FA Cup

[jmelanie]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/foo...mpetition.html

Discuss

[brightonr]

Firstly the obvious bit. We did not play Sheffield Wednesday.

Something needs to be done though. Third round day was always one of the most anticipated days in the football calendar, before television turned football from a sport to a business. And maybe it's just me being a weirdo, but the Final was a whole day event, from the teams at their hotel, getting on the coach, getting off the coach, 3pm KO, the match itself and all that followed. Totally unrecognisable from what we see today.

[HoopDoggyDogg]

Point 8 is what Barton said that the winners should get a Champs League Place and I agree.
Even if you have to play in the Prelimanary Rounds first.

It's a shame about the FA Cup as the Magic has gone from it now.
I remember when I was younger, it didn't matter who was in the final but always watched it with my old man as it was tradition, it was the FA Cup!!

My Dad (RIP) didn't support any club as he just loved the game.
Was Chairman of the Beds and Bucks League in his older age, but was proud of the moment he reffed a FA Cup game as it was the FA Cup.

The FA need to bring the Magic back into it.

[dsqpr]

Good article JM.

Football these days is all about money. I suppose it always has been. In the good old days the FA Cup was important because of the extra revenue from the additional matches. The main sources of additional revenue for Premier League clubs these days are the MASSIVE TV money and the mis-named Champions League. Cup matches are just a distraction for the Premier League teams in terms of revenue: the top teams get much more money for so-called Champions League success and everybody else gets so much Premier League TV revenue that maintaining their position in the Premier League is far more important financially than any Cup run.

The author makes many good points (and some I don't agree with) but in the end the way to restore the FA Cup to its former glory is with financial incentive.
1. Imaginative ticket pricing: Agree!
2. Give lower clubs automatic home advantage in 3rd and 4th rounds: Strongly Disagree! In fact, lower ranked clubs would rather play AT a big club because that means more revenue!
3. Limit 3rd and 4th rounds to two days: Agree.
4. Don't select all-Premier League ties for live TV: Agree - upsets are a key part of the magic of the Cup.
5. Move the semi-finals from Wembley: Agree - Wembley is special, as we all know!
6. Ensure the Cup takes priority over Premier League scheduling: Agree.
7. Make sure the final is the last match of the season - at 3pm on Saturday! - Agree!
8. A so-called Champions League place for the winner - Agree! This would probably have the most benefit.
9. No satellite broadcasts and fewer early round live matches - Ho hum. Not sure what this would accomplish.
10. Get rid of the pink ball - Agree!

[jmelanie]

Good article JM.

Football these days is all about money. I suppose it always has been. In the good old days the FA Cup was important because of the extra revenue from the additional matches. The main sources of additional revenue for Premier League clubs these days are the MASSIVE TV money and the mis-named Champions League. Cup matches are just a distraction for the Premier League teams in terms of revenue: the top teams get much more money for so-called Champions League success and everybody else gets so much Premier League TV revenue that maintaining their position in the Premier League is far more important financially than any Cup run.

The author makes many good points (and some I don't agree with) but in the end the way to restore the FA Cup to its former glory is with financial incentive.
1. Imaginative ticket pricing: Agree!
2. Give lower clubs automatic home advantage in 3rd and 4th rounds: Strongly Disagree! In fact, lower ranked clubs would rather play AT a big club because that means more revenue!
3. Limit 3rd and 4th rounds to two days: Agree.
4. Don't select all-Premier League ties for live TV: Agree - upsets are a key part of the magic of the Cup.
5. Move the semi-finals from Wembley: Agree - Wembley is special, as we all know!
6. Ensure the Cup takes priority over Premier League scheduling: Agree.
7. Make sure the final is the last match of the season - at 3pm on Saturday! - Agree!
8. A so-called Champions League place for the winner - Agree! This would probably have the most benefit.
9. No satellite broadcasts and fewer early round live matches - Ho hum. Not sure what this would accomplish.
10. Get rid of the pink ball - Agree!

I think the idea of point 8 is that if the matches aren't televised then more people will go and watch them.

I agree with your comments and I believe most fans do. As to the Champions League I have no interest in watching somebody I may have heard but know little about them or their players playing another team that I may of heard of and also know very little about them or their players.

[HoopDoggyDogg]

Should scrap the Europa League as well.
The FA Cup and League Cup winners go into the preliminary rounds of Champs League.
The Europa League isn't taken seriously know either like years ago when it was UEFA Cup.

So much in the game has been forgotten about, trophies like the FA Cup and the old UEFA Cup have no appeal.
FIFA only care about the Big Teams in World Football, the Big Names in the game like Messi, Ronaldo,Neymar etc.

[TBLOCKRANGER]

Point 8 is the key with Champions League place but the big clubs will do everything in their power to stop this as if allowed UEfA would most probably take away the existing 4th place premier league spot which now is fought over by Liverpool, Arsenal & utd. Reckon these traditional big teams of English football will flex their muscles and do everything to resist and all three are big enough to negotiate their own TV deals so reckon FA will defer to them.
It was utd IMHO that started the decline of the FA cup when they all preferred to go to a beach in Rio than participate.
At least Jose and Pellegrini take domestic cups seriously.

[Buffalo]

I doubt UEFA would allow 8 anyway. The CL is for football association champions and runners-up. In England's case, the football association concerned is the Premier League. The FA cup however, is contested between teams from multiple football associations.

I can't see UEFA agreeing to the potential prospect of having a second or third-tier English team entering their competition.

[Factamondo]

only people to blame...............tv companies!

[dave58]

Totally agree with points 6,7,8,10, T.V. is ruling the roost and with a greedy F.A who have to pay for Wembley and would sell their soul to the T.V. and lost their govenance of the game to the Premier league who now have the power,with regard to coverage over 4 days it's ridiculous

[Yousef]

What is cup?

[Lunar Jetman]

What is cup?

Something you drink from.

[jmelanie]

Point 8 is the key with Champions League place but the big clubs will do everything in their power to stop this as if allowed UEfA would most probably take away the existing 4th place premier league spot which now is fought over by Liverpool, Arsenal & utd. Reckon these traditional big teams of English football will flex their muscles and do everything to resist and all three are big enough to negotiate their own TV deals so reckon FA will defer to them.
It was utd IMHO that started the decline of the FA cup when they all preferred to go to a beach in Rio than participate.
At least Jose and Pellegrini take domestic cups seriously.

United might welcome the chance of a place in the Champions league through the cup at the moment.

[qprvoyager10]

Its the all Premier League ties on TV that tick me off. You see these matches all the time but never get a chance to watch the Non League teams on TV. Why would they think people would rather watch Arsenal V Hull when you can watch that most seasons? People get bored of that and both teams are not going to give 100 percent and both don't play full strength squad.

[Lunar Jetman]

Its the all Premier League ties on TV that tick me off. You see these matches all the time but never get a chance to watch the Non League teams on TV. Why would they think people would rather watch Arsenal V Hull when you can watch that most seasons? People get bored of that and both teams are not going to give 100 percent and both don't play full strength squad.

The fact of the matter is that its the Premier League teams who draw the biggest audiences. Remember ITV Sport's attempt to show Championship games live? That failed due to lack of demand. As much as you say that a few of us would like to see smaller teams like Cambridge v Luton or even Blythe Spartans v Birmingham, more people support Arsenal and Hull so the viewing figures would be higher and ultimately, that's what counts...