Possible changes to the FA Cup

[Lady Whistledown]

They won't give the cup winner a CL place, because as far as UEFA are concerned, it would devalue their competition if they had to have teams like Portsmouth in it (though to be fair, they have a good point in that particular case).

The whole raison d'etre of the Champions League is to generate ever larger sums of money for the game's most powerful clubs, not to encourage minnows to get ideas above their station. The more vulnerable CL qualifiers, as in the ones who might be struggling if you took fourth place away (Arsenal and Liverpool) would whine like the proverbial if suddenly Spurs were allowed in courtesy of a cup win. And besides, what if the final is between Man United and Chelsea- which of the semi finalists do you give the CL place to?

Of course some of us would argue that the CL is already devalued by having fourth placed (and on one occasion, fifth placed) teams in it, but that's another argument entirely.

 

[keaton]

Maybe the only change that is needed is to (as mentioned before) bring the prem and Championship sides in the fold from round 1. Its the FA Cup Propper from round 1. So why do they get byes (in effect) to the third round?

We essentially get byes into the 1st Round?

Maybe everyone should start in April or whenever the First first round starts

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Surely FA Cup crowds have never been all that, apart from those occasions when a team draws attractive higher level opposition, or a historic rival.

The only difference now is that football is so expensive to watch, people who might once have decided on the morning of a game to head down for an FA Cup tie, have to think twice about it because tickets are forty odd quid. If that game is against a team you've already played that season, or from two leagues below you, I can quite understand people thinking they'll give it a miss and save the money.

Ticket prices are ruining the FA Cup, not Man United missing it one year, not replays or shoot outs, not even the Premier League.

 

[Gritt23]

The FA Cup just doesn't generate enough money for the BIG clubs to care enough about it. In fact, half of the Premniership disrepect the competition because it is of FAR less value than staying in the Premiership.

Therefore the only way to revive the competition is to have a big fat juicy carrot waiting there for the winners.

Either the 4th CL place goes to the FA Cup Winners, or the authorities just have to accept it will never be close to what it used to be again, in fact it will continue on a perpetual decline. It's just a route to a single glamour tie a season for small clubs. Take a look at the League Cup and that will be the FA Cup about 5 years in the future.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

The FA Cup hasn't been the same since ITV binned the Saint & Greavsie cup final special and stopped Stan Boardman goose-stepping around the Wembley turf in his hilarious Nazi outfit.

 

[Gully]

Moving games to midweek would be a stupid idea, for many teams at the top it would clash with European games, thus many would field even more weakened sides that they do at the moment...it is possible, though unlikely, that many of the bigger teams wouldn't even bother to enter the competition.

As many have pointed out, the FA Cup isn't broke, it remains the greatest cup competition in the World...leave it as it is!

 

[Notters]

If you want to make the FA cup more exciting give the winner a Champs League place. That will get a few more big clubs interested Im sure.

Thisthisthis

 

[Nottseagull]

the FA are thinking of ways to improve the FA Cup.

It's the FA's "improvements" over the last 30 years that has led to its degradation.

 

[Was not Was]

It's the FA's "improvements" over the last 30 years that has led to its degradation.

Ah, but this is classic football logic. Like the proposal to have Prem Lge Div 2 and pull up the drawbridge. It would make the Premier League more competitive, so is a good idea from that PoV. But the big picture is that it would worsen the big picture - which is that football overall is less competitive and more polarised as a result of the premier league and the resulting TV revenue distribution.

(to be fair, it's the same sort of logic that we use in our personal lives and in politics, but that doesn't make it right)

 

[perseus]

Include the Scottish and Irish clubs as well.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Stop showing so many live games on tv will help. Four games at the weekend on tv and that's just plain stupid, no wonder there was no bugger there!

 

[Working class pride]

It needs a Champions League place or a massive cash prize for the Arsenal, United and Chelsea to respect it as it should be respected. The FA wont get the cheque book out and the Premier league would fight any effort to take a champions league spot from bloody 4th place.

 

[Spider]

Yup, as others have said, there's a blindingly obvious way to fix the FA Cup, which is to give a CL spot to the winner, but unfortunately since the twats at the FA are in the pockets of the Big 4 this won't happen.

Anyway, it pisses me off that people don't go to FA Cup matches. Even as a (relative) youngster I still find the FA Cup very exciting, and on a match to match basis probably better than a League match. Don't understand why fans of non big 4 Premiership teams aren't desperate to win the thing as it is possible.

 

[Nigella's Cream Pie]

It used to be a big dream of clubs, big as well as small, to get to the Twin Towers for the final - with those gone, as well as both semis now being played at the same venue as the final, the magic has gone. If they revived the Cup Winners Cup it might help a bit.

 

[Arthritic Toe]

Agree it needs a CL place or even a sponsor

To those that say 'it aint broke' - are you kidding? Its totally broke, totally devalued. Haven't you noticed the big clubs putting out reserve teams in FA cup matches? This really p's me off - its totally disrespectful to the fans.

 

[Left Footer]

To beorthelm When did i say moving games to midweek would help this?
My suggestion was that it would hinder it.
We would never have taken 6500 to Villa for an evening game.

 

[Templeman]

How about changing it like the Spainish Cup, you could give lower league clubs home advantage until the 6th round, lower league would be your position 1-92 as at the date of the draw, and games completed on the day. All gate receipts to the home side. Premier league cannot play premier league until the 6th round.Might force the elite to play stronger teams throughout the competion, can't come into effect until August 2011.

 

[beorhthelm]

To beorthelm When did i say moving games to midweek would help this?
My suggestion was that it would hinder it.
We would never have taken 6500 to Villa for an evening game.

ah, i thought you were advocating it.

FA cup getting a CL spot is the only thing i thnk might give big teams more focus.

 

[Marc1901]

I think prem and championship teams should be in the cup in the first round to give lower league teams a better opportunity for a good day out and possibly get something out of it

 

[drew]

Is that surprising given that every league match is an FA Cup final for Stock this season and therefore another match against a team they have already played away is not much of a draw.

No penalties would be good and go back to the replay until you win situation, like Liverpool and Arsenal played either three or four matches in the FA Cup in the late 70's or maybe early 80's.

How many people are going to go to a 3rd or 4th replay. Get real.

Would that be the same FA who were advocating the infamous "39th Game", to be played between the likes of Bolton and Wigan in such footballing hotbeds as Malaysia and Thailand?

It was the Premier League suggesting the 39th game, not the FA.

It will never have the prestige it once had because money is the overiding factor. There is not a big enough prize at the end financially. Uefa would not sanction the champions league place going to the Fa cup winners as that could deprive them of a big name team and they need to sell the Champions League to the TV companies. If the Champions League collapsed, then we would soon have a Euro Super league and the top teams would siphon off even more money.

One way of improving the cup would be to stop the semi's at Wembley but again money talks as the FA need to pay for the stadium.

I still fail to see how a stoke fan can prefer to watch their team play in a league game at Eastlands rather than a one off cup game. Having said that, there are season ticket holders behind me at Withdean who you never see at a cup game. I suppose it takes allsorts.

I remember reading Jimmy Greaves autobiography and he stated that when Chelsea won the league in 1954 (I think), it meant nothing much because the FA Cup was the big prize. Complete turnaround now. Desparate shame.

Ask most Albion fans what was the biggest moment, winning at Newcastle to secure promotion and knowing you were playing the top teams in the country next season or winning at Highbury and knowing that in a few weeks time you would see your team walk out at Wembley. It was and is still the latter for me and I was at both.