Micah Richards upset Man City fans with his comments. (Image: BBC Sport)
supporters have taken issue with Micah Richards after he claimed “all the big teams” are out of the , despite his former club making it to the quarter-finals. City conquered Plymouth Argyle at the Etihad Stadium after the Championship strugglers dumped leaders out in the fourth round.
also exited at the hands of Brighton and Hove Albion in the same round, while fell to at the first hurdle. ‘s side then stumbled against Fulham on Sunday, ending their FA Cup defence on penalties at Old Trafford. City and Fulham join Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Brighton and Preston North End in the quarter-finals. Nottingham Forest and Ipswich clash for the final spot on Monday.
During Sport’s FA Cup coverage of United’s penalty defeat to Fulham, Richards analysed the tournament’s landscape and seemingly implied that his former club weren’t among England’s heavyweights.
He said: “It’s very open now. What a chance for a team to go and win it. All the big teams are out, are obviously the strongest team left in there. But this is what we wanted, teams to get a chance.”
The take from Richards has seen him receive backlash from City fans who call for his ambassadorship to be retracted, venting their vexation across social media platforms.
One fan blasted: “Petition to strip Micah Richards of the ‘club ambassador’ role and hand it over to someone who actually cares about .”
Another expressed their frustration, saying: “This is what Micah Richards just said on live television. I’m actually tired of this guy.”
Pep Guardiola is eyeing another FA Cup. (Image: Getty)
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A third supporter offered a different take: “Personally I think Micah Richards misspoke earlier, I don’t think he was necessarily saying what he is being accused of. However it’s an error that he really shouldn’t be making as our club ambassador, he’s digging a hole every time he speaks at the moment.”
Yet another irate fan exclaimed: “Absolutely hate Micah Richards. How is he still allowed to represent us.”
Meanwhile, a fifth fan sarcastically remarked: “I must’ve forgot that the team that wins 4 in a row can’t be classed as big.”
Richards, who dedicated 14 years to City and was part of the squad that clinched the FA Cup in 2011, now sees the competition as the club’s sole shot at glory this term.
has made it clear that his sights are set on lifting the cup, admitting: “It’s quite new for us. In eight or nine years it never happened. That means we are not doing well. We are going to take time off to refresh.”
The City boss emphasised the need for quality training ahead of their crucial clash with Forest: “It’s about quality not quantity. We are going to do training [for a] really important game against Forest.
“We will refresh things and practice things. Lift the rhythm. Normally when you play every three days you cannot do that.”
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