The FA Cup

[The Bun Elephant]

Does winning it still mean anything
Or is football all about the Premiership and Champions League nowadays ?

 

[ees complicated no?]

Of course it matters still.

 

[The Bun Elephant]

Fully agree but managers and chairmen seem to think otherwise now days
Big clubs play reserve sides especially when fixtures get congested and it can hinder league form in some eyes

 

[ees complicated no?]

Think you mistaken the FA cup, with the league cup.

 

[Seasider78]

As each year passes managers seem to treat it with less prestige. The magic remains until the later rounds when it becomes a 'premier league' affair

 

[catfish]

It still means a lot to those of us who remember football pre Sky & the Premier League.

 

[The Bun Elephant]

Think you mistaken the FA cup, with the league cup.

No .... Just watch ..... Even Gus i think put out a weaker team last season in one of the rounds

 

[northernblue]

Its just not the same anymore though is it! doesn't have the magic it used to! i think it changed since the old wembley got knocked down or maybe its me just getting older!

 

[Tricky Dicky]

For the fans the FA cup proably still means about as much as it ever did, I would say, but for the clubs most have other priorities - all driven by money of course. If you're a prem club, if you're near the top, the title or CL qualification mean a lot more, if you're near the bottom of the league, staying in the prem is your priority. For a championship club in the top half, promotion is your goal. It is a nice distraction, maybe time to run out a player (e.g. giving Gerrard a full game last night).

A club that might take it seriously, could be someone like Stoke, who aren't going to go down, won't qualify tfor Europe via league position, but the cup could give them a route for winning something. So, I guess it's taken the place of the league cup in most priorities.

 

[Brok]

5 reasons the FA Cup still means something

1. Get to go to Wembley
2. Make shit loads of ££££
3. Make Europe
4. Globalise fanbase (cup final watched by 100+ countries)
5. Make history

The FA Cup has lost its magic because once upon a time the only thing that mattered was number 5, with a taste of number 1

Unfortunately the teams that are likely to get to the final probably don't care about any of it.

'Tis sad, but true.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

5 reasons the FA Cup still means something

1. Get to go to Wembley
2. Make shit loads of ££££
3. Make Europe
4. Globalise fanbase (cup final watched by 100+ countries)
5. Make history

The FA Cup has lost its magic because once upon a time the only thing that mattered was number 5, with a taste of number 1

Unfortunately the teams that are likely to get to the final probably don't care about any of it.

1. Getting to Wembley isn't as special as it once was. E.g. every play-off final, cup semi-finals etc.
2. The money is nothing for the cup compared to premiership or CL for the clubs with a realistic chance of winning it

The FA Cup has lost its magic because once upon a time the only thing that mattered was number 5, with a taste of number 1

This is true.

 

[beorhthelm]

i reckon most players and mangers would rather win the FA Cup than come 2nd in the League. sure, you get to go to Europe the following season, but history wont remember that, but a trophy and medal will be. maybe not as much as they used to, when players would dine out on it for the rest of their life, but still important.

 

[DumLum]

Only one way to get the fa cup back to its best and that is to offer champions league qualification to the winners instead of 4th place. The premiership would take it seriously again and it would boost the attendances.

However that is not going to happen any time soon.

 

[vegster]

Lots of puff from 5Live today but bit by bit the truth comes out, lots of managers talking of The Cup being a distraction. That's the little clubs as well as the Premership clubs. So far the Birmingham fans have voted with their feet, expect more low gates overall. Sorry, the magic has died.