixture change, with Blackburn Rovers (a) now certain to be a midweek match.

I'd guess that all four quarter finals will be shown live.

For clubs that make it through the Sixth Round, there's a bit of a gap until the semi-finals take place on the weekend 10/11 April, then another gap to the Final itself, this year on 15 May.

Cheers Jim

Time booked off work and looking for the cheapest flights.

Telf
Of all the memorable events that are unfoldiing this season, my liaison with you ranks up there in the Premier League of memorable events. The fact that you brought your hubby along too is neither here nor there!

Oops, fair comment!
Up early after a week on holiday and obviously not reading any posts correctly!

Will try harder in future...

Home to Reading or the Albion will do for me..!!
K.R.O.

Another 5th Round replay to come as Bolton and Spurs draw.

Already through:
Chelsea
Birmingham City
Man City or Stoke
Reading or West Brom
Portsmouth
Bolton or Tottenham


Playing later today:
Crystal Palace v Aston Villa, 15:45
Fulham v Notts County, 15:00


Newsflash: Fulham have just gone 1-0 up midway through the first half against crisis club Notts Co

Anyone know our number yet?

1 Crystal Palace or Aston Villa
2 Manchester City or Stoke City
3 Birmingham City
4 Bolton Wanderers or Tottenham Hotspur
5 Chelsea
6 Fulham or Notts County
7 Reading or West Bromwich Albion
8 Portsmouth

Palace winning - the upset of the round as there's always one.

Come on you Eagles!

Scum equaliser. 1-1

Thanks

2-1 Palace

2-2

Bollox

So these are the numbers and names that go into the draw:

1 Crystal Palace or Aston Villa
2 Manchester City or Stoke City
3 Birmingham City
4 Bolton Wanderers or Tottenham Hotspur
5 Chelsea
6 Fulham
7 Reading or West Bromwich Albion
8 Portsmouth

Any last minute requests for the upcoming draw?

I would like

Stoke/Man City v Villa/Palace
West Brom/Reading v Fulham
Bolton/Tottenham v Chelsea
Blues v Pompey

Anyone else nervous?

Draw for the Sixth Round

Chelsea v Manchester City or Stoke City
Fulham v Bolton Wanderers or Tottenham Hotspur
Reading or West Bromwich Albion v Crystal Palace or Aston Villa
Portsmouth v Birmingham City

Could have been worse..!!
K.R.O.

Very pleased with getting Pompey, even if it is away. They may not even exist by the time the game is supposed to be played. Jammy Villa look like getting through too. Also good news that 2 of Stoke, Chelsea and Man City will be out before the SF's.

Forget the league AM, concentrate on the FA Cup, this is our priority now.

Could have been at home!

Got my wish for the draw, it might be a bye yet - fingers crossed.

As for the Vile game, it's not often I take a dislike to a player on the opposite team, but Palace's Alan Lee was a nasty cheating shit of a player.

We are, of course, just one win away for our first visit to the New Wembley.

So if we both get through can we have Fulham in The Semis please!?

The last time we got to Wembley we had nothing but away ties.

So what'll happen if Pompey go bust before the Quarter Final?

Would it be a bye for us or would Southampton get a reprieve?

When you consider all of the ties that we might have had to suffer, Portsmouth away leaves me very satisfied. That is not to say that we can take it lightly, of course, but Portsmouth's form this season, even at Fratton Park, is not something that should worry us.
It'll do for me.

I think it would be a bye, and even if unusually we did have to play Southampton, that would be as good as one.

The away league match at Portsmouth has been re-scheduled for Tuesday 9 March, which means we will have to play there twice in four days, in Cup and League!

Should the Cup match be drawn, we'll end up playing them THREE TIMES in 10 days!

Palace are in Administration and still playing, so why wouldn't Pompey be if they did?

I think I'm right in saying that clubs for whom HMRC is the chief creditor are wound up rather than put into administration. Basically because they will not accept 10p in the pound (or similar) or negotiate with administrators, so will completely liquidate the club to realise what they are owed.

Basically, have any debt you like, but make damn sure its not with HMRC.

Just to back up what MS says, the difference is that the taxman doesn't give a flying feck about tradition and keeping a football club going!

Heard it said in the media yesterday that the Premier League will try to stave off the closure of Pompey until the summer, when they've been relegated and will no longer cause embarrassment to the Prem. "Once the season is over, it'll be someone else's (Football League's) problem". Not sure if the taxman will allow any delays. After all, Pompey and their dirty dealings are well documented and well known to the taxman!

I believe that if Pompey fail to pay the majoity of a tax bill of £7.5m (which may have become £11m now) based on PAYE for staff, next week to the HMRC, the High Court Judge doesn't have the ability to place them into administration, but can close the business. All players contracts would be terminated, or they would be seen as assets and sold along with the ground to recover the losses for the HMRC. The creditors would then have to fight for the scraps if there are any left. The HMRC won't care about the creditors, they just want their money.

The same applies to Cardiff and Southend.

Palace who are in administration, are just protected from their creditors whilst the administators are in charge and looking for a buyer, whilst offering the creditors a settlement agreement. I'm not sure if Portsmouth can go into administration, and whether it would make any difference if they were, the HMRC still want their money.

Anyone hear Gollivans suggesiton that all other Premiership clubs have a responsibilty and should have a whip round and pay the tax bill for Pompey so they can complete the fixtures? Talk Sport weren't fooled, and exlained that West Ham would be one of the chief sufferers (as they picked up 4 points from Pompey), and would be placed 19th on current standings. Although I agree that WHU or anyone else shouldn't suffer because of Pompeys situation, I hate the way Gollivan try and come across as caring, but I bet you if they'd lost their fixtures to Pompey and someone like Hull or Burnley had won, they wouldnt be suggesting this.

I think Birmingham are now in a good situation here, if Pompey go, we're in the semi finals of the FA Cup even if we lose our 3 points (against Pompey), along with most other teams, we may lose a position or two at worst. Nice considering their spending played it's part in our relegation in 2006, something Gollivan appeared to have forgotten.

I think this is what will happen, the PL are prepared to give the relegation parachute payments early to cover the tax bill. But in the event of Pompeys survival, they won't be invited into the PL. What the PL and FL need to discuss is in the event of this, however unlikely. Would one of the other relegated teams survive? Or would an extra Championship team be promoted? If the same happens to Cardiff, it could see the Championship with 2 less teams next season.

Vile's manager has a real selection poser, with their replay against Palarse coming just four days before their appearance at Wembley in the League Cup Final.

What to do?

Play a weakened side against Palarse and run the risk of being knocked out in the home replay?

Or put the full-strength side out against Palarse and risk injuries?

Will the vilers' players give their all, with Palarse fired up to go flying into tackles, 4 days before a Wembley Final?

Pompey v Blues will be on the Saturday, with a 12.30 kick off. Live on ITV.

Blues have 3,000 tickets at £25. They go on sale from next Monday (away travel club members only for 2 days, then ST holders)

Saturday, 6 March 2010
Fulham v Tottenham, R6, 17:20
Portsmouth v Birmingham City, R6, 12:30

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday, 7 March 2010
Chelsea v Stoke, R6, 16:00
Reading v Aston Villa, R6, 13:45

Have we sold our allocation, James?

There were 800 out of 3,000 still available on Saturday, though they are only on sale to ST holders who have been attending away games.

It seems highly unlikely that any will be available for general sale to non-ST holders when the time comes on Friday % March.

Tickets in the home end are on general sale Panja. Not that I'd risk my accent in there, like.

It's not in the Bell end is it? I'd rather watch it in a pub than be too close to that..

Apparently there were 600 tickets left at the Blues today. At a guess I'd say they will all go to ST holders before the general release day on Friday.

Just 80 tickets left out of the 3,000.

Tomorrow they go on sale to ST holders who haven't yet been in the queue!

So I think they'll all be snapped up pretty quickly tomorrow morning.