The joy of the cup, Richard Keys struggling and a bit of time to fill. By Simon Tyers
It may well be, as is often claimed, the greatest day in the football calendar, but FA Cup third-round day also provides its own frustrations. John Motson had run out of inspiration and gone dry during England’s defeat to Croatia, and now Aston Villa’s match with Manchester United provided further evidence that he might just be losing his edge. For stretches of the second half Motson seemed to be talking to himself. Although when he did get round to acknowledging his co-commentator, Mark Lawrenson offered the thought that Martin O’Neill “looks like a man who’s got nits and worms at the same time, doesn’t he?”, so maybe John had the right approach all along.