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Post by cousindupree on Feb 13, 2010 9:17:58 GMT
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article7025721.eceOk I am a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to footie and partucularly the FA cup. I have some fabulous memories of the 70's cup runs so I am bemuse by the current lack of enthusiasm for this great competition. Even on here there is little genuinel excitement about a fifth round match and time and time again you see lower attendances for cup games. A Man city v Stoke premier league match would attract more than the same fixture in the FA cup. So the FA have to do something to freshen it up and attract those fans who have been brainwashed by premier league. I hope they dont tinker too much as the appeal is in the tradition and the hope of a shock. Thank christ that seeding isnt being looked at! But midweek games!!! Why?....trying out new technology? Again why?
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Post by M on Feb 13, 2010 9:34:44 GMT
They did their best at destroying it years ago by letting the Shit go to Brazil as it was more important.  M |
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Post by londonjamie on Feb 13, 2010 9:42:10 GMT
It's an interesting problem. Even before getting to the end of the article though I thought I'd cracked it (me - genius)...give the winner a place in Europe. Shame that doesn't seem possible.
I'm not swayed by the 'new technology' idea....I think turning it into a testing ground would degrade it in the eyes of competing teams (imagine teams taking it seriously during the 2013-14 season when the FA decide to experiment with 'quarter-time') naaaah.
It seems to me that most teams are skint. So offer teams more money for progressing. That'll keep them interested...and if the FA needs to raise (even more) money to do this, then hire someone who knows their stuff (ie never been to Portsmouth) and can get lucrative kit/advertising deals in place to raise money.
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Post by MrMagic on Feb 13, 2010 10:05:27 GMT
Thirty years ago (when I were a lad) the FA cup was the jewel in the football calendar.
I think the main thing that has changed since then, is that football has become big business, with BUISINESS being the key word.
There never used to be very much football on TV, so a televised FA cup tie was a relatively big event. These days there are vast numbers of different games on different channels every day. When you can easily watch a Milan derby in the comfort of your living room, how is a cup game between Blackburn and Wigan going to compare?
There are also far too many people at the controlling level of football who do not see the FA cup as an important competition, and this view filters down. How often do you see managers of clubs who have not won a major cup for the best part of 40 years talking to the press about how a following league game is far more important than a fifth round tie? Wenger goes on about immersing himself in English culture, and eating roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, but he reckons that 3rd place in the Premier League is more important than winning the FA cup???
For the majority of fans, the cup is still exciting. Go to the pub after the next tie has been drawn, and all of the talk will be about who is playing who.
The FA can tinker all that they like, but sadly this is progress. Until managers and Chairmen rediscover their hearts and souls the situation will not change.
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Post by londonjamie on Feb 13, 2010 10:17:55 GMT
Thirty years ago (when I were a lad) the FA cup was the jewel in the football calendar. I think the main thing that has changed since then, is that football has become big business, with BUISINESS being the key word. There never used to be very much football on TV, so a televised FA cup tie was a relatively big event. These days there are vast numbers of different games on different channels every day. When you can easily watch a Milan derby in the comfort of your living room, how is a cup game between Blackburn and Wigan going to compare? There are also far too many people at the controlling level of football who do not see the FA cup as an important competition, and this view filters down. How often do you see managers of clubs who have not won a major cup for the best part of 40 years talking to the press about how a following league game is far more important than a fifth round tie? Wenger goes on about immersing himself in English culture, and eating roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, but he reckons that 3rd place in the Premier League is more important than winning the FA cup??? For the majority of fans, the cup is still exciting. Go to the pub after the next tie has been drawn, and all of the talk will be about who is playing who. The FA can tinker all that they like, but sadly this is progress. Until managers and Chairmen rediscover their hearts and souls the situation will not change. It's like listening to my dad. I love it. Respect ;D |
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Feb 13, 2010 10:29:41 GMT
A Champions League (qualifying round) place for the winners would certainly keep the Premier League clubs interested! The fourth team in the league doesn't deserve a Champions League place so giving that place to the FA Cup winners makes sense.
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Post by FrostySCFC on Feb 13, 2010 10:38:13 GMT
A Champions League (qualifying round) place for the winners would certainly keep the Premier League clubs interested! The fourth team in the league doesn't deserve a Champions League place so giving that place to the FA Cup winners makes sense. Yeah, definitely agree with that, think it would be a good way of doing it. I was thinking that maybe clubs/managers in the Premier League see that playing the extra games in the FA Cup could hinder their league position. A club gets £450,000 this season if they reach the semi's and lose, but this could have an effect on your league position due to the extra amount of games your team will play. And with each additional place in the table being worth (I think, can't find it online today to confirm) an extra £750,000, it does seem a more financially rewarding thing to concentrate on the league. |
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Post by londonjamie on Feb 13, 2010 10:44:19 GMT
Sadly it's true. Whichever way you look at it, it's now about money.
So surely, if teams earn more than they currently do through the FA Cup, that should keep them interested. Although from what's been said here, it would be a pretty significant increase that was needed...
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Post by wembley4372 on Feb 13, 2010 10:54:59 GMT
The league has always been more important, the age of the premier league has just made it much more so.
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Post by sheikh al dubai bin stokie on Feb 13, 2010 11:14:53 GMT
the fa cup is worthless if you ask me... id still like to win it, but its relevance in this day and age is zip
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Post by stokie12345 on Feb 13, 2010 11:27:03 GMT
Comments:
Leigh Vernier wrote:
SUGGESTION:
Scrap the second, ''what's-its-name'' cup.
Cut Premier League to the 12 top teams thereby shedding the dirt poor,
no-hope, gangster teams.
That gives 11 home matches per team.
Have the same 12 teams also form an Under 21s Premier League team.
Must field minimum of 8 home grown players per match.
11 home matches, same grounds as seniors team.
This gives supporters 22 home matches and a 'career ladder'for young home grown talent who will play in front of similar crowds, on a week-by-week basis.
Standards, skill levels will rise.
England will benefit.
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Post by FrostySCFC on Feb 13, 2010 11:35:04 GMT
Comments: Leigh Vernier wrote: SUGGESTION: Cut Premier League to the 12 top teams thereby shedding the dirt poor, no-hope, gangster teams. I reckon s/he's a top four club supporter who has been defeated at the hands of someone down the bottom end. They sound bitter! |
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Post by mikeyb99 on Feb 13, 2010 11:36:13 GMT
A Champions League (qualifying round) place for the winners would certainly keep the Premier League clubs interested! The fourth team in the league doesn't deserve a Champions League place so giving that place to the FA Cup winners makes sense. That would be the most sensible thing to do, and far more 'radical' than some of the silly suggestions in that Times article. Unfortunately, it's probably too radical, as I can't imagine Liverpool or Man City being in favour of that idea! |
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Post by ColonelMustard on Feb 13, 2010 11:41:42 GMT
A Champions League (qualifying round) place for the winners would certainly keep the Premier League clubs interested! The fourth team in the league doesn't deserve a Champions League place so giving that place to the FA Cup winners makes sense. That would be the most sensible thing to do, and far more 'radical' than some of the silly suggestions in that Times article. Unfortunately, it's probably too radical, as I can't imagine Liverpool or Man City being in favour of that idea! Vitually every other club would be in favour though. In the event of the final being between top and second in the league what would happen to the place? Fourth in the league? |
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Feb 13, 2010 11:45:20 GMT
That would be the most sensible thing to do, and far more 'radical' than some of the silly suggestions in that Times article. Unfortunately, it's probably too radical, as I can't imagine Liverpool or Man City being in favour of that idea! Vitually every other club would be in favour though. In the event of the final being between top and second in the league what would happen to the place? Fourth in the league? Yes, if the FA Cup finalists had both already qualified for the Champions League then the 4th spot would have to go to 4th place in the league as it does now. |
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Post by stokie12345 on Feb 13, 2010 11:48:21 GMT
Comments: Leigh Vernier wrote: SUGGESTION: Cut Premier League to the 12 top teams thereby shedding the dirt poor, no-hope, gangster teams. I reckon s/he's a top four club supporter who has been defeated at the hands of someone down the bottom end. They sound bitter! cough*arsenal* |
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Post by Somebody_Told_Me on Feb 13, 2010 11:52:44 GMT
A Champions League (qualifying round) place for the winners would certainly keep the Premier League clubs interested! The fourth team in the league doesn't deserve a Champions League place so giving that place to the FA Cup winners makes sense. Lakeland for Uefa president! Spot on. |
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Post by mikeyb99 on Feb 13, 2010 11:57:06 GMT
That would be the most sensible thing to do, and far more 'radical' than some of the silly suggestions in that Times article. Unfortunately, it's probably too radical, as I can't imagine Liverpool or Man City being in favour of that idea! Vitually every other club would be in favour though. In the event of the final being between top and second in the league what would happen to the place? Fourth in the league? We know who runs the Premier League though, and it isn't a democracy of the 20 teams in there! Manure pull the strings, with Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manc City co-conspirators! The FA will continue to tinker on the sidelines belying their institutional atrophy as a result of all major decisions being made at Old Trafford. |
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Post by Jimmy Cooper on Feb 13, 2010 12:16:21 GMT
FA Cup winner should be in the Champions league, along with the League Cup winner. 1st and 2nd also in the Champions League, with anyone in 3rd/4th going into the UEFA cup. That way, teams would try and win those competitions, instead of settling for fourth. I mean, ffs, even we've managed to finish fourth in the top flight a few times, nothing to write home about.
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Post by MrMagic on Feb 13, 2010 12:21:58 GMT
The league has always been more important, the age of the premier league has just made it much more so. Don't agree. It's true that if you have the chance of winning the league, or the threat of being relegated from it, then your focus is going to be on the league. Anyone who gets excited at the prospect of finishing 11th rather than 12th, and would sacrifice a fifth round game to do it, is a bit strange in my opinion. The fact of the matter is, that whilst you can get into the Champions League by winning bugger all, then any cup competition is going to suffer. Arsenal have not touched silver since 2005 and yet have entered the elite competition for European clubs every year since. That, in my opinion is the crux of the matter. |
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Post by stokemark on Feb 13, 2010 12:36:15 GMT
The suggestions in that article or seem to be based around shoehorining the FA cup in to the Champions League schedule (no replays, midweek matches etc)
Its totally the other way round in that 4 'Champions' League places has destroyed the FA Cup !! The greedy bastard 'Big 4' have damaged the competition yet we have to toady around and try and accomadate them. It all boils back down to the glory hunting turds who 'support' the Big 4 for me.
If people supported their local / family teams, went to games (instead of sat on their arses at home) it would change. Football continues to pamper to the 'popular' vote, the Sky TV brigade, the lowest common denominator whilst real football supporters lose out due to the clubs pursuits of filthy lucre.
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Post by spitthedog on Feb 13, 2010 12:59:15 GMT
The suggestions in that article or seem to be based around shoehorining the FA cup in to the Champions League schedule (no replays, midweek matches etc) Its totally the other way round in that 4 'Champions' League places has destroyed the FA Cup !! The greedy bastard 'Big 4' have damaged the competition yet we have to toady around and try and accomadate them. It all boils back down to the glory hunting turds who 'support' the Big 4 for me. If people supported their local / family teams, went to games (instead of sat on their arses at home) it would change. Football continues to pamper to the 'popular' vote, the Sky TV brigade, the lowest common denominator whilst real football supporters lose out due to the clubs pursuits of filthy lucre. Top Post Champions 'League' (should be Cup imho) has totally devalued the FA Cup. Which serves no purpose for clubs like ours, as realistically we are never going to get into the Champions League. Champions League should be for the Champions only. Football has been manipulated by the Big 4, and the FA Cup has suffered. Its a very miserable state of affair when the mindset of not being relegated is infinitely more important than going for FA Cup glory. |
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