The 2011–12 FA Cup is the 131st season of the world’s oldest football knock-out competition.  825 clubs applied with 763 clubs accepted. The winners of this years competition will qualify for the Europa League.  This is the first season that the tournament is sponsored by Budweiser.

FA CUP PRIZE MONEY

Extra Preliminary Round winners    (201)    £750
Preliminary Round winners    (166)    £1,500
First Round Qualifying winners    (116)    £3,000
Second Round Qualifying winners(80)    £4,500
Third Round Qualifying winners    (40)    £7,500
Fourth Round Qualifying winners    (32)    £12,500
First Round Proper winners    (40)    £18,000
Second Round Proper winners    (20)    £27,000
Third Round Proper winners    (32)    £67,500
Fourth Round Proper winners    (16)    £90,000
Fifth Round Proper winners    (8)    £180,000
Sixth Round Proper winners    (4)    £360,000
Semi-Final winners                (2)    £900,000
Semi-Final runners-up                (2)    £450,000
Final runners-up                            (1)    £900,000
Final winners                            (1)        £1,800,000

The FA Cup Final has undergone a makeover in recent years but it remains the game all players in the UK and beyond want to be involved in.

As excitement builds, the financial impact of the FA cup has been revealed.  The findings show that there has been £650m generated by clubs in the last decade in prize money, gate receipts and TV payments.  The FA cup has financial benefits for clubs at all levels in England. (and Wales)

Chelsea coach Roberto di Matteo, has a special link with the FA Cup.  The former WBA manager holds two records that cant be broken.  His winning goal against Aston Villa in 2000 was the last FA Cup final goal before the stadium was rebuilt. Di Matteo’s goal for Chelsea after 43 seconds in the 1997 win was the fastest goal that was scored in the final at the old Wembley.

In the 2011 final Stoke City played there for the first time in the clubs history. Stoke managed to earn £3.5m, including £1.8m prize money from the Semi-Final and Final alone.

For small clubs, a draw against a premier league team provides a potential windfall as well as the chance to do a bit of giant killing.  Last season, League One side Leyton Orient took Arsenal to a Fifth Round replay.  That run of Orients generated 30 per cent of total club revenue for the entire year.  8 years ago, Millwall reached The FA cup Final and the money they earned from their run went towards to 29 per cent of club’s total revenues for that season.

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish believes there is still a great prestige in winning football’s oldest football competition. He believes that there is a misguided obsession with the Premier League but there is a satisfaction from winning a cup competition which you don’t get from finishing high in the league.

General Secretary of The FA, Alex Horne said: “The FA Cup is the most authentic knockout competition in the world, every year it delivers magical moments for fans.

Liverpool go into today’s final with a better head to head record having won 73, drawn 33 and lost 56 of their previos162 matches against Chelsea. The 131st FA Cup final, is Chelsea’s 11th appearance in the final.  Roberto di Matteo’s men are hoping to win the competition the fourth time in the last six years.

Its hard to call a winner in this years final with many experts predicting a draw and a penalty shootout.  Liverpool are 2/1 outsiders with the bookies.  On the pitch, it has the potential to be a classic with players such as Suaraz, Gerrard, Torres and Mata to name a few.  The losers will be inconsolable while the winners will be jubilant.  Besides the prize money and the European place,  it is those emotions that make the FA cup special.

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Harry has been hot favorite to replace Fabio Capello as England manager ever since the Italian “resigned”

Harry Redknapp went on record as saying: “Sure, results haven’t been good and I have my own views why and it’s not because of the talk about replacing Capello. There is no right to win. Teams are not coming out just to roll over.”

In terms of sinking ships Tottenham are looking more like the Marie Celeste than the Titanic, they have a wealthy owner miles away accross the sea and a very well paid captain who has taken his eye off the ball.  This together with the fact that the disaster that followed has everyone at the club appearing to want to jump ship.

In the 2010 – 2011 Champions League Spurs made Spurs £25.34.  Although they were the smallest earners across the English clubs, its still a hefty amount.  The other clubs earned as follows Arsenal £24.5m, Chelsea £36.4m, Manchester United £43.3m.

However, it isn’t just about the additional money, its about the the opportunity to compete against Europe’s best and to then attract the top players.

These figures do not include ticket sales on the night. And remember, the Champions League ticket sales goes solely to the home club.

In today’s match QPR took a vital step towards Premier League survival.  Adel Taarabt’s first-half free-kick means Spurs’ slump continues. There was only despair for Harry Redknapp as he watched his Totenham side struggle find the creative spark that they have had for much of the season.

Tottenham have won only one of their last nine Premier League games

So if my calculations are correct, Spurs slump means that they could lose around 50 million in revenue next season.  Along with the cash that they would get from UEFA, you can double that in terms of the long-term benefits for the club.

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The fact that people were ineligible did not stop the banks selling it.  Many commission hungry individuals still went ahead and sold PPI, sometimes without the customers being aware of it. Now the banks have to face the backlash of claims!

If you have ever had any form of mortgage, loan or credit card, it is very important that you check if PPI was included.

Whether you qualify to claim PPI can depend upon when the policy was sold to you. The new law in the UK only covers PPI policies sold after January 2005. However, it still may be possible to claim back PPI before January 2005. There are many no-win no-fee companies that will take on these claims

If you were incorrectly sold PPI in the UK, you can legally claim compensation. The first thing you need to do is make certain that you actually had PPI.  Chances are, it was added to your loan without your knowledge. You can contact your lender to find out if you took out PPI.

You can Claim Payment Protection back, for the following reasons

If you had a medical problem, when you took out PPI, that could have kept you from working, you should have been informed that PPI was not suitable for you. If this wasn’t explained, you are entitled to claim.

If you were not employed at the time you took PPI it will be impossible for you to make a valid insurance claim and thus you are entitled to claim.

If you were told the insurance was compulsory, you have a case. Lenders have the right to make sure that a borrower has payment protection insurance, but  they must not make it compulsory that you take PPI out with them.

If you were only quoted the cost of the loan with the PPI attached or if the entire cost of the PPI was not explained to you, then you can claim.

If important features and conditions of the loan were not explained, then you can claim.  For example, most policies have an upper age limit or around 70. If you were older than 70 when you took Payment Protection, you can claim.

If you had cover in place that cover your payments but were not asked about this, you could claim.

If you bought payment protection insurance to cover a long term loan chances are that the payment protection insurance will run out before the loan is fully repaid. If this is the case, the company should have informed you of this. If they didn’t inform you of this fact, you can claim.

If it is decided that you were indeed mis-sold payment protection insurance, you are entitled to be refunded all of the premiums you have paid.  Along with this you are entitled to have the interest refunded.

The fact is that tens of thousands of people in the UK were missold payment protection insurance but, loads of people are still not taking the steps to file for a claim and, in turn, these people are not getting the money they are entitled to. Once the payment protection insurance evaluation is over, get ready to receive your compensation.   Remember the payment protection insurance proceedings can take a long time so dont be expecting the money within a few days

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The furious Celtic manager inexplicably ran on to the field to berate referee Euan Norris after the 2-1 defeat by Hearts.

Lennon said on Twitter:  “Feel so sorry for players and fans… I think it’s personal myself.”

A Marius Zaliukas drive struck the arm of Celtic’s Joe Ledley hitting the the hand of Victor Wanyama.  Lennon said the “Referee told players he thought Wanyama handled,”

The Hoops had fought back after Rudi Skacel’s opener through Gary Hooper with three minutes remaining, but the injury time spot kick ended their ambitions of a league and Cup double.

Lennon’s actions today have fueled the bad feelings towards him by many sections of the media and fans. Lennon wasn’t really disliked until he joined Celtic and Scotland has never seen a player or manager that splits opinions the way Neil Lennon has.

Neil Lennon seems to be a “hate” figure for the majority of opposing fans. Many Celtic supporters believe its due to bigotry and racism however Neil Lennon “the person” may have to take a lot of the blame.

“Lenny” is definitely showing everyone how easy it is to wind him up.  If anyone is thinking the problem is due to the fact that he is a Nortern Ireland Catholic, they just need to look at Martin O’Neill.  O’Neill comes from a similar background and was extremely passionate but he carried himself with dignity.

After Neil Lennon’s antics today many feel its time he read the history of the club and conducted himself in the manner of his predecessors such as Stein, Hay and Burns.  All these Celtic managers were all passionate but they were also dignified… A word that could rarely be used to describe Neil Lennon.

Lennon seems so focused on himself, and there are doubts if he can be a winner due to the fact he worries about being a failure. This may be why he acts in a violent manner. On occasions you can compare him to a child trowing his dummy out of the pram or rolling around on the floor trying trying to get his own way. Winners are dignified and the great Celtic football club deserve better.

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In the UK, 35 per cent of mortgages are interest-only deals.  The Financial Services Authority have revealed that £120billion worth of interest-only mortgages are due to be repaid in the next ten years.

Interest-only mortgages first became popular in the late Eighties when endowment mortgages became popular.  The idea was that instead of paying down the debt, you just pay the interest and use the money that was saved each month to invest in something that will grow at a decent rate.  The overall thought behind this was that by investing a person would be able to pay off the mortgage faster than if they were on the repayment mortgage.

An interest-only mortgage became a popular choice for many people who purchased homes at the start of the 21st century as they offer an affordable way of buying a property due to the fact that you are not paying the capital, only the interest.  However, at the end of the mortgage term the full sum is payable.  For example, a £160,000 home loan at 5 per cent over 25 years would cost £635 per month interest-only, and £895 per month capital repayment.  But at the end of the mortgage term, the original £160,000 debt would have to be repaid.  However if a customer is on a repayment mortgage the debt would have cleared.

Mortgage rates in the UK have dropped but, if they were to rise, tens of thousands of people on interest-only deals would find their mortgage repayments unaffordable.  Some banks are offering their customer the chance to switch to interest only deals in the hope that it will let them afford their repayments.  By moving people onto the mortgages with lower repayments, UK banks are able to cover up long-term problems in the housing market.

Other banks are more strict and are insisting that if a customer wishes to switch, they can show proof that they are able to pay the balance at the end of the term.  The tactic from many banks of putting their customers on interest-only mortgages has helped to keep repossessions low.

If UK interest rates were to rise people on interest only mortgages will face difficulties meeting their repayments.

The FSA have estimated that around 7% of mortgages in the UK are in forbearance.  This would equate to over 300,000 people that cant keep up with their interest only mortgage repayments.

Forbearance is a period where repossession proceedings are delayed so homeowners can make-up overdue payments.

In the United States, banks have adopted a far more aggressive approach when it comes to repossessions. In the US, when borrowers go into arrears the banks act immediately to repossess the properties.  In the UK, your bank is more likely to try and arrange a solution for the customers to pay back the arrears.  The US banks aggressive approach has enabled them to clean-up their balance sheets and move the property market forward.

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The advert sets the scene in a summer garden party.  The Union Jacks are waving, the smiles are on the childrens faces and the sun is shining.   The celebs are seen having a great time playing games such as garden tennis and the egg and spoon race.

The advert’s music is a cover of the Beatles classic Here Comes the Sun, sung by Gary Barlow.

• Twiggy made her Marks and Spencer debut in 1967, returning as part of a new look line-up for 2005 campaign.
• Myleene Klass joined M & S in 2007
• Gary Barlow, was joined by the rest of Take That in 2008, who were the faces of Autograph menswear.
• Dannii Minogue, Jamie Redknapp and Lisa Snowdon joined the M&S in 2010.

Barlow is excited about his return to M&S stardom: “It’s great to be back with M&S and it’s a real privilege to cover such an iconic track. You can’t better perfection, but I hope we’ve given it a modern twist that will capture the mood of the nation and provide the perfect anthem for summer 2012.”

User Comments

“Love this ad,the songs been stuck in my head since i saw it. Cant beat the original but good job Gary Barlow.It made me smile:)”

“When I watched this advert for the first time tonight I was really shocked it was Gary’s voice… He covered it really well and didn’t wreak the song like many other artists do when covering songs.. well done Gary!”

“George Harrison will, to me, always be the best at singing this song. His own song.”

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Seven Water companies Thames Water, Southern Water, Veolia Central, South East and South East and Sutton and East Surrey Water have all imposed hosepipe bans.

Gardeners will now face £1,000 fines for using a hosepipe to water their garden or wash the car.

What is a hosepipe ban?

A hosepipe ban is when water companies bring in restrictions because they’re in a drought and they need to save it to maintain supplies.  A drought is when there’s an exceptional period of low rainfall.

The hosepipe ban applies to domestic properties, which means that farming etc can continue to use hosepipes.

The area of the UK, ranging from Teeside to Kent, is officially in drought and this area is expected to get much bigger if the dry weather in the UK continues.

The Environment Agency said that this is the worst drought since 1976 which will mean if the situation does get much worse, non-essential water users such as car washes and golf courses will be asked to stop using water.

What about leaking water pipes?

Water companies have to tackle leakage and they are expected to hit targets every year.

The Environment Agency says companies need to do more to stop water leaking from fractured pipes.  More than 3.3 billion litres a day was wasted by leaks in 2010/11 In England and Wales

Ofwat have gone on record as saying that it would cost around £100 billion to cut the disruption by around half, so its just somthing we have to live with at the moment.

Whether the ban will get worse depends a lot on the weather of the next few months.  The Met Office predicts drier-than-average weather conditions for April-May-June as a whole.

Do we get a saving in our water bills if we can’t use hosepipes?

Most people pay a fixed charge for their water bills per year and that doesn’t change no matter how much water that is used.  If however you are on a water meter and use less water than usual then it should be reflected in your bills.

Customers won’t be getting a discount because of a hosepipe ban.  You are paying a fixed amount for a service.

The hosepipe ban is causing massive problems for gardeners in the restricted area.  The ban may also have an impact on Garden centres as they are set to face massive losses due to people not be buying plants.

Councils across the UK are having to cancel matches as pitches will be too hard to play on if they cannot water them.

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In the advert, a dancing orange blob (or flame), is seen beside electrical devices, dancing and generally having a jolly good time, to the theme of Phil Oakley’s – Together In Electric Dreams.   The blob appears to be modeled after the popular Keepon toys.

The advert marks EDF Energy’s new ‘Blue’ energy tariff, with a range of key features including a ‘Price Promise’
EDF’s'Blue +Price Promise’, comes with a guarantee of no price increases until September 2013, no termination fee if you feel like switching.

The price promise will notify customers when a new product is launched that works out more than £1 a week (£52 a year) cheaper based on typical consumption. The Blue tariff from EDF will also be derived from mostly low-carbon sources supplied to the National Grid, particularly nuclear power.

The announcement follows the recent end of energy regulator Ofgem’s consultation on its Retail Market Review (RMR).

Martin Lawrence, Managing Director of Energy Sourcing and Customer Supply at EDF Energy, said: “Consumers want greater clarity and flexibility from energy tariffs and we know that fair and simple pricing helps to build consumer trust.

viewers comments

It is very cute. I had no idea what the advert was about to begin with, but it kept me watching. Good marketing.

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Best ad of the year definitely. Love this ad. He is so cute!!!! -3 x

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Here in Britain we have made a lot of godawful advert in recent years (Mazuma Mobile, ToolStation, etc.) but this one? No complaints.

 

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Chances are George Osbourne hasn’t ate too many pasties in his lifetime, so why should he care  This may be part of the reason that the chancellor went ahead and announced that VAT would be added on a heated pasty.  On the other hand, if you like your food cold, it will be VAT-free.

The chancellor, announced that VAT will be introduced on hot take-away food from bakeries from October 2012.

If this ‘pasty tax’ goes ahead, it may put financial strain on many business’s who are already struggling to make ends meet.  The businesses are already suffering through increased fuel costs, and this extra VAT will see many independent bakers leave the high street.

Osbourne seems to struggle to remember the cost of petrol, so why would he know how people from a working class background eat their lunch? Pasties aren’t the nicest to eat when cold and they are a hassle to heat up.

Many including Mr Osbourne might find this hard to believe, but that 40p difference in a hot or a cold pasty can make a difference to millions.  A pasty every working day and you are talking about 2 quid a week.  That’s over a hundred pound a year extra.

Osborne’s pasty tax doesn’t just deliver a blow to our wallets, it’s a big kick in the guts as well.

Chancellor George Osborne motivations is that he wanted to remove an anomaly in which hot food takeaway chains are charged VAT while bakers don’t have to pay it.  The bakers are sticking to their guns and saying that foods such as sausage rolls and pasties are not sold as hot food, but as freshly-cooked food which is kept warm.

Former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott looks like he has had a few pasties in his time and has been giving away pasties and pies in Brighton, in a response to the “pasty tax”.

Lord Prescott said: “This is just another tax on hard-working people and a kick in the teeth to bakers.”

Gregg’s, the bakers were one of the first to complain about the tax and their shares “sausage rolled” from 550p to 520p when the budget was announced last week.

In the pasty week, there has seen a significant backlash against the government’s plans.  VAT is already charged on other takeaway food and the UK government has said that there is no reason why bakeries should be getting away with this.

While controversial, the pasty tax is not the worse thing to be levied on this nation. The NHS is being dismantled, the disabled are being robbed of essential benefits.

On top of this higher education now a luxury item.  If you also take into account the tax cuts for top earners that appears to be subsidised by pensions, the pasty tax is just the tip of the ice-burg.

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A major factor in this is said to be a law that allows authorities to check its database against DVLA records.  The new UK law means it can see which vehicles are registered with the DVLA.  they will then send out a letter.

In the UK today, there are just over 1 million uninsured drivers on the road.  10 % of these drivers are people aged between 17 and 20.  Car Insurance figures suggest that there has been a 20% car insurance increase for this age bracket since 2011.

The insurance premiums for young drivers in the UK tend to be relatively expensive.  This is due to the fact that under 25s fall into a ‘high risk’ category which predicts that they are more likely to make expensive claims than any other age group.

In general, the annual premium will reduce each year you are insured to drive, however, many young drivers insurance will be expensive, especially for their first 2 – 3 years of when they are on the road.

The type of car will also impact the premium.  Generally cars with larger engines are much more expensive to insure than those with smaller engines.  On the other hand, one-off purchases such as immobilisers and car alarms can reduce your premium regardless of age.

As the unemployed numbers increase and the money situation gets tighter for everyone, increasing car insurance premiums mean that young drivers are passing their tests but due to unaffordable insurance premiums, they not able to drive.

Figures suggest that the number of young drivers on the UK roads has dropped over the past three years.  This figure is set to increase even further in December 2012 when a European ruling comes into affect.  This ruling will mean that insurance companies can no longer offer female drivers lower premiums.

The insurance companies have defended the rises in premiums.  They have said that on top of uninsured drivers pushing premiums up, they also have to account for the growing numbers of whiplash compensations claims and personal injury compensation.

There are several insurers in the United Kingdom which specialize in insuring to teenage drivers.  By dealing mostly with young drivers, these insurance companies can make certain concessions and they are able to tailor their policies to get the lowest premiums.

Even though insurance premiums are high, by shopping around with several insurers it should be possible to find a reasonable price.

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