FA Cup 2014: the intelligent punter's guide

Why being number two in the Premier League spells good luck for Manchester City in the FA Cup

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(Image credit: 2013 The FA)

IT'S the oldest and most famous football knock-out competition in the world but one that until quite recently looked to have lost a lot of its magic.

The FA Cup was once renowned for its upsets: in the 1970s we saw surprise winners from the Second Division (Sunderland and Southampton), and in the 1980s there were wins for First Division underdogs Coventry and Wimbledon.

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is a writer, broadcaster and blogger who writes The Week’s Intelligent Punter’s Guides. He is co-founder of the Campaign For Public Ownership. He tweets on sport @MightyMagyar and on politics and other subjects @NeilClark66