The magic of the FA Cup

[Hendo]

As do Watford

£10 ticket price incoming?

I would imagine tickets will be around £10 - they usually are for early cup games.

[YorkshireRoyal99]

Given the way the Championship is this season I can see a lot of U23 sides like in the league cup and a lot of exits in round 3 & 4, including us.

Sad that this is true. I am really sick of sides of all levels not putting out their strongest teams in the FA Cup and using it as a glorified Academy/Reserve competition. Personally I'd chuck out any sides that did it citing bringing the competition into disrepute as the reason.

I've always believed that that in recent years countries domestic cup competitions should carry a Champions League spot. After all the winners are the last team standing in each entire nation....which is what the CL is after all for the last 16.
Don't see why being 4th is, or not winning anything continuously should be be rewarded.

Yeah I agree with that really, remove the 4th-placed team with an automatic CL spot and give it to the FA Cup winner and the League Cup winner gets a EL spot. I'm not sure how significant a difference it would make as I'm sure that would just mean that underperforming PL sides, like Liverpool currently, would field their strongest side in the FA Cup knowing that they'd only really need Man City to be eliminated during some stage to have a very strong chance of winning any competition then.

[Stranded]

Sad that this is true. I am really sick of sides of all levels not putting out their strongest teams in the FA Cup and using it as a glorified Academy/Reserve competition. Personally I'd chuck out any sides that did it citing bringing the competition into disrepute as the reason.

I've always believed that that in recent years countries domestic cup competitions should carry a Champions League spot. After all the winners are the last team standing in each entire nation....which is what the CL is after all for the last 16.
Don't see why being 4th is, or not winning anything continuously should be be rewarded.

Yeah I agree with that really, remove the 4th-placed team with an automatic CL spot and give it to the FA Cup winner and the League Cup winner gets a EL spot. I'm not sure how significant a difference it would make as I'm sure that would just mean that underperforming PL sides, like Liverpool currently, would field their strongest side in the FA Cup knowing that they'd only really need Man City to be eliminated during some stage to have a very strong chance of winning any competition then.

It would make little to no difference - plus it won't happen for the simple reason that the FA and UEFA won't want to risk a non-top flight team reaching the CL. Very rare occurance admittedly but Millwall were 90 mins away from winning the cup in 2004 and only played 1 top flight side in the entire run, Man Utd in the final. Would a CL place be fair compensation if they had snuck a win in the final over a side that had finished 4th over a 38 game season?

Wigan struggled in the Europa League having won the FA Cup then getting relegated - imagine having to play away at Real Madrid on Wednesday then home to Rotherham on Saturday - it may be fun but it could seriously derail a side in a 46 game season.

So a lower division team is unlikely to make it but again would it be right for say Villa to qualify for the CL for winning 6 ties (not even games) some or all of which could be against teams from a lower division over say West Ham having a great season and finishing 4th after 38 games?

[YorkshireRoyal99]

I've always believed that that in recent years countries domestic cup competitions should carry a Champions League spot. After all the winners are the last team standing in each entire nation....which is what the CL is after all for the last 16.
Don't see why being 4th is, or not winning anything continuously should be be rewarded.

Yeah I agree with that really, remove the 4th-placed team with an automatic CL spot and give it to the FA Cup winner and the League Cup winner gets a EL spot. I'm not sure how significant a difference it would make as I'm sure that would just mean that underperforming PL sides, like Liverpool currently, would field their strongest side in the FA Cup knowing that they'd only really need Man City to be eliminated during some stage to have a very strong chance of winning any competition then.

It would make little to no difference - plus it won't happen for the simple reason that the FA and UEFA won't want to risk a non-top flight team reaching the CL. Very rare occurance admittedly but Millwall were 90 mins away from winning the cup in 2004 and only played 1 top flight side in the entire run, Man Utd in the final. Would a CL place be fair compensation if they had snuck a win in the final over a side that had finished 4th over a 38 game season?

Wigan struggled in the Europa League having won the FA Cup then getting relegated - imagine having to play away at Real Madrid on Wednesday then home to Rotherham on Saturday - it may be fun but it could seriously derail a side in a 46 game season.

So a lower division team is unlikely to make it but again would it be right for say Villa to qualify for the CL for winning 6 ties (not even games) some or all of which could be against teams from a lower division over say West Ham having a great season and finishing 4th after 38 games?

Maybe not but there's an argument both sides really. Although it tends to be the generation who were around in the 70's where it was the champions of each league playing in the "Champions League", whereas present day it has been the so-called best teams in Europe, but still carrying elements of what it was like historically with the league and champions qualification route.

I'm not sure if it would seriously derail a 46-game season, granted Wigan and Birmingham didn't have fantastic seasons in the Championship on the occasions they were in Europe and were playing something daft like 60 games in a season, but would you potentially put down underperformance due to European commitments? Or were the team just not good enough to get promoted again? Maybe elements of both as I genuinely don't know.

I suppose you can argue both ultimately.

[South Coast Royal]

Fairly simple solution to a lower division side winning the FA Cup would be to not let them into the CL and possibly let them feature in the Europa Conference.
The 4th place in the Premier League then gets a place in the CL.

It is such a rare occurrence that I don't feel it is a big issue-the glory at home would still be something else (offer more cash to the winners if the very rich FA wanted the competition to be restored to its previous standing) and the likelihood becomes even less likely if Premier clubs take the competition seriously knowing that a CL place is up for grabs.

I suspect that a non-Premier club winning the cup would readily take say £10 million for winning and not be concerned about missing out on playing a couple of qualifying rounds of the Champs League in the following season.

It is/was a very special competition but needs something new to boost it.

[Elm Park Kid]

Well, UEFA have a long standing ban on giving places to the winners of domestic cups. So, you'd have to win the argument with them first, before then trying to convince the PL that it would be a good idea.

The PL/Sky/BT might get concerned that a PL with only three CL places is ultimately less appealing, and that clubs would start treating the game around FA cup ties less seriously. No one is going to risk killing the golden goose just so that the FA cup is a bit more meaningful.

[Sutekh]

I've always believed that that in recent years countries domestic cup competitions should carry a Champions League spot. After all the winners are the last team standing in each entire nation....which is what the CL is after all for the last 16.
Don't see why being 4th is, or not winning anything continuously should be be rewarded.

Yeah I agree with that really, remove the 4th-placed team with an automatic CL spot and give it to the FA Cup winner and the League Cup winner gets a EL spot. I'm not sure how significant a difference it would make as I'm sure that would just mean that underperforming PL sides, like Liverpool currently, would field their strongest side in the FA Cup knowing that they'd only really need Man City to be eliminated during some stage to have a very strong chance of winning any competition then.

It would make little to no difference - plus it won't happen for the simple reason that the FA and UEFA won't want to risk a non-top flight team reaching the CL. Very rare occurance admittedly but Millwall were 90 mins away from winning the cup in 2004 and only played 1 top flight side in the entire run, Man Utd in the final. Would a CL place be fair compensation if they had snuck a win in the final over a side that had finished 4th over a 38 game season?

Wigan struggled in the Europa League having won the FA Cup then getting relegated - imagine having to play away at Real Madrid on Wednesday then home to Rotherham on Saturday - it may be fun but it could seriously derail a side in a 46 game season.

So a lower division team is unlikely to make it but again would it be right for say Villa to qualify for the CL for winning 6 ties (not even games) some or all of which could be against teams from a lower division over say West Ham having a great season and finishing 4th after 38 games?

That wouldn’t be an issue as they’d have to (otherwise UEFA would start crying as well) stick a caveat in along the lines of the FA Cup winning team having to be competing in the Premier League in the following season.

However the “billy big bollock” sides would still have an issue with even that as imagine what it’d mean for the very fabric of football if Palace or Brighton or even a Norwich, in the year they were promoted back to the PL, won it.

Another reason why football was better before the PL and UEFA’s stinky reworking of European football competitions were inflicted on everyone.

[Franchise FC]

The FA Cup is now more Tommy Cooper than Harry Houdini

[JedMaxwell]

The FA Cup is now more Tommy Cooper than Harry Houdini

I heard someone say the magic of the FA Cup is like the magic John Wayne Gacy used to do at kids' parties.

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Given the way the Championship is this season I can see a lot of U23 sides like in the league cup and a lot of exits in round 3 & 4, including us.

Sad that this is true. I am really sick of sides of all levels not putting out their strongest teams in the FA Cup and using it as a glorified Academy/Reserve competition. Personally I'd chuck out any sides that did it citing bringing the competition into disrepute as the reason.

I've always believed that that in recent years countries domestic cup competitions should carry a Champions League spot. After all the winners are the last team standing in each entire nation....which is what the CL is after all for the last 16.
Don't see why being 4th is, or not winning anything continuously should be be rewarded.

I'd agree with this if it was just the FA cup - its time the league cup was scrapped

[Ascotexgunner]

Sad that this is true. I am really sick of sides of all levels not putting out their strongest teams in the FA Cup and using it as a glorified Academy/Reserve competition. Personally I'd chuck out any sides that did it citing bringing the competition into disrepute as the reason.

I've always believed that that in recent years countries domestic cup competitions should carry a Champions League spot. After all the winners are the last team standing in each entire nation....which is what the CL is after all for the last 16.
Don't see why being 4th is, or not winning anything continuously should be be rewarded.

I'd agree with this if it was just the FA cup - its time the league cup was scrapped

[Ascotexgunner]

I've always believed that that in recent years countries domestic cup competitions should carry a Champions League spot. After all the winners are the last team standing in each entire nation....which is what the CL is after all for the last 16.
Don't see why being 4th is, or not winning anything continuously should be be rewarded.

I'd agree with this if it was just the FA cup - its time the league cup was scrapped

All the other countries that have a third trophy have scrapped them. I also agree.
If it's an issue for UEFA the answer is easy...offer to seed the competition. Just feel the cup would be so much more important and make the big clubs work a bit harder with their massively bloated squads for the CL spot.

[Royals and Racers]

Change of KO time to 12.30pm.

[Stranded]

Change of KO time to 12.30pm.

Yep, due to international broadcast rights I think. Certainly last year, there were around 5 or 6 games available to watch live over here during each timeslot and looks similar this year. On the Saturday - 6 games at 12.30, 8 at 3pm and 4 at 5.30 alongside those ties already shifted for UK TV.

[Royals and Racers]

As do Watford

£10 ticket price incoming?

I would imagine tickets will be around £10 - they usually are for early cup games.

£15 with only East and Lower West stands open for home supporters.

[Sutekh]

Reading are ball 31 for the 4th round draw. Hoping for a lower league side at home but expecting a cr@p trip to Preston, Brighton, Derby or Sheffield.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Fleetwoodwood be nice

[AthleticoSpizz]

Two great saves by Cardiff players, one the GK, one not….still 2-1, the longer our league rivals stay in the cup, the better.

[Sutekh]

Two great saves by Cardiff players, one the GK, one not….still 2-1, the longer our league rivals stay in the cup, the better.

Hope the ref is a bit lenient with the time added on….

McCoist makes Rino MotM!

[AthleticoSpizz]

2-2 but another game for them to shoehorn in.