The Third Round of the FA Cup traditionally evokes a special feeling and meaning for football fans of a certain age. This season the FA Cup Third Round was played over five days – the intention being to try and appeal to as people as possible and attempting to stretch the ‘magic of the cup’.
Did it work or is it just another gimmick as bad as the pink football? It has long been discussed that the demise of the FA Cup which, let’s not forget is organised football’s longest running domestic cup competition, is complicated by many factors.
Growing up the FA Cup was the romantic tournament, the trophy all wanted to win. In the playground no one tried to score the goal that got you fourth place, or that won the league title, it was all about Wembley, the hallowed turf and receiving the famous trophy from the Royal box. We all wanted to emulate Bryan Robson, Gary Mabbutt, Kevin Ratcliffe and other famous captains who lifted the trophy. Tradition, cultural relevance and world renown.
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History is littered with wonderful stories, goals and upsets and yet we now exist in an era where live football for many has reached saturation point, where the advent of the Champions League and the financial necessity to finish in the top four for some clubs actually trumps the allure and the desire to win the FA Cup.
What can be done about it? This week the FA Cup Fourth Round starts on Friday. Yes Friday. Cambridge will host record FA Cup Winners Manchester United. Should the match be played on Friday? The final Fourth Round tie will be played on Monday spreading the ties over four days. Is this good or is it simply an attempt to retain in the football consciousness the FA Cup and whip up the relevancy of the competition for fans, the media and other stakeholders? Whatever the justification, there is a sense that after West Ham’s dramatic penalty shoot out win over Everton in their Third Round replay there was a semblance of magic returning to the competition. Sterile matches on the preceding days were forgotten as Adrian, the West Ham goalkeeper, threw his gloves to the floor as he stepped up to convert the winning penalty after a pulsating match ended in a draw. This match, thanks to Adrian’s goalkeeping antics, will be remembered and form part of the history of the competition and this is surely the point. There are many occasions where a goal or a result has been the main story; it is not just about winning the FA Cup. The upsets are synonymous with the competition and as long as there are moments every season that can be added to the FA Cup montage the next, the competition will retain an element of its historic value.
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Where once the FA Cup was exemplified by the David versus Goliath battles, the upsets, the muddy pitches, the career defining goals in the final and fans invading at the final whistle, the football landscape has changed. The FA Cup may have lost its traditional ‘magic’ but there needs to be an attempt to make it significant again.
It would be churlish to suggest that the FA Cup is as pertinent now as it was two decades ago, yet for the debate to exist that changes need to be made to elevate it from its current slumber, can only lead to one conclusion; people still care about it.
So how can the FA Cup regain its lustre? Last season it would not be beyond the realms of realism to suggest that without an FA Cup win, Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger may not have signed his three-year contract. It was that relevant, it was that important. This year Louis Van Gaal’s only realistic chance of silverware at Manchester United is the FA Cup; could a win in May reaffirm his, and United supporters, belief that the club is again moving in the right direction? For Liverpool, so close to the title last year a Cup win would mean so much to Brendan Rodgers who has endured a difficult season and of course the final falls on the birthday of departing Anfield legend Steven Gerrard.
Only the FA Cup writes stories like this! And Spurs? The FA Cup is engrained within the fabric of the club and like Van Gaal, a win for Pochettino would show welcome progress. They will play Leicester on Saturday, the team they beat in 1961 to win the first double of the 20th Century. Southampton, who have been magnificent in the league could crown a great season but have to overcome Crystal Palace in the next round who are now managed by Alan Pardew who made his name as a player for Palace whose greatest modern day achievement came in…..the FA Cup in 1990! So you see, this season the Cup is very much an important part of the football calendar.
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How else can the FA Cup be improved? To make it more significant the prize has to be more than just lifting the famous trophy. This is, unfortunately, not enough anymore and while the idea to attach a Champions League place for the winners has been around for years, it is time for this to happen. This way the big teams, the powerful clubs will take the trophy more seriously. Indeed, even if they don’t what has been galling in recent years has the likes of Newcastle United dismissing the competition. Would the carrot of a financially lucrative place among Europe’s elite elicit a change of tact? Of course it would. The financial rewards of finishing fourth clearly far outweigh having a club’s named engraved on the trophy so why not incentivise it in the only language modern clubs speak?
To reduce supporter apathy the semi-finals need to revert to be played at a neutral ground where there is mutual convenience for fans, not the corporate fair weather visitor. Ticket prices also need to be looked at to make them affordable for the next generation. Attendances were poor at some Third Round ties so it is time invoke the simple theory of demand and supply and reduce prices.
Those of us of a certain age who reminisce about semi-finals at Villa Park and laughing at rivals as they succumbed to a minnow will never get those days back. They are unfortunately gone. But football can and should adapt. The charm and attraction that the FA Cup holds in the heart for the majority of fans may have dulled with time but as long as there is a feeling for the competition, it will never totally die away. The magic we associate with the Cup may have gone, but it still matters and that’s what’s important.
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Original article from shootthedefence.com by Mike Pieri