[Albion] The FA Cup for lower - half prem teams has so little upside

Kalimantan Gull · Jan 11, 2021

Even before last night's game I got thinking that the FA Cup for teams like us is just going to be season after season of getting knocked out by lower division teams, or by big 6 teams, with the odd decent run maybe 1 year in 10 or so. Every now and again one team might pull lightning out of the hat, like Wigan or Portsmouth, but that's the sum total of non big teams who have won it in the past 30 seasons.

In the lower leagues is fun because you occasionally get nice days out against the big sides. For the very big sides it's something to win. But for lower-half prem sides its a hiding to nothing over and over and over again. Managers get criticised for playing a weak team and not taking it seriously, or for playing a strong team and not resting players for the league. Beat the lower league side and its expected, before going out to Chelsea or someone later, lose and its angst ridden.

We were poor yesterday, but hey, we didn't lose. Could have been Leeds getting turned over by Crawley, or Villas kids getting comfortably beat by Liverpool, or WBA losing to Blackpool on pens, or Burnley scraping through on pens, but at home.

Long way of saying the cup will nearly always be shit for a lower half prem side.

Swansman · Jan 11, 2021

Was more value to it when it was all about United / Arsenal in the league. Now teams that are super good but far away from a league title (like United or Chelsea) see it as their best opportunity to win something.

raymondo · Jan 11, 2021

Kalimantan Gull said:
Even before last night's game I got thinking that the FA Cup for teams like us is just going to be season after season of getting knocked out by lower division teams, or by big 6 teams, with the odd decent run maybe 1 year in 10 or so. Every now and again one team might pull lightning out of the hat, like Wigan or Portsmouth, but that's the sum total of non big teams who have won it in the past 30 seasons.

In the lower leagues is fun because you occasionally get nice days out against the big sides. For the very big sides it's something to win. But for lower-half prem sides its a hiding to nothing over and over and over again. Managers get criticised for playing a weak team and not taking it seriously, or for playing a strong team and not resting players for the league. Beat the lower league side and its expected, before going out to Chelsea or someone later, lose and its angst ridden.

We were poor yesterday, but hey, we didn't lose. Could have been Leeds getting turned over by Crawley, or Villas kids getting comfortably beat by Liverpool, or WBA losing to Blackpool on pens, or Burnley scraping through on pens, but at home.

Long way of saying the cup will nearly always be shit for a lower half prem side.

Pretty true I'd say. When we were in lower leagues we wanted to draw big teams, now we're in the EPL we'd rather draw lower teams (like Newport &#55357;&#56876;&#55357;&#56876

cos we already play (and normally lose to) the bigger teams. Funny old world.

SweatyMexican · Jan 11, 2021

On the contrary, it gives lower-half prem teams (who can’t really go much further in the league structure) an outside chance of silverware.

We got to the semi-final of the FA cup two years ago. A fantastic achievement that we are more than capable of doing again, and hopefully going two steps further!

Eeyore · Jan 11, 2021

The cup is perfect for lower EPL teams who have very average first teams and a squad of players who are all very similar.

I remember having this conversation with a friend in January 2019. It was why I felt we would win at Bournemouth. They had a team of good first XI players but not so good back-ups. Albion were pretty average throughout.

Thus it proved. No reason why Albion can't do well this season unless they get a nasty draw against a top six team who are taking things seriously.

Mackenzie · Jan 11, 2021

It’s a break from the grind of the league.

I wasn’t overly bothered by the result prior to kick off last night, I wanted to win but wouldn’t have been too worried if not. Consequently I was able to relax and enjoy the game for what it was and for the first time in ages actually enjoy watching us play. It was refreshing.

Perhaps that was just me though.

Easy 10 · Jan 11, 2021

As we well know from down the years, the excitement of the FA Cup is for teams outside the PL drawing a PL team for the chance of a scalp, or a BDO at a PL ground where we'd never usually get a chance to visit. Now we are a PL team, the excitement of the Cup is (for me) diminished as we're playing these teams week-in week-out now anyway, so that removes the "glamour" aspect of it straight away. Man Utd away, "woo hoo" becomes "meh". Its a shame but that's just the reality I guess. Now I'm hoping we draw someone shite for a chance of progressing. And in normal times, I'd be all over a visit to a club in the noddy leagues like a tramp on chips.

That said I enjoyed the 2018 run to the SF, even if the game at Wembley was a damp squib. (I'd bring back SF's at neutral venues in a heartbeat, but thats never gonna happen now is it).

Lindfield by the Pond · Jan 11, 2021

Good to see some of the biggest teams like Leeds going for it.

smillie's garden · Jan 11, 2021

Easy 10 said:
As we well know from down the years, the excitement of the FA Cup is for teams outside the PL drawing a PL team for the chance of a scalp, or a BDO at a PL ground where we'd never usually get a chance to visit. Now we are a PL team, the excitement of the Cup is (for me) diminished as we're playing these teams week-in week-out now anyway, so that removes the "glamour" aspect of it straight away. Man Utd away, "woo hoo" becomes "meh". Its a shame but that's just the reality I guess. Now I'm hoping we draw someone shite for a chance of progressing. And in normal times, I'd be all over a visit to a club in the noddy leagues like a tramp on chips.

That said I enjoyed the 2018 run to the SF, even if the game at Wembley was a damp squib. (I'd bring back SF's at neutral venues in a heartbeat, but thats never gonna happen now is it).

Wembley is a neutral venue, but I know what you mean. Highbury '83 will be a top memory for the rest of my life.

Neville's Breakfast · Jan 11, 2021

We have more chance of reaching the QF and beyond now we have a prem squad. The FA Cup is all about the day out so once we are allowed to attend matches it becomes a great competition once again. Empty stadiums unfortunately means it suffers by comparison to televised league matches.

herecomesaregular · Jan 11, 2021

Kalimantan Gull said:
Even before last night's game I got thinking that the FA Cup for teams like us is just going to be season after season of getting knocked out by lower division teams, or by big 6 teams, with the odd decent run maybe 1 year in 10 or so. Every now and again one team might pull lightning out of the hat, like Wigan or Portsmouth, but that's the sum total of non big teams who have won it in the past 30 seasons.

In the lower leagues is fun because you occasionally get nice days out against the big sides. For the very big sides it's something to win. But for lower-half prem sides its a hiding to nothing over and over and over again. Managers get criticised for playing a weak team and not taking it seriously, or for playing a strong team and not resting players for the league. Beat the lower league side and its expected, before going out to Chelsea or someone later, lose and its angst ridden.

We were poor yesterday, but hey, we didn't lose. Could have been Leeds getting turned over by Crawley, or Villas kids getting comfortably beat by Liverpool, or WBA losing to Blackpool on pens, or Burnley scraping through on pens, but at home.

Long way of saying the cup will nearly always be shit for a lower half prem side.

ffs don't mean to be rude but football is just a game! You're a bit over analytical for me there. On a basic level I enjoyed our and several cup games yesterday. Pleased to see bigger teams, us included, put out decent sides surprisingly. For mre some of the fa cup magic was back anyway.

Cotton Socks · Jan 11, 2021

Noooooo, I completely disagree! My love for the Albion was born from the '83 cup final. Literally no-one in my family gave a crap about football & that was the 1st game I ever watched. I went up to the Woodbourne Avenue shops to buy myself a flag for the replay.
I followed the team via the 'pools' announcements until '87. I moved & my next door neighbours dad used to sell Seagulls lottery tickets so I was more 'in the know' about what happened on the pitch from then on. :rock:

It wasn't until '91 that I saw my 1st 'live' game & that was away vs Millwall (which was scary, as I was still quite young). I can't lie and say I was going to games every week or even every year to be honest. I was a teenager and there were raves to go to. The next big game I went to, that I remember was Jimmy Case's testimonial. A year later I was working at the Goldstone, I didn't know that I was applying to work there when I went for the job!
Match days are the busiest days so 9.75 times out of 10 you don't get to see the match, but I managed to get 'leave' to watch the Canvey Island replay as it was FA cup. Last night reminded me of the draw at Canvey Island!
There really is something 'magical' about the cup, I bloody love it & I take my kids to see every Brighton FA cup game that I can. [MENTION=805]Kalimantan Gull[/MENTION] you had the biggest part to play in me taking my kids to Wembley and I'm forever grateful. I don't care that we lost, the whole day was based around 'it's the magic of the cup and anything can happen' & it really was a brilliant day! :albion2:

Edit to add, I also explained to my kids why I was donating to their crowd funder, because I know how much getting through to the next round meant to them financially in these Covid times.

AmexRuislip · Jan 11, 2021

I remember the days of watching the Albion at the Goldstone.
Then one such season came along, we did rather well in getting to the final of the FA Cup.
Part of my experience of belonging to that particular cup run, was attending the games, gaining a voucher to ensure your attendance at the next round, eventually travelling up to Wembley to experience further cup trends.
That was what the FA Cup was all about IMO.
Nowadays, well it's............... :shrug:

BeHereNow · Jan 11, 2021

FA Cup draw is by far one of the most exciting moments of the season for me (as long as we are in it). We could get Liverpool or Crawley, bloody brilliant, every team is or was involved at some stage and we always have a good chance of getting far whilst we are in the PL.

I’ve said it many times, but one of the perks of being in the PL is having the squad depth to be able to do well in the cups.

People talked about being top 10, but the FA Cup would mean much more and actually help our profile immensely, which would in turn give us a much better chance of getting into the top 10.

At the end of the day, I don’t see football as just as we are in the table all the time, it’s also about cups.

A lot of fans also moan about not being able to play or go to the smaller clubs anymore, well the FA Cup gives us a chance of that too.

The FA Cup seems like one of the only traditional things left in the game and I bloody love it.

You say we would occasionally get good days out against the big sides if we were lower league, well we don’t need anymore as we get them every month anyway. My point is that I’m probably just excited about going to Villa in the PL as I was when we got them in the FA Cup about 10 years ago, it hasn’t changed just because we play them more regularly.

AZ Gull · Jan 11, 2021

Cotton Socks said:
Noooooo, I completely disagree! My love for the Albion was born from the '83 cup final. Literally no-one in my family gave a crap about football & that was the 1st game I ever watched. I went up to the Woodbourne Avenue shops to buy myself a flag for the replay.
I followed the team via the 'pools' announcements until '87. I moved & my next door neighbours dad used to sell Seagulls lottery tickets so I was more 'in the know' about what happened on the pitch from then on.
It wasn't until '91 that I saw my 1st 'live' game & that was away vs Millwall (which was scary, as I was still quite young). I can't lie and say I was going to games every week or even every year to be honest. I was a teenager and there were raves to go to. The next big game I went to, that I remember was Jimmy Case's testimonial. A year later I was working at the Goldstone, I didn't know that I was applying to work there when I went for the job!
Match days are the busiest days so 9.75 times out of 10 you don't get to see the match, but I managed to get 'leave' to watch the Canvey Island replay as it was FA cup. Last night reminded me of the draw at Canvey Island!
There really is something 'magical' about the cup, I bloody love it & I take my kids to see every Brighton FA cup game that I can. [MENTION=805]Kalimantan Gull[/MENTION] you had the biggest part to play in me taking my kids to Wembley and I'm forever grateful. I don't care that we lost, the whole day was based around 'it's the magic of the cup and anything can happen' & it really was a brilliant day!
Edit to add, I also explained to my kids why I was donating to their crowd funder, because I know how much getting through to the next round meant to them financially in these Covid times.

Bless

hans kraay fan club · Jan 11, 2021

Kalimantan Gull said:
Even before last night's game I got thinking that the FA Cup for teams like us is just going to be season after season of getting knocked out by lower division teams, or by big 6 teams, with the odd decent run maybe 1 year in 10 or so. Every now and again one team might pull lightning out of the hat, like Wigan or Portsmouth, but that's the sum total of non big teams who have won it in the past 30 seasons.

In the lower leagues is fun because you occasionally get nice days out against the big sides. For the very big sides it's something to win. But for lower-half prem sides its a hiding to nothing over and over and over again. Managers get criticised for playing a weak team and not taking it seriously, or for playing a strong team and not resting players for the league. Beat the lower league side and its expected, before going out to Chelsea or someone later, lose and its angst ridden.

We were poor yesterday, but hey, we didn't lose. Could have been Leeds getting turned over by Crawley, or Villas kids getting comfortably beat by Liverpool, or WBA losing to Blackpool on pens, or Burnley scraping through on pens, but at home.

Long way of saying the cup will nearly always be shit for a lower half prem side.

We got to a Wembley semi final, literally TWO years ago :shrug:

studio150 · Jan 11, 2021

Mackenzie said:
It was refreshing.

Perhaps that was just me though.

It certainly wasn't me.
I'm still haunted by the exit to Oxford United along with the (far too many) times we have been beaten by non league teams.
While in recent years lower division teams beating higher placed teams has increased due to reserves being played in earlier rounds I always hated Monday mornings at work if Brighton had been beaten by a minnow.
So Sunday evening was not a relaxing watch with the air turning blue with the Steele howler and again in the penalty shoot out when we fell behind .
Yes the cup doesn't mean as much as it did40 odd years ago but losing to minnows is still hard.

Hopefully we now get past Blackpool but it won't be a relaxing watch.

portlock seagull · Jan 11, 2021

Still love the fa cup, anyone at Millwall couple seasons ago will remember the ‘scenes’ as we committed burglary in Bermondsey. League rarely provides such moments like that, the cup still has magic despite being undermined by clubs and games authorities alike.

jimhigham · Jan 11, 2021

SweatyMexican said:
On the contrary, it gives lower-half prem teams (who can’t really go much further in the league structure) an outside chance of silverware.

We got to the semi-final of the FA cup two years ago. A fantastic achievement that we are more than capable of doing again, and hopefully going two steps further!

Absolutely this. There’s an opportunity to be grabbed for those that fancy it. I absolutely loved our Wembley day out. I went with my daughter, who’d seen her first match at Withdean. It was superb for her to see our rise through the ranks topped off with a Wembley day out. With the bigger clubs viewing it as an inconvenience there’s always the chance to progress but it is a risky venture if you’re embroiled in a relegation battle.

Pint of Ale and a Burger · Jan 11, 2021

I love the cup and I can see us winning it one day.
Our last trip to Wembley was fantastic I just hope we don't get to Wembley again and it's in an empty ground.
The only bad thing about the cup is the kick off time for the final should be 15:00 on a Saturday and it should be last fixture of the season.
They have taken away some of the magic with the new times for the final.

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[Albion] The FA Cup for lower - half prem teams has so little upside

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