h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Sunderland just beat Brirmingham 2-0 after extra time, in case you hadn't seen.

Well done there

It's not on my planned list of fixtures, no. You are rather a long way away, and anyway I'm unlikely to get a ticket without going to Sheffield to pick it up.

Oh, and I need that weekend to clean the house up as my mother will be arriving from Canada during the next week

Ah, parental visits.

I'm currently in the midst of a week-long tidy up of my flat for my parents coming up on Saturday.

I know it's terrible isn't it


The real block for me over Sunderland will the tickets thing, I'm really not up for a 500 mile round trip just to buy one. Though of course the semi will be different matter, as there will be loads more tickets available

hey, the old estadio da escuimento eterno holds a fair few you know, although I have no idea what the away allocation is.

I think it's 10% of the capacity as a minimum, though more can be made available depending upon likely sales and safety considerations. So that would be, what, 4,500 maximum? There would be little chance of me getting in to that queue

I thought the capacity was about 48,000 but that still leaves the 10% and less than 5,00, you're right.

yeah, 48,300 apparently- http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/park/yfh45/sunderla.htm

So it is the semi where I will have the best chance of getting a ticket. What with a 50% share of some 30,000+ capacity ground or other. The irony then being that there is b*gger all chance of getting a final ticket because -
1) 80% of the tickets go to folk who don't support either team.
2) Arsenal will have beaten us in the semi. It's always bloody Arsenal who muck things up, always...

well, if you get lucky, you might have a semi against millwall or tranmere. Wewll, that's if you get past the Mackems.

Even though history is not on our side over this - http://www.soccerbase.com/footballlive/?MIval=head2&team2id=2493&team1id=2328 - I still remain quietly confident

Well, I'll obviously be cheering for the local boys. i might even, ironically, be at a Sheffield United cup match that ou aren't

This is an odd concept; going to a football match where you don't really support either team

BTW, how did ManU do this evening? And do I care

MAn U lost 2-1.

And Sunderland are my third favourite team, and a lot easier to get to than either of the first two.

Did Fergie complain? No, don't answer that. I really couldn't care less

District of residence for your third team seems about right. Brighton are my sort of my joint third with Millwall and Watford. What is your second team?

Cowdenbeath.

Keane was sent off too, and apparently Gary Neville was playing at centre back.

Ah yes of course


Keane? Neville? Who they?

Hmm, I was looking up details on home tickets for the quarter final on http://www.safc.com/esafc/ArticlesPage.asp?nlid=286 and it makes reference to the fact that "depending on demand from Sheffield United, some season ticket holders may be moved", which does suggest that the Blades might get extra tickets if they want they- which, considering the 20,000 empty seats against brum, seems fair enough.

The message on the Blades website is that there are 6,000 tickets available. Looking at the schedule of how they're divied up I would be in the third group in the queue after season ticket holders with a Colchester stub, and season ticket holders without.

The club has decided to allow postal applications for tickets, but I'm still not going to go as the match is late afternoon on Sunday. I real don't fancy a drive of 350 miles on a Sunday evening with a work the next day