Here’s the rules for ‘giant-killing’ in Cup Football.

1. The Giants killed must ALWAYS be someone else’s team.
2. The Giant-killers must be lower league rubbish, preferably from Up North.
3. The relative monetary values of the 2 teams must be HUGELY different.
4. The giant-killing is greatly enhanced by the arrogance of the giants. By their attitude of entitlement to success. Even if that success is not due to the history of a football club tracing its roots back to the Battle of Hastings, but more due to the ‘investment’ by a bored Emirates playboy billionaire looking for a new toy about 10 years ago.

So how is any of this relevant to the match last night between Wigan and Manchester City?

Nottingham Forest were ‘giant-killers’ in the previous rounds. They beat Arsenal. So a team who lives in the top half, maybe even 7th/8th type position, of the Premier league, gets beat by a team from the next division down. Giants duly killed. Albeit only Arsenal.

But Manchester City? I’ll repeat: MANCHESTER CITY??? Who are being hailed this year, as they run away with the league and not just beat all who come before them, but trounce them, as not merely ‘the best team in England’ but actually, possibly, the ‘best team EVER in England’. Holy shit! And they went to Wigan and got beat. A lowly ‘First Division’ side, which is two whole leagues below the Premiership upon the very pinnacle of which sit Manchester City. So far at the pinnacle that Jose Morinho, manager of second placed Manchester United, has been on anti-depressants since October. And they’re not working because he still depresses me every time he opens his mouth.

I was just kind’a watching the second half of the match, amazed it was still 0-0, and was semi-distracted. But was then gripped. Wigan were amazing. Against the team who score more goals than everyone else put together, this bunch of lowly northern half-wits were keeping City out by sheer grit and determination. To such an extent that Pep unleashed Kevin de Bruyne from the bench. So the Wigan boys, exhausted after 70 minutes of constant defending, have to face the fresh legs of the best player in the league. Yet even he couldn’t create his magic. Whereas at the other end, grossly over-valued full-back, Kyle Walker, showed exactly why he was no longer good enough to play for Spurs and gave the ball away to a Wigan guy who, cool-as-ya-like, scored the winning goal.

The stuff of dreams. The fuel of legends. The magic of the Cup.

Happy Tuesday

A xxxx